Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice

TV Movie
1982
1h 40m

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

112

YOUR RATING

Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice (1982)

Biography Drama

This made-for-television movie is a dramatization of the life of the founder of Los Angeles's first alcoholic recovery center for women, Beatrice O'Reilly.This made-for-television movie is a dramatization of the life of the founder of Los Angeles's first alcoholic recovery center for women, Beatrice O'Reilly.This made-for-television movie is a dramatization of the life of the founder of Los Angeles's first alcoholic recovery center for women, Beatrice O'Reilly.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

112

YOUR RATING

4User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination total

Photos1

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Although the character Carol Burnett plays, Beatrice O'Reilly, is presented as a real-life person, the character is indeed fictional.this is incorrect. Beatrice Grey Jorgenson was indeed a real person. the co-founder and longtime executive director of friendly house, on Normandy ave, los angeles. Bea, as she was known, was a vibrant, loving, caring, non-judgmental, determined woman. mitzie and ken welch were among her many friends and they wrote the script, took it to carol burnett, for whom they worked.

Goofs
In a scene set in the early 1940's, a large Holiday Inn motel - a chain that didn't go into business until 1952 - can be seen at the end of an amusement pier.

User reviews4

Featured review

7/10

Not a bad movie for the time period it depicts....

I would be curious to know more about the true story of Beatrice, and will probably have to research it a bit more to get the facts. Perhaps it is a positive thing,that seeing a film like this can make the audience interested in something they normally wouldn't think about.

Carol Burnett is good in the title role, and while I am not partial to her as an actor, she does a good job. Geoffrey Lewis portrays the police captain, who was her friend, and helped her to start a halfway house for women with alcohol problems. It is sort of like a different version of "My Name is Bill W."(An excellent film, by the way, with Brian Dennehy and James S. Woods).

At any rate, the story is a bit slow at times, but portrays the true story of Beatrice. It is a bit whitewashed, as there could have been more incidents which occurred, and the audience could have learned from. Marian Mercer has a role as Beatrice's friend, who introduces her to A.A.

Overall, the court scenes were stilted, but the overall theme is projected; a film like this may be due for a re-make; Perhaps Lifetime could write an updated version, with more contemporary actors.