In the late 1970s, the career of beautiful actress Deborah Raffin began to take off in a major way. Besides working on numerous television productions, she was also involved in several feature film projects. One such project was Hanging on a Star, a low-budget but perfectly agreeable movie about the the late '70s music scene in Los Angeles.
In Hanging on a Star, Deborah Raffin plays Katie Ross, the daughter of a successful music manager. She wants to strike out on her own and her goal is to find a fresh rock group and turn them into superstars. Jeff Martin (played by real life aspiring rocker/actor Lane Caudell) is the leader of an extraordinarily polished yet unsigned four piece band called The Jeff Martin Band. After Katie sees them play she approaches them and, after much discussion amongst the band's members, they agree to let her have a shot at finding the band some gigs. Luckily, she has contacts in the music business (including an industry bigwig played by Wolfman Jack) and eventually she is able to get the fledgling group some much needed publicity and helps push them towards the ultimate dream of success.
Deborah Raffin really shines in this undeniably fun film. She had been acting for several years at this point and her highly developed skills really show when contrasted with the less experienced members of the cast. Also, as you may already know, the camera loves Deborah Raffin -- she had one of the best smiles around and, of course, her physical beauty was beyond compare. So, with this combination of good looks and acting talent (plus fabulous chemistry with her co-star Lane Caudell), she was able to turn her role in Hanging on a Star into one of her finest and most enjoyable screen appearances.
Though this film has languished in obscurity in the decades since its original release, it really does make for some very worthwhile viewing. Even if Deborah Raffin wasn't in it, it would still be a wonderful slice-of-life look at the brilliance of the late '70s and the superb songs songs played in the movie have a timeless quality. And if you're a fan of the lovely Deborah Raffin, her magnificent performance alone is reason enough to love this.
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| Deborah Raffin & Wolfman Jack |
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| Deborah Raffin & Lane Caudell |
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| Deborah Raffin & Lane Caudell again |
