The Substitute Wife (1994 film)

Last updated

The Substitute Wife
Thesubstitutewife.webp
Original advertisement
GenreDrama
Romance
Western
Written by Stan Daniels
Directed by Peter Werner
Starring
Music by Mark Snow
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersMichael O. Gallant
Andrew Golov (associate producer)
Production location Austin, Texas
CinematographyNeil Roach
EditorMartin Nicholson
Running time92 minutes
Production companiesFrederick S. Pierce Company
Patchett Kaufman Entertainment
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseMay 23, 1994 (1994-05-23)

The Substitute Wife is a 1994 television film written by Stan Daniels, directed by Peter Werner and starring Farrah Fawcett, along with Lea Thompson and Peter Weller.

Contents

Premise

In Nebraska, during the pioneer days, Amy Hightower, a farm wife, discovers that she is going to die. Fearing that her husband, Martin will be unable to cope with running the land, while raising four children, Amy decides to find him a woman, whom he will take as a new wife.

Against her husband's wishes, Amy sets off in search of a woman; to no avail, she calls upon Pearl, a prostitute, as a last resort. Pearl instantly agrees to the offer and moves into the Hightower's home. As Pearl soon begins to adapt to her new life as a mother figure, Amy suggests that Martin and Pearl become intimate with one another, despite the heartbreak it causes her. At first reluctant, Martin begins to warm to Pearl, while Amy offers to give up her place in the marital bed.

Amy's condition becomes more erratic and she makes out her will, for which she includes Pearl, whom she considers to be her best friend. As Amy and Martin continue to appear as normal man and wife, Pearl becomes confused as to how she fits in around the situation, and decides to leave, before Amy talks her out of it. The women, with Martin's approval, come up with a solution in which they agree to a polyamorous relationship.

Amy takes another turn for the worse and everyone expects her to pull together as she did before, but she passes away. The family and Pearl attend her funeral. Several years pass, and Martin and Pearl, now man and wife, are in attendance as the proud parents at Amy's eldest daughter's wedding.

Cast

Reception

The Substitute Wife received generally positive reviews. Ray Loynd of the Los Angeles Times praised Stan Daniels' script, and went on to say "at times funny, daring, endearing and unpredictable, the production has the texture and flavor of Willa Cather’s Nebraska fiction except that the values espoused in “The Substitute Wife” would shock most mortals both then and now." [1]

In a review from Todd Everett for Variety , stated that "the story is so good-natured that women should wind up more entertained than offended by Stan Daniels' witty and ultimately touching script", which he compared to the 1950 film No Sad Songs for Me . He also praised the performances of Thompson and Fawcett's characters, which he deemed the "strongest onscreen relationship". [2]

Home media

The Substitute Wife was originally released in the United States on LaserDisc format via Vidmark Entertainment on February 8, 1995, [3] and on DVD on September 25, 2001.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effie Gray</span> Scottish artists model and wife (1828–1897)

Euphemia Chalmers Millais, Lady Millais was a Scottish artists' model and the wife of Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. She had previously been married to the art critic John Ruskin, but she left him with the marriage never having been consummated; it was subsequently annulled. This famous Victorian "love triangle" has been dramatised in plays, films, and an opera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan O'Neal</span> American actor (born 1941)

Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal is an American actor and former boxer. He trained as an amateur boxer before beginning his career in acting in 1960. In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ABC nighttime soap opera Peyton Place. It was an instant hit and boosted O'Neal's career. He later found success in films, most notably Love Story (1970), for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations as Best Actor, Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up, Doc? (1972) and Paper Moon (1973), Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (1975), Richard Attenborough's A Bridge Too Far (1977), and Walter Hill's The Driver (1978). From 2005 to 2017, he had a recurring role in the Fox television series Bones as Max, the father of the show's protagonist.

<i>Charlies Angels</i> 1976 American crime drama television series

Charlie's Angels is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aaron Spelling. It follows the crime-fighting adventures of three women working at a private detective agency in Los Angeles, California, and originally starred Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Jaclyn Smith in the leading roles and John Forsythe providing the voice of their boss, the unseen Charlie Townsend, who directed the crime-fighting operations of the "Angels" over a speakerphone. There were a few casting changes: after the departure of Fawcett, Cheryl Ladd joined; after Jackson departed, Shelley Hack joined, who was subsequently replaced by Tanya Roberts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farrah Fawcett</span> American actress (1947–2009)

Farrah Leni Fawcett was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she played a starring role in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lea Thompson</span> American actress, director (b. 1961)

Lea Katherine Thompson is an American actress, singer, dancer, and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Tiegs</span> American model (born 1947)

Cheryl Rae Tiegs is an American model and fashion designer. Frequently described as America's first supermodel, Tiegs made multiple appearances on the covers of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and Time magazine. Her 1978 "Pink Bikini" poster became an iconic image of 1970s pop culture.

<i>Saturn 3</i> 1980 British science fiction film by Stanley Donen

Saturn 3 is a 1980 British science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Donen, and starring Farrah Fawcett, Kirk Douglas and Harvey Keitel. The screenplay was written by Martin Amis, from a story by John Barry. Though a British production, made by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment and shot at Shepperton Studios, the film has an American cast and director.

<i>The Beverly Hillbillies</i> (film) 1993 film by Penelope Spheeris

The Beverly Hillbillies is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Penelope Spheeris, written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, and starring Jim Varney, Diedrich Bader, Dabney Coleman, Erika Eleniak, Cloris Leachman, Rob Schneider, Lea Thompson and Lily Tomlin.

<i>Hellraiser: Deader</i> 2005 horror film

Hellraiser: Deader is a 2005 American supernatural horror film and the seventh installment in the Hellraiser series. Directed by Rick Bota, the original script was written by Neal Marshall Stevens. As with Hellraiser: Hellseeker it began as an unrelated spec script, which was subsequently rewritten as a Hellraiser film. Like Inferno, series creator Clive Barker did not have even a cursory involvement in the production of Deader.

<i>Extremities</i> (film) 1986 film by Robert M. Young

Extremities is a 1986 American dark drama film directed by Robert M. Young and written by William Mastrosimone, based on his 1982 off-Broadway play of the same name. The film stars Farrah Fawcett, Alfre Woodard, Diana Scarwid, and James Russo.

<i>Police Academy</i> (film) 1984 American film directed by Hugh Wilson

Police Academy is a 1984 American comedy film directed by Hugh Wilson in his directorial debut, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Its storyline follows a new recruitment policy for an unnamed city's police academy to take in any recruit who wishes to apply and study to become a police officer. The film stars Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, and G.W. Bailey.

<i>Sunburn</i> (1979 film) 1979 film by Richard C. Sarafian

Sunburn is a 1979 British-American comedy detective film directed by Richard C. Sarafian and written by James Booth, John Daly and Stephen Oliver. It is based on the novel The Bind by Stanley Ellin. The film stars Farrah Fawcett, Charles Grodin, Art Carney, Joan Collins, William Daniels and John Hillerman. The film was released on August 10, 1979, by Paramount Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearl de Vere</span> American prostitute and brothel madam

Pearl de Vere, known as the "soiled dove of Cripple Creek", was a 19th-century prostitute and brothel owning madam of the American Old West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mrs. Lovett</span> Fictional character in many adaptations of the story Sweeney Todd

Mrs. Lovett is a fictional character appearing in many adaptations of the story Sweeney Todd. Her first name is most commonly referred to as Nellie, although she has also been referred to as Amelia, Margery, Maggie, Sarah, Shirley, Wilhelmina, Mary and Claudetta. A baker from London, Mrs. Lovett is an accomplice and business partner of Sweeney Todd, a barber and serial killer from Fleet Street. She makes meat pies from Todd’s victims.

Norman, Is That You? is a 1970 play in two acts by American playwrights Ron Clark and Sam Bobrick about a Jewish couple coming to terms with their son's homosexuality. The work is notably the first play written by both writers. After 19 preview performances, the play officially opened on Broadway on February 19, 1970 at the Lyceum Theatre. It closed after only 12 more performances on February 28, 1970. The production was directed by George Abbott and starred Martin Huston as Norman Chambers, Walter Willison as Garson Hobart, Lou Jacobi as Ben Chambers, Dorothy Emmerson as Mary, and Maureen Stapleton as Beatrice Chambers.

<i>Malibu</i> (film) 1983 television film by E.W. Swackhamer

Malibu is a 1983 American made-for-television drama film based on a novel by William Murray. Featuring Kim Novak, Susan Dey, Troy Donahue and James Coburn, the miniseries involves a young couple from Milwaukee, who move into the fabled, high-society Malibu beach community, and become involved with the lives of the various people living in the community.

<i>See You in the Morning</i> (film) 1989 film

See You in the Morning is a 1989 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Alan J. Pakula, and starring Jeff Bridges, Alice Krige and Farrah Fawcett. It features music by Nat King Cole and Cherri Red. The film's music was composed by Michael Small.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everyday (Slade song)</span> 1974 single by Slade

"Everyday" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1974 as the second single from the band's fourth studio album Old New Borrowed and Blue. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder, bassist Jim Lea and his wife Louise Lea (uncredited), and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 3 in the UK, spending seven weeks on the chart. The single was certified UK Silver by BPI in April 1974, only three days after its release.

The Joan Rivers Show is an American talk show hosted by comedian Joan Rivers that premiered on September 5, 1989, in broadcast syndication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Roberts (actress)</span> Canadian actress

Kim Roberts is a Canadian actress, best known for her roles as Mayor Goodway in Paw Patrol, Greta on The Sinner, Christine in The Handmaids Tale, Marnie in Schitt's Creek, Neeva in The Strain, Gloria in Lucky Seven, Camilla in Being Erica, Mazz in The Doodlebops, Mrs. Arvin in I'm Not There, Deborah in Saw III and Saw IV and Mrs. Bosco in The Cheetah Girls.

References

  1. Loynd, Ray (May 23, 1994). "TV REVIEW : 'Substitute Wife' a Pioneer Love Story : Farrah Fawcett is transformed from prostitute to bride in 19th-Century Nebraska. It's an unusually frank network film". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  2. Everett, Todd (May 23, 1994). "The Substitute Wife". Variety . Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  3. "The Substitute Wife LaserDisc NEW Fawcett Thonspon Drama". dadons.com. Retrieved April 1, 2022.