Two middle-aged women move to Hollywood, California after their sons are convicted of a notorious murder and open a dance school for children eager to tap their way to stardom.
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Title: What's the Matter with Helen? (1971)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Debbie Reynolds | ... | Adelle Bruckner aka Adelle Stuart | |
| Shelley Winters | ... | Helen Hill aka Helen Martin | |
| Dennis Weaver | ... | Linc Palmer | |
| Micheál MacLiammóir | ... | Hamilton Starr (as Micheal Mac Liammóir) | |
| Agnes Moorehead | ... | Sister Alma | |
| Helene Winston | ... | Mrs. Greenbaum | |
| Peggy Rea | ... | Mrs. Schultz | |
| Logan Ramsey | ... | Detective Sgt. West | |
 |
Paulle Clark | ... | Mrs. Plumb |
| Yvette Vickers | ... | Mrs. Barker | |
| Molly Dodd | ... | Mrs. Rigg | |
|
|
Samee Lee Jones | ... | Winona Palmer (as Sammee Lee Jones) |
| Robbi Morgan | ... | Rosalie Greenbaum | |
| Timothy Carey | ... | The Tramp | |
|
|
Swen Swenson | ... | The Gigolo |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Set in the 30s, Helen and Adelle are two women whose sons commit a gruesome murder. After their conviction, they move to Hollywood change their names and open a dance school for girls. Adelle is looking for a good life and when one of the parents of her students who is wealthy takes a liking to her she thinks she's got it made. Helen thinks that someone who blames them for what their sons did is stalking them. But Adelle thinks it's all in her mind. Written by rcs0411@yahoo.com
Taglines:
All she wants is a friend... to the end! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
13 April 1972 (Mexico) See more »Also Known As:
The Box Step See more »Filming Locations:
General Service Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USACompany Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Music by Charles Crozat Converse and lyrics by Joseph M. Scriven
Performed by Agnes Moorehead
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Did You Know?
Trivia
When friend/director Curtis Harrington offered her the part, Shelley Winters took the lead role in the film without even reading the script. See more »Goofs
The film is set in 1934, but the prominently seen "Movie Life" magazine wasn't first published until 1937. See more »Soundtracks
What a Friend We Have in JesusMusic by Charles Crozat Converse and lyrics by Joseph M. Scriven
Performed by Agnes Moorehead
See more »
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The most bizarre of the cinematic sub-genres is the so called "The Great Ladies of the Grand Guignol": camp horror films which combined over-the-top melodrama with gothic thrills and always starred by seasoned and almost forgotten actress from hollywood golden age in unflattering roles of either long suffering victims or screeching evil harpies. This genre provided them with an unusual acting showcase that allowed strut their stuff on the screen once again and win new generations of fans at expense of their glamorous images from yesterday.
"What's the matter with Helen" is the last drop of this sub-genre with stunning performances of both Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters as the troubled mothers of two convicted criminals who run away from their past to the sunny California in the 1930s to open a talent school to milk out the eagerly mothers who want their daughters to be the next Shirley Temple. In California, Debbie gets happiness, clients, tango, tap dancing and a new love interest (Dennis Weaver meanwhile Shelley gets wacko with horrible flashbacks, menacing anonymous calls, menacing strangers, menacing Agnes Moorehead as a radio evangelist, cute little rabbits (!) and an unfortunate encounter with an electric fan (ouch!).
The sloppy script (penned by Henry Farrell, the man who started all this genre with "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" along with master director Robert Aldrich, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis) is full of plot holes, red herrings and wasted opportunities that could had made this movie great: the underlying themes of twisted motherhood (with Debbie and Shelley's characters as "failed mothers" and the overbearing mommies of the child stars) and obsessive female bonding (Debbie and Shelley relationship and the fact that the few male characters of this movie are either sinister or sleazy even Dennis Weaver dream boat Texan) are wasted. Instead we get Debbie Reynolds musicals interludes and dancing tots, although fun to watch take too much screen time of what is supposedly to be a psychological chiller. But still this movie is highly entertaining. The two stars and Curtis Harrington stylish direction easily overcomes its flaws. The movie recreation of the 1930's is colorful and elegant (look at Debbie's clothes!) made with a very tight budget. The increasing atmosphere of madness and hysteria is genuinely creepy with a shocking finale that will haunt you for days. And you wouldn't easily forget that silly "Goody, goody" song that runs through the movie either. And seeing an increasingly mad Shelley Winters screw every one of Debbie Reynolds' chances at happiness is a hoot to watch!
8 out of 10.