Brenda Starr (1989 film)

Last updated

Brenda Starr
Brendastarrposter.jpg
U.S. theatrical release poster
Directed by Robert Ellis Miller
Screenplay by
  • Noreen Stone &
  • James D. Buchanan
  • Jenny Wolkind (aka Delia Ephron)
Story by
  • Noreen Stone &
  • James D. Buchanan
Based onCharacters by Dale Messick
Produced byMyron A. Hyman
Starring
Cinematography
Freddie Francis
Edited byMark Melnick
Music by Johnny Mandel
Distributed by Triumph Releasing Corporation
Release dates
  • May 15, 1989 (1989-05-15)(France)
  • April 15, 1992 (1992-04-15)(U.S.)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$16 million [1]
Box office$67,878

Brenda Starr is a 1989 American adventure film directed by Robert Ellis Miller based on Dale Messick's comic strip Brenda Starr, Reporter . It stars Brooke Shields, Timothy Dalton, and Jeffrey Tambor. [2]

Contents

The film was shot in 1986; however, it was not released for three years because of lengthy litigation over distribution rights. It finally was released in some international markets in 1989 and in America in 1992. [3] [4] [5]

Plot

Mike is a struggling artist who draws the Brenda Starr comic strip for a newspaper. When Brenda comes to life and sees how unappreciated she is by Mike, she leaves the comic. To return her to her rightful place and keep his job, Mike draws himself into the strip.

Within her fictional world, Brenda Starr is an ace reporter for the New York Flash. She is talented, fearless, and smart, and she is a very snappy dresser. The only competition she has is from Libby Lipscomb, the rival newspaper's top reporter.

Brenda heads to the Amazon jungle to find a scientist with a secret formula, which will create cheap and powerful fuel from ordinary water. There, she must steal the formula from her competition and foreign spies.

Cast

Development

In 1981, it was reported that Deborah Harry would star in a film version of the comic with George Hamilton as Basil St. John. [6] In 1984, a small production company called Tomorrow Entertainment, under Myron Hyman, got the rights to make a movie about Brenda Starr. The idea was to make a low-budget film that could be a high-quality television movie. Tomorrow hired James Buchanan and Noreen Stone to write a script. [7]

Hyman says he began getting calls from Teri Shields, mother of Brooke. "She said Brooke always wanted to be Brenda Starr," said Hyman. "I guess Brenda was something of a role model to Brooke when she was a little girl. Well, Brooke's a lovely girl and I said of course we'd consider her." [8] Eventually, Teri told Hyman that she also had an investor who wanted to put money into the film. This was Sheik Abdul Aziz al Ibrahim, a brother-in-law of Saudi King Fahd. He offered to cover the budget for the film on three conditions:

Hyman agreed. Ibrahim's representatives created Mystery Man Productions, a New York-based company, to finance the film. [9] Buchanan and Stone eventually were called to the offices of Mystery Man Productions. "They were not people who had ever made a movie," Buchanan said of the representatives. "They said things like, 'On page 22, you will introduce a dream sequence.' That kind of thing." [7]

Finance came through the Bank of Credit and Commerce International. The Ibrahim family was among the bank's largest depositors. [9] Mystery Man hired Robert Ellis Miller to direct, and Bob Mackie designed Shields' dresses. Delia Ephron came in to rewrite the movie. She subsequently removed her name from the film's credits, using the pseudonym "Jenny Wolkind" instead. [7] [10] Mystery Man obtained limited rights to the Brenda Starr character from the Tribune Entertainment Co., owners of the comic strip, in April 1986. But the company failed to obtain television rights, something that proved crucial later. [7] [11]

Production

Filming started July 1986. Shields filmed it over her summer break from Princeton, where she was studying. The film was shot in Jacksonville, Florida, and in Puerto Rico. The budget was originally $15 million. [12]

During filming, Timothy Dalton, who had the male lead, was cast as James Bond for The Living Daylights .

Initial spending on the film was from the Ibrahim cash accounts at the BCCI, but midway through the project, Ibrahim began to have second thoughts about the production costs. The film ended up being financed half cash and half in loans from the BCCI. [9] [8]

Brooke Shields later recalled she "loved" making the film:

I was so thrilled that it was happening. I think in hindsight the problem was that it was never backed by a studio. It was (Menahem) Golan and (Yoram) Globus, and it was all sort of fishy to begin with. We also were the first of that kind of comic-book movie, and unfortunately it took seven years to get released, by which point Batman and Dick Tracy and every other superhero and cartoon-inspired movie had already come. We were originally going to be part of that first batch. I always thought it was unfortunate, because the idea and the cast were both so good. Timothy Dalton! But the direction fell short, and it got legally tied up, so to me it was such a shame. I think that movie could've been... It was really fun, and I thought it was unique. And I loved playing that character. She's still one of my favorites. [13]

Director Miller said he spent about $15 million to make the movie. Producer Hyman said the budget was about $14 million. Ibrahim associates said an internal audit attributed $22.3 million to the film. [8]

During filming two cinematographers were fired and Timothy Dalton asked Freddie Francis, with whom he was friendly to take over. [14]

Release issues

The film was meant to be released in 1987. "It would have been a hot thing," Miller said. "(Brooke's star) was in the ascendancy. She was 21, just graduating from college and gorgeous." [7]

By May 1987, Phil Isaacs and Hyman, representing Mystery Man, started distribution negotiations with New World Pictures, whose executive Bob Cheren later testified that Hyman said "all rights" to the film were available and a deal was arranged. New World wanted to cash in on the fact that Dalton had been cast as James Bond and the impending surge in comic-book movies such as Batman and Dick Tracy. The film was meant to open theatrically in January 1988. [7]

However, Ibrahim later decided he wanted a new deal. "They (the Ibrahim people) just didn't understand the movie business," Hyman said. "They looked at it like real estate or something." One of Ibrahim's representatives said their client was "prepared to keep the film on a shelf and watch it in the desert on Saturday nights" if he could not have the kind of distribution deal he wanted. [8] Mystery Man kept the film's negative locked up, claiming New World had not signed a contract.

New World then discovered that Tribune, the company that owned the comic, claimed to hold all television rights to Brenda Starr. This meant they could not make money on a TV sale. On July 10, 1987, Tribune notified New World that the distribution deal was "unacceptable". [7] Mystery Man pulled out of the deal. In September, New World sued Tomorrow, Mystery Man and the film's sales agents, claiming fraud, breach of contract and civil conspiracy. Mystery Man sought to block New World from distributing the film. [7]

In December 1987, Shields' mother Teri said: "I feel the film's not ready to be released. They need about $60,000 more to re-edit." She was also unhappy with the billing. "Brooke's name is not on top and it's supposed to be. That's in our contract." [15]

New World sold the film to Zambia, Japan, Belgium, Colombia, Norway and Swaziland. In February 1989, New World was bought by Pathe Communications for $189 million. [16] However, this deal fell apart, and Ronald Perelman's Andrews Group instead purchased New World that April, indicating that while New World's television operations would continue, their motion pictures and home video operations would be cut back significantly. [17]

AM-PM Productions bought rights to Brenda Starr in January 1990. "We saw the picture as definitely a Cinderella story," said a representative. "It's sweet, cute, adorable and charming. These are not words Hollywood likes to use." [18]

AM-PM cut the running time from 108 minutes to 96 minutes. A new release date was set for North America: June 7, 1991. Triumph Releasing (a division of Columbia Pictures) would distribute. [7] By August of that year, the film had been shown in Zambia, Norway and Colombia but not North America. "I hope it does come out because there's no point in keeping it hidden," said Dalton. "It's probably the best work (Brooke's) ever done." [19] "I like the film," said Miller. "I'm very pleased." [11]

Reception

Box office

When the film was released in the United States in 1992, it bombed at the box office, making $30,000 in its first week. [20] Negative reviews were blamed, and the film was pulled from theaters shortly after its theatrical distribution. [21]

Critical response

Brenda Starr received scathing reviews. Owen Gleiberman, writing for Entertainment Weekly , graded the film with an F, stating that the title character "... comes off as a giggly (if spectacularly elongated) high school princess" and that the film "is so flaccid and cheap-looking, so ineptly pieced together, that it verges on the avant-garde. I suspect they won't even like it in France." [22] Entertainment Weekly would later place the film on its list of "21 Worst Comic-Book Movies Ever". [23]

Peter Travers, writing for Rolling Stone , gave the film an equally negative review, writing, "There's been so much negative insider buzz about Brooke's 'Brenda' that you might be harboring a hope that the damned thing turned out all right. Get over it. Brenda Starr is not as bad as the also-rans that Hollywood traditionally dumps on us before Labor Day... it's a heap worse." [24]

Janet Maslin, in The New York Times, commented, "This would-be comic romp is badly dated in several conspicuous ways. Its cold war villains are embarrassingly outré (even allowing for the film's 1940's look, in keeping with the peak popularity of Brenda Starr as a comic strip heroine)...most dated of all is Brenda herself, the 'girl reporter' who worries chiefly about not running her stockings or breaking her high heels, and who in one scene actually uses a black patent leather handbag as a secret weapon." [25]

Pamela Bruce, in The Austin Chronicle, was highly critical of Brenda Starr: "After gathering dust for five years, some studio executive decided that there just isn't enough dreck in the world and decided to unleash Brenda Starr upon us poor, unsuspecting mortals." [26]

Home video

The film was released on both VHS [27] and DVD [28] formats.

The DVD version is available for purchase in two variations; one for all regions and another for region 2. The film is presented in full frame, 1.33:1 format, with English Dolby Digital stereo sound. [29]

The title was also made available for streaming in the digital format. [30]

Related Research Articles

<i>Spaceballs</i> 1987 film by Mel Brooks

Spaceballs is a 1987 American space opera parody film co-written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks. It is primarily a parody of the original Star Wars trilogy, but also parodies other sci-fi films and popular franchises including Star Trek, Alien, The Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, and Transformers. The film stars Bill Pullman, John Candy, and Rick Moranis, with the supporting cast including Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van Patten, George Wyner, Lorene Yarnell, and the voice of Joan Rivers. In addition to Brooks playing a dual role, the film also features Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise and Rudy De Luca in cameo appearances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Dalton</span> British actor (born 1946)

Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett is a British actor. He gained international prominence as the fourth actor to portray fictional secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, starring in The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989).

<i>Scary Movie</i> 2000 film by Keenen Ivory Wayans

Scary Movie is a 2000 American horror parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon and Shawn Wayans, alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Jon Abrahams, Carmen Electra, Shannon Elizabeth, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, Regina Hall, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, and Dave Sheridan, it follows a group of teenagers who accidentally hit a man with their car, dump his body in a lake, and swear to secrecy. A year later, someone wearing a Ghostface mask and robe begins hunting them one by one.

<i>The Living Daylights</i> 1987 James Bond film

The Living Daylights is a 1987 spy film, the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the first of two to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by John Glen, the film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story "The Living Daylights", the plot of which also forms the basis of the first act of the film. It was the last film to use the title of an Ian Fleming story until the 2006 instalment Casino Royale. It is also the first film to have Caroline Bliss as Miss Moneypenny, replacing Lois Maxwell. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli, his stepson Michael G. Wilson, and co-produced by his daughter, Barbara Broccoli. The Living Daylights grossed $191.2 million worldwide.

<i>Brenda Starr, Reporter</i> 1940-2011 American comic strip

Brenda Starr, Reporter is a comic strip about a glamorous, adventurous reporter. It was created in 1940 by Dale Messick for the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, and continued by others until 2011.

<i>The Beautician and the Beast</i> 1997 film by Ken Kwapis

The Beautician and the Beast is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis, written by Todd Graff, and starring Fran Drescher, Timothy Dalton, Lisa Jakub, Ian McNeice, and Patrick Malahide. It tells the story of a New York City beautician who is hired, under the false assumption that she is a science teacher, to tutor the four children of a dictator of a fictional Eastern European nation, played by Timothy Dalton. The film deals with the theme of cultural differences, and takes inspiration from other stories like Beauty and the Beast, The King and I, Evita, and The Sound of Music. Produced by Drescher's company High School Sweethearts in partnership with Paramount Pictures, The Beautician and the Beast was her first starring role in a film.

<i>Pretty Baby</i> (1978 film) 1977 American historical drama film by Louis Malle

Pretty Baby is a 1978 American historical drama film directed by Louis Malle, written by Polly Platt, and starring Brooke Shields, Keith Carradine, and Susan Sarandon. Set in 1917, it focuses on a 12-year-old girl being raised in a brothel in Storyville, the red-light district of New Orleans, by her prostitute mother. Barbara Steele, Diana Scarwid, and Antonio Fargas appear in supporting roles. The film is based on the true account of a young girl who was sexually exploited by being forced into prostitution by her mother, a theme which was recounted in historian Al Rose's 1974 book Storyville, New Orleans: Being an Authentic Illustrated Account of the Notorious Red-Light District. It is also based on the life of photographer Ernest Bellocq, who photographed various New Orleans prostitutes in the early twentieth century. The title, Pretty Baby, is derived from the Tony Jackson song of the same name, which is featured on the film's soundtrack.

Martin Hewitt is an American businessman and former actor. He is best known for his film debut as David Axelrod in Franco Zeffirelli's Endless Love (1981). His last role was a 2003 episode of ER.

Diana Scarwid is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Christina Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1981). She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Inside Moves (1980), and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for Truman (1995).

<i>Sextette</i> 1978 US musical comedy film by Ken Hughes

Sextette is a 1978 American musical comedy film directed by Ken Hughes, and starring Mae West in her final film, alongside an ensemble cast including Timothy Dalton, Dom DeLuise, Tony Curtis, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, George Hamilton, Alice Cooper and Walter Pidgeon.

Shaftesbury Films is a film, television and digital media production company founded by Christina Jennings in 1987. It is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Peter Sullivan is an American screenwriter, film director, and film producer. He has more than 150 producing credits and directed more than 40 movies, most of them was made-for-television.

<i>Brenda Starr, Reporter</i> (film) 1945 film by Wallace Fox

Brenda Starr, Reporter (1945) was the 25th film serial released by Columbia Pictures. It was inspired by Brenda Starr, Reporter, a popular comic strip created by Dale Messick. The title role was played by Joan Woodbury, who had similar roles in feature films for Columbia and Monogram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooke Shields</span> American actress (born 1965)

Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress. A child model starting at the age of 11 months, Shields gained widespread notoriety at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film Pretty Baby (1978), in which she appeared in nude scenes shot when she was 11 years old. She continued to model into her late teenage years and starred in several dramas in the 1980s, including The Blue Lagoon (1980), and Franco Zeffirelli's Endless Love (1981).

<i>Captain America: The First Avenger</i> 2011 Marvel Studios film

Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it is the fifth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Joe Johnston, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, and Stanley Tucci. During World War II, Rogers, a frail man, is transformed into the super-soldier Captain America and must stop the Red Skull (Weaving) from using the Tesseract as an energy source for world domination.

Timothy Dalton has appeared on stage and in films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-in comics</span> Standalone or limited series comic books

The Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-in comic books are limited series or one-shot comics published by Marvel Comics that tie into the films and television series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The comics are written and illustrated by a variety of individuals, and each one consists of 1 to 4 issues. They are intended to tell additional stories about existing characters, or to make connections between MCU projects, without necessarily expanding the universe or introducing new concepts or characters.

<i>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</i> 2018 animated superhero film

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a 2018 American animated superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Miles Morales / Spider-Man, produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in association with Marvel Entertainment, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is the first animated film in the Spider-Man franchise and the first film in the Spider-Verse franchise, which is set in a shared multiverse of alternate universes called the "Spider-Verse". Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman from a screenplay by Phil Lord and Rothman, it stars Shameik Moore as Morales, alongside the voices of Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Vélez, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, and Liev Schreiber. The film's story follows Miles as he becomes the new Spider-Man and joins other Spider-People from various parallel universes who team up to save New York City from the Kingpin.

<i>Furys Big Week</i> Comic book tie-in to the Marvel Cinemetic Universe

Marvel's The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week, or simply Fury's Big Week, is a limited series comic book published by Marvel Comics as an official tie-in comic to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), specifically the 2012 film Marvel's The Avengers. The comic was written by Eric Pearson from stories by himself and Chris Yost, with art by various pencillers. Fury's Big Week follows Nick Fury and several agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as they deal with the various events of the MCU films leading up to The Avengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Drummond</span> Canadian actress

Kate Drummond is a Canadian film, television, theatre and voice actress; film producer, director and screenwriter. Kate starred as Nikki Bender alongside Brooke Shields in Hallmark Movies & Mysteries's Flower Shop Mystery TV movie series, she played Agent Lucado in the television series Wynonna Earp, as Authority Phydra in Utopia Falls (2020), and won best lead performance in a TV movie at the Canadian Screen Awards, for playing Claire Porter in Nowhere - Secrets of a Small Town (2019). In 2022, she starred alongside Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson in The Man from Toronto .

References

  1. ↑ "'Brenda Starr' Looks Like Bad News at the Box Office". Orlando Sentinel . Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  2. ↑ Maslin, Janet (2007). "Brenda Starr". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Brenda Starr (1989) - IMDb". IMDb .
  4. ↑ "'Brenda Starr' movie review", Entertainment Weekly
  5. ↑ Rempel, William C.; Rabin, Jeffrey L. (September 1, 1991). "Movie Deal Portrays BCCI as a 'Personal Piggy Bank' : Scandal: Involvement in 'Brenda Starr' film sheds light on firm's relationships with the rich and royal". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  6. ↑ Gold, Aaron. "Tempo: Tower Ticker". Chicago Tribune March 30, 1981: a6.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Brooke's 'best work' in 'Brenda Starr' still shelved by legal hassles". Las Vegas Review-Journal. August 15, 1991. p. 3F.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Movie Deal Portrays BCCI as a 'Personal Piggy Bank' Scandal: Involvement in 'Brenda Starr' film sheds light on firm's relationships with the rich and royal". Los Angeles Times. September 1, 1991. p. 1.
  9. 1 2 3 "Bank scandal may keep Brooke on shelf". Las Vegas Review-Journal. September 1, 1991. p. 3A.
  10. ↑ "INSIDE NEW YORK: [CITY Edition]" Michael Fleming, Ben Kubasik and Susan Mulcahy. Edited. Newsday. June 23, 1986: 6.
  11. 1 2 Horn, John. "Long-delayed 'Brenda Starr' finally opens to tiny audiences". AP. Las Vegas Review-Journal April 19, 1992: 2F.
  12. ↑ Oates, Sarah (August 7, 1986). "Deland Man Flies High For Movie". Orlando Sentinel . p. 7. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  13. ↑ Harris, Will (October 17, 2012). "Brooke Shields on The Middle, Jim Henson, and bar-crawling with Tom Green". AV Club.
  14. ↑ "Interview with Freddie Francis". British Entertainment History Project. 1993–1994.
  15. ↑ "Shields' Mother Raps 'Brenda Starr'". Chicago Tribune. December 17, 1987: 16.
  16. ↑ Turner, Richard. "Parretti's Pathe To Buy New World For $138 Million". Wall Street Journal. February 27, 1989: 1.
  17. ↑ "MGM-Pathé Communications", Wikipedia, August 29, 2024, retrieved September 2, 2024
  18. ↑ Weatherford, Mike. "MOVIES Brenda Starr' finally reaches the big screen after years of many troubles". Las Vegas Review-Journal. April 15, 1992: 1.aa.
  19. ↑ Horn, John. "A 'Starr' reporter couldn't figure out this movie's mess" The Vancouver Sun [4* Edition]. August 13, 1991. C4.
  20. ↑ Fox, David J. (April 21, 1992). "Weekend Box Office". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  21. ↑ "'Brenda' becomes Brookes' bomb". The Blade . Toledo, Ohio. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2022– via Google News.
  22. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (May 1, 1992). "Movie Review: Brenda Starr". Entertainment Weekly .
  23. ↑ EW Staff (April 29, 2009). "21 Worst Comic-Book Movies". Entertainment Weekly .
  24. ↑ Travers, Peter (April 15, 1992). "Rolling Stone Movies | Movie Reviews". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  25. ↑ Maslin, Janet (April 19, 1992). "Review/Film; Shields As Intrepid Reporter". The New York Times .
  26. ↑ Bruce, Pamela. "Film Listings: Brenda Starr". The Austin Chronicle . Archived from the original on June 13, 2006. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  27. ↑ "Brenda Starr [1989][VHS]: Brooke Shields, Timothy Dalton, Tony Peck, Diana Scarwid, Charles Durning, Jeffrey Tambor, Eddie Albert, June Gable, Kathleen Wilhoite, Robert Ellis Miller: Amazon.co.uk: Video". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Brenda Starr [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Brooke Shields, Timothy Dalton, Tony Peck, Diana Scarwid, Nestor Serrano, Jeffrey Tambor, June Gable, Charles Durning, Kathleen Wilhoite, John Short, Eddie Albert, Mark von Holstein, Robert Ellis Miller, Alana H. Lambros, John D. Backe, Michael Tadross, Dale Messick, James D. Buchanan, Jenny Wolkind, Noreen Stone: Film & TV". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  29. ↑ "Brenda Starr (PG)". BigPond Movies . Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  30. ↑ "Brenda Starr". Amazon . Retrieved May 24, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.