BB
(out of 5)
Based on the popular, scandalous book by Gore Vidal, this film was disowned by the author the moment he saw it. Future film critic Rex Reed stars as a lonely gay man named Myron Breckenridge who decides to have plastic surgery and turn into Raquel Welch (fat chance!) Now renamed Myra, Miss Welch is the most beautiful woman in Hollywood who storms into her uncle’s (John Huston) acting studio with a vengeance, planning on taking over classes and doing things her way. One of the first things she wants to do her way is a stud named Rusty (Roger Herren) who makes her blood boil with lust; it involves getting rid of his ditsy girlfriend (Farrah Fawcett), but that shouldn’t be too difficult. The other subplot in this unbelievably weird film is Mae West as a racy cabaret singer (well, what else is new) and talent agent who gives her male prospects a real runaround in her office before deciding whether to take them on or not (Tom Selleck appears in a very early role as one of the cowboys who shows up to get on her roster). I’m sure there was plenty of social commentary in Vidal’s novel, but the film version concentrates too much on being bawdy and has absolutely no subliminal content worth noting.
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
USA, 1970
Directed by Michael Sarne
Screenplay by Michael Sarne, David Giler, based on the novel by Gore Vidal
Cinematography by Richard Moore
Produced by Robert Fryer
Music by John Phillips
Production Design by Fred Harpman, Jack Martin Smith
Costume Design by Theadora Van Runkle
Film Editing by Danford B. Greene
