The Cable Report 07/05/05 (TV That Scared the Crap Out of Me)

In tribute to TV Land's "Greatest Made-For-TV Movies Of All Time" campaign (this week, and next, I believe), I'm firing up a Cable Report.

The Day After
The preceding parental advisories were more than warranted. I've begun to mentally compile a list of grocery store freak out scenes, and The Day After has a spendid one. Watching this again, I was knocked back by the unrelenting bleakness, the degree of bickering insanity amongst the characters, and the special FX are not too shabby - look for the signature explosion scenes in which victims are x-rayed as if part of a cartoon. Additionally, who can argue with ANY Jason Robards appearance.

V.
This mini-series did nothing if it didn't convince me that my parents were face-peeling aliens. The scare lasted weeks, and was eventually replaced by the belief that my Mom was trying to abandon me in the middle of Sears.

Salem's Lot
I'd venture a guess that some of you didn't even know! It sucks so bad now, because it was a TV movie then. Not to discredit TV movies as a whole, but you wanted scary and gory, and this is neither. To note: Salem's Lot did prominently feature Geoffrey Lewis, father of Juliette, and the ultimate on-screen sidekick. Speaking of character actors, and as such, getting completely off track here, who knows the name Michael G. Hagerty? Let's end with a nod to Michael G. Hagerty:

For years, I was hell bent on the misconception that Michael G. Hagerty was John Candy's brother. The pop-culturally semi-literate will know him as the Mike Duffy in the "AAMCO" episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. His bio on IMDB.com reads as follows:

"Graduated from the University of Illinois. He worked at Chicago's Second City. He now lives in Los Angeles.

Often plays vendors or merchants."

Comments

[Mark]

Ah yes! My favorite made-for-TV of all time; Richard Thomas as the computer programmer driven to mad, Winnebago-full-of-weapons-driving obsession by the lanky new office worker Brooke Sheilds in "The Stalking of Laura Black." (aka: 'I Can Make You Love Me,' and 'Stalking Laura') - the last 40 minutes of which contain total bloody carnage inside a typical suburban office complex in Silicon Valley. Exploding blood pacs, terroristic screaming and office desk-diving cast against industrial carpeting, drywall and giant potted plants.

[Johnny Drongo]

"Trilogy of Terror"
"Go Ask Alice"
"Sarah T: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic"

[Tee]

"Born Innocent" starring Linda Blair. The movie's most shocking scene was edited but not the IMDB review.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071240/

[Rich]

Where's 'Dawn-Portrait of a Teenage Runaway', starring the Brady Buch's Eve Plum as a teenage hooker with the heart of gold and soundtrack by The Runaways (Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Cherrybomb)?
What about Steven Spielberg's 'Something Evil', or 'Whatever Happened to Rosemary's Baby?'

[impboy]

How about "Duel," Stevie Spielberg's first feature film? Now that's really the one...

Also, fave line from "The Day After," when the students from Lawrence, KS are watching the TV regarding the Soviet push into West Germany that catalyzes the End Times. One student says (I'm paraphrasing), "Nobody's gonna do anything about it. If this was happening in the Mideast, where all the oil is, then we'd take action!"

Hmm, you don't say...

[Brian Turner]

For my money the HBO-made "Miracle Mile" whumps The Day After for stark fuckeduppery re: a nuclear attack, especially when the LA people go apeshit and start offing newsreporters in the street while on the air, and of course ER's Anthony Edwards trying to round up Mare Winningham to get out of town while going into an all-nite spa to get some gym monkey to randomly fly the helicopter out. Best part is it started out as a romantic flick.

[impboy]

true, "miracle mile" was a great flick, but it was a feature film, NOT a made-for-TV movie!

well, as a child of the '70s, i guess i'll always have a fondness for these time capsules (cue Boards Of Canada):

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00062IZAO/ref=pd_sim_dv_1/002-1601547-2816862?v=glance&s=dvd

[Jeff Jotz]

As an impresionable (and Reagan-loving!) teenager in the 1980s, I watched "Threads," Britain's answer to "The Day After." That film really scared the bejeezus outta me. Total chaos. Collapse of civilization. People reduced to nomadic savages. Comparing "Threads" to the santized "The Day After," is like comparing "Saving Private Ryan" with "Hogan's Heroes."

[Pete]

I remember "Threads." It was horrifying.

But for campiness, you can't beat TV's answer to "Red Dawn" -- "Amerika," starring Kris Kristofferson, with Robert Urich as the President of the new Midwestern puppet state "Heartland."

[krokus]

Bad Ronald!! Would someone puh-leeeze release it on DVD, then I can die happy.

[Pat Reda]

Mike Haggerty is god. He graduated from Marist High School in 1972, starred in the school plays, managed and acted with Second City in Chicago and is a funny guy.
Pat Reda