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Posted: |
Nov 19, 2017 - 1:09 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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After a smattering of television guest roles in the preceding 10 years, Ann Wedgeworth made her feature film debut in the 1965 independently filmed drama ANDY. The film was the story of a mentally handicapped middle-aged man (Norman Alden) and how he, and his elderly parents (Tamara Daykarhanova and Zvee Scooler) who must take care of him, manage to get along in New York City.
Wedgeworth played "Margie," a prostitute who takes Andy home with her after he gets into a fight in a bar. Richard C. Sarafian wrote and directed the now-obscure film, which has an unreleased score by Robert Prince.
Wedgeworth's next feature appearance was in 1973's SCARECROW, a road picture about two scruffy strangers (Gene Hackman and Al Pacino) hitchhiking their way from California to Pittsburgh, in hopes of opening a car wash in the city. Jerry Schatzberg directed the film, which was shot on location and in chronological order of the script.
In Denver, "Max" (Hackman) enjoys a happy reunion with "Coley" (Dorothy Tristan), a junk dealer, and flirts with Coley’s friend and business partner "Frenchy" (Wedgeworth). The two eventually spend the night together. Fred Myrow scored the film.
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When she showed up as a character in a film, she always left a very strong impression, at least she did on me. Her performance as Jessica Lange's Mother in 'SWEET DREAMS' was one such role. And her performance as the woman who describes exactly HOW to make a cake in the shape of an Armadillo with grey icing and a blood red interior was another in 'STEEL MAGNOLIAS'.
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Posted: |
Nov 19, 2017 - 10:47 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In 1979, Ann Wedgeworth was cast as divorcée "Lana Shields" on the hit ABC sitcom "Three's Company". Her character was brought on the show to fill the void left by Audra Lindley, who had left to star in the show's spin-off, "The Ropers." According to behind-the-scene reports, the addition of Lana to the cast caused tension between series star John Ritter and the show's writers. Ritter believed it would be out of character for his character, the womanizing "Jack Tripper," to inexplicably turn down the advances of Lana, a sexually voracious, attractive older woman. The writers reasoned that because Lana was older than Jack, he would be turned off. Ritter did not believe that the middle-aged Lana, only meant to be in her 40s (whereas Jack was in his late 20s/early 30s), would repel Jack. Wedgeworth claimed that she asked to be released from her contract because of Lana's dwindling role in the show. Wedgeworth appeared in just nine episodes of the series before her character was casually written out without any explanation, and never referred to again.
(l. to r.) Don Knotts, Ann Wedgeworth, John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, and Suzanne Somers of "Three's Company"
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Posted: |
Nov 19, 2017 - 11:08 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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The first series created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, "Filthy Rich" is notable for featuring Dixie Carter and Delta Burke, both of whom would go on to star in Bloodworth-Thomason's future hit, "Designing Women." The premise of the series involved an eccentric Southern family whose patriarch, "Big Guy" (Slim Pickens), dies and stipulates in his will that the family, which includes his young second wife (Burke), his effete oldest son (Michael Lombard), the effete son’s greedy scheming wife (Carter), and his noble younger son (Charles Frank), must accept their illegitimate half-brother "Wild Bill Westchester" (Jerry Hardin) and Bill’s ditsy wife "Bootsie"(Ann Wedgeworth) into the family mansion. (Dixie Carter had auditioned for the role of Bootsie Westchester, but she gave such an impressive audition that she was given the role of series heavy "Carlotta Beck.")
Adding to the mix was Nedra Volz as Big Guy’s senile first wife and mother to the legitimate kids. An hour-long pilot was produced in early 1981 and the series was marked for a possible mid-season premiere when CBS wavered, finding the show too broad and cartoony. They ordered another half-hour pilot in early 1982 that was, again, rejected. But when CBS decided to burn off both pilots (which now became three half-hour episodes) in August of that year, each broadcast ended up scoring big viewership.
Believing they had a sleeper hit on their hands, the network immediately green-lit the series for an official first season (now technically called its second), and the company raced to get episodes done in time for late September. (By now, Slim Pickens was deathly ill and had to be replaced by Forrest Tucker in the role of Big Guy, who would occasionally be seen via video.) The season premiered on the first Thursday in October 1982, but was placed opposite NBC’s new show "Family Ties" as well as ABC's "The Fall Guy" (the #14 highest rated series for the year), making it difficult to secure a regular audience.
Meanwhile, critics loathed "Filthy Rich," finding it overly theatrical and utterly ridiculous — more campy than comedy. After six weeks, the show was pulled from the schedule, only to return for a few more Mondays in January/February 1983. The two additional episodes that had been produced (for a total of 15 half-hours) aired in early June, long after the series had been canned.
Ann Wedgeworth (third from right) and the cast of "Filthy Rich"
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Posted: |
Nov 19, 2017 - 11:49 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In THE MEN'S CLUB, seven men get together to form a "discussion group" at the home of "Kramer" (Richard Jordan). They share their feelings about women, life, love, and work. The party gets rowdier and rowdier, and then Jordan's wife returns home. Thrown out, the men are not yet willing to call it a night. Ann Wedgeworth plays "Jo," the owner of a brothel, in this 1986 drama. Peter Medak directed the film, which has an unreleased score by Lee Holdridge.
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Posted: |
Nov 19, 2017 - 11:59 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Sam Shepard wrote and directed the 1988 drama FAR NORTH. Charles Durning stars as “Bertrum,” the misogynist-paterfamilias of a passel of Minnesota quirkies: grumpy “Gramma” (Nina Draxten), spacey “Mama” (Ann Wedgeworth), sour sister “Rita” (Tess Harper), her boy-crazy daughter “Jilly” (Patricia Arquette), and capable “Katie” (Jessica Lange), who escaped to New York City. She returns to visit her hospitalized father, who was injured pretty badly when he was thrown from his buckboard.
Anne Wedgeworth and Jessica Lange had also played mother and daughter in SWEET DREAMS. The film’s score was by The Red Clay Ramblers (Clay Buckner, Chris Frank, Jack Herrick, Bland Simpson, and Tommy Thompson). The soundtrack was released on a Sugar Hill Records LP, but has not had a CD reissue.
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Posted: |
Nov 19, 2017 - 12:28 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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STEEL MAGNOLIAS tells the story of a young beautician (Darryl Hannah), newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, who finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friendship and welcome her into the fold. The ensemble female cast also featured Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts. Ann Wedgeworth played "Aunt Fern," the sister of "M'Lynn Eatenton" (Field) and aunt to her daughter "Shelby Eatenton Latcherie" (Roberts).
The 1989 film was based on Robert Harling’s 1987 play of the same name. Herbert Ross directed the film. Georges Delerue’s score was released by Polydor, and has most recent appeared as an isolated score track on the 2012 Twilight Time Blu-ray of the film.
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Posted: |
Nov 19, 2017 - 3:37 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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"Evening Shade" was a situation comedy centered around a former pro football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers who quit due to injury. "Wood Newton" (Burt Reynolds) has settled down to a quiet life as the coach of the Evening Shade high school football team - a position that is slightly controversial as the team is notorious for losing every game. He and his wife, "Ava" (Marilu Henner), whom he married when she was only 18 (a frequently voiced grievance by her father, "Evan Evans" (Hal Holbrook), the owner of the local newspaper), are devoted to one another despite the age difference. Ava is an ambitious and successful practicing lawyer who in the first season is elected District Attorney while pregnant with their fourth (unintended) child. Among Wood's and Ava's closest friends are the somewhat older "Harlan Eldridge" (Charles Durning), the town doctor, and his trusting wife, "Merleen" (Ann Wedgeworth), who is always eager to believe the best of people. Wedgeworth appeared in all 98 episodes over the four-season run of the series.
The series was created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and ran on CBS from September 21, 1990 to May 23, 1994. The general theme of the show was the appeal of small town life. Episodes ended with a closing narration by Ossie Davis, as his character "Ponder Blue," summing up the events of the episode, always closing with "... in a place called Evening Shade."
The series enjoyed strong ratings during its entire run, hitting its peak in season two with a #15 Nielsen ranking. "Evening Shade" was still a Top 30 performer when CBS cancelled the show in the spring of 1994. Skyrocketing production costs, mainly attributed to the large salaries of the show's top-caliber, all-star cast, were the primary reason given for the cancellation. However, some have speculated that the show's ending was a decision made by producer/star Reynolds, rather than CBS, as his then marital troubles with ex-wife Loni Anderson (from whom he was divorced in 1993) were thought to have impacted his work. Yet, Reynolds was blindsided by the cancellation and said he would then focus on his feature career.
"Harlan & Merleen," an unsold hour-long pilot for an "Evening Shade" spin-off, aired as a two-part special episode on July 13 and July 20, 1993. It starred Charles Durning and Ann Wedgeworth in their "Evening Shade" roles, and was written by James Hampton and Burt Reynolds (who also directed).
Ann Wedgeworth (second from left) and the cast of "Evening Shade"
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