cult film freak: STACEY NELKIN IN THE TV MOVIE 'CHILDREN OF DIVORCE'

Written by James M. Tate / 6/18/2014 / 1 Comment / billy dee williams , drama , fritz weaver , kim fields , lance kerwin , stacey nelkin , stella stevens , suzanne crough , tv movie

STACEY NELKIN IN THE TV MOVIE 'CHILDREN OF DIVORCE'

6/18/2014 | 1 Comment

1980 rating: ***1/2

Stacey Nelkin is a cult actress known as the ingénue from HALLOWEEN 3, the pretty starlet in YELLOWBEARD, and last and certainly least, Tony Danza’s girlfriend in GOING APE… But for some earlier Nelkin cinema you’ll have to downsize to the small screen…

In the TV movie, CHILDREN OF DIVORCE, Stacey plays Andrea Hoffman, one of several young folks with bickering parents on the verge of, or already taking an active part in, breaking up their marriage...

Stacey Nelkin gets the Opening Credit shot

This includes, among a laundry list of recognizable faces, GET SMART star Barbara Feldon who, playing Andrea’s upper class mother now having to find a menial job, has the most interesting storyline. It's the wife, not the children, with the biggest character arc throughout. Although Andrea’s transition has a few layers: from a bullied snob at a new public high school to a popular wannabe making marijuana references in class, she eventually hooks up with classical guitar protégé Tony, played by Lance Kerwin (David Soul’s young sidekick in SALEM’S LOT a year earlier). Tony's mom, Stella Stevens, has the smallest and least important role as a beauty shop owner struggling to make split-ends meet…

Suzanne Crough

As a young couple, the boy-next-door Kerwin and the gorgeous brunette Nelkin are a mismatched pair in a subplot that could have been better had more attention been given. Instead they're peripheral compared to other kids including pre-FACTS OF LIFE Kim Fields as an Olympic hopeful stealing dad Billy Dee Williams' booze, and her friendship with Andrea’s overweight little brother...

Sounds like a ton of familiar names meshed within a soap operatic template, and it is, sure, but CHILDREN OF DIVORCE... also featuring grownup PARTRIDGE FAMILY actress Suzanne Crough, a cheerleader giving a heartfelt monologue, and edgy newcomer Traci Rae as Andrea's group therapy friends... is a surprisingly decent movie – imagine if THE LOVE BOAT got serious and mated with an AFTERSCHOOL SPECIAL… This would be its firstborn.

Share This Post :

Tags : billy dee williams , drama , fritz weaver , kim fields , lance kerwin , stacey nelkin , stella stevens , suzanne crough , tv movie

James M. Tate

1 comment:

AnonymousOctober 15, 2015 at 9:23 AM
Hey James, excellent site! Just found it off an IMDB thread. It appears we have similar tastes in film, god help us, but have you seen Serial (1980)? Stacy Nelkin plays a new-age nymphomaniac to Martin Mull's frustrated-but-yearning Marin County yuppie. She's not a main character but she is memorable as usual. Great flick, too, watch if you haven't. Cheers!
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)OTLEY 2)HELL IS A CITY 3)ROBBERY 4)THE FEARMAKERS 5)CANYON PASSAGE 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)HOT CARS 8)JUNGLE STREET 9)ANATOMY OF A MURDER 10)THE CROWDED SKY 11))THE MAN FROM LARAMIE 12)SHARKS' TREASURE 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)THE SYSTEM 17)WHITE HEAT 18)AL CAPONE 19)THE SERGEANT 20)FALLEN ANGEL 21)NIGHT CREATURES 22)CURSE OF THE DEMON 23)ASH WEDNESDAY 24)THE BREAK 25)AIR PATROL 26)DUEL IN THE JUNGLE 27)EASY LIVING 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)FRENZY 30)THE ROARING TWENTIES 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)STANLEY BAKER 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)JACK NICHOLSON 1)VIRGINIA MAYO 2)SUE LYON 3)GENE TIERNEY 4)MERRY ANDERS 5)FAYE DUNAWAY DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)STANLEY KUBRICK 4)ORSON WELLES 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)JOHN LANDIS 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)VAL GUEST 9)JOHN CARPENTER 10)MICHAEL WINNER