Star 80 was filmed on location in Vancouver and Los Angeles; the death scene was filmed in the same house in which the real murder-suicide took place. The film was released on November 10, 1983. It initially received mixed reviews from critics, but the performances of Hemingway and Roberts received critical acclaim. The film has been reappraised over the years and has been reviewed positively.
Plot
Dorothy Stratten lies dead as her husband Paul Snider rants to himself about the events that led up to the present moment. The story, told through a series of flashbacks, has a linear narrative but is interspersed by Paul's rants as well as by documentary-style interviews with some of the characters.
Snider, a brash small-time scam artist and pimp, first meets Stratten two years earlier while she works at a Dairy Queen in her native Vancouver. He woos Stratten with attention and flattery and a romance develops, much to the displeasure of her mother.
Working under the delusion that he is Dorothy's only path to realization, Paul tries to run her life, uncovering a possessive streak in the process, and insists on being her personal manager. He convinces her to pose nude in Polaroid photographs until she sheds her initial timidity, then hires two professional photographers to take pictures of her.
These pictures make their way to Playboy magazine founder and publisher Hugh Hefner who invites Dorothy to Los Angeles for a photo shoot. When Dorothy's mother refuses to sign the parental consent form, Paul forges her signature. Hefner makes Stratten Playmate of the Month for the August 1979 issue, provides lodging for her and gives her a job as a bunny at an L.A. Playboy Club.
Despite his constant infidelities, Paul is plagued by jealousy and feelings of inadequacy. He proposes marriage to Dorothy over the phone, flies to Los Angeles and alienates everyone in the Playboy Mansion with his uncouth and nervously sycophantic demeanor. Against the advice of Hefner and his associates, however, Dorothy decides to go through with the marriage. They share a rented house in Rancho Park with another couple and enjoy a large social entourage, but Dorothy becomes increasingly disenchanted by Paul's possessiveness and tacky sleaze.
Dorothy is named 1980's Playmate of the Year and starts an acting career thanks to Hefner's contacts. Snider, on the other hand, feels deeply insecure after losing money on failed business ventures and being eclipsed by his wife's success. Still adamant to remain influential on her life, Paul pesters her with constant phone calls that even interrupt her fiming sessions, and becomes a fixture at the Playboy Mansion despite lacking a formal invitation from Hefner. He also uses Dorothy's money to purchase a Mercedes with the vanity license plate STAR 80.
Famous film director Aram Nicholas first discovers Dorothy among the skaters at a Playboy Mansion roller disco party. At Hefner's recommendation, he casts her in his next picture, to be filmed in New York City. Paul appears to welcome this development, but in reality his jealousy escalates and he hires a private detective to follow Dorothy in New York. The realization that the Playboy Mansion's doors are now closed for him compounds Paul's erratic obsession, unnerving his housemates in the process.
After witnessing Dorothy's unhappiness with the marriage, Aram convinces her to leave Paul and they start an affair. The private detective discovers this and advises Paul to sue Aram for enticement, in effect conflating the marriage with Paul's purported "management" of Dorothy even though the latter was only a verbal contract.
Broke, dejected and increasingly volatile, Paul correctly surmises Aram's influence on Dorothy's shift in decisions and mannerisms, but fails to accept that his marriage is effectively over. Upon her return to Los Angeles, Dorothy admits the affair, but promises Paul financial support. She agrees to meet Paul personally again to discuss divorce proceedings, despite Aram's advice to use an intermediary instead. Somewhere around the same time, Paul purchases a shotgun.
Dorothy and Paul meet at the Rancho Park house. Despite his pleas, she says that their marriage and business ties are over, offers him half of her savings and tries to comfort him. Paul perceives her attitude as condescending and becomes enraged. A chaotic and reproachful interaction ensues, at the end of which Paul rapes Dorothy, shoots her in the head with the shotgun and then proceeds to violate her corpse on a sex contraption of his own design. Paul then turns the gun on himself, and ominously proclaims his future fame before pulling the trigger. The screen turns to black with the gunshot.
The idea for the project began when Bob Fosse's friend Paddy Chayefsky recommended a Pulitzer Prize-winning article about Stratten written by Teresa Carpenter that had appeared in The Village Voice. In May 1981, it was announced that Fosse was developing a screenplay, originally titled The Dorothy Stratten Story.[3] The film was dedicated to Chayefsky who died shortly after Fosse announced the film.
Mariel Hemingway believed she was ideal for the part and campaigned for it vigorously with letters, telephone messages and visits to Fosse's home. She eventually won the role after four auditions, and her casting was announced in March 1982.[3] Some in the media reported that Hemingway had undergone breast augmentation surgery to secure the part.[4] In the 2020 documentary Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies, Hemingway admits she did indeed have a breast-enlargement procedure before being cast, but says "I did it for me. I wouldn't have done that because of a movie."[5] Nude photographs of Hemingway posing as Stratten appeared in the January 1984 issue of Playboy magazine.[3]
According to Fosse, he had to persuade Eric Roberts to play the role of Paul Snider, a character whom Roberts considered unlikeable. Early media speculation suggested that Harry Dean Stanton might be cast as Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner, but Cliff Robertson was reported to be researching the role by visiting Hefner's mansion. Hefner disliked his depiction in the film and sued its producers, but the suit was later dismissed. Years later in a 1998 interview, Hefner had let off on some of his dislike of the film, saying that it did not capture Stratten's essence but he did praise Eric Roberts for "an excellent portrayal of the sick man who murdered her". The film was Carroll Baker's first Hollywood production since her 1967 return from Europe.[3] In accordance with the Stratten family's wishes, Stratten's mother never is mentioned by name in the film, and the names of her sister and brother were changed.
Director Peter Bogdanovich, Stratten's boyfriend at the time of her murder, expressed opposition to the project, arguing that Fosse "didn't know the true story." Fosse acknowledged this statement to be true but countered that the film was about Snider. Bogdanovich refused to allow his name to be used in the film and threatened to sue if he found the character of Aram Nicholas to be objectionable. He provided his opinions of the film in his 1984 biography of Stratten The Killing of the Unicorn: Dorothy Stratten, 1960-1980, but he did not pursue legal action.[3][6]
Preproduction began in Stratten's hometown of Vancouver in January 1982. Sets were created to represent Stratten's bedroom, high-school gymnasium and the Dairy Queen where she had met Snider. After Hefner refused to allow filming at his estate, an unoccupied mansion in Pasadena, California was renovated to resemble Hefner's mansion. After the film's release, Hefner expressed disappointment, describing it as "too shallow." The film's party scenes show actual Playboy models.[3]
Principal photography began on July 6, 1982 in Vancouver and continued for four months, including four weeks in Vancouver and 12 weeks in Los Angeles, and finished three days ahead of schedule.[3]
The film opened in 16 theaters in major cities on November 10, 1983,[8] grossing $233,313 on its opening weekend. Warner Bros. planned to release the film to more theaters for the Christmas season and to give it a wide release in time for the next Academy Awards ceremony. Eventually, the film grossed $6,472,990 in the U.S. and was shown at a peak of 502 theaters in early 1984.[9]Star 80 has an 81% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[10] On Metacritic, it has a score 63%, based on reviews from 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]
The film was screened out of competition at the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.[13]The Washington Post called it "Bob Fosse's latest stylish stinker".[citation needed] Gene Siskel of The Chicago Tribune placed the film on his list of the 10 best films of 1983, but acknowledged that the film was very unpleasant.[14]
Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert awarded the film four out of four stars and deemed it an "important movie".[15] Appearing with Siskel on an October 1986 edition of The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers, Ebert said that Roberts should have been nominated for an Oscar for his work on Star 80. Ebert coined the phrase "Star 80 syndrome" after claiming that Gary Oldman's performance as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy was snubbed for the same reason as was Roberts': "Hollywood will not nominate an actor for portraying a creep, no matter how good the performance is."[16]
Hugh Marston Hefner was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles. Hefner extended the Playboy brand into a world network of Playboy Clubs. He also resided in luxury mansions where Playboy Playmates shared his wild partying life, fueling media interest.
Peter Bogdanovich was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. He started out his career as a young actor studying under Stella Adler before working as a film critic for Film Culture and Esquire and finally becoming a prominent filmmaker of the New Hollywood movement. He received accolades including a BAFTA Award and Grammy Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
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 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 with. Snider committed suicide after he killed Stratten.
Eugene Kal Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert.
A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of Playboy magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playmate Data Sheet", which lists her birthdate, measurements, turn-ons, and turn-offs. At the end of the year, one of the 12 Playmates of the Month is named Playmate of the Year (PMOTY). Every Playmate of the Month is awarded a prize of US$25,000 and each Playmate of the Year receives an additional prize of US$100,000 plus a car and other discretionary gifts. In addition, Anniversary Playmates are usually chosen to celebrate a milestone year of the magazine. The use of the word "Playmate" in a sexual sense did not originate with Playboy, and was seen at least as early as 1950 in Vue magazine.
Mariel Hemingway is an American actress. She began acting at age 14 with a Golden Globe-nominated breakout role in Lipstick (1976), and she received Academy and BAFTA Award nominations for her performance in Woody Allen's Manhattan (1979).
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, collectively known as Siskel & Ebert, were American film critics known for their partnership on television lasting from 1975 to Siskel's death in 1999.
At Long Last Love is a 1975 American jukebox musical comedy film written, produced, and directed by Peter Bogdanovich, and featuring 18 songs with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It stars Burt Reynolds, Cybill Shepherd, Madeline Kahn, and Duilio Del Prete as two couples who each switch partners during a party and attempt to make each other jealous. Bogdanovich was inspired to make a musical with Porter's songs after Shepherd gave him a book of them. All of the musical sequences were performed live by the cast, for At Long Last Love was meant by Bogdanovich to be a tribute to 1930s musical films like One Hour with You, The Love Parade, The Merry Widow and The Smiling Lieutenant in which the songs were shot in that way.
They All Laughed is a 1981 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and starring Ben Gazzara, Audrey Hepburn, John Ritter, Colleen Camp, Patti Hansen, and Dorothy Stratten. The film was based on a screenplay by Bogdanovich and Blaine Novak. It takes its name from the George and Ira Gershwin song of the same name.
The centerfold or centrefold of a magazine is the inner pages of the middle sheet, usually containing a portrait, such as a pin-up or a nude. The term can also refer to the model featured in the portrait. In saddle-stitched magazines, the centerfold does not have any blank space cutting through the image.
Personal Best is a 1982 American drama film written, produced and directed by Robert Towne. It stars Mariel Hemingway as track runner Chris Cahill and real-life track star Patrice Donnelly as fellow runner Tory Skinner, along with Scott Glenn as their coach Terry Tingloff. The film is about the lesbian relationship between two track-and-field teammates whose relationship might interfere with their performance.
Paul Leslie Snider was a criminal Canadian nightclub promoter and pimp who murdered his estranged wife, Playboy model and actress Dorothy Stratten. Following her murder, Snider killed himself.
Mario Anthony Casilli was an American photographer. Among other photos, he worked for Playboy magazine between 1957 and 1996 and his first photoshoot there was of Jacquelyn Prescott, as Playmate of the Month of September 1957.
Streamers is a 1983 American war drama film directed and produced by Robert Altman, adapted by David Rabe from his play of the same name. It stars an ensemble cast, featuring David Alan Grier, Mitchell Lichtenstein, Matthew Modine, Michael Wright, George Dzundza, and Guy Boyd.
Miss March is a 2009 American sex comedy film written, starring, and directed by Trevor Moore and Zach Cregger, stars of the IFC show The Whitest Kids U' Know. The film was released on March 13, 2009. It marks the final on-screen film appearance of Hugh Hefner before his death in 2017. It is also the first of only three films directed by Trevor Moore before his death in 2021, the second being "The Civil War On Drugs" which was aired in segments in the final season of The Whitest Kids U' Know in 2011, and the third being the animated comedy “Mars” which is set to be released posthumously.
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. It is a dramatization of the life and the murder of Playboy Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. The movie aired on November 1, 1981. Two years later, the same story was developed by director Bob Fosse in his movie Star 80, starring Mariel Hemingway and Eric Roberts.
The Killing of the Unicorn: Dorothy Stratten 1960–1980 is a book by Peter Bogdanovich detailing the relationship between Bogdanovich and Dorothy Stratten, the making of They All Laughed and Stratten's murder. There is also criticism of Hugh Hefner and Playboy and its treatment of women.
↑ Ebert, Roger (October 17, 1986). "Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel". The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers. Season 1. Episode 7. Fox Broadcasting Company. Fox Entertainment Group. I tell you who definitely won't be [Oscar] nominated – and should be, and that's a young British actor named Gary Oldman, who plays Sid Vicious – the punk rocker – in Sid and Nancy. And he's going to fall prey to the Star 80 syndrome, which is why Eric Roberts wasn't nominated: Hollywood will not nominate an actor for portraying a creep, no matter how good the performance is...He [Roberts] should have been nominated.
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