Alberta Hunter Movies
- 1988
- Add Alberta Hunter: My Castle's Rockin' to QueueAdd Alberta Hunter: My Castle's Rockin' to top of Queue
Born in 1895, Alberta Hunter first rose to fame as a blues singer in the early '20s; Louis Armstrong, Eubie Blake, and Sidney Bechet all played on her records, she headlined nightclubs in the United States and Europe, and starred with Paul Robeson in the British production of Showboat in 1928. In 1956, after almost 35 years in show business, Hunter decided to retire from performing, and took a job as a nurse. In 1977, the hospital where she worked, believing her to be 65 years old (they were off by 17 years), gave her mandatory retirement. With little to do, Hunter began performing at a night spot in New York's Greenwich Village called the Cookery; singing with even greater force and personality than she had in her youth, Hunter's shows wowed jazz critics, and she went on to record three successful albums for Columbia Records and score the film Remember My Name before she passed on in 1984. Alberta Hunter: My Castle's Rockin' is a warm and fascinating portrait of Hunter's personal and professional lives, featuring plenty of footage of the ageless diva performing for an enthusiastic audience. Billy Taylor narrates. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1985
Based on a 1978 play by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman, The Laundromat was made for cable by acclaimed director Robert Altman. Late in the middle of one night, two women from different backgrounds meet at a laundromat. Alberta (played by Carol Burnett) is a middle-aged ex-school teacher who normally does her wash in the safety of her home. Unfortunately, her washing machine is broken and, self-conscious about what it would mean if her neighbors saw her leaving home to do her laundry, she has traveled across town late at night to clean her clothes. Deedee (played by Amy Madigan) lives down the block from the laundromat. A newlywed, Deedeeis already discovering that her marriage is loveless and her husband is an adulterer. The two women -- one proper and controlled, the other free-spirited -- seem to have little in common, but as the night goes on, they let down their guards and air out their dirty laundry. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carol Burnett, Amy Madigan, (more)
- 1981
Jazz Masters Series: Albert Hunter features the jazz vocalist performing over a dozen songs in a 1981 concert at the Smithsonian, including "Down Hearted Blues," "My Handy Man," "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," "Without a Song," "Rough and Ready Man," and "You Can't Tell the Difference After Dark." ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- 1978
- R
This disquieting domestic thriller from writer and director Alan Rudolph was produced by his long-time mentor Robert Altman. Anthony Perkins stars as Neil Curry, a construction worker living happily in suburbia with his wife Barbara (Berry Berenson) until their home becomes vandalized during the holiday season by a stalker. It seems that the assailant, Emily (Geraldine Chaplin), is Neil's chain-smoking, mentally disturbed ex-wife, who has just been released from jail after serving a long sentence for murder. Now she seems to be both seeking revenge for some past wrongs and attempting to win Neil back at the same time. Meanwhile, the television broadcasts the mounting death toll from a devastating earthquake in Hungary, increasing the sense of menace, though no one seems to take much notice. In supporting roles, Remember My Name (1978) featured early motion picture performances from a trio of actors that would go on to become well-known, Jeff Goldblum, Alfre Woodard and Dennis Franz. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Geraldine Chaplin, Anthony Perkins, (more)
- 1935
Will Hay heads a cast of nearly 40 popular British variety artists in Radio Parade of 1935. The magnificent supercilious Mr. Hay is cast as William Garland, a radio-station manager whose operation is in big financial trouble. Our hero is baled out by Jimmie Clare (Clifford Mollison), head of the station's complaints department, who enlists the aid of his fellow employees to stage a big-time variety show. So grateful is Garland that he consents to the marriage of his daughter Joan (Helen Chandler) and the enterprising Mr. Clare. The film's guest stars may have not meant much to American audiences, but British filmgoers were delighted to see their favorites in action. Filmed in a primitive but eye-pleasing color process, Radio Parade of 1935 represents one of the first directorial efforts of Arthur B. Woods, whose promising career was tragically cut short in the early stage of WW II. In America, the film was released as Radio Follies. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Will Hay, Clifford Mollison, (more)
