''Zuma Beach'' is a 1978 TV movie written by John Carpenter & William Schwartz from a story by John Herman Shaner & Al Ramrus and directed by

Lee H. Katzin Lee H. Katzin (12 April 1935 - 30 October 2002) was an American film director. Early life and education He was born in Detroit, Michigan, and became a TV director in the late 1960s, including episodes for ''Bonanza, Mission: Impossible ''and '' ...

and starring

Suzanne Somers Suzanne Marie Somers (née Mahoney; born October 16, 1946) is an American actress, author, singer, businesswoman, and health spokesperson. She appeared in the television role of Chrissy Snow on ''Three's Company'' and as Carol Foster Lambert on ...

Plot

A fading rock singer goes to the beach to get away from it all and winds up getting involved in the lives of the teenage beachgoers.

Cast

as Bonnie Katt *

Steven Keats Steven Keats (born Steven Paul Keitz; February 6, 1945 – May 8, 1994) was an American actor who appeared in such films as '' Death Wish'' (as Charles Bronson's character's son-in-law), '' Black Sunday'' and the Chuck Norris thriller ''Silent ...

as Jerry McCabe *

Mark Wheeler Mark Anthony Wheeler (born April 1, 1970) is a former American football defensive tackle who played eight seasons in the National Football League for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He started in S ...

as David Hunter *

Kimberly Beck Kimberly Beck (born January 9, 1956) is a former American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Trish Jarvis in Joseph Zito's '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' (1984). Her other film roles include Alfred Hitchcock's ''Marni ...

as Cathy *

Perry Lang Perry Lang (born December 24, 1959, Palo Alto, California) is an American director, writer and actor. Acting Lang has appeared in several films and television shows, such as '' Teen Lust'', and directed himself in '' Men of War'' (1994). He had ...

as Billy *

Michael Biehn Michael Connell Biehn ( ; born July 31, 1956) is an American actor, primarily known for his roles in science fiction films directed by James Cameron; as Sgt. Kyle Reese in ''The Terminator'' (1984), Cpl. Dwayne Hicks in ''Aliens'' (1986), and ...

as J.D. * Biff Warren as Norman *

Les Lannom Les Lannom (born November 4, 1946) is an American actor and musician. Born in Johnston City, Illinois. He is perhaps best known for playing Lester Hodges in the American private detective television series ''Harry O'' from 1974 to 1976, and his ...

as Stan *

Rosanna Arquette Rosanna Lisa Arquette (; born August 10, 1959) is an American actress. She was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, Emmy Award for her performance in the TV film ''The Executioner's Song ( ...

as Beverly *

Gary Imhoff Gary Lee Imhoff is an American actor. He was a teacher at Milton Katselas' Beverly Hills Playhouse. Imhoff teaches The Professional Artists Workshop and The Musical Artists Workshop at The Whitmore-Lindley Theatre in North Hollywood, California. ...

as Frank *

Leonard Stone Leonard Stone (born Leonard Steinbock; November 3, 1923 – November 2, 2011) was an American character actor who played supporting roles in over 120 television shows and 35 films. Early years Stone was born in Salem, Oregon. The son of Mr. and ...

as Johnson *

Steve Franken Stephen Robert Franken (May 27, 1932 – August 24, 2012) was an American actor who worked in film and television for over fifty years. Career Franken, the son of a Hollywood press agent, was born in Brooklyn, New York and graduated from Corne ...

as Rick * Richard Molinare as Frank *

Tanya Roberts Tanya Roberts (born Victoria Leigh Blum; October 15, 1949 – January 4, 2021) was an American actress. She played Julie Rogers in the final season of the television series ''Charlie's Angels'' (1980–1981), Stacey Sutton in the James Bond fi ...

as Denise *

P.J. Soles Pamela Jayne Soles (née Hardon; born July 17, 1950) is a German-born American actress. She made her film debut in 1976 as Norma Watson in Brian De Palma's ''Carrie (1976 film), Carrie'' (1976) before portraying List of Halloween (franchise) char ...

as Nancy *

Timothy Hutton Timothy Tarquin Hutton (born August 16, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is the youngest recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won at age 20 for his performance as Conrad Jarrett in ''Ordinary People ...

as Art *

Janus Blythe Janus Blythe (born January 29, 1951) is an American actress and scream queen known for her roles in horror films. She played major roles in films by Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, and other major horror film directors during the latter half of the twen ...

as Jennifer

History

' fame was rising due to the success of the sitcom ''

Three's Company ''Three's Company'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. It is based on the British sitcom ''Man About the House''. The story revolves around three single roomma ...

'', and she wanted to star in movies. Although a lightweight TV movie, ''Zuma Beach'' provided Somers with her first starring movie role.Bernstein, Jay
Starmaker: Life as a Hollywood Publicist with Farrah, The Rat Pack and 600 More Stars Who Fired Me
pp. 184-185 (2011)Farley, Ellen and William K. Knoedelseder, Jr. (19 February 1978)
Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Three Networks in a Tub
''Washington Post'' (brief mention of upcoming film in February 1978 with Somers to star) John Carpenter wrote the script for a producer "who just said he wanted a beach movie." He sold it to Warner Bros., and it became a TV movie to star Suzanne Somers. Carpenter said he "was going to direct it, for about 10 seconds, but one of my mentors, Richard Kobritz...helped me see I didn’t want to do it. It was vastly rewritten, so I really shouldn’t have taken credit for it, but I was a little asshole in those days." Tim Hutton had one of his first roles in the film.

Reception

The ''Los Angeles Times'' praised the naturalness of Somers' performance.TV MOVIE REVIEW: Somers in Swim of Role That Suits, Thomas, Kevin. ''Los Angeles Times'', 27 Sep 1978: f18.

References

External links

*
Full movie on archive.org
1978 television films 1978 films 1978 comedy-drama films American comedy-drama television films NBC network original films Films directed by Lee H. Katzin Films with screenplays by John Carpenter Films set on beaches Films shot in California Beach party films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films {{1970s-comedy-film-stub