Cristina Raines: 2014

Cristina Raines visits Fantasy Island

After her show Flamingo Road was cancelled in 1982, Cristina Raines began an epic run of television guest appearances. The third such guest role came on an episode of the successful series Fantasy Island. In a story titled "Goin' on Home," Raines played the former flame of a man who left home and subsequently became a country music star (played by real life country singer Mickey Gilley). Things get complicated when it is revealed that Raines' character has married the country singer's younger brother in his absence.

Cristina Raines' appearance on Fantasy Island has some slight connections with some of her earlier work. The episode in which she appeared dealt with country music and, as many are doubtless aware, Raines is famous for appearing in the seminal country & western film Nashville. It may or may not have been intentional by the show's producers to place her in the role which would have her interact with a country singer. Additionally, Cristina Raines also starred in a 1981 TV movie, The Nashville Grab, about a pair of women who kidnap a country singer.

In her Fantasy Island episode, Cristina Raines also gets to use a Southern accent. Her previous series, Flamingo Road, was set in the South and many fans may have enjoyed seeing her revisit the Southern theme.

Regardless of tenuous connections to prior performances, Cristina Raines does a great job as guest star on Fantasy Island. Though her time on-screen is somewhat limited, the wonderful actress makes the most of it. She looks wonderful in this episode and many viewers will certainly recall how stunning she was in the blue dress she wears at the end. Also (SPOILER), in a twist during her final scene, she turns out to be the bad guy and delivers a fiery, enraged tirade at her co-stars. Overall, a very worthwhile entry in the body of work of Cristina Raines!

Cristina Raines & Stella Stevens

Here are two very nice black & white photographs of Cristina Raines and her Flamingo Road co-star Stella Stevens. The two actresses had many great scenes together on the show....

Link to Cristina Raines interview

Here's something really great (and something I wish I could have done!): an interview with Cristina Raines. You've got to take a look at this!

http://hillplace.blogspot.com/2014/06/since-youve-gone-cristina-raines-interview.html

Amazing stuff!

Cristina Raines in The Tenth Month

Over the years, Cristina Raines took part in many popular projects. However, some of her television appearances have remained rather obscure, such as the TV movie The Tenth Month. A vehicle for Carol Burnett, Cristina Raines only has a few scenes scattered throughout the movie, but the beautiful actress nevertheless manages to make an impact on the viewer with her genuine good looks and sincere performance.

In The Tenth Month, a movie about pregnancy, Cristina Raines got do several scenes with the legendary Carol Burnett. She was also called upon to do some very emotional acting, including one scene where she does a lot of crying. Overall, one wishes that Raines would had more time on-screen, but her talents were generally put to good use here.

Here's a clip featuring two brief scenes of Cristina Raines and Carol Burnett acting together in The Tenth Month:

And here are a few images:

Cristina raines makes the cover

Over the years, Cristina Raines appeared on the covers of several magazines. When she became the star of the popular television soap Flamingo Road, the lovely face of the actress was in demand for TV guide-style publications all over North America. Here is a prime example (from 1982, right before the show was unfortunately cancelled):