Sam Westwood's Hollywood
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Sam talks discrimination in Hollywood
**I did a rare retcon to the last post. Sam's thoughts on the casting change in The Kill-Off are below. I will warn you as of the late 1980s, he is still pretty salty about it.**
Cassette conversation between Nolan, Sam and Harris continues where it left off
Nolan: Going back to 'Ironside', Rudy Ramos was in 'The Kill-Off'--
Sam: Yeah. Look, there was this kid who eventually became an actor later on that auditioned, Clark Johnson--
Harris: His sister Molly is in a band called Alta Moda. I was in talks to direct a video for them and they went with someone else--
Sam: They're both well known in Canada. Clark read for the role of Bobbie and I had heard from Diana Sands that he was quite good. I saw a screen test later and he was fantastic. But Darryl F. Zanuck, who in my opinion was a dinosaur by then, thought Clark was "too Black". Which...the character was supposed to be Biracial!
Clark comes from a mixed-race background. They did use Rudy, but to me, the casting choice was still wrong. Clark should have played Bobbie. I'm shocked there weren't a ton of complaints about the final picture.
Nolan: Woah.
Sam: Yeah. Diana and I caught wind of it and we both talked about quitting the picture. But we found out if we tried there might be a lawsuit against us. Jim Thompson was furious with Zanuck. Zanuck also had this girlfriend named Genevieve Gilles who was way younger than him. He was trying to make her a star and kept pushing to get her cast as Danny Lee which was equally as asinine. Lee and Jim both put their feet down and Michelle Lee was cast. Thank God.
Rudy...I'm salty about why Clark wasn't used, but I had no issues with Rudy as a person despite him being wrong for the role.
Nolan: He was in 'The Driver' later on
Sam: Yeah.
Anyway, the amount of racism in Hollywood is staggering. And homophobia and other bulls***.
Harris: You know Sam almost quit acting a few years back--
Sam: After I was outed. That whole thing with Clark Johnson had left a sour taste in my mouth for years and it was another thing that made me question my career path. I went and did work in Japan and thought about making that my swan song--
Nolan: What happened?
Sam: Have you ever tried saying no to Ian and Cat Nobel?
I mean, Cat she mostly keeps a low profile. Ian does most of the speaking for both of them even though he is incredibly talented on his own. They are really good at talking you out of stuff. Ian told me to keep acting, that I could be a role model for the gay community. But, I'm pretty sure a lot of that was Cat--
Cassette conversation between Nolan, Sam and Harris continues where it left off
Nolan: Going back to 'Ironside', Rudy Ramos was in 'The Kill-Off'--
Sam: Yeah. Look, there was this kid who eventually became an actor later on that auditioned, Clark Johnson--
Harris: His sister Molly is in a band called Alta Moda. I was in talks to direct a video for them and they went with someone else--
Sam: They're both well known in Canada. Clark read for the role of Bobbie and I had heard from Diana Sands that he was quite good. I saw a screen test later and he was fantastic. But Darryl F. Zanuck, who in my opinion was a dinosaur by then, thought Clark was "too Black". Which...the character was supposed to be Biracial!
Clark comes from a mixed-race background. They did use Rudy, but to me, the casting choice was still wrong. Clark should have played Bobbie. I'm shocked there weren't a ton of complaints about the final picture.
Nolan: Woah.
Sam: Yeah. Diana and I caught wind of it and we both talked about quitting the picture. But we found out if we tried there might be a lawsuit against us. Jim Thompson was furious with Zanuck. Zanuck also had this girlfriend named Genevieve Gilles who was way younger than him. He was trying to make her a star and kept pushing to get her cast as Danny Lee which was equally as asinine. Lee and Jim both put their feet down and Michelle Lee was cast. Thank God.
Rudy...I'm salty about why Clark wasn't used, but I had no issues with Rudy as a person despite him being wrong for the role.
Nolan: He was in 'The Driver' later on
Sam: Yeah.
Anyway, the amount of racism in Hollywood is staggering. And homophobia and other bulls***.
Harris: You know Sam almost quit acting a few years back--
Sam: After I was outed. That whole thing with Clark Johnson had left a sour taste in my mouth for years and it was another thing that made me question my career path. I went and did work in Japan and thought about making that my swan song--
Nolan: What happened?
Sam: Have you ever tried saying no to Ian and Cat Nobel?
I mean, Cat she mostly keeps a low profile. Ian does most of the speaking for both of them even though he is incredibly talented on his own. They are really good at talking you out of stuff. Ian told me to keep acting, that I could be a role model for the gay community. But, I'm pretty sure a lot of that was Cat--
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44th Academy Awards
44th Academy Awards. As usual, winners are in bold. MAJOR CATEGORIES ONLY.
Best Picture
The French Connection
The Boy Friend
Fiddler on the Roof
The Last Picture Show
Harold & Maude
Best Director
William Friedkin – The French Connection
Peter Bogdanovich – The Last Picture Show
Norman Jewison – Fiddler on the Roof
Ken Russell- The Boy Friend
Hal Ashby- Harold & Maude
Best Actor
Gene Hackman – The French Connection
Topol – Fiddler on the Roof
Bud Cort- Harold & Maude
Walter Matthau- Kotch
Harrison Ford- Straw Dogs
Best Actress
Ruth Gordon- Harold & Maude
Geraldine Page- The Kill-Off
Teresa Graves– Klute
Twiggy- The Boy Friend
Angela Lansbury- Bedknobs & Broomsticks
Best Supporting Actor
Ben Johnson – The Last Picture Show
Jeff Bridges – The Last Picture Show
Don Murray- The Kill-Off
Roy Scheider – The French Connection
Michael Redgrave- The Go-Between
Best Supporting Actress
Ann-Margret – Carnal Knowledge
Cloris Leachman – The Last Picture Show
Ellen Burstyn – The Last Picture Show
Barbara Harris – Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?
Margaret Leighton – The Go-Between
Best Original Screenplay
Harold & Maude- Colin Higgins
Klute – Andy Lewis and Dave Lewis
The Hospital – Paddy Chayefsky
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion – Elio Petri and Ugo Pirro
Sunday Bloody Sunday – Penelope Gilliatt
Best Adapted Screenplay
The French Connection – Ernest Tidyman from The French Connection by Robin Moore
The Last Picture Show – Peter Bogdanovich and Larry McMurtry from The Last Picture Show by McMurtry
A Clockwork Orange – Stanley Kubrick from A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
The Boy Friend from The Boyfriend by Sandy Wilson
The Kil-Off- Jim Thompson from The Kill-Off by Thompson
Best Costume Design
The Boy Friend- Shirley Russell
Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Bill Thomas
Nicholas and Alexandra – Yvonne Blake and Antonio Castillo
Mary, Queen of Scots – Margaret Furse
What's the Matter with Helen? – Morton Haack
Best Original Score (Dramatic)
The Kill-Off- Herbie Hancock
Summer of '42 – Michel Legrand
Mary, Queen of Scots – John Barry
Nicholas and Alexandra – Richard Rodney Bennett
Shaft – Isaac Hayes
Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score
Fiddler on the Roof – Adaptation: John Williams
Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Adaptation: Irwin Kostal; Song Score: Richard Sherman and Robert Sherman
The Boy Friend – Adaptation: Peter Maxwell Davies and Peter Greenwell
Tchaikovsky – Adaptation: Dimitri Tiomkin
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory – Adaptation: Walter Scharf; Song Score: Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Best Original Song
'Theme from Shaft' from Shaft – Isaac Hayes
'If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out' from Harold & Maude- Cat Stevens
'The Age of Not Believing' from Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Robert Sherman and Richard Sherman
'Diamonds Are Forever' from Diamonds Are Forever- Don Black and John Barry
'Bless the Beasts and Children' from Bless the Beasts and Children – Perry Botkin, Jr. and Barry De Vorzon
Best Sound Mixing
Fiddler on the Roof – David Hildyard and Gordon McCallum
Diamonds Are Forever – Gordon McCallum, John W. Mitchell and Al Overton
The French Connection – Chris Newman and Theodore Soderberg
Kotch – Richard Portman and Jack Solomon
Mary, Queen of Scots – John Aldred and Bob Jones
Hey everyone!
I have a post on the way but am ironing out a few details before upping it. Stay tuned!
I have a post on the way but am ironing out a few details before upping it. Stay tuned!
Star-Spangled Girl (Paramount June 1972)
Shelley Duvall in Star-Spangled Girl as Sophie Cooper
Star-Spangled Girl (Paramount June 1972) [1]
A Robert Altman Film
Screenplay by Robert Altman (Based on Neil Simon's play The Star-Spangled Girl)
Music by Harry Nilsson
Cast
Shelley Duvall as Sophie Cooper- A perky, chatty champion swimmer who has arrived in San Fransisco to train for the Olympics with the best swimming coach in the country. Sophie is rather conservative and from the South.
Keith Carradine as Andy Hobart- A radical hippie running an underground newspaper in San Fransisco called The Nitty Gritty.
Bud Cort as Norman Cornell- Andy's best friend and roommate. He also does all of the writing for The Nitty Gritty. Both men fall for Sophie despite differing viewpoints.
Barbara Harris as Mrs MacKaninee- Andy and Norman's landlord
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From IMDB
Before Robert Altman took over on this film, it was initially conceived as a possible film vehicle for stage and TV star Sandy Duncan. That version would have been directed by Jerry Paris. When the production fell through, Paramount offered the script to Robert Altman. Altman hated the original script but thought it might have potential as a vehicle for Shelley Duvall. Altman quickly reworked the script himself and cast Bud Cort as Norman, who had previously appeared in Altman's 1970 film Brewster McCloud alongside Duvall. [2]
Altman wanted to cast Harris Walker, who he directed in That Cold Day In The Park (1969) for the part of Andy Hobart. Instead, the director cast Carradine who had also appeared with Shelley Duvall in one of Altman's previous films, The Warren Beatty/ Julie Christie led McCabe and Mrs Miller (1971).
As with Paramount's shock hit Harold And Maude which featured a Cat Stevens soundtrack, an established musician, in this case, Harry Nilsson, contributed songs from previous recordings as the score. Nilsson also recorded some brand new instrumentals for the soundtrack.
Star-Spangled Girl was successful, with Duvall, Carradine and Cort all received positive reviews for their performances.
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From film critic Roger Ebert's review of Star-Spangled Girl:
"Shelley Duvall is one of the odder actresses to hit in the last few years. However, her quirkiness comes in handy for the role of Sophie, a straightlaced southern girl Cort and Carradine (the talented son of character actor John Carradine), both fall for. This could have turned into another "wacky" counterculture satire in the hands of any other director, but Altman makes this work on a sincere level. Duvall is someone you could actually see the two hippie radicals falling for and vice versa. She's quirky without being annoying--"
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Track Listing from The original RCA LP Music from the Motion Picture Star-Spangled Girl by Nilsson:
SIDE A (Tracks from previous Nilsson albums used on the soundtrack)
1) Everything's Got 'Em (From The Point!, 1971)
2) Good Old Desk (From Aerial Pandemonium Ballet, 1971)
3) Open Your Window (From Harry, 1969)
4) Maybe (From Harry, 1969)
5) Life Line (From The Point!, 1971)
SIDE B (Musical score composed by Nilsson for the film)
6) Star-Spangled Suite I
7) The Nitty Gritty
8) Sophie
9) Star-Spangled Suite II
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NOTES
[1] Altman scraps the psychological horror film Images (1972, see link) to make Star-Spangled Girl ITTL.
[2] Aka, this mess we got IOTL. Altman tones down the cheesy sitcom elements, while Shelley Duvall had a more natural presence. Sandy Duncan was a better fit for stage or TV sitcoms rather than films.
I'm trying to keep Shelley Duvall as far away from Stanley Kubrick as humanly possible.
I'm pretty sure his treatment of her on The Shining contributed to her later mental health issues. Good article about it here.
She always seemed a bit fragile but that appears to have been a tipping point.
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Yeah, and also on the set of The Shining, Kubrick had Scatman Crothers (keep in mind, he was near 70) do the scene where he walks in and gets killed by Jack (Jack Nicholson's character) 42 times, to the point that Crothers finally shouted "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME??" Nicholson had to step in on his behalf to prevent further stress...
Duvall (for obvious reasons), Crothers, and Nicholson are not fond of the movie; Jack Nicholson even turned down another adaptation of King's (Misery) because he had an awful time making this movie (along with Duvall and Crothers--he praised Duvall's performance in the film itself, saying it was one of the more difficult roles he'd seen anyone take on)...
It should go without saying that neither of the leads ever wanted to work with Kubrick again; Kubrick was very strange...
Yeah, while Stanley Kubrick may not be on the level of a Harvey Weinstein or Brett Ratner, his treatment of actors would certainly land him in hot water today...
I feel like he treated each actor according to their roles, which in theory could bring out a great performance, but in that particular case, it went pretty badly in the aftermath.
Definitely! I don't dislike the guy as a director and quite liked The Shining, but his treatment of actors was questionable at best, and he also made some really pretentious films I can't sit through more than once. If I name the film in question I would get stoned alive in here.
ETA: I didn't know the Scatman Crothers story. Yikes. I think one reason I like that movie is Jack Nicholson tends to be able to pull off terrifying really well and I quite Shelley Duvall and Crothers as actors. Both were pretty underrated. I feel like Duvall did her best work IOTL with Altman, though. He just knew what to do with her. Three Women is hard to watch in parts, but her and Sissy Spacek were fantastic in it.
From the 7/23/2016 podcast of Talking Pictures
From the 7/23/2016 podcast of Talking Pictures.
Harris and Nolan are discussing Star-Spangled Girl with their very special guest, none other than Shelley Duvall.
Harris: I don't even remember what movie I was seeing, but the previews for coming attractions were playing--
Shelley: How can you remember that far back, Harris?
Harris: I wasn't high that day? At least I don't think I was high this particular day.
Shelley: Oh my! Well, it was the 70's! (chuckles)
Harris: Anyway, the trailer for Star-Spangled Girl came on and as you and Nolan both know--
Shelley: That trailer was cut beautifully.
Harris: Yeah, that trailer was set to that Nilsson song 'Everything's Got 'Em', And I saw it and literally slumped down in my seat because I knew it was going to be a great movie and it could have done something for my career had I not done an unsold television pilot instead--
Shelley: Harry Nilsson was a genius. That was what led Bob to get him to do all the music for 'Popeye' later on.
Can I ask you what the pilot was?
Nolan: Harris couldn't remember back when we discussed it years ago, so I went and tried to track it down. I wasn't sure if anything existed at this point. We thought it might be lost.
Shelley: You know, it's sad how people don't take care of the past--
Harris: Nolan found a 16mm print and we watched it and I think it might have been the worst piece of s*** I ever made.
Shelley: Don't you just love how blunt Harris is? (giggles)
Harris: It was a science fiction thing called 'Another Time'. I played a young man who has an accident and wakes up in 1952. Helen thought it was going to be really huge for me.
Shelley: I think it sounds interesting. The whole time travel concept.
Harris: In theory, maybe.
Nolan: I felt like it was a really interesting concept executed poorly.
Shelley: We have all done terrible work at some point. I have a psychic consultant I meet with before accepting parts now. Bob didn't give up on you, Harris. He always was trying to find something for you to do for him.
Harris: I didn't get to work with him again until 'A Wedding' which was much later. I think Sam was envious that he never got to work with Bob because in the '70s, even though his films had mixed box office success, there was something prestigious about being in a Robert Altman movie.
Shelley: Sam never seemed like the jealous type.
Harris: He isn't. Our relationship wouldn't have worked had he been like that over roles. But you know, there are people he wishes he'd had a chance to work with that are no longer with us.
Nolan: That's where you and Shelley worked together, right? 'A Wedding'?
Harris: Yeah. We were both in 'Annie Hall', but we never crossed paths during filming.
Shelley: I was also offered 'The Shining' around then. I met with Kubrick to discuss the role and got a really bad aura from him, and you know, uh--if someone has negative energy I prefer to not work with them. I can detect that in people and it is such a turn-off.
Harris: Sam met with Kubrick about 'Barry Lyndon' and he felt like Kubrick was going to be difficult to work for, and that he would also be miscast
Shelley: I thought Kubrick's energy was negative. And the script was a bit, well, you know, it was rather disturbing. I'm not much for scary movies, but I did read the book and enjoyed it. Stephen King is a great writer, that just wasn't the right project of his for me to appear in.
Nolan: Do you enjoy the production process more than acting?
Shelley: I like acting, but I enjoy producing and was thrilled to be able to do a reboot of 'Faerie Tale Theatre' for Netflix.
Nolan: It's had excellent reviews.
Shelley: Oh yes. Great reviews!
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Sam and Harris talk about their relationship, Burt Reynolds, New York City...
From the 2016 documentary film Sam Westwood's Hollywood
Sam has returned home from California and is back on Vancouver Island with Harris. The two are sitting down talking about how their friendship gradually evolved into a long term relationship.
Harris: People hear about New York City in the early 70s and expect to hear anecdotes about Iggy Pop or Lou Reed. The thing is, I mostly hung around other actors. I knew Pat Ast, Mary Woronov--
Sam: Pat Ast was more or less associated with Halston then, though. Not so much for acting--
Harris: Yeah, but I liked her because she was different. Pat would sort of push you out of your comfort zone too much, though.
Barry Bostwick and I would run into each other a lot at auditions--
The interviewer is talking in the background
Harris: Oh yeah, Barry has always been a great friend. We do 'Rocky Horror' related appearances a lot. The only Hollywood people I still kept in touch during that time though were Elizabeth, Bob Altman, and Sam--
Sam: Which is quite a list to be a part of (laughs)
Harris: Well, the three of you happened to be decent to me. Sian Phillips was great to me as well, but she wasn't a Hollywood star. She was from the stage.
Anyway, I was only acting sporadically by this point and doing unit still work and a couple of photography exhibits. My living conditions were pretty bad--
Sam: He was living in a really run-down old apartment. No heat. And Harris is not a slob but--
Harris: Most of what I had was either given to me or things I'd fixed up from the dumpster. I had to learn how to repair stuff on my own and there was no Pinterest or anything in those days. Creative reuse projects weren't a big thing yet.
Sam: The upside to that is he's the more visually creative one in our relationship.
Harris is seen shrugging
Harris: I had to make do with what was available to me.
Interviewer is heard asking another question in the background
Sam: Yeah. We were both involved in a film project, 'Erring On The Side Of Caution'. I had a supporting role as the son. Judy Garland's character is dealing with her daughter's mental health issues, and Liza played the daughter. Harris had been hired on as Unit Still Photographer and took a bit role when the guy hired fell through.
Anyway, I had him come back with me to California after. Harris and I went out one night and, long story short, he had to get his stomach pumped. The whole situation at that point was concerning to me. I was worried.
Harris: Sam was like "You're coming with me!". I don't know if there was a choice.
Sam: You had a choice, but I can be a bit bossy if I'm worried about someone. I was worried about Harris. I got him an apartment in Coldwater Canyon and he initially did more photography.
After a while, I decided I liked him as more than a friend and wanted him to move in with me.
Harris: I was crazy about Sam, but at the same time, I was terrified. I didn't want people accusing me of riding his coattails and I knew that people weren't stupid. But he was persistent.
Sam: Dick tried talking me out of it but I had my mind made up. The story I concocted was that we were friends who worked a lot and it made sense for him to be there if I was away or vice versa. I mean, Burt Reynolds lived with his stuntman and nobody flinched--
Harris: But Burt Reynolds was known to be a ladies man. Sam Westwood was noticeably single half the time. (laughs)
Sam: I had a huge fence built with an intercom. It was easy to lie and say that it was there because I was afraid people might break-in, you know, after the Polanski murders. But really it was there to keep photographers out.
I missed things being carefree like a few years before.
Harris: I was sleeping with Hollywood's newest leading man. I loved him and hated that I couldn't just be honest about it. That could have been a disaster but because we were both working actors, there was an understanding.
It could have wrecked my career too. And I needed the work. Helen understood. Herb...Herb was freaking out because I was their best client at that point. But he'd also turn around and say things like "Well, at least you have good taste, Harris!"
Sam and Harris both laugh.
Sam: Dick Clayton thought Harris was trouble and sort of hammy and was hoping I'd meet a different guy. (laughs)
Interviewer: He didn't care that you were in a relationship with another man?
Sam: Dick Clayton was worried about me getting outed. He'd almost had that happen with Tab Hunter years earlier and the tabloids were...I'd say they were worse by the 1970s. That said, he knew I wasn't the type to not want a relationship and he wasn't going to try and stop me. He hadn't objected to any of my previous boyfriends because they weren't actors. Harris was an actor and Dick had also heard things about his past.
Harris: Long story short, my people thought I had great taste in men and had picked someone who would treat me well. Sam's people thought he had terrible taste in men and had picked a real trainwreck who might damage his career--
Sam has returned home from California and is back on Vancouver Island with Harris. The two are sitting down talking about how their friendship gradually evolved into a long term relationship.
Harris: People hear about New York City in the early 70s and expect to hear anecdotes about Iggy Pop or Lou Reed. The thing is, I mostly hung around other actors. I knew Pat Ast, Mary Woronov--
Sam: Pat Ast was more or less associated with Halston then, though. Not so much for acting--
Harris: Yeah, but I liked her because she was different. Pat would sort of push you out of your comfort zone too much, though.
Barry Bostwick and I would run into each other a lot at auditions--
The interviewer is talking in the background
Harris: Oh yeah, Barry has always been a great friend. We do 'Rocky Horror' related appearances a lot. The only Hollywood people I still kept in touch during that time though were Elizabeth, Bob Altman, and Sam--
Sam: Which is quite a list to be a part of (laughs)
Harris: Well, the three of you happened to be decent to me. Sian Phillips was great to me as well, but she wasn't a Hollywood star. She was from the stage.
Anyway, I was only acting sporadically by this point and doing unit still work and a couple of photography exhibits. My living conditions were pretty bad--
Sam: He was living in a really run-down old apartment. No heat. And Harris is not a slob but--
Harris: Most of what I had was either given to me or things I'd fixed up from the dumpster. I had to learn how to repair stuff on my own and there was no Pinterest or anything in those days. Creative reuse projects weren't a big thing yet.
Sam: The upside to that is he's the more visually creative one in our relationship.
Harris is seen shrugging
Harris: I had to make do with what was available to me.
Interviewer is heard asking another question in the background
Sam: Yeah. We were both involved in a film project, 'Erring On The Side Of Caution'. I had a supporting role as the son. Judy Garland's character is dealing with her daughter's mental health issues, and Liza played the daughter. Harris had been hired on as Unit Still Photographer and took a bit role when the guy hired fell through.
Anyway, I had him come back with me to California after. Harris and I went out one night and, long story short, he had to get his stomach pumped. The whole situation at that point was concerning to me. I was worried.
Harris: Sam was like "You're coming with me!". I don't know if there was a choice.
Sam: You had a choice, but I can be a bit bossy if I'm worried about someone. I was worried about Harris. I got him an apartment in Coldwater Canyon and he initially did more photography.
After a while, I decided I liked him as more than a friend and wanted him to move in with me.
Harris: I was crazy about Sam, but at the same time, I was terrified. I didn't want people accusing me of riding his coattails and I knew that people weren't stupid. But he was persistent.
Sam: Dick tried talking me out of it but I had my mind made up. The story I concocted was that we were friends who worked a lot and it made sense for him to be there if I was away or vice versa. I mean, Burt Reynolds lived with his stuntman and nobody flinched--
Harris: But Burt Reynolds was known to be a ladies man. Sam Westwood was noticeably single half the time. (laughs)
Sam: I had a huge fence built with an intercom. It was easy to lie and say that it was there because I was afraid people might break-in, you know, after the Polanski murders. But really it was there to keep photographers out.
I missed things being carefree like a few years before.
Harris: I was sleeping with Hollywood's newest leading man. I loved him and hated that I couldn't just be honest about it. That could have been a disaster but because we were both working actors, there was an understanding.
It could have wrecked my career too. And I needed the work. Helen understood. Herb...Herb was freaking out because I was their best client at that point. But he'd also turn around and say things like "Well, at least you have good taste, Harris!"
Sam and Harris both laugh.
Sam: Dick Clayton thought Harris was trouble and sort of hammy and was hoping I'd meet a different guy. (laughs)
Interviewer: He didn't care that you were in a relationship with another man?
Sam: Dick Clayton was worried about me getting outed. He'd almost had that happen with Tab Hunter years earlier and the tabloids were...I'd say they were worse by the 1970s. That said, he knew I wasn't the type to not want a relationship and he wasn't going to try and stop me. He hadn't objected to any of my previous boyfriends because they weren't actors. Harris was an actor and Dick had also heard things about his past.
Harris: Long story short, my people thought I had great taste in men and had picked someone who would treat me well. Sam's people thought he had terrible taste in men and had picked a real trainwreck who might damage his career--
Sam on The Thief Who Came To Dinner, Deliverance, centrefolds. Sharon Tate talks about her career during this time frame.
Cassette recordings made by Nolan Hendricks during the late 1980s. Nolan is now asking Sam about rumours he was to star in 1973's The Thief Who Came to Dinner opposite Sharon Tate. Sam is also asked about the 1972 film Deliverance, which starred Donald Sutherland, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox.
Nolan: What is the truth to the stories about 'The Thief Who Came To Dinner'?
Sam: First of all, have you read the book?
Nolan: I'm ashamed to say I haven't, no.
Sam: Well, in the book, the guy, Dave, he is balding and has scars from high school football injuries and...(inaudible)...teeth missing. In the book he gets work done. Early on, they wanted to use myself and Sharon Tate and I agreed to meet with the producers and the director, Bud Yorkin. We discussed the part, and told them my intentions to portray Dave as in the novel, and...they moved onto Ryan O'Neal pretty fast. (laughs)
The production was set up for March to June 1972 in Houston. I had already agreed to do the small role in 'Caution' and would have had to pull out to promote 'Traffic Jam'. So it was just as well. [1]
Nolan: Do you regret not taking the bigger role?
Sam: No. There would have been a huge battle over creative differences. They wanted me to play the character one way and I wanted to play him another way.
Anyway, Dick also gave me the script for 'Deliverance' but I felt like I was too young to play Ed Gentry. When Burt Reynolds got cast, apparently Burt didn't want me in the movie with him anyway-- (chuckles)
Nolan: Why was that?
Sam: Let me set this straight, I've never had any issues with Burt. Much later on, we did talk about doing a film together. That said, earlier on because we were both managed by Dick and Burt was just getting out of television and B-Movies, he was afraid of getting upstaged. Donald Sutherland did just fine in that role.
Nolan: Donald Sutherland has gone on record saying that he had to be talked into it because he felt like the script was too violent--
Harris is heard laughing
Harris: Sorry. It's just, have you watched some of his movies? 'Day Of The Locust'? Sutherland stomps on that kid and causes a riot! That was just as disturbing as 'Deliverance'--
Sam: That movie was unsettling.
Anyway, Burt did that spread for Cosmopolitan--
Nolan: The infamous nude layout?
Sam: Yeah. I was asked later on when they planned to do another centrefold and...wasn't comfortable. Paul Newman was asked the first time before they went with Burt Reynolds, and he turned it down and he advised me to turn it down as well because it might wreck my career. I hadn't wanted to do it anyway-- [2]
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From a Vanity Fair piece on Sharon Tate in December 2017, fifty years after Mary Rose
"After the failure of The Delta Factor, a film Tate dismisses as "Kitschy, and not in a good way", the star began re-evaluating her career.
"I was ready to quit because I felt like the roles were becoming little more than decoration"
Tate was offered the female lead opposite Ryan O'Neal in 1973's The Thief Who Came To Dinner. "My motives for taking that film were that it was a good script, and it was shot in Houston so I'd be closer to my family"
According to the star, she also had a brief engagement at the time to a fellow native Texan Tate wishes not to name out of respect to his privacy.
"He wasn't in the film industry. I had planned the film as the last hurrah before settling down with him". Instead, the engagement failed and Tate found herself back in Los Angeles. Though it is now regarded as one of her best performances of the era, and a film that cemented Tate's status as a 1970's fashion icon, The Thief Who Came To Dinner wasn't quite the box office smash that Warner Brothers had hoped for.
"A lot of that film was edited, which is a shame" Tate recalls "I had initially hoped to do the film with Sam Westwood but he wanted to play his character as it was in the novel which, to be honest, I think it would have helped the movie out--"
[1] According to the AFI website. That page is a Godsend. Also, there was mention of another movie with Sam around this time, her role in that has been retconned.
[2] Article about it here.
Nolan: What is the truth to the stories about 'The Thief Who Came To Dinner'?
Sam: First of all, have you read the book?
Nolan: I'm ashamed to say I haven't, no.
Sam: Well, in the book, the guy, Dave, he is balding and has scars from high school football injuries and...(inaudible)...teeth missing. In the book he gets work done. Early on, they wanted to use myself and Sharon Tate and I agreed to meet with the producers and the director, Bud Yorkin. We discussed the part, and told them my intentions to portray Dave as in the novel, and...they moved onto Ryan O'Neal pretty fast. (laughs)
The production was set up for March to June 1972 in Houston. I had already agreed to do the small role in 'Caution' and would have had to pull out to promote 'Traffic Jam'. So it was just as well. [1]
Nolan: Do you regret not taking the bigger role?
Sam: No. There would have been a huge battle over creative differences. They wanted me to play the character one way and I wanted to play him another way.
Anyway, Dick also gave me the script for 'Deliverance' but I felt like I was too young to play Ed Gentry. When Burt Reynolds got cast, apparently Burt didn't want me in the movie with him anyway-- (chuckles)
Nolan: Why was that?
Sam: Let me set this straight, I've never had any issues with Burt. Much later on, we did talk about doing a film together. That said, earlier on because we were both managed by Dick and Burt was just getting out of television and B-Movies, he was afraid of getting upstaged. Donald Sutherland did just fine in that role.
Nolan: Donald Sutherland has gone on record saying that he had to be talked into it because he felt like the script was too violent--
Harris is heard laughing
Harris: Sorry. It's just, have you watched some of his movies? 'Day Of The Locust'? Sutherland stomps on that kid and causes a riot! That was just as disturbing as 'Deliverance'--
Sam: That movie was unsettling.
Anyway, Burt did that spread for Cosmopolitan--
Nolan: The infamous nude layout?
Sam: Yeah. I was asked later on when they planned to do another centrefold and...wasn't comfortable. Paul Newman was asked the first time before they went with Burt Reynolds, and he turned it down and he advised me to turn it down as well because it might wreck my career. I hadn't wanted to do it anyway-- [2]
**********************************************************************************
From a Vanity Fair piece on Sharon Tate in December 2017, fifty years after Mary Rose
"After the failure of The Delta Factor, a film Tate dismisses as "Kitschy, and not in a good way", the star began re-evaluating her career.
"I was ready to quit because I felt like the roles were becoming little more than decoration"
Tate was offered the female lead opposite Ryan O'Neal in 1973's The Thief Who Came To Dinner. "My motives for taking that film were that it was a good script, and it was shot in Houston so I'd be closer to my family"
According to the star, she also had a brief engagement at the time to a fellow native Texan Tate wishes not to name out of respect to his privacy.
"He wasn't in the film industry. I had planned the film as the last hurrah before settling down with him". Instead, the engagement failed and Tate found herself back in Los Angeles. Though it is now regarded as one of her best performances of the era, and a film that cemented Tate's status as a 1970's fashion icon, The Thief Who Came To Dinner wasn't quite the box office smash that Warner Brothers had hoped for.
"A lot of that film was edited, which is a shame" Tate recalls "I had initially hoped to do the film with Sam Westwood but he wanted to play his character as it was in the novel which, to be honest, I think it would have helped the movie out--"
[1] According to the AFI website. That page is a Godsend. Also, there was mention of another movie with Sam around this time, her role in that has been retconned.
[2] Article about it here.
Hey everyone!
Just a quick update. The plot to 'Traffic Jam' is taking me a while to work on. It's going to sort of be like 'Falling Down' mixed with a 70's style thriller. Stay tuned!
Just a quick update. The plot to 'Traffic Jam' is taking me a while to work on. It's going to sort of be like 'Falling Down' mixed with a 70's style thriller. Stay tuned!
It would be interesting to see a timeline where The Delta Factor was a better film.
Mickey Spillane was writting a Second Morgan Novel and because he so hated the film, he stopped writting it.
It would not be till 2011 that Max Allen Collin finished the novel .
Spillane hated both the Casting of Christopher George as Morgan. (He wanted Lee Marvin) and the Director.
We could have gotten more of the Character of Morgan . Think a tougher Travis McGee.
Traffic Jam (1972)
Traffic Jam (20th Century Fox, May 1972)
Directed By Andrew L. Stone
Screenplay By Edward O'Malley & Andrew L. Stone
Cast
Jeffrey Hunter as Jack Richardson- An already erratic man who becomes unhinged after arriving home from a business trip, commits murder and goes on the run, abandoning his car in a traffic jam.
Sam Westwood as Rick Burns- A travelling vacuum cleaner salesman and aspiring novelist.
Teresa Graves as Diana Williams- A New York City fashion model on her way to California to pursue an acting career.
Sheree North as Charlotte Richardson- Jack's wife. She is having an affair which causes him to completely go off the deep end.
Kevin Tighe as Brad- A much younger tennis instructor Charlotte plans to leave Jack for.
Ann Jillian as Waitress- Jack freaks out at her inside a roadside diner.
Betty Barry as Housewife- Rick unsuccessfully tries to sell her a vacuum cleaner. Barry's only on-screen credit.
Plot
Advertising copywriter Jack Richardson (Hunter) is on a business trip. He calls his wife Charlotte, and the two argue back and forth. It is clear their marriage is on the rocks and that his career is suffering due to alcoholism and increasingly erratic behaviour.
When Charlotte hangs up, it is revealed that she has a houseguest, her much younger lover Brad, a tennis instructor. Charlotte tells Brad that she plans to leave Jack when he comes back from his trip.
Jack arrives home early and arrives to find Charlotte in bed with Brad. There is a fight, which leads to Jack shooting and killing both Charlotte and Brad. Jack drives off and winds up in a traffic jam. The air conditioning in his car has failed and it is hot outside. A frustrated Jack abandons his car and begins walking.
Rick Burns (Westwood), is an aspiring novelist turned vacuum cleaner salesman. Rick demonstrates one of his models to a housewife who decides against the purchase and sees him off. A defeated Rick lights a cigarette behind the wheel turns on the radio and hears a report about a man and a woman found shot to death in a house in the Los Angeles area. The woman's husband is named as a person of interest, his car having been found abandoned in heavy traffic. Rick puts his cigarette out, pulls up to a roadside diner and gets out.
Diana Williams (Graves) is a floundering New York City fashion model who has just broken up with her photographer boyfriend. Diana decides to drive cross-country to California in an attempt to try her luck at an acting career. As she gets closer to Los Angeles county, her car breaks down.
Jack has changed his appearance and has hitched his way out of Los Angeles. He enters a roadside diner where he is nervous and agitated. He causes a scene and complains about the food to the waitress. He throws money at her and a few insults around before proceeding to take off in an unlocked car.
Rick sees Diana and pulls over. He drives her to a payphone and she is able to call for a tow truck. She's told that it will take a day for her car to get fixed. Rick drives Diana to the nearest town, where he has planned to stay the night, and they get separate rooms in the same run-down motel. Unbeknownst to them, Jack has just checked in as well, having once again changed his appearance.
Rick and Diana get bored and decide to check out the town that night. As Rick is getting ready, he sees a television report about the murderer. This time, his face is shown but Rick is too busy getting ready to notice it.
Rick and Diana chat over dinner. Rick tells her that he's trying to write a novel and Diana tells him that she had been a fashion model in New York City, but thought she'd try her luck in Los Angeles after a recent break-up.
The pair then go to a local bar where they watch various patrons from a booth. One of the people Rick notices happens to be Jack, who is sitting alone at the bar, rather inebriated, giving the bartender a rough time. The two leave and pass Jack, who notices them. Outside the bar, Diana tells Rick that the man giving the bartender a hard time looked familiar. Rick tells her that he's probably just some angry businessman on the road.
The two return to the motel. It is dark and somewhat secluded until Jack erratically drives into the parking lot startling Rick and Diana, who are still near Rick's car. The two slowly get back inside the car and lay low, locking the doors. Jack staggers around the parking lot waving a gun around. He approaches Rick's car and pounds on the window, remembering them as the people gawking at him in the bar. He yells slurs at both Rick and Diana, believing them to be a couple. Rick tries to drive off, but Jack shoots at Rick's car, causing a flat tire.
Rick and Diana think Jack is gone. Rick goes to fix the flat, telling Diana to stay in the car in case. As Rick is finishing up fixing the flat, Jack approaches from behind and knocks him out. Jack stuffs Rick's body in the trunk and gets inside the driver's seat. Diana is horrified to see Jack and screams, but he pulls a gun on her telling her to shut up as he drives off.
Diana finds herself trapped in a car with a drunk psychopath on an abandoned stretch of road. Jack taunts Diana, trying to grope her and calling her various names when she fights back. Jack pulls over to a truck stop to use a bathroom and tells Diana not to move. He leaves his gun behind by accident, and Diana grabs it, intending to kill him when he comes back. Diana hears struggling in the trunk and realizes that Rick is alive. Using a wire hanger found in the back seat, Diana is able to open up the trunk and gets Rick out. He is pretty scratched up and she has to hold him up. Diana and Rick try to escape by hiding behind parked semi-trucks. Jack has taken longer than expected due to picking a fight inside the truck stop. Jack arrives at the car to find both Diana and his gun, as well as Rick, is gone. He gets inside the car and turns on the headlights, searching for Rick and Diana. Diana pulls the gun out and tries to keep herself and Rick safe. As they go to hide behind another truck, Jack sees them. She makes Rick hide. Jack is about to run Diana over when she shoots at the vehicle, causing Jack to crash in the truck stop parking lot. Diana and Rick look on as the camera zooms to Jack's corpse.
Come daylight, Rick and Diana are talking to police. Diana tells Rick she owes him a car. Rick asks what she's going to do. Diana tells him she's still planning to go to Los Angeles and Rick asks if she would like some company. Diana smiles as the credits roll.
End
Notes from IMDB
Because the ending alluded to a possible romance between Graves and Westwood's characters, executives at 20th Century Fox initially wanted to end the film with Jack's death. Eventually, the studio gave in and the film was released as shot.
Ann Jillian, a former child performer mostly known for her role in 1962's Gypsy had auditioned for the role of Diana before changes were made to the script. A smaller part as a waitress was later written especially for Jillian by Andrew L. Stone.
Before Teresa Graves signed on, Marki Bey (The Landlord) was considered for the role of Diana following changes to the script.
Kevin Tighe (Brad) signed a contract with Universal shortly after filming wrapped in June 1971. After a couple of television guest roles, Tighe signed on to star in the long-running TV series Emergency! which began airing a few months after the release of Traffic Jam.
Release of the film was deliberately held up until after Klute came out as there was buzz around Teresa Graves performance. By the time Traffic Jam was finally released, both Westwood and Graves had been nominated for Academy Awards.
According to Sam Westwood, the police officers at the end, who appear uncredited, were actual LAPD officers hired by Stone to appear in the film.
Once again, thank you to @Guajolote for the poster!
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I really like to see this film.
I assuming that Stone wife Virginia was one of the Producers on the Film as well as the Editor. That how it worked on most of Stone's films.
Follow Up on 'Traffic Jam'
Cassette conversation between Nolan, Sam and Harris continues where it left off
Harris: I did pose for 'Playgirl' in 1974. Which I am sure is not awkward at all for Nolan to hear about--
Nolan: Honestly, compared to some of the other things you've told me Harris, it's tame.
Sam: Peter Lupus had been in talks to do 'Playgirl' and then when he started getting better offers declined because he thought it might ruin his career. [1]
Harris: I'm pretty sure it's how I got 'Rocky Horror' and some other things. That was the third life of my acting career. I mean, Eddie would have been a better role and they wouldn't even consider me, but I was able to get into the convention circuit based on that because it became so massive--
Nolan: My sister became a fan of yours from 'Rocky Horror'--
The tape is stopped, likely an accident, and resumes with Sam talking about Traffic Jam.
Sam: Well, Jeff and I both had a reputation for being really--
Harris: You were both pretty.
Sam: That's one way to put it (laughs)
Anyway, both of us needed to look terrible for the roles to be believable. Jeff's character snapped and has completely gone off the deep end and my character probably stayed in shitty motels and lived on his nerves. Kevin Tighe got to be the eye candy in that one.
Harris and Sam chuckle
Sam: I think--because of my earlier image, I was drawn to play these guys who ended up getting into trouble a lot. Dick told me I needed to vary the roles so as to not get typecast.
Nolan: I know you had previously auditioned with Ann Jillian, Sam, but did you meet Kevin Tighe at all?
Sam: Well, the only people I worked on 'Traffic Jam' with were Teresa Graves and Jeff. I did meet Sheree North during production through Jeff. Kevin Tighe, I met years later and he was very nice.
Nolan: Jeffrey Hunter had worked with Sheree North before, right?
Sam: I hate to admit I had no idea who Sheree North was. Jeff explained to me that Sheree had been intended to be a successor to Marilyn Monroe in the '50s and that they were both at 20th at the same time as contract players. Jeff did a film with her called 'The Way To The Gold'. While we were shooting, Jeff found a print and invited myself and Sheree over to watch it and introduced us. Later on, she did a lot of television and we met in passing a few times.
Nolan: Back in the studio system days, they would sign a similar actor to someone who was a star and threaten to use them if the star misbehaved. 20th Century Fox also had Jayne Mansfield.
Sam: Yeah, Jeff told me about that. I mean the Disney contract was pretty restrictive, but there wasn't some other guy on the lot being used against me. And when they did start casting John Davidson for projects, I was fine with it. Universal did have a lot of interchangeable young men under contract, but years later, we were still up for a lot of the same roles.
Harris: You know, I always regret never having the opportunity to have met Jayne Mansfield.
Sam: Jeff and Paul both had anecdotes, but they were under contract to the same studio--
Harris: John Waters would have known what to do with her.
Sam: That's...kind of a scary thought, Harris
Everyone laughs
Nolan: I mean you could imagine some sort of alternate universe where Jayne Mansfield survives and does something along the lines of the Liz Renay role in 'Desperate Living'.
Harris: I could see her having done something like that.
Nolan: Can I ask something that might be personal?
Sam: You can. If I am uncomfortable with the question, I'll let you know.
Nolan: What was the deal with Edward O'Malley trashing the movie later?
Sam: Well, as I've mentioned Edward was talented but a complete mess. I took it personally because I'd done favours for him in the past like doing that small role in 'Nothing Lasts Forever'. He wasn't around much during filming and Andrew Stone had permission to change parts of the script and Edward was...I thought he was fine with it, but later on, after I'd been outed he was going around trashing the movie which is probably another reason it hasn't been seen in years.
From Sam Westwood's Hollywood (2016)
Sam is talking about Traffic Jam
Sam: Dick called me up and said that there was a film in production at 20th Century Fox with a script by Edward O'Malley and Andrew L. Stone directing and that they both wanted me for a role. What sealed the deal was when they told me that Jeffrey Hunter was going to play the antagonist. Andrew Stone did some rewrites with permission because Edward was off doing what I believe was another Bond film.
Andrew Stone was the only person involved that O'Malley would allow to do such a thing. And at the time Edward seemed really happy with the film, but later on, he started trashing it to anyone who would listen--
Cut to an archival interview with Edward O'Malley on NYC community television circa 1984
Edward: I had set up the Turner series for a spin-off while Roger Moore and I were off doing James Bond. I had a script which evolved into 'Traffic Jam'. And I managed to get Sam Westwood, who was something of a star at the time and Jeffrey Hunter who, in my opinion, hammed up the film. And the stars kept wanting rewrites--
Cut back to Sam
Sam: That's not at all how things went down. Andrew Stone rewrote some things and later on, when Edward was on his last legs, he went around trashing the film which had been really well received at the time. The box office was good. It was a hit. And I know Jeff was also hurt when he heard about that interview too. We'd both worked with Edward in better times and didn't know that was how he actually felt.
[1] Lupus did pose for the magazine IOTL.
Harris: I did pose for 'Playgirl' in 1974. Which I am sure is not awkward at all for Nolan to hear about--
Nolan: Honestly, compared to some of the other things you've told me Harris, it's tame.
Sam: Peter Lupus had been in talks to do 'Playgirl' and then when he started getting better offers declined because he thought it might ruin his career. [1]
Harris: I'm pretty sure it's how I got 'Rocky Horror' and some other things. That was the third life of my acting career. I mean, Eddie would have been a better role and they wouldn't even consider me, but I was able to get into the convention circuit based on that because it became so massive--
Nolan: My sister became a fan of yours from 'Rocky Horror'--
The tape is stopped, likely an accident, and resumes with Sam talking about Traffic Jam.
Sam: Well, Jeff and I both had a reputation for being really--
Harris: You were both pretty.
Sam: That's one way to put it (laughs)
Anyway, both of us needed to look terrible for the roles to be believable. Jeff's character snapped and has completely gone off the deep end and my character probably stayed in shitty motels and lived on his nerves. Kevin Tighe got to be the eye candy in that one.
Harris and Sam chuckle
Sam: I think--because of my earlier image, I was drawn to play these guys who ended up getting into trouble a lot. Dick told me I needed to vary the roles so as to not get typecast.
Nolan: I know you had previously auditioned with Ann Jillian, Sam, but did you meet Kevin Tighe at all?
Sam: Well, the only people I worked on 'Traffic Jam' with were Teresa Graves and Jeff. I did meet Sheree North during production through Jeff. Kevin Tighe, I met years later and he was very nice.
Nolan: Jeffrey Hunter had worked with Sheree North before, right?
Sam: I hate to admit I had no idea who Sheree North was. Jeff explained to me that Sheree had been intended to be a successor to Marilyn Monroe in the '50s and that they were both at 20th at the same time as contract players. Jeff did a film with her called 'The Way To The Gold'. While we were shooting, Jeff found a print and invited myself and Sheree over to watch it and introduced us. Later on, she did a lot of television and we met in passing a few times.
Nolan: Back in the studio system days, they would sign a similar actor to someone who was a star and threaten to use them if the star misbehaved. 20th Century Fox also had Jayne Mansfield.
Sam: Yeah, Jeff told me about that. I mean the Disney contract was pretty restrictive, but there wasn't some other guy on the lot being used against me. And when they did start casting John Davidson for projects, I was fine with it. Universal did have a lot of interchangeable young men under contract, but years later, we were still up for a lot of the same roles.
Harris: You know, I always regret never having the opportunity to have met Jayne Mansfield.
Sam: Jeff and Paul both had anecdotes, but they were under contract to the same studio--
Harris: John Waters would have known what to do with her.
Sam: That's...kind of a scary thought, Harris
Everyone laughs
Nolan: I mean you could imagine some sort of alternate universe where Jayne Mansfield survives and does something along the lines of the Liz Renay role in 'Desperate Living'.
Harris: I could see her having done something like that.
Nolan: Can I ask something that might be personal?
Sam: You can. If I am uncomfortable with the question, I'll let you know.
Nolan: What was the deal with Edward O'Malley trashing the movie later?
Sam: Well, as I've mentioned Edward was talented but a complete mess. I took it personally because I'd done favours for him in the past like doing that small role in 'Nothing Lasts Forever'. He wasn't around much during filming and Andrew Stone had permission to change parts of the script and Edward was...I thought he was fine with it, but later on, after I'd been outed he was going around trashing the movie which is probably another reason it hasn't been seen in years.
From Sam Westwood's Hollywood (2016)
Sam is talking about Traffic Jam
Sam: Dick called me up and said that there was a film in production at 20th Century Fox with a script by Edward O'Malley and Andrew L. Stone directing and that they both wanted me for a role. What sealed the deal was when they told me that Jeffrey Hunter was going to play the antagonist. Andrew Stone did some rewrites with permission because Edward was off doing what I believe was another Bond film.
Andrew Stone was the only person involved that O'Malley would allow to do such a thing. And at the time Edward seemed really happy with the film, but later on, he started trashing it to anyone who would listen--
Cut to an archival interview with Edward O'Malley on NYC community television circa 1984
Edward: I had set up the Turner series for a spin-off while Roger Moore and I were off doing James Bond. I had a script which evolved into 'Traffic Jam'. And I managed to get Sam Westwood, who was something of a star at the time and Jeffrey Hunter who, in my opinion, hammed up the film. And the stars kept wanting rewrites--
Cut back to Sam
Sam: That's not at all how things went down. Andrew Stone rewrote some things and later on, when Edward was on his last legs, he went around trashing the film which had been really well received at the time. The box office was good. It was a hit. And I know Jeff was also hurt when he heard about that interview too. We'd both worked with Edward in better times and didn't know that was how he actually felt.
[1] Lupus did pose for the magazine IOTL.
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