The Lonely Lady (1983)

A young aspiring screenwriter allows others to exploit her in the hopes of achieving success in Hollywood. She goes through affair after sordid affair in her attempt to write her own screenplay and have it produced.

Director:

Peter Sasdy

Writers:

Harold Robbins (novel), Ellen Shepard (adaptation)

Stars:

Pia Zadora, Lloyd Bochner, Bibi Besch

6 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Walter Thornton Jr.
Sandra Dickinson	...	Nancy Day
Shane Rimmer	...	Adolph Fannon
Nancy Wood	...	Janie

Storyline

Jerilee Randall, a simple schoolgirl living in the San Fernando Valley, dreams of becoming a famous screenwriter. While at a party, she meets the son of a famous screenwriter. The son invites her over to his house; she accepts. They drive away with some other people, and that night, she is assaulted by one of the son's friends with a garden hose. The friend is interrupted in his assault by screenwriter Walter Thornton, who arrives in time to save her from an even more disgusting fate. Walter's rescue of Jerilee begins a friendship between the two, and before you know it, the two fall in love. They marry. Their marriage falls apart when Jerilee's script rewrites actually improve one of Walter's screenplays and he feels one-upped. Jerilee then goes through affair after sordid affair in her attempt to write her own screenplay and have it produced.

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Plot Keywords:

female frontal nudity | female nudity | casting couch | screenwriter | garden hose | 

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Taglines:

From Harold Robbins, the world's best-selling author, comes a world of glamour, passion, betrayal and fame.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Harold Robbins' The Lonely Lady

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,223,220, 2 October 1983, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$1,223,220, 2 October 1983

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harold Robbins International Company, KGA, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Matt Cimber was the movie's original director, but dropped out early in production and was replaced by Peter Sasdy. Pia Zadora hated working with Sasdy and initially accused him of ruining the movie, though in later years admitted that the project was doomed from the start, no matter who directed this.

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Goofs

When Joe is in the pool, he's completely nude, but when he climbs out to assault Jerilee, he is wearing a pair of blue swimming trunks.

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Quotes

Jerilee Randall: [reading a review] "Sensitive and perceptive stories which vividly demonstrate the inadequacy of liberal values in the face of evil." What does that mean, Walter?
Walter Thornton: It means your stories vividly demonstrate the inadequacy of liberal values in the face of evil!

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Alternate Versions

UK video versions are cut by 3 seconds for an "18" rating. The cinema release, with the same certificate, was uncut.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: The Cinema Snob Movie: Part 2 (2018)

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Soundtracks

Give It Up
Written by Jeff Harrington and Jeff Pennig
Performed by Jeff Harrington

User Reviews

Ew

Even when I saw this movie at a teenager, I wondered just how ironic it was that Pia Zadora starred in a movie about an artist who slept her way to the top. As beautiful and sexy as Ms. Zadora is, even she couldn't keep this sorry-ass excuse of a movie from tanking. Not even her photoshoot for Penthouse, in which "The Lonely Lady" was promoted "back in the day," could keep this movie from tanking. The only thing that could have saved this movie? A completely different script. Give this one a miss.