NIGHT OF 100 STARS III (TV)

Summary

This televised special, benefiting The Actors' Fund of America, celebrates the 20th century's many advances in creative arts and technology and features over a hundred stars of the day. The program opens as "The Golden Girls" stars Betty White, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty rush to the airport and hurry towards Radio City Musical Hall for the event. The Rockettes perform a dance number, joined at the end by the Golden Girls, and Jane Fonda opens the evening with some introductory comments and then introduces Aretha Franklin, who sings "Freeway of Love" and "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables." Jimmy Stewart takes the stage and talks about the earliest days of film, and a number of prolific actors and directors are then honored with a series of clips from their films, after which the artists take the stage for a bow: Helen Hayes ("A Farewell to Arms" (1932), "What Every Woman Knows" (1934), "The Sins of Madelon Claudet" (1931), "The White Sister" (1933), "Another Language" (1933), "Anastasia" (1956), and "Airport" (1970)); Michael Caine ("Alfie" (1966), "The Man Who Would Be King" (1975), "California Suite" (1978), "Sleuth" (1972), "Educating Rita" (1983), "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986), and "A Shock to the System" (1990)); Jane Fonda ("Barbarella" (1968), "Barefoot in the Park" (1967), "Klute" (1971), "Julia" (1977), "The China Syndrome" (1979), "The Morning After" (1986), and "On Golden Pond" (1981)); Joseph L. Mankiewicz ("Million Dollar Legs" (1932), "A Letter to Three Wives" (1949), "No Way Out" (1950), "The Barefoot Contessa" (1954), "Julius Caesar" (1953), "Cleopatra" (1963), and "All About Eve" (1950)); Sylvester Stallone ("The Prisoner of Second Avenue" (1975), "Rocky" (1976), "First Blood" (1982), "F.I.S.T." (1978), "Tango & Cash" (1989), "Rocky IV" (1985) and "Rocky V" (1990)); Liv Ullmann ("The New Land" (1972), "The Abdication" (1974), "Cries & Whispers" (1972), "40 Carats" (1973), "Face to Face" (1976), "Autumn Sonata" (1978), and "Scenes from a Marriage" (1973)); Sidney Lumet ("12 Angry Men" (1957), "Serpico" (1973), "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975), "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974), "The Verdict" (1982), "Q&A" (1990), and "Network" (1976)); and Katharine Hepburn ("Morning Glory" (1933), "Stage Door" (1937), "Alice Adams" (1935), "Holiday" (1938), "The Philadelphia Story" (1940), "The African Queen" (1951), "On Golden Pond" (1981), "Woman of the Year" (1942), and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967)).

Next, Mel Tormé sings "Just One of Those Things," and Dick Clark takes the stage to comment on advances in musical technology. Patti LaBelle then introduces a series of numbers in which singers perform their hit songs accompanied by the songs' composers: Dick Van Dyke and Charles Strouse perform "Blue Skies"; Carol Channing and Jule Styne perform "(I'm Just) A Little Girl From Little Rock"; Marilyn McCoo and Galt MacDermot perform "Aquarius"; B.J. Thomas and Hal David perform "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head"; Debby Boone and Joseph Brooks perform "You Light Up My Life"; Crystal Gayle and Richard Leigh perform "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue"; Peggy Lee, Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber perform "Is That All There Is?"; Olivia Newton-John and John Farrar perform "Hopelessly Devoted to You"; Gladys Knight and Alan and Marilyn Bergman perform "The Windmills of Your Mind"; and Diane Warren and LaBelle perform "If You Asked Me To." The entire group then joins in on "Sing." Tyne Daly comments on the history of television, and introduces the hip-hop group Kid n' Play, who perform "House Party." Next, Mike Wallace talks about various scientific achievements from the twentieth century, including space exploration. Greg Evigan takes the stage and sings "Dress You Up," accompanied by several noteworthy ballet dancers, including Leslie Browne, Christine Dunham, Valentina Kozlova, Virginia Johnson, Felicity de Jager, and Leslie Carothers, all of whom are wearing Tiffany's diamonds.

Next, a number of other female celebrities show off the latest trends and take the stage as fashion models, including: Carmen de Lavallade, Faith Ford, Telma Hopkins, Joan Van Ark, Ann Reinking, Swoosie Kurtz, Chita Rivera, Liz Smith, Toukie Smith, Dina Merrill, Susan Lucci, Kim Alexis, Mary Wilson, Stefanie Powers, Jane Alexander, Liliane Montevecchi, Morgan Fairchild, Donna McKechnie, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Raven-Symoné, Beverly Johnson, Cathy Lee Crosby, Cynthia Gregory, Raquel Welch, and Brooke Shields. After this, Martin Short takes the stage and comments on the need for environmental awareness, and Michael Feinstein takes the stage to play "That Last Barber Shop Chord" from the little-known George and Ira Gershwin musical "Americana." Feinstein is joined by three separate "barbershop" quartets: Joel Grey, Mark Linn Baker, Gregory Harrison, and Clifton Davis; Dick Cavett, Ron Silver, Tony Randall, and Danny Aiello; and Robert Klein, Hal Linden, John Lithgow, and Alan Thicke. Next, Jerry Seinfeld takes the stage and performs a short stand-up routine, commenting on the challenges of traveling by airplane and the high population of elderly residents in Florida, after which Luther Vandross performs "Here and Now." Morgan Freeman takes the stage to comment on changes in communication and the rise of the telephone, and Mickey Gilley introduces a series of country music performance: Eddie Rabbitt sings "On Second Thought"; Sandi Patti and Anna Helvering sing "Love Makes a Friend Be a Friend Like You"; Garth Brooks sings "The Dance"; Wild Rose sings "Breaking New Ground"; Conway Twitty sings "Fit to be Tied Down"; and Loretta Lynn sings "Coal Miner's Daughter." The entire group then sings "Country Roads" together.

Kathleen Turner talks about the increasing popularity and usefulness of computers, and sisters Audrey and Jayne Meadows take the stage and, after joking about Jayne's husband Steve Allen and his quick wit, they introduce Pia Zadora, who sings "The Man That Got Away." Following this, Barry Bostwick talks about the long history of the Olympic Games, and Bonnie Tyler performs "Holding Out For A Hero," accompanied onstage by a troupe of dancers and a number of notable athletes, including Willie Gault, Greg Louganis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Jerry Rice, Marty Lyons, Randall Cunningham, Sean Landeta, Diane Nelson, Riddick Bowe, Connie Paraskevin-Young, Randy Moller, and Denton P. Johnson. Howard Cosell then narrates a "parade" of famous record-setting athletes, including: Bob Cousy, Stanley Dancer, Ray Mercer, Don Budge, Harrison Dillard, Julianne McNamara, George L. Mikan, Joe Frazier, Carl Banks, Muhammad Ali, Wendy Lian Williams, Oscar Robertson, Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Ned Edwards, Eamonn Coghlan, Hank Aaron, and Joe DiMaggio. Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn then take the stage, joking about their long careers and forty-eight-year marriage, and they discuss the significance of the Actors' Fund, now in its 108th year. Christopher Reeve comments from the Lillian Booth Actors Home, a retirement and assisted living facility in Englewood, New Jersey.

Priscilla Lopez then sings "What I Did For Love" as an "in memoriam" montage is shown, honoring the many artists who have recently died, including: Lucille Ball, Anne Baxter, Yul Brynner, James Cagney, James Coco, Bette Davis, Bob Fosse, Andy Gibb, Ruth Gordon, Ray Goulding, Halston, Woody Herman, Rock Hudson, Danny Kaye, Grace Kelly, Ted Knight, James Mason, Ethel Merman, Sir Laurence Olivier, Robert Preston, Lee Strasberg, Sarah Vaughan, and Orson Welles. For the finale, a chorus sings "One Singular Sensation" as several more celebrities take the stage in a procession, accompanied by dancers: Edward Asner, Larkin Malloy, Stephen Collins, Don Diamont, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Jose Greco, Edward Herrmann, Geoffrey Holder, Chad Lowe, Stacy Keach, Ed Lauter, Jean LeClerc, Rich Little, Robert Loggia, Robert Merrill, Pat Morita, Big Bird of "Sesame Street", Larry "Bud" Melman, Barry Newman, the Phantom of the Opera, Joseph C. Phillips, Rex Reed, Geraldo Rivera, Martin Short, Paul Sorvino, Abe Vigoda, Fritz Weaver, Jesse White, Henny Youngman, and David N. Dinkins. The Golden Girls then reappear, and all of the night's guests appear onstage together to close the program. Commercials deleted.

Details

• NETWORK: NBC
• DATE: May 21, 1990 8:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:72306
• GENRE: Specials
• SUBJECT HEADING: Specials; Comedy/Variety
• SERIES RUN: NBC - TV, 1990
• COMMERCIALS:
  • TV - Commercials - Continental Airlines
  • TV - Commercials - Ford automobiles

CREDITS

• Alexander H. Cohen … Executive Producer
• Bruce Michael … Senior Producer
• Jeff Margolis … Producer, Director
• Hildy Parks … Producer, Writer
• Vern T. Calhoun … Co-Producer
• Glen Roven … Associate Producer
• Joe Goldstein … Segment Producer
• David Herscher … Segment Producer
• Alvin Colt … Segment Producer
• Karen Sherry … Segment Producer
• John Springer … Segment Producer
• Albert Stephenson … Choreographer
• Les Marshak … Announcer
• Danny Aiello … Performer
• Mark Linn Baker … Performer
• Alan Bergman … Performer
• Marilyn Bergman … Performer
• Debby Boone … Performer
• Riddick Bowe … Performer
• Garth Brooks … Performer
• Joseph Brooks … Performer
• Leslie Browne … Performer
• Leslie Carothers … Performer
• Dick Cavett … Performer
• Carol Channing … Performer
• Randall Cunningham … Performer
• Hal David … Performer
• Clifton Davis … Performer
• Felicity de Jager … Performer
• Christine Dunham … Performer
• Greg Evigan … Performer
• John Farrar … Performer
• Michael Feinstein … Performer
• Aretha Franklin … Performer
• Willie Gault … Performer
• Crystal Gayle … Performer
• Joel Grey … Performer
• Gregory Harrison … Performer
• Anna Helvering … Performer
• Denton P. Johnson … Performer
• Virginia Johnson … Performer
• Jackie Joyner-Kersee … Performer
• Kid 'n Play … Performer
• Robert Klein … Performer
• Gladys Knight … Performer
• Valentina Kozlova … Performer
• Patti LaBelle … Performer
• Sean Landeta … Performer
• Peggy Lee … Performer
• Jerry Leiber … Performer
• Richard Leigh … Performer
• Hal Linden … Performer
• John Lithgow … Performer
• Priscilla Lopez … Performer
• Greg Louganis … Performer
• Loretta Lynn … Performer
• Marty Lyons … Performer
• Galt MacDermot … Performer
• Marilyn McCoo … Performer
• Randy Moller … Performer
• Diane Nelson … Performer
• Olivia Newton-John … Performer
• Sandi Patti … Performer
• Eddie Rabbitt … Performer
• Tony Randall … Performer
• Rockettes, The … Performer
• Jerry Seinfeld … Performer
• Ron Silver … Performer
• Mike Stoller … Performer
• Charles Strouse … Performer
• Jule Styne … Performer
• Alan Thicke … Performer
• B.J. Thomas … Performer
• Mel Tormé … Performer
• Conway Twitty … Performer
• Bonnie Tyler … Performer
• Dick Van Dyke … Performer
• Luther Vandross … Performer
• Diane Warren … Performer
• Wild Rose … Performer
• Connie Paraskevin-Young … Performer
• Pia Zadora … Performer
• Hank Aaron … Guest
• Jane Alexander … Guest
• Kim Alexis … Guest
• Muhammad Ali (see also: Cassius Clay) … Guest
• Edward Asner … Guest
• Bea Arthur … Guest
• Carl Banks … Guest
• Big Bird … Guest
• Barry Bostwick … Guest
• Valerie Brisco-Hooks … Guest
• Don Budge … Guest
• Michael Caine … Guest
• Dick Clark … Guest
• Eamonn Coghlan … Guest
• Stephen Collins … Guest
• Howard Cosell … Guest
• Bob Cousy … Guest
• Hume Cronyn … Guest
• Cathy Lee Crosby … Guest
• Tyne Daly … Guest
• Stanley Dancer … Guest
• Carmen de Lavallade … Guest
• Don Diamont … Guest
• Harrison Dillard … Guest
• Joe DiMaggio … Guest
• David N. Dinkins … Guest
• Ned Edwards … Guest
• Douglas Fairbanks Jr. … Guest
• Morgan Fairchild … Guest
• Jane Fonda … Guest
• Faith Ford … Guest
• Joe Frazier … Guest
• Morgan Freeman … Guest
• Estelle Getty … Guest
• Mickey Gilley … Guest
• Jose Greco … Guest
• Cynthia Gregory … Guest
• Kitty Carlisle Hart (see also: Kitty Carlisle) … Guest
• Helen Hayes … Guest
• Katharine Hepburn … Guest
• Edward Herrmann … Guest
• Geoffrey Holder … Guest
• Telma Hopkins … Guest
• Beverly Johnson … Guest
• Stacy Keach … Guest
• Swoosie Kurtz … Guest
• Ed Lauter … Guest
• Jean LeClerc … Guest
• Rich Little … Guest
• Robert Loggia … Guest
• Chad Lowe … Guest
• Susan Lucci … Guest
• Sidney Lumet … Guest
• Larkin Malloy … Guest
• Joseph L. Mankiewicz … Guest
• Rue McClanahan … Guest
• Donna McKechnie … Guest
• Julianne McNamara … Guest
• Audrey Meadows … Guest
• Jayne Meadows … Guest
• Larry "Bud" Melman … Guest
• Ray Mercer … Guest
• Dina Merrill … Guest
• Robert Merrill … Guest
• George L. Mikan … Guest
• Liliane Montevecchi … Guest
• Pat Morita … Guest
• Barry Newman … Guest
• Joseph C. Phillips … Guest
• Stefanie Powers … Guest
• Rex Reed … Guest
• Christopher Reeve … Guest
• Ann Reinking … Guest
• Chita Rivera … Guest
• Geraldo Rivera … Guest
• Oscar Robertson … Guest
• Brooke Shields … Guest
• Martin Short … Guest
• Liz Smith … Guest
• Toukie Smith … Guest
• Paul Sorvino … Guest
• Sylvester Stallone … Guest
• James Stewart (see also: James Stewart) … Guest
• Jessica Tandy … Guest
• Raven-Symoné … Guest
• Kathleen Turner … Guest
• Liv Ullmann … Guest
• Joan Van Ark … Guest
• Abe Vigoda … Guest
• Mike Wallace … Guest
• Fritz Weaver … Guest
• Raquel Welch … Guest
• Betty White … Guest
• Jesse White … Guest
• Wendy Lian Williams … Guest
• Mary Wilson … Guest
• Henny Youngman … Guest
• Steve Allen
• Lucille Ball
• Anne Baxter
• Yul Brynner
• James Cagney
• James Coco
• Bette Davis
• Bob Fosse
• George Gershwin
• Ira Gershwin
• Andy Gibb
• Ruth Gordon
• Ray Goulding
• Halston (see also: Roy Halston Frowick)
• Woody Herman
• Rock Hudson
• Danny Kaye
• Grace Kelly
• Ted Knight
• James Mason
• Ethel Merman
• Laurence Olivier
• Robert Preston
• Lee Strasberg
• Sarah Vaughan
• Orson Welles