White Mama (1980)

Bette Davis is the obstinate White Mama and Ernest Harden Jr. the obstinate foster teen who take up arms in a sea of gritty New York misfortune. The 1980 television movie takes some unforeseen twists which adds to the realism and evocation of the era. Ably directed by Jackie Cooper with small yet pivotal performances by Eileen Heckart and Virginia Capers, White Mama is a wonderfully, touching addition to the canon of Bette Davis movies - and you can watch it on YouTube!

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Amanda's (1983)

Amanda's is the short-lived 1983 sitcom starring Bea Arthur that came between her 1970s success as Maude and her 1980s success as Dorothy Zbornak in The Golden Girls. The show is based on the British comedy Fawlty Towers starring John Cleese and centered around the owner and staff of a seaside hotel. Not one of the 13 episodes filmed (all available on YouTube) is particularly funny but if you are a Bea completist, it's worth checking out.

Episode 1

Episode 2

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Bobbie Gentry's Spring Thing (1969)

The Spring Thing is a 1969 television special co-hosted by Bobbie Gentry and Noel Harrison (son of Rex and co-star of The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.). Unfortunately, there is no surviving video footage of this musical salute to spring which featured performances from Goldie Hawn, Shirley Bassey, 60s rock group Harpers Bizarre, Rod McKuen and Meredith MacRae (daughter of Gordon and star of the seminal 60s television series Petticoat Junction). Kudos go to the enterprising proprietor of the Noel Harrison fan site who posted this rare MP3 of Bobbie and Noel crooning Bobbie's hit song Peaceful; it was lifted directly from the program so I added visuals and now everyone can enjoy this slice o' Bobbie.

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The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver (1977)

Karen Black shines (once again) in The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver, a 1977 television thriller penned by the amazing Richard Matheson. Without giving away too much, Mrs. Oliver (Black) finds herself donning the look (and soul?) of a woman five years dead. The story is involving, the ending unexpected and it even has a small yet pivotal role played (as always) nicely by Gloria LeRoy (who acted with Karen in The Day Of The Locust) so check it out on YouTube.

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A Taste Of Evil (1971)

If you're a Stanny fanny you could do worse than watching her give us A Taste Of Evil in this 1971 thriller from the ABC Movie Of The Week cannon, produced by Aaron Spelling. Not many TV movies start with the rape of a young girl but leave it to Barbara Stanwyck to notch up the evil even further as the cold matriarch Miriam Jennings. Barbara Parkins, Roddy MacDowell, William Windom and Arthur O'Connell join in the fun; yea, it's not that scary or thrilling but Stanwyck makes it fun.

Watch it now on YouTube

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The Mothers-In-Law (1967-69)

The Mothers-in-Law is I Love Lucy (and Ethel) shtick performed by powerhouse talents Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard. I burst out laughing during a number of scenes in season 1 (not as much in season 2 where a Darren Stevens/Becky Connor actor switch of Ballard's husband was made). If you like this latest WORLD INTERNET PREMIERE clip of Arden and Ballard in a Camay commercial than a binge of The Mothers-In-Law should be in the cards for you.

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Coma (2012)

There was no reason to remake the 1978 movie of the 1977 book Coma because, though a groundbreaking theme in the 70s, torture porn has pretty much made organ theft a mundane topic. This mundanity, a pedestrian script and some (less than ground-breaking) CGI leave you nothing but Ellen Burstyn claiming These are mah babies. This one's Chinese. And this one is a mulatto. And although her part is a supporting role, it is ALWAYS a pleasure to watch Ellen Burstyn.

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Flickers (1980)

Flickers is one of those quirky BBC dramas they made back in the day; this one takes on the fledgling film industry with Bob Hoskins and Frances de la Tour as a couple of quirky producers running a silent picture studio. There's not much history although writer Roy Clarke has definitely used factual events to fashion his story. The ensemble cast is wickedly good despite the broad characters but thankfully the action centers around the perfectly bearish Hoskins and the marvelously adroit De La Tour, both endearing actors playing great together.

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Vera (2011)

I binged on season 1 of the British crime drama Vera. Brenda Blethyn wows as Vera (the 'surly' detective); she's surrounded by a great cast (David Leon, Wunmi Mosaku), and the intricate mysteries kept me guessing 'whodunnit' until the end. If you like puzzlers, seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Amazon Prime (four episodes each).

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Haunts of the Very Rich (1972)

Haunts of the Very Rich is one of the myriad Aaron Spelling productions aired as an ABC Movie Of The Week during the 1970s. This story of disparate people that find themselves questioning their lives and choices in a garden of Eden (actually Vizcaya in Miami, Florida) is interesting both for its uniformly good cast (Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Edward Asner, Anne Francis, Tony Bill, Donna Mills, Moses Gunn, Robert Reed) and its denouement which may or may not be what it may or may not purport to tell. I've watched it a few times (on YouTube) and still can't figure out what's going on so that must count for something.

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The Newsroom (2013)

I wouldn't call The Newsroom (now into Season 2) smart. The soap opera antics of the news team - Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, Alison Pill and Olivia Munn (who doesn't act well) - are mundane, the dialog is based in references not character and, excepting what one might learn about how a newsroom operates, the stories are uninvolving - even though based in relevant and exciting past history. This is the first Aaron Sorkin work I've seen and I'm not impressed.

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Top Of The Lake (2013)

Elisabeth Moss and New Zealand landscapes made me turn on Top Of The Lake and it turns out that the unwavering script about a small town engulfed in murder and a young girl's pregnancy is the television equivalent of a page-turner. Moss centers the story as the detective and there are many mesmerizing performances that help tell this uncomfortable tale (including director Jane Campion staple, Holly Hunter). This mini-series is one of the finest I've seen on television in years.

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The Hearst and Davies Affair (1985)

The Hearst and Davies Affair is a decent enough TV movie about the relationship between William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies. Virginia Madsen is spot-on as the actress/mistress of Robert Mitchum's millionaire newspaperman - who seems to be sleep walking through his role. The script plays a little with some of the truth but Madsen's youth and artistry is very involving and worth the watch.

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Escape from Sobibor (1987)

Escape from Sobibor is a triumphant mini-series that tells the story of the only prisoners (both Jewish and non) to escape from a Nazi death camp during WW2. Alan Arkin and Rutger Hauer are excellent as the conspirators and the film itself, though undoubtedly too pretty to be a real document of a concentration camp, still manages to create a horrific picture of the situation. Even in its violence, the denouement is uplifting and well-documented by this British television production.

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...The I Love Lucy Movie (2007)

The I Love Lucy Movie is the recently discovered film consisting of three first-season episodes of the classic television series I Love Lucy, edited together into one story: The Benefit, Breaking the Lease and The Ballet. New scenes were filmed to keep continuity in this pot of gold for Lucy fans and anyone who relishes classic moments of entertainment. Only available on the complete series box set, The I Love Lucy Movie is well worth the $150 cost.

...Ugly Betty, Season 1 (2006)

About two-thirds of the way through Season 1, Ugly Betty, a smart and funny television series about the fashion industry and the people who work in it started with a story line or two with unbelievable plot twists that were reminiscent of daytime soap operas. Although this ridiculous aspect of the series was oft-putting, the acting is very good and the scripts are funny and well-written. Mainly though, the characters are complex people (with each having good and bad characteristics) that I really cared about - and you will too.

...Jericho, Season 1 (2006)

Jericho, Season 1, begins as an excellent, post-apocalyptic vision of what happens to a small Kansas town (the eponymous Jericho) after a series of nuclear bombs hits the United States. The script meshes elements of mystery, romance, and fear as well, if not better than, Lost. Unfortunately, much like Lost in season 2, Jericho goes off-balance about two-thirds of the way through season 1 - making me understand why there was no real audience for it.

...Big Love, Season 2 (2007)

In Season 2, Big Love has gotten even better with more complex characters and more fundamentally outrageous situations. The pacing is red hot and, aside from the lead actors, supporting players Mary Kay Place, Brian Kerwin, Grace Zabriskie and others help to bring this very human and very disturbing story to life. This is one thought-provoking and intriguing television series.

...The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake (1990)

Not as well-done as San Francisco and not as campy as Earthquake, The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake is a four hour television mini-series that manages to maintain some interest. The political situations are rote (should we tell the public?) and the familial situations are typical (where is my daughter?) but the special effects are decent and, in a disaster movie that's what is needed. Joanna Kerns (as the seismologist?), Ed Begley, Jr. (as her assistant??) and Richard Masur (as a sleazy reporter - OK) stand out but ultimately this is just one step above typical TV fare.

...Big Love, Season 1 (2006)

After the first episode of Big Love, the HBO mini-series on polygamy, I was disgusted that this selfish man (Bill Paxton) would marry three wives and that three women (Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, and Ginnifer Goodwin) would allow themselves to get mixed up in this situation. Like a car crash, though, something kept me watching and, ultimately, I found the series to be beautifully written, excellently acted, and extremely well-directed. Come season's end I was mesmerized, falling for the depth of these characters and the idea that who am I, of all people, to condemn another's choices; I can't wait to see what they choose in Season 2.