thats certainly a strange way to promote a film upon which a great deal rest . and it seem like plain suicide on the part of the studio and give that ( 1 ) the feud between the cast be well know long before the movie release . ( 2 ) the feud between the producer ( robert fryer ) and director ( michael sarne ) be also common knowledge . ( 3 ) the cast make no secret of their contempt for the film and make it public at every opportunity and with daily bulletin from the set gleefully report by gossip columnist everywhere . and ( 4 ) the author and gore vidal hat it practically from day one . nevertheless and that tagline just about sum it up . raquel welch do give a decent performance a myra and and she look lovely besides . john huston be very funny a buck loner and the ex cowboy star who run a phony acting academy . mae west and ( in her first screen appearance since 1943 ) naturally rewrite her part to suit herself and and she be great a oversexed ( and that put it mildly ) talent agent leticia van allen . still and she must have wonder ( after wait so long for a good vehicle in which to return ) how she ever end up in this mess . tom selleck ( in his film debut ) be one of her client . john carradine and jim backus and a doctor and also amble in briefly . rex reed a myron and farrah fawcett and roger herr and a the victim of myra or myron sexual passion and be neither here nor there . the same go for the script and which not only fail to focus on the basic plot of the book and but seem to head in at least three different direction at once . although west part be originally large and she be reduce to a cameo role by the time sarne be through with the editing . and and partly because of this and she seem to be in a different movie . apparently and at some point and the producer realize that mae be go to be the film big draw and and and unable to replace most of her cut footage and they rush her back to the set at the end of film for the second of her two song and both of which come out of nowhere . the device sarne use of throw in old film clip of bygone star to emphasize whatever point he be make and doesn not work at all . by the time the movie concludes and all a weary spectator can do be wonder what in the hell it be all about . not surprisingly and just about everyone connect with the production felt the same way and and it die at the box office . a technically flawless dvd include and ( among other extra ) separate commentary from both welch and sarne and each of whom have completely opposite opinion of just what go wrong . no doubt it home video re release be prompt by a 2001 vanity fair piece and which attempt ( in great detail ) to do the same thing . true and the structure of the novel make a screen adaptation a dubious undertaking and but and with sarne at the helm of what be obviously a troubled production and it really never have a chance .