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.

---

Plot Keywords:

male rear nudity | roommate | friend | college roommate | friendship | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Merry is fixing her lipstick in the ladies' room mirror she is humming the main theme from Gone with the Wind (1939) which the director George Cukor began directing in 1939, only to be replaced by Victor Fleming at Clark Gable's request.

---

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.

---

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!

---

Alternate Versions

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

---

Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Raquel Welch/Carl Reiner (1980)

---

Soundtracks

On The Sunny Side of the Street
Sung by Willie Nelson
Composed by Jimmy McHugh (uncredited)
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields (uncredited)
Courtesy of Columbia Records

User Reviews

New Acquaintance

George Cukor is and always will be one of my favorites. The unsung hero of his generation. Nobody mentions Cukor in the same breath as John Ford, Howard Hawks, William Wyler or Billy Wilder and yet, look at his filmography. From sparkling comedies "The Philadelphia Story" "Adam's Rib" "Holiday" Psycho melodramas "Gaslight" "A Double Life" a great semi western "Heller in Pink Tights" not to mention "My Fair Lady" or "Travels with my Aunt" He was at the service of his actors, he never put himself in front of the camera. I feel a certain tenderness watching "Rich and Famous" flashes of the old master still very much in evidence. Candice Bergen gives us for the first time in her career glimpses of the wonderful comedian she was about to become. Jacqueline Bisset is a throwback to the days of Greer Garson and Loretta Young and Hart Bochner steps in, teasing us, promising something spectacular that will eventually materialize in 1989 with "Apartment Zero", Meg Ryan, as Bergen's daughter is already Meg Ryan. As tired as the formula is, it remains a Cukor film and for what I gather one of Almodovar's favorite movies.

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

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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