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What the Hell Happened to Kathleen Turner?
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TMC
Dec 31, 2012, 3:19:25 AM12/31/12
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http://lebeauleblog.com/2011/07/04/what-the-hell-happened-to-kathleen-turner/
Posted by lebeau
She started her career as the 80′s answer to a femme fatale. She
became an international sex symbol. She could do action, drama and
comedy and even voiced Jessica Rabbit. And then she dropped out of
sight. No longer a sex symbol, she is best known to some TV viewers
as Chandler Bing’s cross-dressing dad on Friends. What the hell
happened?
Like many actresses, Turner got her start on soap operas. In 1978,
Turner made her TV debut on NBC’s The Doctors. She was the second
actress to play the part of Nola Dancy Aldrich on the daytime drama.
Here’s a promo for the show.
In 1981, Turner made the leap to the big screen.
The movie was Lawrence Kasdan’s 1981 thriller Body Heat co-starring
William Hurt as a dumb attorney and Turner as the femme fatale who
liked her men dumb. Dumb enough to kill for her.
Body Heat is a surprisingly old fashioned film noir. The first half
of the movie distracts the audience with steamy sex scenes between
Turner and Hurt until the potboiler plot kicks into over-drive.
Body Heat was a home run scoring with critics and audiences alike.
Turner was an overnight sensation.
Turner followed up Body Heat with the Steve Martin comedy, The Man
With Two Brains in 1983. Once again, Turner was a femme fatale, but
this time she played the part for laughs.
Martin plays a brain surgeon who marries a gold digger played by
Turner. Martin falls in love with a disembodied brain with whom he
can communicate telepathically. Soon, he realizes he is married to an
evil woman in a sexy body but is in love with a beautiful woman with
no body at all. What is a guy who specializes in brain transplants to
do?
The Man With Two Brains is the same kind of clever/stupid comedy that
made Martin’s The Jerk a hit. But it never managed to catch on with
audiences. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. It’s criminally
underrated and ridiculously quotable.
In 1984, Turner paired with Michael Douglas for the first time in
Romancing the Stone.
The movie was about a dowdy romance novelist who gets caught up in an
adventure out of one of her books. Only in the movies do dowdy
romance novelists look like Kathleen Turner in her prime!
Turner remembers clashing with Zemekis during filming. “I remember
terrible arguments doing Romancing. He’s a film-school grad,
fascinated by cameras and effects. I never felt that he knew what I
was having to do to adjust my acting to some of his damn cameras –
sometimes he puts you in ridiculous postures. I’d say, ‘This is not
helping me! This is not the way I like to work, thank you!’”
Expectations for Romancing the Stone were exceedingly low. After
viewing a rough cut of the film, the producers fired director Robert
Zemekis from Cocoon which he was developing for them. Many considered
it a cheap Raiders of the Lost Ark knock-off.
However, the film’s mixture of romance, action and comedy was a
surprise hit. And the chemistry between Turner and Douglas was so
strong, they were compared to Tracey and Hepburn.
In the flood of Indiana Jones copycats, Romancing the Stone
distinguished itself (in spite of a truly terrible title). Critics
and audiences approved. Turner won her first Golden Globe for Best
Actress.
In 1984, Turner once again played up her sexuality in Ken Russell’s
Crimes of Passion.
This is another movie where the plot kind of defies description. I’ll
just say that Kathleen Turner plays a prostitute named China Blue and
Anthony Perkins plays a street preacher who alternated between hiring
her and trying to save her.
There are elements of satire in Crimes of Passion, but it’s unclear
how much of the movie you are supposed to take seriously. I’m willing
to bet I laughed at things I wasn’t supposed to laugh at. If you
decide to check out Crimes of Passion, I can guarantee you won’t be
bored.
Unfortunately, the movie was savage by critics and bombed at the box
office.
In 1985, Turner starred opposite Jack Nicholson in Prizzi’s Honor.
Turner and Nicholson played hired killers who fall in love.
Naturally, they are then assigned to kill each other Mr. and Mrs.
Smith-style.
The John Huston film got rave reviews and was a hit with audiences as
well. Huston’s daughter, Angelica Huston, won an Oscar for Best
Supporting Actress and Prizzi’s Honor was nominated for several other
awards including Best Picture. Turner wasn’t nominated for an Academy
Award, but she won her second Golden Globe in a row.
It’s worth pausing for a moment to let that sink in. Turner’s box
office record was incredibly strong. Not only was she seen as a sexy
screen siren, she was also one of Hollywood’s most respected
actresses. It’s like what would happen if Jessica Alba could act.
1985 also saw Turner re-team with Michael Douglas in the Romancing the
Stone sequel, the Jewel of the Nile. Turner actually tried to back
out of Jewel of the Nile but was threatened with a lawsuit. Not
surprisingly, the movie failed to recapture the magic of the first
film.
One of the things that saved Romancing the Stone from being Indiana
Jones-light was the fact that it was told from a woman’s point of
view. So naturally, the sequel is told more from the point of view of
the Douglas character which makes it feel like another Raiders rip-
off.
The critics weren’t kind. Audiences made it a hit, but the damage was
done and the proposed third film in the franchise was never made.
Turner, Douglas and DeVito did all find time to sing alongside Billy
Ocean in the video for the song When the Going Gets Tough off the
Jewel of the Nile soundtrack.
Love those matching white suits! It looks like they learned all of
three synchronised “dance moves”. A term which can only be applied
loosely to those hand gestures. DeVito steals the show with his sax
solo. Kids, if you didn’t live through the 80′s, this is what you
missed.
In 1986, Turner starred in the bizarre time-travel comedy, Peggy Sue
Got Married. Turner plays the titular Peggy Sue, a housewife who has
just separated from her car salesman husband, Nicholas Cage.
Peggy Sue faints at her 25-year high school reunion and finds herself
back in high school. She then has to decide whether or not to take
her life in a new direction.
There are those who say the movie is ruined by Nicholas Cage who
delivers his entire performance in some squeaky voice that can be
distracting. He apparently based the voice on a character from the
Gumby show. The studio and director (Cage’s uncle, Francis Ford
Coppola) hated the voice and nearly fired Cage for doing it.
Peggy Sue is also notable for early appearances by future stars Jim
Carrey, Joan Allen and Helen Hunt.
The film got mostly good reviews and did decent box office. Most
importantly, it snagged Turner an Oscar nomination.
In 1987, Turner starred in Julia and Julia.
Unlike the Meryl Streep movie of the same name, this Italian thriller
had nothing to do with cooking. Turner plays a widow who may or may
not be going crazy. The movie co-starred Sting and Gabriel Byrne.
It got a limited release in the US where it grossed less than a
million bucks.
Later that year, Turner starred opposite Burt Reynolds and Superman in
Switching Channels.
Switching Channels is an unfortunate update of His Girl Friday with
the charmless Burt Reynolds playing the Cary Grant role. Never was
there an actor less suited to fill Grant’s shoes than Burt Reynolds.
Originally, Michael Caine was supposed to play the Reynolds role.
Reeve signed on to make Switching Channels because he wanted to work
with Michael Caine again after starring with him in Deathtrap.
Unfortunately, Caine was fired in favor of Reynolds in what has to be
the worst casting decision of the year.
Reynolds and Turner feuded on the set. Reeve later claimed to have
acted as a peace maker between the two. The extreme lack of chemistry
showed up on the screen.
Switching Channels was a dud. It was blasted by critics and bombed at
the box office.
1988 was a banner year for Turner. She did her first-ever voice over
as Roger Rabbit’s cartoonishly proportioned femme fatale wife in Who
Framed Roger Rabbit?
Despite having argued while making Romancing the Stone, director
Robert Zemekis recruited Turner for the sexy role.
Roger Rabbit was popular with critics and audiences and Jessica Rabbit
remains an iconic character to this day.
Turner went on to voice Jessica in two cartoon shorts. A sequel was
planned but scrapped due to disputes between Amblin Entertainment and
Disney.
Later that year, Turner re-teamed with her Body Heat co-star and
director for The Accidental Tourist.
The Accidental Tourist is a quiet drama with none of the sexuality of
Body Heat. It showed Turner in a different light, although once again
she is less than sympathetic.
The movie was a hit with critics and did respectable box office. If
there was a downside, it was that the flashier role went to Geena
Davis who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1989, Turner teamed with Michael Douglas (and Danny DeVito) for the
last time in The War of the Roses.
The black comedy was directed by DeVito and starred Turner and Douglas
as a divorcing couple who battle over a luxurious house.
The movie is so dark that the divorce turns into a battle to the
death. And yet, it somehow manages to be extremely funny as well.
The War of the Roses got positive reviews and even audiences (who
usually hate black comedy) made it a hit.
Turner was once again nominated for a Golden Globe.
Turner’s career began to slide with 1991′s V. I. Warshawski.
Warshawski was based on a series of mystery novels and it was intended
to launch a franchise for Turner.
Critics generally liked Turner in the role, but everything else about
the movie was pedestrian. The reviews were mostly negative and I’m
pretty sure I’m about the only person who paid money to see this
thing.
In 1993, Turner starred with Dennis Quaid in the spy comedy,
Undercover Blues. The film got mixed reviews and did so-so at the box
office.
I actually watched Undercover Blues for the first time recently. The
quirky spy comedy is definitely worth checking out. Turner and Quaid
make for a great comic team. While the story could be tighter, the
movie is worth watching to see these two stars at the top of their
game.
It was around this time that Turner was diagnosed with rheumatoid
arthritis. At one point, she could barely move and was told she would
need a wheelchair.
The medicine she took along with alcohol consumption greatly changed
Turner’s appearance. The femme fatale roles started to dry up and
instead, Turner started getting offers to play older women.
In 1994, Turner starred in the John Waters comedy, Serial Mom. I
think you either like John Waters or you don’t get him.
Unfortunately, I’m in the latter camp. And I’m not alone. Serial Mom
got mixed reviews and bombed at the box office.
Although Turner’s disease went into remission, she continued abusing
alcohol. With her resulting weight gain, her days as a leading lady
were over. She still made appearances in movies like 1997′s A Simple
Wish, 1999′s Virgin Suicides, Baby Geniuses and 2008′s Marley and Me.
But Turner was nowhere near the A-list anymore.
Increasingly, Turner can be seen on stage and TV. She starred in the
2002 stage version of The Graduate along with Alicia Silverstone. And
she has appeared on TV on Friends, Nip/Tuck and Californication.
She’s also done voice over work on The Simpsons, King of the Hill and
the movie Monster House.
So what the hell happened to Kathleen Turner? Well, for one she had a
reputation for being difficult. The New York Times once referred to
her as a “certifiable diva”. Turner herself admitted that she had
developed into “not a very kind person”.
As long as Turner delivered at the box office, that was acceptable in
Hollywood. However, once she became ill, the offers dried up fast.
Turner worked hard to hide her illness for fear it would ruin her
career. It is really a miracle she continued to work under these
conditions. Rumors began circulating about her alcohol abuse, and
Turner didn’t discourage them. She claimed that Hollywood would hire
a drunk, but not a sick person.
Today, Turner is no longer a leading lady on film. But she remains
active on stage and screen. Her illness has made her an unlikely hero
to many suffering from arthritis.
Posted by lebeau
She started her career as the 80′s answer to a femme fatale. She
became an international sex symbol. She could do action, drama and
comedy and even voiced Jessica Rabbit. And then she dropped out of
sight. No longer a sex symbol, she is best known to some TV viewers
as Chandler Bing’s cross-dressing dad on Friends. What the hell
happened?
Like many actresses, Turner got her start on soap operas. In 1978,
Turner made her TV debut on NBC’s The Doctors. She was the second
actress to play the part of Nola Dancy Aldrich on the daytime drama.
Here’s a promo for the show.
In 1981, Turner made the leap to the big screen.
The movie was Lawrence Kasdan’s 1981 thriller Body Heat co-starring
William Hurt as a dumb attorney and Turner as the femme fatale who
liked her men dumb. Dumb enough to kill for her.
Body Heat is a surprisingly old fashioned film noir. The first half
of the movie distracts the audience with steamy sex scenes between
Turner and Hurt until the potboiler plot kicks into over-drive.
Body Heat was a home run scoring with critics and audiences alike.
Turner was an overnight sensation.
Turner followed up Body Heat with the Steve Martin comedy, The Man
With Two Brains in 1983. Once again, Turner was a femme fatale, but
this time she played the part for laughs.
Martin plays a brain surgeon who marries a gold digger played by
Turner. Martin falls in love with a disembodied brain with whom he
can communicate telepathically. Soon, he realizes he is married to an
evil woman in a sexy body but is in love with a beautiful woman with
no body at all. What is a guy who specializes in brain transplants to
do?
The Man With Two Brains is the same kind of clever/stupid comedy that
made Martin’s The Jerk a hit. But it never managed to catch on with
audiences. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. It’s criminally
underrated and ridiculously quotable.
In 1984, Turner paired with Michael Douglas for the first time in
Romancing the Stone.
The movie was about a dowdy romance novelist who gets caught up in an
adventure out of one of her books. Only in the movies do dowdy
romance novelists look like Kathleen Turner in her prime!
Turner remembers clashing with Zemekis during filming. “I remember
terrible arguments doing Romancing. He’s a film-school grad,
fascinated by cameras and effects. I never felt that he knew what I
was having to do to adjust my acting to some of his damn cameras –
sometimes he puts you in ridiculous postures. I’d say, ‘This is not
helping me! This is not the way I like to work, thank you!’”
Expectations for Romancing the Stone were exceedingly low. After
viewing a rough cut of the film, the producers fired director Robert
Zemekis from Cocoon which he was developing for them. Many considered
it a cheap Raiders of the Lost Ark knock-off.
However, the film’s mixture of romance, action and comedy was a
surprise hit. And the chemistry between Turner and Douglas was so
strong, they were compared to Tracey and Hepburn.
In the flood of Indiana Jones copycats, Romancing the Stone
distinguished itself (in spite of a truly terrible title). Critics
and audiences approved. Turner won her first Golden Globe for Best
Actress.
In 1984, Turner once again played up her sexuality in Ken Russell’s
Crimes of Passion.
This is another movie where the plot kind of defies description. I’ll
just say that Kathleen Turner plays a prostitute named China Blue and
Anthony Perkins plays a street preacher who alternated between hiring
her and trying to save her.
There are elements of satire in Crimes of Passion, but it’s unclear
how much of the movie you are supposed to take seriously. I’m willing
to bet I laughed at things I wasn’t supposed to laugh at. If you
decide to check out Crimes of Passion, I can guarantee you won’t be
bored.
Unfortunately, the movie was savage by critics and bombed at the box
office.
In 1985, Turner starred opposite Jack Nicholson in Prizzi’s Honor.
Turner and Nicholson played hired killers who fall in love.
Naturally, they are then assigned to kill each other Mr. and Mrs.
Smith-style.
The John Huston film got rave reviews and was a hit with audiences as
well. Huston’s daughter, Angelica Huston, won an Oscar for Best
Supporting Actress and Prizzi’s Honor was nominated for several other
awards including Best Picture. Turner wasn’t nominated for an Academy
Award, but she won her second Golden Globe in a row.
It’s worth pausing for a moment to let that sink in. Turner’s box
office record was incredibly strong. Not only was she seen as a sexy
screen siren, she was also one of Hollywood’s most respected
actresses. It’s like what would happen if Jessica Alba could act.
1985 also saw Turner re-team with Michael Douglas in the Romancing the
Stone sequel, the Jewel of the Nile. Turner actually tried to back
out of Jewel of the Nile but was threatened with a lawsuit. Not
surprisingly, the movie failed to recapture the magic of the first
film.
One of the things that saved Romancing the Stone from being Indiana
Jones-light was the fact that it was told from a woman’s point of
view. So naturally, the sequel is told more from the point of view of
the Douglas character which makes it feel like another Raiders rip-
off.
The critics weren’t kind. Audiences made it a hit, but the damage was
done and the proposed third film in the franchise was never made.
Turner, Douglas and DeVito did all find time to sing alongside Billy
Ocean in the video for the song When the Going Gets Tough off the
Jewel of the Nile soundtrack.
Love those matching white suits! It looks like they learned all of
three synchronised “dance moves”. A term which can only be applied
loosely to those hand gestures. DeVito steals the show with his sax
solo. Kids, if you didn’t live through the 80′s, this is what you
missed.
In 1986, Turner starred in the bizarre time-travel comedy, Peggy Sue
Got Married. Turner plays the titular Peggy Sue, a housewife who has
just separated from her car salesman husband, Nicholas Cage.
Peggy Sue faints at her 25-year high school reunion and finds herself
back in high school. She then has to decide whether or not to take
her life in a new direction.
There are those who say the movie is ruined by Nicholas Cage who
delivers his entire performance in some squeaky voice that can be
distracting. He apparently based the voice on a character from the
Gumby show. The studio and director (Cage’s uncle, Francis Ford
Coppola) hated the voice and nearly fired Cage for doing it.
Peggy Sue is also notable for early appearances by future stars Jim
Carrey, Joan Allen and Helen Hunt.
The film got mostly good reviews and did decent box office. Most
importantly, it snagged Turner an Oscar nomination.
In 1987, Turner starred in Julia and Julia.
Unlike the Meryl Streep movie of the same name, this Italian thriller
had nothing to do with cooking. Turner plays a widow who may or may
not be going crazy. The movie co-starred Sting and Gabriel Byrne.
It got a limited release in the US where it grossed less than a
million bucks.
Later that year, Turner starred opposite Burt Reynolds and Superman in
Switching Channels.
Switching Channels is an unfortunate update of His Girl Friday with
the charmless Burt Reynolds playing the Cary Grant role. Never was
there an actor less suited to fill Grant’s shoes than Burt Reynolds.
Originally, Michael Caine was supposed to play the Reynolds role.
Reeve signed on to make Switching Channels because he wanted to work
with Michael Caine again after starring with him in Deathtrap.
Unfortunately, Caine was fired in favor of Reynolds in what has to be
the worst casting decision of the year.
Reynolds and Turner feuded on the set. Reeve later claimed to have
acted as a peace maker between the two. The extreme lack of chemistry
showed up on the screen.
Switching Channels was a dud. It was blasted by critics and bombed at
the box office.
1988 was a banner year for Turner. She did her first-ever voice over
as Roger Rabbit’s cartoonishly proportioned femme fatale wife in Who
Framed Roger Rabbit?
Despite having argued while making Romancing the Stone, director
Robert Zemekis recruited Turner for the sexy role.
Roger Rabbit was popular with critics and audiences and Jessica Rabbit
remains an iconic character to this day.
Turner went on to voice Jessica in two cartoon shorts. A sequel was
planned but scrapped due to disputes between Amblin Entertainment and
Disney.
Later that year, Turner re-teamed with her Body Heat co-star and
director for The Accidental Tourist.
The Accidental Tourist is a quiet drama with none of the sexuality of
Body Heat. It showed Turner in a different light, although once again
she is less than sympathetic.
The movie was a hit with critics and did respectable box office. If
there was a downside, it was that the flashier role went to Geena
Davis who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1989, Turner teamed with Michael Douglas (and Danny DeVito) for the
last time in The War of the Roses.
The black comedy was directed by DeVito and starred Turner and Douglas
as a divorcing couple who battle over a luxurious house.
The movie is so dark that the divorce turns into a battle to the
death. And yet, it somehow manages to be extremely funny as well.
The War of the Roses got positive reviews and even audiences (who
usually hate black comedy) made it a hit.
Turner was once again nominated for a Golden Globe.
Turner’s career began to slide with 1991′s V. I. Warshawski.
Warshawski was based on a series of mystery novels and it was intended
to launch a franchise for Turner.
Critics generally liked Turner in the role, but everything else about
the movie was pedestrian. The reviews were mostly negative and I’m
pretty sure I’m about the only person who paid money to see this
thing.
In 1993, Turner starred with Dennis Quaid in the spy comedy,
Undercover Blues. The film got mixed reviews and did so-so at the box
office.
I actually watched Undercover Blues for the first time recently. The
quirky spy comedy is definitely worth checking out. Turner and Quaid
make for a great comic team. While the story could be tighter, the
movie is worth watching to see these two stars at the top of their
game.
It was around this time that Turner was diagnosed with rheumatoid
arthritis. At one point, she could barely move and was told she would
need a wheelchair.
The medicine she took along with alcohol consumption greatly changed
Turner’s appearance. The femme fatale roles started to dry up and
instead, Turner started getting offers to play older women.
In 1994, Turner starred in the John Waters comedy, Serial Mom. I
think you either like John Waters or you don’t get him.
Unfortunately, I’m in the latter camp. And I’m not alone. Serial Mom
got mixed reviews and bombed at the box office.
Although Turner’s disease went into remission, she continued abusing
alcohol. With her resulting weight gain, her days as a leading lady
were over. She still made appearances in movies like 1997′s A Simple
Wish, 1999′s Virgin Suicides, Baby Geniuses and 2008′s Marley and Me.
But Turner was nowhere near the A-list anymore.
Increasingly, Turner can be seen on stage and TV. She starred in the
2002 stage version of The Graduate along with Alicia Silverstone. And
she has appeared on TV on Friends, Nip/Tuck and Californication.
She’s also done voice over work on The Simpsons, King of the Hill and
the movie Monster House.
So what the hell happened to Kathleen Turner? Well, for one she had a
reputation for being difficult. The New York Times once referred to
her as a “certifiable diva”. Turner herself admitted that she had
developed into “not a very kind person”.
As long as Turner delivered at the box office, that was acceptable in
Hollywood. However, once she became ill, the offers dried up fast.
Turner worked hard to hide her illness for fear it would ruin her
career. It is really a miracle she continued to work under these
conditions. Rumors began circulating about her alcohol abuse, and
Turner didn’t discourage them. She claimed that Hollywood would hire
a drunk, but not a sick person.
Today, Turner is no longer a leading lady on film. But she remains
active on stage and screen. Her illness has made her an unlikely hero
to many suffering from arthritis.
David Barnett
Jan 1, 2013, 2:30:10 PM1/1/13
to
In article <85cd1d86-fe22-40cd-b451-de4751967470
@w8g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>, tmc...@gmail.com says...
She put on a lot of weight when I last saw her in
something.
--
David Barnett
@w8g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>, tmc...@gmail.com says...
She put on a lot of weight when I last saw her in
something.
--
David Barnett
Mack A. Damia
Jan 1, 2013, 2:52:07 PM1/1/13
to
such as "Save the Spider", et al. I guess they get compensated and
also some public exposure.
--
Piper
Jan 18, 2013, 9:01:15 PM1/18/13
to
anim8rFSK
Jan 19, 2013, 1:04:10 AM1/19/13
to
In article <kdcup9$eoa$1...@dont-email.me>, Piper <pi...@gatesofdawn.com>
wrote:
She's eating for two now.
--
"Every time a Kardashian gets a TV show, an angel dies."
wrote:
--
"Every time a Kardashian gets a TV show, an angel dies."
strickla...@gmail.com
Feb 8, 2014, 4:01:29 AM2/8/14
to
Its amazing to read critics remarks about Kathleen turner. originary people have these same problems. It could be a brother sister uncle aunt etc. Oh lets not forget that last remark about Kathleen Turner is eating for 2. American people are the most over weight then most country. So when you decide to criticize anyone your looking at your reflection. She is still a beautiful person regardless. Wow and you wonder and your our next generation. This is a disaster waited to happen. Your are a bunch of Hippocrates. And I am not over weight I have never taking drugs or smoke pot or drove while drinking. I try to live a good life I am not perfect. But I do not criticize others. So try to be kind becaise this could have been your sister. Just tried to be kind. Life is to short.
janelle...@gmail.com
May 3, 2020, 11:51:39 AM5/3/20
to
You also forgot to mention two tony award nominations for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? And cat on a hot tin roof where she broke box office records.
It’s funny I find that those who criticize are the biggest offenders. Is a woman who stands her ground considered a diva? I guess I am one too than. This world has incredible double standard for women. Even though there have been rumors and stories about her being difficult to work with I have yet to hear a specific story about it. Just because she refuses to ‘spread her legs’ or bow down to someone or gives her opinion, that makes her difficult. Unbelievable.
It’s funny I find that those who criticize are the biggest offenders. Is a woman who stands her ground considered a diva? I guess I am one too than. This world has incredible double standard for women. Even though there have been rumors and stories about her being difficult to work with I have yet to hear a specific story about it. Just because she refuses to ‘spread her legs’ or bow down to someone or gives her opinion, that makes her difficult. Unbelievable.
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