''Brenda Starr'' is a 1976 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

based on

Dale Messick Dalia Messick (April 11, 1906 – April 5, 2005) was an American comic strip artist who used the pseudonym Dale Messick. She was the creator of '' Brenda Starr, Reporter'', which at its peak during the 1950s ran in 250 newspapers. Early life Me ...

's comic strip ''

Brenda Starr, Reporter ''Brenda Starr, Reporter'' (often referred to simply as ''Brenda Starr'') is a comic strip about a glamorous, adventurous reporter. It was created in 1940 by Dale Messick for the Chicago Tribune Syndicate. History Although set in Chicago, ''B ...

'' starring

Jill St. John Jill St. John (born Jill Arlyn Oppenheim; August 19, 1940) is a retired American actress. She may be best known for playing Tiffany Case, the first American Bond girl of the 007 franchise, in '' Diamonds Are Forever''. Additional performances i ...

in the title role. It is directed by

Mel Stuart Mel Stuart (born Stuart Solomon; September 2, 1928 – August 9, 2012) was an American film director and producer who often worked with producer David L. Wolper, at whose production firm he worked for 17 years, before going freelance. Ea ...

and originally aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

on May 8, 1976.

Cast

as Brenda Starr * Jed Allen as Roger Randall *

Sorrell Booke Sorrell Booke (January 4, 1930 – February 11, 1994) was an American actor who performed on stage, screen, and television. He acted in more than 100 plays and 150 television shows, and is best known for his role as corrupt politician Jefferson ...

as A J Livwright * Tabi Cooper as Hank O'Hare *

Victor Buono Victor Charles Buono (February 3, 1938January 1, 1982) was an American actor, comic, and briefly a recording artist. He was known for playing the villain King Tut in the television series '' Batman'' (1966–1968) and musician Edwin Flagg in '' ...

as Lance O'Toole *Joel Fabiani as Carlos Vegas * Barbara Luna as Luisa Santamaria *

Marcia Strassman Marcia Ann Strassman (April 28, 1948 – October 24, 2014) was an American actress and singer. She played Nurse Margie Cutler on ''M*A*S*H'', Julie Kotter on ''Welcome Back, Kotter'', and Diane Szalinski in the film ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kid ...

as Kentucky Smith *

Torin Thatcher Torin Herbert Erskine Thatcher (15 January 1905 – 4 March 1981) was a British actor who was noted for his flashy portrayals of screen villains. Personal life Thatcher was born in Bombay, British India, to British parents, Torin James Blair T ...

as Lassiter *Arthur Roberts a Dax Leander *

Roy Applegate Roy Applegate (7 December 1878 – 9 February 1950) was an American actor Background He played Judge Gates in ''The Child of Destiny'' (1916), Opera House Manager in ''The Musician's Daughter'' (1911), Arthur Jepson in '' All for a Girl'' (1915) ...

as Tommy

Production

Jill St John told her press agent that she had a dream to play Brenda Starr. The agent optioned the rights and had a script written. The movie was shot as a pilot for a series but fell flat as a stand alone project.Jill's Ambition: To Be Brenda Starr Haber, Joyce. Los Angeles Times 22 Jan 1975: g7.

References

External links

''Brenda Starr''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atl ...

''Brenda Starr''
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

1976 television films 1976 films 1970s adventure films ABC network original films American television films American adventure films Films based on comic strips Films directed by Mel Stuart Films scored by Lalo Schifrin Live-action films based on comics 1970s American films {{US-tv-film-stub