The Entertainer (1976)
Directed by Donald Wrye
Genres - Drama |
Sub-Genres - Family Drama, Showbiz Drama |
Release Date - Mar 10, 1976 (USA - Unknown) |
Run Time - 105 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
This Americanized remake of John Osborne's play changes the locale from a seedy British amusement pier to an equally seedy burlesque house in Santa Cruz, California. Jack Lemmon assumes the Laurence Olivier role as Archie Rice, a third-rate entertainer who's a failure but won't admit it. Selfishly feeding his own ego, Archie destroys the lives of those around him, including his long-suffering wife (Sada Thompson), his formerly famous father (Ray Bolger) and his disenfranchised grown children. This made-for-TV film is set in the 1940s to allow for several period-flavor tunes by Marvin Hamlisch, the best of which is the jaunty "Honolulu Lulu".
Characteristics
Themes
Keywords
entertainer, father, parent/child-relationship, vaudeville, wife, playwright