tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post114043230213379361..comments2024-03-24T13:26:57.317-07:00Comments on Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule: 81 CANDLES FOR ROBERT ALTMAN (Part 1)Dennis Cozzaliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1142227461725544772006-03-12T21:24:00.000-08:002006-03-12T21:24:00.000-08:00No, there's no video release of NIGHTMARE IN CHICA...No, there's no video release of NIGHTMARE IN CHICAGO -- and likely nonein the offing. It's too bad. Universal produced scores of tv-movies in the '60s and '70s; these circulated in syndication packages for many years. While most of these made-fors were ordinary run-of-the mill product, some were quite interesting. I haven't seen NIGHTMARE since the early '80s; I believe it's one of his key TV works.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1142146254910561572006-03-11T22:50:00.000-08:002006-03-11T22:50:00.000-08:00Wogggly: Thanks for the corrections. It's embarras...Wogggly: Thanks for the corrections. It's embarrassing to admit, but you're absolutely right-- it is Mr. Baldwin, as Duvall's ex-boyfriend, who gets the puke-laced grinder. <BR/><BR/>And you're not the first to suggest to me that the roots of Altman's style are well in evidence in <I>Nightmare in Chicago</I>. Is that available on DVD?<BR/><BR/>I literally just finished Part 4 and will be posting it soon. I hope you'll check it out and let me know if I've scrambled any other facts in the Mysterious Case of Robert Altman! <BR/><BR/>Thanks for checking in!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1142145970486343492006-03-11T22:46:00.000-08:002006-03-11T22:46:00.000-08:00"...the unforgettable moment when she [Shelley Duv..."...the unforgettable moment when she [Shelley Duvall] bends over a<BR/>railing, vomits, and then plants an open-mouthed smacker on Bud Cort in<BR/>'Brewster McCloud'."<BR/> <BR/>It is an unforgettable moment, but Bud Cort isn't the recipient of the<BR/>kiss. It's William Baldwin (no relation to the contemporary performer),<BR/>who plays Bernard, the ex-boyfriend of Shelley Duvall's character.<BR/> <BR/>Incidentally, rights to "Brewster McCloud" are controlled by Warner<BR/>Bros., not by MGM/Sony.<BR/> <BR/>As for evidence of "Altman's recognizable stamp" in his television work,<BR/>a look at his remarkable mid-'60s tv movie "Nightmare in Chicago" might<BR/>prove enlightening.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1140846970186488332006-02-24T21:56:00.000-08:002006-02-24T21:56:00.000-08:00Maya: Yeah, that Nashville day was one you could d...Maya: Yeah, that <I>Nashville</I> day was one you could definitely file under "the exuberance of youth, film geek division." I still marvel at the turnaround I did on that movie and that it has remained as important to me as it has for so long. I loved <I>Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean</I> too, for many reasons, most of all because it proved that Altman was still alive and kicking (and thrashing) after the perceived disaster of <I>Popeye</I>. Are you going to be a part of the Altman Blog-a-Thon?Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1140836764563455532006-02-24T19:06:00.000-08:002006-02-24T19:06:00.000-08:00I am impressed, Dennis, with your devotion to "Nas...I am impressed, Dennis, with your devotion to "Nashville" and was amazed you watched it three times in a row!!! It was the first one that caught my attention I think largely because it had Lily Tomlin in it. Later, I grew to appreciate many more of the performances. My favorites are "Brewster McCloud", "McCabe and Mrs. Miller", "Gosford Park", and "Come Back To The Five and Dime."Michael Guillenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15464792353062386579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1140649092812938792006-02-22T14:58:00.000-08:002006-02-22T14:58:00.000-08:00Michael, I couldn't agree more. It sure does keep ...Michael, I couldn't agree more. It sure does keep one busy, but for me, my writing muscles are always in need of a good workout, so it's really worth it for me on a personal level. Plus it's lots of fun, and with Altman in particular there should be a real carnival of responses to read in the aftermath.Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1140648266418270632006-02-22T14:44:00.000-08:002006-02-22T14:44:00.000-08:00Dennis, yeah, I noticed Matt's call for an Altman ...Dennis, yeah, I noticed Matt's call for an Altman blog-a-thon today. I'm too pressed to participate myself, but I definitely look forward to reading all the posts. These blog-a-thons are such a great thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1140632758993574262006-02-22T10:25:00.000-08:002006-02-22T10:25:00.000-08:00Ju-osh, I'd have to check (and I'm not at home rig...Ju-osh, I'd have to check (and I'm not at home right now, so maybe I'll incorporate some semblance of an answer into part 2 of my Altman retrospective), but I believe Pat McGilligan covers the production of <I>O.C. and Stiggs</I> briefly in his book on Altman. I'll do some research and let you know, unless someone else knows off the top of their head and would like to chime in.Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1140632568893920662006-02-22T10:22:00.001-08:002006-02-22T10:22:00.001-08:00Thanks, guys. That Little Round-Headed Boy already...Thanks, guys. That Little Round-Headed Boy already knows about it, Michael, but in case you hadn't heard, <A HREF="http://tinyurl.com/khybf" REL="nofollow">Matt Zoller Seitz</A> has put out the call for an Altman Blog-a-Thon for next weekend, to coincide with the Oscars. I'll be linking to that announcement again in the intro to Part 2, which, if I don't suffer another Pythonesque distraction, should be up late this evening.<BR/><BR/>TLRHB: Just shows you how hooked we are into Altman's universe that, of the ones you cited as being generally considered "bad" Altman, there's only one that I would consider a disappointment-- <I>Kansas City</I>-- and that one's still got all that jazz and a great performance by Harry Belafonte in it. The others you cited are far from "bad."<BR/><BR/>As for your question, when I saw it in 1979, <I>Quintet</I> seemed like it was never going to end, and I wanted to bolt from the theater, but I didn't (and when I encountered it again earlier this year it seemed sluggish and half-baked, but not particularly boring). And there are those I've seen only once-- <I>Vincent and Theo, Streamers, A Perfect Couple</I>-- that I wouldn't at all balk at seeing again. But to answer your question, I'm looking back on his filmography and, honestly, there's not a single movie of his that I've started that I haven't seen all the way through. Bring on <I>A Prairie Home Companion</I>!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1140632552260834482006-02-22T10:22:00.000-08:002006-02-22T10:22:00.000-08:00Nice, fun bit of writing there. My favorite Altman...Nice, fun bit of writing there. <BR/>My favorite Altman films are: Nashville, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Long Goodbye, Come Back To The Five And Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Vincent & Theo and Gosford Park.<BR/>The only one I couldn't finish:<BR/>O.C. & Stiggs<BR/>Does anyone know a back-story on how Altman came to be involved in this project and what sort of mishaps (must have) occurred to create the mishap that resulted?<BR/>Oh, and on April 4th a book of interviews, 'Altman on Altman,' will be released by Faber & Faber. The Guardian U.K. reviewed a bit if it last month (http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/<BR/>artsandentertainment/0,,1686607,00.<BR/>html).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1140631616626849322006-02-22T10:06:00.000-08:002006-02-22T10:06:00.000-08:00Yes, Dennis, thanks for this post. I'm not very fa...Yes, Dennis, thanks for this post. I'm not very familiar with Altman's films, and this definitely gives me a good sense of his work and puts me in the right direction (and 'tis off to Netflix I go). Looking forward to Part 2.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1140573322041431192006-02-21T17:55:00.000-08:002006-02-21T17:55:00.000-08:00Dennis — A marvelous retrospective! Your celebrati...Dennis — A marvelous retrospective! Your celebration of all things Altman reminds me what a joke the Oscars are. <BR/><BR/>I especially appreciate your respect for THE LONG GOODBYE, a movie I love but many of the noir purists don't, and of course, MCCABE and MRS. MILLER. I also harbor a fondness for what some consider bad Altman: POPEYE (God <BR/>bless Harry Nilsson, wherever you are), COOKIE'S FORTUNE, DR. T AND THE WOMEN, COME BACK TO THE FIVE AND DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN, KANSAS CITY and THE GINGERBREAD MAN.<BR/>(Oddly enough, I'm not a big fan of what others consider his best work: NASHVILLE, THIEVES LIKE US, CALIFORNIA SPLIT. I guess that would make <BR/>me perversely Altman-esque, eh?)<BR/>The only consolation of Oscar night, other than relishing an acerbic comment or two from the master himself, is knowing that he is about to <BR/>join the most august movie pantheon imaginable: The Greats Who Never Won A Competitive Oscar. Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, the ever-hopeful Martin Scorsese and so many more. <BR/><BR/>Hey, if nothing else, Altman deserves an Oscar for championing and producing the films of Alan Rudolph. Some of the great joys of '70s-'80s-'90s filmgoing for me was enjoying the quirky, romantic vision of such Rudolph films as REMEMBER MY NAME (the unforgettable Alberta Hunter soundtrack!), CHOOSE ME (Teddy Pendergrass! Keith Carradine!), LOVE AT LARGE (a cameo by Mister Neil Young!), TROUBLE IN MIND (divine and...Divine!) and MRS. PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE (which I don't remember much of, besides Jennifer Jason Leigh, but was just glad to see made.)<BR/> Just think: The man has gone from Bud Cort to Lyle Lovett, from Shelley Duvall to Lindsey Lohan. <BR/><BR/>Hey, a last thought: What's the one <BR/>Robert Altman film you simply could not watch in its entirety? I'll cop to VINCENT AND THEO.The 'Stachehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03426658288145524160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1140538392690940502006-02-21T08:13:00.000-08:002006-02-21T08:13:00.000-08:00Wouldn't that be 'blogrolling?';^)Seriously, great...Wouldn't that be '<I>blog</I>rolling?'<BR/>;^)<BR/><BR/>Seriously, great post, Dennis (no disingenuous reciprocity needed). I do have some (quasi) substantive and worthwhile comments, but they're still a bit gooey and inchoate. I'll check back once they've set up a bit.Mr. Middlebrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06022458380864603774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1140485504492823772006-02-20T17:31:00.000-08:002006-02-20T17:31:00.000-08:00Brian, thanks! I stayed up late last night and was...Brian, thanks! I stayed up late last night and was kind of frustrated that I only made it to <I>Nashville</I>, then I wasn't sure I even liked the result. But I'm glad you did. Look for part two in the next day or so! And by the way, I just dropped a comment on your site too, but before I noticed this one, lest anyone start hurling accusations of <A HREF="http://www.herald-review.com/blogs/timcain/?p=74" REL="nofollow">logrolling</A> in our time!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1140481863647872072006-02-20T16:31:00.000-08:002006-02-20T16:31:00.000-08:00Great post, Dennis! I can't wait for the next ins...Great post, Dennis! I can't wait for the next installments! I've been filling a few Altman gaps on DVD since the announcement of his Honorary Oscar, but none of the films in this batch have been part of that--yet. I may watch <B>Nashville</B> again and perhaps I'll finally rent <B>Images</B> and/or <B>California Split</B>. I'm blessed that the Castro, before its change in programming staff more than a year ago, played Altman with some regularity, so I was able to see gorgeous prints of <B>McCabe & Mrs. Miller</B>, <B>the Long Goodbye</B> and <B>Nashville</B> a few years ago.Brian Darrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17693169310367670898noreply@blogger.com