79 Park Avenue

Last updated
79 Park Avenue
Based on 79 Park Avenue
by Harold Robbins
Developed byRichard De Roy
Written by
  • Richard De Roy
  • Jack Guss
  • Lionel E. Siegel
Directed by Paul Wendkos
Starring
Composer Nelson Riddle
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producer George Eckstein
Producer Paul Wendkos
CinematographyEnzo A. Martinelli
Editors
  • Robert F. Shugrue
  • Rod Stephens
Production companies
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseOctober 16 (1977-10-16) 
October 18, 1977 (1977-10-18)

79 Park Avenue, also known as Harold Robbins' 79 Park Avenue, is an American drama television miniseries developed and co-written by Richard De Roy, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by Harold Robbins. The miniseries stars Lesley Ann Warren as Marja Fludjicki, a poor but beautiful girl who is forced into prostitution despite sincere efforts to make a living and ultimately becomes New York City's most famous madam. It also stars Marc Singer and David Dukes.

Contents

Directed and produced by Paul Wendkos, the miniseries premiered on NBC on October 16, 1977, and concluded on October 18, 1977. Warren received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for her performance.

Cast

Starring
Guest stars
Co-starring

Production

It stars Lesley Ann Warren as a prostitute and Marc Singer as a gangster struggling to survive in the 1930s. David Dukes, Barbara Barrie, Raymond Burr, and Polly Bergen co-starred. [1] [2] [3] [4]

The teleplay was split among three writers, with Richard DeRoy doing the first part, Jack Guss the second, and Lionel E. Siegel the third. [5]

Reception

The show was a ratings success. Part I (which debuted on Sunday October 16, 1977) was the 10th most watched show in the United States for the week (22.3 rating, 16.3 million homes) [6] and the ratings momentum jumped for the last two installments. Part II (Monday, October 17, 1977) was the second-most watched primetime show for the following week (29.9 rating, 21.8 million homes), and Part III (Tuesday October 18) was third. (27.7 rating, 20.2 million homes). [7]

The critical reviews of the series were not positive, but not overly vicious, recognizing the series for what it was and no more. Tom Shales of The Washington Post called the series a "laughable tawdry throwback to movie eyebrow raisers of the '50s, though without any of their appealingly cheap panache. Television loves to raise the subject of sex and then avoid it like the plague." [8] Joan Hanauer of UPI described the series as "what is usually called a 'woman's show'", meaning, "the romance is unrealistically sentimental and the moral tone is high, which in no way interferes with depicting the sleaziest kind of sex." She found the second installment to be strongest of the three. [9]

And although he credited the performances of the lead actors, John J. O'Connor of The New York Times was also underwhelmed by the series, calling it an "already tired story ... manufactured for mass consumption with all of the artistic concern afforded a can of baked beans." [10] O'Connor's year end review of 1977 television referred to 79 Park Avenue and Aspen as "dumb pot-boilers" which "tarnished considerably" the "promising concept of mini-series." [11]

That the series might be somewhat controversial due to the sexual nature of the story was known from the beginning. Executive Producer George Eckstein admitted "broadcasting standards people got very apprehensive when it was announced that this property was going to be on TV." [12] And when Fred Silverman took over at NBC in June 1978, he promised to stop lurid programming like 79 Park Avenue. Silverman stopped plans for a sequel to the miniseries [13] and also halted a planned rerun in 1979. [14]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryRecipientResultRef.
1978 35th Golden Globe Awards Best Television Actress – Drama Series Lesley Ann Warren Won [15]
30th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama or Comedy Series Yvonne Wood Nominated [16]

Related Research Articles

<i>Survivors</i> (1975 TV series) British TV drama series (1975–1977)

Survivors is a British post-apocalyptic fiction drama television series created by Terry Nation and produced by Terence Dudley at the BBC, that broadcast from 1975 to 1977. It concerns the plight of a group of people who have survived an apocalyptic plague pandemic, which was accidentally released by a Chinese scientist and quickly spread across the world via air travel. Referred to as "The Death", the plague kills approximately 4,999 out of every 5,000 human beings on the planet within a matter of weeks of being released.

A miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. "Limited series" is a more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. As of 2021, the popularity of miniseries format has increased in both streaming services and broadcast television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Savitch</span> American television news reporter (1947–1983)

Jessica Beth Savitch was an American television journalist who was the weekend anchor of NBC Nightly News and daily newsreader for NBC News during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Savitch was one of the first women to anchor an evening network newscast alone, following in the footsteps of Marlene Sanders of ABC News and Catherine Mackin of NBC News. She also hosted PBS's public affairs program Frontline from its January 1983 debut until her death in a car crash the following October.

<i>Masada</i> (miniseries) 1981 American television historical drama miniseries

Masada is an American television miniseries that aired on ABC in April 1981. Advertised by the network as an "ABC Novel for Television," the TV series' script is based on the 1971 novel The Antagonists by Ernest Gann, with a screenplay written by Joel Oliansky. It tells a fictionalized account of the historical siege of the Masada citadel in Israel by legions of the Roman Empire in AD 73. The siege ended when the Roman armies entered the fortress, only to discover the mass suicide by the Jewish defenders when defeat became imminent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesley Ann Warren</span> American singer-actress

Lesley Ann Warren is an American actress, singer and dancer.

<i>Up Close & Personal</i> (film) 1996 film by Jon Avnet

Up Close & Personal is a 1996 American romantic drama film directed by Jon Avnet from a screenplay written by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne. It stars Robert Redford as a news director and Michelle Pfeiffer as his protégée, with Stockard Channing, Joe Mantegna, and Kate Nelligan in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Prime Time</span> Television programming provider

Operation Prime Time (OPT) was a consortium of American independent television stations to develop prime time programming for independent stations. OPT and its spin-off syndication company, Television Program Enterprises (TPE), were formed by Al Masini. During its existence, OPT was considered the de facto fourth television network. OPT was also called an occasional television network and occasional program alternative.

<i>Stir Crazy</i> (TV series) American television series

Stir Crazy is an American sitcom that aired on CBS as part of its 1985 fall lineup. Stir Crazy was based on the 1980 film of the same name. The theme song was "Stir It Up" by Patti LaBelle.

<i>King</i> (miniseries) 1978 American TV series or program

King is a 1978 American television miniseries based on the life of Martin Luther King Jr., the American civil rights leader. It aired for three consecutive nights on NBC from February 12 through 14, 1978.

<i>Tales of the City</i> (1993 miniseries) Television miniseries directed by Alastair Reid

Tales of the City is a 1993 television miniseries based on the first of the Tales of the City series of novels by Armistead Maupin.

<i>The Pacific</i> (miniseries) 2010 American war drama miniseries

The Pacific is a 2010 American war drama miniseries produced by HBO, Playtone, and DreamWorks that premiered in the United States on March 14, 2010.

The Lives of Benjamin Franklin is a 1974 American television miniseries that chronicles the life of Benjamin Franklin.

The Betty Ford Story is a 1987 television film directed by David Greene and written by Karen Hall. This biographical film was based on the book The Times of My Life written by Chris Chase and Betty Ford. The film originally aired on ABC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Dusenberry</span> American actress (b. 1953)

Ann Dusenberry is an American film, television, and stage actress. She appeared in about 50 film and television productions from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s. Among her best-known roles are those of Tina Wilcox in the horror film Jaws 2 (1978), Stevie in the drama film Heart Beat (1980) and Valerie in the thriller Cutter's Way (1981). After her retirement from the film industry in 1992, she remained active as an actress on stage, performing sporadically.

<i>War and Remembrance</i> (miniseries) 1988–1989 television miniseries

War and Remembrance is an American miniseries based on the 1978 novel of the same name written by Herman Wouk. The miniseries, which aired from November 13, 1988, to May 14, 1989, covers the period of World War II from the American entry into World War II immediately after Pearl Harbor in December 1941 to the day after the bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima. It is the sequel to the 1983 miniseries The Winds of War, which was also based on one of Wouk's novels.

Julie Farr, M.D. is an American medical drama limited-run series that was cancelled after airing six of its nine episodes on ABC, from March 7 to April 18, 1978; the three remaining episodes were burned off 14 months later, in June 1979. It followed three television movies called Having Babies which aired from 1976 to 1978, and was not renewed after its initial run of episodes aired in March–April 1978. The series began airing as Having Babies but was renamed Julie Farr, M.D. during its short run after its lead character, played by Susan Sullivan.

Water Under the Bridge is a 1980 miniseries based on the 1977 novel by Sumner Locke Elliott.

<i>Washington: Behind Closed Doors</i> 1977 American television miniseries

Washington: Behind Closed Doors is a 1977 American television miniseries produced by Paramount Television, that was broadcast in six parts, airing across six consecutive nights on ABC, between September 6 to September 11, 1977.

Beulah Land is a 1980 three-part television miniseries which aired on NBC. The series was based on the novels Beulah Land, and Look Away, Beulah Land by Lonnie Coleman.

References

  1. Buck, Jerry (14 October 1977). '79 Park Avenue' Book Needed Careful Editing For TV, Santa Cruz Sentinel (Associated Press story)
  2. Beck, Marilyn (28 September 1977). Warren is happy with hooker role, San Bernardino Sun (Gannett New Service story)
  3. Sharbutt, Jay (5 October 1977). Only One Lesley Ann Warren, Santa Cruz Sentinel (Associated Press content)
  4. (16 October 1977). Cinderella on Park Avenue, The Boston Globe
  5. (9 September 1977). 79 Park Avenue New Mini-Series, Dixon Evening Telegraph
  6. (21 October 1977). World Series Big Hit, Santa Cruz Sentinel (Associated Press story)
  7. (27 October 1977). ABC Tops in Television Ratings, Desert Sun (Associated Press content)
  8. (15 October 1977). Imitating Life on 'Park Avenue', The Washington Post
  9. Hanauer, Joan (15 October 1977). Unhappy Hooker at '79 Park', Galesburg Register Mail (UPI content)
  10. O'Connor, John J. (23 October 1977). Pretenses Aside, It's Titillation As Usual, The New York Times
  11. O'Connor, John J. (31 December 1977). Picking television's best -- and worst -- of 1977, San Bernardino Sun (The New York Times news service)
  12. Henninger, Paul (12 October 1977). Robbins' potboiler gets stirred by NBC, San Bernardino Sun (Gannett News Service story), p. C-6.
  13. Maurice, Dick (21 November 1978). No more beer in store for TV's Archie Bunker, Desert Sun
  14. (25 July 1979). Brokerage firm is enamored by films, San Bernardino Sun
  15. "79 Park Avenue". Golden Globes . Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  16. "79 Park Avenue". Television Academy . Retrieved August 31, 2021.