Kitty Carlisle Hart Movies
New Orleans-born stage and film actress Kitty Carlisle Hart launched herself with towering success in numerous performance arenas during her long lifetime. The first consisted almost exclusively of cinematic roles during the early years of film (when she was credited as "Kitty Carlisle"), such as the ingenue in Mitchell Leisen's Murder at the Vanities, and -- on a more prominent level -- one of the two romantic leads used by studio head Irving Thalberg to regenerate the waning popularity of the Marx Brothers, in their A Night at the Opera. Alongside this cinematic work, Carlisle tackled occasional operatic roles, such as that of Lucretia in the American premiere of Benjamin Britten's Rape of Lucretia.After a period of professional inactivity that found her marrying and parenting children with legendary composer Moss Hart, Carlisle Hart turned up again, in a second capacity: that of television game-show panelist. She became a fixture on the popular program To Tell the Truth, with regular host Bud Collyer, and did guest spots on the popular series What's My Line? and I've Got a Secret.That period lasted for 11 years, from 1956-1967. In 1967, when To Tell the Truth wrapped, Hart resumed operatic work for the first time in 20 years; she portrayed Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus at the Met in December 1967, to much acclaim and recognition. Hart returned to film during the '80s, with small roles for Woody Allen in his classic Radio Days (1987); Fred Schepisi and John Guare, in their Six Degrees of Separation (1993); and Steven Spielberg, in his Catch Me If You Can (2002). Astonishingly, at the age of 94, Carlisle returned to Broadway to perform a well-received one-woman musical show -- an unabashed tribute to the golden age of musical comedy, packed with droll, nostalgic anecdotes about her friends Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Jerome Robbins, and George Gershwin.
After a long and full life, Carlisle contracted pneumonia in late 2006, not long after her 96th birthday. She found it difficult to shake the illness, and experienced a series of hospitalizations thereafter, which ultimately led to her death from heart failure on April 18, 2007. She outlived Moss Hart by 46 years; they had two children, Christopher and Catherine, as well as several grandchildren. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Directed by Rick McKay, who traveled across five continents during the documentary's production, Broadway: The Golden Age is both a celebration of current Broadway stars and a tribute to Broadway legends past. Through a plethora of interviews and vast amounts of archival footage, McKay presents a variety of factoids, anecdotes, and memories from over 100 Broadway actors, writers, and directors. The careers of Laurette Taylor, Kim Hunter, Jessica Tandy, and Marlon Brando are all animatedly retold, as is some of the Broadway "lore of olde," such as Angela Lansbury's struggle to land a role in Mame and the shocked reaction to West Side Story on its opening night. In addition to footage and discussion regarding highly successful Broadway stars, a variety of actors recount their experiences and struggles in finding even a small amount of critical recognition. The cast includes Shirley MacLaine, Bea Arthur, Edie Adams, Alec Baldwin, and Kaye Ballard, and many others. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edie Adams, Bea Arthur, (more)
A gifted forger and confidence man attempts to stay one step ahead of the lawman determined to bring him to justice in this comedy-drama from Steven Spielberg, based on a true story. Frank W. Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a 16-year-old high school student who finds himself emotionally cut adrift when his mother, Paula (Nathalie Baye), leaves his father, Frank Abagnale Sr. (Christopher Walken), after Frank Sr. falls into arrears with the Internal Revenue Service. One day at school, Frank Jr. attempts to pass himself off as a substitute teacher, and easily makes the subterfuge work. His small-scale success gives Frank some ideas, and he soon discovers bigger and more profitable ways of hoaxing others, passing himself off as an airline pilot, a doctor, and an attorney. Along the way, Frank learns how to become a master forger, and uses his talent and charm to pass over 2.5 million dollars in phony checks. Frank's increasingly audacious work soon attracts the attention of Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), an FBI agent who is determined to put Frank behind bars. Frank seems to enjoy being pursued by Carl, and even goes so far as to call Carl on the phone to chat every once in a while. While posing as a doctor, Frank falls in love with Brenda Strong (Amy Adams), a sweet girl working as a candy striper. When Frank asks Brenda to marry him, he decides to assume a new identity to impress her father, Roger (Martin Sheen) -- who happens to be the District Attorney of New Orleans, LA. Catch Me If You Can was based on the autobiography of the real Frank W. Abagnale Jr., who has a cameo in the film and today works on the side of the law as a top consultant on preventing forgery and designing secure checking systems. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, (more)
Two socialites find their view of the world changed when a young man takes advantage of their preconceptions in this thoughtful comedy-drama. Flan and Ouisa Kittredge (Donald Sutherland and Stockard Channing) are a married couple who have built highly successful careers as art dealers catering to Manhattan's upper crust. The Kittredges are entertaining friends one evening when a young black man named Paul (Will Smith) appears at their door. Paul says that he's a close friend of their children, with whom he attended boarding school, and he's just been mugged and needs to get off the street for a moment. Flan and Ouisa invite him in, and they are immediately taken by Paul's intelligence and charm; he offers to prepare dinner, regales them with stories about his father, Sidney Poitier, and ends up spending the night at their apartment. However, the next morning Flan and Ouisa discover that they've been had; Paul is actually a con artist from the streets who has been pulling the wool over the eyes of many of their friends -- and his actions are beginning to have serious consequences. John Guare adapted the script from his own successful stage play; the supporting cast includes Ian McKellen, Mary Beth Hurt, Bruce Davison, and Heather Graham. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stockard Channing, Will Smith, (more)
- 1990
Flowers for Matty was one of a smattering of 2-hour Kojak TV dramas presented on the 1989-90 series The ABC Saturday Mystery Movie. Theo Kojak, now a police inspector, takes on the case of a murdered author. The dead man was just about to publish an inflammatory book about mob activities. There's an overabundance of suspects, chief among them guest star Angie Dickinson. Dickinson plays a TV talk show hostess and the wife of the murdered man. She also happens to be the former love of Theo Kojak. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Telly Savalas
Woody Allen's gentle and nostalgic tribute to the glory days of radio and coming-of-age during World War II plays like Fellini's Amarcord filtered through Neil Simon. The nominal star is Seth Green as Joe, a teenage Jewish boy, growing up with a house full of relatives in Brooklyn. Allen cuts between Joe's working class neighborhood of Rockaway Beach, Queens, and the glittery and glamorous world of radio in Manhattan. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mia Farrow, Seth Green, (more)
