''Copacabana'' is a 1985 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 ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

based on the 1978 song of the same title by

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...

, and starred Manilow himself, in his acting debut, as Tony, an aspiring songwriter, and

Annette O'Toole Annette O'Toole (born Annette Toole; April 1, 1952) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Lisa Bridges in the television series '' Nash Bridges'', Beverly Marsh in the 1990 television mini-series adaptation of Stephen King's epic hor ...

as Lola, an aspiring singer who falls in with the wrong crowd. The film premiered on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

on December 3, 1985. At the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards, the film was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography (

Grover Dale Grover Dale is an American actor, dancer, choreographer, theater director, and publisher. Early life Dale was born Grover Robert Aitken in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Emma Bertha (Ammon) and Ronal Rittenhouse Aitken, a restaurateur. He stud ...

) and Outstanding Directing in a Variety or Music Program (Hussein), and won for the latter. A

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...

, '' Copacabana: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album'', was released. The film also inspired a 1990 stage show at Caesars Atlantic City, as well as a 1994 musical of the same name.

Plot

The film's story is told in flashbacks from 1978 to 1948, and back again. In 1978, a woman named Lola Lamar patronizes the Copacabana lounge in Manhattan, which in that year was being operated as a discotheque. There, outfitted in worn wardrobe that was new in the middle-to-late 1940s, when she had originally obtained it, she drinks rather heavily and remembers happier days thirty years ago, when she was far younger. In 1948, wannabe singer Lola meets aspiring songwriter Tony Starr when both are contestants on a radio show. Tony is immediately smitten with Lola and assists her flailing attempts to break into

show business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produc ...

. At Manhattan's Copacabana lounge, both start finding fame. However, fate steps in and Lola is swept to

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

to work in a splashy night club act where she is convinced she will find her stardom, while Tony finds his own career gaining speed at the Copa. But Lola's new mentor and boss, Rico Castelli, demands a heavy price for elevating Lola's career, resulting in conflict, drama and eventually Tony's accidental murder at Lola's hands, during a battle for the gun. The setting returns to 1978 after the depiction of Tony's accidental murder at Lola's hands. The now-aged Lola, thoroughly drunk, has a vision of a younger version of herself and Tony dancing on the dancefloor.

Cast

as Tony Starr *

as Lola Lamar *

Estelle Getty Estelle Gettleman (née Scher; July 25, 1923 – July 22, 2008), known professionally as Estelle Getty, was an American actress and comedian best known for her portrayal of Sophia Petrillo on ''The Golden Girls'' (1985–92), for which she won ...

as Bella Stern *

James T. Callahan James Callahan may refer to: Sports * James Callahan (ice hockey), founder of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1925 *Nixey Callahan (1874–1934), also known as Jimmy Callahan, baseball pitcher and manager * Jim Callahan (baseball) (1881–1968), basebal ...

as Dennis Riley *

Andra Akers Andra Akers (September 16, 1943 – March 20, 2002) was an American actress and philanthropist. A character actress, she appeared in films, theater and television, usually in tough or brassy roles. Early life and education Akers was born in New ...

as Pamela Devereaux *

Silvana Gallardo Sandra Silvana Gallardo (January 13, 1953 – January 2, 2012) was an American film and television actress. Born in New York City, Gallardo's television credits include episodes of '' Starsky & Hutch'', ''Lou Grant'', '' Quincy'', ''Hill Stree ...

as Conchita Alverez *

Joseph Bologna Joseph Bologna (December 30, 1934 – August 13, 2017) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter notable for his roles in the comedy films ''My Favorite Year'', ''Blame It on Rio'' and ''Transylvania 6-5000 (1985 film), Transylvania ...

as Rico Castelli *

Ernie Sabella Ernest Sabella (born September 19, 1949) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Pumbaa from ''The Lion King'' franchise, voicing the character in all media except the 2019 film. Sabella's TV roles include Mr. Donal ...

as Sam Silver *

Cliff Osmond Cliff Osmond (born Clifford Osman Ebrahim; February 26, 1937 – December 22, 2012) was an American character actor and television screenwriter. A parallel career as an acting teacher coincided with his other activities. Early life Osmond wa ...

as Algelo *

Dwier Brown Dwier Brown (born January 30, 1959) is an American actor. In the 1989 film ''Field of Dreams'' he played John Kinsella, the father of Kevin Costner's character (in reality, he is four years younger than Costner), and he played Henry Mitchell in ...

as Bibi Sutton *

Hamilton Camp Hamilton Camp (Born Robin S. Camp, 30 October 1934 – 2 October 2005) was a London-born actor and singer, who relocated to the United States with his family when he was a young child. He became an American folk singer during he 1960s, and ev ...

as Nicky Richards *

Stanley Brock Stanley Eis (July 7, 1931 – January 25, 1991), known professionally as Stanley Brock, was an American film and television actor. He played Howie Hoffstedder on 78 episodes of the American daytime soap opera broadcast ''Days of Our Lives''. He ...

as 2nd Publisher *

Clarence Felder Clarence Felder (born September 2, 1938) is an American character actor who has starred in films and on television, and co-starred in ten Broadway productions. He is also a playwright and director. His play ''Captain Felder's Cannon'' was adapte ...

as Nick Panotis * Artie Butler as Nightclub Piano Player

Production

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 198 ...

approached Manilow and cowriters

Bruce Sussman Bruce Howard Sussman (born July 12, 1949) is an American lyricist, and librettist. Though he has collaborated with numerous composers, he is probably best known for his work with his long-time collaborator, Barry Manilow. Together they have wri ...

and Jack Feldman, persuading them to develop a musical film around the song. Directed by

Waris Hussein Waris Hussein ('' né'' Habibullah; born 9 December 1938) is a British-Indian television and film director. At the beginning of his career he was employed by the BBC as its youngest drama director. He directed early episodes of '' Doctor Who'', i ...

and written by

James Lipton Louis James Lipton (September 19, 1926 – March 2, 2020) was an American writer, lyricist, actor, and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City. He was the executive producer, writer, and host of the B ...

, the film features a handful of newly composed songs by Manilow.

Music

The

was released by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. Nine songs were written specifically for the film. * "Sweet Heaven (I'm in Love Again)" - Tony * "Changing My Tune" - Tony * "Let's Go Steppin'" - Copa Girls * "Man Wanted" - Lola * "Call Me Mr. Lucky" - Tony * "Lola" - Tony * "Who Needs to Dream?" - Tony * "¡Aye Caramba!" - Copa Girls * "El Bravo" - Lola

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Copacabana (Musical) Barry Manilow 1985 television films 1985 films American musical films 1980s American films 1980s musical films Films based on songs Films set in 1948 Films set in New York City Films directed by Waris Hussein CBS network films