"Girlfriends" (1978)

“Girlfriends” (1978) - Intro

Written by: Josh Lansky

TCM’s “The Essentials”

Intro:

Hi everybody, I’m Dave Karger and welcome to Turner Classic Movies. Next up we continue our showcase of Eli Wallach Film’s. From Warner Brothers in 1978, Directed by Claudia Weill, starring Melanie Mayron, Anita Skinner, Adam Cohen, and our star of the night Eli Wallach, it’s “Girlfriends.” The story is set in New York City and is about the relationship between two roommates and best friends who’s friendship changes once one decides to get married. Melanie Mayron plays the main character of the film, Susan, someone pretty much all of us have related to at one time or another, regardless of gender. Susan’s a twentysomething who is trying to figure out what the heck to do with her life. Susan is a photographer who just wants to be successful but in the meantime is forced to take jobs as a wedding and Bar Mitzvah photographer. She may feel the jobs are beneath her but Susan must take them just to pay the rent. “Girlfriends” examines female friendship in a way that few had done before and few have done since. We see the co-dependent nature between Susan and best friend Anne (played by Anita Skinner), and the all too familiar harsh reality that often occurs amongst friends when one has a successful relationship and the other is left feeling abandoned and alone. The film depicts the harsh truth that women sometimes feel when their friend “moves on” to a relationship with a man. Our star of the night, Eli Wallach, isn’t a villain in this film. A rarity for Wallach who has another outstanding performance here. And there’s also Bob Balaban, who was recently in a show I love about women trying to make it in New York City, called “Broad City.” But here they all are, in a film that - despite the 1970’s clothes and hair- is as timely today as it was when it was released. From 1978, here’s: “Girlfriends”

“Girlfriends” (1978) - Outro

Written by: Josh Lansky

TCM’s “The Essentials”

Outro:

What a great movie - and it’s one that has a lot of admirers. In an interview, Stanley Kubbrick called it a “wonderful film” and compared director Claudia Weill’s work on it with some of the best directors in Europe. And Lena Dunham loved the movie so much that in 2013 Dunham hired Claudia Weill to direct an episode of her popular HBO series “Girls.” Star of the film, Melanie Mayron, went on to have a prolific career on TV - winning an Emmy for her role on the drama “Thirty-something” in the late 1980’s. Around the same time, Mayron began directing. Currently, she’s busy behind the camera on TV shows like “Pretty Little Liars,” “Jane the Virgin,” and “Grace and Frankie” with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Coming up next, Valerie Landsburg, Terri Nunn, and Chick Vennera in the 1978 film, “Thank God it’s Friday.” We’ll see you next time, here on TCM!