Sally Kellerman 

Sally Kellerman made a good living playing a ditzy blonde. She was always just a little off the edge, not crazy, but not really normal either. Although she worked steadily up to her recent death at 84, her big hits all came in the 70's.

Sally exploded onto the silver screen as Margaret “Hot Lips” O’Houlihan in the epic M*A*S*H (1970). Margaret annoyingly insists on everyone following every Army rule exactly, while carrying on an affair with creepy married colleague Frank. Their rendevous in the shower is hilariously exposed by Hawkeye (Donald Sutherland) and Trapper John (Elliot Gould). This screen version is much darker than the hit TV series it spawned, but is still really funny. 

She followed that in the same year as Louise the very strange Brewster McCloud. Bud Cort is Brewster. He lives in a fallout shelter in the Astrodome, building a pair of wings with which he hopes to fly. Louise is ever helpful as his “fairy godmother”. Brewster is actually suspected of committing several murders. After that it gets a little weird.

Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972) is one of Neil Simon’s wacky comedies. Alan Arkin plays Barney Cashman, a red-hot lover wannabe. Sally is Elaine Navazio, certainly red-hot enough, but failing to seduce the introverted Barney. Other attempts at infidelity also fall short and Barney never makes it to even lukewarm status, but the laughs keep coming. 

Lost Horizon (1973) is the absolutely dreadful remake of the famous 1937 version.With a cast including Peter Finch, Liv Ullman, George Kennedy, Charles Boyer and John Gielgud what could go wrong? This awful movie.  This one is a musical. Oh my! Well, Ms. Kellerman plays Sally Hughes, a kinky photographer and confirmed drug addict. She is “cured” by the High Lama, leader of Shangri-La. Which is the enchanted village the cast stumbles onto in the Himalayas. Does Kellerman do her own singing?  Well, yes, but does anyone care?

Sally Kellerman’s last big hit is as Sybil in the hilarious The Big Bus (1976), an unashamedly pale forerunner of the classic Airplane (1980). So- if you liked Airplane, and who doesn’t, you will also like The Big Bus. The parallels are obvious. Coyote Bus Lines develops Cyclops, which runs on nuclear fuel, and can make the trip from New York to Denver non-stop. When the intended driver is badly injured, the company hires Dan Torrance (Joseph Bologna) to pilot the vehicle. Dan was disgraced when he wrecked a bus on Mount Diablo and survived by eating the passengers. This bus is equipped with everything, including a piano bar. A wealthy oligarch for some reason wants to sabotage the trip. Hijinks ensue!

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. Ages 12 and up can handle them.