I thought Catherine Hicks made a horrible Anne. The fact that she was a lawyer & not a fashion model made the character a real snoozefest. She also wore the UGLIEST clothes (even for the 1980's) I have ever seen on a character.
shareBarbara Parkins will always be ANNE WELLES. Her beauty is timeless.
shareThe casting was awful in general.
Veronica Hammel as Jennifer? She's an attractive woman, but doesn't have nearly the youthful, buxom, earthy, sex appeal that Sharon Tate had. Hammel was also too intelligent and too OLD (37 at time of filming).
Jeanne Simmons as Helen Lawson? Helen is supposed to be a definitive bitch. Simmons has always been cast sweet, because she is sweet and looks contrived and ridiculous throwing temper tantrums.
Lisa Hartman as Neely? Not spunky enough. Too confident and strong (again like Hammel). Not needy and vulnerable enough.
Also the setting was moved from New York to LA so the entire mood and energy of the novel was changed and lost. There's something very special about the energy of Broadway that can't be recreated.
I'll admit that the filmmakers did a remarkable thing. They made a movie which is actually worse than the original. I didn't think such a thing could be done.
What say there, Fuzzy Britches? Feel like talking?
I just look at it as two different movies.
Dammit Carol Sue, where is the vodka?!
I remember seeing the commercial for this before it ran and I saw Veronica Hamel playing Jennifer North. I had never seen Hill Street Blues so I had no idea who she was but I thought it was the worst casting decision I had seen in any movie or series I had seen to date (then).
http://AManAndAMouse.blogspot.com/