Candy (1968)

I first heard about this movie from a post from the blog Mike's Take On The Movies which featured a newspaper ad for this movie from December of 1968, almost 55 years ago. Check it out at the link below-

https://mikestakeonthemovies.com/2019/03/25/now-playing-december-28th-1968-at-a-theater-near-you/

The movie came out around the same time as The Odd Couple, Hellfighters, and The Lion in Winter. 

Also I Love You Alice B Toklas and Skiddoo, which were comic satires about the current drug and hippy cultures that I enjoyed and found humorous.

With its all star cast that includes James Coburn, John Huston (believe it or not), and Charles Aznavour, I thought this movie might be a fun watch like those other movies. 

But it's not. It's horrible. 

This movie is so bad. I doesn't hold up well. If I were anyone involved in it, I would be embarrassed. Ringo Starr is in it, which is cool, but he plays a Mexican gardener in brownface and a bad accent, which is not cool. Marlon Brando also appears in brownface playing an Indian love guru, similar to a character that Mike Myers created in the 2008 movie The Love Guru. It's supposed to be funny, but it's not. 

It seems like very Hollywood actor wanted to appear in a comedy that lampoons the modern culture of hippies but this movie, which makes sex the main focus, falls flat. Buck Henry wrote it, and I guess I was expecting for it to be better. But I don't know what he's trying to say in this movie - that all adult men are sex crazed, or is there something about authority figures (doctors, gurus, soldiers) that he finds ridiculous and wants to criticize? I didn't get it. 

Every adult male character in this movie is awestruck by Candy, who is a pretty blonde white girl who wears short skirts, has pretty eyes, and is rather naive. Is the character's naivete supposed to be the gag? Or the fact that she's so sexually attractive that every adult man who meets her wants to have sex with her? It gets really cringy and creepy at times. There are even some creepy incest jokes involving the dad (John Astin)  And it's really bizarre to see a military general (Walter Matthau) order her to undress for him in the cockpit of a plane, and him trying to screw her. It's also super-creepy to see a middle aged poet (Richard Burton) want to sleep with her too after he visits her school to give a poetry reading. I did like Burton's chauffeur played by Sugar Ray Robinson who winks at the camera and is in on the joke that Burton is a buffoon. That was inspired comedy. But Candy just doesn't work in a modern era. I don't think it was funny back in 1968, either. What were they thinking?  

Read another review from The Magnificent 60s

The Sunshine Boys (1975)

I first watched this movie on television about 25 years ago, and it was a pleasure to watch it again for the first time in so many years. It's still a very funny film and I found myself laughing many times throughout. I love the character that Walter Matthau brings to life - an old vaudevillian comedian who will not give up acting, even if it means working in commercials. It sort of reminded me of when Betty White and Abe Vigoda did a Snickers commercial a few years ago for the Super Bowl.

Richard Benjamin plays the nephew who is trying to reunite the old man with his old comedy partner played by George Burns.

Some modern productions of The Sunshine Boys  update the characters to be pioneer TV stars rather than vaudevillians, which I suppose works just as well. But in the original play and this film, the whole vaudeville thing really works well. George Burns was an actual vaudevillian, so he was absolutely perfect for the role as Matthau's partner. When this movie came out in the 1970s, we still had vaudeville stars still living, but today there aren't any around anymore. Mickey Rooney was probably the most famous vaudevillians still living until he passed away this year.

I like Burns' line when he says to Matthau, "You know...I don't think we get along too good". That really sums up the movie in a way. The two comedians are able to reunite, and in a way say their last goodbye, realizing they are better off going their separate ways. I love the movie because it portrays two people who can't get along, but really love each other - sort of like a family member or friend you use to have, but just can't be with them too often. Such a great story, and great humor by Neil Simon.

It'd be cool to see this show performed live on stage.

40 Years Ago - Top 10 Box Office Stars of 1970 (USA)

1932| 1933| 1934| 1935| 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 |
1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948| 1949 | 1950 |

1951 |1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959|1960 |
1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 |1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977-present

The rankings come from Quigley Publishing Co.'s annual list (since 1932) of top money making stars in the USA, which based on a poll of hundreds of theater executives. The list does not rank stars only on how much cash their films made, but on what theater owners say about who attracts audiences on their star power alone.

1. Paul Newman

2. Clint Eastwood

3. Steve McQueen


4. John Wayne

P.S. - Read a review of the new True Grit movie
from the blog We Are Movie Geeks

5. Elliott Gould

6. Dustin Hoffman

P.S. - Back on big screen this weekend in Little Fockers! (official movie website)

7. Lee Marvin

8. Jack Lemmon

9. Barbra Streisand

P.S. - Back on big screen this weekend in Little Fockers! (official movie website)

10. Walter Matthau

1932| 1933| 1934| 1935| 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 |
1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948| 1949 | 1950 |

1951 |1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959|1960 |
1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 |1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977-present

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

The original thriller from 1974, when train fare was 35 cents: a group of hijackers hold a subway and its passengers for ransom, demanding a million dollars from New York city. Robert Shaw ("Jaws") is the head hijacker, and Walter Matthau is the cop who works to negotiate with them. The original is a decent thriller, but very "70s". Also starring Martin Balsam, Jerry Stiller, Doris Roberts, Earl Hindman (of "Home Improvement") and Hector Elizondo as one of hijackers. I always love Walter Matthau as a comedic actor, but I think he is miscast in this role. I could see another actor, maybe Steve McQueen, play this. Every time Matthau is on screen he provides some comedic relief. (This is the same year he plays "The Drunk" in "Earthquake") At one point Matthau refers to one of the hijackers as possibly being a "fruitcake". Then there's a strange interspersing of scenes which are very violent (the hijacker's beating of passengers, shooting down of someone on the tracks) then very comedic: (One of the Grand Central supervisors back on the ground swears like and sailor and says, "How can you run a g-damn railroad without swearing?" and doesn't want to quit swearing just because "they lets some broads work there" - there's a woman in the room). One of dim-witted hijackers threatens someone on the train by saying, "I'll shoot your pee-pee off". Actor Lew Wallace plays the mayor of New York City, and he's a dead ringer for Ed Koch. (Wallace also played the mayor of Gotham City in Tim Burton's "Batman" (1989). "Pelham" was remade twice, for the second time in 2009 starring Denzel Washington in Matthau's role and John Travolta as the hijacker.

Another review of this film from the blog Cinematic Sara

Another review of this film from What I Watched Last Night