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Zuma Beach (film)
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Wikipedia article
'Zuma Beach' is a 1978 TV movie written by John Carpenter & William Schwartz from a story by John Herman Shaner & Al Ramrus and directed by Lee H. Katzin and starring Suzanne Somers.
Plot
A fading rock singer goes to the beach to get away from it all and winds up getting involved in the lives of the teenage beachgoers.
Cast
* Suzanne Somers as Bonnie Katt
* Steven Keats as Jerry McCabe
* Mark Wheeler as David Hunter
* Kimberly Beck as Cathy
* Perry Lang as Billy
* Michael Biehn as J.D.
* Biff Warren as Norman
* Les Lannom as Stan
* Rosanna Arquette as Beverly
* Gary Imhoff as Frank
* Leonard Stone as Johnson
* Steve Franken as Rick
* Richard Molinare as Frank
* Tanya Roberts as Denise
* P.J. Soles as Nancy
* Timothy Hutton as Art
* Janus Blythe as Jennifer
History
Suzanne Somers' fame was rising due to the success of the sitcom 'Three's Company', and she wanted to star in movies. Although a lightweight TV movie, 'Zuma Beach' provided Somers with her first starring movie role.Bernstein, Jay. [https://books.google.com/books?id=U2uQOrIdyssC&pg=PA184#v=onepage&q&f=false Starmaker: Life as a Hollywood Publicist with Farrah, The Rat Pack and 600 More Stars Who Fired Me], pp. 184-185 (2011)Farley, Ellen and William K. Knoedelseder, Jr. (19 February 1978). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1978/02/19/rub-a-dub-dub-three-networks-in-a-tub/d17a92f7-afac-4cd6-a4b5-cd52f439aa9c/ Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Three Networks in a Tub], 'Washington Post' (brief mention of upcoming film in February 1978 with Somers to star)
John Carpenter wrote the script for a producer "who just said he wanted a beach movie." He sold it to Warner Bros., and it became a TV movie to star Suzanne Somers. Carpenter said he "was going to direct it, for about 10 seconds, but one of my mentors, Richard Kobritz...helped me see I didnt want to do it. It was vastly rewritten, so I really shouldnt have taken credit for it, but I was a little asshole in those days."
Tim Hutton had one of his first roles in the film.NOTHING 'ORDINARY' ABOUT TIM HUTTON, Champlin, Charles. 'Los Angeles Times', 15 Jan 1981: h1.
Reception
The 'Los Angeles Times' praised the naturalness of Somers' performance.TV MOVIE REVIEW: Somers in Swim of Role That Suits, Thomas, Kevin. 'Los Angeles Times', 27 Sep 1978: f18.
References
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