Between Friends (TV 1983)

Two middle-aged women with nothing in common meet by accident and develop a close friendship while continuing to deal with their own lives.

Director:

Lou Antonio

Writers:

Shelley List (novel), Shelley List (teleplay),

Stars:

Elizabeth Taylor, Carol Burnett, Henry Ramer

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Deborah Shapiro
Carol Burnett	...	Mary Catherine Castelli
Henry Ramer	...	Sam Tucker
Bruce Grey	...	Malcolm Hallen
Chuck Shamata	...	Dr. Seth Simpson (as Charles Shamata)
Lally Cadeau	...	Lolly
Barbara Tyson	...	Francie (as Barbara Bush)
Michael J. Reynolds	...	Kevin Sullivan
Stephen Young	...	Martin
Patricia Idlette
Vera Cudjoe	...	Essie
James D. Morris	...	Lionel (as Jim Morris)
Jeri Craden	...	Mrs. Ingram
Shelagh McLeod	...	Heather (as Shelagh MacLeod)
Clare Barclay	...	Bookstore Customer / Personal Ads Advisor

Storyline

Two middle-aged women with nothing in common meet by accident and develop a close friendship while continuing to deal with their own lives.

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Plot Keywords:

friendship | divorcee | sexuality | mother daughter relationship | melodrama | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 September 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nobody Makes Me Cry

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 4,400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Premiere Films, Robert Cooper Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Mary Catherine Castelli: Beautiful muff. I love them. Not too many people wear them anymore.
Deborah Shapiro: Well, if you saw yourself in a sleigh drawn by six white horses, crashing through the Russian snow, you'd wear a muff.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #19.114 (2011)

User Reviews

Gives star vehicles, women's pictures and cable-movies a bad name

Carol Burnett makes a far less convincing dramatic actress than, say, Mary Tyler Moore. Her rubbery face and jaunting jaw are tailor-made for comedy, but those slightly googly features freeze up when she attempts drama. She becomes prim and pinched, and a Carol Burnett without color and comic pizazz is slightly disconcerting. Playing a somewhat loose woman who becomes unlikely friends with an ex-society broad (Elizabeth Taylor), Burnett attempts to mine dramatic territory while keeping her comedic instincts in check, yet it's a gamble that doesn't pay off. Taylor and Burnett are an odd pairing--their acting styles are dissimilar, to say the least--but Liz comes off better, using her braying brand of humor to an amusing effect. The film is cable-TV sludge that has been justly forgotten, but the memory of it sticks with me whenever I see a comic actor or actress attempting to be Olivier, for no other purpose on Earth except to show us their dreaded "range".