Geraldine Page Movies
The daughter of a physician, Geraldine Page became a professional actress at 17, winning critical raves for her performance in a 1952 off-Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' Summer and Smoke (which had only recently been expanded by Williams from his one-act play Eccentricities of a Nightingale). Within a year, Ms. Page was co-starring with John Wayne in the austere 3-D Western Hondo. Too offbeat, too mercurial, and much too overly selective to qualify for movie stardom in the 1950s, Page flourished on Broadway during that decade, again excelling as a Tennessee Williams heroine in the 1959 staging of Sweet Bird of Youth. When she repeated her stage roles in the film versions of Summer and Smoke and Sweet Bird of Youth, she was nominated for an Oscar on both occasions. She went on to win two Emmies for her portrayals of Truman Capote's eccentric aunt in the TV productions A Christmas Memory (1967) and The Thanksgiving Visitor (1969), and after seven nominations won a belated Oscar for her lead performance in 1985's A Trip to Bountiful. Married twice, Geraldine Page's second husband (from 1963 until her death in 1987) was actor Rip Torn; and, yes, the couple's country estate was named "Torn Page." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1988
A mother who has lost three sons to the sea is plagued with worry that the same fate is in store for her last son. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1988
This performance features Page doing a monologue of a woman dining alone in a restaurant. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1986
Even allowing for her in-and-out Austrian accent, Farrah Fawcett delivers one of her best ever TV-movie performances in Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story. This fact-based film begins in 1960, when Beate's last name is still Kunzel. A sheltered young miss, Beate has no concept of what went on in the wartime concentration camps--until she meets and falls in love with Holocaust survivor Serge Karsfeld (Tom Conti). Given a crash course in sociopolitical awareness by her husband, Beate herself becomes a tireless hunter of fugitive Nazis. At great personal risk to herself, she travels from Europe to South America to bring to justice Klaus Barbie (Claude Vernier), the "Butcher of Lyon." Filmed in Paris and Nice, Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story was first telecast in November of 1986, at which time the real Beate Karsfeld was endeavoring to expose UN secretary general Kurt Waldheim as a war criminal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
1985's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the only filmed version of the Mark Twain classic to cover every episode in the original novel and not merely such familiar vignettes as the "King and the Duke" business. Presented in four parts, Finn opens in 1844, with young Huck (Patrick Day) being kidnapped from the home of the Widow Douglas (Sada Thompson) by his brutal, drink-sodden Pap (Frederic Forest). Huck escapes by faking his own death and rafting down the river in the company of escaped slave Jim (Samm-Art Williams). Part two offers the seldom-dramatized scene in the novel wherein an abolitionist is lynched; part three recounts the Shepardson/Grangerford feud; and part four culminates with the chicanery of the King (Barnard Hughes) and the Duke (Jim Dale) and the capture of Jim. Featured in the huge cast are Lillian Gish, Geraldine Page, Butterfly McQueen, Richard Kiley, and Eugene Oakes as Tom Sawyer. Originally clocking in at 240 minutes, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first telecast in February and March of 1986 on PBS' American Playhouse; it is currently available in a 105-minute videocassette version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Day, Frederic Forrest, (more)
- 1985
Page Fletcher stars as the title character in this 1983-1988 made-for-cable suspense anthology. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
Adapted by Horton Foote from his own television play, A Trip to Bountiful is set in 1947 Houston. Forced by circumstances to live her loathsome son (John Heard) and daughter-in-law (Carlin Glynn), elderly Geraldine Page wants nothing more out of life than to return to her home town of Bountiful. Escaping from her family's clutches, Page boards a bus to Bountiful, where she makes the acquaintance of young Rebecca DeMornay. The two women immediately hit it off, and their trip is a most pleasant one. Eventually, sheriff Richard Bradford, ordered to find Page and bring her back to her family, catches up with the old woman just 12 miles from Bountiful. Feeling sorry for Page, Bradford permits her to complete her sentimental journey, even though he knows full well that Bountiful is now a ghost town of empty ruins and dilapidated shacks. It doesn't matter, though: Page sees Bountiful just as it was when she left it, and for the first time in years she is truly happy and at peace with herself. After several near-misses, Geraldine Page finally won an Academy Award for A Trip to Bountiful (incidentally, the original TV production, which still exists in kinescope form, starred Lillian Gish and Eva Marie Saint). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geraldine Page, John Heard, (more)
- 1984
Jane Fonda stars in this made-for-TV movie, which uses the backdrop of World War II and urbanization to tell the story of one woman's fight to keep her family together. Gertie Nevels (Fonda), the wife of a Kentucky sharecropper, wants nothing more than to one day own her own farm. Thriftily hiding her savings from husband Clovis (Levon Helm), she prepares to make her dream come true -- until Clovis summons her to come join him in Detroit, where he's gone to work in a factory to help with the war effort. Arriving with her children in tow, Gertie finds Clovis all settled into a tenement-like block house and living the life of a union man. Soon, though, the downside of urban life -- from monstrous neighbors and repressive schools to the pitfalls of the industrial landscape itself -- threaten Gertie's family both individually and as a whole. Despite Clovis' freewheeling way with money and his propensity to blame her for the family's problems, Gertie continues to save money. A lifelong whittler, she begins selling hand-crafted wooden dolls, and when the union goes on strike, Gertie finds herself supporting the family. Adapted from Harriet Arnow's novel by Hume Cronyn and Susan Cooper, who would go on to collaborate on the similarly themed Foxfire in 1987, The Dollmaker was directed by feature and TV veteran Daniel Petrie. It debuted on ABC on May 13, 1984, and earned Fonda an Emmy for her work. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
A small Kansas town's preparations for its annual Fourth of July parade provide the backdrop of this drama that centers around the sudden turmoil experienced by three generations of women in a family when one of their husbands is released from a seven year sentence in prison and comes home looking for revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Among the first original anthology series to be produced for cable television, The Hitchhiker was a collection of tales of the supernatural and bizarre. The title character, played during the first season by Nicholas Campbell and thereafter by Page Fletcher, was an unnamed drifter who wandered ubiquitously from story to story, sometimes briefly commiserated with the main characters, sometimes acting as a disinterested observer, but always ready with a few pithy and occasional chilling comments of the events which had transpired. Inasmuch as the series carried on pay cable and not "mainstream" commercial TV, the stories contained an abundance of nudity, profanity, and violence. Even so, in most of the half-hour playlets, Evil was severely punished (usually in an ironic "postman always rings twice" fashion) and Virtue more or less triumphed. After 39 episodes on HBO, the series moved to a basic-cable channel, USA, for 46 additional installments. While censorship was somewhat more stringent on USA, The Hitchhiker still managed to serve up rawer and meatier fare than was customary on over-the-air TV of the period. The series was first-run on HBO from November 23, 1983, to May 12, 1987, and on USA from January 4, 1989, to February 22, 1991. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1977
Based on a true story, Something for Joey is about Heisman Trophy-winner Jon Cappelletti and his close relationship with his younger brother Joey, who is suffering from leukemia. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1976
In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Kojak (Telly Savalas) steps up his efforts to help Karen Foster (Marybeth Hurt), whom he believes has been falsely charged with murdering her mother. At the same time, powerful politician Edna Morrison (Geraldine Page) continues pulling strings and calling in favors to prevent Kojak from uncovering the whole truth about the murder. Ultimately, Kojak is framed for another crime to shut him up. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
An all-star female cast (Glenda Jackson, Melina Mecouri, Geraldine Page, Sandy Dennis, Anne Jackson, Anne Meara, and Dame Edith Evans) enliven this satirical treatment of the Nixon Watergate scandal, Nasty Habits -- based on Muriel Sparks's novella The Abbess of Crewe. When a dying abbess (Dame Edith Evans) of a Pennsylvania convent is ready to name Sister Alexandra (Glenda Jackson) as her successor, Sister Alexandra and her two flunkies (Sandy Dennis and Anne Jackson) try to get the abbess to sign a document of intent. But their plans are dashed when liberal Sister Felicity (Susan Penhaligon) arrives and wants to change the institution. Her arrival delays the signing of the document of intent, and before the abbess can sign the paper she dies.Now the job of running the convent is up for grabs, with Sister Alexandra employing Nixon-like techniques of surveillance and dirty tricks to get the goods on Sister Felicity. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenda Jackson, Melina Mercouri, (more)
- 1976
In the first episode of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour "special"), Lt. Kojak (Telly Savalas) tackles a case of matricide that has remained unsolved from two years. Unfortunately, he meets stiff opposition in the form of Edna Morrison (Geraldine Page), a powerful politician who is determined that the whole truth about the murder will never see the light of day. Featured in the supporting cast as a deputy district attorney is a pre-Murphy Brown Charles Kimbrough. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
In this drama, the New York State County Chairwoman must use all her prestige and influence to get her grandson acquitted of murder charges. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1974
The science of "cryogenics" forms the basis of the made-for-TV Live Again, Die Again. Donna Mills plays a young woman who dies of rheumatic fever. At her deathbed request, Mills' body is frozen, in hopes of reviving her in the future. Thirty years later, Mills awakens, returning to the not-so-open arms of her doddering husband (Walter Pidgeon), her spiteful daughter (Vera Miles) and her mixed-up son (Mike Farrell). No, this was not produced by Walt Disney Studios. Adapted by Joseph Stefano from a novel by David Sale, Live Again, Die Again first aired February 16, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
In this drama, a district attorney up for a judgeship is deemed unfit and an investigation ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1969
This trilogy begins with "Miriam" in which the title character (Susan Dunfee) watches as her longtime nanny Miss Miller (Mildred Natwick) slowly sinks into insanity. In "Among The Paths to Eden," Mary (Maureen Stapleton) is a lonely woman searching for a husband among the widowers paying respects to their dearly departed at a local cemetery. "A Christmas Memory" concerns the childhood recollections of a woman who slowly loses her mind. The last segment is narrated by the author and was shown on ABC television, winning both an Emmy and Peabody Award. The success of the program prompted Capote and Eleanor Perry to expand this feature to a trilogy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mildred Natwick, Susan Dunfee, (more)
- 1967
A married couple uproot their entire family and move to Puerto Rico where the familial tree promptly dies in the face of relentless poverty and depression in this down-beat drama, the directorial debut of Argentine filmmaker Torre-Nilsson. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arthur Kennedy, Geraldine Page, (more)
- 1966
This cult favorite began as Francis Ford Coppola's UCLA thesis, ending up with a professional cast and nationwide release. Teen Peter Kastner undergoes his coming-of-age rites when, urged on by dad Rip Torn, he strikes out on own and moves to NYC. Every person Kastner meets is an eccentric's eccentric, from landlady Julie Harris to cop Dolph Sweet. Kastner's new friend Tony Bill, who works at the New York Public Library and accumulates pornography on side, introduces the boy to sex and drugs. Our hero truly matriculates to manhood after his heart is broken by disco dancer Elizabeth Hartman; he settles instead for Karen Black, still enough of an unknown quantity in 1966 to play against type as "the right girl". Adapted from a novel by David Benedictus, Big Boy is afflicted with usual youthful film-class fervor, crammed full of showoffish cinematic tricks that Coppola would eventually outgrow. But one can't deny that this seminal production is both heartfelt and energetic. To improve the film's saleability, distributors Seven Arts tacked on a music score by the Lovin' Spoonful, hardly necessary but very enjoyable appendange. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Hartman, Geraldine Page, (more)
- 1966
Socrates falls from grace, and becomes the lone voice of democracy amongst the corruption of his fellow Athenians in this television adaptation of Maxwell Anderson's play. The fall has been hard on the great philosopher. He walks about his city ragged and sans footwear, causing his wife untold shame. His raving about truth and democracy is more than embarrassing to the city's crooked politicians, and they devise a plan to silence him forever. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Narrated by the author himself, this heart-warming made-for-television drama takes place in his childhood and recalls the time he helped bake a truckload of fruitcakes for friends and family with his ancient cousin. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1965
The Three Sisters is a literal transcription of the 1965 Actor's Theatre production of the Chekhov drama. Kim Stanley, Geraldine Page and Shelley Winters play the title characters, all members of a wealthy but unhappy 19th-century Russian family. Stuck in a forsaken garrison town by their army-officer father, the sisters long to return to Moscow, a dream that, along with all their other dreams, is doomed to be unfulfilled. Featured in the cast are Kevin McCarthy and Sandy Dennis, the latter performer somewhat less mannered than usual. Originally lensed on videotape, The Three Sisters was transferred to 35 millimeter film for limited theatrical release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geraldine Page, Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1964
In this romantic comedy, a middle-aged postmistress from a small town goes to a post office convention in New York and promptly falls in love with a man who is engaged to another. His fiancee is a widow with a teenage son. The man really wants a family, but he also really wants the postmistress.Trouble ensues while he makes up his mind. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Geraldine Page, (more)
- 1963
Julian Berniers (Dean Martin ) return from Illinois with his young bride Lily (Yvette Mimieux) to the family in New Orleans. Sisters Carrie (Geraldine Page) and Anne (Wendy Hiller) welcome the couple, who arrive with expensive gifts for the spinsters. The sisters hope brother Julian will help with much needed expenses, and he tells them his profitable factory went out of business but that he managed to save some money. It turns out Julian pulled of a real estate scam and took off with the dough. Carrie wishes to welcome her brother back with more than just her open arms. Carrie's jealousy of Lily pushes her to discover the shady land deal for herself as she tries to wreck the marriage. Lily returns to her mother Albertine (Gene Tierney), and is horrified to find her having an affair with their black chauffeur Henry (Frank Silvera). This film version of the Lillian Hellman play proves that Tennessee Williams is not the only playwright mining the twisted psychological profiles of characters from the deep South. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Martin, Geraldine Page, (more)
