Alan Oppenheimer Filmography

Touched By an Angel: Breaking Bread

Synopsis: Having witnessed a hate crime committed by a gang of white supremacists against a black law student, baker Matt Colletti (a pre-The ShieldMichael Chilkis) is too frightened to come forward and tell the authorities. It is up to Monica and Tess--disguised respectively as an assistant baker and a Read More

Star Trek: Voyager: Rise

Actors: Roxann Dawson

Synopsis: A natural disaster turns out to be a very artificial bit of outer space treachery in this episode of the sci-fi television series tar Trek: Voyager. A steady shower of asteroids has been raining down upon the home planet of the Ness, and the crew of the Voyager have offered to help them Read More

Trancers 5: Sudden Deth

Actors: Tim Thomerson, Stacie Randall, Ty Miller, Terri Ivens, Mark Arnold

Synopsis: When the nefarious Lord Caliban and his wicked henchman start acting up again, its up to future cop Jack Deth and his intrepid Tunnel Rats to try to stop him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 46: The Jem'Hadar

Synopsis: Deep Space Nine finished its second season with this episode, which was broadcast on June 11, 1994. While visiting the Gamma Quadrant with Jake and Nog, Sisko and Quark are taken prisoner. Their captors are members of the Jem'hadar, who in turn are disciples of a mysterious power known as Read More

Phantom 2040: The Ghost Who Walks

Synopsis: Kit Walker is the 21st Century Phantom, one of a long line of superheroes who have lived in the jungles and dutifully defended mankind's precious natural resources. After the cataclysmic Resource War, Kit moves to the urban jungles of Metropia, looking to thwart the baddies. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Read More

Trancers 4: Jack of Swords

Actors: Tim Thomerson, Stacie Randall, Ty Miller, Terri Ivens, Mark Arnold

Synopsis: Trancers 4: Jack of Swords follows the time-traveling policeman Jack Deth into another dimension, where aliens called the Trancers are keeping the natives as food. Deth's mission is to save the population from the Trancers. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide Read More

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Rightful Heir

Synopsis: Guest star Kevin Conway is cast as Kahless, a legendary, godlike Klingon warrior who has apparently returned from the dead. Making up for lost time, Kahless declares his intention of defying the Federation and restoring the Klingon empire. Caught in the middle is Lt. Worf, who must now choose Read More

Invisible: The Chronicles of Benjamin Knight

Synopsis: In this Romanian-set fantasy, a man becomes invisible in order to fight an evil, masked madman called Drago. Drago turns mobs of peasants insane and sends them to surrounding villages to kidnap young women. Behind all the mayhem is a wheelchair-bound mad scientist who controls a robot called Read More

Love Field

Actors: Michelle Pfeiffer, Dennis Haysbert, Stephanie McFadden, Brian Kerwin, Louise Latham

Synopsis: Jonathan Kaplan directs this drama which grafts a nostalgic mood piece with a race-to-the-finish road movie. Lurene Hallett (Michelle Pfeiffer) is an insulated middle-class wife living in Texas in the early 1960s who adores the Kennedys, particularly Jackie, whom she feels is a kindred soul. When Read More

Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland

Actors: Gabriel Damon, René Auberjonois, Mickey Rooney, Danny Mann, Laura Mooney

Synopsis: Adventure is only limited by imagination in this exciting animated fantasy from The Goonies writer Chris Columbus. Warmly welcomed to the Kingdom of Slumberland by the king himself, young Nemo is christened heir to the throne and given a magical key that will open any door in the kingdom. Though Read More

Murphy Brown: Black, White & Brown

Synopsis: Julius Carry makes his first appearance as Mitchell Baldwin, the "hot" new replacement for former network boss Eugene Kinsella (Alan Oppenheimer), who has been kicked upstairs. The staff of "FYI" is a bit put off by the big changes planned by Baldwin, but Murphy (Candice Bergen) seems determined Read More

Murphy Brown: Anchor Rancor

Synopsis: After the sudden death of the network's Sunday night anchorman, both Murphy (Candice Bergen) and Jim (Charles Kimbrought) vie to fill in for the unfortunate man until a permanent replacement is chosen. The rivalry between the two coworkers spills over into their weekly "FYI" duties, resulting in a Read More

Murphy Brown: Rage Before Beauty

Synopsis: Ever the rebel, Murphy (Candice Bergen) is outraged by the "appearance clause" in her contract, allowing the network to dictate exactly how she should look on the air. In protest, Murphy makes her next "FYI" appearance with a new, hacked-to-the-bone hairstyle in place of her familiar flowing Read More

The Neverending Story

Actors: Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Moses Gunn, Patricia Hayes

Synopsis: Wolfgang Petersen adapted Michael Ende's children's story for this charming fantasy film that spawned several sequels. Bastian (Barret Oliver) is dealing with his mother's recent death. His father (Gerald McRaney) is an imperious sort who continually lambastes Bastian for daydreaming and falling Read More

Murphy Brown: I'm As Much of a Man as I Ever Was

Synopsis: Although the network has given the okay to Murphy's unwed pregnancy and allows her to remain on "FYI", Miles (Grant Shaud) worries that Murphy (Candice Bergen) will soon be physically incapable of maintaining her usual exhausting pace. Her first big challenge is to secure an interview with Read More

Murder, She Wrote: Night Fears

Synopsis: Wings Hauser appears as Wallace Evans, a policeman turned professor who use to teach the Manhattan College criminology course now helmed by Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). In the spirit of friendly rivalry, Evans challenges Jessica to find the person responsible for a series of recent campus Read More

Murder, She Wrote: Lines of Excellence

Synopsis: Jessica (Angela Lansbury) decides to retire her trusty typewriter and signs up for a computer course. While deep in study, she stumbles across a case of illegal computer hacking--which of course leads to murder. The victim this time out is one of the two men in charge of the computer school, while Read More

Absolute Strangers

Actors: Audra Lindley, Henry Winkler, Richard Kiley, Karl Malden

Synopsis: In 1988, Nancy Klein, the pregnant wife of Long Island accountant Marty Klein, was involved in a car accident that left her comatose. Convinced that Nancy would never recover if she went to full term with the baby, Marty asked the doctors to perform an abortion. Almost immediately, Nancy Klein Read More

Married... With Children: You Better Shop Around, Part 2

Synopsis: In the conclusion of a two-part episode, it's the Bundys versus the D'Arcys in a "Supermarket Sweep"-like competition at Foodie's Supermarket. Both families are given $1000 to buy as much as they possibly can before a pre-determined deadline, with celebrity judge Jerry Mathers--aka Beaver Read More

Murphy Brown: Terror on the 17th Floor

Synopsis: In an episode blatantly inspired by current events (those of early 1991, that is), the network carrying "FYI" is taken over by a huge corporation called American Industrial Enterprises. Almost immediately, the company's barracudalike VP Barbara Boyle (Nancy Youngblut) begins imposing Draconian Read More

Lucy and Desi: Before the Laughter

Actors: Frances Fisher, Maurice Benard, Robin Pearson Rose, John Wheeler

Synopsis: This unflattering TV movie offers a portrayal of the stormy marriage between comedienne Lucille Ball (Frances Fisher) and her Cuban bandleader husband (Maurice Benard). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide Read More

Child of Darkness, Child of Light

Actors: Anthony John Denison, Sela Ward

Synopsis: This effective made-for-TV supernatural thriller (based on the novel Virgin by James Patterson) involves the travails of a Catholic priest (Anthony John Denison) who is ordered by his superiors to investigate the prospect of two separate virgin births -- one of which will bring the Son of God into Read More

Murphy Brown: Frank's Appendectomy

Synopsis: During an intense practical-joke war between Murphy (Candice Bergen) and Frank (Joe Regalbuto), Murphy puckishly hires a man to present himself to Frank, claiming to be "Deep Throat" of Watergate fame. It would have been amusing if the man hired was the genuine "Deep Throat", former FBI deputy Read More

Murphy Brown: Strike Two

Synopsis: Once again, the "FYI" newsroom is hit by a strike. Before, it was the techinal staff who walked out; this time, it's the talent, headed by Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen), who take a hike. Assigned to deliver Murphy's report on the S&L crisis, empty-headed anchor wannabe Miller Redfield (Christopher Read More

Fat Man & Little Boy

Actors: Paul Newman, Dwight Schultz, Bonnie Bedelia, John Cusack, Laura Dern

Synopsis: "Fat Man" and "Little Boy" were the nicknames given the atomic bombs that were dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the waning days of World War II. This elaborately assembled film is the story of the events leading up to the dawn of the atomic age. Paul Newman plays General Leslie Groves, a Read More

Murphy Brown: Off the Job Experience

Synopsis: Once again, Murphy (Candice Bergen) lets her temper get the better of her during a TV interview, which ends when she storms off the set and leaves her guest--a prominent military officer--hanging in the lurch. Finally building up the gumption to put his foot down, producer Miles (Grant Shaud) Read More

Murphy Brown: The Strike

Synopsis: A technician's strike results in a veritable orgy of foul-ups, bleeps and blunders during the weekly "FYI" telecast. Not wishing for a repeat of this embarrassing experience, Murphy (Candice Bergen) takes it upon herself to be mediator between labor and management. Unfortunately, the hard-bitten Read More

Murphy Brown: The Morning Show

Synopsis: During an "FYI" hiatus, Murphy (Candice Bergen) and Corky (Faith Ford) agree to temporarily co-host the station's early-morning show. While Corky takes to the job like a fish to water, Murphy is driven crazy by the show's laid-back format and her co-host's nails-on-the-blackboard ebullience. Famed Read More

Murphy Brown: Here's to You Mrs. Kinsella

Synopsis: Already guilt-stricken over his one-stand stand with an older woman named Lois (Claire Peck), Miles (Grant Shaud) goes into full panic mode when he and the woman are reunited at a birthday party for his boss Eugene Kinsella (Alan Oppenheimer). It seems that during their night of passion, Lois Read More

Moving

Actors: Richard Pryor, Beverly Todd, Dave Thomas, Dana Carvey, Randy Quaid

Synopsis: A transit engineer and his family must face the gargantuan task of moving from New Jersey to Boise, Idaho in this lively comedy starring Richard Pryor. It all begins after he gets a really great job out West. Unfortunately, his family is less than thrilled with the prospect. The furniture movers Read More

Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf

Synopsis: This made-for-TV animated feature stars only two regular members of the Mystery Machine gang: Scooby Doo and Shaggy (although Scrappy, a late addition to the series, is also present). In place of Freddy, Velma, and Daphne, we have Googie, Shaggy's girl friend. It seems that Shaggy and company are Read More

Murphy Brown [TV Series]

Actors: Candice Bergen, Charles Kimbrough, Joe Regalbuto, Faith Ford, Grant Shaud

Synopsis: Making its first appearance on November 14, 1988, the long-running, Emmy-winning CBS sitcom Murphy Brown starred Candice Bergen as the title character, the driving, driven, often overbearing but essentially likable star reporter of the Washington, D.C.-based TV magazine "FYI." A thorough Read More

The Two Mrs. Grenvilles

Actors: Ann-Margret, Claudette Colbert, Stephen Collins

Synopsis: Claudette Colbert made her first screen appearance in 25 years in the 2-part TV movie The Two Mrs. Grenvilles. The story involves social-climbing actress (read: "chorus girl") Ann-Margret, who marries American-aristocrat naval ensign Stephen Collins, the son of Ms. Colbert (the two female stars Read More

Night Court: Her Honor, Part 4

Synopsis: In the conclusion of a four-part story arc (which began at the tail end of Night Court's third season), Harry (Harry Anderson) prepares to pull off his revenge-driven "ultimate stunt", still unaware that he has been reinstated as a night court judge thanks to the intervention of Christine (Markie Read More

Strong Medicine

Synopsis: This two-part, four-hour TV miniseries was adapted from the same-named 1984 novel by Arthur Hailey. Pamela Sue Martin headed the huge cast as Celia Gray, a young woman who rose from humble drug store clerk to become the head of a major pharmaceutical manufacturing firm during the 1950s and 1960s. Read More

Night Court: The Gypsy

Synopsis: It seems terribly funny when gypsy fortuneteller Madame Loretta (Erica Yohn), cited for ontempt of court, places a curse on everyone in the courtroom. But no one is laughing when Bull (Richard Bull) suddenly becomes paralyzed and Dan's accountant (Herb Gilpin) abruptly drops dead during a tax Read More

The Execution

Synopsis: Five Holocaust survivors conspire to have revenge upon the Nazi doctor who tormented them in this taut made-for-TV drama. All five are women living in Los Angeles and all have vividly painful memories of the atrocities he performed upon them. The memories come flooding back when they find him Read More

The Secret of the Sword

Actors: John Erwin, Melendy Britt, George DiCenzo, Linda Gary, Erika Scheimer

Synopsis: This sword-and-sorcery animated feature basically stars two "toys" -- She-Ra (voice of Melanie Britt) and He-Man (voice of John Erwin). Princess Adora has a special destiny -- to manifest as She-Ra and save Etheria from the really nasty Horde -- but she is not aware of her power-to-be. When Prince Read More

My Wicked, Wicked Ways - The Legend of Errol Flynn

Actors: Duncan Regehr, Barbara Hershey, Darren McGavin

Synopsis: This made-for-TV biopic chronicles the exciting (at times scandalous) life and career of Eroll Flynn, Hollywood's most popular swashbuckling rake. Much of the information comes from Flynn's autobiography. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season 02

Actors: John Erwin, Alan Oppenheimer, Linda Gary

Synopsis: Undoubtedly the makers of Mattel Toys were as thrilled as the younger cartoon fans when the daily, half-hour animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was renewed for a second syndicated season of 65 episodes. Things haven't changed much on the planet Eternia: Prince Adam continues Read More

Memorial Day

Synopsis: In this made-for-TV film, Mike Farrell stars as an attorney who finds himself at the center of a surprise reunion with the veterans of his platoon from Vietnam, including Robert Walden and Edward Herrmann. The reunion stirs up painful memories and disturbing secrets for all involved. ~ Jason Read More

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season 01

Actors: John Erwin, Alan Oppenheimer, Linda Gary

Synopsis: Season One of the daily, half-hour animated series (and extended toy commercial!) He-Man and the Masters of the Universe jumps in and starts swimming when, wasting no time, the evil Skeletor steals a cosmic comet in order to break into Castle Grayskull and accumulated the wisdom and power of the Read More

Divorce Wars: A Love Story

Synopsis: This superior ABC Theatre of the Month presentation is not so much about the reasons for divorce as it is about the tensions surrounding the actual litigation. Tom Selleck plays a topnotch Seattle divorce lawyer, juggling several delicate cases at once. Arrogantly secure in his legal prowess Read More

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Synopsis: This is a filmed theatrical performance of one of Shakespeare's most famous tales of avarice and insanity. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Blackstar [Animated TV Series]

Synopsis: The Filmation cartoon series Blackstar was originally telecast September 12, 1981, through September 11, 1982, on CBS. The hero is astronaut John Blackstar, who finds himself on the sword-and-sorcery planet of Sagar after falling through a time warp. Predictably, the series borrowed heavily from Read More

Private Benjamin

Actors: Goldie Hawn, Eileen Brennan, Armand Assante, Sam Wanamaker, Harry Dean Stanton

Synopsis: Devastated when her brand-new husband Albert Brooks) drops dead on their wedding night, Jewish American princess Judy Benjamin (Goldie Hawn) is receptive to the pitch delivered by a duplicitous recruiter for the Women's Army Corps. Quickly adivsed by topkick Captain Lewis (Eileen Brennan) that she Read More

A Pleasure Doing Business

Synopsis: In this comedy, three middle-aged men renew their boyhood friendship at a stag party and hatch a crazy scheme that involves making money off of a luscious prostitute. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Blind Ambition

Actors: Martin Sheen, Theresa Russell, Michael Callan, Lonny Chapman, William Daniels

Synopsis: The 8-hour TV miniseries Blind Ambition was originally telecast May 20 through 23, 1979. This 105-minute feature-film version, prepared in 1982, seems a bit rushed at times, but overall does a credible and coherent job of storytelling. Based on John Dean's book Blind Ambition, with elements of Read More

Alice: My Cousin, Art Carney

Synopsis: As indicated by the title, Art Carney is the guest star in this episode. And yes, Carney is someone's cousin--actually the sixth-cousin of daffy waitress Vera (Beth Howland). Hoping to capitalize on this fact, Vera's boss Mel tries to persuade the actor to endorse a new line of frozen chili Read More

Dinky Hocker

Actors: June Lockhart, Wendie Jo Sperber, Alan Oppenheimer, Jon Walmsley

Synopsis: Long before obesity became the "cause du jour" for pediatricians, the ABC Afterschool Special series tackled the issue head-on with the riveting drama Dinky Hocker. The title character, played by Wendie Jo Sperber, is the daughter of Helen Hocker (June Lockhart), a committed community activist and Read More

The Ghost of Flight 401

Actors: Ernest Borgnine

Synopsis: Based on a book by John C. Fuller, the made-for-TV Ghost of Flight 401 is predicated on the "actual events" surrounding a real-life plane crash. In December of 1972, Flight 401 nose-dived into the Florida Everglades, killing its flight officer (played herein by Ernest Borgnine). Though damaged Read More

Record City

Synopsis: This lighthearted, tuneful and youth-oriented comedy is set in a record store and chronicles the zany exploits of its employees. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

To Kill a Cop

Synopsis: Joe Don Baker stars as chief of detectives, Eischeid, in the 4-hour, 2-part TV film To Kill A Cop. Eischeid must contend with a series of seemingly unrelated bank robberies and the vicious murders of two police officers. Eischeid deduces that the culprits are members of a violent African-American Read More

Tail Gunner Joe

Actors: Peter Boyle, Burgess Meredith

Synopsis: Told in flashback form, Tail Gunner Joe traces the rise and fall of Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy (Peter Boyle). The story begins with McCarthy's judicial career, then progresses to his rise to the U.S. senate on the Republican ticket and his ultimate exploitation of the postwar "anti Read More

Riding with Death

Synopsis: The Gemini Man (Ben Murphy) is a guy who was exposed to a laboratory mix-up that gave him the power to become invisible at will. With such a skill he's appointed a dangerous task that brings him into contact with a crazed scientist who's involved in a deadly scheme. ~ All Movie Guide Read More

Helter Skelter

Actors: George DiCenzo, Steve Railsback, Nancy Wolfe, Marilyn Burns, Christina Hart, Cathey Paine

Synopsis: Based on the best-selling Vincent Bugliosi book of the same name, Helter Skelter is a made-for-TV account of the investigation and prosecution of Charles Manson (Steve Railsback), who was convicted of leading a group of followers (known as "The Family") to murder seven people in California Read More

Freaky Friday

Actors: Barbara Harris, Jodie Foster, John Astin, Patsy Kelly, Dick Van Patten

Synopsis: Prolific television director Gary Nelson made the Walt Disney live-action comedy Freaky Friday, based on the novel by Mary Rodgers. Barbara Harris stars as suburban housewife Ellen Andrews, the wife of Bill (John Astin) and the mother of Annabel (Jodie Foster) and Ben (Sparky Marcus). Ellen just Read More

The Gentleman Tramp

Synopsis: Gentleman Tramp utilizes clearer-than-usual vintage filmclips to trace the life and career of comedy giant Charlie Chaplin. This made-for-TV documentary was produced in the wake of Chaplin's "special Oscar" win of 1972 and the subsequent renewal of interest in his work. Walter Matthau provides the Read More

The Hindenburg

Actors: George C. Scott, Anne Bancroft, William Atherton, Roy Thinnes, Gig Young

Synopsis: "The German Air Force is not at all what it used to be," says Anne Bancroft's Countess, about 16 minutes into The Hindenburg, pausing and then adding, "But then, nothing is these days." That seems to sum up the ponderous, irony-laden script and plot of Robert Wise's movie, which is posited -- in Read More

The Bionic Woman

Synopsis: Jamie Somers, the "Bionic Woman" introduced on a 1975 episode of TV's Six Million Dollar Man, launched her own series with a two-part adventure. Part One was telecast as the January 11, 1976 installment of Six Million Dollar Man: in a comatose state, Jamie, the onetime fiancee of "bionic man" Read More

Murder Works Overtime

Synopsis: An advertising agent is the next victim for a brutal killer in this suspense film. ~ All Movie Guide Read More

Cyrano

Actors: José Ferrer, Kurt Kasznar, Joan Van Ark, Victor Garber, Martyn Green

Synopsis: For its third animated-cartoon presentation, ABC Afterschool Special offers a streamlined adaptation of Edmond Rostand's romantic play Cyrano de Bergerac. The best swordsman and wittiest raconteur in all France, Cyrano de Bergerac (voiced by José Ferrer, recreating his most famous Broadway role) Read More

The F.B.I.: The Betrayal

Synopsis: Escaped convict Frankie Geller (Michael Tolan) wants to make up for the many years that he neglected his daughter Valerie (Suzanne Arnold). Geller hopes to win back the girl's affections by raising some quick money in the only way he knows how--by selling Mob information to the highest bidder. As Read More

The Partridge Family: Art for Mom's Sake

Synopsis: Signing up for an art class, Shirley (Shirley Jones) catches the eye of her amorous teacher Lorenzo Bernard (Alan Oppenheimer), who decides to make her his protégé. Bernard declares that Shirley's paintings are masterpieces, but her children recognize these "works of art" for the monstrosities Read More

What Are Best Friends For?

Synopsis: In this comedy, a jealous wife tosses her husband out of the house after he spends the night at the home of a friend. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

The Thief Who Came to Dinner

Actors: Ryan O'Neal, Jacqueline Bisset, Warren Oates, Jill Clayburgh, Charles Cioffi

Synopsis: Bud Yorkin directed this middling comedy, written by Walter Hill from a novel by Terrence Lore Smith. Ryan O'Neal plays a computer expert named Webster, who alleviates on-the-job doldrums by moonlighting as a successful jewel thief. Webster invites himself to upscale soirees, where he cases out Read More

The Partridge Family: Forgive Us Our Debts

Synopsis: Shirley (Shirley Jones) discovers to her horror that her credit rating has been destroyed to a department-store computer error. Young computer whiz Tom Baker (John David Carson) does his best to rectify the mistake, only to inadvertently run Shirley's 29-dollar debt into the thousands! Elements Read More

Westworld

Actors: Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Alan Oppenheimer, Victoria Shaw

Synopsis: Welcome to Westworld, where nothing can go wrong...go wrong...go wrong....Writer/director Michael Crichton has concocted a futuristic "Disneyland for adults", a remote resort island where, for a hefty fee, one can indulge in one's wildest fantasies. Businessmen James Brolin and Richard Benjamin Read More

Win, Place, or Steal

Synopsis: Three rollicking bumblers get into all sorts of slap