Since today is Warren Beatty’s birthday, it seems appropriate that today’s song of the day should be one that featured in one of Beatty’s best-known films, Bonnie and Clyde.
And yes, that is Paul Shaffer on piano and Steve Martin playing banjo with Earl Scruggs and Friends.
Today, we wish a happy birthday to actor, director, and producer Warren Beatty!
This wonderfully-acted scene that I love comes from Beatty’s 1978 film, Heaven Can Wait. In this scene Warren Beatty plays a character who attempts to convince his friend (Jack Warden) that he has come back from the dead and is inhabiting the body of an old millionaire. (Watch the film, it makes sense.) James Mason plays the erudite angel that only Beatty can see.
Our regular review of Homicide will not be posted today so that we may bring you this special presentation….
My retro television review will return tomorrow. For now, check out 1966’s The Human Voice. In this 55-minute stage adaptation, Ingrid Bergman plays a woman having a phone conversation with her lover of five years on the night before he’s meant to marry another. Written by Jean Cocteau, this monologue was also filmed by Pedro Almodovar in 2020, with Tilda Swinton giving a performance that cannot hope to compare to Bergman’s.
And now, without further ado, here is The Human Voice!
Our regular review of Check It Out! will not be posted tonight so that we might bring you this special program….
My retro television reviews will return next week. For now, we present you with The Gymnast, a short film from 1980 about a teenage girl named Jenny who wants to be the best gymnast in the world but who is going to have to learn some important lessons about hard work and humility beforehand. I could relate to this film because I was the same way about dancing when I was a teen. Of course, I never learned any lessons about hard work or humility and I’m all the better for it.
That said, this isn’t a bad little film. Zina Bethune gives a good performance as the hard-pushing coach and there’s plenty of gymnastic action as well. I’m going to guess this was probably made to appeal to teens who would presumably have found a bunch of new heroes watching the 1980 Summer Olympics. Jimmy Carter, however, had other plans.
Now, without any further ado, here is …. The Gymnast!
When I was a kid, I loved the “Trinity” movies starring Terence Hill and Bud Spencer. They were as funny as it got as far as a junior high Bradley was concerned. I’m 51 now and I still love the Trinity movies. I’m going to celebrate Hill’s 86th birthday by watching my DVD of THEY CALL ME TRINITY (1970) again tonight! Happy Birthday, Terence!
Our regularly scheduled review of Welcome Back Kotter will not be posted this week so that we may bring you this special presentation….
From 1982 and filmed for HBO, it’s a stage production of Barefoot In The Park! I’ve always loved the Robert Redford/Jane Fonda film version but I also enjoy this recording of one of the play’s periodic Broadway revivals. Richard Thomas and Bess Armstrong play the newlyweds and they really bring Neil Simon’s dialogue to life.
Without further ado, here is Barefoot In The Park!
4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Today, let’s celebrate the year 1970! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 1970 Films
MASH (1970, dir by Robert Altman, DP: Harold E. Stine)
El Topo (1970, dir by Alejandro Jodorowsky, DP: Rafael Corkidi)
Nightmares Come At Night (1970, dir by Jess Franco)
Little Big Man (1970, dir by Arthur Penn, DP: Harry Stradling Jr)
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Italian film star, Terence Hill!
This scene that I love comes from 1973’s My Name Is Nobody. It features Terence teaching a cocky gunslinger a thing or two about how to win a slap fight.
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on twitter. I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We tweet our way through it.
Tonight, at 9 pm et, Deanna Dawn will be hosting #ScarySocial! The movie? Strange Invaders!
If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 9 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag! I’ll be there tweeting and I imagine some other members of the TSL Crew will be there as well. It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
Strange Invaders is available on Prime!
See you there!
Our regularly scheduled review of St. Elsewhere will not be posted today so that we may bring you this special presentation….
My retro television reviews will return next week but for now, check out this 1984 production of You Can’t Take It With You, starring the great Jason Robards. Back in 1938, this play served as the basis of a perfectly charming Frank Capra film. (It also won best picture of the year.) This filmed version of the play’s Broadway revival is just as charming.
And now, without further ado, here is You Can’t Take It With You….
Through the Shattered Lens