This season, five documentaries focus on icons who hit big in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s
What do Pamela Anderson, Michael J. Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, Brooke Shields and Donna Summer have in common, other than the fact that they’ve been beloved household names for decades? Each is the subject of a project vying for an Emmy this year in the documentary race.
Need comfort food during these chaotic times? Flash back to happier days and nights with these timeless American idols.
“BEING MARY TYLER MOORE” (HBO)
Directed and produced by James Adolphus
Secret weapon: Moore’s husband of 35 years, Robert Levine. The gatekeeper to all things Mary didn’t just pave Adolphus’ entree to the people closest to her, but also supplied never-before-publicly-seen home movies — all without requesting an executive producer credit or final cut privileges.
Moore’s achievements: Five seasons of “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” Seven seasons of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Seven Emmys in 15 nominations. Academy Award and BAFTA best actress nominations for “Ordinary People.” A SAG Life Achievement Award. A special Tony Award for “Whose Life Is It Anyway?” Two memoirs.
Today: Moore died of complications from pneumonia Jan. 25, 2017, at age 80.
Why now? “I know that Robert was waiting for the right team of filmmakers to come along,” says Adolphus, adding that — in light of Hollywood’s current WGA strike — timing, sadly, couldn’t be better. “This is the film that celebrates the creative process as it fights upstream against the studio system. This is also a moment in American politics where, unfortunately, so many of the gains women have made in the last 30, 40, 50 years are being repealed one at a time. And Mary is a symbol for those gains.”
“LOVE TO LOVE YOU, DONNA SUMMER” (HBO)
Co-directed by executive producer Brooklyn Sudano and producer Roger Ross Williams
Secret weapon: Summer’s own stash of home movies — most of which the singer shot herself — which give a behind-the-scenes look at the life of the “Queen of Disco.”
Summer’s achievements: More than 100 million records sold. Thirty-two singles on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts. Fourteen Top 10s. Four No. 1s. Five Grammys (including the first one given for rock female vocal) in 18 nominations. She’s the first Black woman to have a music video in heavy rotation on MTV and to be nominated for an MTV Video Music Award. Her “Last Dance,” from the film “Thank God It’s Friday,” earned writer Paul Jabara an original song Oscar. Subject of Broadway’s “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.” One memoir.
Today: Summer died of lung cancer May 17, 2012, at age 63.
Why now? “I probably went to my father and said, ‘Hey, I wanna do a doc on Mom,’ about seven years ago,” says Sudano, who is Summer’s daughter with singer-songwriter Bruce Sudano. “It was just a matter of … not selling the story short, but really trying to get it right and have it be impactful in all the ways we thought were important.”
“PAMELA, A LOVE STORY” (NETFLIX)
Directed and produced by Ryan White
Secret weapon: Anderson’s collection of journals, which she began in girlhood and kept well into adulthood.
Anderson’s achievements: Playboy magazine’s 1990 Playmate of the Year, she’s the record-holder for most covers. Five seasons of “Baywatch.” Co-star (with then husband, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee) of the X-rated stolen tape that became the world’s first viral video. Roxie Hart in Broadway’s 2022 revival of “Chicago.” Three memoirs and four novels.
Today: Arguably still one of the world’s most famous living blonds, Anderson lives in the Ladysmith, British Columbia, home in which she grew up on Canada’s Vancouver Island. “I’m sure I’m not finished, but I have no idea what I’m gonna do next,” she says at the doc’s end. “My kids are grown. I’m basically alone … but I kind of like this moment right now, where I have no clue what’s gonna happen. Supposedly, at this part of my life, I should be settled in somewhere, but I don’t know. Maybe I’ll know next week.”
Why now? “Her narrative in many ways has been written for her up until now,” says White, “and I think she wants to shift that paradigm and take the reins for the final chapters in her life.”
“PRETTY BABY: BROOKE SHIELDS” (HULU)
Directed by Lana Wilson
Secret weapon: A massive digital archive of still and moving images compiled over decades by Shields’ late mother and manager, Teri Shields.
Shields’ achievements: Incalculable fashion magazine covers. The classic films “Pretty Baby,” “The Blue Lagoon” and “Endless Love.” A series of iconic, “scandalous” Calvin Klein Jeans TV commercials. Declared by Time magazine to be “The Face of the ‘80s.” Four seasons of TV’s “Suddenly Susan.” Four memoirs. Two illustrated children’s books.
Today: The soon-to-be empty-nester — who lives in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village with longtime husband Chris Henchy — continues to act, primarily in TV movies.
Why now? “I’m starting to really think about what my next chapter is going to be, and going forward with such excitement about it, that doing this now felt like the appropriate time to close a chapter and really, really honestly take a look at it and place it in its place and start fresh,” says Shields. “I had never seen my life really played out, start to finish.”
“STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE” (APPLE TV+)
Directed and produced by Davis Guggenheim
Secret weapon: The ingenious use of clips from Fox’s work to dramatize his real-life journey, courtesy of editor Michael Harte, an über fan familiar with every movie and TV episode.
Fox’s achievements: Seven seasons of “Family Ties.” Four seasons of “Spin City.” Twenty-six episodes of “The Good Wife.” The “Back to the Future” franchise. “Teen Wolf.” The voice of “Stuart Little.” Five Emmys in 18 nominations. The film academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. One Grammy in three nominations. Four memoirs.
Today: Fox — who lives on Manhattan’s Upper East Side with his wife of 35 years, Tracy Pollan — works with physical therapist Ryan Orser to maintain his health while raising awareness and money (more than $1.75 billion so far) to fund research to cure Parkinson’s disease through his Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Why now? “If we had made this film 15 years ago, he wouldn’t be in the place he is now,” Guggenheim says of Fox. “He has found a wisdom I’m guessing he didn’t have 10 or 20 years ago.” Adds Fox, via email: “This seemed as good a time as any to document my life and career, in that I still appear to have one of each.”
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