Charlotte Rae Movies
Even as a teenaged performer with the Shorewood Players, a Milwaukee community-theatre group, Charlotte Rae thrived in playing characters much older than herself. Example: at 16, Charlotte starred as Dolly Gallegher Levi in a Shorewood production of Thornton Wilder's The Merchant of Yonkers (her 28-year-old "Horace Vandergelder" was future Broadway director Morton DaCosta). Following graduation from Northwestern University, Rae made her Broadway bow in 1952's Three Wishes for Jamie. The following year, she scored a hit as Mrs. Peachum in the long-running off-Broadway revival of Brecht and Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera, and within three years she was portraying the ancient, wizened Mammy Yokum in Li'l Abner. She was a favorite of TV producer Nat Hiken, who hired her for several guest spots on The Phil Silvers Show. In 1961, Hiken cast the 35-year-old Charlotte as middle-aged hausfrau Sylvia Schnauzer, virago wife of officer Leo Schnauzer (played by fiftyish Al Lewis) on Car 54, Where are You? Rae's other TV series credits include the 1950s daytime drama From These Roots, the 1975 Norman Lear sitcom Hot L Baltimore and the 1976 Summer replacement The Rich Little Show. In 1978, Rae was cast as flibbertigibbet housekeeper Mrs. Garrett on the Gary Coleman series Diff'rent Strokes; the character struck such a responsive chord with audiences that she was spun off into her own starring sitcom The Facts of Life, in 1986. Rae remained with Facts as Mrs. Garrett until 1986, by which time she had been nominated for two Emmies (she has also received Obie and Tony nominations; an actual win is long overdue). More recently, Charlotte has provided voices for such animated offerings as Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1993) and TV's Itsy Bitsy Spider. An off-and-on nightclub and revue performer, Charlotte Rae took her one-woman "Broadway highlights" show on the road in 1994. Rae would continue to act in the decades to come, providing the voice of Nanny on the 101 Dalmations animated series, and appearing in films like You Don't Mess with the Zohan. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Based on a bedroom farce by George Feydeau, In Fashion is a musical centered on mistaken identity and marital infidelity that features a cast that includes Max Wright (from TV's ALF) and The Facts of Life's Charlotte Rae. This presentation documents a performance given before an audience of sophisticated New York theatergoers. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
In 1966, a year before he rose to overnight fame in The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman won an Obie Award for his performance in Journey of the Fifth Horse, a stage adaptation by Ronald Ribman of the story Diary of a Superfluous Man by Ivan Turgenev. The play was videotaped for public television that same year, and this home video release presents a recording of one of Hoffman's first truly great roles. Dmitri Zoditch (Dustin Hoffman) is a lower-level manuscript reader for a large publishing company, and while he's in love with the daughter (Susan Anspach) of the firm's deceased founder, he lacks the courage to court her. The diary of a second-rate nobleman who has fallen on hard times, Nikolai Alexeyevich Chulkaturin (Michael Tolan), has been submitted for publication, and the manuscript is given to Zoditch for appraisal. Told he must read the work in one night, Zoditch soon finds himself drawn into the world of the bitter Chulkaturin, whose angst is a compliment for the insignificance of Zoditch's own life. Charlotte Rae also co-stars. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1969
- PG
Jenny (Marlo Thomas) is a single expectant mother who receives an offer of marriage from Delano (Alan Alda). He wants to avoid the military draft and agrees to marry Jenny despite the fact he is not the child's father, proposing for strictly practical reasons: the baby will have a name and he will escape the draft. Their scheme does not work out quite the way they had hoped, however. Problems arise when Jenny adds romance and love as an afterthought to the arrangement, and while she goes ahead and has the baby, Delano is not spared from his military obligations. As she cares for her newborn in the maternity ward, Delano sits silently and ponders his uncertain future in this routine melodrama. Vincent Gardenia plays Jenny's father, an eccentric collector of antique dentures. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marlo Thomas, Alan Alda, (more)
When irascible boss T.R. Hollister (Jim Backus) threatens to pull the plug on an underwater environmental living project, employee Fred Miller (Tony Randall) and his wife, Vivian (Janet Leigh), take their family down in the deep to live for 30 days. With all the modern conveniences of a home on land, the family even invites a rock & roll band to get down and record. Merv Griffin (himself) arranges an underwater interview for his television show while Mel Cheever (Ken Berry) schemes to get Fred's job back on dry land. Two of the Miller kids, Lorrie (Kay Cole) and Tommy (Gary Tigerman), join three others (Richard Dreyfuss, Roddy McDowall, and Lou Wagner) in the rock band. Friendly dolphins fend of shark attacks as the land sharks try to scuttle the underwater project in this family film. Music is provided by Jeff Barry. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tony Randall, Janet Leigh, (more)
One of Woody Allen's earlier, more slapstick-oriented efforts, Bananas tells the story of Fielding Mellish (Allen), a neurotic New Yorker who follows the object of his affections, Nancy (Louise Lasser), to the fictional Central American country of San Marcos, where she is involved in a revolution. Nancy wants nothing to do with Fielding, but he soon becomes a guest of the country's dictator (Carlos Montalban), before accidentally becoming the leader of San Marcos himself. Fielding is eventually shipped back to the US and tried as a subversive, but being that this is a comedy, and an especially light one at that, everything works out in the end. A far cry from Allen's later, more somber films, Bananas still works as an often hilarious amalgam of sight gags, one-liners, and bizarre asides. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Louise Lasser, (more)
- 1972
Concerned by Danny's disruptive classroom behavior, Shirley (Shirley Jones) consults psychologist Dr. Beecher (Charlotte Rae), who suggests that Danny (Danny Bonaduce) is frustrated because he feels like a powerless child. At Beecher's suggestion, Shirley temporarily allows Danny to indulge his every whim--only to incur the anger of the other kids who resent their brother getting such preferential treatment. Ultimately, Danny must realize on his own that it's not much fun to be a grownup and to give "powerless" childhood a second chance. Frequent Partridge Family guest star Bruce Kimmel shows up as yet another of Laurie Partridge's boyfriends, this one named Richard. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Peter Yates directs the early '70s comedy caper The Hot Rock, based on the Donald Westlake novel and adapted for the screen by William Goldman. Robert Redford stars as John Archibald Dortmunder, a former jewel thief just released from prison. His brother-in-law, Andrew Kelp (George Segal), recruits him to steal a diamond from a museum. They are hired by Dr. Amusa (Moses Gunn), an ambassador from Central Fatawi, whose people consider the stone to be sacred. John and Andrew assemble a team with Alan Greenberg (Paul Sand) and Stan Murch (Ron Leibman). They successfully pull off the job until the guards arrest them and Alan swallows the diamond. Alan's father (Zero Mostel) helps him break out of jail, which leads to a series of other heist attempts. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Redford, George Segal, (more)
- 1974
Unemployed for months, James (John Amos) is on the verge of a sure thing when he applies for a job at a department store. As a gesture to good luck, James allows his wife, Florida (Esther Rolle), to accompany him to the job interview. Unfortunately for James' already battered and bruised ego, the store decides to hire Florida instead. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1974
This first episode of a three-part story arc finds Edith preparing for a Tupperware party while Archie is away attending a lodge convention in Buffalo. The tranquil mood in the Bunker household is shattered when Archie fails to call Edith as he promised, leading Edith, Mike, and Gloria to worry that Archie has met with an accident. Written by Barry Harman and Harve Brosten and originally broadcast on November 2, 1974, "Where's Archie?" was taped at the beginning of All in the Family's fourth season to compensate for Carroll O'Connor's walkout due to a salary dispute. Reportedly, producer Norman Lear intended to kill off Archie if negotiations with O'Connor fell through. As it turned out, the "death of Archie" episode was rewritten as an installment of the Lear-produced Good Times when star John Amos left that series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, (more)
- 1975
Queen of the Stardust Ballroom stars Maureen Stapleton as Bea Asher, a woman faced with many new challenges since becoming a widow. She has been afraid for herself and her future since her husband's death, and friends concerned for her well-being take her to the Stardust Ballroom in the hopes that, for one night, she might dance her troubles away. While there, she meets Alvin Green (Charles Durning). They spend the evening dancing and talking and, thanks to his charm and goodness, Bea begins to come out of her sheltered existence. This story was directed for television by Sam O'Steen, who was Mike Nichols' only editor for almost 30 years. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maureen Stapleton, Charles Durning, (more)
- 1977
- PG
In this action film, motorcross racer J. W. Wyatt (Michael Parks) works to develop a high-performance motorcycle while pursuing a romance with the wealthy Chris Gentry (Susan Howard). ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marjoe Gortner, Michael Parks, (more)
- 1977
This videotaped version of Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer-winning play Our Town stars Hal Holbrook as the Stage Manager. Acting as narrator and assuming several different interlocutory roles throughout the production, Holbrook shows us life in Grovers Corners, New Hampshire, in the first few years of the 20th century. The focus is on the romance and marriage of Emily Webb (Glynnis O'Connor) and George Gibbs (Robby Benson); the play ends at Emily's funeral, with the girl's spirit commenting detachedly on the miracle of life. In keeping with Wilder's stage directions, the play is enacted on a bare stage with minimal props, allowing the audience to fill in the rest with imagination. Also starring Ned Beatty, Sada Thompson, Ronny Cox and Barbara Bel Geddes, this TV adaptation of Our Town originally aired May 30, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hal Holbrook, Glynnis O'Connor, (more)
- 1978
- PG
In this, Joan Rivers' first attempt at film direction, a young virgin male (Billy Crystal) is engaged to be married when he finds out he is pregnant! Using the film as a vehicle for her acerbic humor, director Rivers may as well be on stage, for interspersed throughout this questionable plot is an unending onslaught of sarcastic slams pointed at just about every sector of society. Ms. Rivers even makes a cameo appearance. Other big names in this film are Tom Poston (as a minister), Roddy McDowall (in several roles), and George Gobel as the U.S. President. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Billy Crystal, Joan Prather, (more)
Milos Forman's adaptation of the tribal rock musical Hair stars John Savage as Claude, a quiet young man from the Midwest who becomes friendly with a group of New York hippies on his way to begin basic training in the military. The repressed Claude is quite taken with Berger (Treat Williams) and the group of freedom seekers who reside in Central Park. The group encourages Claude to go after a debutante named Sheila (Beverly D'Angelo). Legendary choreographer Twyla Tharp masterminded the dances, which attempt to flow from the natural settings of the film. The film includes most of the more famous songs from the original play, including "Donna," "Aquarius," "Easy to Be Hard," "Let the Sunshine In," "Good Morning Starshine," and the title number. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Savage, Treat Williams, (more)
- 1979
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This made-for-television drama tells of an actual event in 1911 where 145 workers in the Triangle garment factory were killed in a huge industrial fire. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
- 1982
All the regular cast members of the once-popular sitcom The Facts of Life are on hand for this made-for-TV movie spin-off. Charlotte Rae stars as Edna Garrett, housemother for the girls of the preppy Eastland School for Young Women. Her four principal charges are Blair (Lisa Whelchel), Jo (Nancy McKeon), Tootie (Kim Fields) and Natalie (Mindy Cohn). This time around, Mrs. Garrett and the girls spend their summer vacation in Paris, learning the intricacies of Gallic culture, gourmet cooking and romance. It's strictly for fans of the series: others beware. Originally telecast September 25, 1982, The Facts of Life Goes to Paris was followed five years later by another made-for-TVer, The Facts of Life Down Under. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1984
Words by Heart is set in a northern farming town in 1910. The town's only black family, recently arrived from the south, is treated with barely concealed contempt by the white farmers--and with outright hostility when the family's daughter (Fran Robinson) wins a Bible-verse contest. The only white resident to buck the prejudice is a feisty, self-made wealthy woman (Charlotte Rae) who hires the little girl and her father (Robert Hooks) to work on her farm. The old lady's disgruntled white ex-handyman decides to organize his fellow bigots into an all-out assault on the African-American "outsiders." Alfred Woodard costars as the sensible, even-tempered black counterpart to the fair-minded white widow. Words by Heart was first telecast in February of 1985 as an episode of the PBS series Wonderworks; it was run in two parts in some markets, and as a 2-hour special in others. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Hooks, Charlotte Rae, (more)
Jill Murphy's children's story The Worst Witch is given satisfactory treatment in this amiable film fantasy. The scene is a school for witches, where the head sorceresses offer a liberal black-arts curriculum. Problems occur when one of the students turns out to be too good for her own good. And, as everybody knows, the best people make the worst witches. Veterans Diana Rigg and Charlotte Rae generously share screen time with such engaging comparative newcomers as Fairuza Balk. The 70-minute Worst Witch is ideal TV fare for the Halloween season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1987
Once again, the life of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) is complicated by the misadventures of her nephew Grady (Michael Horton). This time, Grady's fraternity brother Gary (John Callahan) insists upon inviting Jessica to enjoy the hospitality of an expensive hotel owned by Gary's much-older wife Cornelia (Janet Leigh). Later on, poor Grady is found standing over the body of a woman he had known in college--a woman who also happened to carrying on an affair with the redoubtable Gary! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1988
In this Disney comedy, an unemployed, destitute actress tries to save her dog after it eats too much junk food during a shoot for a dog-food commercial. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
The popular animated duo of cat and mouse team up again to appear this time on the big screen. Homeless, the 'toons end up helping out a young girl who stays with a nasty auntie while she is separated from her father. Will the young Robyn be reunited with her loving father? Will the odd pair make it on the streets? Will they find a home? ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Kind, Dana Hill, (more)
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