Maid for Each Other is a 1992 television film starring Nell Carter and Dinah Manoff. The film was written by Manoff, Robb Gilmer, Les Alexander, Don Enright and Andrew Smith, produced by Enright and Alexander, and directed by Paul Schneider. It has been characterized as a buddy movie.[1]

Maid for Each Other
GenreComedy
Crime
Screenplay byRob Gilmer
Story byDinah Manoff
Les Alexander
Don Enright
Andrew Smith
Directed byPaul Schneider
StarringNell Carter
Dinah Manoff
Joyce Van Patten
Garrett Morris
Robert Costanzo
Theme music composerJohnny Harris
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersDon Enright
Les Alexander
Dinah Manoff
ProducersDon Enright
Les Alexander
CinematographyDavid Plenn
EditorMark Westmore
Running time93 min.
Production companiesAlexander/Enright & Associates
Hearst Entertainment Productions
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseJanuary 13, 1992 (1992-01-13)

Background

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Dinah Manoff had conceived of the film earlier in the 1980s as a potential pilot episode, and was able to produce it after being cast in the series Empty Nest.[2]

Plot

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Tibby Bloom (Dinah Manoff), a recently widowed Beverly Hills socialite, is left broke and homeless. Seeking refuge at her mother's home, she gains a job as a maid for a Jasmine Jones (Nell Carter), a flamboyant jazz singer. Jones is holding a large party for several important music-industry contacts in advance of her comeback performance at a club in town. However, several of her past maids have quit, and Bloom, who has never worked as a maid, is taken well out of her comfort zone.

The two women form an unlikely bond but soon find themselves neck deep in mayhem and trouble when Bloom finds the body of Jones' ex-husband in a closet. They must keep the police off their trail, prevent Jones from becoming the suspect, and solve the murder.

Soundtrack

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The song "Bad Case of You," which Nell Carter performs in the movie, is not available in any other form apart from in this movie.[citation needed]

Critical reception

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The film received mixed reviews. The Los Angeles Times, while writing that the actors had good chemistry, criticized the "hoary plotting."[3] The Chicago Tribune compared it, somewhat unfavorably, to Ally Sheedy vehicle Maid to Order, but noted the film's potential as a longer series.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Garmel, Marion (13 January 1992). "Maid and murder on the comeback trail". Indianapolis Star.
  2. ^ King, Susan (11 January 1992). "Dinah Manoff Knows Full Well to Appreciate 'Empty Nest' Benefits". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^ Willman, Chris (13 January 1992). "'Maid for Each Other' Can't Get Rid of the Mold". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ Kogan, Rick (13 January 1992). "Slapstick chemistry between stars sparks 'Maid'". Chicago Tribune.
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