Little Gloria... Happy at Last

Little Gloria...Happy at Last is a 1982 American-British biographical drama television miniseries directed by Waris Hussein and written by William Hanley, based on the 1980 book of the same name by Barbara Goldsmith. It stars Lucy Gutteridge as socialite Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt and Angela Lansbury as her sister-in-law, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, with Bette Davis, Christopher Plummer, Maureen Stapleton, Martin Balsam, Barnard Hughes, Glynis Johns, John Hillerman, Michael Gross, and Joseph Maher in supporting roles.

Little Gloria... Happy at Last
Based onLittle Gloria...Happy at Last
by Barbara Goldsmith
Written byWilliam Hanley
Directed byWaris Hussein
Starring
ComposerBerthold Carrière
Country of origin
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes2
Production
Executive producers
Producers
CinematographyTony Imi
EditorMalcolm Cooke
Running time180 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseOctober 24 (1982-10-24) –
October 25, 1982 (1982-10-25)

The miniseries received generally positive reviews from critics and six Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Special and acting nods for Lansbury and Davis. It also earned Gutteridge a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film.

Plot

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Based on the book by Barbara Goldsmith, it tells the story of the real-life heiress Gloria Vanderbilt and how her parents met and married. Gloria Vanderbilt was left a very rich girl at the age of eighteen months when her father died. When Gloria was ten, her mother, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, contested the child's custody with little Gloria's aunt, launching one of the most notorious court cases of the last century.

Cast

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Release

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Little Gloria...Happy at Last aired on NBC on October 24 and 25, 1982.[1]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
1983 40th Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film Lucy Gutteridge Nominated [2]
35th Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Drama Special Justine Héroux
David Nicksay
Scott Rudin
Edgar Scherick
Nominated [3]
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special Angela Lansbury Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special Bette Davis Nominated
Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special William Hanley Nominated
Outstanding Art Direction for a Limited Series or a Special Enrico Campana
Guy J. Comtois
Doug Kraner
Maurice Leblanc
Stuart Wurtzel
Nominated
Outstanding Costume Design for a Limited Series or a Special Julie Weiss Nominated

References

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  1. ^ O'Connor, John J. (22 October 1982). "TV WEEKEND; 'LITTLE GLORIA' AND A NEW NBC SERIES". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Little Gloria". Golden Globes. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Little Gloria...Happy at Last - Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins". Television Academy. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
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