Starring ROBYN DOUGLASS as Carly Perkins/Carl Parsons
MARC SINGER as Mark Rogers
ROBERT CULP as Dave Fleming
PATRICIA BARRY as Gloria Rogers
LARAINE NEWMAN as Barbara
MIRIAM FLYNN as Sheila
MARK WITHERS as Tom
LIZ TORRES as Susie
MARK WITHERS as Tom
Special Guest Star - Joan Collins as Pam Dugan
Director of Photography - Kees Van Oostrum
Music by John Cacavas
Teleplay by Joanna Crawford and Diane English
From The Village Voice article by Lynn Mithers
Edited by Richard A Harris
Produced by Mimi Rothman
Directed by Robert Ellis Miller
(c) 1984 CBS 96 MINS COLOUR
After Carly Perkins loses her job, she finds it hard to be taken serious as a sports journalist. After many rejections she comes up with a radical plan! What begins as a prank, soon pays off to be her key to a new career. She manages to fool her new boss, her friends and even her husband into thinking she is a man! Can Carly or should that be Carl, keep up the pretence? Will glamorous Pam Dugan get her hands on Carl? Life can be tough, when she spends Her Life As A Man!!
Joan makes a special guest appearance in this amusing comedy drama from 1984, based on an article which appeared in The Village Voice. It stars former Playboy cover girl Robyn Douglass as a sports reporter who finds herself out of work and unable to get another job because she is a woman. Drastic measures are called for, so she decides to try her luck disguised as a man!
Robyn Douglass recalled..
" It took three hours to transform myself into Carl, I then put on a pair of wing tip shoes, just before I left my trailer.. Fully dressed as Carl, I stood up and the shoes gave me a new confidence! I even wandered around LA airport in disguise! The more I was a man, the more valuable my opinions seemed to be!"
Robyn also passed the Collins test, where Joan had much experience of dealing with men!
Joan commented....
" Since I'd never seen Robyn as a woman.. I tried to think of her purely as a man!"
Joan has only three scenes in the film, with three stylish costume changes .. We first see her in a trouser suit as the wealthy owner of a professional football team, who sets her sights on Carl and invites him to her penthouse for an over dinner interview.. Joan as the powerful and glamorous Pam Dugan appears in a sexy gown.. Joan was asked during a press call for the film about her characters status replied ..
"At the top! Is there any other place to be!"
Original 80's video sleeve
Joan as always brings a touch of style to the proceedings, as brief as her appearance, with a strong supporting cast including tv favourites, Robert Culp and Marc Singer.. Well worth a viewing, the film was available on video in the 80's but has yet to appear on dvd..
When their selfish stepmother decides she wants to get rid of them, Hansel & Gretel are left all alone in the forest and when they come across a gingerbread house they find it never pays to eat a witch out of house and home!!
'Faerie Tale Theatre' first appeared in 1982 and lasted until 1987 with 27 episodes, hosted by actress Shelley Duvall, who also created the award winning series. Joan was delighted to be asked to play the witch and of course a more glamorous stepmother! She spent many hours in makeup to create the ultimate hag. She was nominated for her role at the 1983 CableAce Awards.. The series is a firm favourite with children and parents alike and has been screened to great delight over the years..
Joan is hands on with make up artist Ron Figuly
'Hansel & Gretel' was released on a single disc in 2004 from Starmaker Entertainment.. You can still get a copy here!
Director of Photography - Richard Rawlings SR A.S.C Art Director - Tom Trimble Music By Artie Butler Teleplay by A.J.Carothers Edited by Dick Darling Costumes by Nolan Miller Produced by Aaron Spelling - Lynn Loring - Elaine Rich Directed by Irving J Moore
(c) 1983 ABC 98 MINS Colour
Tyler Burnett is a country boy at heart, who finds himself catapulted to the top, in the ruthless world of modelling, when a glamorous model agency boss picks him as her latest protege. But can Tyler stay at the top.. while still coping with the fame, plus the scrutiny involved? After a whirlwind romance with his lady boss, Kay Dillon... he soon learns the high price of fame.. where it is only a matter of time, when a more fresher face will come along! Follow the road to success, as we witness The Look of the moment, during The Making Of A Male Model!
This popular tv movie, was another Aaron Spelling production, made during Joan's hiatus from 'Dynasty', she co-stars with the very handsome, much missed actor Jon Erik Hexum. Joan apparently handpicked Jon after looking at hundreds of photo's of various potential faces. Joan instantly took to Jon Erik's striking good looks, plus he was a popular face, as he had just finished the popular sci-fi series 'Voyagers'.
Jon Erik was delighted to get the role and enjoyed driving around Beverly Hills, buying $9,000 worth of clothes for the tv movie. Joan was so fond of Jon Erik, that she advised him to go up for the role of her love interest in the next season of 'Dynasty'. However he said he did not want to be tied down to a three year contract.
Joan with Kevin McCarthy
Joan tried to get away from the Alexis look for this movie and she collaborated with friend and costume designer, Nolan Miller in creating a different look. She began by losing twelve pounds, had her hair style created short, while swapping the low cut outfits for business attire.
Her character of Kay Dillon ran her own modelling agency, but in retrospect she still was not too far from her Alexis persona..
Nolan Miller recalled....
"It's was a new look.. No boobs Joan Collins! Sleek.. Strait laced.. But sexy.. She is the Lady Boss in this movie. Most of the time we are hiding her famous chest! It's terrible trying to disguise her boobs, especially when I usually spend most of the time trying to show them off! But Joan does get a glamorous outfit for a costume party scene, as she is dresses as Cleopatra in a slinky, shimmering costume!"
Joan looks stylish as ever, with Aaron Spelling at the helm, it's pure 80's escapism, with enough drama to keep it in reality. Even though Jon Erik turned down a role on 'Dynasty', he did accept a series a year later, the glossy 'Cover Up' co-starring Jennifer O'Neill, also set in the modelling world. However he may have been wiser to accept Joan's offer, as tragically whilst playing around with a prop gun on set, he shot himself in the head and died a few weeks later.
Such a tragic end for such a promising star, who no doubt had a bright showbiz career ahead of him. 'Male Model' also stars Jeff Conaway, who plays an ageing model who turns to drugs and overdoses, sadly a similar fate awaiting Jeff who died with a drug habit. Versataile actor, veteran Kevin McCarthy appears as a tough agent, with 'Love Boat' and 'Dynasty' star Ted McGinley as one of the other models.. Well worth seeking out for fans of 'Dynasty' and 80's high drama..
Glad to say 'The Making Of A Male Model' has been released on dvd from CBS Home Entertainment and you can order this here!
When glamorous movie star Janine Adams comes aboard for rest and relaxation, she sets her sights on Captain Stubbing as her next husband!
A golf widow (Stella Stevens) whos husband (Monte Markham) leaves her aboard alone, runs in to an old lover (Ron Ely).
A woman (Delta Burke) whose fiance (Jeffrey Tambor) is more attracted to her hair than her meets an old flame (Richard Gilliand) who used to be her hairdresser, on board and see's she lets her hair down!
The Love Boat is one of tv's most successful series and is forever screened somewhere in the world. It's one of many now classic series from Aaron Spelling Productions and like many of Aaron's series it features many legendary guest stars on every episode. Joan appeared as a guest star as part of her 'Dynasty' contract and although she did not think much of the role, she appeared bringing much style and glamour to the episode.
Jeraldine Saunders
'The Love Boat' ran for ten seasons from 1977 to 1987 and was one of ABC's top rated shows for many years. The original cast sailed through every season except for Lauren Tewes who played the popular cruise director Julie McCoy. Tewes became difficult to work with due to a drink & drug habit and left the show to sort hereself out in 1984 and was replaced by Patricia Klous who appeared as her sister Judy. For the final season, Lauren returned to the show and by that stage other additions to the cast were Ted McGinley as ships photographer Ace and Marian Ross as the Captain's new wife Emily.. A regular dance troupe The Love Boat Mermaids were also a regular and featured among others future 'Desperate Housewife', Teri Hatcher.
It would take endless posts to list all the legendary guest stars, lets say it was a who's who and would be easier to list those who never appeared on the show!
The show was based on a bestselling book by Jeraldine Saunders who based it on her experiences as a hostess.
All in all 'The Love Boat' will always be a classic show with a likeable cast and no shortage of familar faces in every episode!
The series is gradually been released on dvd, with Joan's episode yet to be released as it appears in Season 6 and the dvd sets are only up to season 4!
JOAN COLLINS as Madame Carrrere CAROL WHITE as Margaux Lasselle PAUL NICHOLAS as Mike Mc Cann FINOLA HUGHES as Nadia Gargarin WILLIAM FRANKLYN as Sir Arthur Cartwright LESLIE ASH as Sharon MURRAY MELVIN as Leopold TREVOR BAXTER as Charlie Parker ROSEMARIE FORD as Dancer ED BISHOP as Sam Dozier
Director of Photography - Peter Jessop Music by Simon Park Screenplay by Raymond Christodoulou Based on a screenplay by Max and Yvonne Roman Edited by Max Benedict Produced by Panos Nicolau Directed by Anwar Kawadri
(c) 1982 .. RANK .. 100 MINS ..CERT X
Madame Carrere runs a renowned international ballet company in London.. When a young Russian ballerina decides she wants to defect, she chooses The Carrere School of ballet to do so! The scene is set for international intrigue! However Nadia has plans of her own, as she becomes unimpressed with Laura Carrere's management skills and devises a cunning plan! Can Madame Carrere keep on her toes long enough to save her empire or will she have to watch it crumble as if in a Nutcracker!
Even at the time of it's release this British production seemed dated and what possessed producers to make it is a mystery. Joan only accepcted the role as work was thin on the ground and she needed to work. She had started a run in the play 'Murder in Mind' and planned to film 'Nutcracker' after the run ended. However she got the call asking her to take a role in a series called 'Dynasty' and little did she know the new heights her career would take in the role. Joan fufilled her obligations in filming 'Nutcracker', however she was unhappy with many aspects of the production. Rank decided to market the film as a return to Joan's roles in her 70's hit films 'The Stud' and 'The Bitch' and marketed the film as such.. Posters read the following tagline..
The orignal offending poster!
" In The Stud she sizzled .. In The Bitch she blazed.. Now in Nutcracker.. Joan Collins Breaks All The Rules!"
Apart from that line, Joan was not happy with promotional material, paticularly the poster which featured an image of Joan in a leotard wearing a pair of stilettos rather than ballet shoes.. After some protests, the image was changed reflecting the appropriate footwear!
Although filmed before Joan got into her stride as Alexis Colby, the character of Laura Carrere could easily have fitted into the series as Joan's costumes and image is almost a blueprint for latter day Alexis. Joan looks as elegant as ever in the film, which is just as well as the storyline is not at exciting, with the added sex scenes included, echoeing similar scenes in 'The Stud'. British star Finola Hughes appears as the Russisan ballerina defecting to Britain, this was one of her first major roles, before making it big in America as star of the long running daytime drama 'General Hospital' and later 'Blossom'.. Finola later worked again with Joan in the shortlived Aaron Spelling night time drama 'Pacific Palisades'..
Joan with Vernon Dobtcheff & Carol White
The film was also the last screen appearance of 60's screen star Carol White, who died ten years after this film, aged fifty of liver disease. Many other popular British faces appear including a young Leslie Ash, long before her sitcom days and her problems with collagen.. West End and TV star Paul Nicholas plays the nosey reporter who is determined to find the elusive Nadia..The film did very little at the box office, finding a home on video cassette, it has yet to appear on dvd, so hopefully it will appear at some stage for us to enjoy!
Night of 100 Stars was supposed to be a one off spectacular to raise funds for The Actors Fund of America which was celebrating it's 100th Anniversary. However the show was such a success and attracted over 200 stars, it was decided to hold another show in 1985, which also attracted a multitude of stars and another success. A final show was staged in 1990, but due to the fact many of the big stars had passed on, it wasn't as spectacular as previous events. Joan appeared in the two 80's productions, in the 1982 show she appeared in a segment called 'Lovers of the Silver Screen' presented by Liza Minnelli, which reunited famous movie couples. Joan appeared with her 'The Girl In The Red Velvet Swing' co-star Farley Granger. In the 1985 production she had more screentime, firstly seen during a 'Tv Is A Circus' segment, featuring all the top tv shows at that time. Joan appeared with Linda Evans, John Forsythe & Diahann Carroll to represent 'Dynasty'. She later appeared to announce The Diamond Fashion Show which featured a bevy of female stars of the time in gowns by some of the top designers of that era.
Joan with John Forsythe & Linda Evans
THE NEW YORK TIMES..
by
John J O'Connor..
AS it turned out, more than 200 stars showed up for the spectacular bash Alexander H. Cohen whipped up a few weeks ago at Radio City Music Hall to mark the 100th anniversary of the Actors' Fund of America. But, arguing that poetic license can also be invoked by producers, Mr. Cohen is sticking with ''Night of 100 Stars'' as the title for the television version of the evening. It runs for three hours this evening, beginning at 8, on ABC-TV.
My armchair impression of the occasion is that watching it on television is probably preferable to having been a spectator at the theater. The evening ran on for more than five hours, generating a good bit of grumbling about the long waits between numbers. For television the skillful art of editing has eliminated the irritating pauses. Stuffing the event into two-and-a-half hours - that's what is left after the commercials - Hildy Parks, writer, co-producer and Mr. Cohen's wife, and Clark Jones, the director, have put together a nonstop parade of entertainment and glitzy celebrity flashing.
An off-stage announcer refers at the outset to the embarrassment of riches when he reveals that this is to be a ''night of 100 stars'' - slight pause and then an elevation in vocal pitch -''and then some!'' He might have added, ''only in New York!''
Radio City Music Hall makes a thoroughly splendid setting for this kind of gala. And the entire show, while bursting at its sequined seams with Hollywood names, reeks of New York glamour and energy, from Liza Minnelli doing her ''New York, New York'' belting routine, assisted by several New York Yankees in uniform, to Mayor Koch in top hat and tails singing the introduction to a segment on Broadway musicals.
What ''Night of 100 Stars'' finally boils down to is something on the order of almost one star a television minute. At times, the content threatens to become virtually subliminal. Some historical photographs are flashed on the screen with dizzying speed. When all else fails, the familiar faces are simply whisked by the cameras on the slightest of pretexts.
A fashion show is used to showcase several female stars. The Rockettes at one point serve as escorts for a long line of male stars. The television contingent is displayed, neatly and cleverly, in a gentle takeoff of the mystery-guest ploy on ''What's My Line?'' This affords an opportunity to introduce quickly everybody from Michelle Lee and Cathy Lee Crosby to John Schneider and Howard Cosell.
The 100 years of the Actors' Fund is covered in decades throughout the evening, with each narrator recounting the historical highpoints and curiosities of a particular period. These sections generally encompass the class acts, beginning with Princess Grace of Monaco and Elizabeth Taylor and ending with James Earl Jones and Colleen Dewhurst.
Every so often there is a pause for a production number. Some are obvious within the context - songs, for instance, by Tony Bennett, Harry Belafonte, Lionel Ritchie and a very effectively restrained Sammy Davis Jr. Some are very pleasant surprises -Miss Piggy and Placido Domingo in an impassioned duet. Some are merely curious - Lola Falana, for example, gets a curiously long and prominent showcase that is only puzzling when time is at such a premium.
But, on the whole, Mr. Cohen and company have done a superb job in pulling together a glittering collection of names and faces. If you like the celebrity razzle-dazzle of things like the Academy Awards, you'll positively swoon over ''Night of 100 Stars.'' Among the other key credits are Roy A. Somlyo, co-producer with Miss Parks; Eliot Lawrence, musical director, and Albert Stephenson, who did the musical staging.
Joan present The Diamond Fashion Show
THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Arthur Unger
The most glittering, expensive, and exhausting videotaping session in television history took place at New York's Radio City Music Hall last Sunday.
The event, for which ticket-buyers payed up to $1,000 a seat (tax-deductible as a contribution to the Actors' Fund) was billed as ''The Night of 100 Stars'' but, actually, around 230 stars took part. And most of the audience of 5,800 had no idea in advance that they were paying to see a TV taping, complete with long waits for set and costume changes, tape rewinding, and the like.
For almost 51/2 hours the audience patiently watched as just about every major star of TV, cinema, and theater made some sort of fleeting appearance, often after a 20-minute between-scenes wait.
All of this makes one wonder if this is the future of live entertainment -- everything just a big videotaping session?
Fortunate television viewers will be able to see a 3-hour version of the extravaganza on Monday, March 8, from 8-11 p.m. -- without any of the long agonizing, expectant pauses but with commercials perhaps just as agonizing.
As a critic, I have long since become a bit blase about show-biz personalities, but this conglomeration of people like Liza Minelli, Elizabeth Taylor, Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Paul Newman, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Princess Grace, Gene Kelly, James Stewart, Ginger Rogers, Lillian Gish, Jane Fonda, Helen Hayes, James Earl Jones, Ed Asner, Jason Robards, Brooke Shields, Joel McCrea, Frances Dee, and about 213 others was as impressive an array of talent as ever to be seen on one stage in one evening. Incidentally, the only stars who received standing ovations were Bette Davis and James Cagney.
When the taping ended at around 12:30 a.m., those with $1000 tickets (executive producer Alexander Cohen had provided me with a pair of $1000 press seats) were invited to a supper ball at the Hilton Hotel about four blocks up Sixth Avenue. When we emerged from the theater, we discovered that three lanes of the four-lane avenue had been covered with lush red carpets and the streets on either side were lined with fans, shouting out the names of their stars as they paraded to the Hilton.
At one point I found myself walking between New York Mayor Edward Koch (who did a song ajd dance number with a broom instead of a cane in the show) and ex-TV anchorman Walter Cronkite (who was in the audience). And I must report that Uncle Walter received far more applause outside the theater than Mayor Ed.
When I exited the supper dance at 3:30 a.m., leaving behind a seemingly never-tiring array of stars eating and dancing, the street was still lined with energetic fans shouting the names of stars as they emerged. It was like a scene from ''A Star Is Born.'' Oh yes, James Mason was there, too, kicking up his heels with other male stars in a special Rockette routine.
Executive producer Alexander Cohen estimates that the 5,800 seats sold out at prices ranging from $25 to $1,000. He says the show itself cost about $4 million to produce and should yield around $2 million for the new addition to the Actors Fund retirement home in Englewood, N. J.
ABC is reputed to have paid more than $5 million for the television rights to the show. At this moment, director Clark Jones is busy cutting the tapes back to three hours so free home viewers on March 8 should be getting the entertainment bargain of a lifetime.
As for me, I'm still resting up. However, I am looking forward to really seeing the actual show on videotape, now that I've had the experience of being there live.
NIGHT OF 100 STARS II {LUCILLE BALL, JOE NAMATH, JOE DIMAGGIO, GEORGE BURNS, AND OTHERS} (TV)
Summary
This special is the second "Night of 100 Stars" to benefit The Actors Fund of America. Edited from a seven-hour live entertainment marathon that was taped February 17, 1985, at New York's Radio City Music Hall, this sequel to the 1982 "Night of 100 Stars" special features 288 celebrities and opens with young Drew Barrymore wishing to see one hundred stars. Her dream is fulfilled as a Pan Am jet flies over New York City -- passing Mayor Ed Koch dressed as a traffic cop -- until it stops at Radio City Music Hall. As the stars disembark at the Music Hall, the bestangled Rockettes dance onstage to "This Is a Star," and Barrymore joins them in a kickline finale. Highlights include: a production number about New York with Leonard Bernstein conducting "New York, New York"; Peter Allen descending on a crescent moon while singing "The Best That You Can Do" (the theme from "Arthur"); Ashford & Simpson with Rodgers and Hart's "Manhattan"; Placido Domingo strolling arm and arm with Marisa Berenson and Deborah Raffin while singing "Every Street's a Boulevard in Old New York" to pushcart vendor Maureen Stapleton; Robert Klein with "My Town, That's Manhattan"; Lucie Arnaz with "New York, New York (It's a Helluva Town)"; Jerry Orbach crooning "42nd Street," Leslie Uggams with "The A Train"; Melba Moore with "Uptown" and Petula Clark with her hit "Downtown"; Carol Channing and Big Bird in a duet to "How About You?"; Dinah Shore with the bittersweet "Autumn in New York"; Patti LaBelle with "On Broadway"; Jennifer Holliday with "New York City Rhythm"; Joe Namath with "When You're a Jet"; the Muppets with Kander and Ebb's "New York, New York"; and an all-star finale, "New York State of Mind." Next, John Forsythe introduces a celebration of American television; Lucille Ball recalls the Golden Age of television; Hal Linden, as ringmaster, and Michele Lee and Nancy Dussault, dressed as showgirls, sing "TV Is a Circus" with lyrics that include titles of TV series, featuring the following stars, who take a bow and join in a balloon-filled finale: Nell Carter, Tony Danza, Harry Anderson, Gary Coleman, Soleil Moon Frye, James Noble, Inga Swenson, Dick Clark, Charlotte Rae, Michael J. Fox, Meredith Baxter-Birney, Scott Baio, Tempestt Bledsoe, Lisa Bonet, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Gavin MacLeod, Marla Gibbs, Bob Newhart, Emmanuel Lewis, Tyne Daly, Heather Thomas, Doug Barr, Pierce Brosnan, Stephanie Zimbalist, Jameson Parker, David Hasselhoff, Lee Horsley, Kate Jackson, Daniel Hug-Kelly, William Shatner, Rex Smith, Perry King, Pernell Roberts, William Daniels, Jack Palance, Tony Franciosa, Rene Enriquez, Bruce Weitz, Joe Spano, Betty Thomas, Jennifer O'Neill, Linda Gray, Lorenzo Lamas, John Forsythe, Linda Evans, Joan Collins, Diahann Carroll, Julie Harris, Lisa Hartman, Joan Van Ark, Donna Mills, and Anne Baxter. Next, George Burns discusses the origins of vaudeville and the following entertainers perform brief excerpts: the McGuire Sisters with a medley of pop songs; Doug Henning with a paper-tearing illusion; Roby Gasser and his performing Sea Lions; ventriloquist Ronn Lucas with his dummy; Robert Klein in a stand-up routine; and the Manhattan Transfer with a scat number.
Joan attends the 1985 after party at The Hilton..
Next, in a segment about dance, Dick Van Dyke narrates the tale of actor Conrad Kenson, who left money to the Actors Fund to give shoes to unemployed actors; Van Dyke then sings and dances to Kander and Ebb's original song, "A New Pair of Shoes," which segues into a tap number by Gregory Hines, Hinton Battle, Lee Roy Reams, Victor Griffin, and Gregg Burge, followed by the tapping of Georgia Engel, Elaine Joyce, Beth Howland, Bonnie Franklin, Marge Champion, Nanette Fabray, and Christopher Walken, then by ballet stars Cynthia Gregory and Alexander Godunov in a brief pas de deux, and by ballroom dancing couples Sandy Duncan and Don Correia, and Jane Powell and Van Johnson; the dance installment concludes with Alfonso Ribeiro and Van Dyke in a soft shoe number, followed by Ribeiro, the Rockettes, and all the tap dancers in a finale featuring Gwen Verdon, Charles "Honi" Coles, Juliet Prowse, Maurice Hines, Chita Rivera, Donny Osmond, Debbie Allen, Donald O'Connor, Van Dyke, and Ginger Rogers. Next, Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding toast the popularity of radio and the Pointer Sisters sing "Jump" as the U.S. Olympic gymnasts Tim Daggett, Peter Vidmar, Jim Hartung, Mitch Gaylord, and Julianne McNarmara perform intricately choreographed athletic demonstrations; Howard Cosell then introduces the following sports heroes: Carl Lewis, Glenn Cunningham, Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Wilma Rudolph, Angel Cordero Jr., Eddie Arcaro, Nancy Lopez, Patty Berg, Scott Hamilton, Tiffany Chin, Peggy Fleming, Peter and Kitty Carruthers, Esther Williams, Candi Costie, Tracy Ruiz, Al Unser, Danny Sullivan, Tracy Austin, Don Budge, Bernard King, Bob Cousy, Mark Gastineau, Walter Payton, Jim Brown, Dan Marino, Y.A. Tittle, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, and Joe DiMaggio. Next, Kenny Rogers explains the popularity of the fiddle, the banjo, and the guitar to illustrate the origins of country music and introduces Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers who sing "Houston"; Anita Morris then describes the origins of burlesque and introduces comedian Henny Youngman, who performs a stand-up routine; Bernadette Peters hosts a segment on "The Fearless Females of the Silent Screen," featuring film clips of and onstage appearances by silent film actresses Billie Dove, Laura LaPlante, Leatrice Joy, and Lillian Gish; next, Peters presents clips from the work of contemporary stars before introducing them: a bald-headed Dustin Hoffman, Lana Turner, Robert Preston, Sidney Poitier, Olivia DeHavilland, Robert DeNiro, Danny Kaye, and Laurence Olivier.
Joan attends the 1982 after party in New York
Next, in a segment on fashion, Joan Collins introduces the following stars, who are modeling contemporary fashions: Shari Belafonte-Harper wearing a design by Tracy Mills, Gregory Harrison wearing Giorgio Armani, Ali MacGraw and Tony Roberts wearing Missoni, Florence Henderson wearing Neil Bieff, Treat Williams wearing Lanin for the Greif Companies, Valerie Bertinelli wearing Margi Kent, Lynn Swann wearing Alan Flusser for JCPenney, Cathy Lee Crosby wearing Karl Lagerfeld, Georg Stanford Brown wearing Lanvin for the Greif Companies, Heather Locklear and David Birney wearing Lee Wright for JCPenney, Brooke Shields and Michael Ives wearing Perry Ellis, Morgan Fairchild wearing Fabrice, Teri Garr wearing Halston III for JCPenney, Dyan Cannon wearing Carole Little, Ellen Burstyn wearing Geoffrey Beene, Cristina Ferrare wearing Albert Capraro, Colleen Dewhurst wearing Pauline Trigere, Morgan Brittany wearing Fernando Sanchez, Susan Lucci wearing Karl Lagerfeld, Jill St. John wearing Halston III for JCPenney, Cynthia Sikes wearing Mary McFadden, Mary McFadden wearing her own design, Janet Leigh wearing Oleg Cassini, Jacqueline Bisset wearing OMO Norma Kamali, Jaclyn Smith wearing Bill Blass, Deidre Hall wearing Bob Mackie, Jane Seymour wearing Carolina Herrera, Carolina Herrera wearing her own design, Joan Van Ark wearing Oscar de la Renta, Gloria Loring wearing Oleg Cassini, Donna Mills wearing Tracy Mills, Lisa Hartman wearing Fernando Sanchez, Lynda Carter wearing Jacqueline de Ribes, Jacqueline de Ribes, Jacqueline de Ribes wearing her own design, Diahann Carroll and Linda Evans wearing Galanos, Claudia Cardinale wearing Valentino, Priscilla Presley wearing Oscar de la Renta, Linda Gray wearing Bob Mackie, Raquel Welch wearing OMO Norma Kamali, Angie Dickinson wearing Albert Caprano, Laura Branigan and Michael Vollbracht wearing Michaele Vollbracht. Following this is a procession of designers Tracy Mills, Fabrice, Geoffrey Beene, Carole Little, Halston, Fernando Sanchez, Bob Mackie, Albert Capraro, Oleg Cassini, and the Emanuels, concluding with Ann-Margret in a gold gown by Emanuel ..
1985 finale
James Earl Jones discusses the uniquely American contribution to entertainment -- the minstrel show -- from the song "Jump Jim Crow" to the tradition of white people telling jokes and singing songs in what they claimed was a Negro dialect; this leads to a tribute to turn-of-the-century African-American performer Bert Williams with Whoopi Goldberg in blackface offering her impression of him singing "Nobody"; Goldberg then portrays a junkie with a Ph.D in literature who describes the experience of watching "Bonanza" on German television; Ashford & Simpson perform their hit "Solid as a Rock"; Mary Tyler Moore introduces a sketch about the origins of The Actors Fund in 1882, featuring Edward Asner as a crusty newspaper editor dictating an editorial about the theatre to his secretary (Zoe Caldwell): he recalls the famous Porter case in which Maurice Barrymore (Jeremy Irons) and two actors (Linda Lavin and Christopher Reeve) went into a bar in Marshall, Texas, where a drunk patron (Vincent Gardenia) shot and killed Ben Porter. Though money was raised for Porter's widow, the editor conceives of a permanent fund for the entire theatrical community; Mary Tyler Moore continues with a brief history and a statement of purpose of The Actors' Fund. Anne Murray then sings "Time Don't Run Out on Me" and Linda Evans tries to recall Kermit the Frog's name as he sings "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face." In a segment on jazz that is set in a nightclub and introduced by Lena Horne, Dick Moore delivers a drink to Joe Williams, who sings a jazz medley; the Wynton Marsalis Quintet performs, Mel TormŽ scats and sings a number, Sarah Vaughan sings, Al Jarreau sings "Take Five," Woody Herman plays the clarinet, and everyone joins a jumping ensemble scat number.
Next, Barbara Walters and Walter Cronkite host a special salute to the following achievers who have widened horizons and contributed to the service of mankind: Nobel Prize-winning chemist and peace activist Dr. Linus C. Pauling; civil rights heroine Rosa L. Parks; surgical procedure and heart transplant pioneer Dr. Christian Barnard; pediatrician and anti-nuclear proliferation activist Dr. Helen Caldicott; National Farm Workers Association founder Cesar E. Chavez; feminist leader and Ms. Magazine co-founder Gloria Steinem; Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike; Dr. Seuss creator Theodor S. Geisel; educator and author Henry Steele Commager, psychologist, author, and educator and Dr. Kenneth B. Clark; and modern dance choreographer and dancer Martha Graham. Next, a young dancer performs a solo dance to an instrumental version of John Lennon's "Imagine" while Cronkite comments that one person can make a difference and that "we must acknowledge that we are truly one"; this comment segues into the Rockettes in white top hat and tails dancing to "One" from "A Chorus Line" and partnering the following performers who take a bow: Mark Hamill, Lloyd Bridges, Bert Convy, Charles Bronson, Cab Calloway, Michael Caine, Yul Brynner, Dabney Coleman, Vic Damone, Billy Crystal, Richard Dreyfuss, Matt Dillon, Bob Fosse, Charles Durning, Ben Gazzara, David Frost, Jim Henson, Marvin Hamlisch, Rock Hudson, Geoffrey Holder, Burgess Meredith, Rod McKuen, Bert Parks, Jim Nabors, Tony Randall, Vinent Price, Richard Thomas, James Stewart, Robert Wagner, Robert Urich, Billy Dee Williams, Edward I. Koch, and star number 288, Carol Burnett. Everyone joins the Rockettes in a kick line and are rewarded with a standing ovation. The special concludes with the entire complement of stars joining on stage to sing Jerry Herman's "The Best of Times Is Now."
