Tuesday, March 19, 2024

"Initiation" Rites (and Wrongs!)

Y'all know how much I adore vintage TV-movies. I think there ought to be a 24-hour channel that plays NOTHING but made-for-TV movies and miniseries. There must not be much of a market for it, or it would likely have happened already, but I know I would probably find a way to work from home (or go on mental disability!) in order to watch it all the time if it existed. Anyway, I have no viable reason why or how, but today's dip into the TV-movie Time Tunnel - The Initiation of Sarah (1978) evaded me ever since it was made - until just the other day. What a hoot it was, too. Memories of this hazing horror were hazy to me. I somehow got it mixed up with Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic (1975) or The Initiation (1984) or a number of other things. Ha ha! This one's a doozy, so let's get started.

This is not Sarah and this person goes through no initiation... It's just a young gal in a bikini on the beach. And from what I've gathered, the makers of this movie were keen on eyeing as much of the merch as possible.

'Course I ain't agin it myself when the tables are turned!

Nestled in amidst the beautiful people is our star, Kay Lenz, who plays Sarah of the title.

She's snuggled up in a towel with her sister when suddenly the latest installment from their "Hunk of the Month" club appears, wanting the sister to come for a swim with him.

Lenz's sister is played by Morgan Brittany. No harm to 'em, but it's rather clear we're not going to be experiencing anything monumental here, such as with perhaps...

The Gish sisters, Dorothy and Lillian, seen here in 1921's Orphans of the Storm!

Why this man is kept in almost complete silhouette is unknown, but his outline sure looks good.

Unfortunately, it soon becomes clear that he wants to do more than swim with Brittany! (You see, Lenz is the socially-awkward, unwanted sister while Brittany gets everyone's zippers twitching.)

Suddenly, a wave takes the guy out, solving the problem, and leaving him with his buns facing the moon.

Cut to the next morning when Brittany and Lenz are heading off to college, seen off by mother Kathryn Crosby. She's all giddy over Brittany, exclaiming how much fun she'll be having.

Then, practically as an afterthought, she looks over at Lenz and is basically, "Oh.. and you be okay, too!" Ha ha! Come to find out, Lenz is a foundling who was taken in by Crosby, so the gals aren't blood-related. But still, the difference in approach was hysterical.

Arriving in town, the two can't seem to locate the freshman dorms, so they pull over and ask a clatch of girls for directions. (It just happens to be, of course, gals who will figure into the plot line.)

One of them comes over and is instantly friendly with Brittany, but barely even bothers to glance at Lenz.

Afterwards, the girl reports back to her ringleader (Morgan Fairchild!) and they decide that one of the two in the car might make a good sorority pledge. (It's broad daylight, but Fairchild's headlights are on!)

You just know that some pervy men were involved when you see "dorm life" and girls in their undies, boobs for days, playing backgammon (no - I don't believe for one second that either one knew how!) or doing each other's hair.

Barely settled into their dorm, the sisters head out for Rush Week and come to the primo sorority house where every member is groomed to the hilt and elegant. Lenz is in a frumpy cardigan and carrying a saddlebag for a purse.

Fairchild strides across the room as only she can to greet the newbies.

Brittany seems to have found her tribe, but Lenz is out of her element.

Fairchild is all about Brittany, but sends Lenz off to the refreshment table.

There she runs into another cast-off that no one there wants.

Soon enough, she's steering Lenz (and her reluctant sister) down the street to the PEDs (which her sorority refers to as "pigs, elephants and dogs!")

Along the way, the young ladies are sized up by a couple of college dudes. One, Robert Hays, takes note of Brittany in particular.

As they're about to enter PED, Lenz spies something unsettling in an upstairs window.

Well, in one way at least, the dog thing is correct! A snarling dog greets them on the porch, but retreats after Lenz gives him the eye.

Inside, the contrast between this and the other house is quite marked. It's quite dark.

The unenthusiastic members of this sorority don't even bother to get up! The one in green, Talia Balsam, seems to be the leader while the one behind her sucks on a large, black piece of licorice.

Also on-hand is Tisa Farrow as a meek sorority sister (nicknamed "Mouse," in fact) with a keen interest in Lenz.

All of this interaction is being observed from the stairwell by a bewigged figure. (I thought maybe the girls had accidentally stumbled into a "clown college!")

Later that evening, Brittany and Lenz are going over their prospects.

Brittany suggests something different with Lenz's hair. (Why on earth it's taken till college for her to lend a hand is a mystery in itself!)

The results seem promising and bring a smile to her sister's face.

The mini-makeover is interrupted, though, by a call from mom Crosby.

She's happy to hear that Brittany was apparently well accepted by her own sorority (to which she still donates), but is alarmed when she hears Brittany bemoaning the way Lenz was rather kicked to one side.

The ever-put-together Crosby has little room for any potential threat to Brittany's inclusion to the sorority and begins to try to impress her daughter thusly.

Meanwhile, Lenz is beginning to get the hang of this hair and makeup thing.

She darts into the hall to show her sister just as Brittany is telling her mom, "What's wrong with pity....?" (Note the way Brittany is lit so that we get to see through her nightie!)

Lenz, humiliated and dejected, flees back to her room, smears cold cream on her face and stares into the mirror - which promptly breaks!!

Seven years bad luck...

Now it's time for the campus sororities to settle on the pledges they want. This is done in Fairchild's by casting lots in a crystal glass.

They have plenty of snotty remarks for the gals they didn't care for, but naturally they all approved of Brittany.

At the counter where all the new girls receive their fate, Brittany is elated to have been picked as an Alpha Nu Sigma. She (inexplicably) tells Lenz she'll wait outside while she gets her info.

Of course, Lenz is only offered a place by one house - the PEDs.

Fairchild heads a welcoming committee outside the building.

Brittany is immediately put to a test while Lenz (who was ashamed to admit that PED was the only house who accepted her) tries to be supportive.

Hyper-cruel Fairchild wants Brittany to swear that she'll never speak to a PED! Still desperate to be "in," Brittany regretfully concedes.

A humiliated Lenz flees the scene.

She parks herself near a few guys who are hoisting a piano up the side of a building.

Upon closer inspection we discover that one of them is Tony Bill while another is the aforementioned Hays.

An apologetic Brittany comes running to lenz to apologize for what happened, but Lenz is still perturbed.

Suddenly, the piano snaps free and comes careening to the ground where Brittany was standing!

Only a sudden shift of conscience caused Brittany to survive the object's fall. 

Somehow Lenz catched the eye of Bill, who we learn is an instructor at the school. (Thankfully, he teaches Psychology!)

Now it's move-in day and Lenz makes her way to the dingy, dark rooms of the PED house.

At this point, we also meet the PED's house mother, Miss Shelley Winters!

It's dark to make out, but there's a stuffed bird at her side as she examines the new tenant.

"I always feel like... somebody's watchin' me..."

In contrast, Brittany's house is elegant and bright. Fairchild has placed a large, fresh flower arrangement in her new room.

Lenz's place resembles a reform school. Only a cherished photo of the (adoptive) sisters can perk it up slightly.

I said slightly.

Winters invited Lenz over to her own room for a visit and offers this college freshman (!) a brandy, which she declines.

An expressive Winters has questions for Lenz and also expounds on the longstanding rivalry between Alpha Nu Sigma and Phi Epsilon Delta.

Back in her own hey-day, Winters was attractive enough to have been one of the Alpha Nus herself, but there was a falling out.

Incidentally, when she pulls back her curtain and looks outside, we're expected to believe that this (obvious!) model is the view of a hedge maze in the backyard...

It's clear to Lenz (see what I did there?) that she's no ordinary coed. She's got some sort of psychokinetic ability brewing and she raises her hand in Bill's class with questions that might help her sort out her situation.

A still-loyal Brittany tries to meet up with Lenz by lying to her new sisters, but is found out by the omnipresent Fairchild and chided for her disobedience.

When Farrow tries to smooth over Lenz's hurt feelings, but is rejected, she storms away into the path of an oncoming vehicle! She manages to survive, but has an injured arm nonetheless.

Bill seems to be interested in studying more than psychology.

And, in truth, Lenz seems to be gaining a little more confidence having lived in the nerd house for a while. (I'm no dummy. I try this, too... surrounding myself with lesser mortals in order to make me look better! Ha ha ha!!)

While doing a Morticia Addams on a nearby rose bush, Winters takes note of Lenz's recent blossoming relationship.

Next comes one of the telefilm's several camp highlights. While walking across campus (shot at the California Institute of Technology, if you're curious), Lenz and Farrow are suddenly stricken.

Farrow has spotted some Alpha Nu's coming their way and she wants to avoid them at all costs.

As one of the hazing rituals, Brittany is done up as a hobo with a tin cup and is forced to go around campus begging for money.

Lenz is a lot less timid in the face of Fairchild than she had been previously.

And what a face it is. As noted in her infamous beauty book, Fairchild always made the most of her features. Some of them (her nose, for instance) really weren't the greatest, but she knew how to pull it all together.

Like most bullies, Fairchild can't resist attacking the weaker of the adversaries on hand and begins to intimidate Farrow. She grasps her sheet music and starts to bait her. With this, Lenz has had her fill...

Without even touching her, she sends Fairchild (in fact, Fairchild's hilarious stunt double) shooting backwards into the fountain!

Even though it goes by FAST, in an era with few VCRs, her emergence from the water in a clingy, braless turtleneck got many tongues wagging back in 1978.

Even worse, she's got to stand there while Lenz unleashes a furious diatribe against her.

Later, at the PED house, Winters is giddy that an Alpha Nu has been given her just desserts.

Meanwhile, the two Morgans have a heart-to-heart over what went down.

Fairchild says she feels awful about what happened and wants to make things right. She tells Brittany that she's going to get Lenz accepted into their sorority.

Brittany is thrilled by this gesture.

Bill and Lenz are getting closer by the day as he tries to help get a handle on her psychological (and other) attributes.

What's this? I mean, because you always set up a weight-lifting station in the middle of the gymnasium floor...

A feline Fairchild is chatting up Hays.

It seems she wants a favor from him.

Fairchild's nipple-baring T-shirt early on, her wet turtleneck and one more moment still to come got some people in a lather, but this part didn't seem to raise any hackles.

Even when she slides a pinky into the waistband of Hays' abbreviated shorts!

Anyway, the deal is sealed... with a kiss.

Hays calls Lenz in order to include her in a surprise party for his buddy (and her buddy, too!) Bill.

The PEDs are all aflutter as they await the emergence of Lenz from her cocoon.

Farrow has been upstairs helping her get all showroom new for her night with Bill at the party in his honor. Then the doorbell rings.

Lenz steps onto the porch and is soon blinded by the blaze of several car headlights.

The Alpha Nus are stationed outside and begin lobbing eggs and ripe tomatoes at the hapless Lenz!

Somehow the raft of produce, including celery (!) transmogrifies into mud (!) as it arrives on Lenz's party dress. For reasons known only to the screenwriter, Lenz cannot turn her back on the assailants and go back inside the door that is brightly lit behind her. She has to stand there until she is completely coated down in gunk.

There is no truth to the rumor that Lenz was up for the role of "Zuni Fetish Doll" in Karen Black's Trilogy of Terror (1975.)

Now they've really done it. (This is Lenz's Carrie, 1976, moment. More than a few comparisons were made to that thriller, though elements from The Stepford Wives, 1975, seemed to be woven in as well.)

As the evening wears on, Hays has become regretful that he took part in the shenanigans.

An appalled Brittany turns to Bill for advice and assistance.

Winters has some ideas of her own!

She presses Lenz into focusing on the selfish Fairchild, really getting her steamed.

Thus, when Brittany tracks Fairchild down to confront her about the vicious "prank,"...

The two girls find themselves caught in a scalding shower with no way to stop the water, nor no way to get the door back open!

Fairchild later claimed that she was unexpectedly requested to do this scene topless (worn down by 9:00pm) and that the set was left open to a multitude of visitors. When a cameraman allegedly exclaimed, "Now press your bodies up against the glass for the boys at ABC," the costumer exited the set.

On a lighter note, her character dons full hair and makeup, after having been nearly drowned in piping hot water, before she'll show her wounds to her fellow coeds.

Bill is beginning to see that Lenz is more than he bargained for and has developed a backbone at last.

At last comes the big night... Initiation! Fairchild's girls are aglow in gold...


...while Winters' women are awash in black.

It's yet another study in contrast.

Winters is bent on revenge against the mean girls of Alpha Nu.

Lenz, however, may be able to unleash more than even she had ever considered.

Shelley begins to blow!

Somehow from afar she even blows off Morgan's makeup!

But you'll have to watch the movie to see what leads Miss Winters to this variation of her crazed expressions... A beautiful rendition of it can be seen here. There is also a Blu-ray release, with extras, out there.

This is the same pic I led the post with, but... I had cropped it the first time in order to keep some of the cast secret for those who weren't aware. Notice how Tony Bill (!) was top-billed, followed by Kathryn Crosby! Neither Morgan rated mention...

A later home video release (on VHS) had Lenz back on top and included the Morgans, but the cover photo (which happens to be a flipped negative) focuses solely on Fairchild. Oddly, another picture of her on the back of the sleeve also has its negative reversed!

Born to parents who worked both in front of and behind the camera, Lenz was on TV briefly as an infant, later developing into a child actress on stage at 13 and on TV the year after. Her biggest splash came in 1973 when Clint Eastwood selected her to play opposite William Holden in Breezy, but the film failed to make much headway. (Despite this, she earned a Golden Globe as Most Promising Newcomer.) More movies and TV followed wherein she picked up a Daytime Emmy for The ABC Afternoon Playbreak and was nominated for Rich Man, Poor Man (1975), losing to co-performer Fionnula Flanagan. A lengthy, busy career followed (albeit one dotted with things like Death Wish IV: The Crackdown and Stripped to Kill, both 1987.) Doing three episodes of Midnight Caller resulted in an Emmy win. At the time of Initiation, Lenz was the wife of David Cassidy (from 1977 - 1983) and it was a tumultuous experience thanks to his level of fame. Off screen since the mid-2010s, she is currently 71.



At no time is Lenz shown in a swimsuit (she's covered in a towel during the opening), but it's telling that pics like these were used for publicity. Though she was rarely shy about showing her body, this project just seemed to have an air about it when it came to the powers that be taking pleasure in treating its actresses like, well, meat. Today there are generally more stringent safeguards available for actresses.

Winters, a two-time Oscar-winner for The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) and A Patch of Blue (1965), not to mention a high-profile nominee for The Poseidon Adventure (1972), had a field day on TV during this period. Revenge! (1971) and The Devil's Daughter (1973) were two of several telefilms that gave her the chance to gnaw some scenery. Once a toothsome, curvy sex bomb (and onetime roommate of Marilyn Monroe), she honed her craft and was capable of portraying a wide variety of types. Although there were chintzy projects into which she packed a lot of ham, I nonetheless found her second memoir "Shelley II" a very valuable resource when it came to performing. A late-career boost came when she landed a recurring role on the hit sitcom Roseanne. Following that, she made a few more appearances and then retired. A heart attack claimed her in 2005 at age 85.

As a recent graduate of Notre Dame, handsome Bill made an auspicious movie debut in 1963 as Frank Sinatra's kid brother in Come Blow Your Horn, which led to a role in Soldier in the Rain (also 1963) opposite Steve McQueen. Sinatra thought enough of him to cast him in None But the Brave as well as Marriage on the Rocks (both 1965) which were followed by TV roles and occasional movies like Ice Station Zebra (1968.) Bill later moved into producing (copping an Oscar for The Sting, 1973) and directing, with movies like My Bodyguard (1980) and Six Weeks (1982), among others. He continued to act, appearing in Shampoo (1975) and one of our favorites, Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985), aptly playing a movie exec. He began to slip into retirement as the 2000s came to a close and is currently 83.

Crosby (then brunette) had begun as beauty pageant contestant Kathryn Grant and entered the movie world in 1953, often uncredited in small roles calling for good looks. By 1955, she was portraying more key roles in movies like The Phenix City Story, followed by Storm Center with Bette Davis and The Wild Party (both 1956) with Anthony Quinn. In 1957, when she was practically at her busiest with Mister Cory, The Guns of Fort Petticoat and Operation Mad Ball, among others, she wed widower Bing Crosby and only worked a short while after that. Still, some of her more memorable movies came from that period like The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), Anatomy of a Murder and The Big Circus (both 1959.) Soon enough, though, she was busy raising four of her and Bing's children (in addition to the four sons he already had) and was mostly relegated to his TV specials. Bing had died in 1977, so this marked her return. Probably only working one day, she was perfect in her role as a style-conscious, class-conscious sorority alumnus. Only making a select few appearances thereafter, she is still with us today at age 90.

We've written about Fairchild (with regards to her book) and speculated about her (elusive movies that she has mentioned, but for which no credits exist!) and zeroed in on one of her notable movies. Having moved from Dallas to The Big Apple, reinventing herself in the process, she made a mark on Search for Tomorrow as the villainous Jennifer Pace. (Her character in Initiation is also named Jennifer.) Segueing into prime-time TV, she guest-starred on many hit series. Built for playing glamorous, conniving types, she struggled to get a foothold on a successful regular series with valiant attempts including Flamingo Road and Paper Dolls. (Like Bill, she also popped up to hilarious effect in Pee Wee's Big Adventure.) While promoting AIDS awareness in the wake of losing friends like Dack Rambo, she continued acting on a wide variety of TV shows. Emmy nominations came for Murphy Brown (losing to Swoosie Kurtz for Carol & Company) and Days of Our Lives (losing to Vernee Watson on General Hospital.) Fairchild played Crosby's role in a 2006 remake of The Initiation of Sarah! Still active today, she recently worked alongside other cohorts from her hey-day in Ladies of the '80s: A Diva Christmas (2023.) She is currently 74.

Born Susanne Cupito, Brittany was a successful child actress working on Sea Hunt, Thriller and multiple episodes of The Twilight Zone as well as playing Baby June in Gypsy (1962) and portraying one of the kids terrorized by The Birds (1963.) She continued to amass credits as Cupito until 1968. She then changed her name (to avoid the "teen" typecasting she was facing) and became a sought-after model with the famed Ford agency. This led to a barrage of TV ads and then film roles, followed by multiple guest spots on various hit series. In 1981, she landed the role of evil Katherine Wentworth on Dallas, who ended up killing Bobby Ewing (though the whole thing later wound up being dismissed as a dream after that infamous season.) Off-screen since the mid-2000s, she has more recently concentrated on writing and political commentary and public speaking. She is 72.

 

What gave Brittany an edge during the mid-to-late '70s was a series of appearances as Vivien Leigh in her famed role of Scarlett O'Hara. Brittany played this in Day of the Locust (1975), Gable and Lombard (1976) and, as seen here, in The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980) with Tony Curtis as David O. Selznick. For the latter, her photo was plastered everywhere and it caught the eyes of Dallas producers who were looking for a new vixen. Ironically, for Initiation, Fairchild was not permitted to read for Brittany's role because nice girls were a dime a dozen, but "bitches" were harder to find. Yet Brittany later demonstrated that she, too, could be a major thorn in heroines' sides.

Prior to this, young Hays had mostly played policemen on Marcus Welby, M.D. and The Blue Knight along with other roles on shows like Laverne & Shirley and Wonder Woman. He also co-starred in some TV movies and a resultant short-lived attempt at a series called The Young Pioneers. Slightly more successful was the sitcom Angie with Donna Pescow. In 1980, he landed the starring role in the outrageous parody Airplane!, followed by an inferior sequel. He worked in movies and on TV, briefly headlining Starman, which was based on the 1984 Jeff Bridges film. Though much of his work has been under-the-radar (including voice work), he remained active up through 2020. He is currently 76.

The daughter of movie director John Farrow and his wife Maureen O'Sullivan (Jane of Tarzan fame), Farrow was the youngest of their seven children. Eldest sister Mia had been a major movie star in the 1960s and '70s and Tisa began acting in 1970 with the Canadian-made film Homer. The majority of her cinematic output would fall under "cult following" thanks to the subject matter and minor budgets. Some Call It Loving (1973), Only God Knows (1974) and Strange Shadows in an Empty Room (1976) are some of the titles, though Fingers (1978), with Harvey Keitel is a bit better known. She worked in The Ordeal of Patty Hearst (1979) soon after this. Turning to violent Italian thrillers as the 1970s came to a close, she retired in 1980 and pursued a career in nursing. She died in her sleep of heart failure earlier this year at age 72.

Finally comes another second-generation performer. Oscar-winning actor Martin Balsam and Joyce Van Patten (an Underworld fave) were married from 1958 to 1962 and brought forth daughter Talia. She began acting in 1977, chiefly in a recurring part on Happy Days, and so was still new here. (Funny, I don't recall "nerds" wearing Izod polo shirts!) Many TV guest roles followed, with good and bad movie opportunities coming in the mid-'80s, like Mass Appeal (1984) and Crawlspace (1986.) In 1989 she became the wife of a struggling actor who'd just starred in Return of the Killer Tomatoes (1988) - one George Clooney! The unhappy union ended in 1993 with Clooney vowing never again to walk down the aisle (until he did, in 2014.) Balsam, who seems never to crack more than a half-smile, has gone on to a highly prolific career as a character actress. Some of her shows include L.A. Doctors, Without a Trace, Mad Men, Divorce and, most recently, Wilderness. Remarried since 1998 to actor John Slattery, she is currently 65.

Bonus Pic: Loyal friend Fairchild attending the premiere of Bill's 1982 directorial effort Six Weeks, which starred Dudley Moore and Mary Tyler Moore.

17 comments:

  1. Hey Poseidon, Now I know why Morgan Fairchild rarely appeared before the camera without a face full of makeup and big hair!

    What a cast, how I missed it in the '70s is beyond me. Will have to check it out. Just to see the two Morgans makes it worth it!

    Cheers, Rick

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  2. This is one I caught on TV back when it aired, and revisited a few years ago.

    When I first saw it, I absolutely *loathed* the Morgan Fairchild character and enjoyed her comeuppance in the film, even though it's a little confusing what exactly happens to her. And this actually extended to me having a distaste for Fairchild herself for a few years, but I eventually got over it.

    Thanks for your usual great job capturing the essence of this without giving away too much!



    Wouldja believe, 12 years later I actually worked the better part of three months as an extra on a film Tony Bill directed?

    I even had the experience of being "directed" by him with a light that he blinked with a trigger in his hand to give me the signal to come out and then go back into "my room" while an argument was going on. There was something in the rules involving extras that forced them to use something like this (apparently, he couldn't even gesture to me or point, let alone speak to me).

    Weird irony: one of the people I was watching argue was Dudley Moore-- who, like Bill, had stepped into a troubled production that started with a very different male lead and director. Interesting that they'd worked together before. (And around the same time, my cousin was working on a film in Utah with Morgan Brittany!)

    For the record, Tony Bill still looked really good at that point.



    Thanks again for another fun post, Poseidon! I love that you cover these MTV films! keep up the fabulaous work!

    Love to all and be safe and well, everyone!

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  3. rick, I think you'll get a kick out of this. It's filled with fun moments, intentional and un! Morgan F's bitchery can be tough to top and Shelley in crazy mode will keep one's attention, too. Thanks!

    hsc, I've had reactions like that myself - when someone is SO good at being horrible that it transfers onto the performer! This movie confounded me because I was never interested in being in a fraternity (although I realize there are benefits for some people) so I would never worry about the lengths gone to in order to enter one (or, in this case, a sorority.) Hazing, even now, remains a problem. Might even be WORSE than it once was in some circles. No way... Hell, I don't even care what most people think, much less attempting to jump through hoops to be accepted. But youth is different - a very impressionable time. That's fascinating - and so neat! - that you worked on a movie with Tony Bill in charge. He and Dudley Moore were great friends and even jointly owned a restaurant for a decade or so! (If memory serves, it was an oyster bar or something like that.) Moore was kind to hop into that situation. (I have read that Michelle Pfeiffer bailed, too, which led to still another last minute replacement!) Considering all that, it's a miracle that it was released at all, much less made some money. Thanks!

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  4. Poseidon, despite what somebody posted to IMDb, I can assure you that Michelle Pfeiffer was *never* actively involved in the film, nor was she ever present on the location (a small town in Virginia) even as a visitor.

    Pfeiffer *might've* been considered at some point early in discussions, but I was on set the first day of filming-- and so was Darryl Hannah, the actress who did the role. (While there are scenes in the film that were shot elsewhere, none of them involve that character, who never leaves the location until the ending.)

    The only replacement actor was Dudley Moore stepping in for John Malkovich, who bailed on the film and caused everything shot with him by the original director to be scrapped. After production resumed with Tony Bill, a couple of small roles were dropped, but nobody other than Malkovich was recast, as far as I know-- definitely not anyone who had shot scenes on that location before the shutdown.

    And lemme tell you, people were relieved to see Malkovich go, most of all me.

    For some reason, the man immediately *hated* me the moment he spotted me as we were all getting ready the first morning. I sort of smiled and nodded politely as I passed him standing outside makeup, and he shot me a look that could kill at 20 paces.

    The first day of shooting, the wardrobe master decided to change what I was wearing, so I was the last extra out, and when I got on set they Polaroided me and sent me over to sit with a bunch of other "mental patients" I just assumed were fellow extras.

    As it turned out, they were supporting cast (including a lead actor in an upcoming TV series and a future Oscar nominee), and I got put in a scene where we were playing an insane version of volleyball-- which was to be background and intercut shots in a scene with Malkovich. Somehow, I managed to improvise enough of a "character" to pull it off (I decided to react to the volleyball as a newborn baby), and they told me they liked what I was doing.

    The following day, they shot a scene where Malkovich joins the group to get them really playing volleyball. Surprisingly, they had brought me back for the followup, and told me to keep doing the "baby" thing. Malkovich was supposed to get up, go over to me, and attempt to show me how to serve the ball. When Malkovich got close, he suddenly glared at me and hissed, "You! You're an *extra*!"

    He then walked over to the director and had a heated sidelines discussion while repeatedly shooting daggers in my direction, and I was told to go sit in the background and just watch the game. After the scene was shot, an assistant director actually pulled me aside as we were leaving the area and apologized for the confusion. He told me that they liked what I had been doing-- and they wound up having me there for pretty much the entire shoot.

    Unfortunately, not only did everything shot with Malkovich have to be scrapped and redone, but Paramount wound up having to do a *huge* last-minute re-edit of the film, due to an outcry from groups advocating for the mentally ill. Whole sequences and the entire appearance of a supporting character (playing Moore's wife) were axed-- including the majority of footage I'd shot. In the finished film, I'm pretty much a blur here, a blink there. and one moment in the shadows in the background.

    It was a great experience, but *day-um*, that film was "cursed." I don't even like to say its title now, though I haven't been able to come up with a euphemism like "the Scottish play."


    Anyway, sorry for venting, but hope it's at least amusing!

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  5. I feel like I remember this covered by you, it's so shocking that it never was. ALL of the ingredients are here though. I have this on VHS now but did watch it when it first aired. I had already seen "Carrie" so tweenage me was already primed for some bullying followed by vengeance. Kathryn Crosby has always fascinated me so thanks for the details. She made a good strawberry blonde. First of all the "NU's" all looked like 35 year old lawyers. Especially hilarious is Fairchild's vest and skirt look (so old). In real life an alpha Morgan would never allow another Morgan into her sorority!
    The "PED's" look like writers for Ms. Magazine, you won't see shots of them doing each other's hair.
    There is a fab LA based Drag Queen named "Love Connie" who wears a trench coat and does an onstage tribute to Kay Lenz from the Rod Stewart"Infatuation" video Kay starred in.
    I remember being at someone's house in the 80's and some guy had a blonde wig and a brunette wig and kept switching because he couldn't decide which Morgan to be.
    This film is tv crap heaven, and really made my day to find it here.

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  6. Hi, Poseidon! While I enjoy all of your posts, I consider your coverage of horror-leaning films especially appealing. With last post's subject, Blood and Lace and now this one, I am in horror heaven! I remember seeing this Carrie-inspired film when it first aired as a movie of the week and any time I stumble upon it when surfing, I have to linger and re-watch. You capture so many of the hootie-est moments here and watching Shelley in her kookie old broad phase of her career is always a delight! She really hits some over-the-top moments here.

    While on the subject of horror, Sarah co-star Tisa Farrow also starred in a couple of Italian gore-fests - Zombie and Anthropophagus (both released under various titles) in which she mostly gapes in horror as those around her are eaten, disemboweled and offed in assorted and sickening ways! Fun, fun, fun!

    PS - Regarding Blood and Lace, I caught it upon release at the Earle movie theatre in Baltimore as an impressionable 12-year-old and as cheesy as it is to watch today, it was pretty terrifying! And, at the time, critics thought it was way too graphic for its GP rating and not suitable for "children."


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  7. Talia Balsam....she was in a great dark comedy with Adam Ant and David Packer called "Trust Me". Filmed in the late 80s and was about the Art scene. Notable for showing Packer's bare behind. Worth seeking out.

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  8. Hi Poseidon!

    Firstly I heartily support the idea of a 24/7 made for TV movies and minis channel from this time period all the way back to the 60’s….the 50’s too for that matter if they ran things like the Hallmark Hall of Fame (back when that program stood for the highest quality available on television) and all those other hour to hour and a half drama shows. Now it’s catch as catch can online. While that can be rewarding, just the other day I stumbled across The Silent Gun from 1969 starring Lloyd Bridges, Ed Begley and Barbara Rhoades (LOVE her!) which I really liked, it is very much hunt and peck now. Having a dedicated channel would be heavenly.

    Anyway, on to this ripe piece of 70’s celluloid. I saw it when it first premiered and also caught it a few times in reruns in the 80’s and 90’s. I think because of the cast including the two Morgans who were at their respective peaks of popularity then and its demonic underpinnings it was more prone to be scheduled on late night TV after that first run than most TVM’s of the period.

    The film isn’t dreadfully bad, though its no lost masterpiece that’s for sure!, helped along by having an actress in Kay Lenz who was able to shade and impart more emotional depth to her character than was on the page. It’s something the movie shared with the similarly themed “Satan’s School for Girls” which starred the marvelous and underappreciated Pamela Franklin. I also liked that though she had a few moments where she wavered overall Morgan Brittany’s character really cared for her sister rather than being a shallow, callous bitch, that apparently was their mother’s job!!

    Another delightful part of this of course is the dead-heat competition between Morgan Fairchild and Shelley Winters for who is the most wicked. Morgan tries and is properly hateful, but Shelley brings the full-blown aged ham and wins the toss! Funny that Shelley was in her late fifties here and was fully ensconced in her blowsy over the hill dragon lady years while Morgan Fairchild was still right in her sexy seductress phase well past that age. They are different types of course and Morgan is still working the enameled look, though there have now been too many trips to the plastic surgery well. Speaking of which I am almost positive it will be awful, but I would be happy as a clam if I could catch up with “A Divas Christmas” that she appeared in last year with Loni Anderson, Linda Gray, Donna Mills and Nicolette Sheridan! If only to see if the horrifying publicity picture is a true representation. 😊

    Both Tony Bill and Robert Hays are cuties, but they are superfluous and forgettable, well perhaps not Hays’s weightlifting scene but otherwise.

    Kay Lenz really seemed like it was going to happen for her there for a brief period during this time. She was one of the go to actresses for both TV movies and prominent guest spots on the more popular shows and then she slowly petered out.

    Reading your post on the film has sparked both a feeling of nostalgia and an itch to see it again. I’m off to follow the link and give it another look! Thanks!!

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  9. Thank you, Poseidon! This is one of my very favorite TV movies of the 1970s, and I loved your review of it! This flick is so entertaining in so many ways, but what really makes it "special" is the performance of Miss Morgan Fairchild! Her character is so awful--such a bitch--but we can't get enough of her! Unbelievably, she outshines even Shelley Winters!! No small feat, especially when Shelley is playing a lunatic! "The Initiation of Sarah" is kind of stupid (laughed at you pointing out that Sarah can easily avoid being pelted with trash on that front porch--and that Fairchild goes to the trouble of applying makeup after being scalded in the shower!), and it's very derivative. But hey--it's trashy fun, done well. (Or at least "well enough"!) Also love the fact that they cast gorgeous Lenz as a dowdy gal. Even with her bulky sweaters and minimal makeup, she's still clearly a "fox" (to use 70s parlance)! Thanks a million--and yes, after reading your post, I now need to see this dumb movie AGAIN!

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  10. Gingerguy, neat that you are so familiar with this movie already. Sometimes all the drek I cover seems to run together like a painting in the rain and even I forget what I did or did not give the treatment to! Ha! FYI - I read and truly enjoyed Kathryn Crosby's "Bing and Other Things" - a (no surprise) flea market find. I so agree about the Nus looking SO old, meaning for their years, not geriatric. Hilarious what some drag queens will find tribute-worthy!

    jobj69, thank you so much! I'm glad to be of service. I didn't mention it, but I only found out about "Blood & Lace" because my work husband was mentioning it one day as a film he saw as a kid at the drive-in and was entranced by it! I did read about how there was controversy over its GP rating. I also read where Melody Patterson said that the effects were so bad, she was surprised that anyone would feel it was too gory! LOL Take care.

    Ben, I'll have to give that a try. Thanks!!

    joel65913, I ALSO liked the fact that Morgan Brittany didn't just ditch her (adoptive) sister altogether and was torn about the situation. One reason I haven't strenuously sought out the "Divas Christmas" movie is because I was disappointed with the casting. I'll explain. The project was pitched with the idea that Donna Mills, Linda Gray and (friend of Poseidon's Underworld) Joan Collins would be teamed up. Something happened in the scheduling and JC was out, so the others were brought in. I may still see it sometime, but I hated that such a true 80s TV soap triumvirate wasn't possible. I hope you enjoy(ed) revisiting the movie. Thanks!

    Beef, I am so happy you liked my (microscopic in some ways, as an old reader used to say!) take on this project. There were 129 photos in this marathon assessment of the movie!!!!!! I wish I could stop myself, but somehow I very rarely can. I'm half-flattered and half-ashamed that you (and others) want to go seek this out again and watch after reading my post. Thanks much!

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  11. I'm pretty sure that I saw this back in the day, but will have to seek it out again.

    I, too, was never a fan much of Fairchild because of her on screen personality, but I've mellowed on that. She's hilarious as Chandler's Mom on "Friends".

    I want to point out for a future column that "Death Car on the Freeway" is available on YouTube. It's directed by Stunt man Hal Needham, so the action is pretty good. The rest? Well, maybe you can polish it. Morgan Brittany is in it, along with The Riddler himself Frank Gorshin and future Angel Shelley Hack.

    Fun reading, as always!

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  12. Poseidon, I was sooo disappointed that TCM recently did an evening of classic TV movies and didn't include this one! Instead, they played those damned classy TV flicks like "Brian's Song" & "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman!"

    Also, I just realized who Ms. Fairchild reminded me of with flatten hair and no makeup: Tracey Nelson as George Costanza's "She-Jerry" girlfriend on "Seinfeld," after her haircut!

    Cheers and as Rona used to say, keep thinking those good thoughts!
    Rick

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  13. Forever1267, I'll have to take a look at "Death Car." I am fuzzy as to whether I ever actually watched it or just remember the hooty title. And, as Dorothy Zbornak said, "It would be better with Shelley Hack, Rose!" LOL Thanks.

    rick...! LOLOL You are surely jesting that TCM would opt to run this, of all things! Ha ha! Maybe overnight on their (now defunct?) weekend lineup of weird things? In all seriousness, I was pleased that TCM decided to run some TVMs because a) the print quality is terrific and that's how they all deserve to be seen and b) they do contain true and real stars, so that ought to qualify for airing. Lately, the TCM offerings have been increasingly meager and uninteresting to me. They ought to do a once-weekly night of back-to-back vintage TVMs featuring classic stars. Barbara Stanwyck did a number of great ones as did plenty of others. I didn't watch "Brian's Song" yet again. Almost watched "Pittman," but I've seen it. Same for "Duel." I DID, though, check out "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" which I hadn't seen since it aired 110 years ago. It was really nice to see a great print of it, but I didn't enjoy it very much in the end. I had NO CLUE that Robert Reed had been the dad!!!! Take care!

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  14. What a scream! Need to see this again. That cast! Just recently watched Satan's School for Girls again and am now in a 70s horror movie of the week mood!!
    -Chris

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  15. Another entertaining and informative write up. I also love TV movies and a channel dedicated to them would be heavenly. There are actually channels on YouTube dedicated to them

    La Fairchild is an icon and you don't want to miss this interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=Q6CF9N2o6Tg. After watching it, I was tickled to see that the entire series "Paper Dolls" is on YouTube.

    Speaking of classic miniseries, did you know that "Sins" is on ok.ru? https://ok.ru/video/4497224567448.

    Enjoy!

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  16. angelman66, some of those old TV flicks run together in my mind. I think I did something on SSFG because aren't Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd in it together? I feel like I at least saw that one. Kate was in a ton of them back in the day. Thanks!

    Donald Lam, I love that there are YT channels for the old TVMs, though sometimes the picture & sound quality are hideous. I just love it when a really good, sharp print shows up somewhere. It puts these in a whole new light. I recall once, EONS AGO, I was in a checkout line and there was a VHS for $3.99 of "Sins." I have been a life-long JC fan and had to have it. This was long before the Internet was a major thing. I got home and watched it and it was only part one!! LOL JC didn't show up until well into it (Catherine Mary Stewart played the character at first.) Rip-off....! Ha ha! Thanks.

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  17. Donald, forgot to mention, I recently watched that Morgan interview and it is what led me to check out "Initiation" in the first place! Thanks.

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