New York City locations seen in the film include the Algonquin Hotel, the Saint Regis and the Waldorf Astoria. It also marked the screen debuts of an 8-year-old Nicole Eggert and Meg Ryan, who played Merry's daughter in the 19 segments, respectively. The film proved to be the last directed by Cukor. Mulligan was forced to withdraw when previous commitments conflicted with the new schedule. Robert Mulligan originally was slated to direct, but when members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild went on strike four days after filming began, the production shut down. The film takes place over the course of 22 years, first depicting the elopement of Merry and Doug in 1959, and then picking up during three segments, taking place in 1969, 19, showing changes in the characters' relationships (and society) over the course of two decades.

Merry soon is a darling of the media, and her fame and fortune surpass those of Liz (who is experiencing a severe case of writer's block), leading to jealousy between the old friends and problems in Merry's marriage. The trashy roman à clef about the Malibu colony finds a publisher and becomes a huge best-seller. Merry decides to write a book of her own, relying on Liz's assistance. Meanwhile, Merry fulfills her aspiration to a life of domesticity caring for a husband and child by marrying Doug Blake and moving to a beach house in Malibu, California.Īlthough Merry is happy, she can't help but envy Liz for her glamorous career as an author. Soon after graduation, Liz writes a critically acclaimed book and drifts into unfulfilling relationships and one-night stands, including an empty encounter in an airplane lavatory, a fling with a teenaged hustler, and an affair with Chris Adams, a young reporter for Rolling Stone. Liz Hamilton, a young woman with literary ambitions, and Merry Noel Blake, an all-American blonde beauty from Atlanta, are close friends who met while they were freshmen at Smith College in the 1950s. Two women find their friendship is tested when one rises from obscurity to success while the other stagnates in a stalled career. The film was released to commercial failure and mixed critical response. The screenplay by Gerald Ayres is based on the 1940 play Old Acquaintance by John Van Druten, previously adapted in 1943 by Vincent Sherman under its original title, starring Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins.

Rich and Famous is a 1981 American drama film directed by George Cukor, the final film of his career.

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