The 1980s heralded Luise’s first ‘comeback’ of sorts (she would have another in the 90s and then another in the new millennium). Television had brought a new audience to the films of the 1930s and 1940s and many of the stars of that era were no longer with us. The rush to celebrate these stars of the ‘golden age of Hollywood’ was on and Luise made a number of appearances for no other reason than that she was still alive. Notable highlights of this decade were Luise’s return to the stage (after an absence of almost 20 years), her Grand Cross Order of Merit award and her return to acting for television. The decade would end sadly with the death of her husband of 45 years, Robert, on 15th June 1989.
The list is in chronological order and includes key dates in Luise’s life and career. A * denotes magazine and newspaper articles and interviews, most of which have been copied in full and are available on this site – click the links to open a new page.
1980
Apr 25: The Good Earth screens at the National Film Theatre, London as part of their MGM Directors season (25th April)
1981
Mar 4: Attends memorial tribute to American lawyer Arnold Weissberger at the Golden Theatre, New York, with Orson Welles and Martha Graham
Sep 21: Performance of Tennyson’s Enoch Arden at the American Repertory Theater, Cambridge, MA
Sep 25: Attends opening night of the New York Film Festival for screening of Chariots of Fire
Sep 21: Performance of Tennyson’s Enoch Arden at the American Repertory Theater, Cambridge, MA
Sep 25: Attends opening night of the New York Film Festival for screening of Chariots of Fire
Sep 30: Performance of Tennyson’s Enoch Arden at the Loeb Drama Centre, Boston
1982
Nov 5: Awarded the George Eastman Award for Distinguished Contribution to Film
1983
Apr 9: Special guest of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) at a celebratory pre-Oscars evening, with clips of her films and a full screening of The Good Earth
Apr 11: Co-presenter (with Jack Valenti) of Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards ceremony
Oct 12: A Salute to Luise Rainer at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Interviewed by Robert Osborne, with screening of The Good Earth
Oct 14: Rainer Still Part of ‘Good Earth’ by Lawrence Christon, in the Los Angeles Times*
Oct 14: Rainer Still Part of ‘Good Earth’ by Lawrence Christon, in the Los Angeles Times*
Oct 14/15: Performances of Enoch Arden at the Schoenberg Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles (14th and 15th October)
With Fred Grandy in ‘The Love Boat’, 1984
1984
Mar 3: Appears on US television in The Love Boat, playing twin sisters
1985
Awarded the Grand Cross 1st Class, Order of Merit by the German government
1988
Works with Doris Totten Chase on A Dancer, a short film and part of a series, By Herself
1989
Jun 15: Death of Robert Knittel, her husband of 45 years
Luise Rainer 