Dionne Warwick Movies

This program includes 17 musical performances by soul musicians of the 60's such as When I'm Gone by Brenda Holloway and Ain't That Peculiar by Marvin Gaye. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

Recorded live at the 2003 Syracuse Jazz Fest, legendary vocalist Dionne Warwick performs favorite songs from her four-decade career. The performance features some of her best-loved hits, including "Walk on By," "(They Long to Be) Close to You," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," "I'll Never Love This Way Again," "What the World Needs Now," and "That's What Friends Are For." ~ Sarah Block, Rovi

Family, friends, and associates recall "The Chairman of the Board" in this compilation video that salutes the world renowned, sometimes controversial singer and celebrity Francis Albert Sinatra (1915-1998). Born in Hoboken, NJ, Sinatra became one of the world's most admired all-around entertainers. Besides making and breaking records (literally and figuratively), "Old Blue Eyes" made his mark as a radio star, an Academy Award-winning actor, and a quintessential Las Vegas act. His work in television was less celebrated, but he put in his time there as well, starring in musical variety shows for CBS and ABC, as well as numerous TV specials. Highlights of this video include archival performance footage and a clip of Sinatra being interviewed by the influential Edward R. Murrow. ~ Steve Blackburn, Rovi

John Carroll Lynch makes his first appearance in the role of Drew's big brother Steve Carey. Unemployed and still reeling from a lousy romance, Steve is given a job at Drew's store. Feeling pressured into this act of generosity, Drew (Drew Carey) arranges for Mr. Wick (Craig Ferguson to fire Steve as a practical joke. But it turns out to be Drew's job on the line when Mr. Wick (and everybody else) discovers that Steve is a transvestite--and a darned attractive one at that! Dionne Warwick makes a guest appearance in the episode's gut-busting payoff scene. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tony Church (Burt Reynolds) is a Chicago detective who loses his job when he is blamed for the deaths of his fellow officers gunned down in a botched drug bust. He becomes a bodyguard to hooker Della Roberts (Liza Minnelli), the lone witness who can identify the killer (James Remar). Bernie Casey is Church's ill-fated partner Lamar, and Dionne Warwick appears briefly as the head of a call-girl ring in this unremarkable feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Like American Bandstand and Soul Train, the syndicated musical variety series Solid Gold (1980-88) quickly escalated beyond popularity to achieve iconic status. The premise was a simple one: on each episode, the regular hosts - who included Dionne Warwick, Andy Gibb, Marilyn McCoo and Rick Dees at various times - counted down the top ten records of that particular week, each one played and accompanied by The Solid Gold Dancers. The program filled out the rest of its running time with periodic oldies, funny videos of non-celebrities lip-synching to various hits, and comedy acts such as Jeff Altman and the inimitable Wayland Flowers and Madame. Beginning in the autumn of 1986, producers also added original interview segments where deejay Nina Blackwood talked to various artists, and a "Flashback" segment that brought in vintage stars to perform hits of yesteryear. As a curious footnote, fans may be intrigued to know that aside from the Flashback segments, few of the celebrities who appeared on Solid Gold actually sang - most lip-synched to recordings. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

A video review of the music of the seventies. There are twenty-four songs in the one-hour nostalgia program. They include "Stoned Soul Picnic," "Wedding Bell Blues," and "Superstar." Hosted by Warwick, The Carpenters and Haggard. ~ Rovi

A cinematic take on a 1960s best-seller, Valley of the Dolls traces the ups and downs of three young women as fame, booze, pills, and men consume their lives. Well-bred, small-town Anne Welles (Peyton Place star Barbara Parkins) arrives in New York eager for fame but settles for a job assisting theatrical attorney Henry Bellamy (Robert H. Harris). The job leads her to cross paths with Helen Lawson (Hollywood veteran Susan Hayward), the grand dame of Broadway musicals, and Neely O'Hara (sitcom star Patty Duke), an up-and-coming performer whom Lawson unceremoniously boots from her latest show. Neely lands on her feet thanks to a series of nightclub gigs, and soon she and Anne befriend Jennifer North (Sharon Tate), a buxom starlet. As Neely becomes a huge star of stage and screen and Jennifer appears topless in a string of European "art" films, Anne becomes a wealthy cosmetics spokeswoman and suffers though a passionate but failed affair with aspiring writer Lyon Burke (Paul Burke). As the pressures of fame and failed romance take their toll on all three women, they take refuge in food, sex, liquor, and pills -- especially Neely, who becomes downright monstrous (the titular "dolls" are the uppers and downers to which she becomes hopelessly addicted). Although the film's characters are fictitious composites, Neely most closely resembles Judy Garland; Garland herself was originally cast as Lawson, but she was replaced after only a few days by Hayward. Although the film's trailer played up the story's titillating subject matter, the script for Valley of the Dolls actually toned down Jacqueline Susann's novel. And despite the fact that Dionne Warwick can be heard singing "(Theme From) The Valley of the Dolls" twice during the film, contractual snags kept her from releasing the soundtrack version; a different arrangement later became a number two pop hit in 1968. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi