Poor Little Rich Girl - The Barbara Hutton Story (1987)

Intro

A drama series by Dennis Turner, based on the biography Poor Little Rich Girl: Life and Legend of Barbara Hutton by C. David Heymann, with its first episode originally broadcast on 16 November 1987.

Running time: 4 hours and 42 minutes

Overview

Filmed across three continents, Poor Little Rich Girl is a lavish dramatisation of the life of Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton.

Born into one of the wealthiest families in the US, Hutton experiences an incredibly privileged upbringing. Yet not even a billion-dollar fortune can buy her happiness.

As the socialite struggles through a serious of disastrous marriages, including a relationship with filmstar Cary Grant, her extravagant lifestyle shocks the Depression-hit American public.

Despite being befriended by several well-meaning individuals - including kindly Jean Kennerly - Hutton tragically continues down the path towards self-destruction, dying alone and virtually penniless.

Cast

Farrah Fawcett ... Barbara Hutton

David Ackroyd ... Graham Mattison

Stephane Audran ... Pauline de la Rochelle

Amadeus August ... Count von Haugwitz-Reventlow

Nicholas Clay ... Prince Alexis Mdivani

Bruce Davison ... Jimmy Donahue

Carmen du Sautoy ... Roussie

Anne Francis ... Marjorie Post Hutton

Sascha Hehn ... Baron Gottfried von Cramm

Kevin McCarthy ... Franklyn Hutton

Tony Peck ... James Douglas III

Zoe Wanamaker ... Jean Kennerly

Clive Arrindell ... Prince Troubetzkoy

Linden Ashby ... Lance Reventlow (as an adult)

Debbie Barker ... Jill St John

Brenda Blethyn ... Ticki Tocquet

Nigel Le Vaillant ... David Herbert

Miriam Margolyes ... Elsa Maxwell

Carolyn Seymour ... Dorothy Difrasso

Burl Ives ... F.W. Woolworth

James Read ... Cary Grant

Michael Shannon ... Morley Kenneryly

Jana Sheldon ... Irene Hutton

Fairuza Balk ... Barbara (as a child)

Matilda Johansson ... Barbara (as a young child)

Toira Fuller ... Edna Hutton

Blain Fairman ... James P. Donahue

Patricia Northcott ... Jessie Donahue

Susan Macdonald ... Nurse

Liza Ross ... Aunt Grace

John Lindros ... Jimmy Donahue (as a child)

Nancy Gair ... Louise Van Alan

Julie Eccles ... Doris Duke

David Gilliam ... Phil Plant

Peter Scranton ... Jack Pauling

John Golightly ... Inspector Clair

Julie Ronnie ... Sally

Ronald Leigh-Hunt ... Raymond Needham

James Wooley ... Clifford Turner

Vernon Dobtcheff ... Jules Glassner

Nicholas Le Prevost ... Sir Patrick Hastings

Tim Bannerman ... Norman Birkett

Robert Holman ... Lance Reventlow (as a young child)

Jonathan Brandis ... Lance Reventlow (as a child)

Sneh Gupta ... Moharoni

Jeremy Anthony ... Maurice Doan

Neville Jason ... Raymond Doan

Crew

Director: Charles Jarrott
Producer: Nick Gillott
Associate Producer: Tomlinson Dean
Executive Producer: Lester Persky
Cinematography: Alan Hume and John Lindley
Production Designers: Eileen Diss and Bryan Ryman
Costume Designer: Jane Robinson
Original Music: Richard Rodney Bennett

Notes

Zoe plays the friend of another wealthy American lady in an episode of a similarly lavish biopic, Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill (1974).

Merchandise

Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story Region 1 DVD

Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story Region 2 DVD

Poor Little Rich Girl: Life and Legend of Barbara Hutton by C. David Heymann