Geraldine Fitzgerald Movies
The daughter of a Dublin attorney, Geraldine Fitzgerald was still in her teens when she made her theatrical bow with the Gate Theatre. In films from 1934, she played a series of petulant ingénues in a string of forgettable quota quickies; in later years, she sarcastically summed up her early screen roles by repeating her most frequent snatch of dialogue, "But daddy, it's my birthday!" With her first husband, she moved to New York in 1938, where she was hired by her old Gate Theatre colleague Orson Welles to star in the Mercury Theater production Heartbreak House. This led to several choice Hollywood assignments in such films as Dark Victory (1939) and Wuthering Heights (1939). Forever battling with studio executives over her often inconsequential screen assignments (exceptions included such roles as Edith Galt in the 1945 biopic Wilson), Fitzgerald briefly gave up films in 1948 to return to the stage. Carefully picking and choosing her subsequent movie roles, she established herself as a reliable character actress in quality films like Ten North Frederick (1958) and The Pawnbroker (1965). She briefly pursued a folksinging career before returning to Broadway in the ultra-demanding role of Mary Tyrone in the 1971 revival of Long Day's Journey Into Night. Active into the late '80s, Fitzgerald has added a welcome dash of Hibernian feistiness to such projects as Arthur (1981) and Easy Money (1983). Geraldine Fitzgerald is the mother of prominent British film director Michael Lindsay-Hogg. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1991
Karen Arthur, the Emmy-winning director of Cagney and Lacey, was in the driver's seat for the made-for-TV psychological terror film Bump in the Night. Meredith Baxter-Birney plays a onetime famous reporter who's drunk herself into near-oblivion. Her turbulent life takes a desperate turn when her 8-year-old son (Corey Carrier) is kidnapped by a dangerous pedophile (Christopher Reeves). The boy has escaped from his captor, and now his mother must find him before the kidnapper does. Richard Bradford plays the cop on the case, who'd rather do without the interference of Ms. Baxter-Birney. Bump in the Night is commendably subtle and straightforward in handling the potentially lurid details of its story. Historical note: In March of 1995, Bump in the Night became the first feature film ever telecast on the E! Entertainment Cable Network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1989
Twice Shy was originally telecast on the syndicated anthology "Mystery Wheel of Adventure." It was one of three dramas based on the works of novelist Dick Francis. Ian McShane stars as David Cleveland, investigator for the British Jockey Club. Cleveland uncovers an illegal computer betting service, after a cartel of gamblers causes the death of his friend. Kate McKenzie costars in this Irish/Canadian TV mystery. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ian McShane
- 1987
Barnard Hughes stars in this compelling TV movie as an elderly urbanite who allegedly refuses to shelter a young Hispanic (David Hernandez) from a marauding gang. The youth is killed right before the old man's eyes. Branded a "Bad Samaritan," the man is raked over the coals of adverse public opinion, until a probing high school teacher learns the truth of his supposed act of cowardice. While the same basic premise had been utilized in several earlier dramas (notably the 1960s Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode "Small Craft Warnings"), Night of Courage tackles its issues with freshness and nuance. Bryan Williams' script, the winner of the 1986 ABC Theatre Award, was based on Williams' own stage play In This Fallen City, which had previously received an award from the Eugene O'Neill National Playwright's Conference. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Barnard Hughes, David Hernandez, (more)
- 1986
Abuse is the key word of this made-for-TV drama. This time, it is abuse levelled against ageing parents by their own children. As the title indicates, the violence grows from mounting frustrations. Tuesday Weld stars as an emotionally tattered woman who goes off the deep end when her husband Peter Bonerz leaves her. Weld vents her spleen upon her mother, heartrendingly portrayed by Geraldine Fitzgerald. Of special interest is the early appearance by River Phoenix as Weld's teenaged son. Filmed under the title A Family of Strangers, Circle of Violence: A Family Drama originally aired October 12, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1985
Originally made for TV consumption, the story focuses on a madam sent to a New Orleans convent for rehabilitation. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- 1985
Given the credibility of the story and the sincerity of the players, it is surprising to learn that the made-for-TV Do You Remember Love? is not based on a true story. Joanne Woodward stars as a brilliant college professor and poet, struck down in her prime by Alzheimer's disease. Her husband Richard Kiley tries to cope, but is ultimately disheartened by Woodward's degenerating condition. Even sadder is the fact that Woodward, in her cogent moments, is fully aware that she is losing her ability to function. Written by Vickie Patek, this potentially depressing drama has a logically conceived uplifting finale. Do You Remember Love? was first telecast May 21, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1984
Following the lead of the CBS soap opera Capitol, NBC's daytime drama Loving was introduced by a two-hour, prime-time TV movie. Created by Agnes Nixon, Loving is largely set on the campus of the fictional Alden University. The serial's "backstory" is cleverly related by having TV anchorwoman Merrill Vocheck (Patricia Kalember) unearth a hotbed of intrigue while doing a report on Alden. The main plot is spiced up by a murder mystery, and Merrill's meeting with a man who (according to the original prints ads) "will change her life forever." Future Loving regulars Patricia Kalember, John Shearin and Wesley Addy (among many others) share screen space with special guest stars Lloyd Bridges and Geraldine Page. The Loving pilot aired June 26, 1983; the series proper began the following day. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The 1,000-day presidency of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in the early '60s is depicted from the glorious beginning to the tragic ending. Kennedy (Martin Sheen) faces down the Soviets, the Cubans, his military leaders (over the war in Vietnam), FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (Vincent Gardenia), and Jackie (Blair Brown), who suspects him of infidelities. He gets by with the brilliant and compassionate help of his Attorney General brother Robert (John Shea). After pulling the nation out of one crisis after another, Kennedy makes a trip to Dallas on November 22, 1963, and the world would be forever changed. ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Martin Sheen, Blair Brown, (more)
In this crime comedy, Dixie's life changes completely after the prostitution ring she runs is raided. She too is arrested and ends up sentenced to spend time in a convent. Though she is there to learn, she ends up teaching the Mother Superior and the others a thing or two about running a successful business. By the story's end, Dixie has learned to respect herself. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1982
Craig has a psychic link to Keith, and travels from his home in the United States to Hamburg, Germany, after telepathically sensing details of his brother's gruesome crimes. After bludgeoning an aging boxer (Cameron Mitchell) to death, Keith -- who can also sense his brother -- traps Craig by telling the dead fighter's daughter, Christine (Sarah Langenfeld), where he is. Naturally, Craig and Christine begin an affair, only to have Keith drug Craig and murder Christine after his impotence prevents him from raping her. Craig ends up in jail for the murder and Keith continues his bloody killing spree until Craig's girlfriend (Penelope Milford) shows up from America. And that's when the film starts getting extremely nasty. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Moriarty, Penelope Milford, (more)
- 1980
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Based on Katherine Anne Porter's short story, the touching saga of a elderly matriarch who still mourns over her lost love when she was jilted many years ago. ~ Rovi
The romance between the wife of a 9th century Irish monarch and her husband's nephew is the focus of this drama also known as Tristan and Isolde. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- 1977
The Quinns follows the exploits of four generations of an Irish-American family. Much of the screen time is spent on domestic problems regarding growing pains, romance, and the generation gap. Amidst these personal travails, director Dan Petrie inserts several moderately exciting fire sequences involving the firefighting members of the Quinn family, intercut with stock shots of actual conflagrations. The Quinns was well cast and attractively assembled but failed to sell as a series. Perhaps the "firehouse" concept had already been played to death by the popular series Emergency, while the "extended family" notion had been exhausted by such series as The Waltons and Eight is Enough. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
This growing-up story, set in Australia during the '20s, features a young man (Christopher Pate) who gains from his wise grandmother's experience (Geraldine Fitzgerald). The 1977 film was produced and written by Michael Pate, who cast his son as the lead. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- Starring:
- Geraldine Fitzgerald, Robert Helpmann, (more)
A bitter love triangle sets the stage for tragedy between two brothers and the woman only one of them can have in the McCarter Theater's production of Eugene O'Neill's first full-length play. Staged in 1976 and starring John Houseman, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Maria Tucci, and John Randolph, O'Neill's perilous tale of disillusionment and discontent tells the sorrowful tale of two brothers in love with the same girl, and the heartbreak that follows when she chooses to reject one brother and marry the other. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Explore a more innocent time in Eugene O'Neill's nostalgic coming-of-age tale about a boy and his first experiences in love and life. It's summer in New England and young Nat Miller is teetering on the edge of adulthood and responsibility. As the carefree Nat dabbles in poetry, politics, and alcohol, the prospect of romance with a beautiful young woman leaves him feeling the highs and lows of love as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
D.H. Lawrence's autobiographical drama about his parents, The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd, is performed in this 1974 production released by the Broadway Theatre Archive. The play involves a difficult marriage between a rough coal miner and his elegant wife in England right before WWI. Starring Geraldine Fitzgerald, Joyce Ebert, and Rex Robbins. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- 1965
Con artist James Jarvis (Richard Johnson) has made a comfortable living posing as an investment counselor in order to bilk wealthy old women. Jarvis' current target is elderly Mary Crawford (Fay Bainter), who lives with her friend Agatha (Geraldine Fitzgerald). Stripped of her wealth by the duplicitous Jarvis, Mary kills herself -- whereupon Agatha formulates a chillingly clever campaign of revenge. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Johnson, Fay Bainter, (more)
Critically acclaimed Rod Steiger plays Sol Nazerman, a Jewish pawnbroker who survived imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp, even though his wife and family did not. The devastating experience and unrelenting memories inhibit Sol from emotional involvement with life. He has no faith in religion and less in mankind. Though he carries on an affair with a woman who was also a victim of the Nazi camps, it is without emotion and Sol grows increasingly bitter and callous, withdrawing still further from the world around him. As his small shop in Harlem is run with little care or attention, it becomes a convenient cover for a local racketeer. Finally, a caring social worker tries to appeal to his humanity, but Sol's emotional wounds may prove to be too great to overcome. Based on a book by Edward Lewis Wallant, The Pawnbroker features the skilled camera work of Boris Kaufman, who had previously worked with director Sidney Lumet on films such as 12 Angry Men (1957) and Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962). The score is composed by Quincy Jones, who would contribute to Lumet's 1978 musical, The Wiz. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rod Steiger, Geraldine Fitzgerald, (more)
- 1961
Something of a variant on the American western where colonialists face off with Native Americans, The Fiercest Heart by George Sherman is set in 1837 and focuses on a group of Boers (Dutch colonialists in South Africa) and their enemies, the Zulus. Similar to the former portrayals of Native Americans, the Zulus are the bad guys. Bates (Stuart Whitman) has escaped from a British prison and joins a group of Boers migrating to farming lands further north. Francina (Juliet Prowse) is the most sought-after woman in the group, and Bates cannot help but notice her. As the band of farmers continue in their journey, the ragged, rugged, untamed Bates starts to learn how to behave and leads his newfound friends in their defensive battles against the aggressive Zulus. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stuart Whitman, Juliet Prowse, (more)
- 1961
Arnold Bourdon (Scott McKay) hires beautiful nurse Joan Grecco (Antoinette Bower) to care for his overbearing wife, Elizabeth (Geraldine Fitzgerald). Inevitably, Arnold falls in love with Joan, whereupon husband and nurse conspire to kill the ailing wife. Unfortunately for the conspirators, Elizabeth figures out what's going on and fires Joan, replacing her with a much older nurse -- but Arnold still manages to have the last laugh. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1958
Ten North Frederick is a generally satisfying adaptation of one of John O'Hara's weaker novels. Gary Cooper plays wealthy businessman Joe Chapin, whose politically ambitious wife Edith (Geraldine Fitzgerald) hopes to ramrod into the White House. To this end, Edith donates tons of money to the party of her choice and forces Joe into a maelstrom of power meetings and high-profile social engagements. Threatening to upset Edith's plans is her daughter Ann (Diane Varsi), who insists upon conducting a romance with an "undesirable" musician. Joe buys off Ann's boyfriend, thereby alienating his daughter. Soon Joe's chickens come home to roost when a rival politician makes public Ann's indiscretions. Adding insult to injury, Edith lets her husband know about her many extramarital affairs. In hoping to win back his daughter's affections, Joe falls in love with Ann's roomate Kate Drummond (Suzy Parker). Finding true happiness and contentment for the first time in his life, Joe is denied even this balm when he becomes mortally ill. Gary Cooper makes a valiant effort at playing a more complex individual than he was accustomed to, succeeding about 75 percent of the time. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Diane Varsi, (more)
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