A very well done fantasia on the life of Ziegfeld girl turned movie star Marion Davies and publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, this stars Robert Mitchum as Hearst and Virginia Madsen as Davies, and both are magnificent. She has criticized for performance, saying that it was based more on the Scandal than the person, but I respectfully disagree because I saw a very likeable young woman here who really loved the older man and stood by him through thick and thin even as scandal rocked their world.
You get a glimpse of the Ziegfeld Follies of 1916, a fascinating sequins that gives a realistic vision of what it looked like and the wheeling and dealing with both of publishing industry and the movie industry in the 1920's and 30's. Hearst's political ambitions are also explored, and it's ironic to see him want to run for president considering other powerful businessman who have had the same ambition.
Caroline Yaeger gives an excellent performance as Hearst's wife Millicent, meeting Marion in an awkward moment and later an indication of the feelings about herself to Hearst's declaration that he liked her better when she was a chorus girl by telling herself later 'I did too". Laura Henry is very funny as Davies' strong willed mother, and Doris Belack is a perfect Louella Parsons, declaring in her first her famous quote about Marion that she always wrote in her columns.
There's also a very good performance by stage and screen veteran Fritz Weaver as Hearst's financial advisor, openly confiding has just taste at the long going up there but respecting her regardless. It's obvious what's up when Weaver mentions his unseen wife who did not attend one of Marion's famous parties. By this time, Marian is showing signs of alcoholism, and Madsen is excellent in building this plot element of the story up. For those looking for comparisons to the storyline of "Citizen Kane", they are there, but Marion is much more intelligent character than the character of Susan was in that works in Welles' classic.
Of course this gets into the Thomas Ince scandal, and it is quite realistically presented. Lorne Kennedy has a nice segment as Charlie Chaplin, coming to Marion's rescue when she has to deal with a lion and later treating her to drinks which is the beginning of additional scandal. I couldn't see this being done any better, and as a result, it is a very good TV movie among many made about the early years of Hollywood, some truly dreadful.
You get a glimpse of the Ziegfeld Follies of 1916, a fascinating sequins that gives a realistic vision of what it looked like and the wheeling and dealing with both of publishing industry and the movie industry in the 1920's and 30's. Hearst's political ambitions are also explored, and it's ironic to see him want to run for president considering other powerful businessman who have had the same ambition.
Caroline Yaeger gives an excellent performance as Hearst's wife Millicent, meeting Marion in an awkward moment and later an indication of the feelings about herself to Hearst's declaration that he liked her better when she was a chorus girl by telling herself later 'I did too". Laura Henry is very funny as Davies' strong willed mother, and Doris Belack is a perfect Louella Parsons, declaring in her first her famous quote about Marion that she always wrote in her columns.
There's also a very good performance by stage and screen veteran Fritz Weaver as Hearst's financial advisor, openly confiding has just taste at the long going up there but respecting her regardless. It's obvious what's up when Weaver mentions his unseen wife who did not attend one of Marion's famous parties. By this time, Marian is showing signs of alcoholism, and Madsen is excellent in building this plot element of the story up. For those looking for comparisons to the storyline of "Citizen Kane", they are there, but Marion is much more intelligent character than the character of Susan was in that works in Welles' classic.
Of course this gets into the Thomas Ince scandal, and it is quite realistically presented. Lorne Kennedy has a nice segment as Charlie Chaplin, coming to Marion's rescue when she has to deal with a lion and later treating her to drinks which is the beginning of additional scandal. I couldn't see this being done any better, and as a result, it is a very good TV movie among many made about the early years of Hollywood, some truly dreadful.