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Comedy drama

Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend (1981): Cast & Plot

Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend (1981) movie poster

Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend is a 1981 comedy drama directed by Russ Mayberry, starring Tony Randall as Sidney Shorr, Lorna Patterson and Kaleena Kiff. It runs 1 hour 40 minutes.

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Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend (1981) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 40m (100 min)
Director
Russ Mayberry
Genres
Comedy , Drama
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend About?

The premise of Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

A lonely, gay, middle‑aged artist lives alone in a Manhattan brownstone until a young woman moves in, and they maintain a strictly platonic bond. When she discovers she is pregnant by a married man, he chooses to support her and raise the baby as his own, forging an unconventional family.

Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend Themes & Keywords

· 25 tags
  • santa claus costume
  • rain
  • gay
  • judge
  • friendship
  • child custody
  • bagel
  • christmas
  • baby girl
  • surrogate father
  • marriage proposal
  • gay protagonist
+13 more
  • apartment
  • child's drawing
  • baby
  • considering abortion
  • christmas tree
  • illustrator
  • little girl
  • gay man straight woman relationship
  • christmas present
  • gay interest
  • new york city
  • homosexual
  • single mother
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Cast & crew

Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend Cast & Characters

Tony Randall leads the cast as Sidney Shorr, with Lorna Patterson as Laurie Morgan and Kaleena Kiff as Patti. Directed by Russ Mayberry; 11 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend

· 7 more
From the director

More from Russ Mayberry

More films directed by Russ Mayberry, best-rated first: Unidentified Flying Oddball, Miami Vice: Freefall, Manimal and The Fall Guy.

Full filmography
Plot

Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend Plot Summary

What happens in Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Sidney Shorr is a reclusive illustrator whose quiet life is upended after his mother dies and his live-in lover, Martin, leaves him. On a rain-soaked evening, he befriends Laurie Morgan, who ends up spending the night in his apartment. Laurie quickly sees beyond Sidney’s guarded exterior and recognizes a longing that hints at his sexuality, a moment that nudges them toward an unusual arrangement: unable to afford the apartment on his own, Sidney invites her to move in. Soon, Laurie finds work in commercials and later lands a role on a soap opera, which gradually changes the rhythms of their shared life and underscores how their bond is evolving in unexpected ways.

Full summary

The whole story of Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

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What is Sidney Shorr's profession?

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FAQ

Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend FAQ: Cast & Runtime

Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend?

Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend runs 1 hour 40 minutes (100 minutes).

When was Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend released?

Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend was released on October 5, 1981.

Who directed Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend?

Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend was directed by Russ Mayberry.

More films by Russ Mayberry

Who is in the cast of Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend?

Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend stars Tony Randall as Sidney Shorr, Lorna Patterson as Laurie Morgan and Kaleena Kiff as Patti, among 11 credited actors.

Does Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend have a post-credit scene?

No. Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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