Splendor in the Grass (1981 film)
Encyclopedia
Splendor in the Grass is a 1981
television film directed by Richard C. Sarafian
. The film is a remake of the 1961 film of the same name
, written by William Inge
and starring Natalie Wood
and Warren Beatty
.
Meanwhile, Bud desires to have sex with his girlfriend and is frustrated she is determined to wait. Not wanting to wait his entire teen life, he considers sleeping with one of the promiscuous
girls of the town. He is unhappy at home and is fighting all the time with his father Ace. He wants his son to go to Yale University
, but Bud is more interested in settling with Deanie and own a ranch. Meanwhile, Deanie is driven mad by her mother and is on the edge of a nervous breakdown
.
The film also focusses on Ginny, Bud's younger sister who uses her looks to get what she wants. At one moment, Deanie, who is seeing a psychiatrist to work on her mental problems, finds out Bud is cheating on her.
was initially set to star in the remake of Miracle on 34th Street
, which also starred Natalie Wood
. In 1981 she landed in the role of Deanie Loomis, a remake of a 1961 film, starring Wood. It was one of her first 'meaty roles'. Gilbert, only 17-year-old by the time, started dating co-star Cyril O'Reilly
while filming. She eventually lost her virginity to him on the last day of filming.
The film was received with mixed reviews and it was much criticized for remaking the film scene for scene. The New York Times
criticized the plot, for having no conclusions. The critic praised the performances of both Gilbert and O'Reilly and called the direction of Richard C. Sarafian
'sensitively unobtrusive'. Gilbert was nominated for a Young Artist Award
in the category 'Best Young Actress in a Television Special'. She lost the award to Dana Hill
for her portrayal of a lonely kid in Fallen Angel
(1981).
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
television film directed by Richard C. Sarafian
Richard C. Sarafian
Richard C. Sarafian is an Armenian-American TV and film director. Richard Sarafian has complied a versatile career that has spanned over five decades as a director, actor and writer. He is most popular for his film Vanishing Point . He is the father of: Richard Sarafian Jr., Tedi Sarafian, Damon B...
. The film is a remake of the 1961 film of the same name
Splendor in the Grass
Splendor in the Grass is a 1961 romantic drama film that tells a story of sexual repression, love, heartbreak, and manic-depression, which the character Deanie suffers from...
, written by William Inge
William Inge
William Motter Inge was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s, he had a string of memorable Broadway productions, and one of these, Picnic, earned him a Pulitzer Prize...
and starring Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko was an American film and television actress. After first working in films as a child, Wood became a successful Hollywood star as a young adult, receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old.Wood began acting in movies at the...
and Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty born March 30, 1937) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He has received a total of fourteen Academy Award nominations, winning one for Best Director in 1982. He has also won four Golden Globe Awards including the Cecil B. DeMille Award.-Early life and...
.
Plot
The film takes place in the Pre-Depression era in Kansas. Deanie Loomis and Bud Stamper are a high school couple, being pressured by the enforced rules. Especially Deanie's oldfashioned mother is against their relationship, warning her daughter he only wants to sleep with her. She fears her daughter will eventually go all the way with him, after which he loses his respect for her.Meanwhile, Bud desires to have sex with his girlfriend and is frustrated she is determined to wait. Not wanting to wait his entire teen life, he considers sleeping with one of the promiscuous
Promiscuity
In humans, promiscuity refers to less discriminating casual sex with many sexual partners. The term carries a moral or religious judgement and is viewed in the context of the mainstream social ideal for sexual activity to take place within exclusive committed relationships...
girls of the town. He is unhappy at home and is fighting all the time with his father Ace. He wants his son to go to Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, but Bud is more interested in settling with Deanie and own a ranch. Meanwhile, Deanie is driven mad by her mother and is on the edge of a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
.
The film also focusses on Ginny, Bud's younger sister who uses her looks to get what she wants. At one moment, Deanie, who is seeing a psychiatrist to work on her mental problems, finds out Bud is cheating on her.
Cast
- Melissa GilbertMelissa GilbertMelissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, writer, and producer, primarily in movies and television. Gilbert is best known as a child actress who co-starred as Charles Ingalls's second daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the dramatic television series Little House on the Prairie...
as Wilma Dean 'Deanie' Loomis - Cyril O'ReillyCyril O'Reilly (Actor)Cyril O'Reilly is an American film and television actor, writer and producer.O'Reilly was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Harriet O'Reilly. He has worked in Hollywood for nearly three decades, and is known for his role as a reluctant vampire in Dance of the Damned, and for his role as...
as Bud Stamper - Ned BeattyNed BeattyNed Thomas Beatty is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 films and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Golden Globe Award; won a Drama Desk Award....
as Ace Stamper - Eva Marie SaintEva Marie SaintEva Marie Saint is an American actress who has starred in films, on Broadway, and on television in a career spanning seven decades. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama film On the Waterfront , and later starred in the thriller film North by...
as Mrs. Loomis - Michelle PfeifferMichelle PfeifferMichelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
as Ginny Stamper - Todd Elliot as Bill Brown
- Gail Rice as Terry Smith
- Macon McCalman as Del Loomis
- Richard McKenzie as Doc Smiley
- Jim YoungsJim YoungsJim Youngs is an American actor. Youngs was born in Old Bethpage, New York, the brother of actor John Savage, actress/producer Gail Youngs, and journalist/producer/director Robin Young.-Career:...
as Alan 'Toots' Tuttle - Nicholas PryorNicholas PryorNicholas Pryor is an American film and television actor.Pryor was born Nicholas David Probst in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Dorothy and J. Stanley Probst, a pharmaceutical manufacturer....
as Dr. Judd - Toni KalemToni KalemToni Kalem is an American actress, screenwriter and director. Kalem is best known for her portrayal of Angie Bonpensiero on the HBO series, The Sopranos....
as Angelina - Graham JarvisGraham JarvisGraham Jarvis was a Canadian character actor in US films and TV from the 1960s.Born in Toronto, Jarvis attended Williams College before moving to New York to pursue a career in theater...
as Dean Pollard - Doran ClarkDoran ClarkDoran Clark is an American actress. Her film and television credits include Black Eagle , Passport to Paris , numerous appearances on Perry Mason, Matlock, an appearance on an episode of MacGyver called "The Heist," several episodes of "Murder, She Wrote,as well as many starring and supporting...
as Juanita Howard - K CallanK CallanK Callan is an American actress known for playing Clark Kent's mother Martha in the ABC television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman....
as Miss Metcalf
Background
Melissa GilbertMelissa Gilbert
Melissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, writer, and producer, primarily in movies and television. Gilbert is best known as a child actress who co-starred as Charles Ingalls's second daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the dramatic television series Little House on the Prairie...
was initially set to star in the remake of Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street is a 1947 Christmas film written by George Seaton from a story by Valentine Davies, directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn...
, which also starred Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko was an American film and television actress. After first working in films as a child, Wood became a successful Hollywood star as a young adult, receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old.Wood began acting in movies at the...
. In 1981 she landed in the role of Deanie Loomis, a remake of a 1961 film, starring Wood. It was one of her first 'meaty roles'. Gilbert, only 17-year-old by the time, started dating co-star Cyril O'Reilly
Cyril O'Reilly (Actor)
Cyril O'Reilly is an American film and television actor, writer and producer.O'Reilly was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Harriet O'Reilly. He has worked in Hollywood for nearly three decades, and is known for his role as a reluctant vampire in Dance of the Damned, and for his role as...
while filming. She eventually lost her virginity to him on the last day of filming.
The film was received with mixed reviews and it was much criticized for remaking the film scene for scene. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
criticized the plot, for having no conclusions. The critic praised the performances of both Gilbert and O'Reilly and called the direction of Richard C. Sarafian
Richard C. Sarafian
Richard C. Sarafian is an Armenian-American TV and film director. Richard Sarafian has complied a versatile career that has spanned over five decades as a director, actor and writer. He is most popular for his film Vanishing Point . He is the father of: Richard Sarafian Jr., Tedi Sarafian, Damon B...
'sensitively unobtrusive'. Gilbert was nominated for a Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
in the category 'Best Young Actress in a Television Special'. She lost the award to Dana Hill
Dana Hill
Dana Hill was an American actress and voice actor with a raspy voice and childlike appearance, which allowed her to play adolescent roles into her 30s...
for her portrayal of a lonely kid in Fallen Angel
Fallen Angel (1981 film)
Fallen Angel is a 1981 made-for-TV film directed by Robert Michael Lewis and written by Lew Hunter, exploring pedophilia and starring Dana Hill, Melinda Dillon, Richard Masur and Ronny Cox. It is a Green/Epstein Production in association with Columbia Pictures Television...
(1981).