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"