SIZZLE

US, 1981, 90 minutes, Colour.
Loni Anderson, John Forsythe, Richard Lynch, Roy Thinnes, Leslie Uggams, Michael Goodwin, Michael V. Gazzo.
Directed by Don Medford.

Sizzle is a story of gangsters and the Depression. For a telemovie, the sets are very well done, Chicago streets, nightclubs, prisons. The film is also a vehicle for glamour girl Loni Anderson, who does quite well in a somewhat incredible role. She has a very strong supporting cast. Direction is by Don Medford, who has worked in television and made such feature films as The Hunting Party, The Organisation. The film shows the well-known background of gangsters in Chicago, a story of vengeance on the part of a naive American country girl who becomes nightclub queen of the city. It also shows how the faction fighting in Chicago opened the way for Al Capone's takeover. Entertaining of its kind.

1. The design of telemovies for the home audience? Enjoyment? Recreation of period, melodramatic situations, conventional characters? Points being made about the past? The film as a piece of Americana?

2. Recreation of the period: Chicago clubs, prisons, streets? The feel of the Prohibition and gangster era? Visual impact, sounds? The mood of Prohibition, crime, violence, power and corruption?

3. The meaning of the title and Julie's explanation? Julie and her own sizzle? The clubs? The sizzle of the period?

4. The credibility of the plot, a variation on the American dream? The small?town girl and her hopes, naivety, memories of her mother, lack of experience, swept off her feet, curiosity, the fascination with Chicago and the gangsters, caught in the mesh, becoming victim, loved, abused, changed, wanting vengeance, having power and control, success?

5. Loni Anderson's style as Julie? Mourning the death of her mother? Love for Danny? Swept off her feet? The impact of Chicago? Her applauding the rehearsal? Her fears for Danny, her attraction towards Callahan, hopes? The murder and her taking the gun? Taking the blame? Betrayed by Callahan? The trial and nobody helping her? The policeman and his wanting to help? The impact of prison, the girls and their friendship, Freda and her using her as a prostitute? The revulsion of the experience? Her changing? The visits of the police, of Danny? Wanda and the message about Danny's wounding? The organisation of the prison riot and the escape? Her presence at his death? The pardon?

6. The change in her: the loss of Danny, Callahan's betrayal, the experience of prison? Her going back to sing and to succeed? Her setting up O'Brien and his death? Her visit to the rival gangster and the set-up for the card game and the massacre? Her owning the club? Her standing up to Al Capone? he credibility of her behaviour as character? As an American type? The irony of the 20th. century with such beginnings?

7. Callahan as the suave gangster type, interest in women, the nightclub, the rehearsals? O'Brien as his henchman doing the dirty work, setting up Danny? The double cross? The party? Relationship with the police? Ignoring Julie? Prison guards giving information to him? Julie's release, the gifts, setting her up? The clash with the rival and the deaths? The background of violence, murders, shoot-outs, trucking, Prohibition, deals? Having the doctor kill Danny in the hospital?

8. O'Brien as henchman, sneering, cruel, murder, fascination with Julie, his death?

9. Wanda and her dancing, friendship with Julie?

10. Danny and his naivety, love for Julie, getting involved with the driving, with the murders, his being held by O'Brien, his breaking out, his confession, being shot, the pathos of his death?

11. The police and their interference, trying to get the big criminals, using others? The judge and his comments? Decisions?

12. The film as colourful crime melodrama echoing the issues of a strange period of American history?