George Cukor

In the opening scene, in the year 1958, we are introduced to two best friends and Smith College roommates, Liz Hamilton (Jacqueline Bissett) and Merry Noel Blake (Candice Bergman). Liz helps Merry pack her things and sneak away in the middle of the night where Merry decides to marry her boyfriend Doug Blake (David Shelby) and leaves the school permanently, even though Doug dated Liz in the past. Ten years later. In 1968, Los Angeles, California, Liz is a famous writer and Merry and her eight-year-old daughter, Debby (Nicole Eggert), listen to a talk Liz gives at a Southern California college campus rally. Afterward, Liz attends a party thrown in her honor at Merry and Doug's beach house in Malibu. Soon, Doug and Liz walk on the beach and she admits to a failed love affair with a Frenchman and a bout of writer's block. When they return, Merry is jealous of her best friend leaving the party with her husband but it doesn't last long. A little later, Merry says she admires Liz's success, while Liz envies Merry's marriage and family, her money and the nice things that she can afford. Soon, Merry shows Liz a novel she has written called 'The House by the Sea' about all the people she knows in the beach colony. When Merry reads the manuscript out loud to her, Liz tells her the book is terrific. Merry is doubtful, but then asks Liz to give the manuscript to her editor Jules Levi (Steven Hill). Merry's request triggers Liz's sense of competition; she tells Merry that Jules is only interested in publishing serious literature, and Merry hasn't suffered enough for her art. Meanwhile, Liz admits to Merry that writer's block prevents her from finishing her second book. Nevertheless, Liz convinces Jules to buy Merry's book. Seven years later. In 1975, Dick Cavett interviews Merry about her books on his talk show in New York City. While Merry's career gains momentum, Doug's is stalled and in the middle of their love making, she jots down notes for her next novel. When Merry returns to bed, Doug's passion is long gone. Later, in the middle of Merry's television interview with Merv Griffin, Doug walks over to Liz's apartment and tells her he wants to relocate to New York and rekindle their relationship. Merry shows up at Liz's and fights with Doug about his failing career and their marriage. He calls her "books trash" and storms off. At Central Park, Doug tells Liz he did not get a job offer in New York but he has a job interview in Houston, Texas, and they could have a future together. When Merry meets them at a park, Doug walks off and leaves it to Liz to tell Merry that her marriage is over. Six years later. In present day 1981 New York City, Liz is one of the judges of the National Writer's Award and Merry lobbies to get her new book, 'Home Cooking,' nominated to win an award. Chris Adams (Hart Bochner), a 22-year-old reporter from Rolling Stone magazine, meets Liz at the Algonquin Hotel to do a story on her. Before the interview begins, Merry's troubled and estranged daughter, Debby (now played by Meg Ryan), pays a short visit with her trouble-seeking Puerto Rican poet boyfriend, Ginger Trinidad (Daniel Faraldo). When Merry arrives, she wants Liz to tell her if her book has been nominated. When Liz remains silent, Merry invites Liz to a literary party. Liz notices an attraction to Chris as she sits down for her Rolling Stone interview. In the morning, Liz leaves for her country cottage in Connecticut, where Chris joins her and they consummate their relationship. Liz brings Chris to Merry's party and Merry congratulates Liz for falling in love, but Liz is jealous when she sees Chris talking to Debby. Later, Liz and Chris talk about being in love but she is too scared to accept his marriage proposal. When Liz visits Merry at her suite at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Merry tells her Doug is in town and her instincts tell her that they will get back together. Merry also envisions winning the National Writer's Award. When she senses that Liz has doubts about Chris, Merry gives Liz her blessing. She tells her friend there are no guarantees when it comes to relationships. Back at her hotel, Liz worries when she is unable to reach Chris. On the way to lunch with Doug, Merry wants Liz to tell her if she's won the award. Liz reveals the judges have awarded the top prize to two writers: Merry and Sharon Gay. Later, Liz meets Chris at a coffee shop and finds out that he has saved Debby's boyfriend, Ginger, from going to jail. After the ordeal, Chris invites Debby to be his assistant on his next writing assignment and Liz realizes that her relationship with Chris is over. She asks him not to publish her interview. Meanwhile, Merry visits Liz at her hotel and accuses Liz of being in love with Doug and the one he is going to marry although Doug has told Merry he plans to marry a woman from Texas. The friends fight, ripping apart a treasured childhood teddy bear that Merry gave to Liz when she left college. Later, Merry watches the Awards party at her hotel suite apart from the revelers. She grabs a bottle of champagne and takes a taxi to Liz's cottage. In the final scene at the cottage, as Liz and Merry sit beside a lit fireplace, Merry apologizes for their fight, and Liz responds that no matter what has happened between them, they've always been great friends and that despite their complicated lives, they will always have each other. Liz suggests that they take a year off and travel together. While it's a scary thought for Merry, Liz tells her to be spontaneous and see what happens. The clock chimes midnight and Liz wants Merry to give her a kiss. Merry asks Liz if, after all these years, she is gay. "No", says Liz, she just wants a New Year's kiss. They hug and Liz gives Merry a peck on the cheek. Afterward, the two friends smile and toast each other by the light of the fire.

Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison), an arrogant, irascible professor of phonetics, boasts to a new acquaintance, Colonel Pickering (Wilfrid Hyde-White), that he can teach any woman to speak so "properly" that he could pass her off as a duchess. The person whom he is shown thus teaching is one Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn), a young woman with a horrendous Cockney accent who is selling flowers on the street. After overhearing this, Eliza finds her way to the professor's house and offers to pay for speech lessons, so that she can work in a flower shop. Pickering is intrigued and wagers that Higgins cannot back up his claim; Higgins takes Eliza on free of charge as a challenge to his skills. Eliza's father, Alfred P. Doolittle (Stanley Holloway), a dustman, arrives three days later, ostensibly to protect his daughter's virtue, but in reality simply to extract some money from Higgins, and is bought off with £5. Higgins is impressed by the man's genuineness, natural gift for language and especially his brazen lack of morals (Doolittle explains, "Can't afford 'em!"). Eliza goes through many forms of speech training, such as speaking with marbles in her mouth and trying to recite the sentence "In Hertford, Hereford, Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen" without dropping the 'h', and to say "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" rather than "The rine in spine sties minely in the pline". At first, she makes no progress (due to Higgins's harsh approach to teaching), but just as she, Higgins, and Pickering are exhausted and about to give up, Higgins softens his attitude and gives an eloquent speech about the beauty and history behind the English language. Eliza tries one more time and finally "gets it"; she instantly begins to speak with an impeccable upper class accent. Higgins takes her on her first public appearance to Ascot Racecourse, where she makes a good impression with her stilted, but genteel manners, only to shock everyone by a sudden and vulgar lapse into Cockney; "C'mon Dover, move your bloomin' arse!". Higgins, who dislikes the pretentiousness of the upper class, partly conceals a grin behind his hand, as if to say "I wish I had said that!" The bet is won when Eliza successfully poses as a mysterious lady of patently noble rank at an embassy ball, despite the unexpected presence of a Hungarian phonetics expert trained by Higgins. Higgins's callous treatment of Eliza afterwards, especially his indifference to her future prospects, leads her to walk out on him, leaving him mystified by her ingratitude. When she is gone however, he comes to the horrified realization that he has "grown accustomed to her face." Putting aside his resentment about the intrusion on his life and toward women in general, Higgins finds Eliza the next day and attempts to talk her into coming back to him. During a testy exchange, Higgins's ego gets the better of him, and his former student rejects him. Higgins makes his way home, stubbornly predicting that Eliza will be ruined without him and come crawling back. However, his bravado collapses and he is reduced to playing old phonograph recordings of her voice lessons. To Higgins' great delight, Eliza chooses that moment to return to him.

After a young woman with dreams of fame rents a billboard to advertise herself, her life changes overnight. Gladys Glover has just lost her modeling job when she meets filmmaker Pete Sheppard shooting a documentary in Central Park. For Pete it's love at first sight, but Gladys has her mind on other things -- like making a name for herself. Through a fluke of advertising she winds up with her name plastered on six billboards throughout city. Suddenly all of New York is clamoring for Gladys Glover without knowing why, and playboy Evan Adams III is making a play for Gladys that even Pete knows will be hard to beat. —A.L.Beneteau <albl@inforamp.net> Gladys Glover, a naive and starry eyed young woman, came to New York City less than two years ago from upstate to make a name for herself. Not only has that not happened, but she just got fired from her latest job as a girdle model. Documentary filmmaker Pete Sheppard, whom she meets by chance and who falls in love with her at first sight, predicts that if an opportunity presents itself, she will be able to seize it. Based on that idea, Gladys, seeing that it is available and using her life savings, decides to rent out a giant billboard in busy Columbus Circle for three months, the signage to be only her name in large lettering. While Gladys loves the billboard and takes any opportunity to stare at it, Pete believes it is a wacky idea since it means nothing, and if it does attract attention, it will only be of the kind that will brand Gladys a nut. It does attract some attention, most specifically of wealthy playboy Evan Adams III of Adams Soap, the company which wants to use the billboard for their regular summer advertising campaign. Despite Gladys and Evan's antagonistic first meeting, Evan sees in Gladys his next romantic conquest. In Gladys' and Evan's negotiations for that billboard space, Evan may be able to parlay Gladys' want for notoriety into his own amorous gains. Gladys has to weigh if this wanted fame is worth it any any cost, even at the expense of losing Pete, for whom she also seems to be falling. —Huggo

In Hollywood, California, many film celebrities attend a gala show at the Shrine Auditorium. Oliver Niles (Charles Bickford), who runs his own film studio, tells publicist Matt Libby (Jack Carson) to keep the alcoholic star actor Norman Maine (James Mason) off the stage, who is clearly drunk at this point. But Norman knocks Libby down and wanders onto the stage while the Glenn Williams Orchestra performs. Vocalist Esther Blodgett (Judy Garland), a young newcomer from the Midwest, incorporates him into the act so the audience doesn't realize that he is drunk. Later, the grateful and intrigues Norman tracks Esther to a small club where she is jamming. When he hears her sing "The Man Who Got Away", he realizes that she has great talent. He convinces her to quit the band she is performing with and take a chance a living her dream to be a big star. Norman promises to get Esther a studio audition. Esther's friend Danny McGuire (Tom Noonan) who works as the pianist, tells her that Norman is just giving her a line. Niles whisks Norman to a faraway location, so he looses contact with Esther before he can help her. Esther is forced to take odd jobs to survive. When Norman hears her voice on a silly TV commercial, he tracks her down to the boarding house where she lives. He gets her a studio contract. Her name is changed to Vicki Lester, but no one pays any attention to her until Norman shrewdly figures a way for Niles to hear Esther/Vicki sing. Niles casts her as the lead in a new musical which is a box office hit and to Esther/Vicki, a star is born. Esther agrees to marry Norman, hoping he will stop drinking and focus on his acting career once again. When they elope, this infuriates Libby, who despises Norman. Niles informs Norman that the studio is dropping him because his alcoholism has made him too great a risk. When Norman cannot find any work elsewhere in any major or independent studio, his fame begins to slip away. Norman starts drinking even more heavily. Esther tries to persuade him to stop drinking or at least "tone it down" but Norman angrily tells her to stay out of his personal business. After Esther is nominated and wins an Oscar for her performance in her first feature musical, Norman crashes the Academy Awards completely drunk and pushes his way on the stage where he embarrasses Esther and himself with his drunken rambling and when she tries to calm him down, he accidentally hits her in the face in full view of the televised audience forcing security men to remove him from the stage. Eventually Norman ends up in a sanatorium where he hopes to stay sober. When Niles sees how depressed that Esther is now that her career is stalled for her association with Norman, he visits Norman at the sanatorium where he offers him a small part in a picture. But this makes Norman even more upset. Due to being so used to having lead roles, Norman is too full of stubborn and foolish pride to accept the offer and pretends that he has other offers when he gets out the sanatorium. A few weeks later when Norman finally gets out of the sanatorium, he hopes to stay sober. But at the Hollywood Park racetrack where he goes to place a few bets, Libby confronts and insults him for living off his wife's salary and new fame, and assumes that Norman is and always will be a drunk. When Norman takes a swing at Libby, he knocks Norman down. A gathering crowd assumes that Norman is drunk. He gets up after Libby walks away and immediately falls of the wagon by ordering a drink at the racetrack bar. After being missing for four days, Esther and Niles learn that Norman has been arrested for drunk driving, getting into a car accident and resisting arrest. When the judge threatens to sentence him, Esther turns up in court and promises to take care of her husband so there will be no more incidents. He is released into her custody. At their beachfront house, while Esther and Niles think that Norman is asleep, he overhears them. Esther confides in Niles that she loves Norman so much despite his alcoholism that she has decides to give up her acting career and go to Europe with him so he can recover. Esther feels she owes her success to him for she believes that he is responsible for the success that she's had. She hopes they both can resume their acting careers abroad in England or Italy, or France. But Niles tells her that Norman's talent disappeared years before when he started drinking. Norman is clearly agonized by what he hears. After Niles leaves, Norman tells Esther that things will be better for her. Then while they go to sleep for the night, he wakes up early the next morning, walks into the ocean from the beach and deliberately drowns himself. Esther goes into seclusion, intending to mourn forever. After several weeks, Danny visits and insists that she appear at a benefit at the Shrine Auditorium. He says that Esther is Norman's monument that her love and success were the only good things in Norman's life. If she kicks it all away, it will be as if Norman never existed. Esther makes a surprise appearance at the shrine. She introduces herself to a worldwide audience: "This is Mrs. Norman Maine."

While in Washington to lobby for favorable legislation, a garbage tycoon hires a reporter to teach his ex-showgirl mistress proper etiquette to better fit in with high society, but she ends up learning more than he bargained for. Uncouth, loud-mouth junkyard tycoon Harry Brock descends upon Washington D.C. to buy himself a congressman or two, bringing with him his mistress, ex-showgirl Billie Dawn. Brock hires newspaperman Paul Verrall to see if he can soften her rough edges and make her more presentable in capital society. But Harry gets more than he bargained for as Billie absorbs Verall's lessons in U.S. history and not only comes to the realization that Harry is nothing but a two-bit, corrupt crook, but in the process also falls in love with her handsome tutor. —Paul Penna <tterrace@wco.com> Nouveau riche New Yorker Harry Brock, who made his money as a junk dealer, is uncouth and brash, he believing that money should be able to get him whatever he wants. What he wants is more power and money, which is the reason he has come to Washington DC, specifically to bribe a congressman or two, only the latest of his illegal activities. Among Harry's entourage is his fiancée of seven years, Billie Dawn, a former showgirl and an uneducated seemingly stereotypical dumb blonde. Beyond throwing money at her or playing gin rummy with her, Harry largely ignores Billie, or when he does spend time with her treats her badly, despite he being in his brand of love with her. As Harry is embarrassed by Billie's uncultured ways in dealing with the political elite of Washington - in the process he being clueless or unconcerned as to his own crudeness - he decides to hire Paul Verrall, a local freelance reporter writing a story on him, to teach Billie how to be cultured. Paul gladly accepts the job in his enjoyment of showing all that Washington DC has to offer in its history and politics, but not for Harry, who he does not like much. Paul finds that Billie is an eager student regardless of she seeing herself as being dumb and uneducatable. But Billie is able to see the world differently through the new eyes that Paul gives to her, she now not only learning about the world in general, but questioning her relationship with Harry, especially the legal papers Harry's lawyer Jim Devery is always getting her to sign. In the process, Paul also comes to some realizations about his feelings toward Billie and Harry. —Huggo Brassy blonde moll Billie Dawn hits Washington, D.C., with her unscrupulous millionaire sugar daddy, Harry Brock, and his sleazy lawyer, Jim Devery, who has been pressuring Harry to marry Billie by pointing out that a wife cannot be forced to testify against her husband. In an effort to make Billie more socially acceptable, Harry hires journalist Paul Verrall to smarten her up -- and sparks soon fly between the pair. —Jwelch5742

Assistant District Attorney Adam Bonner is assigned to prosecute a woman who tries to shoot her unfaithful husband. The DA and Bonner both expect a quick win. But neither planned on Bonner's wife and fellow attorney, Amanda Bonner, of defending the woman on the basis of "equal rights under the law," which Ms. Bonner insists would vindicate a man who would try to kill the lover of his unfaithful wife. Ms. Bonner shows throughout the court case that the law and society treat women different from men, and that any person would resort to violence if pushed sufficiently far. Mr. Bonner insists that regardless, no individual can take the law into his or her own hands, or chaos would ensue.

A young man in love with a girl from a rich family finds his unorthodox plan to go on holiday for the early years of his life met with skepticism by everyone except for his fiancée's eccentric sister and long-suffering brother. Free-thinking Johnny Case finds himself betrothed to a millionaire's daughter. When her family, with the exception of black-sheep Linda and drunken Ned, want Johnny to settle down to big business, he rebels, wishing instead to spend the early years of his life on "holiday." With the help of his friends Nick and Susan Potter, he makes up his mind as to which is the better course, and the better mate. —Terri A. Mabry <tamabry@uci.edu> While each is on a respective vacation in Lake Placid, New Yorkers Johnny Case and Julia Seton meet, fall in love and decide to get married as soon as possible. Johnny, a happy-go-lucky working stiff who has worked most of his life to gain modest financial success, had no idea that Julia came from an extremely wealthy banking family, which ends up being solely an unexpected surprise, no more, no less. For them to get married, they will have to work hard to get the blessing of Julia's father, Edward Seton, who ultimately does give his approval, as he sees in Johnny what Julia sees: a man with potential. Johnny doesn't need to work hard to impress Julia's free-thinking sister, Linda Seton, who sees Johnny as a breath of fresh air into the Seton home and into Julia's life. Linda is truly happy for Julia to have met Johnny. What Linda is aware of but which Johnny has yet to tell Julia is that Johnny, who doesn't want to live on the Seton's money, plans on quitting work when he is financially able to do so, so that he can take a holiday to find out where he fits in life. Linda admires both his plan and his conviction in what he wants. He may be able to achieve his goal sooner than planned as a financial deal pays off. Julia, who doesn't agree with or understand this plan, doesn't believe Johnny will go through with it, but Linda tries to convince her that he will and should and that she should go with him. Johnny may come to his own realizations concerning if and if so where he really does fit within the Seton family. —Huggo Jonathan "Johnny" Case is a self-made man who has spend much of his life at work. He dreams of taking an extended holiday to search for the meaning of life. During a short vacation in Lake Placid, New York, Johnny meets Julia Seton, and falls in love with her. The two are soon engaged, despite Johnny knowing nothing about her family and background. To his surprise, Julia is the youngest daughter of the banker Edward Seton, and her family is extremely wealthy. Julia introduces him to her family, and Johnny is somewhat impressed with her vivacious sister Linda. Julia and Johnny have an elaborate New Year's Eve engagement party, but Johnny leaves the party to comfort an upset Linda at "the playroom". Johnny has a more intimate party with Linda and a few close friends. On New Year's Day, Johnny attempts to kiss Linda. She rejects his advances, and reminds him that she is his future sister-in-law. Johnny leaves without greeting the family. While Johnny plans on going on a European vacation, Julia pressures him to take a new position in her father's bank. Edward already has plans for his son-in-law's professional live, future residence, and even the servants that will work in this residence. Johnny refuses to let his father-in-law gain full control over his life, and plans to travel to Europe with or without Julia. Julia gives up on their relationship, but Linda is genuinely in love with him and decides to join him for his trip to Europe. The new couple have their first passionate kiss. —Dimos I

A chronicle of the lives of sisters growing up in 19th-century New England. Little Women is a "coming of age" drama tracing the lives of four sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. During the American Civil War, the girls' father is away serving as a minister to the troops. The family, headed by their beloved Marmee, must struggle to make ends meet, with the help of their kind and wealthy neighbor Mr. Laurence, and his high-spirited grandson Laurie. —Liza Esser <essereli@student.msu.edu> Josephine March and her three sisters Meg, Amy, and Beth grow up with their mother's guidance while their father is a chaplain in the American Civil War. The vivacious quartet are very close and happy despite limited means. Laurie Laurence, the well-off boy next door, takes a liking to Jo, and his tutor John Brooke eyes older sister Meg during a party. Meg marries Mr. Brooke, but Jo rejects Laurie's proposal and moves to New York for new adventures. When Beth starts to lose her battle with scarlet fever, Jo returns to her deathbed. Sister Amy returns married to Jo's one true love, Laurie. Will she ever find someone for herself? —Gary Jackson <garyjack5@cogeco.ca>