TV Reviews : ‘The Queen of Mean’ Holds Court on CBS

We have this twisted interest in the Donald Trumps and Leona Helmsleys of the world (a few Hollywood names could be mentioned): the rich and famous and particularly annoying people who exhibit a prideful lust for power.

Perfect television fodder.

Trumph has fallen on indelicate times, and since he has retained control of his proposed bio-picture on the TNT network, the project has been put off for the time being. Helmsley has no such command of her image anymore, and her story arrives Sunday at 9 p.m. on CBS as “Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean.”

What it amounts to is a rambunctious, sometimes leering drama made from the book of the same name by New York Post reporter Ransdell Pierson, whose investigations helped put the self-anointed hotel “queen” away for tax fraud and extortion. Pierson also plays himself in a few short scenes.

Suzanne Pleshette, her face reconfigurated for the occasion, comes within striking distance of the toothy Helmsley look. She also does a curious honor to her subject. There’s certainly plenty of mean, with scenes depicting many of her most mythic excesses, but Pleshette also suggests Helmsley’s personal torments.

Harry Helmsley is played here interestingly by Lloyd Bridges, although it’s hard to picture this usually confused and inert Harry as much of a mogul.

In interviews, Pleshette chattered about this as a touching love story between Leona and Harry. Perhaps. Love sure covers a lot of territory.

Recall that King Kong also loved Fay Wray, if not wisely.