Theresa is an imaginative, rebellious orphan from Brooklyn, who has dreams of show business success. She tries outrageous schemes to launch herself into the public eye, until finally meeting a mentor, Sammy Cohen, whose own career fizzled as a result of alcoholism.
Acting
Buddy Hackett's surprisingly raw, unglamorous decline.
Production
Pre-gentrification Brooklyn as its own character.
Director
Rafal Zielinski
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Yasmine Bleeth's film debut at 14, years before Baywatch made her a 90s icon. The casting of an actual teen gives Theresa's desperation uncomfortable authenticity.
The film captures the last gasp of vaudeville memory in American culture—Sammy Cohen represents a dying art form that Theresa is too young to even know existed.
US
