Queenie (miniseries)
| Queenie | |
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| File:Queenie abc miniseries print ad 1987.jpg
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| Directed by | Larry Peerce |
| Produced by | John Cutts |
| Screenplay by | April Smith James Goldman (as Winston Beard) |
| Based on | the Novel by Michael Korda |
| Starring | Mia Sara Joss Ackland Sarah Miles Serena Gordon Kirk Douglas Leigh Lawson Gary Cady Claire Bloom Topol |
| Music by | Georges Delerue |
| Cinematography | Tony Imi |
| Edited by | Michael Ripps Eric A. Sears (as Eric Sears) |
| Distributed by | ABC |
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Release dates
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10 May 1987 |
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Running time
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232 mins. |
| Language | English |
Queenie was an 1987 ABC miniseries based on the eponymous novel by Michael Korda. Winston Beard (a pseudonym for James Goldman) and April Smith adapted the novel for television, with Larry Peerce directing.
Background
In April 1985 Korda published Queenie, a roman à clef about his aunt, actress Merle Oberon, who had married his uncle Alexander Korda. In May 1987, Queenie aired in two parts on ABC.
Plot
Queenie Kelley (Oberon had been known earlier in life as "Queenie O'Brien" and "Queenie Thompson") is an extremely beautiful girl of Indian and Irish descent, fair enough to pass for white. Growing up in Calcutta, however, Queenie is made all too aware of her "chee-chee" (mixed) background by her enemies, including wealthy, jaded socialite Penelope Daventry.
One of Daventry's lovers, however, is Queenie's uncle, Morgan Jones. Jones and Queenie steal Daventry's expensive diamond bracelet, pawning it to make their way to England. Lost in London, Queenie finds a career as a stripper, Rani. Later, she makes her way to Hollywood, where she is renamed Dawn Avalon. Avalon becomes one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
Cast
- Mia Sara as Queenie
- Joss Ackland as "Sir Burton Rumsey"
- Serena Gordon as "Prunella Rumsey"
- Sarah Miles as "Lady Sybil"
- Kirk Douglas as "David Konig"
- Leigh Lawson as "Morgan Jones"
- Gary Cady as "Lucien Chambrun"
- Claire Bloom as Queenie's mother, "Vicky Kelley"
- Topol as "Dimitri Goldner"
Critical reception
The New York Times criticized the miniseries for not only being "absurd" but also being politically dated: "Even the details show an insensitivity no longer acceptable in today's global village. Why, for instance, when so many Indian actors have excelled in such productions as A Passage to India and The Jewel in the Crown, do we still have to find Indian characters played by British actors using dark makeup and a singsong accent?" [1]
