Robert Getchell (December 6, 1936 – October 21, 2017) was an American screenwriter. Getchell wrote the 1974 film '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' and created the

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

based on that film, '' Alice''. Getchell was also the screenwriter for the 1981 docudrama film ''

Mommie Dearest ''Mommie Dearest'' is a memoir and exposé written by Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of actress Joan Crawford. Published in 1978, it attracted much controversy for its portrayal of Joan Crawford as a cruel, unbalanced, and alcoholic m ...

'' which is based on

Christina Crawford Christina Crawford is an American author and actress, best known for her 1978 memoir and exposé, ''Mommie Dearest'', which described her abusive relationship with her adoptive mother, film star Joan Crawford. Early life and education Christi ...

's nightmarish childhood with her violent and manipulative alcoholic adoptive mother, the actress

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

. The film was meant to be taken seriously with a subject concerning child abuse/trafficking however, Getchell's unusual script became over-the-top and unintentionally amusing that it won the 2nd Golden Raspberry award for worst Screenplay which developed ''Mommie Dearest'' into a memorable

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

. He died on 21 October 2017 aged 80.

Filmography

* '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (1974) * '' Bound for Glory'' (1976) * '' Alice'' (1976–1985) * ''

'' (1981) * '' Sweet Dreams'' (1985) * '' Stella'' (1990) * ''

Point of No Return The point of no return (PNR or PONR) is the point beyond which one must continue on one's current course of action because turning back is dangerous, physically impossible or difficult, or prohibitively expensive. The point of no return can be a ...

'' (1993) * ''

This Boy's Life ''This Boy's Life'' is a 1993 American biographical coming-of-age drama film based on the memoir of the same name by author Tobias Wolff. It was directed by Michael Caton-Jones and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Tobias "Toby" Wolff, Robert De Niro ...

'' (1993) * ''

The Client Client(s) or The Client may refer to: * Client (business) * Client (computing), hardware or software that accesses a remote service on another computer * Customer or client, a recipient of goods or services in return for monetary or other valuabl ...

'' (1994)

Awards

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

: nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Guil ...

Award for '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore''. *

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

: won a BAFTA Award for ''Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore''. *

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

: nominated for an Academy Award and WGA Award for '' Bound for Glory''. *

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

: won a

Golden Raspberry Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...

for Worst Screenplay for ''

''.

References

External links

* 1936 births 2017 deaths American male screenwriters Best Screenplay BAFTA Award winners People from Kansas City, Missouri {{US-screen-writer-stub

Filmography

Awards

References

Further reading

External links