Hollywood Wives... Why Have I Not Seen This?!?

WANT:



NEED:



YIKES:




Here is the opening:




And here is an interview with Angie Dickinson from People Magazine... The Quest begins...

Mom, The Wolfman & Me (1980)

Network: Syndicated
Original Air Date: October 20th, 1980

As someone who is becoming a less closeted romance addict (especially from the made for TV genre), I have really been enjoying rediscovering the pre-Lifetime love stories that used to entertain me endlessly as a kid. One that I remembered clearly was Mom, the Wolfman and Me, starring Patty Duke, David Birney and Danielle Brisebois. As a kid it seemed like a film about fun-loving single mother and her surprisingly mature 11 year old daughter as they take on New York City, and find a man to boot! Now, some 29 years later (seriously, has it been that long?!?), it’s a little more complicated, and Patty does not come across as fun loving as I had remembered.

And this ain't even after a bender...
Ah, Patty Duke. It’s a name synonymous with awesome. Patty made several television movies in her heyday and many of them were in the thriller/horror genre. Yet, even though my love of small screen horror knows no boundaries, she didn’t really light my fire in any of them (OK, so there’s a boundary). However, her work in dramas and this little romantical comedy stole my heart. Patty was especially engaging as Deborah Bergman in Mom, the Wolfman & Me, where she plays an ultra-modern single mother who has the enviable job as a NY advertisement photographer. Her spunky daughter Jenny is played by Danielle Brisebois (Archie Bunker’s Place). Jenny is really the adult here – wrangling her mom’s work schedule, feeding herself and even getting her workaholic mother out of bed. Deborah’s parents are split on why their free spirit daughter feels the need to be…uh, so free… Oddly, it’s her respected psychiatrist father (Keenan Wynn) who defends Deborah against her ex-dancer mother (i.e. former free spirit played by Viveca Lindfors). They really want Deborah to consider finding a man – even though she’s got one in the form of Wally (Jon Lithgow), but his name is Wally so that can’t possibly work. Then she meets Theo, aka The Wolfman (David Birney), named so for his dog. Oh, and Theo is hairy too. I mean, he’s basically a bearded machismo machine, but I digress…

The Wolfman is one pretty laid back dude and totally gets Deborah’s art (she is putting a photo book together on the elderly, which is so early 80s. Who’d buy that now?!? So sad…), but he’s also in the need of stability and he wants Deborah to settle into domestic bliss, but Deborah never settles, dig, and trials and tribulations ensue…

Bearded Machismo in action. Feel free to swoon.

I first saw this movie when I was about ten – roughly Danielle’s age – and at the time the way Deborah and Jenny lived seemed pretty dang cool. Peanut butter and celery for dinner? YAY! Now, too many years later, I’m wondering what Deborah was thinking. Getting up at noon, leaving her daughter on her own during Father’s Visit Day at school and in general, just living in semi-controlled chaos. Mom, the Wolfman & Me writes Deborah extremely well. She’s a loving, capable mom, incapable of taking full responsibility. But she’s there and she’s doing a decent job. She also allows her parents to have that extra added positive influence, even when they don’t see eye to eye. Of course, I’d see eye to eye with Keenan Wynn on just about anything.

“You say the world is made of cheese, Mr. Wynn? You got it!”

I mean, he never actually said that… but if he did… I’m just sayin’…

Note to self: Keenan Wynn never actually said the world was made of cheese.
Theo is, like, the hottest professor ever and is quietly sexy and strong, in a very unobtrusive way. It’s almost like no one told Birney to be sexy… he just is, and it shows. He was equally as likable in the awesome TVM thriller Someone’s Watching Me, proving small screen machismo is nothing to sneeze at.

This beautiful looking, slick romance was actually produced for syndication by Operation Prime Time, who normally released epic period pieces during this era (they also produced the sudsy mini-series Condominium). OPT made several outstanding films (Sadat, anyone?) but they were so grand in scale, I’m curious as to why they chose this modest little love story to add to their oeuvre. They drew the right card because Mom, The Wolfman and Me might not be Romeo and Juliet but it is touching, thoughtful and smart. And looking back at OPT’s list of movies, this is the one that I always remembered… and loved. Plus, Keenan Wynn… I mean, he’s awesome!

Seven in Darkness (1969)

Network: ABC
Original Air Date: September 23rd, 1969

There are some things one never forgets. Ever.

There are places in time you can’t (or wouldn’t) replace. One of those times and places was in my parents’ den circa 1975. The local channel always aired choice made for television movies and it’s where I got a real taste for the genre. Ask anyone who can remember that far back and you’ll hear the titles Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and Gargoyles bandied about so much it would make your head spin. But aside from the well loved list of the most remembered (and cherished) titles are the crazy little ones that, for one reason or another, didn’t hit the memory grid quite as hard. One of these movies is Seven in Darkness.

Uncle Milty tells it like it T-I-is!
I saw this movie about ten times when I was just a wee little Amanda By Night and man, did it ever leave an impact. The story revolves around a small plane, carrying mostly blind people (on their way to a blind persons’ convention! Hey, it’s a TV movie… anything can happen!) crashing on a remote mountain, and only the blind survive. With just their wits and a little sense about them, they begin their journey back to civilization. The clincher here isn’t the excellent, tightly wound drama, nor is it the shocking moments (hint: the movie begins with Eight in Darkness), but rather, the money shot here is the inclusion of Milton Berle as the crabbiest of the blind survivors. I know! Uncle Milty plays his part to the hilt - you hate him, you feel sorry for him, you enjoy watching his redemption… he’s got it! Among the other blind passengers, you’ll see a really young and quite beautiful Leslie Ann Warren, Alejandro Rey and Jackie Cooper look-a-like Barry Nelson. Everyone is in top form, making their expedition both involving and nail biting.

He might be blind, but dude can see, ya dig?
Having not seen this movie since the mid-70s I was worried it wouldn’t live up to my childhood recollections, because although the actual story remained vague, the impact lingered. I was pleased to find myself curled up on the couch with wide, anxious eyes. Great suspense never grows old.

Directed by TV mainstay Michael Caffey (who is also the father of Charlotte Caffey from the Go-Go’s), Seven in Darkness is not just a well equipped and unique drama about a plane crash in the mountains where only the blind passengers survive; it was also the first ABC Movie of the Week, giving it an esteemed honor. The ABC Movie of the Week was probably the most loved of all of the MOW programming. The movies always rated highly and a lot of the classics of the time came out under this moniker. I wish there was some kind of boxset for these. Don't you?

At least I didn't see what attacked me!

Happy New Year!

The best part about trudging ahead into the great unknown of 2010... it's always 1970-something here! Uh, or 1980-something... well, you get the picture!

Have a great New Year and be safe, K? The last thing we need is another Smash Up on Interstate 5, you dig?

Random Factoids

Along my travels, I have come up with some neat-o-rooni television trivia. A lot of it is really random and doesn't mean squat, so I thought I'd group some of them together. Here goes:

Did you know:

In the early 80s, a made for television movie cost $2 million and a theatrical cost $4 million to produce...

Or, maybe you already knew this:

Fame is the Name of the Game (NBC, November 26th, 1966) was the first television movie that also served as a pilot (the series was called The Name of the Game and ran from 68 - 71)...

Perhaps you were also aware:

The short lived series Beacon Hill (CBS, 1975) was the Americanized version of Upstairs, Downstairs...

Hey, guess what...

48,000,000 watched Tiny Tim marry his bride on The Tonight Show


You should also be informed of this:

The ABC Movie of the Week came in #6 during the 1970/71 season and moved up to #5 for the 1971/72 season! YAY ABC! It was usurped by NBC in 1972/73 when the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie hit the Top Five!

Check this tidbit out:

During the 1977/78 season of Eight is Enough, it cost $350,000 to produce an episode. The 1978/1979 season cost $400,000 and the 1979/80 season cost $430,000. Not bad...

Who could have guessed:

... that to give each actress star billing in the made for television movie The Day the Women Got Even (NBC, 12/4/80) JoAnn Pflug, Georgina Engel, Tina Louise and Barbara Rhodes had their names featured on a rotating wheel?

More The Day the Women Got Even trivia:

The movie was a pilot and was originally called Every Wednesday...



And finally:

In 1977 9,341,000 color sets were sold as opposed to 6,090,000 B&W sets.

Who knew? Well, you do now! I have empowered all with more useless TV knowledge. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Afterschool Special Bonanza!

A Matter of Time
Original Air Date: February 11th, 1981

First Step (aka She Drinks a Little)
Original Air Date: December 23rd, 1981

Tough Girl
Original Air Date: October 28th, 1981

Since my first semester back in college has finally finished, I thought it was appropriate to watch a few Afterschool Specials, because I party just that hard!

Brentwood was kind enough to release several Afterschool Specials on DVD and I popped on the Class of ’81 – ’82 just for kicks, yo – and wow, what a bummer! The first disc featured a mother dying of lung cancer and another mother killing herself because she hits the bottle too hard. Great-googily-moogily! Well, who said the early 80s wasn’t all about the drama. Or is that the glamour? Shoot.


A Matter of Time stars one of my all-time-favorite-actresses-who-doesn’t-work-anymore-but-should-because-she-rocks-so-hard, Karlene Crockett (Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker, Two Loves for Jenny) as a teen coming to terms with her mother’s sudden and terminal illness. This is serious stuff, kids, and it’s handled sensitively. Not a lot of laughs here. It also features a rather young Rob Lowe (who rocked Schoolboy Father) basically staring at Karlene for long periods of time. Oh Karlene, where are you?

Not cool
The subject matter is definitely bleak and is played out in a fairly realistic way, which is not how I wanted to spend my first week of the Christmas Break, you dig? This episode is less about mom’s death and more about how her daughter learns to accept her new identity in life, and not live under her mother’s fading shadow. Poignant, gripping stuff maybe best served as fodder for one of those rained out depressed days.


The second episode on the disc is called First Step and features another underrated actress, Amanda Wyss, who is probably most famous for her appearances in A Nightmare on Elm Street and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Me, I know her best from the awesome killer baboon flick Shakma and for her short stint at the beginning of This House Possessed (aka The Best Movie Ever!). Here she plays Cindy Scott, a wannabe actress hoping to land a part in the school play. She is also tending to her mother’s (Bonnie Bartlett) awful drinking binges. Mom even shows up at school drunk as a skunk during Parent’s Day throwing Cindy into an embarrassed tizzy. And I don’t blame her! Bartlett is top-notch as a lush, where she is sometimes funny and sometimes utterly frustrating.

For a good time call Cindy's mom!
Like A Matter of Time, First Step goes for the gut, albeit landing softly, but the episode doesn’t end happily. Instead, it’s about Cindy coming to terms with her mom and realizing that helping her only enables her more. She finds it’s better to let go than it is to try to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. I love when Mom gets up on stage after Cindy’s debut screaming, “That’s my daughter!” Awesome.


Tough Girl is the third episode on the disc and it’s my favorite. It stars Karin Argoud who looks like Jill Schoelen after a tough weekend. She is best known to me as Vint’s Valley Girl-esque daughter on the original Mama’s Family when it aired on NBC. She didn’t do much past that, which is too bad. She’s adorable and quite talented…

She's a knife-carrying-kulot-wearer. That must be a crime!
Here she’s Renie Lake, a knife-wielding, hard as nails high school kid dealing with her tumultuous broken home situation. After getting busted with a friend for grand theft auto and drugs, she’s sent to live with her suburban dad and his new family. Renie has an extremely hard time fitting in until she meets Jan Redner (Greg Koppel) an adorable wannabe high school vet who happens to also be deaf. But even though he can’t hear, he listens to Renie better than just about anyone and she finally forms a legitimately healthy relationship. That is until she finds out Jan is leaving their little suburban paradise for Penn State in the fall. This sets Renie on a little expedition which she later realizes is her finding herself. Awww Renie, we always loved ya!

Tough Girl works because of Karin’s awesome performance. I mean, she looks really rough, although I don’t agree with everything she does. In a continuing sub-plot Renie basically taunts Wally (played by Laurence Lau who never seems to age!) to a point that is just uncalled for. I mean, yeah Wally is, like, kind of a jocked out dork, but he’s cute and his name is Wally and he meant no harm, Renie. Seriously.

The last episode in the set is called the Night Swimmers and I’ll be damned if I just couldn’t get through it. Sorry Jason Lively, maybe next time!

I will totally go out with you Wally!

A Mouse, A Mystery and Me (1987)

Network: NBC
Original Air Date: December 13th, 1987

OK, how adorable is this? Some kid sees a department store Santa (played by Dick Van Patten) being kidnapped, so he rushes to his neighbor's house. His neighbor is the one and only Jill Roberts (Darcy Marta) a famous teen mystery novelist (wow!). Turns out she co-writes her books with a little mouse who chooses to remain anonymous. He's so cute and his name is Alex the Mouse (voiced by the wonderful Donald O'Connor!). Jill and Alex the Mouse are certain there is a simple explanation, but investigate so as to not disappoint this fairly unannoying kid...


The purse is apparently so desirable, she charges him rent! New Yorkers!

Turns out some department store employees weave tangled webs and after Jill accuses the wrong person of the crime (Sam Hall, played by the incredibly awesome Lloyd Bochner), she and her totally 80s bud end up in a big old mess. Can Alex the Mouse save Jill and Sam and Santa and the crazy 80s girl in time for Christmas?


By the way, what the effe are Puffalumps?!?



Whoops! Got off track...




A Mouse, A Mystery and Me was completely unknown to me until today when I was researching television Christmas specials which may be of interest for the yuletide blogging I wanted to do. It's not that odd, since I was past the age of cartoons by the time this aired, but still... it's kind of just a blip on the old classic TV radar. And that's too bad, because it's adorable, if a little too simple. Of course it's less than 30 minutes long, so perhaps uncomplicated was a wise choice. Currently, you can watch A Mouse, A Mystery and Me online! It's a delightful little show and is perfect for the rodent lover in your life!

Why don't you come up and see me sometime?

Must See Streaming Movie of the Week: The Spell (1977)!!!

The Spell used to be some kind of rarity. I was surprised to see it streaming online at Hulu and Netflix. I am glad they picked up this little Carrie wannabe. The cast is awesome. Lee Grant plays the mother of a dumpy 15 year old girl named Rita (Susan Myers), who gets taunted at school constantly. Luckily, she's picked up some witchcrafty stuff and uses it to wreak havoc on anyone who tells her No. Sounds a little like Madonna, don't it? Anyway, her dad (James Olson) and sister (a very young Helen Hunt) don't like Rita that much either, so guess who falls under her spell? Also, mom has a friend that Rita dislikes, and let me tell you, the outcome ain't pretty! Jack Colvin from the Incredible Hulk shows up too as a parapsychologist (seriously, that must be the best job in the whole wide world!) but doesn't do more than act serious and stare down Lee. Still, we love him, don't we?


My daughter has the worst habits! Where did she pick them up?!?
Fairly low key little slasher with competent effects, The Spell is a good time for TV movie lovers. I actually prefer the other Carrie rip-off, Jennifer a little more (plus that one has Bert Convy!), but I think The Spell will enchant those who remember when this first aired on NBC way back on February 20th, 1977. It was a very good night for television, indeed.


Rita, you're time is U.P.
Piece of trivia: I took a class taught by the writer of this movie. His name is Brian Taggert and he's probably best known as the guy who wrote Visiting Hours (also with Lee Grant). What a wonderful man. I honestly had no idea he'd written this! Go Brian!!!
The Spell in Spell-o-scope:































Read more about The Spell at Kindertrauma

While I've Been Away...

OK, finals are done and behind me. I got my 48 hours of catch up sleep and I have not much to say except I was pleased as punch to see I won a pretty neat writing contest. The theme – in 75 words or less, describe an odd TV Christmas special you love. I wrote about A Very Brady Christmas. What other oddball holiday TV movie rocks so hard? None, I say. Anyway, that was pretty cool. The contest was held at The Christmas TV Companion Blog, which is a, uh, companion to the book The Christmas TV Companion Book. I suggest you check out the blog, I think you’ll find the book is something worth purchasing. It’s not only a perfect stocking stuffer, but also something you, as tv freakazoids, would cherish yourselves, all year long!

I also won a Kindertrauma tee! How cool is that?!?

What a good week! And now school is O-V-E-R! It's all TV Movies, Cheers and Frasier from here until February! I am going to be doing some lists (or at least one that I know of for sure), so I'm really looking forward to this break!

Also, for those of you who haven't picked up the TV movie DVDs at Warner Archive, Christmas came early for me last night at a party where some kind soul gave this penniless woman both Bad Ronald and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark! I put on Dark and I can tell you, the print is amazing. Grab a copy if you can. The kind soul btw, was my good friend Heidi at Pretty Scary. How well she knows me. Thank you sweetheart!

Gone Fishin' Folks!

I know tears are welling up in your eyes, but I will only be gone for a short while, so I can study, study, STUDY for my upcoming finals.

I'm very excited about the weeks coming directly after finals, when I plan to get caught up on some awesome Made for TV Mayhem. I found a very rare film and can't wait to re-visit it (I haven't seen it since I was five!). And I sense a little romance in the air, so expect some woo-worthy small screen love-fests!

See you in a couple of weeks!

PS: This is me right now:



Or perhaps this is more accurate:



Whichever it is, it ain't pretty!