Product Details

• Actors: Suzanne Somers, Ed Begley Jr., Barry Manilow, Alan Hamel (II), Marion Mahoney
• Format: Color, Closed-captioned, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: UNAPIX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
• VHS Release Date: June 27, 2000
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B00003ETRY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #457,989 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Any preconceived notions you might have about blond bombshell Suzanne Somers will be shattered by this Intimate Portrait. Her recollection of a childhood filled with emotional abuse from her alcoholic father is aided by the words of her mother, who died shortly after speaking on-camera about the dysfunctional family's many problems. (One favorite escape: hiding in the closet.) A brother and sister are interviewed, their discomforting words at odds with the black-and-white photos of Somers, a gorgeous daughter of a man who "dismantled his children's self-esteem." A grown Bruce Somers, her only child, also recalls crazy times at the grandparents' (grandpa throwing a turkey across the counter was de rigueur) and his troubled relationship with stepfather Alan Hamel, Somers's second husband. Hamel addresses his complicated emotions regarding Bruce and his emotional ties to Suzanne, which stretch back to 1968. Longtime friends Dick Clark and Barry Manilow (who knew?) and clips from USO specials and the '70s TV show that made her famous, Three's Company, complete the picture of a life once fractured, now whole. --Valerie J. Nelson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Somers Shines Again!, March 21, 2002

By 

Michael A. Bursztin (Palm Springs, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Intimate Portrait: Suzanne Somers [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Suzanne Somers has long been a major staple on primetime television but, how she beat the odds and got there is a story worthy of being a tv movie itself (and it was in 1991's highly rated "Keeping Secrets" tv film). Her personal struggles and determination come together to make her a powerful and successful entertainer, mother, wife and author. Her fathers' alcoholism and her low self-esteem serve as a reminder that anyone can make it out of hell as long as they do the work required for a happy and fruitful life. Although a favorite as Chrissy of "Three's Company", she has moved forward with starring roles on "She's The Sheriff", (1987 to 1989), Patrick Duffy's wife Carol and mother of a blended family in the Friday night hit "Step By Step" (1991 to 1998), hostess of "Candid Camera" (1997 to 2000) and hostess of her own talk show, "The Suzanne Somers Show" (1995) one of the more sensitive and quality talk shows of that time period. She has starred in a series of successful tv movies ranging from 1990"s "Rich Men, Single Women" to "The Darklings" (1999). Other television films included "Exclusive" (1992), "Seduced By Evil" (1994), "Devil's Food" (1996), "No Laughing Matter" (1997), to "Lovestruck" (1997). She has four bestselling books, a series of successful exercise equipment including the all-time bestselling "Thighmaster", an ongoing Home Shopping Club deal with her jewelry and clothing line, and her continually SRO stage show which won the 1986 "Female Entertainer of the Year" Award in Las Vegas. Not bad for a woman who was labelled as "has been" but bounced back big time to become a tv veteran and an all-around survivor. Her recent struggle and success against breast cancer further proves that there is a unique depth and honesty to Suzanne that makes her truly one of the most celebrated and beloved performers of the television/stage world. I look foward to more tv movies and another comedy series.