Like many in my generation, I grew up watching actress Adrienne Barbeau portray Carol, Bea Arthur’s daughter, on the classic Norman Lear TV series "Maude." In the 1980s, I also enjoyed her performances in iconic films such as "The Fog," "Escape From New York," and "The Cannonball Run." Little did I know that decades later, I would have the opportunity to interview her on my podcast, "Hollywood Obsessed."
A week after our interview, I attended the HollyShorts Film Festival in Hollywood, where I watched two of her latest horror short films: "Alice Jacobs is Dead" and "Oddities." I even had the chance to meet her in person at the theater! As you can see from the smile on my face in the photo above, I was absolutely thrilled!
To celebrate our memorable conversation, I’ve put together a new blog post highlighting some of my favorite Adrienne Barbeau films. If you haven’t seen any of them, I hope this inspires you to watch one—or even all—of them. I promise you’ll enjoy each and every one!
THE FOG (1980)
This eerie supernatural horror film was directed by John Carpenter, who also co-wrote the screenplay and composed the music. The cast includes Adrienne Barbeau (in her first feature film), Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh, and Hal Holbrook.
Strange occurrences begin as a small California coastal town prepares to celebrate its centenary. Inanimate objects come eerily to life, Rev. Malone (Hal Holbrook) uncovers a dark secret about the town's founding, radio announcer Stevie Wayne (Adrienne Barbeau) witnesses a mystical fire, and hitchhiker Elizabeth (Jamie Lee Curtis) discovers the mutilated corpse of a fisherman. Soon after, a mysterious iridescent fog envelops the village, and more people start to die. I love this movie; for me, it is the ultimate ghost story. I watch it almost every Halloween.
Fun Fact: Adrienne and director John Carpenter were married at the time this movie was made and released. He specifically wrote the role of radio disc jockey Stevie Wayne for her. Barbeau modeled her voice after Alison Steele (1937-1995), a renowned female disc jockey from New York City known as "The Nightbird." Steele was the night shift DJ at the radio station WNEW-FM, hosting a popular show from 1968 to 1979, where she entertained listeners with "mellow DJ patter, peppered with poetry and mysticism."
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981)
This entertaining science fiction action film was co-written, co-scored, and directed by John Carpenter, featuring a cast that includes Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau, and Harry Dean Stanton. The screenplay was co-written by Nick Castle, who portrayed Michael Myers in "Halloween."
Set in the near-future world of 1997, the film depicts a crime-ridden United States that has transformed Manhattan Island in New York City into the country’s only maximum-security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked by anti-government insurgents and crash-lands within the walled borough, former Special Forces operative and current federal prisoner Snake Plissken (played by Russell) is given just 24 hours to rescue the President of the United States. If he succeeds, he will earn a pardon. The film has since become a cult classic and was followed by a sequel, "Escape from L.A." (1996), which Carpenter also directed and co-wrote, with Russell reprising his role.
Fun Fact: The shot of Adrienne Barbeau’s character, Maggie, lying dead under the Duke's car was added after principal photography had concluded. John Carpenter felt that viewers might not understand that she had died from the impact. To address this, Carpenter and Barbeau filmed the scene in their garage with Barbeau beneath their own car.
THE CANNONBALL RUN (1981)
"The Cannonball Run" is a fun action-comedy film directed by Hal Needham. It features an all-star ensemble cast that includes Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Jackie Chan, and Dean Martin. The film is based on the 1979 running of the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an actual cross-country outlaw road race that begins in Connecticut and ends in California.
The film was the sixth-highest-grossing domestic release of 1981 and became the first installment in the Cannonball Run trilogy. It was followed by "Cannonball Run II" in 1984, which was less successful at the box office and received poor reviews from critics. Both this film and its 1984 sequel marked the final film appearances of actor Dean Martin. Notably, the film also features Jackie Chan in his second Hollywood role.
Fun Fact: In the film, Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman portray Marcie Thatcher and Jill Rivers, two "hotties" clad in satin spandex who drive a black Lamborghini Countach. They distract police officers with their cleavage. This same Lamborghini is showcased in the film's opening credits as it is pursued by a Nevada Highway Patrol car after spray-painting a 55 mph speed limit sign. Although their character names are not mentioned in the story, they do appear in the end credits. Their names are referenced again in the sequel, though the roles were recast.
CREEPSHOW (1983)
This classic horror-comedy anthology film was directed by George A. Romero and marks Stephen King's screenwriting debut. The ensemble cast includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Leslie Nielsen, Carrie Nye, E.G. Marshall, Viveca Lindfors, Ted Danson, and Ed Harris, as well as Stephen King himself.
"Creepshow" comprises five short stories: "Father's Day," "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" (which is based on King's short story "Weeds"), "Something to Tide You Over," "The Crate," and "They're Creeping Up on You!" Two of these stories were adapted from King's original works. The film is framed by prologue and epilogue scenes featuring a young boy named Billy (played by King's son, Joe), who is punished by his abusive father for reading horror comics.
Fun Fact: The segment "The Crate," starring Hal Holbrook as Henry Northup and Adrienne Barbeau as Wilma "Billie" Northup, is based on King’s short story of the same name. According to Tom Savini, when "Fluffy" breaks out of the crate, the original plan was for Billie's remains (Adrienne Barbeau) to float out of the crate after it was dumped in the water. However, this scene was ultimately deleted.
SWAMP THING (1982)
“Swamp Thing” is a superhero film written and directed by Wes Craven, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The movie follows scientist Alec Holland (Ray Wise), who is transformed into the creature known as Swamp Thing (Dick Durock) due to laboratory sabotage orchestrated by the villain Anton Arcane (Louis Jourdan). Throughout the film, Swamp Thing aids a woman named Alice Cable (Adrienne Barbeau) and confronts Arcane, the man responsible for his transformation. The film was successful on home video and cable, leading to a sequel titled “The Return of Swamp Thing” in 1989.
Fun Fact: Adrienne Barbeau's topless scene was filmed specifically for the European version of the movie and was not included in the American cut. Director Wes Craven described it as "one of those things of just gratuitous breast-ness" in the DVD commentary. Although the PG cut contains a brief profile shot of Barbeau, Craven felt that the full scene epitomized gratuitousness. When the DVD was released through MGM, they mistakenly offered the European cut in the United States. Upon discovering this error, MGM quickly recalled the DVD. According to DVD commentary moderator Sean Clark, MGM reached out to Barbeau to see if she would agree to let the mistake slide, but she declined, citing the terms of her contract.
BACK TO SCHOOL (1986)
This hilarious comedy film stars Rodney Dangerfield, Keith Gordon, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, Terry Farrell, William Zabka, Ned Beatty, Sam Kinison, Paxton Whitehead, Robert Downey Jr., M. Emmet Walsh, and Adrienne Barbeau. It was directed by Alan Metter. Kurt Vonnegut makes a cameo as himself, as does the band Oingo Boingo, whose frontman, Danny Elfman, composed the film’s score.
The plot revolves around a wealthy but uneducated father, Thornton Melon (played by Dangerfield), who enrolls in college to support his discouraged son, Jason (Gordon). Throughout the film, he learns that education and happiness cannot be purchased.
Fun Fact: Adrienne Barbeau plays a gold digger named Vanessa Melon, who is married to Thornton Melon. Before becoming rich, Thornton worked as a truck driver, a background he shares with Dangerfield himself.
ARGO (2012)
"Argo" is a biographical historical drama thriller film directed by, produced by, and starring Ben Affleck. The film focuses on the "Canadian Caper," during which CIA operative Tony Mendez led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, pretending to be involved in the production of a science fiction film during the 1979–1981 Iran hostage crisis. In the film, Ben Affleck portrays CIA agent Tony Mendez, who masquerades as a film producer to rescue six Americans held hostage in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979. The supporting cast includes Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, and John Goodman, all of whom received widespread critical acclaim for their performances. The film was praised for Affleck's direction, Terrio's screenplay, the editing, and Alexandre Desplat's score. It received seven nominations at the 85th Academy Awards, winning three: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
Adrienne Barbeau makes a fun cameo as Nina, who plays Serksi the Galactic Witch in the fictional movie "Argo," a "science fantasy adventure" styled after *Star Wars*, which adds credibility to the cover story.
Fun Fact: Studio Six, the fake production company established to lend legitimacy to the "Argo" movie, was realistic enough that it received several scripts, including one reportedly submitted by Steven Spielberg.
HUSTLERS TAKE ALL (2024)
When a self-made woman loses everything, she risks it all to save her ailing mother by investing in a struggling bar and club. However, when she uncovers the club’s connections to a dangerous criminal organization, she faces a tough decision: cash out or go all in to protect the women who depend on her. In a high-stakes poker match against thieves and killers, it's a battle where only the hustlers come out on top! The film, which aired on Tubi, stars Adrienne Barbeau, Kyla Burke, Carole Davis, Sarah Buxton, Savoy Bailey, Brooke Maroon, and Lilian Wouters. It was directed by Dylan Vox.
Full disclosure - I worked on this film alongside the fabulous Adrienne Barbeau. I was responsible for handling the background artists in all the nightclub scenes, thanks to my former roommate, Dylan Vox, who directed the film. Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled to learn that Adrienne was starring in the film. I had interviewed her for my podcast several weeks prior, so it was a wonderful surprise when we bumped into each other on the first day of filming. This is why I love living in Hollywood! You never know who you’re going to meet or work with in this crazy town!
As you can see, throughout her impressive 50-year career, Adrienne Barbeau has portrayed a remarkable variety of roles. Once you finish watching all my favorite films featuring her you should continuing viewing all her other work....I promise you'll discover a wealth of additional fabulous TV shows, movies, and feature films starring Adrienne for you to enjoy.
Some of the facts mentioned are sourced from IMDb and Wikipedia.
Don't miss the opportunity to listen to my podcast interview with actress Adrienne Barbeau in the two latest episodes of my podcast, "HOLLYWOOD OBSESSED!" Click the links below to listen now!
Episode 89 - HERE
Episode 90 - HERE
