Death of a Centerfold

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Death of a Centerfold
Death of a Centerfold The Dorothy Stratten Story.jpg
Jamie Lee Curtis as Dorothy Stratten
Also known asDeath of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story
Genre
  • Biography
  • Drama
Based on Life of Dorothy Stratten
Written by Donald E. Stewart
Directed by Gabrielle Beaumont
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis
Bruce Weitz
Robert Reed
Theme music composer Roger Webb
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producer Larry Wilcox
ProducersPaul Pompian
Tim King
CinematographyEmil Oster
Editor Morton Tubor
Running time96 minutes
Production companiesWilcox Productions
MGM Television
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseNovember 1, 1981 (1981-11-01)

Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story is a 1981 American made-for-television biographical drama film, optioned by Larry Wilcox and his company Wilcox Productions. Wilcox signed the paperwork at midnight and beat out Hugh Hefner and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Later, Wilcox developed the story and pitched it to MGM, where he had a production development deal and subsequently to NBC. MGM and Wilcox then hired director Gabrielle Beaumont. [1] It is a dramatization of the life and the murder of Playboy Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. [1] The movie aired on November 1, 1981. [2] Two years later, the same story was developed by director Bob Fosse in his movie Star 80 , starring Mariel Hemingway and Eric Roberts.

Contents

Plot

The film depicts the life and times of model, actress, and 1980 Playboy Playmate of the year Dorothy Stratten, who was killed at age 20 in a murder–suicide committed by her estranged husband Paul Snider.

Cast

Production

The TV production was optioned and owned by Larry Wilcox of CHiPs fame, and he negotiated a deal with MGM and NBC for the story to become a movie of the week. At the family's insistence, the names and relationships of her mother and sister were altered. [2]

Reception

The New York Times critic John J. O'Connor praised the movie, writing: "the movie works remarkably well in building a dramatic momentum. Jamie Lee Curtis's Dorothy is a thoroughly understandable, if not sympathetic figure. And Bruce Weitz is extraordinary". [3] People magazine also praised the film, writing: "Jamie Lee Curtis is just right as Stratten, and Bruce Weitz is a standout as her ex". [4] Movie critic Leonard Maltin described the film as "exploitative". [1]

Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story finished 27th in the Nielsen ratings. When the film was broadcast a second time on NBC in July 1983, it fared better by finishing fourth in the ratings. [2] [5]

Home media

The movie was first issued on VHS on September 1, 1998. It later was released on January 25, 2010, on DVD.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Stratten</span> Canadian Playmate and actress (1960–1980)

Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten, known professionally as Dorothy Stratten, was a Canadian model and actress, primarily known for her appearances as a Playboy Playmate. Stratten was the Playboy Playmate of the Month for August 1979 and Playmate of the Year in 1980, and appeared in three comedy films and in at several episodes of TV shows broadcast on American networks. Dorothy was murdered shortly after co-starring in the movie They All Laughed, at the age of 20, by her estranged husband and manager Paul Snider, whom she was in the process of divorcing and breaking business ties. Snider committed suicide after he killed Stratten.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centerfold</span> Portrait of a model in the middle of a magazine, or the model depicted therein

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Maltin, Leonard (1997). Leonard Maltin's 1998 Movie and Video Guide. Signet Books. p. 322. ISBN   0-451-19288-5.
  2. 1 2 3 Bogdanovich, Peter (1984). The killing of the unicorn: Dorothy Stratten (1960–1980) . New York City: William Morrow. p.  169. ISBN   0-688-01611-1.
  3. O'Connor, John J. (October 30, 1981). "TV Weekend; Terror in Fiction and Fact". The New York Times . Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  4. "Picks & Pans Tube". People . Vol. 16, no. 18. November 2, 1981. p. 6.
  5. "NBC squeezed into the No. 1 spot for network..." United Press International. 3 August 1983.