Ringmaster (film)
Encyclopedia
Ringmaster is a 1998
American
comedy-drama
film starring Jerry Springer
playing (essentially) himself as Jerry Farrelly, host of a show similar to his own, in this case called simply Jerry. There are three ongoing plots in the film. The primary one surrounds a white trash
, trailer park
family in which the daughter is sleeping with her mother's husband, prompting the mother to constantly try to outdo her promiscuous daughter's behavior out of spite, including sleeping with her daughter's boyfriend. The secondary plot revolves around an urban
black
woman whose boyfriend is sleeping with her two best friends, but the three are united against the boyfriend when he begins sleeping with the daughter of the above mentioned family. The third plot revolves around Jerry and the show
itself, detailing the difficulty Jerry faces in trying to come to terms with his rather dubious claim to fame, and the staff's utter amazement at the bizarre stories they must deal with.
A minor sub-plot involves a phone operator on the show who mistakenly picks up one of the guests, a self-proclaimed "man-by-day-woman-by-night."
giving it a 22% rating. Jerry Springer's performance in Ringmaster won him the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star (tied with Joe Eszterhas
for his small cameo in An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn
).
.
1998 in film
-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film starring Jerry Springer
Jerry Springer
Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer is a British-born American television presenter, best known as host of the tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show since its debut in 1991...
playing (essentially) himself as Jerry Farrelly, host of a show similar to his own, in this case called simply Jerry. There are three ongoing plots in the film. The primary one surrounds a white trash
White trash
White trash is an American English pejorative term referring to poor white people in the United States, suggesting lower social class and degraded living standards...
, trailer park
Trailer park
A trailer park is a semi-permanent or permanent area for mobile homes or travel trailers. The main reasons for living in such trailer parks are the often lower cost compared to other housing, and the ability to move to a new area more quickly and easily, for example when changing jobs to another...
family in which the daughter is sleeping with her mother's husband, prompting the mother to constantly try to outdo her promiscuous daughter's behavior out of spite, including sleeping with her daughter's boyfriend. The secondary plot revolves around an urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
woman whose boyfriend is sleeping with her two best friends, but the three are united against the boyfriend when he begins sleeping with the daughter of the above mentioned family. The third plot revolves around Jerry and the show
The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...
itself, detailing the difficulty Jerry faces in trying to come to terms with his rather dubious claim to fame, and the staff's utter amazement at the bizarre stories they must deal with.
A minor sub-plot involves a phone operator on the show who mistakenly picks up one of the guests, a self-proclaimed "man-by-day-woman-by-night."
Cast
- Jerry SpringerJerry SpringerGerald Norman "Jerry" Springer is a British-born American television presenter, best known as host of the tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show since its debut in 1991...
as Jerry Farrelly - Jaime PresslyJaime PresslyJaime Elizabeth Pressly is an American actress and model. She is best known for playing Joy Turner on the NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl, for which she was nominated for two Emmy Awards, winning one, as well as a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award...
as Angel Zorzak - William McNamaraWilliam McNamaraWilliam West McNamara is an American actor.-Early life:Born in Dallas, Texas, McNamara is the son of a professional race car driver for the Ford Motor Company and an interior designer. He attended Columbia University and studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute...
as Troy Davenport - Molly HaganMolly Hagan-Youth:Hagan was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of Mary Elizabeth and John Robert Hagan. She was raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana.-Career:She featured in the series Herman's Head which ran on Fox from 1991 to 1994...
as Connie Zorzak - John Capodice as Mel Riley
- Wendy Raquel RobinsonWendy Raquel RobinsonWendy Raquel Robinson is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as high school principal Regina Grier on the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as sports agent Tasha Mack on the CW/BET comedy-drama The Game....
as Starletta - Ashley Holbrook as Willie
- Tangie Ambrose as Vonda Simmons
- Nicki MicheauxNicki MicheauxNicki Micheaux is an American actress. She was on ABC Family's Lincoln Heights.-Biography:Micheaux was born in Detroit, Michigan to an army officer father....
as Leshawnette - Michael Jai WhiteMichael Jai WhiteMichael Jai White is an American actor and martial artist who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn...
as Demond - Krista TesreauKrista TesreauKrista Tesreau is an American actress.-Career:Tesreau is best known for her role as Melinda “Mindy” Lewis on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light, which she portrayed from 1983 to 1989...
as Catherine Winicott - Dawn MaxeyDawn MaxeyDawn Maxey an American actress, known for her side starring roles in several 1990s movies.-Early life and beginning career:Maxey was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She attended Ohio University...
as Natalie - Maximilliana as Charlie/Claire
- Michael DudikoffMichael DudikoffMichael Joseph Dudikoff II is an American actor who has been in numerous films, including the American Ninja series , Tron , Bachelor Party , Platoon Leader , River of Death , Soldier Boyz , Ringmaster , and The Silencer , to name a few...
as Rusty
Reception
The film had a generally negative reception, with Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
giving it a 22% rating. Jerry Springer's performance in Ringmaster won him the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star (tied with Joe Eszterhas
Joe Eszterhas
József A. "Joe" Eszterhas is a Hungarian-American writer, best known for his work on the pulp erotic films Basic Instinct and Showgirls. He has also written several non-fiction books, including an autobiography entitled Hollywood Animal.-Early life:Eszterhas was born in Csákánydoroszló, Hungary,...
for his small cameo in An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn was made in 1997 and released in 1998. It was regarded as one of the worst films of all time, and scooped five awards at the 1998 Golden Raspberry Awards. The film had an estimated budget of $10,000,000 and grossed at least $52,850...
).
Soundtrack
A soundtrack containing hip hop music was released on March 23, 1999 by Lil' Joe Records. It peaked at #80 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop AlbumsTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
.