Tues Top Ten: Helen Reddy on TV and at the Movies
Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at 3:00PM Appropos of nothing let's celebrate Helen Reddy's 75th Birthday today! The Pete's Dragon star (the original not this year's remake) was an Australian pop star who had a ton of hits in the 1970s. The only one that gets much airplay today is "I Am Woman" which still shows up in movies and on TV for an instant time capsule. You know how some songs become cultural shorthand. For a time Reddy was a movie and TV presence, too, including at awards shows -- and you know how we love those here at The Film Experience. She was Golden Globe nominated as "Most Promising Newcomer" a now defunct category for the disaster flick Airport '75 and she sang multiple movie theme songs, too!
Let's look back at 10 moments from her TV/Movie history just for kicks and star sightings...
10. With Jane Fonda on a 1979 TV Variety Special
She once hosted a TV musical/comedy special which co-starred Jane Fonda and Elliot Gould. If you click to the link above you'll see her singing a medley of famous songs with Jane Fonda, but if you go back to the beginning of the video Jane Fonda has a skit where she plays herself as a vengeful actress accepting an Emmy-like award for her imaginary frenemy "Margo Tremaine" and slowly losing her mind and refusing to give up the mic.
09 As a Guest on The Carol Burnett Show
I'm including this one because the skit starts with a riff on what the format of TV variety shows is supposed to be like banter THEN song which Carol messes up. It's something we've been discussing in Anne Marie's "Judy by the Numbers" series which is currently looking at Judy's own variety series.
08 "It's Easy to Say" with Dudley Moore at the 1979 Oscars (April 14th, 1980)
If only there were reaction shots to the crowd so we could see the stars attending then. I didn't know that Dudley Moore could play piano but then I mostly missed the Dudley Moore years (RIP). This song is awful though isn't it?
07 "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" Helen Reddy on The Muppet Show (Season 3)
Helen dances with an ugly-cute lumpy camel
06 "I Am Woman" from Sex & The City 2
I know everyone hates this movie but I couldn't not include this karaoke sequence starring Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. P.S. Are you watching SJP's new show "Divorce"? I'm l-o-v-i-n-g it.
05 "I Am Woman" from Trick
How silly (but believeable gay club wise) that this is the song playing in a scene that's all about how hot man abs are from this gay romantic comedy. Coco Peru shows up halfway through to make it even more absurd.
04 "It's Not Easy" from Pete's Dragon (1977)
Helen herself in her biggest film role.
03 "You and Me Against the World" from The Muppet Show (Season 3)
Miss Piggy probably didn't like this duet.
02 "Best Friend" from Airport '75
This singing nun character/number is lampooned in the classic comedy Airplane! (1980) and again in the shortlived Broadway musical Disaster. She's singing to Linda Blair, Pazuzu herself and it's hard not to worry that a jet of green vomit will explode from her at all times during this number.
01 "Candle on the Water" from Pete's Dragon (1977)
Surely her most remembered moment in the movies. The song was nominated for Best Original Song but lost to the instant classic ballad "You Light Up My Life"
Reader Comments (23)
Wow! Thank you.....I was weirdly obsessed with Helen Reddy as a kid.
Her #1 hit version of "Delta Dawn" may have been eclipsed by the one Bette Midler did, but it was featured in the ninth episode of Ray Donovan.
Her song in Airport '75 is an even bigger laff-riot than the parody in Airplane!
This is exactly the pick me up I needed today! I've been recently (re)obsessed with listening to her Greatest Hits
Thank you so much, Nathaniel. Helen Reddy is my favorite entertainer of all time and space. The first album I ever bought was her greatest hits. I am the proud owner of the DVD of her TV special featuring this epic medley with Jane. I also give Helen a lot of credit for us getting a woman president earlier in our history than expected. An extraordinary woman. And the greatest pop singer who ever took the stage.
brookesboy, you are sooooo weird. ;-)
Why thank you, darling. I agree! Lol
My favorite song of hers will probably always be "Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady", but I love her voice singing just about anything. :-)
The singing nun bit still works
brookesboy - bless! you are wonderful!
Chris, ahhh, thanks! You're so nice. As a young gay boy, Helen pretty much saved my life. High school was not easy. That voice, full of benign sorcery, got me through some bad shit. She's magic.
Jaragon, cosign! She gets to be a singing/flying nun. And her acting is really good.
I've got to say that I really miss the era when you would routinely go on a variety show and sing and dance even if you'd already won two Oscars and were worth millions of dollars. Before the internet, I guess it's what you did between projects to let people know you were still around.
I had Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits growing up and I liked it well enough, but she had to compete with the likes of Barbra Streisand and Karen Carpenter and there just wasn't enough room at the top for everyone I guess.
Whatever happened to Helen? I assume she's still around but haven't seen her in 30 years...
Helen shoulda sang "Midnight at the Oasis" with that muppet camel!
Divorce is a good show, but now I watch it for the amazing Thomas Haden Church cause the SJP character is just horrendous.
Well, at least it's not Debby Boone....
A lovely easy going presence who somehow after her initial burst of success with I Am Woman sort of specialized in crazy lady songs: Delta Dawn, Ruby Red Dress and Angie Baby being the best known. I still listen to her best of CD from time to time.
helen reddy was public enemy number one for a while down here in oz. first, she had the nerve to become an american citizen and then hit the [tabloid] headlines again when she had the temerity to wear a tiara when meeting the queen. gasp!
Her greatest hits CD is sooo good!
Dave, I saw her perform four years ago at a jazz club in San Francisco, and she absolutely killed. And I saw a recent blurb on the Internet that she gave a surprise show in LA and sounded terrific.
I loved the clip from 'Pete's Dragon', It's not easy - how can anyone listen to that and not feel good. I was a kid then and remember how she was everywhere in the 70's. She was huge on radio and television. Her voice is easily recognizable and I'd have to say my favourite song by her is either her rendition of "I Don't Know How to Love Him' from Jesus Christ Superstar' or her version of Cilla Black's 'You're My World'. She has always been extremely underrated.
I had Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits growing up and I liked it well enough, but she had to compete with the likes of Barbra Streisand and Karen Carpenter and there just wasn't enough room at the top for everyone I allezcine guess.
RIP Helen Reddy. And Mac Davis and Eddie Van Halen. So many of the 1970's hitmakers have gone. Still love her version of "Crazy Love."
Chart Trivia: Helen not only charted on Billboard's HOT 100 and Easy Listening Top 50, but she also placed titles on the Hot Country 100, Top R&B 100, and Hot Dance charts.