Party Girl (1995 film)
Encyclopedia
Party Girl is a 1995 film directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer
. It is notable as being the first commercial comedy-drama feature film shown in its entirety on the Internet.
Scripted by Mayer with Harry Birckmayer and Sheila Gaffney, the storyline follows the misadventures of free-spirited Mary (Parker Posey
) on her self-destructive path of drugs and parties. Arrested for illegally charging attendees at an underground rave
, she calls upon her godmother, Judy Lindendorf (Sasha von Scherler), to bail her out. So Mary can repay the loan, Judy employs her as a clerk at the library where she works. Mary reluctantly begins her new job while striking up a romance with Lebanese
street vendor Mustafa (Omar Townsend). The other men in her life are her friends Derrick (Anthony DeSando
) and Leo (Guillermo Díaz), a DJ in clubs. Things begin to fall apart when she loses her library job and is evicted from her apartment. In the end, Mary decides to study to become a librarian herself but without compromising her own sense of style and happiness. Others in the cast are Donna Mitchell, as the club owner and Liev Schreiber
. Liev Schreiber's character proposes to Mary so that he can keep his visa, allowing him to remain in the country. Lady Bunny
makes a cameo during the opening credits, outside of Mary's house party.
's Point of Presence Company (POPCO). Appearing live in the POPCO offices, Parker Posey welcomed Internet viewers and then introduced the film. Fleishman recalled the event:
The event was recalled by Quinn:
(with the same name) was produced in 1996. It starred Christine Taylor
as Mary and Swoosie Kurtz
as Judy. Although six episodes were filmed, only four were aired and the show was quickly cancelled.
Daisy von Scherler Mayer
Daisy von Scherler Mayer, sometimes credited as Daisy Mayer is an American film and television director.-Biography:...
. It is notable as being the first commercial comedy-drama feature film shown in its entirety on the Internet.
Scripted by Mayer with Harry Birckmayer and Sheila Gaffney, the storyline follows the misadventures of free-spirited Mary (Parker Posey
Parker Posey
Parker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
) on her self-destructive path of drugs and parties. Arrested for illegally charging attendees at an underground rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
, she calls upon her godmother, Judy Lindendorf (Sasha von Scherler), to bail her out. So Mary can repay the loan, Judy employs her as a clerk at the library where she works. Mary reluctantly begins her new job while striking up a romance with Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
street vendor Mustafa (Omar Townsend). The other men in her life are her friends Derrick (Anthony DeSando
Anthony DeSando
Anthony De Sando , also known as Anthony Joseph De Santis, is an American actor. He is of Italian descent, his grandparents were immigrants from the southern Italian regions, they emigrated due to better work opportunities to the United States...
) and Leo (Guillermo Díaz), a DJ in clubs. Things begin to fall apart when she loses her library job and is evicted from her apartment. In the end, Mary decides to study to become a librarian herself but without compromising her own sense of style and happiness. Others in the cast are Donna Mitchell, as the club owner and Liev Schreiber
Liev Schreiber
Isaac Liev Schreiber , commonly known as Liev Schreiber, is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He became known during the late 1990s and early 2000s, having initially appeared in several independent films, and later mainstream Hollywood films, including the Scream trilogy of...
. Liev Schreiber's character proposes to Mary so that he can keep his visa, allowing him to remain in the country. Lady Bunny
Lady Bunny
The Lady Bunny is an American drag queen originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who has lived in New York since the 1980s. She is the founder of the annual Wigstock event and is well-known as a nightclub DJ, promoter and celebrity...
makes a cameo during the opening credits, outside of Mary's house party.
Internet debut
The Internet premiere happened on June 3, 1995, transmitted from Glenn FleishmanGlenn Fleishman
Glenn Fleishman is an American freelance journalist who edits Wi-Fi Networking News, a widely cited early news blog that covers wireless data networking...
's Point of Presence Company (POPCO). Appearing live in the POPCO offices, Parker Posey welcomed Internet viewers and then introduced the film. Fleishman recalled the event:
- I helped launch the first official full-length movie premiere in 1995 in my offices in Seattle. The film was broadcast to several hundred people worldwide over a CU-SeeMeCU-SeeMeCU-SeeMe is an Internet videoconferencing client. CU-SeeMe can make point to point video calls without a server or make multi-point calls through server software first called a "reflector" and later called a "conference server" or Multipoint Control Unit...
reflector at Point of Presence Company's offices in downtown and then a few minutes, it was projected at The Egyptian in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Parker Posey was in our offices to hit the start button on the broadcast. I was one cog in a larger set of wheels that involved the Seattle International Film FestivalSeattle International Film FestivalThe Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
, Film.com (now part of Real Networks), First Look Releasing, and the film's producers, as well as another online development company and a CUSeeMe consultant who also worked for the government down in Texas. The launch was shown on NBC Nightly NewsNBC Nightly NewsNBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
in a five-minute segment on the bottom of the Sunday broadcast that week.
The event was recalled by Quinn:
- I met up with Lucy Mohl on my Grand American Tour of 1995. I had spent the previous three weeks trekking around the states and finally arrived, dazed and confused, in Seattle. I landed on the doorstep of Adam and Tonya Engst, creators of TidBITS, who put me up for the night. No sooner had I settled down when they informed me that we'd be out for the evening, visiting Glenn Fleishman, who had some strange event happening that night. We arrived at Glenn's offices to find the place jam packed with people, including a full TV crew! Anyway, we spent a very enjoyable evening there, totally failing to watch the first live broadcast of a film over the Internet (via CU-SeeMe) and instead spent most of the time talking to Lucy about her pet project, film.com.
Television series
A television show based on the filmParty Girl (TV series)
Party Girl is an American sitcom based on the 1995 film of the same name that aired on Fox in September 1996. The series stars Christine Taylor and Swoosie Kurtz.-Synopsis:...
(with the same name) was produced in 1996. It starred Christine Taylor
Christine Taylor
Christine Taylor-Stiller is an American actress.- Early life :Taylor was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Joan, a homemaker, and Skip Taylor, an owner of a security company. She grew up in neighboring Wescosville, Pennsylvania...
as Mary and Swoosie Kurtz
Swoosie Kurtz
Swoosie Kurtz is an American actress. She began her career in theater during the 1970s and shortly thereafter began a career in television, garnering ten nominations and winning one Emmy Award. Her most famous television project was her role on the 1990s NBC drama Sisters...
as Judy. Although six episodes were filmed, only four were aired and the show was quickly cancelled.