WISHFUL DRINKING (TV)
Summary
This documentary special depicts actress and screenwriter Carrie Fisher's one-woman stage show, based on her humorous 2008 memoir of the same name. Fisher opens the program by singing "Happy Days Are Here Again," and then takes the stage to discuss a variety of memories and tales from her life, including: her interest in finding humor in tragedy; a traumatic incident in which a close friend, a Republican lobbyist, passed away in her bed; her glamorous celebrity parents, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, and their close friendship with Elizabeth Taylor and Mike Todd, after whom they named Carrie's brother Todd; Mike Todd's shocking 1958 death in a plane crash, after which Eddie "comforted" the widow and ended up leaving Reynolds for Taylor; her parents' hopelessly complex love lives, which she displays on a large bulletin board, including Taylor's affair with Richard Burton, Reynolds' subsequent marriages to the much-older Harry Karl and to Richard Hamlett, Eddie Fisher's subsequent marriages and affairs with "all of Chinatown," and the vague possibility that her daughter Billie Lourd is actually related to her paramour, Taylor and Todd's grandson; her extravagant childhood home; her departure from high school to appear in the chorus of "Irene" on Broadway, alongside Reynolds; Reynolds' "Chinatown"-like suggestion that Carrie have a child with Karl; Reynolds' own dysfunctional relationship with her formidable Texan mother; Karl and Hamlett's financial thefts from Reynolds; Eddie's ongoing marijuana habit and use of "edible" hearing aids; why she dislikes the term "survivor"; her appearances in Reynolds' nightclub act; her time at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, at which she learned useful diction skills – and a questionable accent – for "Star Wars" (1977); the "expressionless" George Lucas and his surprising declarations about outer-space attire; strange fan encounters and the many Princess Leia-inspired products, including a Pez dispenser; an "anatomically correct" Leia figurine and other adult-oriented collectibles; her annoyance at hearing that she "used to be hot"; her experiences with electroconvulsive therapy, which leads to memory loss; her relationship with Paul Simon, who wrote less-than-flattering songs about her; her novel "Postcards From the Edge" and its 1990 film adaptation, inspired by her personal experiences in rehab; her split with Simon and marriage to Brian Lourd, who eventually came out as gay; her diagnosis of bipolar disorder and appearance in a medical text; her amusement at receiving awards for speaking out about mental illness, rather than for performing; and daughter Billie's interest in the arts and ample inspiration from her oddball family. She closes the show with a reprise of "Happy Days" and tongue-in-cheekishly departs on a stretcher. The film is dedicated to the memory of Eddie Fisher, who died three months after its recording.
Details
- NETWORK: HBO
- DATE: December 12, 2010 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:15:51
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 110193
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Biography; Hollywood
- SERIES RUN: HBO - TV, 2010
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Sheila Nevins … Executive Producer
- Sara Kordy … Coordinating Producer
- Lisa Heller … Senior Producer
- Randy Barbato … Producer, Director
- Fenton Bailey … Producer, Director
- Mona Card … Co-Producer
- Garret Edington … Associate Producer
- Robin Seidon … Line Producer
- Carrie Fisher … Writer
- David Benjamin Steinberg … Music by
- Carrie Fisher … Performer
- Richard Burton
- Eddie Fisher
- Richard Hamlett
- Harry Karl
- Billie Lourd
- Brian Lourd
- George Lucas
- Debbie Reynolds
- Paul Simon
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Mike Todd