Sweet Bird of Youth (TV 1989)

The melodrama of a failing, aging movie star who takes up with an ambitious masseur who takes her home only to show off in front of his former girl friend and her powerful father.

Director:

Nicolas Roeg

Writers:

Tennessee Williams (play), Gavin Lambert (teleplay)

Stars:

Elizabeth Taylor, Mark Harmon, Valerie Perrine

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Alexandra Del Lago
Mark Harmon	...	Chance Wayne
Valerie Perrine	...	Miss Lucy
Kevin Geer	...	Tom Junior
Seymour Cassel
Ronnie Claire Edwards	...	Aunt Nonnie
Cheryl Paris	...	Heavenly Finley
Rip Torn	...	Boss Finley
Charles Lucia
Teddy Wilson
Megan Blake	...	Violet
John Fleck
Tom Nolan
Billy Ray Sharkey
Ruta Lee	...	Sally Powers

Storyline

The melodrama of a failing, aging movie star who takes up with an ambitious masseur who takes her home only to show off in front of his former girl friend and her powerful father.

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Plot Keywords:

aging | remake | washed up star | self destructiveness | has been | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ambitions d'amour

Filming Locations:

Upland, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kushner-Locke Company, The, National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rip Torn (Boss Finley) was in the original film version as Finley's son.

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Goofs

This remake is set in the late 1950s. Yet Alexandra del Lago pays with a credit card, not with checks as in the original play and original film. Also some of the costuming, especially Heavenly's, is much later in style than the 1950's-early 1960s.

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Connections

Version of Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)

User Reviews

Bland and empty adaptation of the classic Williams play

For some reason Elizabeth Taylor and a number of others at the time thought Mark Harmon was an up and coming "hot" actor- here he is without charisma and luke warm - totally miscast as Chance Wayne, a man who must be loaded with charm, beauty and ambition. As Alexandra del Lago, Miss Taylor lacks both acting ability, insight into the character, and star power. She can't have NOT seen Geraldine Page's classic performance in the role - Page WAS an actress, never really a star, but makes us believe Alexandra was and is BOTH. Miss Taylor is woefully miscast here and quite lackluster. Where was Marsha Mason when they needed a potentially great Alexandra del Lago?

The teleplay stripped the great speeches and the symbolism of the original play and left us a "drek" vehicle. This is one production that deserves to have all of its prints and negative burned.