Joan Collins

Actress Joan Collins is your guide for this extremely personal, and sometimes highly eccentric, tour of London. Though some of the "obvious" tourist spots are covered -- Buckingham Palace, Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park, the Globe Playhouse -- Collins prefers to visit places that might have more significance to her than in the typical vacationer: the veddy exclusive Athaneaum Hotel, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, and a "concept pub," the George Inn, wherein England's past horrors of war and regicide are lovingly invoked. Also seen are such "newer" landmarks as Harrods, the 443-foot London Eye, and, not surprisingly, Joan Collins' birthplace. Interspersed with the actress' always fascinating fashion and cosmetic tips, Joan Collins' London was seen in America over cable's Travel Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Four of Tinseltown's greatest glamour queens came together for this tartly comic made-for-TV movie which pokes gentle (and not so gentle) fun at their histories and reputations. Kate Westburn (Shirley MacLaine), Addie Holden (Joan Collins), and Piper Grayson (Debbie Reynolds) are three legendary Hollywood stars who in their heyday were known to audiences for their beauty, charm, and musical talent -- and, within the movie industry, for their short tempers and industrial-strength egos. The three stars only worked together once, on a musical made in the early '60s called Boy Crazy, but when the film becomes a cult sensation in a late-'90s re-release, Gavin (Nestor Carbonell), a network television executive desperate for a hit, gets the idea of staging a reunion special starring the three divas. However, there's a hitch -- the three women can barely stand each other, and while they share the same agent, Beryl Mason (Elizabeth Taylor), Beryl and Piper haven't gotten along since Piper's husband left her to marry Beryl. But Gavin is determined to make the project work, and hires Kate's son Wesley (Jonathan Silverman) to work with Beryl to pull things together. Against all odds, the three stars agree to do the special, but while there's no small amount of cat-fighting behind the scenes, in front of the camera the ladies discover time has not been kind to all of them. These Old Broads was written and executive-produced by Carrie Fisher and Elaine Pope; Fisher, of course, is the daughter of Debbie Reynolds, whose husband Eddie Fisher had an affair with Elizabeth Taylor (Fisher later married Taylor after he divorced Reynolds), and Fisher wrote a character based on her mother for the novel (and subsequent movie) Postcards From the Edge, which was played onscreen by Shirley MacLaine. No word on where Joan Collins fit into this formula. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

20th Century Fox was one of the world's biggest movie studios in the '30s and '40s, with an impressive roster including some of the greatest stars of Hollywood's Golden Age. 20th Century Fox had so much talent on hand and produced so many memorable films that more than a few great moments managed to slip through the cracks and Hidden Hollywood, Vol. 2: More Treasure From the 20th Century Fox Vaults features musical numbers and comedy routines which either clipped from Fox productions for release, or were edited for shortened re-releases and long believed to be lost. Highlights include a deleted sequence from Tales of Manhattan starring W.C. Fields and Phil Silvers; rehearsal footage of Buster Keaton working out a gag for Hollywood Cavalcade; the Ritz Brothers making merry in a scene cut from On the Avenue; and much more. Joan Collins plays hostess for this look down a side of memory lane you haven't seen before. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this period piece set in England in 1776, Betsy, the eldest daughter of the 'nouveau riche' Sterling family from the city, is to wed Sir John, the son of the aristocratic but poor Ogleby family from the country. However, Betsy's sister Fanny, who has secretly married her father's clerk by whom she is pregnant, quickly becomes the object of attention not only of Sir John but also of his elderly father, Lord Ogleby. Betsy's father, who is not aware that Fanny is already married, secretly agrees to exchange one daughter for the other. Soon everyone is acting at cross-purposes, the immediate concern being how to save face. The Clandestine Marriage is a comedy of errors set against the lush landscape of an English country estate in high summer. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

Joan Collins is the host of these outtakes and clips deleted from 20th Century-Fox productions of decades past. Entertaining song selections in the compilation include Betty Grable sequences from Footlight Serenade (1942) and Pin Up Girl (1944), Carmen Miranda wearing a lighthouse on her head while essaying True to the Navy for Doll Face (1945), and Shirley Temple doing a Jimmy Durante impersonation while dueting with him for Little Miss Broadway (1938). Alice Faye's delightful I'm Always Chasing Rainbows, and an Al Jolson medley were both deleted from Rose of Washington Square (1939). Faye and Grable teamed in Tin Pan Alley (1940). The fascinating footage features miscues on pre-recorded tunes and other assorted bloopers in addition to awkward attempts at musical performances by such actors as Don Ameche, Clark Gable, and Victor Mature. Hidden Hollywood first aired November 18, 1997 on American Movie Classics. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

When his professional career hits a lull, an actor attempts to revitalize his career by staging a production of Hamlet, directed by and starring himself. Director and star Kenneth Branagh would in fact release his own film version of Shakespeare's classic play a year later, but this comedy provides his fictional counterpart with far less in terms of production value. Lacking money and time, he recruits a rather motley group of drunks, incompetents, and oddballs, including a middle-aged female impersonator in the crucial role of Queen Gertrude. Given only three weeks of rehearsal, and an abandoned church in a remote town in the English countryside, this unlikely group nevertheless struggles valiantly to make theatrical magic. The film attempts to pay loving tribute to the madness that surrounds the staging of a play, with all of the backstage dramas, inevitable disasters, and unexpected triumphs, but the end result is often less amusing than it ought to be. The film was released in the United States under the title A Midwinter's Tale. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Joan Collins camps it up in this pretentious art-house virago written, directed, and starring Steven Birkoff. In a satirical thrust at British upper-class values, in which the characters spout out dialogue in rhyming couplets, Collins and Birkoff portray snobbish British aristocrats and then, in contrast, a couple of East-enders in a British suburb. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

When the two-part Dynasty: The Reunion first aired, it rated a cover on TV Guide. The photo depicted Dynasty regulars Linda Evans (Krystal) and Joan Collins (Alexis) grinning at one another, while their true feelings were conveyed in comic-strip thought balloons reading "Hussy" and "Hag." This pretty much sums up the overall ambience of Dynasty: The Reunion. In part one, first telecast October 20, 1991, oil mogul Blake Carrington (John Forsythe) is released from prison. Hoping for a reunion with estranged wife Krystal -- and, incidentally, to recoup his financial empire -- Blake must now deal with a shady international consortium, headed by old nemesis Alexis. Part two, first telecast October 22, 1991, gets off to a good start with a desperate escape from the henchmen of an international consortium. The big money act, however, is the long-awaited catfight between Alexis and her longtime foe, goody two-shoes Krystal Carrington (Linda Evans). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Laid low by progressively weaker ratings, Dynasty discreetly left the scene at the end of its ninth season. But though viewership was down, the series' entertainment content was as high as ever, thanks in large part to a lengthy murder-investigation storyline. It all begins when the mummified body of Roger Grimes, former lover of the scheming Alexis Carrington Colby (Joan Collins), turns up on the estate of Alexis' ex-husband Blake (John Forsythe) and his current spouse, Krystle (Linda Evans). Investigating the case is detective Sergeant Zorelli (Ray Abruzzo), who like so many poor saps before him ends up in bed with Blake's predatory daughter Fallon (Emma Samms). Meanwhile, spiteful Alexis tries to frame Blake for the murder, only to be undermined by the vengeful hijinks of the vixenish Sable (Stephanie Beacham), an Alexis-like character first introduced on the Dynasty spin-off The Colbys. In a later development, Krystle abruptly lapses into a coma and is shipped off to a hospital in Switzerland -- as good a method as any to allow co-star Linda Evans to leave the series halfway through the season. Curiously, the series ends on another cliffhanger, without bothering to tie up any loose plot strands -- such as the ultimate fate of Alexis after she plunges from a high window. Fans would have to wait nearly three years before the "official," two-hour Dynasty denouement special in 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season eight of Dynasty finds two of the series' former regulars, Emma Samms as the predatory Fallon Carrington and John James as Fallon's ex-husband Jeff, returning to the series full-time after a brief stint on the Dynasty spin-off The Colbys. The two prodigal actors have no trouble jumping right into the series' many intrigues, most of which involve the efforts of scheming Alexis (Joan Collins) to ruin the lives of her former husband Blake Carrington (John Forsythe) and his present spouse, Krystle (Joan Collins). This year, however, Alexis has plenty of competition in the revenge department courtesy of series newcomer James Healey as Sean Rowan, Jeff's brother-in-law and the son of the Carringtons' former butler, who holds Alexis responsible for his father's recent suicide. Also added to the cast this season is Stephanie Dunnam as Karen Atkinson -- the birth mother of the adopted child of Adam Carrington (Gordon Thomson) and his wife, Dana (Leann Hunley) -- who goes to court in hopes of getting her baby back. Season highlights include a heated and very dirty gubernatorial campaign, pitting Blake against Alexis. And the season closes with the latest in a long line of classic catfights between mortal enemies Alexis and Krystle, who should know by now never to start duking it out anywhere near a mud puddle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although the ratings for Dynasty's seventh season were far below those of earlier years, the series still had plenty of "guilty pleasure" entertainment to offer its loyal fans. Much of the season's activities center around oil millionaire Blake Carrington (John Forsythe), who after thinking twice about murdering his ex-wife Alexis (Joan Collins) suddenly develops amnesia, imagining that he and Alexis are still married. Also in the course of things, spiteful Alexis boots Blake and his present spouse, Krystle (Linda Evans), out of their 48-room Denver mansion. Even so, things change for the better when Blake is finally able to wrest back his financial empire from Alexis' clutches. In other developments, Clay Fallmont (Ted McGinley) weds Krystle's mercurial niece Sammy Jo -- this despite the surprise return of the supposedly deceased Matthew Blaisdel (Bo Hopkins), who barges into the proceedings for the express purpose of abducting his former lover Krystle. (Matthew is not the only former cast member who pops up unexpectedly this season, not by a long shot!) Also on the domestic front, Blake's long-lost "son," Adam (Gordon Thomson), reveals that he is not actually related to the Carrington clan, just prior to his marrying series newcomer Dana Waring (Leann Hunley). Other new cast members include Jessica Player as Blake and Krystle's three-year-old daughter, Krystina, and Karen Cellini, taking over from Catherine Oxenberg in the role of Alexis' daughter Amanda. Finally, after a season away from Dynasty as regular on the spin-off series The Colbys, Emma Samms returns to the fold as Blake's rapacious daughter, Fallon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide