"Great Performances" Verna: USO Girl (TV Episode 1978) Poster

(TV Series)

(1978)

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8/10
What a fabulous cast! What a treat and a surprise!
bonnieb2314 April 2006
I just saw this movie last weekend at the Piedmont Filmmakers Festival in Warrenton Virginia! I had never seen it before, so it was a great treat! Not dated at all, it really should be re-released because it's message is timeless.

At first this movie seems predictable and simple but as it progresses and you become familiar with the characters it blossoms.

Sally Kellerman is timeless and so sadly sexy and subtly miserable. William Hurt is just dreamy. Apparently his first film, and yet he shows here all the charisma of later films with a brand of boyish charm that should be bottled and sold over the counter.

An added surprise was a wonderful cameo role by famous producer Ron Maxwell. Get a copy of this movie and enjoy!
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10/10
Beautiful film--beautifully acted.
GoldenOldie21 October 2002
Sissy Spacek, William Hurt, Howard Da Silva, and Sally Kellerman are all perfect in this gem of a "made for TV movie". It was good enough to play in the theaters. Spacek was made for the part of the USO girl who was just barely talented enough to land a spot in one of the many second rate USO shows; though she innocently believes that her talent is great enough that she will be a star. Da Silva and Kellerman are both experienced show business entertainers and know the truth about "Verna's" talent as well as their own. Hurt is the lieutenant who falls in love with Verna. All of it very simple and predictable until the end.

I haven't been able to find this on any of the TV channels for many years. Too bad. It is a great loss.
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9/10
Surprising film, haunting portrayal
Anne_Hudson22 November 2004
I ran across this movie on TV by accident over 10 years after it was made. I'd never heard of it before, but I've been haunted by it ever since. Spacek's portrayal of Verna is nuanced and heart-breaking. The story contains some surprises, which take it beyond the formula it seems to be following.

The rest of the cast is excellent, in particular Sally Kellerman and William Hurt.

The setting is Viet Nam, which once would have given it a contemporary feel. However, it didn't feel dated.

It's a shame "Verna--USO Girl" isn't a better known film. I recommend it.
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9/10
Very Soulful Movie
Richard_vmt28 December 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Like commentator Ann Hudson, I came upon this film in 2008, no less than 30 years after it's release date as a made for TV film. This last fact amazes me because it is first rate. Verna is an aspiring starlet with no talent, an orphan, driven by a dream of fame, who is chosen by default for a USO tour against all judgment of the producers simply because they need to fill the spot.

Verna is played by Sissy Spacek and a character and an actress were never more made for each other. Sissy has that young voice and hopeful naivety that brought to life Ginger in the Morning and here as Verna evokes a more complex portrayal.

When a GI falls in love with her a conflict develops between her love and her career. She sacrifices the love.

This is one film where I will not play the spoiler. It is a historical film and somehow Sissy's brave young girl making her way in the world also seems historic. Her rejection of love represents a tragic situation which does not bode well and is pregnant with consequences. The entire drama is in the past, and the film simply records how it went down, leaving the emotion to the viewer.
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9/10
You must see this movie
mduke-62-28662023 May 2011
When Verna: USO Girl first appeared on television in the 70's, I happened to be looking for something good to watch and came across it (from the beginning, thankfully). I could never find it on TV again. Years ago when I 'surfed' for it and found out the video was for sale I bought it. I LOVE THIS MOVIE! Without fail, I cry every time I watch it. Sissy Spacek is fabulous, as are the other actors. Bill Hurt's character is gorgeous and sweet. Sally Kellerman's character is bored and just past her prime. What a great and surprising story. I highly recommend this little gem of a movie...download it...rent it...buy it...but you must see it.
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5/10
"You're not even second-rate. I know because I'm second-rate."
moonspinner5530 March 2023
Season 6-Episode 5 of "Great Performances" on PBS is a well-regarded adaptation of Paul Gallico's story about a starry-eyed, amateur singer-dancer in 1944 New York City hired at the last minute to be part of a camp unit entertainment troupe for the United Service Organizations during World War II. Sissy Spacek plays Verna (singing in a girlishly high register) whose comrades are a fatherly, over-the hill vaudevillian (Howard Da Silva) and a jaded chanteuse (Sally Kellerman) who works as a bartender when she isn't singing smoky ballads. William Hurt (very green) is the Army captain--and "gorgeous hunk of man"--who falls for Verna, even though the violent blasts going off in the distance are keeping her up nights. Not convincing for a minute, but the chatty script by Albert Innaurato has well-written passages and the casual direction by Ronald F. Maxwell allows the performers room to shine. A modest, nice, unassuming little piece. Three Emmy nominations with one win: Da Silva for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special. ** from ****
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