''Policewoman Centerfold'' is a 1983 television movie starring

Melody Anderson Melody Anderson (born December 3, 1955) is a Canadian retired actress, social worker and public speaker specializing in the impact of addiction on families. As an actress, her most high-profile role was playing Dale Arden in the 1980 adaptation ...

and

Ed Marinaro Ed Marinaro (born March 31, 1950) is an American actor and former NFL player. In 1971, he was a unanimous All-American and finished as a runner-up to Pat Sullivan for the Heisman Trophy, and from 2010 to 2011 starred in the football comedy s ...

, loosely based on the story of police officer Barbara Schantz who posed for ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' magazine in 1982.(17 October 1983)
Picks and Pans Review: Policewoman Centerfold
''People''

Cast

as Jennifer Oaks *

as Nick Velano * Donna Pescow as Sissy Owens * Greg Monaghan as Chris Sands *

Bert Remsen Herbert Birchell "Bert" Remsen (February 25, 1925 – April 22, 1999) was an American actor and casting director. He appeared in numerous films and television series. Biography Remsen was born in Glen Cove, New York, on Long Island, the son o ...

as Captain David Buckman *

David Spielberg David Spielberg (March 6, 1939 – June 1, 2016) was an American television and film actor. Early years Spielberg was born in Weslaco, Texas, and was a resident of Mercedes, Texas. His father was a Romanian-Jewish immigrant, and his mother was a ...

as Steve Jones * Michael LeClair as Skip Oaks * Andrea Howard as Margo Syms *

David Haskell David Michael Haskell (June 4, 1948 – August 30, 2000) was an American film, stage and television actor and singer best known for his performance in Godspell. Early life He was born in Stockton, California. David graduated from Te ...

as Todd Walker *

Jerry Supiran Jerry Michael Supiran (born March 21, 1973) is an American former child actor. Supiran is best known for playing Jamie Lawson on the science-fiction sitcom ''Small Wonder'', which aired from 1985 to 1989. Career Supiran has been credited with ...

as Tommy Oaks

Reception

It first aired on Monday, October 17, 1983, and was the seventh most-watched prime time program in the United States for the week, out-drawing ''

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, A ...

''.(27 October 1983)
CBS and ABC battle for top spot in ratings
''Daily Iowan'' (UPI), p. 17Schulze, Laurie. ''The Made-for-TV Movie: Industrial Practice, Cultural Form, Popular Reception'', in Balio, Tino
Hollywood in the Age of Television
p. 357 (2013) It was rebroadcast in early July 1985, during the American summer TV season, when it was the most-viewed program of the week.(11 July 1985)
Reruns keep NBC on top of ratings
''Sun Sentinel'' (UPI) Upon its release, one review noted that the lead role "is not one offering much opportunity for an acting tour de force, but Anderson does manage to make the woman an understandable, sympathetic figure." It was also noted that the subject matter of the movie was a plain attempt at "exploitation and titillation" to get ratings (which plainly worked), although the title and hype did not reflect that that movie actually "downplays the sensational aspects of the matter to concentrate on the motivation of the woman and the aftermath of the photos publication."(17 October 1983)
Don't judge 'Centerfold' by its title
''San Bernardino County Sun'' (wire story)

Release

The film was released on VHS in 1986.(26 April 1986) ''New Releases'', ''Billboard'', p. 40

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0086128
Movie trailer
1983 television films 1983 films American television films