Robert Getchell (December 6, 1936 – October 21, 2017) was an American screenwriter. Getchell wrote the 1974 film ''

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore ''Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' is a 1974 American comedy drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Robert Getchell. It stars Ellen Burstyn as a widow who travels with her preteen son across the Southwestern United States in s ...

'' and created the

sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...

based on that film, ''

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

''. Getchell was also the screenwriter for the 1981 docudrama film '' Mommie Dearest'' which is based on

Christina Crawford Christina Crawford is an American author and actress, best known for her 1978 memoir and exposé, ''Mommie Dearest'', which described her abusive relationship with her adoptive mother, film star Joan Crawford. Early life and education Christi ...

's nightmarish childhood with her violent and manipulative alcoholic adoptive mother, the actress

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pic ...

. The film was meant to be taken seriously with a subject concerning child abuse/trafficking however, Getchell's unusual script became over-the-top and unintentionally amusing that it won the 2nd Golden Raspberry award for worst Screenplay which developed ''Mommie Dearest'' into a memorable

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage i ...

. He died on 21 October 2017 aged 80.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1974) * '' Bound for Glory'' (1976) * ''

'' (1976–1985) * '' Mommie Dearest'' (1981) * ''

Sweet Dreams Sweet Dreams or Sweet Dream may refer to: Music Albums * ''Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)'' (album), by Eurythmics, or the title song (see below) * ''Sweet Dreams'' (Sword album) * ''Sweet Dreams'' (soundtrack), from the 1985 film (see below) ...

'' (1985) * ''

Stella Stella or STELLA may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Comedy *Stella (comedy group), a comedy troupe consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain Characters *Stella (given name), including a list of characters with th ...

'' (1990) * ''

Point of No Return The point of no return (PNR or PONR) is the point beyond which one must continue on one's current course of action because turning back is dangerous, physically impossible or difficult, or prohibitively expensive. The point of no return can be a ...

'' (1993) * '' This Boy's Life'' (1993) * '' The Client'' (1994)

Awards

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

: nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

and

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers G ...

Award for ''

''. *

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phil ...

: won a BAFTA Award for ''Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore''. *

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...

: nominated for an Academy Award and WGA Award for '' Bound for Glory''. *

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., Un ...

: won a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay for '' Mommie Dearest''.

References

External links

* 1936 births 2017 deaths American male screenwriters Best Screenplay BAFTA Award winners People from Kansas City, Missouri {{US-screen-writer-stub

Filmography

Awards

References

Further reading

External links