James Frawley
James Joseph Frawley (September 29, 1936 – January 22, 2019) was an American director and actor. He was a member of the Actors Studio since around 1961. He was best known for directing ''The Muppet Movie'' (1979) and ''The Monkees'' television series. Career Born in Houston, Texas, Frawley had a short-lived acting career, appearing in supporting roles in film and television from 1963 to 1966. A memorable appearance was the role of Hawaii District Attorney Alvarez in the 1965 ''Perry Mason'' episode "The Case of the Feather Cloak". In 1966, he was hired as a director for the new series ''The Monkees''; he ended up directing half of the series' 58 episodes. He began a career of over four decades as a director. TV series he directed included ''Cagney & Lacey'', ''Magnum, P.I.'', '' Smallville'', '' Ghost Whisperer'' and '' Judging Amy'', along with many others. He directed occasional feature films and television films, most notably ''The Muppet Movie'' in 1979, in which he also ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in 2020. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the seat and largest city of Harris County and the principal city of the Greater Houston metropolitan area, which is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the second-most populous in Texas after Dallas–Fort Worth. Houston is the southeast anchor of the greater megaregion known as the Texas Triangle. Comprising a land area of , Houston is the ninth-most expansive city in the United States (including consolidated city-counties). It is the largest city in the United States by total area whose government is not consolidated with a county, parish, or borough. Though primarily in Harris County, small portions of the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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American Gothic (1995 TV Series)
''American Gothic'' is an American horror series created by Shaun Cassidy. The show first aired on CBS on September 22, 1995, and was cancelled after a single season on July 11, 1996. The show received positive reviews and has been regarded as a cult classic. Plot The story takes place in the fictional town of Trinity, South Carolina, and revolves around Caleb Temple (Lucas Black) and the town's corrupt sheriff, Lucas Buck (Gary Cole). Though appearing affable and charismatic, Sheriff Buck is a murderous rapist whose power base is backed by apparent supernatural powers, which he generally uses to manipulate people to "fulfill their potential" and make life-changing choices (usually for evil). Caleb Temple is a normal child whose paternity masks a horrific secret: Lucas Buck is his biological father, having raped his mother in front of Caleb's older sister Merlyn (Sarah Paulson). The horror of watching her mother being sexually assaulted caused Merlyn to become severely emotiona ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Picket Fences
''Picket Fences'' is an American family drama television series about the residents of the town of Rome, Wisconsin, created and produced by David E. Kelley. The show initially ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS television network in the United States. It sometimes struggled to maintain a stable primetime audience and had fluctuating ratings, due in part to its Friday night death slot. In its first season on the air it placed 63rd in the prime-time Nielsen ratings and in its second season it moved to 61st. The show's exteriors were shot in the L.A. suburb of Monrovia, California, with many of the townspeople appearing in the background of episodes. Overview The series follows the lives of the residents of the small town of Rome, Wisconsin, where weird things happen, including cows' udders exploding and people turning up dead in freezers. The show dealt with unusual topics for the primetime television of the period, such as abortion, incest, homophobia and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on September 13, 1990, and completing its 20th season on May 24, 2010. On September 28, 2021, after an 11-year hiatus, NBC announced that the series would be revived for a 21st season, which premiered on February 24, 2022. The revival saw the debut of new regular cast members and the reprisal of District Attorney Jack McCoy and Detective Kevin Bernard by series veterans Sam Waterston and Anthony Anderson, respectively. On May 10, 2022, the series was renewed by NBC for a 22nd season, which premiered on September 22, 2022. Set and filmed in New York City, the series follows a two-part approach: the first half-hour is the investigation of a crime (usually murder) and apprehension of a suspect by New York City Police Department detectives; the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Father Dowling Mysteries
''Father Dowling Mysteries'' (also known as ''Father Dowling Investigates'' in the United Kingdom) is an American mystery television series that aired from January 20, 1989 to May 2, 1991. Prior to the series, a TV movie aired on November 30, 1987. For its first season, the show was on NBC; it moved to ABC for its last two seasons. The show features a Catholic priest, Father Dowling, who solves murders, abductions and other mysteries in his Chicago parish, assisted by a young streetwise nun, Sister Stephanie, in spite of hindrance from the Bishop's representative, Father Prestwick. History The show is based upon characters created by Ralph McInerny in a series of mystery novels, but neither the pilot TV movie nor the subsequent regular season episodes are actual adaptations of any of McInerny's stories. The show was also heavily influenced by G. K. Chesterton's ''Father Brown'' novels. The series was developed for television by Dean Hargrove and Joel Steiger, and produced by ' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fraternity Vacation
''Fraternity Vacation'' is a 1985 American sex comedy teen movie starring Stephen Geoffreys as a nerdy pledge to the Theta Pi Gamma fraternity at Iowa State University, Iowa State, with Tim Robbins and Cameron Dye as Theta Pi Gamma frat boys (or, as they are known to their Iowa State frat rivals, "Theta Pigs"). On spring break in Palm Springs, California, several boys compete for the affections of a sophisticated co-ed, played by Sheree J. Wilson. Plot Despite being saddled with a nerdy pledge during a Palm Springs weekend, two frat brothers vie for a poolside blonde. Cast * Stephen Geoffreys as Wendell Tvedt * Sheree J. Wilson as Ashley Taylor * Cameron Dye as Joe Gillespie * Leigh McCloskey as Charles 'Chas' Lawlor III * Tim Robbins as Larry 'Mother' Tucker * Matt McCoy (actor), Matt McCoy as J.C. Springer * Amanda Bearse as Nicole Ferret * John Vernon as Chief Ferret * Nita Talbot as Mrs. Ferret * Barbara Crampton as Chrissie * Kathleen Kinmont as Marianne * Max Wright as M ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Scarecrow And Mrs
A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley Brown (ed.). (2007). "Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles". 6th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. . Scarecrows are used around the world by farmers, and are a notable symbol of farms and the countryside in popular culture. Design The common form of a scarecrow is a humanoid figure dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds such as Corvus, crows or Old World sparrow, sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops. Machinery such as windmills have been employed as scarecrows, but the effectiveness lessens as animals become familiar with the structures. Since the invention of the humanoid scarecrow, more effective methods have been developed. On California far ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Great American Traffic Jam
''The Great American Traffic Jam'' (alternate title ''Gridlock'') is a 1980 American made-for-television movie which first aired on NBC on October 2, 1980. The comedy revolves around a large "all-star" cast getting stuck in a massive Los Angeles area traffic jam, with multiple interweaving story lines among those stuck.(26 September 1980History's Worst Traffic Jam ''Suffolk News-Herald'' Background and reception The movie debuted on NBC on Thursday October 2, 1980.(28 September 1980)We Interrupt to Bring A Traffic Bulletin ''San Bernardino Sun'' The ''TV Guide'' summary of the week's TV movies described it as a film that "provides stale characters in staler situations,"(Sept 27-Oct 3, 1980)This Week's Movies ''TV Guide'', p. A-6, A-23 but another promotional blurb in the same issue stated "what sets this 1980 TV-movie apart are its flashes of wit, delivered in a running commentary by a glib disc jockey (Howard Hesseman) and its satirically staged sequences--such as a helicopter's ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Eddie Capra Mysteries
''The Eddie Capra Mysteries'' is an American mystery television series starring Vincent Baggetta as a lawyer who investigates murders and has a knack for solving them. Original episodes aired on NBC from September 8, 1978, to January 12, 1979.McNeil, Alex, ''Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present'', New York: Penguin Books, 1996, p. 250.Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present, Sixth Edition'', New York: Ballantine Books, 1995, , p. 306. Cast * Vincent Baggetta . . . Eddie Capra * Wendy Phillips . . . Lacey Brown * Ken Swofford . . . J. J. Devlin * Michael Horton . . . Harvey Winchell * Seven Ann McDonald . . . Jennie Brown Synopsis Eddie Capra is an unconventional young lawyer who recently graduated from New York University Law School and works for Devlin, Linkman, and O'Brien, a conventional, snooty, and very prestigious law firm in Los Angeles, California, that sp ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Columbo
''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC from 1971 to 1978 as one of the rotating programs of ''The NBC Mystery Movie''. ''Columbo'' then aired less frequently on ABC from 1989 to 2003. Columbo is a shrewd but inelegant blue-collar homicide detective whose trademarks include his rumpled beige raincoat, unassuming demeanor, cigar, old Peugeot 403 car, love of chili con carne, and unseen wife (whom he mentions frequently). He often leaves a room only to return with the catchphrase "Just one more thing" to ask a critical question. The character and show, created by Richard Levinson and William Link, popularized the inverted detective story format (sometimes referred to as a "howcatchem"). This genre begins by showing the commission of the crime and its perpetrator; the plot theref ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Big Bus
''The Big Bus'' is a 1976 American disaster comedy film starring Joseph Bologna and Stockard Channing, and directed by James Frawley. A spoof of the disaster movie genre (which was popular at the time), it follows the maiden cross-country trip of an enormous nuclear-powered bus named ''Cyclops''. ''The Big Bus'' received mixed reviews at the time of its 1976 release, although the ''New York Times'' gave the film a favorable review. The film performed poorly at the box office but has since been recognized as a cult classic of its genre. Director Frawley won the audience award at the 1977 Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival. Plot Coyote Bus Lines' scientists and designers work feverishly to complete ''Cyclops'', a state-of-the-art articulated jumbo bus, enabling man to achieve a new milestone in bus history, namely non-stop service between New York City and Denver. Almost immediately after the bus engine is equipped with nuclear fuel, a bomb goes off, critically injuring Professor B ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kid Blue
''Kid Blue'' is a 1973 American Comedy Western film directed by James Frawley and starring Dennis Hopper, Warren Oates, Peter Boyle and Ben Johnson. Plot Bickford Waner, who has failed as a train robber, decides to go straight and get an honest job. He arrives in Dime Box, Texas, to find work. He is befriended by Reese Ford and his wife Molly. Molly seduces Bickford into getting her pregnant and making her husband miserable. Bickford's former girlfriend Janet Conforto tracks him down and reveals to Reese and Molly that Bickford is a train robber known as Kid Blue. Bickford returns to his old ways and plots a crime. Cast * Dennis Hopper as Bickford Waner * Warren Oates as Reese Ford * Peter Boyle as Preacher Bob * Ben Johnson as Sheriff "Mean John" Simpson * Lee Purcell as Molly Ford * Janice Rule as Janet Conforto * Ralph Waite as Drummer * Clifton James as Mr. Hendricks * Jose Torvay as Old Coyote * Mary Jackson as Mrs. Evans * Jay Varela as Mendoza * Claude Ennis Sta ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |