Post #2: The Last Movie You Watched
I think the last movie I watched in its entirety was The Bishop’s Wife, which I watched with my mother a couple of days after Christmas. It’s become a holiday favorite of mine over the last 5 or 10 years. On New Year’s Eve, I caught the end of Saturday Night Fever (ringing out 2013) and the beginning of Spinal Tap (ringing in 2014). I thought those were amusing choices for New Years. I think this was on TBS, so a little nudge to them.
Another of my favorite movies:
We chose our cable provider pretty much entirely based on the fact that they include TCM in their basic cable package. I can thank TCM (and my frequent study of their upcoming broadcast schedule) for introducing me to many films that either I should have seen much sooner or that, for some reason, I might not have learned about otherwise. This favorite film, A Thousand Clowns, probably falls into both categories.
I love so much about this movie. I love the real black and white outdoor shots of the city in the mid-1960s. I love Jason Robards and his funny, heartbreaking performance. I love Barbara Harris. I’m crazy about the young Barry Gordon, who went on to do a lot of work in TV. I love the subtle and complicated nature of the story–at least, how I see the story.
In brief: Jason Robards plays an out-of-work comedy writer, Murray. He’s not trying terribly hard to get work–he seems to be enjoying winging it and having few responsibilities. He does have the care of his 12-year-old nephew (played by Barry Gordon), though he has never legally adopted said nephew. The two have some spirited banter, and Gordon’s character goes by a long assortment of names (settling mostly on Nick). Insert a couple of social workers, including Sandra (played by Barbara Harris). Sandra and Murray fall in love, and Sandra tries to get Murray to get work so that he won’t lose his nephew. Martin Balsam adds further depth as Murray’s brother-and-agent, Arnold–a performance for which he won an Oscar. Scenes with Gene Saks as Leo (Chuckles the Chipmunk) provide heightened comic relief late in the movie.
The film is based on Herb Gardner’s successful stage play, and it retains much of the feel of a stage production. In this case, I actually like that.
I have to update the dang version of WordPress I am running on this thing. Until I do, get a taste of A Thousand Clowns here.