Author Topic: Paul Newman = God  (Read 4975 times)

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Online hefdaddy42

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #35 on: December 12, 2022, 11:23:46 AM »
The Hustler is a great, great film.

I also read the novel on which it's based earlier this year.  Also very good.
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Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #36 on: January 11, 2023, 09:09:42 AM »
Hello all - sorry I have neglected this thread though I have not neglected my movie watching!  We actually had to watch the next 2 films out of order because it was tricky to find this next selection.  It wasn't on any of the main streaming channels but my kid finally found it on Pluto TV (never heard of it before).  And while I was thankful to find it and watch it, unfortunately there were ads to contend with.  Oh well....I am posting them in order even though I watched them out of order!

Paris Blues

1961

Billed as a musical romantic drama, the film is another directed by Martin Ritt (Long Hot Summer) who goes on to work with Newman in about another half dozen movies yet to come.  The synopsis is about 2 musicians, Ram Bowen (PN) and Eddie Cook (Sidney Poitier) who are expatriates living and working in Paris after WWII.  Ram is studying classical music and having a casual affair with the nightclub's owner and his employer when he becomes aware of a famous musician coming into town, Wild Man Moore (Louis Armstrong).  Ram goes to the train station to meet Moore and winds up running into 2 American schoolteachers who are visiting Paris for 2 weeks.  He is initially flirtatious with Connie (Diahann Carroll) but her friend Lillian (Joanne Woodward) is instantly smitten with the dashing Ram.  Ram invites them to the club that night to watch him perform and after the club closes for the evening the 2 couples pair off - Connie with Eddie who wander the streets of Paris until dawn, and Ram and Lillian who spend the night between the sheets.

The film brings to the forefront the racial tension that exists in America and Eddie's enjoyment of a much liberal Paris.  Though Eddie falls in love with Connie, he does not want to give that up and yet Connie is very much confrontational about her belief that you cannot run away from racism but need to fight for things to be better.  She ultimately convinces him to return to America with her.  Lillian wants the same from Ram but Ram doesn't want to be a two-bit trombone player in some band in America when his career prospects look better in France.  However Ram, who has been working on a score of music he is very passionate about, gets some critical feedback on the work from a would-be publisher and he starts to think about a life with Lillian and her children in America.  He finally agrees to go with her but leaves her at the train station at the last minute.

The musical score is fantastic - composed by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.  The cameo performances by Louis Armstrong make the soundtrack the strongest piece of the film and the music was nominated for an Academy Award.  PN was coached in playing the trombone for the roll by Billy Byers and much like in The Hustler, appears seamless in his ability to play the instrument.  Poitier was likewise coached to play the saxophone by Paul Gonsalves but did not seem as convincing to me.

Rumor has it that Poitier was miserable during the filming of Paris Blues - not because of the script or working with PN, but because he and Diahann Carroll had begun a torrid love affair several years earlier while both were married with children and Poitier was filming on location with his family in tow.  I'm certain that made for a lot of distractions and behind the scenes drama.  TBH, I am a big fan of Poitier - In the Heat of the Night is one of my all time favorite films - but I was not impressed with his performance here.  Diahann Carroll also seemed a bit lackluster though her beauty is undeniable.  I really enjoyed the scenes between Newman and Woodward here.  Both seemed relaxed and confident and passionate.  Interestingly the early drafts of the script put the couples in interracial relationships but the studios did not think that would play well with audiences so that idea was nixed.  In hindsight, I wonder if that would've made the movie better.  I also was surprised that black and white was chosen for the film.  I'm sure it was for dramatic effect but springtime in Paris should always be in color, IMO.

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Offline Cool Chris

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #37 on: January 11, 2023, 06:40:59 PM »
....my kid finally found it on Pluto TV (never heard of it before).

If I am in need of something on TV that I can't devote my full attention to while I am doing some random tasks downstairs, I often turn on Pluto and can often find something.
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Offline DragonAttack

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #38 on: January 29, 2023, 10:59:45 AM »


Well, we finally watched this last night. Other than the so annoying 'no neck monsters' along with the kids playing the insufferable 'Dixie' (all removed from the stage presentation we saw a few years back), those were terrific performances by Newman, Taylor, and Ives (who performed the role on Broadway).  Hell, even Dame Judith Anderson (my memories of her are from Star Trek III) as 'Big Mama' was interesting (Barbara Bel Geddes, Mama Ewing on 'Dallas', played the role on Broadway, and was nominated for a Tony Award, as was the play)

Williams won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in ’55 for the story.  Damn!  :tup  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_on_a_Hot_Tin_Roof

The wife found this recent write up about how the Hays Code allowed for the ruining of it (and other films up through '68)
https://filmdaze.net/homosexual-erasure-in-cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof/?fbclid=IwAR1b39wZYRAZRLh9LRhjjLqG3B-0KMeMQjWDOrsuNkq1sHJsRnNqszUhEo8
Wish I could find the ’84 TV version with Jessica Lange and Tommy Lee Jones, which revived the sexual innuendos which had been muted in the 1958 film.

Thanks for this thread. 'The Hustler' viewing will be soon.  Also,  It’ll give me an excuse to see ‘Cool Hand Luke’ later on for about the 50th time.

Meanwhile…..how often do you get two such gifted and gorgeous people on the screen at one time? 😉




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Online hefdaddy42

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #39 on: January 31, 2023, 07:08:39 AM »
....my kid finally found it on Pluto TV (never heard of it before).

If I am in need of something on TV that I can't devote my full attention to while I am doing some random tasks downstairs, I often turn on Pluto and can often find something.
Every November I watch as many film noirs as I can.  Pluto was a surprisingly good source this past year.  I caught multiple really good and interesting films there.
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Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #40 on: January 31, 2023, 07:35:22 PM »
Dragon Attack - love your review of COAHTR.  And you are right, 2 extremely beautiful people together on screen like that is mesmerizing.  They don't make em like that any more.  :heart

If you find the Lange/Jones version, let me know.  I'd watch that in a heartbeat.

And thanks for the info on Pluto, you guys.  Guess I need to do some more exploring there.

Sorry this thread has been on the back burner.  I haven't forgotten it.  Life just gets in the way sometimes.  Sweet Bird of Youth has been viewed and I just need to write her up.  I will get to that very soon.  It was great.  Of course!  :D
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Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #41 on: February 03, 2023, 05:35:27 PM »
Sweet Bird of Youth

1962

Based on the 1959 play by Tennessee Williams, directed by Richard Brooks, SBoY features a stellar cast including PN, Geraldine Page, Shirley Knight, Ed Begley, and Rip Torn.  Newman plays gigolo, Chance Wayne, who after trying his luck in Hollywood returns to his home town with a famous actress, Alexandra Del Lago, in tow (Page) who's career is on the wane.  The opening shot is Chance driving a passed out Del Lago from Hollywood to St. Cloud, Mississippi, stopping only to buy her more booze along the way so she can remain unconscious.  Once Chance is back, he reunites with his first and only true love, Heavenly Finley (Knight).  But Heavenly's brother and father both hate him - father, Boss, actually convinced Chance to leave town to find his fortune never expecting him to return again.  You see, Boss is the big man in town with political aspirations who uses Heavenly as a symbol of chastity and purity in his campaign.  He can't have Chance around to spoil his precious daughter career.  And the only thing Heavenly wants is Chance.  Chance is unaware that just prior to him leaving town, she had become pregnant with his child and had an abortion.

Chance in his desperation to become a movie star in Hollywood has become the lover of Alexandra, who is trying to come to terms with her floundering career.  Just prior to their flight from Hollywood together, she has shot a film which she feels most certainly will make her the laughing stock of LA and has drown her sorrows not only in alcohol but also in drugs.  Chance in his ongoing desire for money and fame, secretly records Alexandra admitting her dependence on drugs, feeling he can use this to extort money from her.  But before he can use the tape recording, she suddenly learns that her latest film has catapulted her career to new heights and she is once more in demand.  She rejects Chance and goes to leave him there.

While Chance has been looking for ways to prove himself worthy of Heavenly, he and Heavenly have been meeting in secret trysts and rekindling their love, even though Heavenly has been forbidden from being with him for fear of harming her father's political aspirations.  At a political rally, Boss's discarded mistress reveals Boss's ruthless tactics and Heavenly's abortion and all hell breaks loose.  Alexandra becomes aware that Chance is in real danger and offers to take him with her, but he will not leave Heavenly again and thus Boss's thugs beat him badly, disfiguring his face permanently - which ends any aspirations he has to be an actor.  Chance and Heavenly leave together to find their new normal and the credits role.

The film was up for several Academy Awards, but only Begley won for Best Supporting Actor.

The ending was quite different in the play than in the movie version.  In the play, Chance was castrated by the group of thugs.

Trivia - the role of Chance was originally offered to Elvis Presley but Presley's manager turned it down, not wanting Elvis to portray a bad man.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film.  Much like COAHTR, we have actors and actresses at the pinnacle of their careers acting the hell out of a damn fine story.  Well worth the time, IMO.

Instead of the movie poster - I give you 2 images of SBOY.  First is Chance and Alexandra.  Second is Chance and Heavenly.  Aren't they gorgeous?



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Offline Orbert

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #42 on: February 03, 2023, 09:03:55 PM »
Geraldine Page has that classic look that isn't really my type, but man, she's smokin' here.

Shirley Knight is so hot, she could melt bricks.

Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #43 on: February 14, 2023, 10:20:12 PM »
Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man

1962

It is billed as an American "Adventure Film" and based on Ernest Hemingway's semi-autobiographical character, Nick Adams.  Again directed by Martin Ritt, PN has only a very small, supporting role here.  Nick Adams is played by Richard Beymer - a 19 year old eager to escape is domineering mother and weak-physician father setting out for New York from Michigan in 1917, in the hopes of becoming a writer.  Along the way he stumbles across numerous interesting characters and eventually winds up driving an ambulance on the battlefield in WWI.  The cast is pretty amazing here:  Diane Baker, Jessica Tandy, Ricardo Montalban, Eli Wallach, Arthur Kennedy, Juano Hernandez, Susan Strasberg, and of course PN.

PN plays The Battler, a punch-drunk, e.g., head-injured, boxer now in his 50s and living as a hobo with his friend, Buggs.  The Battler is Nick's first 'friend' while on his journey.  He stumbles across him after being thrown off a train he had bummed a ride on.  The Battler lives in the woods, pan-handling for food.  He is pitiful and half-alive now - The Battler speaks roughly - sometimes mumbling incoherently, about his life. He searches pathetically for his thoughts and memories, makes useless swinging gestures in the air, and reflexively punches his fist into his palm.  He is a man who seeming is barely in control of his mind or body.



The make up is really pretty awful.  Bosley Crowther of The New York Times said, "It is Paul Newman's very good fortune that he isn't recognizable for he is simply terrible."  I don't know if I would go that far.  I feel that the acting was fine but along with the make-up, it turns The Battler into a caricature.  But it seems to be part and parcel of the entire movie.  It is over-dramatized and Beymer's acting is weak, and nearly insipid.  The supporting actors/actresses are fine but overall they cannot save the movie.  I have to wonder if Hemingway himself would've been disgusted - he offed himself during the production of the film (though I don't think because of the film, lol).  There definitely are some worthy parts of the film, but on the whole, I cannot recommend it.  At nearly 2 1/2 hours running time, once it was over my spouse said, "I don't think we should include any more PN movies that he isn't the lead in."  That pretty much says it all.   :-\
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Offline YtseJam

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #44 on: February 19, 2023, 05:17:30 PM »
If you like his movies you should try his salad!

Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #45 on: February 20, 2023, 05:03:14 PM »
If you like his movies you should try his salad!

Well since he's dead, I doubt he'll be making me a salad.

If you mean, his salad dressing well, yeah...it's been on the market for more than 40 years so I haven't met many people who haven't.  But since we are in the Movies and TV section of the board, I can only hope you got lost somewhere in the thread here.   Would it be too punny to say, "toss off"?  :P  :lol

Didn't get to Hud this weekend.  Looking forward to this one next weekend.
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Offline DragonAttack

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #46 on: February 21, 2023, 11:08:30 AM »
The Hustler

We watched this Sunday night.  There is so much good/great going on, but it did suffer some with its length, not knowing what was going on at times with the long opening pool scene (who's winning and by how much), and, just what did Bert say to Sarah in Louisville, and where did she get the heroin? 

That said, Newman, Laurie, and Scott are terrific, and Gleason is magnetic when on screen.  The wiki write up was interesting in pointing out that 'Fats' never touches money, and the reasons behind it from Rossen's comments.

The wife found this additional review. 

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-hustler-1961?fbclid=IwAR3KSJtMc-PaaC46lVkBQ_zboABxKdEPA2cmBPh9bcp-h3PrU76Nwk1hpGA

We both finally read your recap yesterday.  Well done! :tup



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« Last Edit: February 21, 2023, 12:19:09 PM by DragonAttack »
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Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #47 on: February 22, 2023, 04:17:17 PM »
Nice write up, DA!  And please thank your wife for the link to that review.  That was very well written by Roger Ebert.

Yeah...what did Bert say to Sarah to drive her over the edge?  I bet there was much discussion on the set about that.  Oh to be a fly on the wall.
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Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #48 on: February 25, 2023, 09:46:12 AM »
Hud

1963

"Little by little, the look of the country changes because of the men we admire."

An American Western based on the novel, 'Horseman, Pass By' by Larry McMurtry and directed by Martin Ritt.  I have not read this novel but did enjoy reading 'Lonesome Dove' by this author which is arguably his most famous novel.  The film starred PN, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal, and Brandon deWilde (the kid from the movie Shane, all grown up here).  Both Douglas and Neal won Academy Awards for their roles and cinematography (black and white) earned a statue for James Wong Howe.

In order to save me some time here, I'm going to copy the synopsis from TCM and then write down a few thoughts.  I'm still processing the movie, mentally.  The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Quote
Hud Bannon, the selfish, self-centered son of veteran Texas cattleman Homer Bannon, is despised by his father, a man of staunch integrity whose philosophy of life is diametrically opposed to Hud's. Homer's bitterness in part rests on his son's responsibility for an auto accident 15 years earlier that resulted in the death of Hud's older brother; the brother's orphaned son, Lon, now 17 years old, is divided between adolescent adulation of Hud and loving respect for his grandfather. Also living on the ranch is Alma, an earthy housekeeper physically attracted to Hud but unwilling to yield to his boorish advances. One of Homer Bannon's cows is found dead, apparently from hoof-and mouth disease, and Hud suggests they sell the entire herd before a government inspector can order the cattle slaughtered; but Homer refuses and agrees to have his cows killed to protect other farmers. Hud regards the decision as proof of the old man's senility and takes steps to have his father declared mentally incompetent. Hud goes on a drunk and attempts to rape Alma, but Lon interrupts him, and Alma leaves the ranch the following day. Homer is then stricken by a fatal heart attack while riding on horseback around his deserted land. After the funeral, Lon, now fully aware of his uncle's despicable nature, decides to leave and make his own way in the world. Totally alone, Hud watches the boy depart, shrugs his shoulders, and opens a can of beer.

This film both kept my attention and repulsed me at the same time.  I don't often get up and leave while watching a movie, but I did with the slaughter scene in this one.  And that was not the only difficult part to watch.  The cinematography was stunning and the mood of the film was like another character being portrayed all on its own.  It goes without saying that the acting was superb.  I'm a little bit unsure about Alma - the housekeeper.  Her character perplexed me and I don't understand her motivations.  On the obvious side, she's attracted to Hud and yet mature enough and smart enough to know to keep him at arms length.  She can verbally spar with him and rebuff his advances like she's done it a thousand times.  And yet, she teases young Lonnie with the knowledge that he is sexually attracted to her.  And in a weird way she is both maternal toward him and sexual toward him.  It felt like a giant "ick" to me.

But the scenes between the 3 main men, Hud - his father Homer and his nephew Lonnie, are a study in perfection.  The tension is perfect.  The character development is perfect.  The dialogue is perfect.  And the relationship between them ultimately flies in the face of the well-worn trope of "bad-guy-is-really-a-good-guy" payoff that so many films tend to fall back on.  I will be thinking about this one for a long time.

And if I had unlimited power and money, I'd love to get this film remade and colorize only 2 part of the black and while film.  The pink of the 1958 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible that Hud drives and the blue of Newman's eyes.

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Offline Cool Chris

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #49 on: February 25, 2023, 01:25:25 PM »
Another classic I never saw. I did not know it's based on a Larry McMurtry story. I highly enjoyed reading Lonesome Dove.
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Online hefdaddy42

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #50 on: February 27, 2023, 09:10:56 AM »
I haven't seen this one in a long time, but it's definitely fantastic.

I also didn't realize that it was based on a McMurtry novel.
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Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #51 on: February 27, 2023, 06:34:26 PM »
As I was watching Melvyn Douglas, I couldn't put my finger on what movie I'd seen him in before.  It was driving me crazy.  My brain kept saying 'Arthur' with Dudley Moore but I knew that was Sir John Gielgud.  I finally had to Google it and turns out he was a main character in the Peter Sellers movie, 'Being There', which I was was a tiny bit obsessed with for a few years back in the day. 
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Offline Orbert

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #52 on: February 28, 2023, 09:08:26 AM »
Being There is an amazing movie.  Yes, Melvyn Douglas was Benjamin Rand.

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Offline Stadler

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #53 on: February 28, 2023, 09:32:32 AM »
Hud is a great movie.   

The story behind "Minnesota Fats" (allegedly a fictitious character, but later embodied by a professional hustler and entertainer who claimed to be the inspiration for the character) is fascinating.  I'm a big fan of Mosconi; I have a very well-worn "how to" book from him on pool.

Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #54 on: April 02, 2023, 05:21:09 PM »
I've been tardy in this next post because....well....I absolutely hated this movie and I felt so let down by both PN and JW having anything to do with it.  I honestly didn't think it would be possible for me to hate a PN movie and yet, here we are.  So without further ado:

A New Kind of Love
1963

Billed as a romantic comedy, I knew going in it wouldn't be anything that was going to change my life or anything.  I was prepared for it to be a light-hearted romp starring 2 actors I greatly admired who happened to be married in real life.  Directed by Melville Shavelson, he began his career in the 30s working as a comedy writer for Bob Hope.  I never thought Bob Hope was particularly funny so maybe it just isn't my sense of humor.  I think the only other work of his that I've seen is the movie Houseboat that starred Cary Grant and Sophia Loren.

The story line goes like this - Newman plays a newspaper columnist, Steve Sherman, who gets sent to Paris to cover fashion after he unwittingly has an affair with the wife of his boss.  On the plane, he runs into Samantha Blake (Woodward), who is going to Paris to copy expensive fashion to parlay into cheap knock-offs for the New York department store she works for.  They do not hit it off.  Samantha dresses and acts like a tomboy.  She hates him because of his boorish behavior and constant drinking.

While in Paris, Samantha attends the St. Catherine's Day celebration - which I'd never heard of before but is apparently when all the single women party hardy and "pray" for husbands.  This included a very strange performance by Maurice Chevalier (Thank Heavens for Little Girls from Gigi) *insert barf emoji*. After which Sam has a vision of St. Catherine advising her on how to attract potential husbands.  Soon after, she is given a make over in a French salon and comes out looking very different.  So different that when Sam runs into her at an outdoor cafe, he assumes she is a prostitute and does not recognize her.  He thinks he can use the stories of this French prostitute to write his columns about and she in turn creates elaborate stories for him in order to keep his interest in her going.  All the while they begin to fall in love with each other.

Steve thinks he can 'save' Sam from a life of prostitution and takes her to see a priest.  She runs away screaming.  Steve finally recognizes Sam from the plane and he sets up a scheme to trap her drawing her into a kiss and then pulling off her blonde wig.  Of course they forgive one another and at the end of the film there is a 'fantasy' sequence showing Sam running away in a wedding gown with Steve in a football uniform running her down and carrying her to the wedding bed.

There was just so much I hated about this movie it is difficult to know where to begin.  I know it is a different time but the way women were portrayed in films like these is literally physically nauseating to me.  The men don't come across as much better.  I kept thinking to myself, "I know this is supposed to be a light-hearted comedy so why do I feel so nauseated?"  And why are the talents of these 2 superb actors being wasted on such a project?  I mean....after the drama and intensity of Hud, I guess I can understand the need to do something light and something to enjoy with the spouse/family.  I'm sure money was a factor as well - or maybe being under contract, IDK.

Here is a list of some other rom/coms that were out around this time:

That Touch of Mink - Cary Grant and Doris Day (1962)
Sunday in New York - Jane Fonda, Rod Taylor, Cliff Robertson (1963)
Boys Night Out - James Garner, Kim Novak (1962)
Charade - Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn (1963)
McClintock - John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara (1963)
Sex and the Single Girl - Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Lauren Bacall, Henry Fonda (1964)

I think I've seen McClintock but none of the others.  Could they all be this bad?

I guess I'll close with one minor redeeming factoid - the costumes in A New Kind of Love were pretty cool and scored an Academy Award nomination for Edith Head.



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Offline Orbert

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #55 on: April 02, 2023, 05:36:40 PM »
Ugh.  This sounds bad. 

Online hefdaddy42

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #56 on: April 03, 2023, 09:06:33 AM »
No one is good every time out.
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Offline Orbert

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #57 on: April 03, 2023, 10:09:13 AM »
True.  Although it sounds like Newman and Woodward were great as usual; it was just a bad script/dumb story.

Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #58 on: May 29, 2023, 04:54:15 PM »
Well, it's been a hot minute.  I actually watched this next film about a month ago and just didn't get it written up before we left on a vacation.  I know it seems like that last movie set me off of my love for Paul Newman, but no.  It hasn't.  He's still near and dear to my  :heart and talent aside, those baby blues would never lose their grip on me.  LoL

The Prize
1963

Billed as a 'spy-romantic comedy' this was a little Hitchockesque with an impressive cast, including the alluring Elke Sommers.  Set around the ceremony for Nobel Prize in Stockholm, PN plays American author, Andrew Craig, who is nominated for literature.  As he is known for having a reputation with booze and ladies, he is assigned personal assistant, Inger (Sommer) to help keep him in check during his stay.  What is not well known is that Craig has been experiencing writers block for some time and is paying the bills by publishing cheap crime novels under a pseudonym.

As other nominees arrive, Craig meets Dr. Max Stratman, played by Edward G. Robinson, who is the German-American nominated for the physics award.  Always on the search for mystery, Craig soon becomes convinced that Stratman has been kidnapped and replaced by a double.  As nobody believes him, it is up to him and Inger to solve the mystery.  There is a particularly hilarious scene where Craig evades the kidnapper's henchmen by joining a conference of nudists.  There are several sub-plots surrounding other Nobel Prize nominees that weave in and out of the story.

It was entertaining but not Earth shattering or anything.  It is based on Irving Wallace's novel which reportedly was more involved in the geopolitical landscape of the cold war era.  You can guess from that who the kidnappers are.  Directed by Mark Robson, all in all it was just ok.  Entertaining but easily forgotten.

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Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #59 on: June 04, 2023, 06:44:12 PM »
What a Way to Go!
1964

This was oddly entertaining even though it wasn't very good.  It really is a vehicle for Shirley MacLaine with a star-studded cast of supporting Hollywood legends along for the ride.  Originally the role was meant for Marilyn Monroe who tragically died (or took her own life depending on who you believe) 2 years earlier.  Shirley MacLaine plays Louisa Hopper Flint Anderson Benson - one last name for each of her 4 husbands:  Dick VanDyke, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, and Gene Kelly.  These four husbands all share something in common, aside from Louisa, and they died leaving her a VERY wealthy woman.  The film opens with Louisa trying to give her fortune to the IRS because she doesn't want it.  This lands her on the analyst's (Bob Cummings) couch where we learn about her life in a series of flashbacks and fantasy sequences.

I do not take psychedelics but this would be an excellent movie to watch while tripping.  Just in case anyone is wondering.   :laugh: 

You see, all Louisa wanted was the simple life, even though her mother told her she ought to marry for money.  She 86'd her first suitor, Leonard (Dean Martin), the town's resident wealthy department store owner and instead opted to marry Edgar (VanDyke) who barely had a pot to piss in except for a small store that could not compete.  As their home begins to crumble around them for lack of money, Leonard shows up and humiliates Edgar which spurs Edgar on to become a success with his store and put Leonard out of business.  Edgar in turn begins to neglect Louisa and ultimately dies from a stress heart attack.

Heartbroken, Louisa travels to Paris where she meets Larry Flint (no not that Larry Flint) (Newman) who is a taxi driver as well as a meager painter of abstract designs.  He literally has a chimpanzee who paints canvases he tries to sell but to no avail.  He has also invented a machine that paints on canvases to sound.  Louisa can't help but be drawn to him and they ultimately marry.  One evening she puts the machine on to paint while playing classical music and the machine makes a canvas that instantly makes Flint an artist in high demand and a darling of the art scene in Paris.  In his effort to make bigger and bigger pieces he begins to use multiple machines at a time to paint and ultimately he gets caught in between them and is crushed to death.

Remember what I said about psychedelics?  :biggrin:

Now wealthier than ever but depressed, Louisa returns to America but winds up missing her plane - literally running toward it as it takes off on the runway when infamous business tycoon, Rod Anderson Jr. (Mitchum), shows up in his private jet and offers to give her a ride.  She initially isn't drawn toward him because of his wealth but winds up riding in the cockpit as he flies the plane and falls in love with his softer side.  Thinking starting out with a wealthy man would bring her bad luck with husbands to an end, she decides to marry him and lives in the lap of luxury.  (Edith Head is the costume designer here and some of MacLaine's costumes are jaw-droppingly gorgeous.) Fearful of Rod's demise, she convinces him to give up the wealthy lifestyle for farm life - think Green Acres.  Unfortunately one evening he has a few drinks with the locals and winds up trying to milk a bull that kicks him in the head, continuing the streak of dead husbands for Louisa.

Having more money than God now, Louisa wanders the country and winds up in a small diner that is adjacent to a dinner theater.  She meets Pinky Benson (Kelly) who has performed in the theater as a clown for over a decade.  The owners of the club love Pinky's act because it doesn't distract them from eating and drinking.  Not surprisingly, Pinky and Louisa fall in love and live together in Pinky's houseboat on the Hudson River.  On Pinky's birthday, Louisa suggests that he perform his act without make up and clown costume and he winds up delighting the crowd to encore after encore.  Not long after that Pinky is a famous Hollywood star with an ego the size of Texas.  Pinky meets his end when his own excited fans trample him to death at a premiere.

So after listening to Louisa's tale of woe - and learning that the woman is not delusional and is actually a billionaire - the shrink declares that he is a simple man who is now in love with her.  While doing so he accidentally presses a button that causes the psychiatric couch to elevate them both and he promptly falls off, leaving her stranded alone at the top.  The office's janitor arrives to help her down and she discovers that the janitor is Leonard who lost everything to Edgar's success and now lives a simple life and credits Louisa and Thoreau for his transformation.

They marry and raise 4 children on a farm.  One day while Leonard is out plowing, he strikes oil.  Louisa fears the old curse has caught her again but they are both relieved to discover that he merely punctured an existing oil pipeline and they will not be getting rich.  The end.

I came away from this film wondering why I liked it at all.  I mean, it had potential.  And Shirley MacLaine back in the day was fucking gorgeous - those legs go on FOREVER.  The dance segments with her and Kelly show just what a fantastic dancer she was too.  But I think overall it was just too campy for me.  And except for Newman, they stick MacLaine with these much older actors which really was giving me the 'ick' feeling again.  Supposedly Mitchum replaced Sinatra because Sinatra wanted too much money.  Anyhoo - I'm glad I watched it but doubt I'd watch it again.

Unless I was on some good mushrooms.   ;)

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Offline Orbert

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #60 on: June 04, 2023, 08:19:13 PM »
That sounds like a fun film if you have nothing better to do and happened to catch it on some movie channel.  With mind-altering substances?  Even better!

Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #61 on: July 15, 2023, 03:48:40 PM »
The Outrage
1964

This is a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 'Rashomon' (1950)

This is a star-studded classic Hollywood western directed by Martin Ritt.  Cast includes Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Edward G. Robinson, William Shatner, and Howard Da Silva.  And of course, Paul Newman.

Essentially it is a retelling of a scandalous event by 3 travelers who meet up at a railway station on a dark and stormy night.  The black and white film really set this up well - these scenes between Shatner (preacher), Robinson (con man), and Da Silva (prospector) are in and out of this otherwise deserted station during a downpour which must have been difficult to shoot, considering light and sound effects, and miserable for the actors involved.

Anyway the scandalous event the 3 discuss is the recent trial of Juan Carrasco (Newman), the regions most notorious outlaw and bandit, who was sentenced to death for murdering a southern gentleman and raping his wife.  The trial is seen in a series of flashbacks from the vantage point of those involved, Carrasco, the wife (Bloom), and an 'old Indian' shaman who witnessed the crime(s).  They all tell completely different stories about what happened which we see in 3 separate flashbacks.

Carrasco claimed he bound the husband and forced him to watch the rape of his wife and then killed the husband in a duel.

The wife claimed Carrasco raped her then fled and she killed her husband in a fit of rage when he accused her of having enticed Carrasco to have sex with her.

The Shaman testified that the husband killed himself because of the humiliation he suffered.

After the 3 stories have been retold and rehashed at the railway station, there is suddenly the cry of a baby and the men find that a child has been abandoned in the station along with a stash of gold left for the care of said child.  Of course the con man tries to take the gold and an argument ensues.  It is at this point we learn the prospector had also witnessed the crime(s) but did not come forward as he stole the bejeweled dagger that was left sticking out of the southern gentleman's chest.

The prospector's version of events were that Carrasco showed remorse after the rape and begged the wife to go away with him.  As she saw herself a prize to be won between the 2 men she shames them into fighting over her and her husband accidentally fell onto the dagger and died.

After the prospector shares what he knew to be the truth, he offers to take the child in and raise him with his 5 other kids.  And the preacher and the con man are left to go on their way.  The preacher leaves feeling a somewhat renewed faith in humanity (though in my mind, this part didn't really make sense to me).

From a few things I've read online, this is one of Newman's favorite films, oddly enough.  I'm not sure why because critically I believe his Mexican accent was soundly mocked, almost like a parody of an old Mexican bandit.  I had a difficult time watching one of my favorite actors in the various reenactment of the rape scenes.  And maybe that is what Newman likes about the performance - he gets to be the bad guy and not his more typical heart-throb, eye candy roles.

Overall the film was entertaining.  I love me a young William Shatner who is very earnest in this movie and unlike Captain James T. Kirk.  It makes me mindful of the idea that there are often very disparate versions of incidents/crimes/events and all of them can be plausible while not being the entire truth.

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Offline Cool Chris

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #62 on: July 16, 2023, 04:16:49 PM »
Huh, that film doesn't sound familiar at all. I stopped reading your post in the event I get around to seeing it. Sounds intriguing. I love seeing Shatner pre-Star Trek.
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Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #63 on: August 09, 2023, 10:09:35 PM »
Lady L
1965

Again, I am reviewing this film a couple of weeks after viewing it, so I will rely on a plot recap from TCM:

Quote
Lady Lendale (Loren) is celebrating her 80th birthday at her castle in Yorkshire. In reminiscing to her biographer, Sir Percy, she recalls that many years before, while known as Louise, she left her job as a laundress in Corsica for employment in a Paris brothel. There she met the one love in her life--Armand (Newman), a thief and an anarchist. Together they went to Switzerland, where Armand became involved in a plot to assassinate Prince Otto (Ustinov) of Bavaria. While expecting Armand's child, Louise posed as a widowed countess in a hotel in Nice, where she tried to rob Lord Lendale (Niven). Though he knew all about her, Lord Lendale was so anxious to have a wife that he offered to save Armand from the police in return for Louise's hand. Since she had replaced the bomb that Armand planned to toss at Prince Otto with a dummy, Louise accepted the marriage offer. She later joined Armand in Italy and, for a while, supported his anarchist activities with her husband's money. Eventually she tired of his useless plans and went to England to assume her responsibilities as Lady Lendale. As she concludes her story, Lady L startles Sir Percy by telling him that she continues to see Armand and that all of her children are his; she married him in Switzerland, she says, and Lord Lendale consented to an arrangement whereby Armand remained both her husband and lover while posing as the family chauffeur.

I saw an amusing tag saying, "She's the only lady who ever got a boyfriend as a wedding present!"

This film was based on a novel by Romain Gary and directed by Peter Ustinov.  The script went through numerous drafts and casting before Ustinov taking over the reins and it was produced by Carlo Ponti (War and Peace, Doctor Zhivago), who was married (at the time) to leading actress Sofia Loren.  It was originally intended to be a melodrama but morphed into a kind of slapstick British-like romantic comedy.  The film is set in the early 20th century and much of it filmed on location in Paris, the south of France, Switzerland, and at Castle Howard in England. Unfortunately for the film, it was reportedly edited badly and caused the film to ultimately be considered a flop.

I really didn't appreciate Paul Newman in this role.  Even Loren seemed out of place at times, especially when playing the 80 year old version of Lady L.  Her accent was particularly distracting even though her beauty was undeniable.  Niven was perfectly cast but sadly was given limited screen time.  It was interesting to see as to costumes, set design, etc.  I can't say I would recommend this film nor wish to see it again.  Newman is handsome and compelling to watch but even he was not enough to save the film for me.


« Last Edit: September 01, 2023, 05:27:02 PM by Harmony »
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Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #64 on: August 09, 2023, 10:40:57 PM »
Harper
1966

I'm going to cheat on the synopsis and copy from TCM.  I actually watched this one about a month ago and I swear it was so convoluted in the story line that I honestly think I need to watch it again to get a full appreciation of it.

Quote
While his estranged wife is planning divorce proceedings, private investigator Lew Harper takes on a new case on the recommendation of a long-time friend, attorney Albert Graves. Harper is asked to investigate the disappearance of the millionaire husband of Elaine Sampson, a crippled and bitter woman. At the Sampson estate, Harper also meets Elaine's spoiled stepdaughter, Miranda, and the Sampson's handsome private pilot, Alan Taggert. While searching the missing man's Los Angeles hotel suite, Harper finds a photograph of one-time starlet, Fay Estabrook. He tracks down the now plump and alcoholic Fay, gets her drunk, and takes her home. He searches her apartment and intercepts a phone call which leads him to a bar where he meets Betty Fraley, a drug-addicted singer. After being beaten up for asking too many questions, Harper visits a mountaintop site which Sampson gave to Claude, a religious fanatic. Later, Mrs. Sampson receives a ransom note, and Harper drops off the money, but Betty Fraley doublecrosses the kidnapers and intercepts the money. Harper then accuses Taggert of planning the kidnaping with Betty. Taggert draws a gun on Harper, but he is shot by Graves, who makes a timely appearance. Harper goes to Betty's apartment and finds her being tortured for the ransom money by Fay's husband, Troy, who is in league with Claude in smuggling Mexicans across the border. After killing Troy, Harper forces Betty to take him to the abandoned oil tanker where Sampson is being held prisoner. There he and Graves find the body of the murdered millionaire. Betty attempts to escape, but she is killed when her car plummets from a cliff. As they return to the Sampson estate, Grave admits that he killed Sampson because of his hatred for the man and his love for young Miranda. He draws a gun on Harper but realizes that he cannot kill his friend.

This film was based on a well-known mystery novel from 1949 called, The Moving Target, by Ross Macdonald.  Interestingly, the main character in the novel, Lew Archer, was renamed to Lew Harper, at PN's request as he wanted to keep the successful "H" movies - Hud, and The Hustler - going by titling the film Harper instead of keeping the name of the novel.

This is a star-studded cast with some damn great performances:  Lauren Bacall (such a nice homage to The Big Sleep genre by including her here) as the wife of the missing millionaire, Robert Wagner (hunky private pilot), Julie Harris, Janet Leigh, and the incomparable Shelly Winters as Fay.  The scenes between PN and Shelly Winters were definitely my favorites.  The film opens up with a hungover Harper dunking his head into a sink full of ice water - a preview to The Sting another six years down the road.  I loved the mid-60s LA vibe.  This is Newman showing off his wise-cracking, gum-smacking, anti-hero acting chops to great effect.

Directed by Jack Smight (Airport 1975, Midway, Fast Break) the movie is fast paced but also feels out of control and disjointed at times.  The plot line twists and turns and even with only a couple of glasses of wine on board, I had a bit of trouble keeping the thread moving through.  The scenes at the religious guru's mountaintop home were incredibly surreal.  It definitely could be that this is one of those films where reading the book first would've been very helpful. We will see PN again down the road reprise the role of Harper in The Drowning Pool in 1975.


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Online hefdaddy42

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #65 on: August 10, 2023, 07:25:06 AM »
Hey, I've seen Harper, and the sequel, The Drowning Pool.  Fun, fun films IMO.
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Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #66 on: September 01, 2023, 05:27:48 PM »
Edited to include my review of Lady L above.
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Offline Harmony

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #67 on: September 03, 2023, 11:01:15 PM »
Torn Curtain
1966

Did you know that Paul Newman and Julie Andrews were in a cold-war spy film directed by Alfred Hitchcock?  Yeah, me neither!  :laugh:

Hitch had hatched the idea for this film years before seeing it through to fruition.  He was inspired by the 1951 defection of British diplomats Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean to the Soviet Union.  He wondered what the defectors' families might do as a result of the defection.  He was looking for a hit as it had been 5 years since the successful Psycho but the script had problems.  This was around the time James Bond movies were doing very well, after all.  However, the leading actors casted were not his first or second choices.  Sadly the film, while technically successful, is not considered one of his better movies.  I do think it had a lot to offer.

The basic plot is US rocket scientist/physicist, Michael Armstrong (PN), has traveled to Copenhagen for a conference along with his assistant/fiance, Sarah Sherman (JA) when he receives a cryptic message.  He tells Sarah he's going to Stockholm but she discovers he is really traveling to East Berlin and so she follows him.  Upon arriving, Sherman learns Armstrong is defecting and faces the realization that if she remains with him, she'll never see America again.

Armstrong visits a farmer and it is apparent that he is not, in fact, defecting but is pretending to defect in order to glean information about anti-missile systems.  The farmer and his wife are assisting with his exit from East Berlin but Armstrong is followed by an appointed chaperone and discovers Armstrong is a double agent and while calling for police, Armstrong and the farmer's wife pretty gruesomely kills the chaperone.  This was seriously a very compelling scene and perfectly shot, though the blood by today's standards was obviously fake.  The intent was to show just what it takes to kill by hand.  As Hitch said, "The whole idea was not only to show how difficult it is to kill a man, but to point up to the character what espionage entails: you're involved in killing!" The chaperone is ultimately buried on the grounds but a man who knew of his plans reports Armstrong as a suspect in his disappearance. 

Armstrong meets with famous scientists the next day at Karl Marx University but the day is cut short because of questioning by the authorities.  Sherman is also interrogated about her knowledge of American secrets around missile systems but she is allowed to flounce out without saying anything.  She has decided by this point to defect with Armstrong.  But it is later this day that Armstrong reveals the truth to her that he is indeed a double-agent for America and he asks her for her help.

Armstrong is finally allowed to meet with Professor Lindt and is able to trick Lindt's ego into exposing secrets.  It comes over the loudspeaker that Armstrong and Sherman are wanted for questioning into the disappearance of the dead chaperone but they manage to escape with the help of the university clinic physician.  The couple attempt to travel through East Berlin while being pursued by the Stasi in a decoy bus.  They ultimately make it to a ballet performance where they hope to be smuggled out in the ballet troup's luggage.  This plan is foiled but they manage to escape again by yelling fire in the crowded theater.  They are ultimately ferried out over the Baltic to Sweden and make another escape when the prima ballerina figures out they are on board but points out the wrong hamper they were hiding in that is hoisted and shot at.  They ultimately jump overboard and swim to the Swedish dock and to safety.

For all of its faults, I enjoyed this film.  There were definitely very thrilling moments and classic Hitchcock shots/themes.  There was absolutely no chemistry between Newman and Andrews though they reportedly got along well.  Newman's acting seems a bit detached but this is vintage PN and that may have been his way of portraying the intellectual scientist/spy.  Newman and Hitchcock tended to butt heads as Newman undoubtedly could see the problems with the script.  I've read he would send pages to Hitch about changes which had to have pissed Hitch off that Newman would be so impertinent as to offer tips to the great Hitchcock.

Anyway, I'd love to know if anyone here has seen it and if so, what you thought.


 
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Offline Cool Chris

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Re: Paul Newman = God
« Reply #68 on: September 03, 2023, 11:12:30 PM »
I have never heard of this film!
"Nostalgia is just the ability to forget the things that sucked" - Nelson DeMille, 'Up Country'