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The Lonely Lady

 

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The Lonely Lady



 
 
The Lonely Lady is a 1983 film
1983 in film

Events*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York...
 directed by Peter Sasdy
Peter Sasdy

Peter Sasdy is a United Kingdom film and television film director.As well as numerous TV credits, notably the Nigel Kneale-scripted The Stone Tape, he directed several horror films for Hammer Studios, including Taste the Blood of Dracula , Countess Dracula and Hands of the Ripper ....
 and adapted to screen by Ellen Shepard from the novel written by Harold Robbins
Harold Robbins

Harold Robbins was an United States author.Robbins, born Harold Rubin in New York City, claimed to be a Jewish orphan raised in a Catholic boys home; actually, he was the son of well-educated Russian and Polish immigrants....
. The original music score was composed by Charlie Calello
Charlie Calello

Charlie Calello is an United States, singer, composer, Conducting and arranger, born in Newark, New JerseyCalello attended Newark Arts High School....
.

lee Randall (Pia Zadora
Pia Zadora

Pia Zadora is an United States actor and singing. After work as a child actress on Broadway, in regional theater and in the film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, she came to national attention in 1981 when, following her starring role in the critically lambasted Butterfly , she won a Golden Globe Award as New Star of the Year....
) is an innocent schoolgirl living in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley

The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in Southern California, United States. More than half of the city of Los Angeles' land area lies within the San Fernando Valley....
 with dreams of becoming a famous screenwriter. Shortly after winning a trophy for her creative writing, she meets the son of a famous screenwriter, Walter Thornton (Lloyd Bochner
Lloyd Bochner

Lloyd Wolfe Bochner was a Canadian actor, also leading man, usually playing the role of cool, suave, rich men....
), at a party.






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Encyclopedia


The Lonely Lady is a 1983 film
1983 in film

Events*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York...
 directed by Peter Sasdy
Peter Sasdy

Peter Sasdy is a United Kingdom film and television film director.As well as numerous TV credits, notably the Nigel Kneale-scripted The Stone Tape, he directed several horror films for Hammer Studios, including Taste the Blood of Dracula , Countess Dracula and Hands of the Ripper ....
 and adapted to screen by Ellen Shepard from the novel written by Harold Robbins
Harold Robbins

Harold Robbins was an United States author.Robbins, born Harold Rubin in New York City, claimed to be a Jewish orphan raised in a Catholic boys home; actually, he was the son of well-educated Russian and Polish immigrants....
. The original music score was composed by Charlie Calello
Charlie Calello

Charlie Calello is an United States, singer, composer, Conducting and arranger, born in Newark, New JerseyCalello attended Newark Arts High School....
.

Plot summary

Jerilee Randall (Pia Zadora
Pia Zadora

Pia Zadora is an United States actor and singing. After work as a child actress on Broadway, in regional theater and in the film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, she came to national attention in 1981 when, following her starring role in the critically lambasted Butterfly , she won a Golden Globe Award as New Star of the Year....
) is an innocent schoolgirl living in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley

The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in Southern California, United States. More than half of the city of Los Angeles' land area lies within the San Fernando Valley....
 with dreams of becoming a famous screenwriter. Shortly after winning a trophy for her creative writing, she meets the son of a famous screenwriter, Walter Thornton (Lloyd Bochner
Lloyd Bochner

Lloyd Wolfe Bochner was a Canadian actor, also leading man, usually playing the role of cool, suave, rich men....
), at a party. She goes home with him, along with some other friends. During a late evening pool party, one of Jerilee's "friends" (Ray Liotta
Ray Liotta

Raymond Liotta is an Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe Award-nominated United States actor....
) sexually assaults
Sexual assault

Sexual assault is is an assault of a sexual nature on another person. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may be by a man on a man, woman on a man or woman on a woman....
 her with a garden hose nozzle. Walter arrives after the assault has taken place and saves her from further attacks. A friendship develops between them, and they soon marry, despite the disapproval of Jerilee's mother (Bibi Besch
Bibi Besch

Bibiana Besch was an Austrian/United States actress....
). The marriage begins to fall apart when she rewrites one of his scripts and improves it greatly (albeit by merely adding the word, "Why?"). Divorce
Divorce

Divorce or dissolution of marriage is a legal process in which a judge or other authority dissolves the bonds of matrimony existing between two persons, thus restoring them to the marital status of being single....
 is inevitable when Walter scorns Jerilee during an argument and accuses her of enjoying having been rape
Rape

Rape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
d.

As the years pass, Jerilee has several love affairs while trying to get her screenplay produced. She uses her sexual charms to pave the way to recognition, with revenge thrown in the end for good measure. Jerilee finally has a nervous breakdown in a sequence where she sees the callous people of her past appear as faces on the keys of her typewriter. The film ends with Jerilee finally successful and winning a prestigious award for her screenplay of a film called the "The Hold-outs". At the live awards telecast, she admits to her ex-husband Walter Thornton that she has never learned "the meaning of self-respect". Jerilee then refuses to accept the award, and walks out of the auditorium with her newfound dignity.

Main cast

  • Pia Zadora
    Pia Zadora

    Pia Zadora is an United States actor and singing. After work as a child actress on Broadway, in regional theater and in the film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, she came to national attention in 1981 when, following her starring role in the critically lambasted Butterfly , she won a Golden Globe Award as New Star of the Year....
     - Jerilee Randall
  • Lloyd Bochner
    Lloyd Bochner

    Lloyd Wolfe Bochner was a Canadian actor, also leading man, usually playing the role of cool, suave, rich men....
     - Walter Thornton
  • Bibi Besch
    Bibi Besch

    Bibiana Besch was an Austrian/United States actress....
     - Veronica Randall
  • Joseph Cali
    Joseph Cali

    Joseph Cali is an US actor.He is most remembered for playing Joey in the 1977 blockbuster movie Saturday Night Fever.Cali is primarily a supporting actor who has appeared in small roles on TV and film like Voices and The Competition with Amy Irving....
     - Vincent Dacosta
  • Anthony Holland - Guy Jackson
  • Jared Martin
    Jared Martin

    Jared Martin is an United States actor, born in Queens, New York on December 21, 1940....
     - George Ballantine
  • Ray Liotta
    Ray Liotta

    Raymond Liotta is an Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe Award-nominated United States actor....
     - Joe Heron


Reception

The Lonely Lady was critically panned, and won a Razzie Award for Worst Picture
Razzie Award for Worst Picture

The Razzie Award for Worst Picture is a penalty given out at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst film of the past year. Following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, including each film's distribution company and producer....
. However, gay TV personality Ian Benardo
Ian Benardo

Ian Benardo is an American homosexual television personality. He rose to prominence after his 2007 appearances on the popular US talent competition television shows American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance as a contestant....
 often cites this movie as his favorite of all time.

Availability

Although the film was available in the past on both VHS
VHS

The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard developed by JVC and launched in Europe and Asia in September 1976, and the United States in June 1977....
 videocassette and laserdisc
Laserdisc

The Laserdisc is an obsolete home video disc format, and was the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially marketed as Discovision in 1978, the technology was licensed and sold as Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Videodisc, 'Laservision, 'Disco-Vision, 'DiscoVision, and MCA DiscoVision...
, it has never been released on DVD
DVD

DVD, also known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc,"is a popular optical disc data storage device media format. Its main uses are video and data storage....
. For that reason, both the videocassette and the laserdisc are somewhat collectible.

External links