The Lonely Lady (1983)

User Rating:

2.6/10   

Director:

Peter Sasdy

Writers:

Harold Robbins (novel)
Ellen Shepard (adaptation)

Release Date:

30 September 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

From the sensual world of Harold Robbins comes the story of a woman's struggle for fame in Hollywood.

Plot:

A young screenwriter allows others to exploit her in the hopes of "making it" in Hollywood.

Plot Keywords:

Screenwriter | Screenplay | Hollywood | Writer | Party

Awards:

6 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Pia Zadora	...	Jerilee Randall
Lloyd Bochner	...	Walter Thornton
Bibi Besch	...	Veronica Randall
Joseph Cali	...	Vincent Dacosta
Anthony Holland	...	Guy Jackson
Jared Martin	...	George Ballantine
Ray Liotta	...	Joe Heron
Carla Romanelli	...	Carla Maria Peroni
Olivier Pierre	...	George Fox
Kendal Kaldwell	...	Joanne Castel
Lou Hirsch	...	Bernie
Kerry Shale	...	Walt Thornton Jnr
Sandra Dickinson	...	Nancy Day
Shane Rimmer	...	Adolph Fannon
Nancy Wood	...	Janie

Also Known As:

Harold Robbins' The Lonely Lady (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:14 | USA:R | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Harold Robbins International Company

Trivia:

Pia Zadora attended an opening night showing of this film in West Los Angeles, where half of the audience were voting members of the RAZZIE Awards, and the film was greeted with hoots and howls of derisive laughter throughout. After the showing, Zadora gamely stood in the lobby and signed autographs for anyone in attendance who wanted one.

Quotes:

[Jerilee approaches Walter by the pool]
Jerilee: Walter? Walter, come to bed.
Walter: Haven't you had enough wine? Go sleep it off.
Jerilee: If you'll come with me.
[He turns away]
Jerilee: I'm trying to say sorry.
Walter: With a head full of drink!
Jerilee: We don't have to make love.
Walter: Thank you.
Jerilee: We could talk. We need to talk.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Reds (1981)

Soundtrack:

THE CLAPPING SONG

Lousy even by the low standards of Harold Robbins adaptations

This early Pia Zadora vehicle followed a familiar Harold Robbins formula: ambitious main character wallows in decadence while pursuing the path to the top of some randomly chosen but glamorous world, in this case the movie industry. But despite being so formulaic as to be completely predictable, this movie manages at the same time to be completely unbelievable. Zadora (to call her inexperienced as an actress is to be charitable) never convinces as a screenwriter. One would expect a movie about movie-making to have some insights into its own industry and creative process. But the script gives her none of the qualities which make writers interesting movie characters: observance, skill with words, a love-hate relationship with one's own creative abilities. Her character is as empty as a donut hole. And this is just a taste of the incompetence on display here. The cinematography is so murky that it is sometimes hard to see what is happening. And the scenes never really hang together, so everything seems like a succession of random moments at bad Hollywood parties. Avoid.