Orson Bean on the Blacklist

“The blacklist of people on the left grew out of a defacto blacklist of people on the right within the industry,” recalls Orson. “There was communist directors, members of The Party, who only would cast you if you were also a member of The Party, or they were trying to woo you as a member of The Party. A lot of rightwing actors…were really furious at them. So when the Cold War happened…these rightwing actors, who had been seething for years about the way the communists were infiltrating the Hollywood business and were infiltrating the unions too, took their revenge. I don’t think that story’s ever been written because it’s not attractive for the Left.”

“Morrie Ryskind, who was a Pulitzer Prize winner, couldn’t get a job because he didn’t think exactly like these fellows,” recalled John Wayne.

After testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee as a “friendly witness”, the extraordinarily talented Morrie never received another offer from a studio again – and neither did other screenwriters that testified against communism in Hollywood. When the “official” blacklist era ended, liberals continued where they left off – freezing out conservatives…to far better effect.

“I think there’s a reverse blacklist, even today,” said director and Hollywood Ten member Edward Dmytryk in Hollywood on Trial, a 1976 documentary about the blacklist. “I think that the liberals who are riding high, are going in the opposite direction. I think some of the fellas back then, who were on the reactionary side, are having a tough time getting jobs now.”

Is McCabe and Mrs. Miller Really A Western?

Yep, Its a Western

• Set in Washington Territory before 1900 
• Small Mining Town has a Whorehouse and Saloon
• Hired Guns start a gun battle
• People wear pistols in holsters and draw 
• There's no real law and order 

Nope,  Its not

• No Indians or US Calvary
• Not about Pioneers or Settling the West
• No Western Outlaws - or Marshal and Sheriff Involved
• No Cowboys or Ranchers
• No Great Western scenery - all we see are Pine Trees 
• Almost no horses - people only use them to ride into town
• Everyone talks and behaves like its 1971 - not 1890

And then there's the Plot

For the first 80 minutes, we follow McCabe, a pimp and two-bit gambler, as he brings in Mrs. Miller and builds a successful whorehouse in the small mining town.  There's nothing really "western" about it.  This part of the story could have been set in any remote location prior to 1920.

In the 2nd act,  the Mining Corporation tries to buy McCabe out, fails, and then sends 3 hired guns to kill him. And there's nothing really "western" about this part either. If the killers had arrived in a Model T or used snub-nosed 38's it would've played out the same way.

Conclusion:  McCabe and Mrs. Miller is actually a costume drama/action film and not a Western.

Shortcuts (1993) Altman

Boy, did I hate Shortcuts. 
Its an awful  ensemble drama about average people and their problems. Usually in these kind of movies, the "average people" are just boring,  But in Shortcuts they're also weird and unlikable.  No one is witty, charming, or inspiring.  All the characters are leading lives of quiet desperation,  or they're heartless ninnies, or  just plain nuts.  Set in LA, Altman spices up their middle-class lives with murder, an injured child, suicide, naked women, sex talk, and adulterous affairs,  Its supposed to make us laugh a little, cry a little, and make us think.

But it doesn't. Its  all  just contrived drama - with a capital FAKE. A big vulgar soap opera.

The characters are completely unlikable .
Like many Altman movies.  The characters dress ugly, act ugly, and live in ugly houses. In real life, I wouldn't want to be near them. And some of the casting is off. Who believes Tim Robins as a LA Cop?

And the padding and sluggish pace! 
Endless shots of people waking up, fixing breakfast, putting their kids to bed, driving around, and having meaningless small talk. Incredibly, its 3 hours long and could have been 30 minutes shorter just by cutting the filler.

Summary:  Currently, has a 7.7 IMDB rating and lots of people love it. But I found it pretentious, dull - and way too long. Usually, I find some good in every movie, but this is an exception.  Yeah, I didn't like it.

Vincent and Theo (1990)

Plot:  The life of Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Theodore.
Stars:  Tim Roth,  Paul Rhys
Best Quote: Watching this two hour and twenty minute abomination left me, and my wife, stunned by its wretchedness. From the nonexistent narrative, to the indulgence of every artistic cliché imaginable, to possibly the worst soundtrack ever used in a film -  it's a wonder Altman ever crawled his way out from under the odium of this horror-show, the nadir of his career - IMDB Review

A more realistic, art-house version of  Lust for Life - it was also incredibly boring.

In Lust for Life we get  Van Gogh-Kirk Douglas over-acting with Gauguin-Anthony Quinn. Here, we get a sordid Van Gogh with stained teeth interacting with his dull, art-dealer Brother. Probably more realistic, but who cares?  There are some wonderful shots of Van Gogh's paintings and some beautiful landscapes  - but that's the only plus.

Which brings up the question: Can you make a *true* and interesting movie about a painter?  After all, what do painters do?  They sit and paint. Not exactly cinematic is it?  And while really smart, artistic people, can look at a painting and talk for hours about the lines, the colors, what the artist was trying to do, etc.  I think most movie-goers are like me,  and can only look at a painting for a while, think its beautiful or interesting, and then have to move on.

Summary:  I'm not a big fan of Lust for Life  but it did have an intense Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn .and some marvelous Wide-screen views of Van Gogh's Art.  OTOH, Vincent and Theo seems more like a low budget made-for-TV movie.  Unless you're an Altman or Van Gogh obsessive, I'd skip it.

White Lightning (1973)

Plot: An Ex-con moonshiner goes undercover to get the County Sheriff who killed his brother
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Bo Hopkins, Ned Beatty
Best Quote: The film was a breakthrough in that area of blending comedy and action. And it made a lot of money, so other people began trying to do the same thing. They thought, 'Well, he smashed up sixty cars and it made a lot of money, so we'll do a hundred crashes.' But that had nothing to do with its success as a comedy. - Burt Reynolds

Filmed on location in Arkansas,  White Lightning has an authentic "Backwoods" feel to it. Its entertaining action-comedy film, its main flaw is it doesn't know what it wants to be. One moment, its a serious crime film with people being tortured or drowned - the next, its comedy and car chases. Its an uneasy mix, but to Reynolds credit, he's completely comfortable in either situations  Also good is the supporting cast, with R.G. Armstrong standing out as the hard-nosed moonshiner.

 Summary: One of the first "Redneck Exploitation" flicks, White Lighting is a well done comedy-action film with Reynolds playing a Good O'l Boy with a hard edge. It paved the way for films like: Mason County Line, Convoy, and Smokey and the Bandit.  A  good movie of its kind.

Shampoo (1975)

Plot: In November 1968, a Beverly Hills hairdresser tries to juggle 3 Girlfriends and start his own business
Stars: Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Lee Grant, Goldie Hawn, Jack Warden
Best Quote:  Have you ever listened to women talk, man? Do you? Cause I do until it's running out of my ears. I mean, I'm on my feet all day long listening to women talk and they only talk about one thing - how some guy beeped 'em over. That's all that's on their minds. That's all I ever hear about.

Background - In 1975, Shampoo was the 4th most popular film and got good reviews from most critics - including Pauline Kael who loved it.  People - especially Liberals - loved the profanity, frank sex talk, vulgarity and Nixon satire.  Beatty made a fortune and Shampoo earned 4 AA nominations.

Not as bad as I remembered. I saw this 35 years ago and hated it. But I enjoyed parts of it this time round - despite my dislike of Warren.

Cons:

• Lee Grant is stuck with a stereotypical "Cougar"  role aka the unhappily married, middle-aged woman who likes her "boy toy". Yawn.
• Only one likable Character  (Hawn)
• Serious ending has little impact, since Beatty's character is unsympathetic.
• Constant profanity and 1975 vulgarity is annoying rather than "edgy".
• Drags in the middle - Election Eve party is a bore
• Dated political Satire. No one cares about  Watergate/Nixon anymore. 
• Carrie Fischer = completely unsexy.  A million beautiful starlets in Hollywood and they give Carrie the role.  Amazing. 

Pros:

• Goldie Hawn is charming and lovely (as usual)
• Actresses dominate the movie
• Julie Christie well cast and gives excellent performance
• Set design is great,  Beverly Hills looks wonderful
• Some funny moments, including  Jack Warden's face-drop when he realizes his mistress is making out with Beatty, & George's (Beatty) ridiculous lies to the three women and inability keep his stories straight

Warren Beatty:  I'm not a fan, but the role of a super-stud, Beverly Hills Hairdresser, is a perfect fit. And since its situational humor -, he's not  required to be funny.  IMO,  Beatty wasn't cut out for most leading man roles. He's softer than a tub of butter,  making him an unbelievable gangster, soldier, PI, cowboy, or authority figure.  Macho he ain't. And he's not much of an actor, - as shown by the film's final scene. However, he can hold his own in this kind of movie.

A Top 100 Comedy?  No way. Weirdly, that's what the AFI says.  But Shampoo is at best a drama with some funny moments.  Its too serious and sluggish to be labeled a "Sex Farce" and doesn't have enough jokes to be a straight comedy.  The script was co-written by Beatty - who was involved in Ishtar - 'nough said.

Two AA Supporting Actor Noms - neither of them deserved.  Hawn and Christie do better in their roles then Grant, but she's the one who got an AA. And while Warden does well as the nasty Businessman, the part should have been played by a middle-aged leading man,  Lancaster, Douglas, Glenn Ford, Bill Holden, Fonda, etc.  I assume Warden's nomination was a "Life time achievement award". 

Summary: Currently has a 6.3 IMDB rating - and that's about right. What was "edgy" and titillating in 1975 is old hat today. And no one cares about Richard Nixon. Anyone expecting a Top 100 comedy will be disappointed - although the movie has its  funny moments and Christie and Hawn do well.

Casablanca - Did Rick really hate Nazi's?

Someone had an interesting post on Casablanca and seemed to think Richard Blaine aka "Rick" really hated Nazis. He was a Nazi punching fool

Yet if you look at the film, is that really true? Let look at the facts:

He Ran Guns in Ethiopia and Supported the Loyalist Side in Spain
True, but as Rick says, "He was well paid for it". And what exactly has Rick been doing since 1936?  We know he was in Paris in June 1940, but doing what exactly? Certainly  not punching any Nazi's.  Mostly, he's  been drinking Champagne with Ilsa.  Why wasn't he in the French Army?

Not Punching Any Nazi's at the Cafe American
So, somehow Rick ends up in Casablanca as a Cafe Owner. And he's perfectly content to be there. In Vichy France, with best friend forever, Claude Rains,-  a corrupt Vichy official. If Rick was all against Fascism why has he spent 1.5 years (Its December 1941 remember) in Vichy France?  Weren't they a bunch of Fascists?  And while Claude Rains, indicates his distaste for the visiting Gestapo agents, Rains really isn't that upset at them, is he? Basically, he's just a Frenchman who doesn't like the Bosch pushing him around. And this is Rick's best buddy!

But What about..??
Yeah, I know. He does *little* things to show he doesn't like the Germans. He tears up a Deutsches Bank cheque.  He congratulates Ugarte on killing the German Courier and  helps hide the letters of transit.  But he later says " I stick my Neck out for Nobody." and  " I don' t like any disturbances at my place. Either lay off the politics or get out."

Not exactly Mr. Nazi Puncher is he?

 Where I go, you can't follow 
Now we get to the end, where Rick *supposedly* show his true colors and gives up Ilsa to "punch Nazis". But does he really?  He really does it all for Ilsa. As Rick says, they can't stay in Casablanca, they'd windup in a Concentration Camp. And taking Ilsa on the plane, would make her despise him for the rest of her life, after she'd gotten her bearings. So, the only way to save her is to act noble and let her go with Lazlo. And since he can't stay in Casablanca, what else is there to do, but leave for the Free French Garrison?  Even corrupt Claude Rains understands he has to get out of town too.

Rick really does it all for love.