ABC MONDAY NIGHT MOVIE: CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR (TV)
Summary
A television film presented under the umbrella title of “ABC Monday Night Movie” about
Jessica Lee Stubbs, a Los Angeles defense attorney, is assigned to the case of Ella Barker, a nurse accused of trying to sell a stolen diamond ring to a pawnbroker. Ella is quite distressed at her situation, but Jessica does her best to calm her. Jessica discerns that Ella is not being forthcoming with the truth about her case and leaves for the time being. She soon learns that other stolen items were found in Ella’s apartment, and that the pawnbroker who turned her in has been killed. At the scene of the crime she meets police lieutenant Pike Grenada. He asks her to get information from Ella hoping to determine who killed the pawnbroker, but she demands that a deal be formally worked out first. Pike drives her back to the station, and on the way he asks her out to dinner. She rejects him, making her distaste for policeman quite clear. Later she grills Ella about the stolen items and she says they were given to her by her boyfriend, Larry Gaines, who was a friend of the pawnbroker. She explains that she and Larry had a falling-out, and that she took his ring to the pawn shop as a means of getting back at him. The pawnbroker was a known fence, and the district attorney believes that Ella was complicit in the sale of these stolen goods. He becomes rather aggressive in his questioning of Ella, but Jessica defends her and tells him that he must now question Larry on the matter.
Gus Denato, a suspect in the murder of the pawnbroker, keeps making attempts to call Jessica, but they keep missing each other. She has Darrel Smathers, a judge, over to her house for their weekly trysts, and he brings up the idea of them settling down together and starting a family; Jessica is vehemently opposed to this idea. Gus finally gets in contact with Jessica and tells her that his brother is dead and that he can help prove Ella’s innocence. He claims that his brother was gay and was romantically involved with Larry. He also claims that they broke up and that his brother tried to get revenge on Larry by framing him for the thefts. Before he can elaborate on the matter, an assailant drives up in a car and shoots Gus dead. Pike informs Gus’s family of his death. Jessica visits her father Roy Stubbs in prison; she is working tirelessly to arrange for a retrial for him, hoping to get him released.
At Ella’s initial arraignment hearing, Jessica protests when she learns that bail is about to be set for Ella, whereas her deal with the district attorney would have allowed her to go free. The district attorney reveals that the information on Larry proved to be fruitless, and so in his mind this voided the deal. The judge sides with the district attorney and sets bail, ensuring that Ella remains in police custody. Jessica, furious, insults the district attorney and promises to get Ella released. She argues with Pike about this incident and believes that the police deliberately did a poor job investigating the lead on Larry. He informs her that Gus is dead, and she blames him for that as well. Jessica retrieves some of Ella’s possessions from her home and meets her landlady, Mrs. Cline, who agrees to testify on her behalf if called upon. Pike again tries to ask Jessica out and urges her not to judge him by his profession, but she warns him to stay away from her.
Jessica and Ella look through some of her photographs, including one of her and Larry. She reveals that she broke up with him when he tried to take advantage of her to get the names of hospital patients for use in some sort of medical insurance scam. Despite this, she is convinced that Larry genuinely loved her. Jessica questions the owner of a club Larry used to frequent, although he has not seen him in months. There she learns that Larry had a relationship with Bel-Air native Albee Ferguson. She encounters Pike again and does her best to ignore him. That night she calls Ferguson, but all she hears on the other end is a man calling for “Holly May” before abruptly hanging up. Roy’s retrial is assigned to Darrel’s court, and he informs Jessica that he will have to recuse himself due to their relationship. Pike tails Jessica as she visits her mother, who is working as a psychic out of her home. She expresses clear resentment for her mother and brother, both of whom are likely engaged in illegal activities.
Later, Jessica visits Ferguson’s opulent home, and finds him quite distracted. He speaks on the phone to an individual who appears to have kidnapped Holly May, his wife. He refuses to take up Jessica’s suggestion that he call the police about the matter. She gets him to retain her as his lawyer in order to buy her silence, and learns that he has raised three million dollars in cash as ransom money. Jessica then finds Ray Spears, a man who supposedly was Larry’s agent, but he is unable to provide any useful information. Gus’s wife is murdered, and Pike investigates the matter. Jessica manages to discover Larry’s current address. Pike visits Jessica to inform her of Gus’s wife’s death, and tells her that he believes Ella is hiding something which could explain the reasons behind the string of murders. He believes that Jessica is morally obligated to solve the murder and resents her for her privileged upbringing, but Jessica says he has no right to criticize her life and yells at him to get out. They struggle, and then end up making out with each other, which eventually becomes a sexual encounter.
The next day, Jessica visits Larry’s house and encounters his mother, who mistakes her for a reporter. It soon becomes clear that she is somewhat unhinged, living alone in a house filled with birds and operating under the belief that Larry is a celebrity of some sort. She blames the problems surrounding Larry to a “Hilda Dotson,” his girlfriend when he was a teenager, and claims that he is out shooting a movie somewhere. Jessica questions Hilda’s father Joe Dotson, who has no knowledge of the whereabouts of either Hilda or Larry. She learns that Hilda was Joe’s child by marriage, and that she originated from a small town called Plattsburg, New York. He notes that he does not know the identity of her father and that Hilda may have changed her name since he last saw her. Jessica comes to suspect that “Hilda” is actually “Holly,” and that Ferguson is both her father and her husband. On the drive back to Los Angeles, Jessica is shot at by someone in a van and is run off the road, although she manages to recover and get back.
Jessica confronts Ferguson and tells him about her findings concerning “Holly.” He is devastated by the information concerning her true identity. Later, Pike confronts Jessica about the attempted murder on her. She asserts that they had a one-night stand and that she does not wish to continue their relationship, and does not give any information about her encounters over the previous day, much to his frustration. Alone, she receives a call from Larry, who announces that he is leaving town that night but wishes to meet with her first. Jessica leaves to meet him, and passes on a message about the meeting to Pike. Larry kidnaps Jessica and drives off with her before Pike can arrive. Larry takes her into a house along with Hilda, and he states that he wishes to learn what his mother told her. Hilda orders Larry to kill Jessica, but he refuses and so she offers to do it herself. Jessica attempts to escape and is knocked unconscious in a struggle with Larry. She awakens the find the house burning down around her, and she manages to drag an unconscious Hilda outside.
Pike visits Jessica as she recovers, informing her that Larry is dead. He also tells her that Hilda’s lawyer got the police to release her, and that Ferguson will not corroborate her story. She visits Ferguson and convinces him to cooperate. Jessica questions Hilda, but she denies all of Jessica’s accusations and claims to have never met her. She claims that Larry contacted her claiming that her father was dying, and that she does not remember anything about the next few days after that. It turns out that “Hilda” is actually Dorothy, the real Hilda’s half-sister. A confused Jessica admits that her story may be true, and she and the other detectives forego any further questions. She apologizes to Ferguson for the trouble she’s caused him, and realizes that a man identified as “Shakey,” Larry’s friend, is likely the one responsible for the murders. She consults with her father, who recounts defending “Shakey” on a liquor store robbery case years ago, and realizes that “Shakey” is actually Spears. She is informed that Hilda’s body has been found in the wilderness, and leaves with Pike to confront Spears.
However, Jessica learns that Ella was bailed out by Mrs. Cline and that Spears came to pick her up. She races to try to intercept them before they reach their destination. Jessica manages to stall Spears until the police can arrive and arrest him. Jessica tells Ella that Larry is dead and tries to comfort her. Later she meets with Darrel and tries to tell him something, but notices that Pike has followed her. She tries to drive him off, telling him that she intends to “start fresh.” Darrel tries to get her to give him an answer about her feelings concerning him, and she asks to call him the following day. Ultimately, she reconsiders and decides to be with Pike. Includes commercials.
Also includes an “ABC News Brief” with Forrest Sawyer.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: May 11, 1992 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:52:17
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:25892
- GENRE: Drama, police/private detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: TV - Drama, police/private detective
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV, 1992
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Commercials – AT&T phone service
- TV – Commercials – Advil pain relief
- TV – Commercials – Aquafresh toothpaste
- TV – Commercials – Band-Aid bandages
- TV – Commercials – Chrysler automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Country Crock spread
- TV – Commercials – Country Time lemonade
- TV – Commercials – Dijonnaise mustard
- TV – Commercials – Dr Pepper soft drink
- TV – Commercials – Ford automobiles
- TV – Commercials – HBO television channel
- TV – Commercials – Incognito perfume
- TV – Commercials – KFC restaurants
- TV – Commercials – Lever 2000 bar soap
- TV – Commercials – Listerine mouthwash
- TV – Commercials – Lubriderm skin lotion
- TV – Commercials – L’Oreal conditioner
- TV – Commercials – MCI phone service
- TV – Commercials – Max Factor cosmetics
- TV – Commercials – McDonald’s restaurants
- TV – Commercials – Mercury automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Neutrogena shampoo
- TV – Commercials – Pizza Hut pizza
- TV – Commercials – Puppy Chow dog food
- TV – Commercials – Reach toothbrushes
- TV – Commercials – Ultra Slim-Fast diet shakes
- TV – Commercials – V8 vegetable juice
- TV – Commercials – VCR Plus video players
- TV – Commercials – Wisk laundry detergent
- TV – Commercials – “Sister Act” motion picture
- TV – Promos – “20/20”
- TV – Promos – “ABC News Primetime”
- TV – Promos – “American Bandstand 40th Anniversary Special”
- TV – Promos – “Coach”
- TV – Promos – “Columbo: Ransom for a Dead Man”
- TV – Promos – “Good Morning America”
- TV – Promos – “Look Who’s Talking”
- TV – Promos – “Mario and the Mob”
- TV – Promos – “Nightline”
- TV – Promos – “Roseanne”
- TV – Promos – “The Bambi Bembenek Story”
- TV – Promos – “The Best of Barbara Walters: Legends: the New Generation”
- TV – Promos – “The Preakness Stakes”
- TV – Promos – “World of Discovery: Secrets of the Golden River”
CREDITS
- Preston Fischer … Executive Producer
- Marjorie Schicktanz … Co-Executive Producer
- John Perrin Flynn … Producer
- Benjamin A. Weissman … Co-Producer
- Michael Miller … Director
- Wendell Mayes … Writer
- Ross MacDonald … Based on the novel “The Ferguson Affair” by
- Mike Garson … Music by
- Farrah Fawcett … Cast, Jessica Lee Stubbs
- A Martinez … Cast, Pike Grenada
- Dakin Matthews … Cast, Albee Ferguson
- John Hancock … Cast, Lt. Wills
- Andrew Robinson … Cast, Ray Spears
- Cliff De Young … Cast, Darrel Smathers
- Mark La Mura … Cast, Larry Gaines
- Angela Paton … Cast, Adelaide
- Nada Despotovich … Cast, Ella Barker
- Hugo Napier … Cast, Davenport
- Romy Walthall … Cast, Hilda Dodson, Holly May
- James Gammon … Cast, Roy Stubbs
- Jane A. Johnston … Cast, Melba
- Yvette Cruise … Cast, Secundina
- Joyce Guy … Cast, Estelle
- Mary Jackson … Cast, Mrs. Cline
- Steve Artiaga … Cast, Donato
- Michael Nicolosi … Cast, Elmo
- Joe Costanza … Cast, Flynn
- Steven Chester Prince … Cast, Patrolman
- Jim Fawcett … Cast, Uncle Francis
- Robert Grossman … Cast, Judge Davis
- Perla Walter … Cast, Mother Padilla
- John DiFusco … Cast, Desk Officer
- Alana Austin … Cast, Little Jessie
- For "ABC News Brief"
- Forrest Sawyer … Anchor