Robby Benson Movies
When 13-year-old Robby Benson appeared with "Josephine the Plumber" (Jane Withers) in a well-circulated TV commercial of the late 1960s, he was already a ten-year veteran of show business. The son of a writer and a stage actress, Benson went from the straw-hat theater circuit to the leading role of Oliver in a 1964 Japanese touring production. At fourteen he made his Broadway debut, and at that same time became the first of five actors to play the role of Bruce Carson on the TV daytime drama Search for Tomorrow. In films from 1972, Benson specialized in playing sensitive teenagers with severe emotional and/or physical problems. He also was frequently co-starred in romantic roles with young actress Glynnis O'Connor, notably in the 1973 film Jeremy and the 1977 TV production of Our Town. While his early theatrical films were generally okay, Benson was better served in made-for-TV movies: he was excellent as the dying son of author John Gunther in Death Be Not Proud (1975) and as George Burns' mentally retarded grandson in Two of a Kind (83). Benson endured an awkward period in the 1980s when, except for such career highlights as The Chosen (1981), he seemed to be pulling out the same bag of acting tricks in role after role. An effort to establish himself as a producer resulted in the unsuccessful Die Laughing (1979). He backed away from show business in 1984 when he underwent delicate open-heart surgery; the ordeal seemed to strengthen his resolve to broaden his performing skills. He starred as a tough Chicago cop in a brief TV series Tough Cookies (1986), and in 1988 directed his first film, Crack in the Mirror. Benson's most successful film project of recent years was one in which his face was never seen: as the growling, deep-voiced Beast in the Disney cartoon feature Beauty and the Beast (though touted in some articles as his voiceover debut, Benson had actually been dubbing TV cartoons for several years, notably the 1991 series Pirates of Dark Water). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Julie Harris stars as Mary Todd Lincoln in this look at the twilight of the former First Lady's life. After her husband's assassination, she finds herself heavily in debt and denied a pension due to her Southern ancestry, and spends the remainder of her life deeply depressed, dying impoverished and insane. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Harris, Michael Cristofer, (more)
Long before the Warren Beatty/Annette Bening vehicle Bugsy (92), Harvey Keitel portrayed gangster Bugsy Siegel and Dyan Cannon costarred as Siegel's mistress Virginia Hill in the made-for-TV The Virginia Hill Story. Told in flashback, the film traces Virginia's life from the time she takes up with Bugsy; we see Siegel's takeover of the Las Vegas gaming tables and his eventual death at the hands of his mob rivals. The flashback is bookended by Virginia's 1951 testimony before the Kefauver Committee. The film's attention to period detail does not extend to its "revisionist" dialogue, but it's gratifying to see the often ill-used Dyan Cannon in a worthwhile role. Harvey Keitel is alternately sinister and sensual as Siegel, while Herbert Anderson (the immortal Henry Mitchell from the old Dennis the Menace series) is the living image of Estes Kefauver. A note worth noting: The Virginia Hill Story premiered the same November week in 1974 as the network debut of The Godfather (1972). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 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)
- 1975
A teenage boy battles courageously against brain cancer in this moving made-for-television drama that is based on John Gunther's 1949 autobiographical account of his son's terrible illness. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This made-for-TV rural horror film from director Burt Kennedy benefits from a fine cast and a tense Clyde Ware screenplay. Samantha Eggar and Stacy Keach play motorists held prisoner by a family of seven sweet-faced young orphans and their savage guard dogs. The children only want a mother and father but are willing to kill anyone who rejects them. Jon Savage co-stars with Robby Benson, who sang the theme song. All the Kind Strangers was initially telecast November 12, 1974. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1973
In this drama set in WW II, an uncle living with a New England family shares his memories after the family's four sons head off for combat duty. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Robby Benson went from journeyman juvenile player to full-fledged star in 1973's Jeremy. Benson plays the titular 15-year-old musician who falls in love with fellow high schooler Susan (Glynnis O'Connor), an aspiring dancer; he is supported throughout the relationship by two loving, understanding parents. Director Arthur Barron's stylistic flourishes (such as shifting-focus close-ups, zoom-ins, and "groovy" atmosphere shots) firmly place this picture in the '70s. This marked the first of a handful of Benson/O'Connor teamings; the stars reportedly dated each other for a time in real life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robby Benson, Glynnis O'Connor, (more)
