Hollywood's five most powerful women

Life magazine

Barbra did a hard negotiation for that wisp of hair to fall over on poor Sally Field.

Was ash blonde the hair color of the moment?

I didn't recognize Fonda

Lange improved with age. Fonda almost doesn't look like herself here

Lol no Meryl? She'd just started in the 1985 Best Picture Out Of Africa. Although I doubt she'd want to appear on a crowded cover

Did Kathleen Turner, Sigourney Weaver, or Sissy Spacek ever have their own production companies?

Meryl was a critic's darling but never really box office attraction, right?

I think she only became that in the 2000s when she was in her fifties.

When dinosaurs ruled the screens

R8 she wasn't consistently but each of the following with turned a respectable profit or made a lot of money

The Deer Hunter

Kramer Vs Kramer

Sophie's Choice

Silkwood

Out Of Africa

Postcards From The Edge

Death Becomes Her

The River Wild

The Bridges of Madison County

I believe G isn't in that photo

Sally Field seems to have aged the most naturally

Ha ha HA HA HA HA!!!

What “power” did Jessica Lange have? I can only assume Debra Winger and Carrie Fisher were too busy in rehab to participate. Jane hadn’t had a hit since On Golden Pond in 1981, although The Morning After was trashy fun.

What R6 said. Meryl's long reign started in this era so her omission feels very glaring. Her career was already bigger than Lange's at this point, the only actress included who is of Meryl's generation. The other 4 were older and more established than Meryl, but Lange didn't belong there over Meryl.

R14, the "power" was that each of the women on the cover were producing and/or directing their own projects.

As for Lange, she was an in-demand actress at the time and racking up award nominations left and right. The studios were willing to spend money on "female-driven" pictures that had awards potential and weren't as concerned with box office numbers as they are now.

Lange's only box office hits were King Long & Tootsie by that stage

[quote]King Long

Love this, am stealing it.

R16 what are you talking about? Lange wasn’t racking up any more awards than M or G. She didn’t get a single nod for her movie that year, Crimes of the Heart, and hadn’t won anything for Country or Sweet Dreams. Her fame relied on her famous fucks (Baryshnikov, Shepard) and Tootsie and Frances.

Everything was so white. I like it better now, that we try to have more diversity.

R19. Read what I wrote. I said "award NOMINATIONS."

By 1986, Streep and Lange were the most in-demand actresses of their generation. The hierarchy was, Streep got first dibs at scripts, then Lange, then whoever else. Until Fatal Attraction, Glenn Close was considered a supporting player or second rung lead actress.

R20 everything was 'so white,' because until fairly recently, Hollywood catered to the majority (i.e., non-Hispanic whites), who still make up around 60% of the U.S. population.

That's called having a good business sense. And it was a very successful strategy.

What they're doing now -- pandering to 13% (blacks) and less than 1% (trans) of the population wont do them any favors in the long run. In fact, it's having repercussions, as the industry is struggling post-Covid.

Same goes for Broadway, which is even more 'woke'/'progressive' than Hollywood.

Then again, no one ever accused a socialist of being a good businessperson.

It's odd that Barbra's hair looks best since I always associate her with that poodle perm.

Furthermore, people act like blacks were underrepresented in the '80s, but they weren't. Lots of all-blacks shows like The Jeffersons, 227, A-men, etc.

The Cosby Show was the #1 show in America for 5 straight years that decade. Its spinoff A Different World also got great ratings.

Plus, there were shows with at least one black lead, if not the major lead like Benson, Gimme a Break, Webster, etc.

Also, Eddie Murphy was one of the biggest stars of the '80s and actually took the #1 spot in 1987 on Quigley's annual list of Top 10 bankable actors.

Whoopi also was a genuine movie star who was the only black woman to make that list. Thrice, in fact, in 1986, 1992, and 1993.

No, blacks were not underrepresented in the '80s, but they were represented according to their population numbers.

The fact is, even today, many Americans don't know a black person. The Northeast, Midwest, and Northwest are very white, between 70%-95% white depending on the state.

Even in the South, which holds the highest-concentration of blacks, there are lots of all-white communities.

But according to modern 'woke' Hollywood, every American family is multiracial and has transgender relatives/friends.

Genuinely curious as to who from this group would be considered the 1. richest, 2. most powerful, 3. best looking, 4. most relevant, 5. most successful? In short, whose career, looks, and bank account have stood the test of time the best?

R25 Fonda’s certainly.

No Ms. Angie Dickinson?

Angie was a minor player by then.

Diversity mandates are disgusting and anti-art. I’m surprised more intelligent people of color don’t see this.

R25 I'd guess Barbara was by far the richest with all her real estate and investing etc. Unfortunately she struggles with relevance as even people of my generation (born late 80s) would struggle to name more than a couple of her songs. I'd argue that having so much success come so quickly to her may have dampened her ambition somewhat.

I'd agree Fonda is still the most "preserved" and actively in work, despite taking a very long break.

Haw haw haw!

R23, Funny you should mention it. Barbra was debuting her new straight hair look at the time and stuck around the set after the other gals had left so that photographer Greg Gorman could take her portrait shots. One of these were used for the cover of her Essential Barbra album.

The article is about the most powerful women in Hollywood. Power to call their own shots, not just their ability to carry a movie. All of them had their own production companies and developed a lot of their own movie properties when the article of written.

*was used

R26, Streisand made few movies as time went on but she continued to be one of the most consistently successful recording artists in the world both critically and professionally. My guess is that she is by far the wealthiest of the group. She had her biggest movie pay days (big piece of the box office, Hoffman too) with the Focker flicks (not exactly good films) and has raked in the cash with occasional tours starting in ‘94. She’s got to be the most successful anyone ever in all show biz venues.

I don't know them.

Goldie is the only one with only one Oscar out of those five women

Goldie is so fantastic is first wives club.

This seems so antiquated now. They were featured because they all had production companies, but only Jane was successful as a producer. Jessica and Sally made dreary films and faded soon after this. Goldie produced Private Benjamin but she also faded after this. Barbara was very lazy and barely worked.

R38 by far the mvp of that movie. As much success and overexposure (and an Oscar of course) as she’s had I think she’s kind of underrated as an actress.

R29, everyone wants their share of the pie by any means necessary. If you are a deserving artist who has been denied your share because you're not white, you would not object to the new diversity rules in Hollywood, regardless of how sensible/ fair one may be

Great post R24

1981.

1987.

TV doesn't count. That's not a fair comparison. I doubt they would have minorities on a power cover in the 80s...whereas at least now we have Viola and Salma, and Sandra Oh being celebrated.

It's not necessarily just the fact that they produce, I think they'd use any excuse to celebrate them, whereas, why not do the same for minorities? I guess it was exciting because they were women?

Would love to see a comparable cover if anyone can find it.

And what about Oprah?

R43 I can’t even imagine being a contemporary of hers and seeing that headline and not seeing red. Whoever her PR was at the time set a new bar for chutzpah.

In terms of legacy:

1. Jane

2. Barbra

3. Goldie

4. Sally

5. Jessica

R47 sounds right

Barbra - EGOT (Oscar, Emmys, Grammys, Honorary Tony)

Jessica - Triple Crown (Oscars, Emmys, Tony)

Jane - Oscars, Emmys

Sally - Oscars, Emmys

Goldie - Oscar

Lange might not have the star power or box office that the others have or had, but she has done very well for herself.

R49 it boils down to a bit more than that. However, only Jane and Babs have gotten the AFI right? I WOULD rank any AFI recipient (esp the women) above someone with out. That’s about the most reliable indicator of legacy Imo.

Barb and Jane are definitely at the top but I would not rank Jessica below Sally and Goldie. Sally and Goldie are basically completely forgotten now and they haven't had any major movie releases. Jessica won over a whole new generation thanks to Ryan Murphy and AHS. Social media like Twitter and TikTok are full of love for Jess, whereas I don't see Gen Z worshipping Sally or Goldie who are more like lost relics.

Goldie is a beloved comedian.

Sally is also beloved.

Jessica was on a cable show.

[quote] Goldie is a beloved comedian. Sally is also beloved.

By whom? Anybody under 30 on your list?

If I went to a college campus right now, 99% of them would have no idea who Goldie Hawn or Sally Field are. Sally in particular is inexplicably a DL icon even though I've personally never understood the fascination. Both of her Oscar winning films are completely forgotten.

[quote] If I went to a college campus right now, 99% of them would have no idea who Goldie Hawn or Sally Field are.

They surely wouldn’t know who Jess was either. They may well know who Goldie is, though (for one thing, she’s Kate Hudson’s mother).

Also, aspiring comedic actresses still very much look up to Goldie and aspire to have a career like hers.

[quote]On a recent Sunday the place to be was photographer Greg Gorman's house in the Hollywood Hills. This is where the five most powerful women in the movies today, mistresses of their own professional destinies with eight Oscars among them, came together to be photographed by LIFE.

Jane Fonda, who has traveled the furthest — from Barbarella to Klute to Coming Home to exercise queen — checks her watch and wonders where Barbra Streisand is. Goldie Hawn, five months pregnant, lifts her shoulders to her ears and giggles like Private Benjamin as she relates the story of a moonlight seance she'd had with some mountain seer outside Aspen the month before. The omens were great. Sally Field chimes in, and when Sally chimes in she sounds just like the flying nun of yore. Two Oscars haven't deflated her balloon of ingenuousness. "Oh, I believe, I do believe," she says, as a makeup artist "brightens" her apple cheeks. Jessica Lange, the quiet one, has driven in from Santa Fe with Sam Shepard. She is a wee overweight from having their daughter seven weeks earlier.

Sorry ´bout the failed formatting!

Yes, but what about box office R49? With your name above the title.

They were said to be powerful as they had produced films. Jane had IFC which had last produced The Morning After. Barbra had last produced Yentl. Goldie had last produced Wildcats. Jessica had produced Country. But Sally had yet to produce anything - she would go on to produce Punchline.

Goldie had a good run for a very long time, and her legacy is assured thanks to movies like Private Benjamin and First Wives Club Alone. If she's not known by movie buffs for the former, she's known to the average moviegoing audience for the latter. Jessica is a bonafide movie star-- sexy, mysterious, willing to go to dark psychological places. Her iconic movie roles of the past and more recent television work keep her at the forefront of people's minds. Sally Field is the outlier here. A perfectly respectable actress, her name is attached to some great movies whose greatness had little to do with her presence in them.

Jessica is only at the forefront of your mind, Lange Loon.

[quote] They may well know who Goldie is, though (for one thing, she’s Kate Hudson’s mother).

Would most college students today even know who Kate Hudson is?

I teach college students, I don't think they should necessarily be the barometer of cultural relevence.

I've always liked Jane, in both her comedic roles and drama.

Barbra I like better in comedies, but I can't say I'm a big fan.

Goldie always seems to exude kookiness and a fun, engaging personality, and in a good way, unlike Diane K, who just seems off her rocker.

Jessica, moody, Jessica. I like her. She exudes a devil-may-care attitude and old school glam, even though in her heyday she dressed like a Midwestern farm wife.

Sally. I have never gotten her. She acts with such earnestness that I feel like she's hitting me over the head screaming: "I AM ACTING MY ASS OFF! YOU WILL NOTICE ME, DAMMIT!"

I’m sorry but Jane’s only good acting performances were in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? and Klute.

Is Sally the only method actor out of them? The same one who bemoaned the fact that she couldn't force method acting on everyone else around her so she had to hide it until working with Daniel Day-Lewis on Lincoln?

Who declared this? Looks like a Sunday supplement from The Mail on Sunday. Hardly the pulse of the industry.

R68, it originated as a Life magazine coverstory. See R1.

Honestly, this was a PR move to put five actresses on a cover. Jessica was never a power player.

That was actually their apex. Younger gals were ready in the wings.

Jane looked like Mary Tyler Moore at this point.

That may have been Jane’s real face.

In 1965 Jane Fonda was in a western with Lee Marvin, Michael Callan, and Dwayne Hickman.

It was called Cat Ballou.

R52 You're forgetting that Sally Field just starred in '80 for Brady' with Jane Fonda this past winter.

Goldie looks "special" in that photo.

Jessica looks depressed, as usual. They all actually look frumpy, but I guess that was the style then.

Power

Everyone but maybe the most clueless Gen Zer still knows who Goldie Hawn is. Sally and Jessica, not so much.

[quote] You're forgetting that Sally Field just starred in '80 for Brady' with Jane Fonda this past winter.

With bottom billing. Oscarless Lily Tomlin and even Rita "I wouldn't have a career if I wasn't Hispanic" Moreno got billing over her. Sally, even with 2 Oscars, has such little cultural clout that she was relegated last.

At what age did they all have a $100 million dollar hit?

I was 26.

Love Barbra

Funny Girl Adjusted Gross $317,913,300 Unadjusted Gross $52,223,306

Wouldn't some younger people know Jessica Lange from American Horror Story? I would surely think young people would have at least heard most of these names, even if they couldn't name a movie they were in - but maybe I'm way out of touch!

R83, Yes. The first 4 seasons of AHS are available on streaming platforms for young generations to discover. The Coven season is especially popular with young females.

Jessica's Fiona Goode from Coven in particular pops up a lot in social media. She says young people come up to her all the time and tell her how much they love her from AHS and how they eventually started watching her older movies as a result.

Is that what she says, R85? That's adorable, bless her heart!

Sally has the personality of a wet dishrag and half the glamour. If she hadn't had a hit TV show when she was exceedingly young and "perky" that allowed her to segue into film roles she never would have had a career.

Are there five women today as powerful? Remember, most of these “powerful” women had no power. Only Hawn, Streisand and Fonda could get projects produced but they had to be a guaranteed money making and crowd pleasing formula. No vanity projects for them.

Patty Duke!!

R86 Keep quiet. Have you forgotten about all the times people have mistaken you for me? Clearly fans would rather see me than you.

R88 DL Fave Julia Roberts is the last truly powerful woman in Hollywood. And still has more power than most women in Hollywood.

Sandra Bullock has a lot more relevance. Julia lost all her appeal after Erin Brockovich.

Viola

Jada Pinkett Smith for single-handedly ruining the Oscars between their new diversity quotas and the Will Smith assault case. Why Hollywood has given her so much power to rule them, I'll never know. Let's hope that this Cleopatra nonsense will get her cancelled for good.

R89 well least in the television industry Patty Duke was 👍

At collective didn’t remain that way for more than 60 seconds after that was published

That cover was Sad Last Days Hollywood-PR spin edition.

In '86, Hollywood was making much more money from the Brat Pack films than the vanity projects that Mrs. Ted Turner and her friends were calling in favors to get made

By the end of this decade, Lange will be considered to be in the five most powerful women of Hollywood considering she has back to back major films in the works. She is an A-Lister again.

^ Loon alert

The only other woman from the list headlining a recent movie would be Jane Fonda and she's giving up acting again. That leaves Lange the clear winner. Perhaps Glenn will join her in the pantheon of most powerful women of Hollywood after Sunset Boulevard.

R100, when did Fonda give up acting again, she just had two features released within the past year?

R101 She's planning on giving up acting to focus on activism for climate change.