The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana

Last updated
The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana
The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana 1982 title screen.png
Genre
  • Drama
  • romance
Based on Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
Written by Robert L. Freedman
Selma Thompson
Jonathan Platnick
Linda Yellen
Directed by Peter Levin
Starring Catherine Oxenberg
Christopher Baines
Olivia de Havilland
Dana Wynter
Ray Milland
Stewart Granger
Music by David Palmer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers Linda Yellen
Terry Ellis
Producer Linda Yellen
Cinematography Arthur Ornitz
EditorJay Freund
Running time120 minutes
Production companyChrysalis-Yellen Productions
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseSeptember 20, 1982 (1982-09-20)

The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana is a 1982 American made-for-television biographical drama film that depicts the events leading to the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. The film was directed by Peter Levin and starred Catherine Oxenberg, Christopher Baines, Olivia de Havilland, Dana Wynter, Stewart Granger and Ray Milland. It originally aired September 20, 1982, on CBS. [1]

Contents

Cast

Reception

The movie debuted on United States television on the CBS network on Monday, September 20, 1982, and was the most watched prime-time television show of the week, with a 24.0 Nielsen rating and 37 share. [2] It outperformed ABC's Charles and Diana: A Royal Love Story , which had aired three days earlier but had been only the 28th most watched show in America for the prior week. [2] [3]

John J. O'Connor, television critic for The New York Times , found that the movie was "much more fixated on the purely romantic possibilities of the story" of Charles and Diana compared to its ABC competition. Instead of touching on any contemporary problems in Britain, the film provides "an outrageously gooey theme song and periodic helicopter shots of stunning countryside," and "emotional high points" such as Diana deciding to get a hair cut. O'Connor opined that Olivia de Havilland played the Queen Mother "with beatific elegance" and Dana Wynter played Queen Elizabeth II "with infinite reserve." [4]

Tom Shales' review for The Washington Post was a great deal less kind, disliking the fairytale nature of the movie. He called it a piece of "slack-jawed heraldic voyeurism incapable of, and apparently uninterested in, transforming remote news figures into believable mortals." Shales preferred the ABC movie, calling it "48 times better," and decrying Diana's representation as "something of a Pollyanna, or a Cinderella - a sweet innocent sprite upon whom a fairy godmother bestowed a few crucial wishes." [5]

Production

The movie was filmed in Westbury, New York; Brewster, New York; and New York City, as well as in England. [6] [7]

That the ABC and CBS films debuted three days apart was not a coincidence. CBS had planned to show Royal Romance in December as a Hallmark-sponsored pre-Christmas film, but then moved the air date back to September, even before the official start of the new ratings season. ABC then jumped their movie ahead of CBS, so late in the game that TV Guide did not list it. [5] [8] When one reviewer asked to get a preview of either movie, he was told in one case "Are you kidding? They're still gluing the tape together." [7] [9] [10]

Legacy

As is typical of television movies developed to leverage the popularity of current events, The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana has been called a "forgettable" movie with only occasional press references (such as that it was Oxenburg's acting debut). The movie has never been officially released on VHS or DVD. In 2012, the New York Times reported on a brief spat over the credits for the film, which is likely the most ever written about the movie since 1982, albeit about a minor issue. A dispute arose over whether Janet Grillo could properly claim a "story writer" credit, though it was agreed that she did co-write a story outline for the film. [11]

In 2011, producer Linda Yellen returned to the well using the next generation of British royalty to direct the television movie William & Catherine: A Royal Romance . [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Milland</span> Welsh-American actor and film director (1907–1986)

Ray Milland was a Welsh-American actor and film director. He is often remembered for his portrayal of an alcoholic writer in Billy Wilder's The Lost Weekend (1945), which won him Best Actor at Cannes, a Golden Globe Award, and ultimately an Academy Award—the first such accolades for any Welsh actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia de Havilland</span> British and American actress (1916–2020)

Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland was a British and American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. At the time of her death in 2020 at age 104, she was the oldest living and earliest surviving Academy Award winner and was widely considered as being the last surviving major star from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Her younger sister, with whom she had a noted rivalry well documented in the media, was Oscar-winning actress Joan Fontaine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Fontaine</span> English-American actress (1917–2013)

Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was an English-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Fontaine appeared in more than 45 films in a career that spanned five decades. She was the younger sister of actress Olivia de Havilland. Their rivalry was well-documented in the media at the height of Fontaine's career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Forsythe</span> American actor (1918–2010)

John Forsythe was an American stage, film/television actor, producer, narrator, drama teacher and philanthropist whose career spanned six decades. He also appeared as a guest on several talk and variety shows and as a panelist on numerous game shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillip Terry</span> American actor

Phillip Terry was an American actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Oxenberg</span> American actress (born 1961)

Catherine Oxenberg is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Amanda Carrington on the 1980s prime-time soap opera Dynasty. Oxenberg is the daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and her first husband, Howard Oxenberg (1919–2010). She twice played Diana, Princess of Wales on screen, in The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana (1982) and Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After (1992), and has appeared in many other films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesley-Anne Down</span> British actress (born 1954)

Lesley-Anne Down is a British actress, singer and former model. She made her motion picture debut in the 1969 drama film The Smashing Bird I Used to Know and later appeared in films Assault (1971), Countess Dracula (1971) and Pope Joan (1972). She achieved fame as Georgina Worsley in the ITV period drama series, Upstairs, Downstairs (1973–75).

<i>Something About Amelia</i> 1984 American TV movie

Something About Amelia is a 1984 television film about psychological trauma caused in a family by a father's molestation of his daughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Wynter</span> German-born English actress (1931–2011)

Dana Wynter was a German-born British actress, who was raised in the United Kingdom and southern Africa. She appeared in film and television for more than 40 years, beginning in the 1950s. Her best-known film performance was in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). A tall, dark, elegant beauty, she played both victim and villain. Her characters both in film and on television sometimes faced horrific dangers, which they often did not survive, but she also played scheming, manipulative women on television mysteries and crime procedural dramas.

Pilot (<i>Twin Peaks</i>) Pilot episode of Twin Peaks

The pilot episode, also known as "Northwest Passage", of the mystery television series Twin Peaks premiered on the ABC Network on Sunday, April 8, 1990. It was written by series creators Mark Frost and David Lynch, and directed by Lynch. The pilot follows the characters of Dale Cooper and Harry S. Truman as they investigate the death of popular high school student Laura Palmer; Cooper believes the murder has connections to a murder case that occurred a year earlier. In addition to setting the tone for the show, the episode sets up several character and story arcs and marked the appearance of several recurring characters. The episode received a strong Nielsen household rating compared to other season one episodes, and was well received by fans and critics alike. The original title for the series was Northwest Passage, but this was later changed.

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.

Lin Bolen was an American television executive and producer. She was most noted for her role at NBC daytime television programming as the first female vice president of a TV network, a position she held from 1972 until 1976. In this role, Bolen was responsible for commissioning the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune and is credited with bringing successful long form to network soap operas. Bolen was mentioned in Who's Who in America as a trailblazer for women in television.

<i>Government Girl</i> 1943 film by Dudley Nichols

Government Girl is a 1943 American romantic-comedy film, produced and directed by Dudley Nichols and starring Olivia de Havilland and Sonny Tufts. Based on a story by Adela Rogers St. Johns, and written by Dudley Nichols and Budd Schulberg, the film is about a secretary working in Washington for the war administration during World War II who helps her boss navigate the complex political machinations of government in an effort to build bomber aircraft for the war effort.

<i>Are Husbands Necessary?</i> 1942 film

Are Husbands Necessary? is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Ray Milland and Betty Field. It follows the misadventures of a wacky wife and her sometimes exasperated, but loving, banker husband. The film's screenplay was adapted by the husband-and-wife writing team of Tess Slesinger and Frank Davis, from the novel Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage by Isabel Scott Rorick. This novel would later be a source for the related 1948 radio series My Favorite Husband starring Lucille Ball, which itself would evolve into the television series I Love Lucy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christina Oxenberg</span> Serbian-American writer, humorist, and fashion designer

Christina Oxenberg is an American writer, humorist, and fashion designer. She has written seven books, and her writing has been featured in magazines and publications like Allure, The Sunday Times, Huffington Post, and others. Her two knitwear clothing lines, Christina Oxenberg and Ox, have appeared in Barneys, Bloomingdale's, and luxury boutiques throughout the world. Oxenberg is the daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and is a descendant of the Serbian House of Karađorđević.

<i>The Connection</i> (1973 film) 1973 American TV series or program

The Connection is an ABC Movie of the Week that was broadcast on February 27, 1973, starring Charles Durning as an out-of-work newspaper reporter who becomes involved with jewel thieves. The film was produced by Philip D'Antoni as a pilot for a potential television series starring Durning.

<i>The Crown</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of The Crown, which follows the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II, was released by Netflix on 15 November 2020.

<i>Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After</i> 1992 US-Canadian film made in England directed by John Power

Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After is a dramatic television movie of 1992 telling the real-life story of the failed marriage of Charles, Prince of Wales, and his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales.

<i>Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story</i> 1982 American TV series or program

Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story is a 1982 American made-for-television biographical drama film that depicts the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. The film was directed by James Goldstone and starred David Robb, Caroline Bliss, Christopher Lee, Rod Taylor, Margaret Tyzack and Mona Washbourne. It originally aired September 17, 1982, on ABC.

Charles III, King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms, has been depicted in art and popular culture.

References

  1. Film information at Diana's Legacy
  2. 1 2 (4 October 1982). New season off to semi-start, Broadcasting, p.50
  3. (29 September 1982). CBS romance with royalty wins Nielsen-race crown, Arizona Republic (Associated Press)
  4. O'Connor, John J. (20 September 1982). 'The Royal Romance' on CBS, The New York Times
  5. 1 2 Shales, Tom (20 September 1982). CBS Bows too Deeply to Charles and Diane, The Washington Post
  6. Corry, John (26 June 1982). Brief on the Arts, The New York Times
  7. 1 2 Unger, Aurther (17 September 1982) Re-creating the royal wedding -- and network news troubles, Christian Science Monitor
  8. Bedell, Sally (24 August 1982). TV Season: Caution is the Keynote, The New York Times (this article reported on August 24, 1982, that ABC believed CBS would show Romance on September 27)
  9. Hanauer, Joan (14 September 1982). Substitute Witness, UPI (the Hallmark film for December 1982 ended up being a remake of Witness for the Prosecution )
  10. Clark, Kenneth R. (15 September 1982). TV World, UPI (as of September 15, 1982, UPI was reporting that the ABC did not have an air date, even though it ended up airing on September 17)
  11. Rohter, Larry (3 September 2012). Dispute Erupts at N.Y.U. Over Credits for 1982 TV Movie, The New York Times
  12. (31 May 2011). 'William and Kate: A Royal Love Story' movie will show the effect of Princess Diana on the couple, Daily News (New York) (Associated Press)