ABC ORIGINAL MONDAY NIGHT MOVIE, AN: GILDA RADNER: IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING (TV)

Summary

This made-for-television biographical film profiles comedian Gilda Radner, inspired by her memoir of the same name. The story begins as Gilda records an audiobook version of her book, wondering if listeners will understand an odd parable about a woman chased by tigers in a desert. Back in 1958, in Detroit, Gilda and her brother both struggle with their weight, but Gilda, inspired by her father Herman's sense of humor and her nanny's advice to "make fun of herself first," fends off childhood bullies by cracking jokes. Young Gilda is confused and distressed when her father develops a brain tumor, but the family refuses to talk about the disease directly. At summer camp, Gilda and her friends flirt with handsome counselor Jeff, but she is soon summoned home when her father dies. Years later, Gilda develops various "obsessive behaviors," particularly about men, but earns big laughs as she performs slapstick comedy scenes onstage with pal John Belushi at the Second City troupe in Toronto. Belushi persuades her to come to New York City to perform with the National Lampoon group, and once there, producer Lorne Michaels immediately takes a liking to her and convinces her to join his new late-night live comedy sketch series, "Saturday Night Live."

Gilda's mother, brother and nanny arrive for the first "SNL" show, and Gilda casually reveals to co-star Jane Curtin that she manages her weight by regularly binging and purging – a habit she soon turns into a joke for the show, where "nothing was sacred." Gilda soon gains fame with her memorable wacky characters, including uptight social commentator Emily Litella, based on her nanny, and Roseanne Roseannadanna, who uses Herman's catchphrase, "it's always something." The cast is worried when original co-star Chevy Chase departs after only one season, but the show continues gaining popularity, particularly when Gilda and Bill Murray – with whom she begins a messy affair – appear as "The Nerds." The show runs into trouble with Standards & Practices for their bawdy content, and Gilda feels "out of control" as the cast members' overnight fame leads to dysfunction. Gilda appears in a short film, "La Dolce Gilda," parodying the famous 1960 Fellini film, and wins an Emmy Award in 1978. She convinces Lorne to help her create a Broadway show, "Gilda Radner – Live From New York," through which she meets and quickly marries guitarist G.E. Smith. Though she assures her bewildered friends that she is genuinely in love, the hasty marriage soon sours.

Gilda then meets famed comedic actor Gene Wilder on the set of "Hanky Panky" and instantly falls for him, aware that he, in a way, "represents" her father. Gene, who confesses that he never saw her on "SNL," declines to get involved with a married woman despite his feelings for her, and Gilda sinks further into her eating disorder because of the stress. Gene soon finds that he cannot live without her, however, and Gilda and G.E. are amicably divorced six months later. Gilda commits to being an easygoing "hausfrau," determined to beat her bulimia and marry Gene, and she is soon devastated by the news of her friend John's premature demise. Gilda's clingy nature leads to a brief breakup with Gene, but they quickly reconcile and marry in France. Gilda soon begins feeling tired and unwell and, paranoid about cancer since her father's death and wondering if her use of saccharin has sickened her, visits a variety of doctors, all of whom offer varying diagnoses and ideas. After suffering a miscarriage, Gilda is crushed to learn that she does indeed have a malignant mass on her ovary, and Gene is furious to have lost nearly a year to inaccurate information. She undergoes a hysterectomy and begins chemotherapy, though the tabloids declare that she is mere days from death.

Gilda struggles with her fear of death as she undergoes grueling treatments, and she imagines herself giving a blunt interview to her own comedic character, interviewer "Baba Wawa." Gene grows exasperated with her constant worry and obsession over her condition, but she soon finds solace at The Wellness Community, where she meets and commiserates with other cancer patients, including, to her amazement, Jeff from summer camp. She begins to embrace a more positive outlook as she entertains the other patients with her jokes and rekindles her romance with Gene, and upon entering remission, she returns to television with a warmly received appearance on "It's Garry Shandling's Show," where she pokes fun at her own illness. She decides to write a book about her life and create her own wellness community, telling her friends that she is "sick of serious," but her happiness is short-lived when she finds that her cancer has returned. Learning that there are "radical" new treatments available, Gilda bravely declares herself "Cancer Woman" and vows to continue fighting the disease. In the recording booth, she describes the experience of living in "delicious ambiguity," and the film concludes by stating that Gilda died at the age of 42, three weeks after the audiobook's completion, whereupon Gene and her friends founded Gilda's Club, an outreach organization for cancer patients and their families. The Department of Health and Human Services later confirmed that saccharin does not cause cancer. Includes commercials and promos.

Details

• NETWORK: ABC
• DATE: April 29, 2002 9:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:55:52
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:71400
• GENRE: Drama
• SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Biography; Women comedians; Cancer
• SERIES RUN: ABC - TV, 2002
• COMMERCIALS:
  • TV - Commercials - "About a Boy" motion picture
  • TV - Commercials - "Hollywood Ending" motion picture
  • TV - Commercials - "The Many Adventures of Wiinnie the Pooh" home video
  • TV - Commercials - Clorox bleach
  • TV - Commercials - Domino's Pizza restaurants
  • TV - Commercials - Fannie Mae Foundation
  • TV - Commercials - Ford automobiles
  • TV - Commercials - Garnier Nutrisse hair coloring
  • TV - Commercials - Hellmann's mayonnaise
  • TV - Commercials - JCPenney Salon stores
  • TV - Commercials - Jimmy Dean sausage
  • TV - Commercials - Johnson's Bedtime Bath products
  • TV - Commercials - Kellogg's Special K cereal
  • TV - Commercials - Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants
  • TV - Commercials - Lamisil AT athlete's foot care
  • TV - Commercials - Lipitor cholesterol medication
  • TV - Commercials - Nexium heartburn medication
  • TV - Commercials - Nissan automobiles
  • TV - Commercials - Olive Garden restaurants
  • TV - Commercials - Pampers Easy Ups training pants
  • TV - Commercials - Partnership For a Drug-Free America program
  • TV - Commercials - Physique hair care products
  • TV - Commercials - Pueblo consumer information website
  • TV - Commercials - Saran Quick Covers food wrap
  • TV - Commercials - Scott paper towels
  • TV - Commercials - Sears stores Tire & Auto Center
  • TV - Commercials - Serenity bladder control pads
  • TV - Commercials - Tic-Tac breath mints
  • TV - Commercials - UPS services
  • TV - Commercials - Verizon Wireless cellular services
  • TV - Commercials - Victoria's Secret stores
  • TV - Commercials - Vioxx arthritis medicine
  • TV - Commercials - Volkswagen automobiles
  • TV - Commercials - Wendy's restaurants
  • TV - Commercials - Woolite Dark Laundry detergent
  • TV - Commercials - Ziploc Tabletops dishware
  • TV - Commercials - Zocor cholesterol medication
  • TV - Commercials - Zyrtec allergy medication
  • TV - Promos - "20/20"
  • TV - Promos - "According to Jim"
  • TV - Promos - "Alias"
  • TV - Promos - "American Bandstand 50th Anniversary Special"
  • TV - Promos - "Dharma & Greg"
  • TV - Promos - "Dinotopia"
  • TV - Promos - "Favorite Stars: Then & Now"
  • TV - Promos - "Good Morning America"
  • TV - Promos - "Laverne & Shirley: Together Again"
  • TV - Promos - "My Wife & Kids"
  • TV - Promos - "NYPD Blue"
  • TV - Promos - "Notting Hill"
  • TV - Promos - "Primetime"
  • TV - Promos - "Spin City"
  • TV - Promos - "Stuart Little"
  • TV - Promos - "The Drew Carey Show"
  • TV - Promos - "The Practice"

CREDITS

• Howard Braunstein … Executive Producer
• Merv Griffin … Executive Producer
• Ernest Chambers … Executive Producer
• Michael Jaffe … Executive Producer
• A.D. Oppenheim … Executive Producer
• Clara George … Producer
• Janet Brownell … Producer, Writer
• Duane Clark … Director
• Gilda Radner … Based on the book by
• David Russo … Music by
• Anne Wootten … Choreographer
• Jami Gertz … Cast, Gilda Radner
• George Wyner … Cast, Herman Radner
• Tom Rooney … Cast, Gene Wilder
• Eric Siegel … Cast, John Belushi
• John Viener … Cast, Chevy Chase
• Patrick Fischler … Cast, Eugene Levy
• Marcia Bennett … Cast, Mrs. Elizabeth Clementine 'Dibby' Gillies
• Dixie Seatle … Cast, Joanna Bull
• Jennifer Irwin … Cast, Jane Curtin
• Maureen Ross Neilson … Cast, Laraine Newman
• Ari Cohen … Cast, Lorne Michaels
• Mather Zickel … Cast, Bill Murray
• Dan Di Julio … Cast, Dan Aykroyd
• Jacqueline Pillon … Cast, Ann Beatts
• Dean Bernard … Cast, Garrett Morris
• Jane Luk … Cast, Woman in Washroom
• Kristen Bone … Cast, Young Gilda
• Kathryn Winslow … Cast, Judy
• Lisa Messinger … Cast, Pam
• Roz Michaels … Cast, Henrietta Radner
• Rudy Fischer … Cast, Young Michael Radner
• Mallory Margel … Cast, Young Judy
• Jennifer Pisana … Cast, Young Pam
• Fraser McGregor … Cast, John Huntoon
• J.D. Nicholsen … Cast, G.E. Smith
• Jenni Burke … Cast, Therapist
• Karen Robinson … Cast, Dr. J. Evans
• Jacklyn Francis … Cast, Nurse Susan
• Jane Moffat … Cast, Linda
• Nick Rice … Cast, Man at Wellness Center
• David Nerman … Cast, Jeff at Wellness Center
• Stewart Francis … Cast, Garry Shandling
• Gerry Salsberg … Cast, Book Producer