Halloween Countdown: Day 6 - Dead Air

Gregory Hines was the coolest! I was thrilled to see that he was in this thriller which aired on this day in 1994 on USA. Dead Air tells the tale of a beleagured disc jockey who may or may not be getting calls from the person who killed his girlfriend. In the trailer below you'll see a lot of phone action, and so it's either a total surprise or none at all that Fred Walton who made the phone so scary in When a Stranger Calls helmed this little suspense flick. I love Fred, and thought he really upped the stakes of home invasion in Stranger's sequel, When a Stranger Calls Back, so I'm curious to see Dead Air. And of course, Gregory just seals the deal.

You can watch the trailer for Dead Air here. It looks pretty good!

Halloween Countdown: Day 5 - The Last Child

Oh, now this one looks good. This ABC Movie of the Week, which aired on this day in 1971 was produced by the king, Aaron Spelling and directed by the great John Llewellyn Moxey. It's a tale about an overcrowded planet where every couple is allowed one child, and if you're 65 and need medical care... Fugedaboudit! A couple tries to defy the odds when their first child dies and the wife becomes pregnant yet again. Veddy sceddy!


Here's a clip:

Halloween Countdown: Day 4 - With Harmful Intent

On this day in 1993, we all probably thought wearing biker shorts was alright. Oh! And this movie, which is also known as In the Shadows, Someone's Watching (a much creepier title) premiered on NBC. Starring Joan Van Ark and the gorgeous Rick Springfield, it looks like a Lifetime-esque thriller all the way... which means I desperately need to see it. In fact, I'm surprised I had not heard of With Harmful Intent until today, as I tend to collect the movies of Mr. Springfield. I don't know much about the plot, but you can watch the trailer here:

Halloween Countdown: Day 3 - Murder in Peyton Place

TV terror went and got all sudsy in this NBC movie which aired on this day in 1977. A good portion of the original Peyton Place cast members were reunited and it looks like someone has murder on their mind because several of the townsfolk get killed! The original director, Robert Hartford-Davis died three days into shooting from a heart attack. Wow. He was replaced by Bruce Kessler.


I have not seen this, but would love to especially since I see the delish Christopher Connelly is all there in color and stuff!

Halloween Countdown: Day 2 - Sweet, Sweet Rachel

I love, love, love this movie which premiered on this day in 1971 as an ABC Movie of the Week and was a potential pilot. Alas, it was not picked up (the concept was seriously reworked and eventually became The Sixth Sense with hunky Gary Collins) and all we have now is Rachel being, well, sweet. It's a great idea: An amiable parapsycologist and his blind assitant (!) help the distraught Rachel solve her husband's supernatural murder. Lots of atomsphere and some creepy scenes make Sweet, Sweet Rachel a blast from the past!

Halloween Countdown: Day One - The Stranger Within

On this day in 1974, ABC aired one of the scariest made for TV movies of all time, The Stranger Within (click on title for review), which was penned by Richard Matheson and directed with a deft sense of suspense by Lee Philips. I would have been three when this came out, so I came to know it a little later in life, but I can assure you that although 36 years have gone by, Stranger remains one of the creepiest forays into the world of made for TV movies. Barbara Eden is just fantastic and the story of an otherworldly pregnancy is so creepy and thoughtful, it just goes to show why the classic techniques of horror remain classic.

Halloween Countdown... TV Movie Style!

OK, OK, I'll take the apple you gave me! Sheesh...

I'm not sure I have enough to do all 31 days, but I thought it might be fun to look back on the creepiest TV movies which aired during the month of October. I got the idea when I pulled up an old article I wrote for Film Threat called Jeepers Creepers - TV Features, where I had highlighted some of these films. Let's see if my Nancy Drew like detective skills can get me to 31 titles. It's an experiment in all things TV movies! YAY!

This is What I Call Heaven

Don't forget, Dark Night of the Scarecrow comes out this Tuesday!!! It's got a great TV spot and commentary by the director and writer! Some say support your local sheriff, but I just say support your TV Movies!

Harold Gould (1923 - 2010)

Harold Gould was always one of the most welcome faces in television.

Although he preferred the stage to the screen, his face became a mainstay during the 60s, 70s and 80s on such shows as SOAP, Rhoda and The Golden Girls. Crowned with beautiful white hair (his look hardly varied, even through three decades of television) and ferociously likable, Harold even originated the role of Howard Cunningham when Happy Days was just a sketch on Love, American Style! His work also brought him five Emmy nominations!

Harold helps out Rhoda on her wedding day
I always think of Gould as the sweet Dad type, but he sometimes played badasses such as when he portrayed Honore, the patriarch of a mobster family on several episodes of Hawaii 5-0. Well, at least he's still a dad! He also put in a fun, and surprising turn in a great TVM called The Red Light Sting, which also starred Farrah Fawcett and Beau Bridges. Again, Gould is a mobster type in this crazed little nugget about the LA Police buying a brothel (!) to set up an elaborate sting! Gotta love it!


Before he was Miles, he played Rose's other boyfriend, Arnie on the 1st season of the Golden Girls
Gould appeared in many TV movies. Here's a list:

A Death of Innocence (1970)
Double Solitaire (1974)
Judgement: The Trials of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (1974)
Medical Story (1975)
Flannery and Quilt (1976)
How to Break Up a Happy Divorce (1976)
Never Con a Killer (1977)
Actor (1978)
Better Late Than Never (1979)
The 11th Victim (1979)
The Man in the Santa Claus Suit (1979)
The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980)
The Silent Lovers (1980)
Born to Be Sold (1981)
Help Wanted: Male (1982)
The Skin of Our Teeth (1983)
The Red Light Sting (1984)
The Fourth Wise Man (1985)
Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry (1986)
I Never Sang For My Father (1988)
Tales From the Hollywood Hills: Closed Set (1988)
Get Smart, Again! (1989)

And that's just the 70s and 80s!

Harold also made a movie in 1996 called For Hope, which got some buzz because it was the movie Bob Saget made about his sister who died from a rare disease. Harold plays, you guessed it, the father, and the film is so heartbreaking and moving. Well worth seeking out if you ever get in a tear-jerker mood...

Harold in his Emmy nominated performance for Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry
Harold's impressive TV series career is too lengthy to even attempt to go into, so I suggest visiting Harold's IMDb page. I have to wonder, with so many TV credits, when did ever find time for theater? But he did and was playing Morrie in Tuesdays with Morrie in 2005. His last television performance was on Nip/Tuck.

For me, he'll always be Miles Webber, Rose's sweet natured boyfriend on The Golden Girls. One of the funniest episodes features Miles living as an Amish man while he's hiding out in the witness protection program. There's lots of funny jokes about windmills and buggies! Harold's impeccable comic timing was a force to be reckoned with and he was always a great addition to any show he appeared in.

Gould puts the bad in badass in Hawaii 5-0
Harold started out as a professor (with a doctorate no less!) of theatre who decided to venture into the real world of acting. We have all lived in a better place because of it.

My thoughts and condolences go out to this family and friends.

Read more about Harold at The Washington Post.

Happy Birthday Larry Hagman!

That's right, my favorite cut-throat oil tycoon just turned 79 years young today! And I'm celebrating by... well, I didn't get to celebrate too much at all (thank you intense school semester), but I have been thinking about all things JR today and remembering what a wonderful and talented actor Mr. Hagman truly is.

Oh Sue Ellen, of all nights to get blitzed... Why'd ya pick JR's' birthday?!?
Not only was he Tony Nelson, the beleaguered owner turned hubby of the hot sexy genie on I Dream of Jeanie, but he was, as we all know, the greatest love-to-hate-'em bad guy that ever graced the small screen. Yup, that JR makes me smile while making my blood boil. There are many, many reasons to watch Dallas, which is simply one of the greatest shows of all time, but what would it have been without Larry? A bit of a let down, I suppose. I can't imagine anyone else in those horrible fitted ascots and safari jackets (oh, late 70s how you haunt us). He was always tipping the scales in his direction as he tipped that awesome 10 gallon hat. With a wink and a smile and a shot of bourbon, he was the go-to-guy for prime time entertainment.

I wrote a little profile on good ol' JR Ewing awhile ago (in fact I have a whole gaggle of Dallas themed stuff that is yours for the taking!), and I also wrote a review of a TV movie he made with Barbara Eden called A Howling in the Woods.

This one's for you, sir!
Is it odd that he's had so many roles in his career but when I hear his name I instantly think of not just Dallas but also his small, but pivotal part in Harry and Tonto, which is one of my all time favorite movies. It just goes to show what a memorable presence he was, is and continues to be.

Here's to you Larry! I hope it was the most wonderful day ever!

This is a pic from the short lived 70s TV series Here We Go Again. Must find... must find...