Ben Lanzarone, the composer, arranger, musical director and pianist who wrote music for such shows as Dynasty, Happy Days, Mr. Belvedere and The Tracey Ullman Show, has died. He was 85.
Lanzarone died Friday in his Los Angeles home of lung cancer, his family announced.
The Brooklyn native toured with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Art Garfunkel, Mary Travers, Anthony Newley, Petula Clark, Lainie Kazan and Mason Williams and for Broadway served as the musical director on the original 1972-1980 production of Grease and arranger on 1972’s Via Galactica and 1975’s Truckload.
His long association with TV producers Aaron Spelling and Douglas S. Cramer resulted in scores for Dynasty, The Colbys, The Love Boat, Vega$, Matt Houston and Hotel.
And for production companies led by Thomas Miller, Edward Milkis and/or Bob Boyett, he came up with music for episodes of Happy Days (including the one in 1977 when Henry Winkler’s...
Lanzarone died Friday in his Los Angeles home of lung cancer, his family announced.
The Brooklyn native toured with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Art Garfunkel, Mary Travers, Anthony Newley, Petula Clark, Lainie Kazan and Mason Williams and for Broadway served as the musical director on the original 1972-1980 production of Grease and arranger on 1972’s Via Galactica and 1975’s Truckload.
His long association with TV producers Aaron Spelling and Douglas S. Cramer resulted in scores for Dynasty, The Colbys, The Love Boat, Vega$, Matt Houston and Hotel.
And for production companies led by Thomas Miller, Edward Milkis and/or Bob Boyett, he came up with music for episodes of Happy Days (including the one in 1977 when Henry Winkler’s...
- 2/19/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Composer Ben Lanzarone, whose work was featured in television shows such as “Happy Days,” “The Love Boat” and “Dynasty,” died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on Feb. 16. He was 85.
Lanzarone received ASCAP’s “Most Performed Composer Award” for his work composing television scores. He wrote for episodes of “The Tracy Ullman Show,” “The Jay Leno Comedy Hour” and” Mr. Belvedere.” In association with Aaron Spelling and Doug Cramer, he composed many scores for “Dynasty,” “The Love Boat,” “Vegas,” “Matt Houston,” “The Colbys” and “Hotel.” In addition, he wrote the music for numerous episodes of “Happy Days,” “Laverne and Shirley” and “Mork and Mindy.”
Also an arranger, musical director and pianist, Lanzarone became a force in popular music when he began associating with Bob Crewe and Charles Fox. Lanzarone’s album “In Classic Form” came as a result of their collaboration, showing off his talent as a classical and jazz pianist.
Lanzarone received ASCAP’s “Most Performed Composer Award” for his work composing television scores. He wrote for episodes of “The Tracy Ullman Show,” “The Jay Leno Comedy Hour” and” Mr. Belvedere.” In association with Aaron Spelling and Doug Cramer, he composed many scores for “Dynasty,” “The Love Boat,” “Vegas,” “Matt Houston,” “The Colbys” and “Hotel.” In addition, he wrote the music for numerous episodes of “Happy Days,” “Laverne and Shirley” and “Mork and Mindy.”
Also an arranger, musical director and pianist, Lanzarone became a force in popular music when he began associating with Bob Crewe and Charles Fox. Lanzarone’s album “In Classic Form” came as a result of their collaboration, showing off his talent as a classical and jazz pianist.
- 2/19/2024
- by Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
Ben Lanzarone, whose music graced many hit television shows, died Friday in his sleep while battling lung cancer. He was 85 and his death was confirmed by his wife of more than 45 years, actress Ilene Graff.
Lanzarone was honored with the ASCAP’s Most-Performed Underscore Award in 1986. His compositions were used in many iconic TV shows from the ’70s,’80s & ’90s, including The Love Boat, Happy Days, Dynasty, Mork and Mindy, and Laverne and Shirley, among others.
Lanzarone and Graff met on the set of Grease, where he worked on the music video for Summer Nights. They later worked together on Mr. Belvedere, where Ilene played Marsha Cameron Owens for 118 episodes.
He is survived by his wife and a daughter, Nikka. No information on memorial plans was available.
Lanzarone was honored with the ASCAP’s Most-Performed Underscore Award in 1986. His compositions were used in many iconic TV shows from the ’70s,’80s & ’90s, including The Love Boat, Happy Days, Dynasty, Mork and Mindy, and Laverne and Shirley, among others.
Lanzarone and Graff met on the set of Grease, where he worked on the music video for Summer Nights. They later worked together on Mr. Belvedere, where Ilene played Marsha Cameron Owens for 118 episodes.
He is survived by his wife and a daughter, Nikka. No information on memorial plans was available.
- 2/18/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Mr. Belvedere was an ABC sitcom that aired from 1985-1990. The series centered around an English butler who takes a job working for an American family in suburban Pittsburgh.
The TV show was based on the 1947 novel Belvedere by Gwen Davenport. The novel was turned into a film in 1948, Sitting Pretty, and its two sequels, Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949) and Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951).
The series was never a huge hit but did well enough to last five seasons.
What was ‘Mr. Belvedere’ about?
1of2: Calling all Mr. Belvedere fans: My tv fam was set to travel east this month to take part in a meet and greet event. We did one earlier this year in L.A. It was great and v humbling to meet so many people who enjoyed our show. pic.twitter.com/Sp2ISBUUuA
— Rob Stone (@robstonetennis) May 9, 2020
The show’s dad, George Owens,...
The TV show was based on the 1947 novel Belvedere by Gwen Davenport. The novel was turned into a film in 1948, Sitting Pretty, and its two sequels, Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949) and Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951).
The series was never a huge hit but did well enough to last five seasons.
What was ‘Mr. Belvedere’ about?
1of2: Calling all Mr. Belvedere fans: My tv fam was set to travel east this month to take part in a meet and greet event. We did one earlier this year in L.A. It was great and v humbling to meet so many people who enjoyed our show. pic.twitter.com/Sp2ISBUUuA
— Rob Stone (@robstonetennis) May 9, 2020
The show’s dad, George Owens,...
- 3/14/2023
- by Stacy Feintuch
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Christopher Hewett starred as Mr. Belvedere in the ABC sitcom of the same name that ran from 1985 to 1990.
Gwen Davenport created the character for her 1947 novel Belvedere. It was later adapted into the 1948 film Sitting Pretty and its two sequels, Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949) and Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951).
There were a few attempts to turn the popular movie into a series in the 1950s and 1960s, but they were unsuccessful until the 1985 version became a midseason replacement on ABC.
Who was Christopher Hewett?
Mr. Belvedere starring Christopher Hewett debuted on tv's today back in 1985. The ABC series ran from March 15, 1985, to July 8, 1990 airing a total of 117 episodes. Baseball fans will also recognize former MLB'er Bob Uecker. #80s #80stv pic.twitter.com/h6wYAhE5Vb
— LandOfThe80s (@landofthe80s) March 15, 2020
Hewett was born in Worthing, Sussex. He made his stage debut at just 7 years old in a Dublin...
Gwen Davenport created the character for her 1947 novel Belvedere. It was later adapted into the 1948 film Sitting Pretty and its two sequels, Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949) and Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951).
There were a few attempts to turn the popular movie into a series in the 1950s and 1960s, but they were unsuccessful until the 1985 version became a midseason replacement on ABC.
Who was Christopher Hewett?
Mr. Belvedere starring Christopher Hewett debuted on tv's today back in 1985. The ABC series ran from March 15, 1985, to July 8, 1990 airing a total of 117 episodes. Baseball fans will also recognize former MLB'er Bob Uecker. #80s #80stv pic.twitter.com/h6wYAhE5Vb
— LandOfThe80s (@landofthe80s) March 15, 2020
Hewett was born in Worthing, Sussex. He made his stage debut at just 7 years old in a Dublin...
- 3/14/2023
- by Stacy Feintuch
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Maureen Arthur, an actress best remembered for her performance as secretary Hedy La Rue in Broadway’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and its 1967 screen adaptation, died June 15 of natural causes in Beverly Hills. She was 88.
Arthur’s friend, the actor Ilene Graff, announced the news on Facebook. “The world is a little less sparkly without her,” wrote Graff, “but I am so glad I got to be her friend. Her memory will definitely be a blessing.”
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
Although her signature role arrived in the early ’60s with her scene-stealing performance on Broadway in How To Succeed…, she quickly became a familiar presence on television. Bachelor Father, Perry Mason and I Spy were a few of her early credits before Arthur moved more consistently to comedy: By the mid-1960s, she was guesting on Get Smart, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies,...
Arthur’s friend, the actor Ilene Graff, announced the news on Facebook. “The world is a little less sparkly without her,” wrote Graff, “but I am so glad I got to be her friend. Her memory will definitely be a blessing.”
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
Although her signature role arrived in the early ’60s with her scene-stealing performance on Broadway in How To Succeed…, she quickly became a familiar presence on television. Bachelor Father, Perry Mason and I Spy were a few of her early credits before Arthur moved more consistently to comedy: By the mid-1960s, she was guesting on Get Smart, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies,...
- 6/21/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Maureen Arthur, the TV, film and stage actress best known for her role of dim-witted Hedy La Rue in the 1967 musical-comedy, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” died June 15 of natural causes. She was 88.
“I can’t overstate how important she was to me,” her friend actress Ilene Graff (“Heart of Dixie”) announced on Facebook Monday. “Her amazing talent and skill were only a small part of who she was. A tireless advocate for children in need, especially those with physical, emotional and/or intellectual challenges, she helped raise countless millions of dollars for them.”
The San Jose, California, native was a staple on television and in films in the late ’50s through the 1970s, appearing in such well-know series as “Perry Mason,” “The Monkees,” “The Flying Nun,” “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,” “Sanford and Son,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Mork & Mindy” and “Murder, She Wrote.”
Also Read:
Mark Shields,...
“I can’t overstate how important she was to me,” her friend actress Ilene Graff (“Heart of Dixie”) announced on Facebook Monday. “Her amazing talent and skill were only a small part of who she was. A tireless advocate for children in need, especially those with physical, emotional and/or intellectual challenges, she helped raise countless millions of dollars for them.”
The San Jose, California, native was a staple on television and in films in the late ’50s through the 1970s, appearing in such well-know series as “Perry Mason,” “The Monkees,” “The Flying Nun,” “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,” “Sanford and Son,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Mork & Mindy” and “Murder, She Wrote.”
Also Read:
Mark Shields,...
- 6/21/2022
- by Rosemary Rossi
- The Wrap
Two legendary actresses died on this day in history:
Charita Bauer (1985) and Mary Stuart (2002)."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1968: On Dark Shadows, Reverend Trask (Jerry Lacy) returned to his room with Victoria's belongings. Suddenly he heard chains rattling outside his room and called out, "Who is it?" He opened the door, but no one was there. He heard a woman's scream and ran back into his room and bolted the door, but he continued to hear the chains. Then Barnabas' voice called out to him, and again he shouted,...
Charita Bauer (1985) and Mary Stuart (2002)."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1968: On Dark Shadows, Reverend Trask (Jerry Lacy) returned to his room with Victoria's belongings. Suddenly he heard chains rattling outside his room and called out, "Who is it?" He opened the door, but no one was there. He heard a woman's scream and ran back into his room and bolted the door, but he continued to hear the chains. Then Barnabas' voice called out to him, and again he shouted,...
- 3/1/2019
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
Two legendary actresses died on this day in history:
Charita Bauer (1985) and Mary Stuart (2002)."Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."
― Machiavelli
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1968: On Dark Shadows, Reverend Trask (Jerry Lacy) returned to his room with Victoria's belongings. Suddenly he heard chains rattling outside his room and called out, "Who is it?" He opened the door, but no one was there.
Charita Bauer (1985) and Mary Stuart (2002)."Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."
― Machiavelli
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1968: On Dark Shadows, Reverend Trask (Jerry Lacy) returned to his room with Victoria's belongings. Suddenly he heard chains rattling outside his room and called out, "Who is it?" He opened the door, but no one was there.
- 2/28/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
On Saturday, March 8 2pm amp 730pm the Scripps Research Institute Auditorium will host a special concert performance of the the Maltby and Shire musical Baby, benefitting Miracle Babies. The special event will feature original Broadway cast member Liz Callaway, along with Richard Kind, Ilene Graff, Douglas Sills, Kerry O'Malley, Thomas C. Kouo, Sue Goodman, Ashley Fox Linton, Julie Garnye, Melissa Lone, Heidi Meyer, Jason Graae, Tim Nelson, David Zack, Warren Sheir, and vocal swing Parnia Ayari.
- 1/30/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Among the over 300 individuals who gathered this week to honor the late PR Icon, Dale Olson, with an exhibit at the Hollywood Museum and former offices of make-up wizard, Max Factor, included Ruta Lee, Valerie Harper, Garry Marshall, George Schlatter, JoAnne Worley, Kate Linder, Jackie Joseph, Patricia Barry, Ann Jeffreys, Barbra Van Orden, Theodore Bikel, Ilene Graff, Ben Lanzarone, Leonard Maltin, Renee Taylor, Karen Sharpe-Kramer, Martin Wiviott, Hunter and Stan Frieberg. Scroll below for photos from the event.
- 9/29/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Lily Tomlin, Joanne Worley, Carole Cook, Bruce Vilanch along with filmmaker and multi Tony-winning Director and Producer, Dori Berinstein all gathered on one stage to salute a star, an icon and a legend - Ms. Carol Channing. On Wednesday night, the Paley Center featured these incredible talents as well as gathering many more in the audience for the Los Angeles premiere screening of Carol Channing Larger Than Life. The panel members, who also appear in the critically acclaimed documentary, gathered with other friends, colleagues and fans of the woman who has been dubbed, and deservingly so, The First Lady of Musical Theatre. Seen among those in attendance were a who's who of Tony, Oscar, Emmy amp Golden Globe award winners including George Chakiris, Charles Fox, Davis Gaines, Ilene Graff, Tippi Hedren, Michael Learned, Kate Linder, Julie Newmar, Connie Stevens, Ruta Lee, Rose Marie, Richard Skipper, Barbara Van Orden, Dee Wallace and co-producer,...
- 1/23/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
As reported last month by LookToTheStars.org, Young and the Restless star Kate Linder has announced she will hold her first annual Celebrity Charity Gala in Hollywood on February 11. She has now announced some of her celebrity friends who will join her.
The event aims to raise funds for the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Als Association, and will be attended by Young and the Restless cast members Wilson Bethel [Ryder Callahan], Hayley Erin [Abby Carlton], Stacy Haiduk [Emily Peterson/Patty Williams], Sean Kanan [Deacon Sharpe], Vanessa Marano [Eden], Michelle Stafford [Phyllis Summers Newman], and Yvonne Zima [Daisy]. Other celebrities include Alison Arngrim [Little House on the Prairie], Romi Dames [Hannah Montana], Bruce Davison [Longtime Companion], actress Ilene Graff, actress Q’orianka Kilcher, Rj Mitte [Breaking Bad], actress Lorielle New, Kevin Sorbo [Hercules], comedian Rip Taylor and actress Dee Wallace.
The gala includes a gourmet dinner with the stars, live entertainment and a live auction.
Read more...
The event aims to raise funds for the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Als Association, and will be attended by Young and the Restless cast members Wilson Bethel [Ryder Callahan], Hayley Erin [Abby Carlton], Stacy Haiduk [Emily Peterson/Patty Williams], Sean Kanan [Deacon Sharpe], Vanessa Marano [Eden], Michelle Stafford [Phyllis Summers Newman], and Yvonne Zima [Daisy]. Other celebrities include Alison Arngrim [Little House on the Prairie], Romi Dames [Hannah Montana], Bruce Davison [Longtime Companion], actress Ilene Graff, actress Q’orianka Kilcher, Rj Mitte [Breaking Bad], actress Lorielle New, Kevin Sorbo [Hercules], comedian Rip Taylor and actress Dee Wallace.
The gala includes a gourmet dinner with the stars, live entertainment and a live auction.
Read more...
- 1/19/2010
- Look to the Stars
I'd been acting for many years, and had reached the point where something had to give. Not only was the pavement pounded—it was ground to a fine powder. I was willing to make one last big effort, and go out with a bang, so to speak. More like the Big Bang—giving birth to something huge—than "Bang Bang, You're Dead." Making a feature film could be just that: One that I wrote and in which I appeared as the lead. I've made some short films. Now I'd finally written a feature-length screenplay, "The Things We Carry." I hadn't intended to write such a personal story. It started out as one thing, and by the time I was done with it—years later—it had morphed from a narrative casually influenced by my experiences to one that was unequivocally inspired by my life. While there's still plenty of fictionalization and dramatization,...
- 10/16/2009
- backstage.com
The Suite Life of Zach and Cody's Kim Rhodes will Host this one night only event as a number of celebrated Broadway veterans including Mary Jo Catlett, Carole Cook, Jason Graae, Ilene Graff, Sam Harris, as well as students from Creative Planet School of the Arts (www.cpsoa.org) will be joining Carol Channing as they gather together for a one night only event at UCLA's Royce Hall for the purpose of raising money and awareness with regard to the need for arts in the public school system. Exposure to the arts in school, builds self-confidence, self-discipline and teamwork. And, ultimately these things create better, safer schools for our children. "You and I don't need to save the arts. We need to help the arts save our children," says Carol.
- 9/10/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Here’s a list of some of the new movie and TV shows coming to DVD and Blu-ray this week that we’re looking forward to seeing. Also, there’s some classic, and not-so-classic, movies hitting Blu-ray for the first time this week as well.
Of all the new releases, we’re particularly interested in the Blu-ray versions of movies like Silverado, Dead Calm and The Quick and the Dead as well as Fringe Season One also on the Blu-ray.
Check them out.
Movies
Bedknobs and Broomsticks ~ Angela Lansbury, Roddy McDowall (DVD)
Catwoman ~ Halle Berry (Blu-ray)
Crank 2: High Voltage ~ Jason Statham, Amy Smart, David Carradine (DVD and Blu-ray)
Creepshow ~ Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen (Blu-ray)
Dead Calm ~ Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, Billy Zane (Blu-ray)
Requiem for a Dream ~ Billy Crudup, Jennifer Connelly (Blu-ray)
Freddy vs. Jason ~ Robert Englund, Monica Keena (Blu-ray)
Friday ~ Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long (Blu-ray)
Halloween...
Of all the new releases, we’re particularly interested in the Blu-ray versions of movies like Silverado, Dead Calm and The Quick and the Dead as well as Fringe Season One also on the Blu-ray.
Check them out.
Movies
Bedknobs and Broomsticks ~ Angela Lansbury, Roddy McDowall (DVD)
Catwoman ~ Halle Berry (Blu-ray)
Crank 2: High Voltage ~ Jason Statham, Amy Smart, David Carradine (DVD and Blu-ray)
Creepshow ~ Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen (Blu-ray)
Dead Calm ~ Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, Billy Zane (Blu-ray)
Requiem for a Dream ~ Billy Crudup, Jennifer Connelly (Blu-ray)
Freddy vs. Jason ~ Robert Englund, Monica Keena (Blu-ray)
Friday ~ Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long (Blu-ray)
Halloween...
- 9/9/2009
- by Joe Gillis
- The Flickcast
Cabaret at the Castle has chosen Grammy-nominated recording artist, television and Broadway star, Ilene Graff, to appear in celebration of 100th anniversary of the structure known today as the Magic Castle. Accompanied by her Musical Director-husband Ben Lanzarone, Graff performs songs from Broadway, the movies and the pop world with completely unique interpretations and arrangements. From Harold Arlen to the Beatles, the Bergmans to Sondheim, you?ve never heard these songs sung the way Ilene does. Graff?s career started on Broadway, performing in Promises, Promises, the original production of Grease (Sandy), and in the original cast of Cy Coleman and Michael Stewart?s I Love My Wife, creating the role of Cleo. Feeling honored that he tailored it to her specific talents, Ilene reprises ?her very own Cy Coleman song,? Love Revolution in her show, as well as pieces from Grease, Porgy and Bess, Gypsy and many others. First...
- 8/29/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Cabaret at the Castle (www.magiccastle.com) has chosen Grammy-nominated recording artist, television and Broadway star, Ilene Graff (www.ilenegraff.com), to appear in celebration of 100th anniversary of the structure known today as the Magic Castle. Accompanied by her Musical Director-husband Ben Lanzarone, Graff performs songs from Broadway, the movies and the pop world with completely unique interpretations and arrangements. From Harold Arlen to the Beatles, the Bergmans to Sondheim, you've never heard these songs sung the way Ilene does. Graff's career started on Broadway, performing in Promises, Promises, the original production of Grease (Sandy), and in the original cast of Cy Coleman and Michael Stewart's I Love My Wife, creating the role of Cleo. Feeling honored that he tailored it to her specific talents, Ilene reprises ?her very own Cy Coleman song,? Love Revolution in her show, as well as pieces from Grease, Porgy and Bess, Gypsy and many others.
- 7/23/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Frank Dungan and Jeff Stein's Mr. Belvedere (1985-1990) entertained a large audience last six seasons. Mr. Belvedere is the story of Gwen Davenport's 1947 novel of the same name. Christopher Hewett plays the role of Mr. Belvedere in the show.
Mr. Belvedere is a much traveled British gentleman who comes down to the Owens household and settles there in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pa. Finding an advertisement of a housekeeping job placed by mother Marsha (played by Ilene Graff), Mr. Belvedere replies to it and manages to bag the job. But he is much discouraged by father George (played by Bob Uecker) and inspired by ultimate enrapture of children Kevin (played by Rob Stone), Heat....
Mr. Belvedere is a much traveled British gentleman who comes down to the Owens household and settles there in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pa. Finding an advertisement of a housekeeping job placed by mother Marsha (played by Ilene Graff), Mr. Belvedere replies to it and manages to bag the job. But he is much discouraged by father George (played by Bob Uecker) and inspired by ultimate enrapture of children Kevin (played by Rob Stone), Heat....
- 3/16/2009
- by Sumana
- Celeb9.com
A peroxided Rodney Dangerfield presses his girlfriend's teenage son into cross-dressing in ''Ladybugs, '' a typical vehicle for the comedian that should duplicate the appeal of his previous efforts. It's amazing how many touchy issues Dangerfield can joke about without ever being offensive, and the comedian's likability is the primary appeal of this low-budget feature.
Dangerfield is Chester Lee, a salesman who needs a raise if he's going to marry his fiancee Bess (Ilene Graff). Desperate to impress his boss, Dave Mullen (Tom Parks), Chester agrees to coach the company-sponsored girls championship soccer team, which turns out to be undergoing a rebuilding year with a bunch of hapless neophytes.
Chester and his secretary Julia (Jackee) try managing from a how-to book with no success and, in desperation, Chester pressures Matthew (Jonathan Brandis), Bess's antagonistic, athletic and androgynous-looking son, into dressing up as a girl and playing on the team.
The film essentially plays out every complication this causes -- Chester even finds himself in drag when he has to rescue Matthew from the team's skinny-dipping pool party -- taking care to assert and reassert Chester and Matthew's heterosexuality along the way (Matthew is in love with one of his teammates, Mullen's daughter Kim, played by Vinessa Shaw).
The action occasionally comes to a complete halt while Dangerfield does a mini-standup routine, and the comedian has an uncanny knack of milking laughs from even the most familiar gags. He is a fine identification figure for suburban everyman, trying to grab a modest piece of the pie while trying to hold on to the last, torn shreds of his dignity.
Still, the film has some weird, if unspoken, sexual implications. Every man in the film is intimidated by women and the cross-dressing scenes have a panicky tone. Most of this is buried by the laughs, but it's there all the same.
LADYBUGS
PARAMOUNT
A Ruddy & Morgan Production
Producers Albert S. Ruddy, Andre E. Morgan
Director Sidney J. Furie
Writer Curtis Burch
Director of photography Dan Burstall
Production designer Robb Wilson King
Editors John W. Wheeler, A.C.E., Timothy N. Board
Music Richard Gibbs
Casting Mike Fenton, C.S.A., Valorie Massalas
Color/Dolby
Chester Lee Rodney Dangerfield
Julie Benson Jackee
Matthew Jonathan Brandis
Bess Ilene Graff
Kimberly Vinessa Shaw
Dave Mullen Jeanetta Arnette
Running time -- 89 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
Dangerfield is Chester Lee, a salesman who needs a raise if he's going to marry his fiancee Bess (Ilene Graff). Desperate to impress his boss, Dave Mullen (Tom Parks), Chester agrees to coach the company-sponsored girls championship soccer team, which turns out to be undergoing a rebuilding year with a bunch of hapless neophytes.
Chester and his secretary Julia (Jackee) try managing from a how-to book with no success and, in desperation, Chester pressures Matthew (Jonathan Brandis), Bess's antagonistic, athletic and androgynous-looking son, into dressing up as a girl and playing on the team.
The film essentially plays out every complication this causes -- Chester even finds himself in drag when he has to rescue Matthew from the team's skinny-dipping pool party -- taking care to assert and reassert Chester and Matthew's heterosexuality along the way (Matthew is in love with one of his teammates, Mullen's daughter Kim, played by Vinessa Shaw).
The action occasionally comes to a complete halt while Dangerfield does a mini-standup routine, and the comedian has an uncanny knack of milking laughs from even the most familiar gags. He is a fine identification figure for suburban everyman, trying to grab a modest piece of the pie while trying to hold on to the last, torn shreds of his dignity.
Still, the film has some weird, if unspoken, sexual implications. Every man in the film is intimidated by women and the cross-dressing scenes have a panicky tone. Most of this is buried by the laughs, but it's there all the same.
LADYBUGS
PARAMOUNT
A Ruddy & Morgan Production
Producers Albert S. Ruddy, Andre E. Morgan
Director Sidney J. Furie
Writer Curtis Burch
Director of photography Dan Burstall
Production designer Robb Wilson King
Editors John W. Wheeler, A.C.E., Timothy N. Board
Music Richard Gibbs
Casting Mike Fenton, C.S.A., Valorie Massalas
Color/Dolby
Chester Lee Rodney Dangerfield
Julie Benson Jackee
Matthew Jonathan Brandis
Bess Ilene Graff
Kimberly Vinessa Shaw
Dave Mullen Jeanetta Arnette
Running time -- 89 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 3/28/1992
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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