Rich and Famous (1981)

Liz and Merry Noel become friends as college roommates and their friendship endures over the years. Liz becomes a respected "serious" novelist. Merry Noel marries, has a daughter and writes... See full summary »

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Gerald Ayres, John Van Druten (play)

Stars:

Jacqueline Bisset, Candice Bergen, David Selby

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Liz Hamilton
Candice Bergen	...	Merry Noel Blake
David Selby	...	Doug Blake
Hart Bochner	...	Chris Adams
Steven Hill	...	Jules Levi
Meg Ryan	...	Debby at 18 years
Matt Lattanzi	...	The Boy, Jim
Daniel Faraldo	...	Ginger Trinidad
Nicole Eggert	...	Debby at 8 years
Joe Maross	...	Martin Fornam
Kres Mersky	...	Judy Heller
Cloyce Morrow	...	Martha Antilles
Cheryl Robinson	...	UCLA Voice (voice)
Allan Warnick	...	Desk Clerk
Ann Risley	...	Max's Wife

Storyline

Liz and Merry Noel become friends as college roommates and their friendship endures over the years. Liz becomes a respected "serious" novelist. Merry Noel marries, has a daughter and writes, too: "trash" fiction which becomes enormously successful. Their story begins in college and jumps ahead some years at a time to show their relationship with each other and those in their orbits as they grow and mature.

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Plot Keywords:

older woman younger man | hand up skirt | lift skirt | feeling woman's legs up her skirt or dress | roommate | 

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Taglines:

From the very beginning, they knew they'd be friends to the end. What they didn't count on was everything in between.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ricas y famosas

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$14,492,125

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jaquet,Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dick Cavett: Uncredited, as himself.

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Goofs

Merry is in bed when she suddenly comes up with title for her next novel - "Home Cookin'". But a moment later, when she rushes into her office, that title is already scrawled across the blackboard where she jots down her ideas.

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Quotes

Merry Noel Blake: Liz is bein' a simple bitch is what we call it down home!
Merry Noel Blake: Well, we're not down home! We're way out west! Atlanta has fallen haven't you heard? Sherman has spared us any more wisdom from that quotable capital of the south!

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Alternate Versions

ABC edited 22 minutes from this film for its 1984 network television premiere.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Alien from L.A. (1993)

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Soundtracks

Take Me for a Buggy Ride
Written by Mezz Mezzrow, Wesley Wilson (uncredited)
Sung by Bessie Smith
Courtesy of CBS Records

User Reviews

My brief review of the film

This was the last film that George Cukor directed, and the subject matter - looking at how a friendship develops over time - is appropriate content for a swan song from a director who had made many very different films over the years. However, as fitting as the premise might seem, the film is certainly not a high note for Cukor to end his career on. It is uneven in tone, and jumps through time without giving the impression that it is doing so, as the characters hardly change or age. It is no help that the characters are hard to like either, or that Bergen is an annoyance to have on screen. Bisset handles her part fairly well on the other hand, and she is able to pull through despite the excessive sexual antics given to her character. The film suffers from being too talkative too, but the dialogue does contain some wit, and there are some amusing moments in the mix. Overall, it is not a strong end to George Cukor's career, and it is not even a particularly good film. Still, for Bisset and Cukor completists, there will enough of interest here to be worth a look.