Liza Minnelli Movies
Liza Minnelli grew up on the front lines of entertainment; her mother was the great singer/actress Judy Garland and her father the director/designer Vincente Minnelli. Minnelli made her first film appearance, uncredited, as Garlands daughter (with co-star Van Johnson) in the last few seconds of In the Good Old Summertime (1948). When Garland shared a 1964 concert engagement at the London Palladium with her 18-year-old daughter, Minnelli's performing career was kickstarted. A year later, Minnelli had won the Tony Award for Flora, the Red Menace -- the youngest performer ever to do so -- and by 1974 had won an Oscar as well, for her performance as Sally Bowles in Bob Fosse's dramatic musical Cabaret. Several of her TV specials, particularly Liza with a Z, received critical acclaim. Despite her auspicious beginnings in show business, her film career after Cabaret has been less than notable, with the possible exception of Arthur (1981) with Dudley Moore and Sir John Gielgud. Married three times, first to cabaret artist Peter Allen, then to Jack Haley, Jr., then to artist Mark Gero, for a time she was also linked romantically with Desi Arnaz, Jr., and Peter Sellers. Her concert appearances continue to sell out, at which she often performs the music of John Kander and Fred Ebb, who wrote the score for Cabaret. ~ All Movie Guide- 1976
- PG
Singer and actress Liza Minnelli teamed up with her father, legendary director Vincente Minnelli, to make this evocative drama. Nina (Liza Minnelli) is a popular film star who, in the midst of a press conference, finds herself remembering her life before her big break, when she worked as a chambermaid at an Italian hotel which had seen better days. In the course of her duties, Nina meets Countessa Sanziani (Ingrid Bergman), an aging and eccentric woman who regales Nina with tales of her glamorous younger days. As the Countessa tells her more stories of her days of wealth and adventure, Nina imagines herself living out the same exciting stories, and soon the Countessa encourages her to find the courage to live out her own dreams. A Matter Of Time also featured another family team-up; Ingrid Bergman's daughter Isabella Rossellini has a small part as a nun attending to the ailing Countessa. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liza Minnelli, Ingrid Bergman, (more)
- 1985
Adapted from Mary-Lou Weisman's book Intensive Care, this made-for-television movie stars Liza Minnelli (in her first TV appearance) as a woman who must remain strong and contend with her son's muscular dystrophy and all the problems within the family that accompany the illness. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liza Minnelli, Jeffrey DeMunn, (more)
- 1981
Each installment of An Evening With presents a performer, band, group, or other public figure in a setting aimed to please fans looking for a representative sampling of what a particular person or group of people does best. In this tape, Liza Minnelli delivers the vocal stylings that have made her famous. Performing on-stage at the New Orleans Theater of the Performing Arts, Minnelli runs the gamut of song from blues to ballads. Also included are several selections from Cabaret. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
The ads for Arthur suggested that this was an obnoxious film about an obnoxious man, an eternally drunken millionaire indulging his every whim. Instead, Arthur (Dudley Moore) is a sweet, somewhat pathetic character whose millions have left him lonely and with no motivation in life. When the film opens, Arthur is on the threshold of an arranged marriage with simpering socialite Susan (Jill Eikenberry), whom he does not love. Everyone expects Arthur to behave himself, but nobody truly cares for his well-being, with the exception of father-figure butler Mr. Hobson (John Gielgud, who won an Oscar for his performance) and blue-collar shoplifter Linda (Liza Minnelli). Arthur would prefer to marry the lowly Linda, but his iron-willed grandmother (Geraldine Fitzgerald) threatens to pull the plug on his huge inheritance if he doesn't honor his position in life and go through with his marriage to Susan. A sequel, Arthur 2: On the Rocks, followed in 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, (more)
In this sequel to the 1981 hit comedy Arthur, the story picks up where it left off with the bibulous millionaire hero (Dudley Moore) marrying poverty-stricken Linda Marolla (Liza Minnelli) instead of going through with a prearranged wealthy marriage. The vengeful father (Stephen Elliott) of the justifiably jilted bride begins pulling a few crooked strings, and before long, Arthur is broke. Worse still, Linda is pregnant. Will Arthur crawl back into a bottle, or will he save the day? John Gielgud makes a cameo appearance as the ghost of the family-retainer character he played in the first Arthur, while Dudley Moore's real-life wife Brogan Lane shows up in a minor role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, (more)
- 2003
- Add Broadway & Hollywood Legends: The Songwriters - Kander & Ebb/Alan Jay Lerner to QueueAdd Broadway & Hollywood Legends: The Songwriters - Kander & Ebb/Alan Jay Lerner to top of Queue
Three legendary figures of the American musical theater share songs and stories of their careers in this documentary. In the first part of the program, Fred Ebb and John Kander, the songwriting team whose best known work includes the shows Chicago and Cabaret, sit down at the piano and offer behind-the-scenes stories about their work, as well as play some of their favorite compositions. Later, playwright/lyricist Alan Jay Lerner offers insights into the art of writing for the theater while sharing songs from Gigi and My Fair Lady, among others. Bobbi Baird, David Chaney, and Liz Robertson also appear, providing guest vocals for several of the performances. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Originally a 1966 Broadway musical, this groundbreaking Bob Fosse musical was in turn based on Christopher Isherwood's Goodbye to Berlin, previously dramatized for stage and screen as I Am a Camera with Julie Harris as Sally Bowles. Fosse uses the decadent and vulgar cabaret as a mirror image of German society sliding toward the Nazis, and this intertwining of entertainment with social history marked a new step forward for the movie musical. Michael York plays a British writer who comes to Berlin in the early 1930s in hopes of becoming a teacher. He makes the acquaintance of flamboyant American entertainer Sally Bowles, played by Liza Minnelli. Sally works at the Kit Kat Klub, a George Grosz-like Berlin cabaret where each night the smirking, androgynous Master of Ceremonies (Joel Grey) introduces a jazz-driven "girlie show" to his debauched audience. Virtually all the film's musical numbers are staged within the confines of the Kit Kat Klub, and each song comments on the plot and on Germany's "progression" from hedonism to Hitlerism. Most of the Broadway score by John Kander and Fred Ebb was retained, with the welcome addition of "The Money Song." Although it lost Best Picture to The Godfather, Cabaret won eight Oscars, including awards to Minnelli, Grey, and Fosse. A heavily expurgated 88-minute version of Cabaret has been prepared for commercial TV presentations, regarded by many as dramatically inferior to the full cut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liza Minnelli, Michael York, (more)
- 1992
- Add Charles Aznavour and Liza Minnelli: Au Palais des Congrès de Paris to QueueAdd Charles Aznavour and Liza Minnelli: Au Palais des Congrès de Paris to top of Queue
Two legends of the stage and screen teamed up for one memorable performance at Paris' Au Palais du Congress, recorded here in all of its nearly two-and-a-half hour splendor. The duo sings over two dozen songs in this 1992 broadcast. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Albert Finney both directs and stars in the "alienation" comedy-drama Charlie Bubbles. The eponymous Bubbles (Finney) is a trendy and fabulously wealthy novelist. Indulged at every turn, and able to indulge in his wildest fancies, Charlie is bored by his privileged existence. He staves off ennui by drinking and carousing with best-buddy Smokey Pickles (Colin Blakely) and by having a fling with his secretary Eliza (Liza Minnelli, in her screen debut). Billie Whitelaw delivers the film's best performance as Charlie's vitriolic wife. Directed in the "mod" fashion popular at the time, Charlie Bubbles sometimes resembles a music video without the music. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Finney, Colin Blakely, (more)
- 1983
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A princess from an obscure kingdom (Liza Minnelli) must undergo an unusual test to prove her royal origins in this lively episode from Shelley Duvall's popular, family-oriented cable television series. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Originally aired as an NBC special on Sunday, January 10, 1960, this program went head-to-head with the hit Ed Sullivan Show and had the star power to garner decent ratings. This video features gossip columnist Hedda Hopper interviewing some of the top entertainers of the day. Highlights include Hopper's interview with Lucille Ball at her Desilu Workshop shortly before her divorce from Desi Arnaz. Other stars and showbiz powerhouses seen in this show include Anne Bauchens, Stephen Boyd, Francis X. Bushman, John Cassavetes, Gary Cooper, Ricardo Cortez, Bob Cummings, William Daniels, Marion Davies, Walt Disney, Janet Gaynor, Bob Hope, Hope Lange, Anthony Perkins, Debbie Reynolds, Teddy Rooney, Venetia Stevenson, James Stewart, Liza Minnelli, and Gloria Swanson. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
In the Good Old Summertime is a musical remake of the 1940 Ernst Lubitsch comedy The Shop Around the Corner, which in turn was based on a play by Miklos Laszlo. The locale has been changed from Hungary to Chicago, but the turn-of-century time frame and the plot remain the same. Van Johnson and Judy Garland play a couple of clerks in a sheet-music store who detest each other on sight. Both reserve their words of affection for their respective pen pals, whom they've never met. The audience, of course, is aware that Johnson is Garland's pen pal, and she his, but it's fun to anticipate the fireworks when the characters on screen make this discovery. Buster Keaton, then employed by MGM as a "comedy consultant," is provided with one of his best parts in years as the bumbling nephew of shop owner S.Z. Sakall. The songs sung in Summertime consist of period numbers like "I Don't Care", "Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie", and the title tune. This is the film in which 18-month-old Liza Minnelli (Garland's daughter) toddles into the closing number, though it is not her film debut, as has often been claimed: an even younger Minnelli popped up briefly in Garland's previous MGM musical Easter Parade. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Garland, Van Johnson, (more)
Soul diva Jackie Washington is determined to hit the comeback trail but seems to be having trouble finding the on-ramp in the mock-documentary comedy Jackie's Back. Jackie (played by Jenifer Lewis) was a Rhythm and Blues singer who had a few late '60's and early 70's hits, including "Yield" and the memorable "Look At Me (My Love For You Has Only Made Me Love Me More)," but she's spent much of the 80's and 90's playing the "Where Are They Now?" circuit. However, Jackie has organized what she hopes will be a gala comeback concert, and filmmaker Edward Whatsett St. John (Tim Curry) is on hand to film the event, and discusses the high and (frequent) low points of Jackie's career with such friends and well-wishers as Bette Midler, Liza Minnelli, Penny Marshall, Jackie Collins and Dolomite himself, Rudy Ray Moore. Meanwhile, Jackie's big gig is not going quite the way she planned. Directed by Robert Townsend, Jackie's Back was produced for the Lifetime Cable Network and originally aired June 14, 1999. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jenifer Lewis, Tim Curry, (more)
- 1993
- NR
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This tribute to the music of Jerry Herman, the songwriter who helped create Hello Dolly, Mame and La Cage Aux Folles, features performances from such Broadway stars as Carol Channing, Rita Moreno and Leslie Uggams. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
In this animated follow-up to the classic fantasy The Wizard Of Oz, Dorothy (voiced by Liza Minnelli, whose mother Judy Garland played the same role in the 1939 film) decides to return to the land of Oz to pay a visit to her good friend The Scarecrow (voice of Mickey Rooney). However, shortly after her arrival Dorothy discovers all is not well in the land of magic; the evil witch Mombi (voice of Ethel Merman) has arrived to pick up where the Wicked Witch of the West left off, and is using her sinister powers to rob Scarecrow of her powers. Dorothy realizes it's up to her to save Oz from Mombi's machinations, and she teams up with Woodenhead (voice of Herschel Bernardi) and Pumpkinhead (voice of Paul Lynde) to see justice done. Produced in 1964 but not released until 1971, Journey Back To Oz also features the voice talents of Milton Berle, Danny Thomas, Paul Ford and Margaret Hamilton. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liza Minnelli, Mickey Rooney, (more)
Judy Garland: Duets collects several television appearances by the singer in which she performs with fellow celebrities. The release includes collaborations with Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Bobby Darin, and Lena Horne. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Garland
- 1963
In this collection of clips from The Judy Garland Show, which ran for 26 episodes on CBS television in 1963 and 1964, the legendary singer and actress performs a number of songs, several of them collaborations with up-and-comer Barbra Streisand, grand dame Ethel Merman, and Garland's own daughter, the then-teenaged Liza Minnelli. Garland's solos include several of her signature numbers, from "I'm Nobody's Baby," which she performed as a fresh-faced MGM star in 1940's Andy Hardy Meets Debutante, to "The Man That Got Away," written especially for 1954's comeback vehicle A Star Is Born. Garland and Streisand alternate friendly banter about hating each other's talent with solo renditions and two extended medleys. The most famous of these pairings is their show-stopping combination of the standards "Get Happy" and "Happy Days Are Here Again"; Garland had performed the former in 1950's Summer Stock, while Streisand recorded the latter the same year the program aired. In another segment, Merman appears in the middle of the audience and joins Streisand and Garland for a leather-lunged rendition of "There's No Business Like Show Business." The Merman and Streisand footage was taped on October 4, 1963, for episode nine of Garland's eponymous program. A sequence featuring three duets and lots of clowning with Minnelli was taped a few months earlier, on July 16, for episode three. Several years after her program was cancelled, Garland was set to play Helen Lawson, a character based on Merman, for the film version of Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls; she was replaced, however, by Susan Hayward. Streisand would go on to star in her own remake of A Star Is Born, while Minnelli would mine her mother's legacy in her own repertoire. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 1963
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On November 16, 1964, Judy Garland stepped onto the stage of the famed London Palladium for a concert that became historic on two counts -- it marked the first time Garland would share the stage with her daughter Liza Minnelli, and would prove to be Garland's final performance at the venue. The concert was filmed for television, and Judy Garland: Live At The London Palladium captures the musical magic of that evening. Songs performed include "The Man That Got Away", "Hello Dolly", "It's Just A Matter Of Time", "Over The Rainbow", and more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1992
- Add Liza Minnelli: Live from Radio City Music Hall to QueueAdd Liza Minnelli: Live from Radio City Music Hall to top of Queue
Liza Minnelli is a consummate diva. Her talent transcends the movies, the theatrical stage, and the Las Vegas showcase to recording albums. This is a live concert video of her sold-out 1992 tour from the famed Radio City Music Hall. This stage show is filled with a number of wonderful songs, dancing, and gorgeous costumes. Many of the songs covered on this video includes "Quiet Love," "Some People," "Live Alone and Like It," "Imagine," "Men's Medley," "Theme From 'New York, New York' ," "Teach Me Tonight," and more. This tape is ideal for any Liza Minnelli. ~ Forrest Spencer, All Movie Guide
Recorded in the wake of the phenomenal success with the screen adaptation of Cabaret, Liza with a Z features Liza Minnelli performing over a dozen songs under the direction of Bob Fosse. This special originally aired on network television. The setlist includes renditions of "God Bless the Child," "Son of a Preacher Man," "Bye Bye Blackbird," and a medley of songs from Cabaret. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liza Minnelli
- 1975
- PG
During the Prohibition era, Walker (Burt Reynolds) and Kibby (Gene Hackman) run a liquor smuggling operation in Mexico; they team up with Claire (Liza Minnelli), a cabaret entertainer who has an "in" with several big-time nightclub owners. Complications ensue when both men fall in love with Claire, and she can't make up her mind between them. Escaping both the law and a murderous gang of rival crooks, the threesome set sail on a small boat called the "Lucky Lady." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Hackman, Liza Minnelli, (more)
