I remember when this one came out. I was very eager to see it, as until this film, and Batman before it, I had only seen Micheal Keaton in comedies. So throwing him in a thriller, as the baddie? How could I not tune in. Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine portray Patty and Drake a…
Tag: dan hedaya
Family Ties (1989) – The Wrecker’s Ball, My Best Friend’s Girl, and ‘Til Her Daddy Takes the T-Bird Away
While Mallory (Justine Bateman) discovers a new passion for massage, Elyse (Meredith Baxter) is troubled to learn that the first building she ever designed is scheduled to be torn down. It’s the Keatons versus City Hall in The Wrecker’s Ball. Written by Douglas Wyman and first aired on 12 February, 1989. Even as the family…
Family Ties (1988) – The Boys Next Door, Sign of the Times, Return of the Native, and Father, Can You Spare a Dime?
Elyse (Meredith Baxter) and Steven (Michael Gross) are getting ready for their high school reunion, in The Boys Next Door. Written by Trish Vrandenburg, it first debuted on 6 March, 1988. Alex (Michael J. Fox) is wowed to find out that Elyse went to school with Roger Erdman (Robert Klein). He’s a multi-millionaire whose company…
The Addams Family (1991) – Barry Sonnenfeld
I remember enjoying The Addams Family from Barry Sonnenfeld when it came out in 1991, as it brought back memories of watching the original show on TBS in the evenings. I loved Raul Julia’s portrayal of Gomez, the family patriarch, and consequently, I figured it was time for a revisit. It’s definitely not aimed at…
Running Scared (1986) – Peter Hyams
Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal are Chicago cops who are toying with the idea of retirement and moving to Key West to run a bar in the buddy-cop film Running Scared. Director Peter Hyams was coming off some success following 2010: The Year We Make Contact and recruited the actors for he film, and other…
Hill Street Blues (1984) – The Rise and Fall of Paul the Wall, and Last Chance Salon
Mick Belker (Bruce Weitz) has a rough go of it in The Rise and Fall of Paul the Wall and deals out some police brutality in vengeance which may or may not haunt the character, but definitely haunted me the viewer. Written by Jacob Epstein from a story by Michael I. Wagner, this episode was…
The Equalizer (1986) – Unpunished Crimes, and Pretenders
John Cullum is the baddie in the penultimate episode of season one of The Equalizer. Unpunished Crimes was written by John Burke and Grenville Case, first airing on 1 April, 1986. Cullum is Stuart Cane, a brutal CEO with ties to a terrorist organization, and is set on ruining Frank Donahue (Dan Hedaya) and his…
Hill Street Blues (1981) – Fecund Hand Rose, and Rites of Spring
Alan Rachins wrote Fecund Hand Rose which first aired on 25 March, 1981. The creepy Esterhaus (Michael Conrad) storyline about dating a newly turned eighteen-year-old gets pulled a little into the light. It doesn’t get treated for what it is, he’s been grooming her through high school. They were dating before he turned eighteen! They…
Hill Street Blues (1981) – Double Jeopardy, and Film at Eleven
Double Jeopardy, known in some markets as Dressed to Kill first aired on 31 January, 1981. Written by series creators Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll, the episode puts Operation Duckling into action. It seems the serial rapist they’ve been trying to apprehend since the beginning of the series is still out there, and the precinct…
Hill Street Blues (1981) – Politics as Usual, and Can World War III Be an Attitude?
Series creators Steven Bochco and Micheal Kozoll pen Politics as Usual which first aired on 22 January, 191. The presidential visit is on the horizon, and Howard (James Sikking) is less than thrilled with how Captain Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) is handling the situation and negotiating peace treaties with the local gangs for the walking…
The Mind Reels 