George Schaefer Movies
Yale Drama School alumnus George Schaefer built his reputation as producer/director of several Hallmark Hall of Fame TV productions of the 1950s and 1960s. One of these, Macbeth (starring Maurice Evans and Judith Anderson), was expanded and released as a theatrical feature in 1963. Schaefer's subsequent non-TV films were as forgettable as his TV work was memorable; arguably the... (read more) best of his Hollywood efforts was An Enemy of the People, a 1978 labor of love co-conceived by Schaefer and star Steve McQueen. Schaefer returned to television after 1978, garnering several industry awards to add to his already impressive trophy collection. Among George Schaefer's Emmy-winning TV productions were Little Moon of Alban (1959), the aforementioned MacBeth (1960), The Magnificent Yankee (1965), Elizabeth the Queen (1967), and A War of Children (1972). Schaefer died September 10, 1997, after a lengthy illness at the age of 76. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Harvey
G 1998
Previously adapted twice before, most notably for the Oscar-nominated 1950 film starring James Stewart, Mary Chase's classic stage-play Harvey once again receives the...
Beverly Hills Cop III
R 1994
The third entry in the popular Beverly Hills Cop series finds Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returning yet again to Southern California, this time on the trail of two...
The Man Upstairs
1993
Produced for television, George Schaefer's comedy-drama casts Katharine Hepburn as Victoria Brown, a sharp-tongued spinster who discovers petty thief Moony Polaski (Ryan...
Let Me Hear You Whisper
1990
...
Guest Appearance
1988
...
Laura Lansing Slept Here
1988
Each of Katharine Hepburn's 1980s TV movies was heralded as the lady's last-ever appearance. We are fortunate indeed that she didn't choose the minor-league Laura Lansing...
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
1986
Local bullies find themselves the recipients of a Christmas miracle when they perform in the Christmas pageant. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi...
Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry
1986
Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry was especially written by playwright James Prideaux for Katharine Hepburn. It would have been impractical to attempt a live staging, so the...
Stone Pillow
1985
The ads for The Stone Pillow tended to suggest that this TV movie was Lucille Ball's dramatic debut--completely ignoring the fact that Ball had started out as a...
Children in the Crossfire
1984
Children in the Crossfire examines the plight of the youngest victims of Northern Ireland's never-ending religious strife. Amidst the speeding bullets and burned-out buildings,...
Right of Way
1983
This story about an elderly couple who start a large controversy when everyone learns they plan on committing suicide stars James Stewart as the retired Teddy Dwyer, and...
A Piano for Mrs. Cimino
1982
Directed by George Schaefer, this light made-for-television drama is based upon the novel of the same name by Robert Oliphant. Starring Bette Davis as Esther Cimino, a...
The Deadly Game
1982
Several criminal lawyers reunite every year in the Swiss mountains to entertain themselves with fake trials and murder mysteries. At one year's party, an unwitting American...
The People vs. Jean Harris
PG13 1981
The videotaped TV movie The People vs. Jean Harris premiered May 7, 1981-five weeks after the outcome of Jean Harris' trial. Ellen Burstyn plays Jean, the 57-year old...
The Bunker
1981
This exhaustive (and exhausting) 3-hour TV movie dramatizes the last three months of Adolph Hitler's life, spent in his bunker in Berlin. Anthony Hopkins is repulsively...
Mayflower: The Pilgrims' Adventure
1979
Originally titled The Voyage of the Mayflower, this made-for-TV historical drama was, not surprisingly, first telecast as a CBS Thanksgiving special. In the tradition of...
Blind Ambition
1979
The 8-hour TV miniseries Blind Ambition was originally telecast May 20 through 23, 1979. This 105-minute feature-film version, prepared in 1982, seems a bit rushed at times,...
Who'll Save Our Children?
1978
Based on Rachel Maddux' book The Orchard Children, this still-timely 1978 TV movie stars Shirley Jones and Len Cariou as the foster parents of two "cast-off" children....
An Enemy of the People
1978
Steve McQueen served as both star and executive producer for this film version of the drama by Henrik Ibsen, which was adapted by Arthur Miller. When Dr. Thomas Stockmann...
First, You Cry
1978
NBC correspondent Betty Rollin's book about her own mastectomy, First You Cry, was adapted for television by Carmen Culver. Mary Tyler Moore plays Ms. Rollins, who...