Strong Medicine (1986) TV Movie

Strong Medicine` A Potboiler Of Intrigue
April 28, 1986|By Bill Kelley, Staff writer

"Guilty pleasure" aficionados will have a good time tonight and Tuesday with Strong Medicine (8 p.m., WCIX-Ch. 6, both nights), an Arthur (Hotel ) Hailey potboiler about intrigue in the pharmaceutical industry in 1957. Pamela Sue Martin is the noble young heroine who uncovers a nest of vipers, and the spot-the-stars cast includes Patrick Duffy, Ben Cross, Douglas Fairbanks and Dick Van Dyke. Produced independently for first-run, off-network syndication -- which means it`s a little juicier than network fare.

Strong Medicine (1986)TV Movie
Cast: Alan Oppenheimer, Annette O'Toole, Ben Cross, Dick Van Dyke, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Gayle Hunnicutt, Pamela Sue Martin, Patrick Duffy, Sam Neill

Golden Anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (TV) 1987

By the time he set out to make “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” which was loosely based on the famous Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Walt Disney had already made a name for himself with short cartoons featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and other beloved characters. In 1934, he announced his intention to make a full-length animated feature film of the Snow White story, and estimated the cost would be around $250,000. Instead, production lasted three years and took around 750 artists, and nearly 2 million individual paintings, to complete. In that process, Disney acted mostly as head coordinator and decision-maker rather than as a designer and artist. As costs ballooned to nearly $1.5 million–an enormous sum for a film budget in 1937–he was forced to borrow money to complete the movie, even taking out a mortgage on his home. The Hollywood press called the project “Disney’s Folly,” and his own wife, Lillian, predicted it would be a box office failure. It was assumed that audiences couldn’t stomach a full-length cartoon, and that adults wouldn’t pay to sit through a fairy tale.

On December 21, 1937, however, “Snow White” silenced these cynics when it premiered to a packed house at the Carthay Circle Theatre. Stars such as Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland and Cary Grant attended the Hollywood premiere, while more than 30,000 fans unable to score a $5 ticket gathered outside the theater to share in the night’s excitement. Charlie Chaplin told the Los Angeles Times after the premiere that the film “even surpassed our highest expectations. In Dwarf Dopey, Disney has created one of the greatest comedians of all time.”

“Snow White” went on to become a massive hit worldwide, grossing more than any other movie in history up to that time. (“Gone With the Wind” would surpass it in 1939.) At the time of its 50th anniversary in 1987, the New York Times reported that “Snow White” had grossed some $330 million worldwide, and remained one of the most popular films ever made. It was also the first American film to have a soundtrack album released simultaneously with the film’s release, featuring such famous songs as “Heigh-Ho,” “Whistle While You Work” and “Someday My Prince Will Come.”

In addition to its commercial success, the movie received a special Academy Award, including one full-size Oscar and seven dwarf-sized statuettes. Its sophisticated artistic composition notably influenced such directors as Federico Fellini and Orson Welles, whose opening shot in 1941′s “Citizen Kane” (a castle at night with one illuminated window) is nearly identical to the first shot of “Snow White.”

The stunning success of “Snow White” marked a turning point in the career of Walt Disney, and established him among the world’s most celebrated filmmakers. The quality of its animation, voiceover work and musical score set a high standard for all future animated features made by Disney or any other studio. Along with “Pinocchio” (1940), it is widely considered to be Disney’s greatest film.

Golden Anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (TV) 1987
Cast: Dick Van Dyke, Jane Curtin, Dennis Franz, Soleil Moon Frye, Sherman Hemsley, Christopher Hewett, Telma Hopkins, Jean Kasem, Stepfanie Kramer, Richard Moll, Linda Ronstadt, Lindsay Wagner

Dick Van Dyke Show Remembered, The (1994) (TV)

Seeing this simply described around the internet as "A retrospective of the 1961-66 sitcom starring Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore" is inadequate. Much more fun than you might expect (especially from that description) and hosted by the stalwart Charles Kuralt, this will be a fun watch for anyone who has ever crushed on MTM.

The Dick Van Dyke Show Remembered (1994) (TV)

Cast: Morey Amsterdam, Rose Marie, Mary Tyler Moore, Sheldon Leonard, Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke, Charles Kuralt

7th Annual American Comedy Awards, The (1993) (TV)

Lots of faces, lots of fun. Now that George Carlin has passed I love seeing him anytime and he has a nice run here. Another favorite, is the late Richard Jeni. This was the year he won, "Funniest Male - Stand-Up Comedy" and his acceptance words are now precious.

The 7th Annual American Comedy Awards (1993) (TV)

Cast: Bea Arthur, Elizabeth Ashley, Mayim Bialik, George Carlin, Chevy Chase, Irwin Corey, Billy Crystal, Bob Einstein, Michael Fishman, Teri Garr, Whoopi Goldberg, John Goodman, Joseph Lawrence, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Laurie Metcalf, Jack Palance, Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner, Roseanne, Jerry Seinfeld, Sinbad, Dick Smothers, Tom Smothers, Dick Van Dyke, Jerry Van Dyke, Richard Jeni