Studio 57 (TV Series) The Starmaker (1958) User Reviews

I wonder if they were thinking about making this into a series.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 24 May 2017]

In this installment of "Studio 57", Bette Davis and her, at the time, husband Gary Merrill starred. She is an agent who represents Broadway actors and he is a playwright...though the story focuses much more on her and her latest project. She has a client who is the son of a famous actor and LOTS of pressure is being put on the young man to follow in his father's footsteps...and much of it is coming from his dad. Not surprisingly, the young man is extremely nervous...and his dad only makes this worse. So, the motherly agent does what she can to keep the guy from giving up...which seems very, very likely.

This could have easily been a weekly series and Davis was very good in this role. In fact, like any pilot, it left me wanting to see more and it's a shame this didn't occur.

This could have been the murphy-brown of the 1950's.

[mark.waltz · 10/10 · 20 January 2022]

I can just see it. Rotating secretaries every week, eccentric clients getting into all sorts of trouble, and Bette Davis there to supervise everything. She has guided one of the sons of one of her actor clients, a veteran ham actor who badgers his son to the point of nervousness where he flops on opening night. Then there's her partner in the agency she runs, a womanizer who has gone through more secretaries then Murphy ever did in her decade on the air. Davis, as Paula, is tough but patient, and I would work for her in a second. I've also had the nightmare as a fan of the theater being an actor and forgetting my lines on stage, so the opening scene resonated with me. This is a very funny view of life in the theater, with a great supporting cast including IanKeith, Joi Lansing, and Davis's real life husband, Gary Merrill, basically being Mr. Bette Davis here, completely wasted as Paula's husband. The main plot concerns Davis's efforts to deal with a troubled young actor and his overbearing father, trying to instill confidence in him that the father has unintentionally destroyed. People forget that Bette Davis in intentional comedy was very good, and much more than just a camp icon. An absolutely delightful TV Anthology episode brings lots of smiles and some genuine chuckles. Davis really seems to be enjoying herself here, and that's a gift that's passed on to the viewing audience.