Deborah Raffin in Hanging on a Star

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.

Deborah Raffin & Wolfman Jack

Deborah Raffin & Lane Caudell

Deborah Raffin & Lane Caudell again

Deborah Raffin in Dance of the Dwarfs

In 1983, Deborah Raffin starred in the horror movie Dance of the Dwarfs. The lovely actress delivered yet another engaging performance and she had great chemistry with her co-star, Peter Fonda. Though the film (also known as Jungle Heat and, as a nod to one of Fonda's most famous roles, Easy Flyer) is not well-remembered or typically reviewed in a positive manner, it is an assured cult classic and a very entertaining romp.

In Dance of the Dwarfs, Deborah Raffin gets a chance to display many of her talents. Besides looking beautiful, the actress got to do some things in the movie that she didn't often do in many of her other projects. Dance of the Dwarfs gave Deborah Raffin the opportunity to handle a gun in more than one scene and another sequence in the film called for her to act drunk. Yet another scene sees her getting accosted by a snake. She also, of course, has her acting chops in order as the film sees her engaging in some fantastic interplay with Peter Fonda.

Any fan of Deborah Raffin would be well-advised to take a look at Dance of the Dwarfs. It's a very fun film and it's not meant to be taken too seriously. Even people that don't normally watch horror/monster movies may still find the Raffin/Fonda combination enjoyable. Bottom line: Deborah Raffin looks so great in this movie it really should be seen by all.

Deborah Raffin in Touched by Love

One of the roles for which Deborah Raffin will best remembered was as the compassionate nurse working with special needs children in the movie Touched by Love. Still beloved by many today, Touched by Love was also just the second film by young actress Diane Lane. The movie also featured two actors, Clu Gulager and John Amos, who both appeared alongside Deborah Raffin in the TV movie Willa (and both also co-starred with her in other projects). Touched by Love was produced by Deborah Raffin's then-husband Michael Viner and the director, Gus Trikonis, would later direct Raffin in the cult classic Dance of the Dwarfs.

Touched by Love was generally well received by critics at the time of its release in 1980. The movie was positive and sentimental and is still effective today (I don't think it has ever had a proper DVD release). Deborah Raffin sported a new cropped hair style in the film which suited her quite well. Besides looking beautiful, she handles her role extremely well and does some of the best work of her screen career.

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Here are some images of Deborah Raffin in Touched by Love:

A look at Deborah Raffin in The Dove

In 1974, Deborah Raffin co-starred in her second feature film, The Dove. The movie centers around a young man named Robin Lee Graham (played by Joseph Bottoms) who plans to sail solo around the globe. Deborah Raffin plays the free-spirited Patti, a young lady (though slightly older than his character) that Robin meets on his journey. The pair form a friendship and eventually fall in love, all set to the backdrop of exotic locales and the high seas.

The Dove, which was produced by the legendary Gregory Peck, is essentially a family film...a coming-of-age story of a young man. He falls in love for the first time and it is revealed that sailing around the world is actually more of his father's dream than his. Esteemed cinematographer Sven Nykvist shot the film beautifully (though much of the effect is lost when viewed in full screen rather than the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio). All in all, not a bad movie. However, the presence of Deborah Raffin and her stunning youthful beauty really does something to elevate The Dove. Though you might say that her acting abilities improved in the years following the movie, it is nonetheless a joy to see a young, lithe, effervescent Deborah Raffin bring her charms to the screen in one of her earliest roles.

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Here are some images of Deborah Raffin in The Dove:

Deborah Raffin plays guitar

 

Deborah Raffin and Joseph Bottoms in bed