CELEBRATING 70 YEARS! : THE MONEYCHANGERS .. PARAMOUNT TELEVISON .. USA 1976 ..

 NBC PRODUCTIONS

Presents
A Ross Hunter Production

THE MONEYCHANGERS 

Starring

 
KIRK DOUGLAS as Alex Vandervoort 
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER as Roscoe Heyward 
ANNE BAXTER as Edwina Dorsey 
JOAN COLLINS as Avril Devereaux 
PATRICK O'NEAL as Harold Austin 
LORNE GREENE as George Quartermain 
SUSAN FLANNERY as Margot Bracken 
TIMOTHY BOTTOMS as Miles Eastin 
PERCY RODRIQUES as Nolan Wainwright 
RALPH BELLAMY as Jerome Patterson
ROBERT LOGGIA as Tony Bear 
MARISA PAVAN as Celia Vandervoort 
JEAN PETERS as Beatrice Heyward 
HAYDEN RORKE as Lewis Dorsey 
JAMES SHIGETA as Wizard Wong 
AMY TIVELL as Juanita Nunez 
HELEN HAYES as DR McCartney

ROGER BOWEN as Fergus Gatwick

LEONARDO CIMINO as Ben Rosselli

DOUGLAS FOWLEY as Danny Kerrigan

LINCOLN KILPATRICK as Deacon Euphrates

BASIL HOFFMAN as Stanley Inchbeck

HARRY LEWIS as George Sperrie

WOODROW PARFREY as Mr Tottenhoe

MICHAEL SHANNON as Lew Enbicott

STAN SHAW as John Dinkerwell

JOSEPH R.SICARI as Julius La Rocco

CHICK VENERRA as Humprey Lopez

VIRGINIA GREY as Miss Callahan

ALEX SHEAFE as Matt French

VINCENT SCHIAVELLI as Donniger

TONY BURTON as Karl

BING RUSSELL as Timberwell

VINCENT BAGETTA as Defence Counsel

OLIVER CLARK as Salesman

MARLA GIBBS as Beth Euphrates

BARRY COE as TV Newsman

REDMOND GLEESON as Vernon Jaxx

JOHN DENNIS as Hook

SANDRA GOULD as Chicken Lady

JOHN LORMER as Steve

ROBERT KARNES as Burnside

DON KEEFER as Judge

Produced by Ross Hunter

Music by Henry Mancini

From the novel by Arthur Hailey

Directed by Boris Sagal

(c) 1976   Paramount Television   320mins  color

Enter the world of high finance and city banking..Where it's a battle to stay at the top, interlaced with kidnapping, blackmail, fraud, prison rape and deceit!! They are all trapped in a world where power and greed is everything for The Moneychangers!!

This star-studded mini-series lasting over six hours, was based on the best seller by Arthur Hailey and produced by legendary producer Ross Hunter, (Airport, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Madame X, Tammy, Pillow Talk), who commented on the production.

" It was like shooting 'The Ten Commandments'."

Joan played the role of sophisticated high class call girl Avril Devereaux, working for buisness magnate George Quartermain (Greene) and who ultimately causes the downfall of high flier Roscoe Heyward (Plummer).. Plummer won an Emmy award for his role and the series was nominated for four others..Joan first heard about the role from old friend Roger Moore, who himself was up for a role in the series. Moore was convinced that Joan was perfect for the role of Avril, a role that none other than Ann Margret was also interested in! .

 Joan read the novel and loved it, she recalled..

" I love baddies. So I called Ross. He told me to come over and see Boris (Sagal-director), it was six weeks before I got the call!"

VARIETY Announcement

Joan had just shot a guest role with Angie on "Police Woman" and was in the process of beginning to shoot "The Stud". Both Joan and Jackie were trying to find the remaining finances to start shooting in the winter of that year.. 

Joan recalled..

" Hollywood has a short memory.. When I moved back to London in 1970, my career was going strong. But essentially it has been a matter of having to start all over again. Until Ross came back with the offer of playing Avril, all I was being offered was schlock. I was not too worried about the nude scene as I have done them in some of my European films. It's simply part of the new morality, that one cant have hangups about one's body any longer!"

Kirk with Arthur Hailey

Joan was only paid $5.000 for her work on the series, but she was glad of the exposure and the chance to work with some big names, who she also considered friends, like Kirk Douglas.

 Director Boris Sagal was impressed with Kirk's work on the series..

" He has never been better. Perhaps best of all his scenes, is the love scenes with Susan.. He is soft, vulnerable, an uncertain human being, guilt ridden and not nearly as emancipated as the girl. You expect him to come in and grab her. He doesn't! Kirk worked hard for this softened quality."

Boris Sagal with Jean Peter, Ross Hunter & Chris Plummer

Kirk recalled..
" It was a challenge! Most directors won't direct me. That is what happens when you have been a so-called big name for so long. I think Boris was a little apprehensive about working with me. We talked it all out, as this was a tough role and I wanted direction. He told me not to worry.. He directs everyone on the set."

Joan with Lorne Greene & Christopher Plummer

Although most of Joan's scenes were with Christopher Plummer and Lorne Greene, she was delighted to be in a prestigious production. Joan was surprisingly nervous on her first day of shooting, she had just hot-footed it from London, exhausting herself trying to finance "The Stud".

Another star who was just as nervous was the 40's star Jean Peters, this production is billed as her comeback, but she had made the 1973 TV movie "Winesberg Ohio", her first appearance since "A Man Called Peter" in 1955. It was a man called Howard, Hughes that is whom she married  and he persuaded her to give up her career. Jean commented on "The Moneychangers"..
" I ran into my old friend Ross Hunter one day and he told me he was producing the series and would I like to be in it! In a moment of madness, I agreed! It was a nice part.. Not too big and I greatly admire Christopher Plummer, whom I play opposite."
It would be 1981 before she stepped in front of the camera again, with a guest spot on "Murder She Wrote" in 1988 being her swan-song.

"The Moneychangers", is one of those typically 70's tv productions, that sadly could not be made anymore,apart from the expense, there are few big stars left to fill such a production. The series was first aired with a running time of almost 6 hours over 4 evenings.. It was reaired a few years later edited down to to be screened over 3 nights and an even shorter version was shown in 1981 at 4 hours over two nights.. Thankfully the complete version is available on a dvd two disc set from Paramount.. I have the German release which although the cover is 'Die Bankiers' the actual series is in English and I am told the quality on this set is far superior to the USA one.. So order this edition from the following!

BUY THE MONEYCHANGERS DVD HERE!