The 1985 - 86 TV Movie Season

Arguably, the classic era of the fantastical made for TV movie genre was all but gone by 1985. The archetypal models of monsters and damsels in distress had made way for more serious fare. That’s not to say 1970s TVMs weren’t topical, just the opposite in fact, but dramas and romance soon took over the slots that used to be filled by tawdry-esque telefilms with titles like Drive Hard, Drive Fast, The Woman Hunter and Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo in favor of the far more serious Victims for Victims, Two Kinds of Love and the terrifying-in-a-different-way miniseries The Day After. These films were a precursor to the true crime and disease-of-the-week movies that became more and more prominent on free TV in the late 80s and 90s. However, perhaps it is presumptuous to claim that the golden age had ended, when it may have simply meant that tastes were changing, because audiences were still turning their dials in droves. Ed Bark of the Dallas Morning News wrote about the most popular TVMs of the 1985/86 season in April of 1986. Taking the Nielsen ratings for the season, he compiled the top 10 list of the highest rated shows and then compared them to his personal favorites.

Surprise (but not really): Turns out there was lots of great stuff happening that season.

According to Bark (and Nielsen), reunion movies were big properties, as Return to Mayberry and Perry Mason Returns topped the charts for the season. Indeed, Mayberry (NBC, OAD 4/16/1986) harkened back to the 1970s TV-movies-as-an-event feeling, scoring 33.0 share, capturing 28.3 millions homes, and ranking as the then-7th highest rated TV movie airing ever.

But that was just one of two highly rated reunions, with Perry Mason Returns (NBC, 12/1/1985) landing in the #2 spot for the season, scoring a 27.2 share, with a viewership of something like 23 million households! The success of Returns encouraged Raymond Burr to continue on with a series of Perry Mason movies, and a total of 26 tele-films were produced between 1985 – 1993 (the last one airing shortly after Burr’s passing). You can pre-order a double disc of Returns with The Case of the Notorious Nun here (due out on June 10th), or you can order Volume One of the Perry Mason Collection here.

The other top rated films ran the gamut of drama, from deadly serious fare to the more soapy melodrama, and were as follows (in order of their Nielsen ranking):

Intimate Strangers (CBS, 1/1/1986): Terri Garr plays an American nurse who spends nine years as a POW in Vietnam. When she returns home, she finds her husband has moved on to a new life without her. Co-starring Stacy Keach and Cathy Lee Crosby, director Robert Ellis Miller is known for giving Keach his big break in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

Nobody’s Child (CBS, 4/6/1986): Lee Grant is known as the cocksure, gorgeous redhead who wowed audiences with her strong characters. She is also an extremely talented director who took on some really interesting issues in her behind-the-camera-work. She directed this harrowing true tale of a woman misdiagnosed with schizophrenia, who spends two decades in mental institutions. Marlo Thomas starred and won an Emmy for her performance. Grant also won a DGA award for her unflinching portrayal of a system gone wrong. Nobody's Child is on DVD. 

  
Rockabye (CBS, 1/12/1986): The adorable Valerie Bertinelli plays a panic-stricken mother who must rescue her kidnapped child from a black market ring. Holy cats, this sounds awesome! Critics were lukewarm on Rockabye, but audiences came in droves and many still fondly recall this small screen melodrama.

Amos: (CBS, 9/29/1985): Kirk Douglas plays an ex-baseball hero who endures several atrocities when he’s forced to move into an old-age home. And, what Louise Fletcher did for mental institutions, the great Elizabeth Montgomery does for assisted living! Yikes! Nominated for Golden Globes and Emmys, Kirk Douglas was so moved by the all-too-ignored subject of neglect, he became an advocate for the elderly, even speaking before a Congressional committee! Go Kirk!

Mafia Princess (NBC, 1/19/1986): Susan Lucci puts in an early prime time appearance in this fact based account of the daughter of a famous Mafioso. Tony Curtis plays the ruthless father, and his character ages forty years throughout the film. Many critics felt this was Curtis’ best role in years and Lucci was perfectly cast. The real life daughter can be spotted in the communion scene.

Blood and Orchids (CBS, 2/23 and 2/24/1986): When I wrote about Battles: The Murder that Wouldn’t Die, I knew it was loosely based on a true story, but had no idea someone constructed an entire mini-series on the infamous rape case. Running at 240 minutes - over two nights - the cast is fantastic, featuring a young Madeline Stowe, Jane Alexander and a Kris Kristoferson, among many others. And interestingly enough, Jose Ferrer appeared in both Blood and Orchids and Battles, Who knew? Blood and Orchids is on DVD.

Stone Pillow (CBS, 10/5/1985): Lucille Ball garnered a lot of press for this popular TVM by putting in a dramatic turn as a New York City bag lady who teaches a young Daphne Zuniga about life on the streets. Ball really threw herself into the part, losing 23 pounds during filming and she also suffered from dehydration because the film shot in the summer months, and Ball had to wear several layers of clothing. Rose Leiman Goldemberg, who had won acclaim for her screenplay The Burning Bed, wrote the script. The Stone Pillow is on DVD.

An Early Frost (NBC, 11/11/1985): Sometimes the small screen gets there first. An Early Frost was the first major film to deal with the AIDS virus, portraying the anguish of an All American Family who must endure losing their son to the horrible disease. This tele-film was the talk of the town at the Emmy Awards, garnering 14 nominations. Sylvia Sidney won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the understanding grandmother. An Early Frost is a milestone film that has stood the test of time (and it's on DVD).

Bark noted that only two theatrical airings broke the top 10 in the Nielsens: Mr. Mom and 48 Hours. And, if you’re interested, the cult classic Diner ranked as the lowest rated theatrical movie airing of the season (boo). The lack of strong big screen representation in the ratings showcases our desire to see original programming on our TVs. And, apparently, there was a lot to choose from. Aside from the films mentioned above, Bark was partial to the following (listed in order order Bark listed them):

Love is Never Silent (NBC, 12/9/1985): A tear-jerking Hallmark Hall of Fame flick, Silent is about a young woman during the Depression who must learn to let go of her deaf parents and find her own way in the world. Mare Winningham played the daughter, and Bare loved her performance. The co-executive producer Julianna Fjeld and three of the actors were deaf and many non-hearing extras were featured throughout the film. Mare Winningham was nominated for an Emmy. Silent is on DVD.

Between Two Women (ABC, 3/10/1986): Colleen Dewhurst and Farrah Fawcett go toe to toe as mother and daughter-in-law in what certainly has to be Must See TV! However, passion and anger subsides as Fawcett finds herself becoming a caretaker to the once domineering matriarch who has suffered a stroke. Geesh! A real pick me up! But talk about two powerhouse actresses joining forces to create a thoughtful and tearful TVM. Two Women is available on VHS.

Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry (CBS, 3/30/1986): Director George Schaeffer quickly moved from The Stone Pillow to helm this sweet romance about a widow who remarries outside of her religion. Katherine Hepburn lights up the screen, and seriously, who wouldn’t want to marry the handsome Harold Gould? Hepburn and Gould were nominated for Emmys, and this movie is on DVD!

The Execution of Raymond Graham: (ABC, 11/17/1985): Under the moniker ABC Theater, the once-ballsy network put together a live telecast about the last hours of a man on death row. Jeff Fahey plays the condemned man, and both he and director Donald Petrie spent one on one time with convicts facing death sentences. The producers wanted this film to incite a conversation and placed the audience in a very uncomfortable situation. Execution is available on DVD and is also streaming on Amazon Instant Video.

Honestly, I thought Endor sounded goofy, but this guy is super cute! S.O.L.D.

Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (ABC, 11/24/1985): (!) Despite airing the sequel to The Ewok Adventure during Family Viewing Hour, this TVM was still presented with a parental advisory. But that certainly didn’t keep Star Wars nuts - young and old alike - from checking out the newest Ewok offering. While some fans felt alienated by the Ewoks movies, most still fondly recall the cute little creature who help a young girl fight for her planet! Endor won an Emmy for special effects and also for Outstanding Children’s Program.

Alice in Wonderland (CBS, 12/9 – 12/10/1985): (!!) An all-star cast leads this popular adaptation, which was produced by disaster-master Irwin Allen. This version is highly revered because of its tireless efforts to remain true to the original Lewis Carroll story. And, check it, Red Buttons plays the White Rabbit. Must see TV, perhaps? This 1985 mini-series is available on DVD.

Doubletake (11/24 and 11/26/1985); Adapted from William Bayer’s popular novel Switch, Doubletake features the great Richard Crenna as a cop in search of a sadistic killer who murders a prostitute and conservative school teacher, decapitates them, and then switches their heads. Zoinks! That’s pretty dark stuff, but critics called John Gay’s adaptation “literate and well-written.” Crenna had just won an Emmy for this portrayal of the assaulted police officer in the groundbreaking TVM The Rape of Richard Beck, and saw this new role as “challenging” because of its running length, and he expressed concerns with how to keep the audience engaged over two nights. He must have made a good impression, because Crenna and his character from Doubletake, Richard Janek would show up again in six more TVMs!

The Last Days of Frank and Jessie James (NBC, 2/17/1986): Wow, the great Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson play Frank and Jessie James in this Nashville lensed Western. The story revolves around the outlaw brothers spending their last years as law-abiding citizens. Despite the box office failings of an attempted Western Revival in the mid-80s (Silverado, Pale Rider), the small screen attempted to keep the idea afloat with several TVMs, and Last Days was followed by a remake of Stagecoach and part 3 of the popular Gambler series.

While I admittedly haven’t seen as many movies from this season as I’d like, here are a few of my picks for the 1985 - 86 season (in order of original airdate):

Out of the Darkness (CBS, 10/12/1985): Originally titled Zigo’s Choice, Darkness chronicles the life of the detective who brought down the Son of Sam after his harrowing 13th month assault on the city of New York. Martin Sheen is Zigo, and while there is a focus on the procedural aspect of the film, it is really Zigo’s personal life, his desire to catch the killer and Sheen’s incredible performance that have made Darkness one of my favorite TVMs from this era. Darkness is on VHS.

The Midnight Hour (ABC, 11/1/1985): Yeah, you know about this one. A genuine cult fave among the tweens and teens of the mid-1980s, Midnight Hour is ghoulish fun. The story, which revolves around a small town curse come to fruition offered B movie chills for the TV14 crowd. The production designer from Michael Jackson’s Thriller is behind this film as well, giving the whole setting an MTV vibe. Pop Horror? Indeed.

 Bridge Across Time (aka Terror at London Bridge, NBC, 11/25/1985): I love this completely outrageous film because it’s played with such earnestness. Read my reviews of Bridge here and here. Bridge is on DVD and is streaming on Amazon and Hulu.

Sins (CBS, 2/2 – 2/4/1986): Holy cats, the glamour. Oh, the glamour! Sins was an epic three night mini-series about a down-on-her-luck young woman who works her way to the top of the fabulous world of fashion magazine publication. She uses her new-found power to exact revenge on the man who destroyed her family during her childhood. Sins was based on the novel by Judith Gould and crafted specifically for Collins, who produced the film along with her then-husband. She lurks around the frames in a number of gorgeous costumes, some of which were designed by Valentino. Collins is backed by a fantastic cast, including Lauren Hutton, Gene Kelly and Catherine Mary Stewart, among many others. Collins also starred in another mini-series titled Monte Carlo, which aired in November of 86 (and also featured Lauren Hutton). It was considered a fiasco, but I loved that one too. Sorry, I’m a sucker for the glam, baby! Sins is on DVD!

Betrayed by Innocence (CBS, 3/1/1986): Betrayed is a love story gone wrong, horribly wrong. Barry Bostwick plays a filmmaker who is having severe problems with his marriage. A gorgeous young woman comes into his life, and he initiates a passionate affair. The big problem is that Bostwick has no idea how young this lady actually is. Like, jailbait young (in fact, the VHS release was titled Jailbait: Betrayed By Innocence)! And her dad is a hard-nosed cop played by Paul Sorvino. This is total soap, and it’s wonderful. Click on title for full review. Betrayed is on DVD.

Dallas: The Early Years (of course!) (CBS, 3/23/1986): This was an epic, 3-hour movie that gave Dallas fans the backstory behind the Digger Barnes and Jock Ewing's feud. Narrated by Larry Hagman, this sweeping drama begins in the Depression era and moves into the 1950s. And wow, who knew Jock was that hot (Dale Midkiff plays him in this TVM)?!? The Dallas TV movies are available on DVD in a collection!

Beverly Hills Madam (NBC, 4/6/1986): OK, so this isn’t Chekhov or anything, but 80s glamour is glamour like no other, and Madam is drowning in all of its pastel glory! I’m not sure television got any more superficial than this, but let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good escapist TVM? Plus, the clothes and hair… I’m drooling here. Madam is currently streaming on Amazon Instant Video and Netflix.

The Deliberate Stranger (NBC 5/4 and 5/6/1986): Based on Richard Larsen’s book Bundy: The Deliberate Stranger, this four hour mini-series charts the life and crimes of the eerily charismatic Ted Bundy, who was on Death Row and expected to be executed the same week this aired (he survived that week but was eventually executed in 1989). Mark Harmon was disturbingly good in the role, and twisted all that good-guy charm into something far darker than many audiences may have believed Harmon was capable of. This film is sad and disturbing, because it is real. Sometimes true crime films are best when they are made for TV, allowing for some sort of restraint on the violence, which, if nothing else, protects some of the victim’s dignity. This was a huge hit, and rightly so. Even now, with Bundy just a dot in our rearview mirror, we still wonder how and why such a creature ever existed. Stranger is on DVD.

I think we can see that my tastes differ a bit from this writer and the public in general, but hey you gotta go where the heart takes you! That said, I adore Return to Mayberry, and find it to be one of the warmest reunion movies to ever air. It looks like the episodic 1985 – 86 season also had a lot to offer. Check out this list TV Guide compiled on the hottest guys of the small screen.

Rosemary's Baby (2014)

Network: NBC
Original Air Date: May 11th & 15th, 2014 

As a fan of Roman Polanski’s excellent adaptation of Rosemary’s Baby in 1968, I was a little put off by the news of a remake, which aired this past week on NBC. However, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t at least slightly curious as to how they were going to update/change/reimagine the classic tale of pregnancy panic and Satan worshipping. Also, the idea of making it a mini-series seemed both odd and fascinating. So, what can I say, I was in. And, while I wasn't in love with Rosemary's Baby, I did see some flickers of promise, and I also appreciated NBC's return to the classic TVM era.

The beautiful Zoe Saldana (who was also one of the producers) is achingly naïve, sometimes to the point of frustration. As Rosemary, she is a fish-out-water wife who follows her ambitious but somewhat unsuccessful husband/writer to France where he’s landed a nice teaching gig. They have recently lost a baby and the pain of this miscarriage has left Rosemary terrified of trying to get pregnant again. But the couple still seem very happy in their tiny apartment. They’ve also made quick friends with the prominent and wealthy Castavets, who get the couple to move into their gorgeous building after their place catches on fire. Of course the Castavets have something more devilish on their minds, and when Rosemary successfully takes the baby plunge again, it’s obvious that the Prince of Darkness has finally found a mommy.

Ratings were low for Sunday’s airing (and I imagine Thursday’s episode will not fare even as well as the first night), and critical reception was mostly indifferent. Yet, despite the disappointing viewership, I do hope that the Peacock Network keeps in line with this type of programming. NBC also produced a live version of The Sound of Music last year, and while it may not be my cup of tea, I respect that they were thinking outside of the box, and also embracing the traditional. Likewise, although I’m not particularly interested in Hollywood Game Night or Maya Rudolph’s upcoming variety show, I like that NBC is playing around with some of the older tropes of free TV programing in an attempt to find a unique niche for themselves. I’m probably more prone to keep an eye on NBC because of this, so in that respect, Rosemary’s Baby was a bit of a success.

And, I did enjoy some things about the Rosemary's Baby remake. This mini-series is slow but hyper-stylized and gorgeous. The first half is engaging, and, even at times, wondrous and suspenseful. I also loved Carole Bouquet’s subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) menacing turn as Margaux Castavet (athough admittedly, I missed the more eccentric round of character actors that filled up the original film). The second half is not quite as successful as the first and I feel the mini-series could have easily been a one-night event. And I guess that’s the key word here… Event (NBC did pimp Rosemary as an “NBC Event”), because the network harkens back those TV movies of yesteryear, making it feel like one of those programs I just had to catch. And I not only welcomed the sentiment, I loved it.

The USA World Premiere Movie Project: The China Lake Murders (1990)

This review has been posted in conjunction with the Daily Grindhouse's year long tribute to the USA World Premiere Movie.

What do you do when you’re a big city cop turned small town sheriff who uncovers a series of murders by someone who just might be another boy in blue? Worse yet, what if you become his friend? That’s the conundrum Sheriff Sam Brodie (Tom Skerritt) faces in the underrated USA original film The China Lake Murders.

Sitting machismo!

 China Lake is rocked by a series of murders where the killer’s modus operandi is to stuff the victim in the trunk of their own car, letting them die slowly from the burning desert heat! Brodie is the new guy who tries to figure out who the culprit is. Michael Parks is Officer Donnelly the vacationing cop who likes to commit crimes along the outskirts of China Lake. He’s a sociopathic liar who often fantasizes about enforcing the law in much more violent ways. When he’s not thinking he’s a god or something, you can find him in the desert practicing Tai Chi, or maybe you’ll see him at the Podunk diner romancing the lonely waitress (Lauren Tewes in a small but great role). Brodie might not be delusional, but his life is almost equal in its loneliness. He’s newly divorced and spends most of his nights in his wood paneled home drinking beer and wondering why his kid doesn’t want to see him. When Brodie and Donnelly first meet, a mutual respect comes into play, but it doesn’t take long for the sheriff to figure out Donnelly’s game. The difficult part is proving it.

The unmistakable smile!

This movie, which premiered on January 31st, 1990, is sort of a late entry into the world of made for television thrillers. By the 90s, TVMs were more centered on true crime and the always uplifting disease of the week. China Lake is not a network movie, it originally aired on USA, who was just beginning to produce original films at this time (the first original USA TVM I saw was Murder By Night with Robert Urich. I watched it on premiere night cuz I’m just that nerdy!), and they did well with this little potboiler, which was their highest rated movie at the time of its first airing.

Standing machismo... with a gun!

Honestly, it’s small screen heaven, with fantastically desolate desert locales and top notch acting. Parks’ coulda been way over the top, but as per his usual style, he knows exactly which side of the line he needs to stand on, while at the same time letting himself teeter over to the outrageous, just to keep us on our toes. And it’s a big ol’ machismo on a stick fest, with Skerritt and Parks looking gruff and leathery. Mmmmmm.

The China Lake Murders is available on VHS. 

Trenchcoat in Paradise (1989)

 Network: CBS 
Original Air Date: October 18th, 1989 

In an interview, Dirk Benedict excitedly explained one of the reasons why he loved making Trenchcoat in Paradise. He mused that it was a departure from the more ensemble-type programming he was associated with and said, “Trenchcoat is the first show in which I’ll be playing the lead.” In a different interview he expressed similar excitement about the potential of the hopeful series and his part in it. Benedict explained the potential charm: “It’s a cross between Columbo and the Rockford Files… It’s the first full-dimensional character I got to play.” (Note: Remember when I went cuckoo nutso over Benedict playing Columbo in a British stage production? Looks like he got an early start at working out his version of the great detective)

Benedict also likened the show to Magnum P.I., which was a series that CBS was using as a springboard to promote the Hawaii-set Trenchcoat. Hoping it would make a nice replacement for the much beloved and highly rated detective series, the network tested the blue waters with a pilot movie. Unfortunately, despite some wonderful moments that make Trenchcoat seem like it could be an appealing series, the TVM inevitably falls flat.

Dirk Benedict is Eddie Mazada, an 80s gumshoe lost to the world of the old 1940s sleuths who enjoy a challenging mystery, but prefer a tasty cigar. Working the streets of New Jersey, Eddie is (somewhat politely) run out of town by the local mobsters. He's is in a good place though because he’s got a few bucks and nothing to tie him down (it’s established that he’s divorced and an absentee father). So, if you’ve got to start fresh, why not do it on the sandy beaches of Hawaii? Luck seems to really be on his side, because as soon as he lands, he manages to buy a detective agency that already has a nice contact list, and a super gorgeous assistant who prefers bikinis to office attire.

And of course, since we only have 90 minutes, Eddie is instantly thrown into the high profile case revolving around the murder of a wealthy and influential land developer. While the developer’s partner, John Hollander (Bruce Dern) seems the most likely to have committed the crime, the rest of the suspects are far curvier, and seem to generate more interest from Eddie Mazda! There’s Claire (Kim Zimmer), Hollander’s lonely wife. Her five percent ownership of the company creates a swing vote between John and his recently deceased associate. And then there’s Hollander’s sister, Suzanna (Michelle Phillips), a woman who vehemently opposes any land development. And finally there is John’s sexy assistant Lisa (Catherine Oxenberg), who is working her way up the corporate ladder by taking her boardroom meetings into the bedroom (I always love writing that!).

That’s quite a lot to take in, and while Trenchcoat is a mouthful of mystery, it’s not too hard to play along with the disheveled Mazada, a man who refuses to drop his dark suits and trenchcoats on the island. Essentially, this is an update on the classic noir film, with a strong dose of fish-out-of-water antics to bring a few smiles to the game, thanks to Benedict’s indefatigable charm. Unfortunately, neither fully works.

Directed with a gorgeous eye by Martha Coolidge (Valley Girl), and written with a sometimes-charming edge by Tom Dempsey, it’s difficult to say exactly what went wrong. I loved the idea of taking the tropes of the noir, and turning them upside down by placing the protagonist in a light (and sometimes lighthearted) space of volleyball, surfing and luaus, but Trenchcoat never fully forms into anything more than a reasonable time killer.

I do love that Benedict sort of rejects his days as Face from the A-Team by playing down his good looks. This is about a down on his luck, but basically optimistic working class Joe who needed a fresh start, and in that respect, Dirk makes Mazada an easily relatable character. The other pleasant surprise was Sydney Walsh as Mona, Eddie’s smart and sexy assistant. Her side story about the missing surfboard is one of the highlights of the tele-film.

Also, it was weird, interesting and absolutely perfect timing that I just watched Rubdown, because Michelle Phillips and Catherine Oxenberg go femme fatale in that TVM as well (Of the two films, I’m more partial to Rubdown... Sorry Dirk).