Sam Westwood's Hollywood
- Thread starter markedward
- Start date
Hey!
I'm not a hundred percent sure yet. It could happen at some point after Emergency goes off the air as Tighe seems to have been making films more frequently in the 1980's. Can confirm that I am toying around with *maybe* giving his co-star Randolph Mantooth a smaller role in an ensemble movie a couple years from the current PoD, but am still in the decision making process on that one.
Sidenote: I'd wanted to use Tom Selleck as Brad, but if the film is languishing in obscurity as Sam says and Selleck was in it, someone would have been reviving the film on home video due to the star of Magnum P.I. having a part.
If you're listening to Fan Requests, there are two wonderful character actors that are favorites of mine. Morgan Woodward and Lance LeGault.
Can you do anything with them?
Sam on talk show appearances
From a cassette tape belonging to the archive of Nolan Hendricks. This one is labelled 'Sam Westwood, 1990'
Sam: I'd had awkward interviews. I did one with Barbara Walters that had to be edited. Talk shows were usually ok because you'd promote your movie and then the host would move onto the next guest. Dick Cavett was a little more in-depth.
Nolan: Were you nervous about going on his show?
Sam: A little, yeah. I liked his show, but I was afraid of what he might ask. But, hey. where else were you going to see me in a room with Gloria Swanson and Marjoe Gortner?
(laughs)
Nolan: I loved television as a kid because there would be such an eclectic assortment of guests on the different shows.
Sam: I'm not gonna lie, initially going on different shows and meeting silver screen icons made me somewhat star-struck. Then I realized it was just part of the job and they were working too.
Anyway, I did the interview with Dick Cavett and I wasn't asked anything out of my comfort zone. I found out later that Dick somehow knew, but had wanted me to feel comfortable as a guest. Christine Jorgensen had walked off the show a few years earlier when Dick asked about her love life and he didn't want another incident like that. [1]
Nolan: If you look at talk shows now, someone like Phil Donahue would totally try and repeat an incident like that for ratings.
Sam: Oh yeah. They're ruthless now. I have turned down so many of those shows--
**********************************************************************************
From a YouTube clip of Sam Westwood on The Dick Cavett Show 7/18/1972. The other guests that night were Gloria Swanson, Marjoe Gortner, and Mo Aberman. Sam is the second guest on, after Swanson. Dick Cavett is asking Sam about Traffic Jam and the film he is there to promote his other 1972 film, My Brother's Keeper. [2]
Sam: We filmed 'Traffic Jam' in the Los Angeles area.
Gloria Swanson: Some of the stunts in your films look awfully dangerous. But it's not like the old days where you had to do it yourself.
Sam: I have a stunt double named Phil Peterson. He has worked on a few of my films. For the scene in 'Traffic Jam' where I get stuffed into a trunk we used a dummy--
Dick Cavett: That's a terrible thing to say about your stunt double, Sam--
The audience breaks out laughing. Sam is caught off guard and starts laughing too.
Sam: He's probably watching this, you know.
The laughter continues and then Sam goes serious.
Sam: They used a...prop--piece. I don't want to offend Phil!
Sam is still smiling
DC: I'd have to say that Jeffrey Hunter playing a murderer was certainly a far cry from 'King Of Kings'--
Sam: Jeff tried to take different roles after 'King Of Kings' and advised me to do the same so as to not have that happen to myself.
GS: That's very good advice.
Sam: Did you feel that way after 'Sunset Boulevard'?
GS: I turned a lot of scripts down because I didn't want to play the same part over and over again.
DC: Let's talk about this new picture you have out.
Sam: It's called 'My Brother's Keeper'. I play a police detective and without giving too much of the plot away, I find out my brother, played by Timothy Bottoms, is into some sketchy goings-on.
DC: And I understand you've just shot another movie as well--
Sam: I just shot a small role in a film in New York City alongside Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli--
The audience starts clapping
Sam: And in the fall I will be starting work on another picture--
DC: Can you tell us anything about that?
Sam: All I can say as of now is that I will be playing a race car driver.
DC: Would you ever work with Hitchcock or shoot more films in England again?
Sam: I wouldn't rule out working in England or Europe again. I just seem to be getting a lot of projects that don't call for location shoots.
GS: I rather enjoyed your performances in 'The Pale Horse' and 'Mary Rose'. But, I suppose those types of films have fallen by the wayside. Which is a shame--
*********************************************************************************
[1] Scroll down to March 27, 1968, on this timeline of events from Dick Cavett's website. There is info on the incident with Jorgensen.
[2] OTL guest list here.
Sam: I'd had awkward interviews. I did one with Barbara Walters that had to be edited. Talk shows were usually ok because you'd promote your movie and then the host would move onto the next guest. Dick Cavett was a little more in-depth.
Nolan: Were you nervous about going on his show?
Sam: A little, yeah. I liked his show, but I was afraid of what he might ask. But, hey. where else were you going to see me in a room with Gloria Swanson and Marjoe Gortner?
(laughs)
Nolan: I loved television as a kid because there would be such an eclectic assortment of guests on the different shows.
Sam: I'm not gonna lie, initially going on different shows and meeting silver screen icons made me somewhat star-struck. Then I realized it was just part of the job and they were working too.
Anyway, I did the interview with Dick Cavett and I wasn't asked anything out of my comfort zone. I found out later that Dick somehow knew, but had wanted me to feel comfortable as a guest. Christine Jorgensen had walked off the show a few years earlier when Dick asked about her love life and he didn't want another incident like that. [1]
Nolan: If you look at talk shows now, someone like Phil Donahue would totally try and repeat an incident like that for ratings.
Sam: Oh yeah. They're ruthless now. I have turned down so many of those shows--
**********************************************************************************
From a YouTube clip of Sam Westwood on The Dick Cavett Show 7/18/1972. The other guests that night were Gloria Swanson, Marjoe Gortner, and Mo Aberman. Sam is the second guest on, after Swanson. Dick Cavett is asking Sam about Traffic Jam and the film he is there to promote his other 1972 film, My Brother's Keeper. [2]
Sam: We filmed 'Traffic Jam' in the Los Angeles area.
Gloria Swanson: Some of the stunts in your films look awfully dangerous. But it's not like the old days where you had to do it yourself.
Sam: I have a stunt double named Phil Peterson. He has worked on a few of my films. For the scene in 'Traffic Jam' where I get stuffed into a trunk we used a dummy--
Dick Cavett: That's a terrible thing to say about your stunt double, Sam--
The audience breaks out laughing. Sam is caught off guard and starts laughing too.
Sam: He's probably watching this, you know.
The laughter continues and then Sam goes serious.
Sam: They used a...prop--piece. I don't want to offend Phil!
Sam is still smiling
DC: I'd have to say that Jeffrey Hunter playing a murderer was certainly a far cry from 'King Of Kings'--
Sam: Jeff tried to take different roles after 'King Of Kings' and advised me to do the same so as to not have that happen to myself.
GS: That's very good advice.
Sam: Did you feel that way after 'Sunset Boulevard'?
GS: I turned a lot of scripts down because I didn't want to play the same part over and over again.
DC: Let's talk about this new picture you have out.
Sam: It's called 'My Brother's Keeper'. I play a police detective and without giving too much of the plot away, I find out my brother, played by Timothy Bottoms, is into some sketchy goings-on.
DC: And I understand you've just shot another movie as well--
Sam: I just shot a small role in a film in New York City alongside Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli--
The audience starts clapping
Sam: And in the fall I will be starting work on another picture--
DC: Can you tell us anything about that?
Sam: All I can say as of now is that I will be playing a race car driver.
DC: Would you ever work with Hitchcock or shoot more films in England again?
Sam: I wouldn't rule out working in England or Europe again. I just seem to be getting a lot of projects that don't call for location shoots.
GS: I rather enjoyed your performances in 'The Pale Horse' and 'Mary Rose'. But, I suppose those types of films have fallen by the wayside. Which is a shame--
*********************************************************************************
[1] Scroll down to March 27, 1968, on this timeline of events from Dick Cavett's website. There is info on the incident with Jorgensen.
[2] OTL guest list here.
The Poseidon Adventure (20th Century Fox, December 12, 1972)
There's got to be a morning after
If we can hold on through the night
We have a chance to find the sunshine
Let's keep on looking for the light …
If we can hold on through the night
We have a chance to find the sunshine
Let's keep on looking for the light …
The Poseidon Adventure (20th Century Fox, December 12, 1972)
Directed by Ronald Neame
Produced by Irwin Allen
Screenplay by Stirling Silliphant & Wendell Mayes (Based on The Poseidon Adventure
by Paul Gallico)
Music by John Williams ('The Morning After' written by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn. Performed by Lynn Redgrave in the movie and by Maureen McGovern for the single version )
Cinematography by Harold E. Stine
CAST
Gene Hackman as the Reverend Frank Scott
Gene Wilder as James Martin [1]
Lois Nettleton as Linda Rogo
Lynn Redgrave as Nonnie Parry [2]
Shelley Winters as Belle Rosen
Jack Albertson as Manny Rosen
Rory Calhoun as Detective Lieutenant Mike Rogo
Roddy McDowall as Acres
Pamela Sue Martin as Susan Shelby
Arthur O'Connell as Chaplain John
Eric Shea as Robin Shelby
Leslie Nielsen as Captain Harrison
From a cassette tape belonging to the archive of Nolan Hendricks. This one is labelled 'Sam Westwood, 1990'
Nolan: What happened with 'The Poseidon Adventure'?
Sam: I was asked to read for the role of James Martin. Irwin Allen wanted Gene Wilder but he had schedule conflicts. Because I'd had some popular films, they brought me in to do a test with Lynn Redgrave. Allen decided he wanted to go with someone who was a little down on his luck when it came to romance.
Nolan: But you played down on your luck before--
Sam: They wanted someone who wasn't considered conventionally handsome. Red Buttons almost landed it and then Gene Wilder managed to get his schedule sorted out. Irwin Allen hung on to my test, though, and that was how I managed to wind up in the 'Towering Inferno' situation-- [3]
As IOTL, this film is a massive hit despite extremely mixed reviews and earning a reputation as a camp classic.
According to IMDB, Nettleton was cast due to her Oscar-nominated turn in The Grifters, while Calhoun had been going through a career resurgence as a character actor that was temporarily derailed by his previous film, the notorious schlock classic Night Of The Lepus.
Notes
[1] According to the AFI site, Wilder was cast IOTL but had to bow out, presumably to appear in Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex as Doctor Ross. The role of Ross would eventually go to Elliot Gould ITTL.
[2] Redgrave performed the theme to a spaghetti western, Don't Turn The Other Cheek the year before and did a pretty decent effort. Redgrave's version of 'The Morning After' is arranged exactly like the one in the link.
[3] Look, I like Red Buttons, but he always seemed wrong for the role of Nonnie's love interest.
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'
IIRC the first version of this had Burt Lancaster as the lead, Why did you change your mind?
It be interesting to see Rory Calhoun in the place of Ernest Borgnine.
Did Calhoun do as well as Borgnine in the Movie?
I like to see Calhoun have a better career in the 70's but not at the expense of Borgnine .
Does Borgnine still do the movie Emperor of the North? That was the first film I ever saw him in and he was so good as the villain in that film opposite Lee Marvin.
Borgnine's career will go as IOTL. I just wanted someone a little more appealing to star alongside Lois Nettleton.
Also, yes, I almost went with Burt Lancaster again but prefer Gene Hackman and thought he was the best thing about the film IOTL.
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List of 45th Academy Award Winners and Nominees
List of 45th Academy Award Winners and Nominees
As usual, the winners are bolded.
Best Picture
The Godfather
Cabaret
Deliverance
Silent Running [1]
Sounder
Best Director
Francis Ford Coppola – The Godfather
Bob Fosse – Cabaret
John Boorman – Deliverance
Douglas Trumbull- Silent Running
Robert Altman- Star-Spangled Girl
Best Actor
Donald Sutherland- Deliverance as Ed [2]
Marlon Brando– The Godfather as Vito Corleone
Laurence Olivier- Sleuth as Andrew Wyke
Bruce Dern- Silent Running as Freeman Lowell
Paul Winfield – Sounder as Nathan Lee Morgan
Best Actress
Cicely Tyson – Sounder as Rebecca Morgan [3]
Diana Ross – Lady Sings the Blues as Billie Holiday
Liza Minnelli- Cabaret as Sally Bowles
Goldie Hawn- Butterflies Are Free as Jill
Joanne Woodward- The Effect Of Gamma Rays On Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds as Beatrice Hunsdorfer
Best Supporting Actor
Al Pacino – The Godfather as Michael Corleone
Eddie Albert (Sr.) – The Heartbreak Kid as Mr Corcoran
James Caan – The Godfather as Santino "Sonny" Corleone
Gene Wilder- The Poseidon Adventure as James Martin
Joel Grey- Cabaret as The M.C.
Best Supporting Actress
Eileen Heckart – Butterflies Are Free as Mrs Baker
Jeannie Berlin – The Heartbreak Kid as Lila Kolodny
Geraldine Page – Pete 'n' Tillie as Gertrude Wilson
Susan Tyrrell– Fat City as Oma
Shelley Winters – The Poseidon Adventure as Belle Rosen
Best Original Screenplay
Silent Running- Deric Washburn, Michael Cimino and Steven Bochco
The Candidate – Jeremy Larner
Lady Sings the Blues – Chris Clark, Suzanne de Passe and Terence McCloy
Murmur of the Heart – Louis Malle
Young Winston – Carl Foreman
Best Adapted Screenplay
The Godfather – Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo from The Godfather by Puzo
Cabaret – Jay Presson Allen from Cabaret by Fred Ebb and John Kander
Star-Spangled Girl - Robert Altman from Star-Spangled Girl by Neil Simon
Pete 'n' Tillie – Julius J. Epstein from Witch's Milk by Peter De Vries
Sounder – Lonne Elder III from Sounder by William H. Armstrong
Best Song
"The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure – Joel Hirschhorn and Al Kasha
"Ben" from Ben – Don Black and Walter Scharf
"Come Follow, Follow Me" from The Little Ark – Fred Karlin and Marsha Karlin
"Marmalade, Molasses & Honey" from The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean – Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman and Maurice Jarre
"Carry Me" from Butterflies Are Free - Bob Alcivar and Randy McNeill
Best Original Score (Dramatic) Best Score (Adaptation and Original Song)
Limelight – Charlie Chaplin, Raymond Rasch and Larry Russell (see this link)
Sleuth- John Addison
Napoleon and Samantha – Buddy Baker
The Poseidon Adventure – John Williams
Best Score (Adaptation)
Cabaret – Adaptation: Ralph Burns
Lady Sings the Blues – Adaptation: Gil Askey
Man Of La Mancha - Adaptation: Laurence Rosenthal
Best Costume Design
Cabaret- Charlotte Flemming
Travels with My Aunt – Anthony Powell
The Godfather – Anna Hill Johnstone
Lady Sings the Blues – Ray Aghayan, Norma Koch and Bob Mackie
Young Winston – Anthony Mendleson
Best Sound Mixing
Silent Running- Charles Knight
Cabaret – David Hildyard and Robert Knudson
The Candidate – Gene Cantamessa and Richard Portman
The Godfather – Charles Grenzbach, Chris Newman and Richard Portman
The Poseidon Adventure – Herman Lewis and Theodore Soderberg
Best Art Direction
Cabaret – Art Direction: Jurgen Kiebach and Rolf Zehetbauer; Set Decoration: Herbert Strabel
Lady Sings the Blues – Art Direction: Carl Anderson; Set Decoration: Reg Allen
The Poseidon Adventure – Art Direction: William Creber; Set Decoration: Raphael Bretton
Travels with My Aunt – Art Direction: John Box, Robert W. Laing and Gil Parrondo
Young Winston – Art Direction: Donald M. Ashton, Geoffrey Drake, John Graysmark and William Hutchinson; Set Decoration: Peter James
Best Cinematography
Cabaret – Geoffrey Unsworth
1776 – Harry Stradling, Jr.
Butterflies Are Free – Charles Lang
The Poseidon Adventure – Harold E. Stine
Silent Running- Charles F. Wheeler
Best Film Editing
Silent Running- Aaron Stell
Cabaret – David Bretherton
The Godfather – William H. Reynolds and Peter Zinner
The Hot Rock – Fred W. Berger and Frank P. Keller
The Poseidon Adventure – Harold F. Kress
NOTES
[1] There is a whole piece on Silent Running that @Mr.E helped me with ages ago. It will eventually pop up in the spin-off.
[2] Early rumblings ITTL about Marlon Brando being "difficult" may have affected the votes. Regardless, Sacheen Littlefeather doesn't take the stage that night and footnote #3 happens instead.
[3] Cicely Tyson becomes the very first African American performer to win Best Actress to the shock of many who expected Liza Minnelli to win for Cabaret.
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Iowa, 1927 (Universal, February 1973)
From a YouTube clip of Sam Westwood on The Dick Cavett Show 7/18/1972. The other guests that night were Gloria Swanson, Marjoe Gortner, and Mo Aberman. Sam is the second guest on, after Swanson. Dick Cavett is asking Sam about Traffic Jam and the film he is there to promote his other 1972 film, My Brother's Keeper.
GS: I rather enjoyed your performances in 'The Pale Horse' and 'Mary Rose'. But, I suppose those types of films have fallen by the wayside. Which is a shame--
Sam looks up at Gloria Swanson and then at Dick Cavett
Sam: Dick, you forgot to mention the other film I just shot. They're still working on a title. It's based on a novel called Chautauqua. Ida Lupino directed it and Andrew L. Stone wrote the script.
DC: Is this the project that's been floating around Hollywood for a long time?
Sam: Yes. Andrew L. Stone got the rights and then did a major re-work on the script. He was unable to direct, so Ida Lupino took over. I had accepted the project while we were working on Traffic Jam.
GS: That title--
DC: Is a handful!
The audience laughs and Gloria shoots Cavett a playful look
GS: I was going to ask about the title. Is the film about the travelling Chautauqua shows in the 1920s?
Sam: Yes. I wasn't aware of the shows, so I did some research going in. I play the manager of the travelling company and we end up in a small town and...things happen.
GS: That sounds like a very interesting picture--
DC: Ida Lupino is one of the only actresses who has crossed over into directing--
Sam: I think more should. It seems ridiculous that they aren't being allowed to--
GS: I did have my own production company many years ago--
************************************************************************************************************
Iowa, 1927 (Universal, February 1973) [1]
Screenplay by Andrew L. Stone (Based on the novel Chautauqua by Day Keene and Dwight Vincent)
Directed by Ida Lupino
Cast
Sam Westwood as Walter Hale- The young, sometimes stubborn manager of a travelling Chautauqua company.
Jessica Walter as Anita Bix- A widowed mother in a small Iowa town working for the local pharmacist Harrison Wilby.
Ronny Cox as Will Taggart- A musical humorist and one of the performers in the Chautauqua troupe. He is also one of Walter's only friends. Will is based on performers like Charles Ross Taggart.
Erin Murphy as Carol Bix- Anita's daughter
Dabney Coleman as Harrison Wilby- The sleazy pharmacist who constantly harasses Anita, even threatening her job at times.
Marilyn Mason as Charlene- The troupe's story lady and girlfriend of Will Taggart. While Will and Walter are close, Walter and Charlene constantly argue.
Roberts Blossom as The Gambler
Plot
Radford Center, Iowa, 1927 {2}:
Notes From IMDB
Iowa, 1927 had been in development Hell since at least 1960, the year the source novel was released.
The script was heavily rewritten once Andrew L. Stone took over the project. Stone had intended to direct, but had to bow out and was replaced by Ida Lupino.
Andrew L. Stone was concerned about working on another musical comedy after the flop he had with 1969's How Now, Dow Jones? so he re-wrote the script that had been circulating to play up the darker dramatic content albeit with a happy ending.
Sam Westwood was Stone's first choice to play Walter Hale.
Ida Lupino's first time working with Sam Westwood. The second would be in front of the camera in The Reincarnation Of Peter Proud (1976).
*****************************************************************************************************************
From a cassette tape belonging to the archive of Nolan Hendricks. This one is labelled 'Sam Westwood, 1990'
Sam: It wasn't a flop, but it wasn't a hit either. The reviews were decent enough and it led to Ida directing 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' and Jesica Walter, of course, did 'Network'.
Nolan: How did you get attached to the project? From what I gather, it had been floating around for a really long time.
Sam: Well, somehow Andrew L. Stone acquired the rights. There was a script, but he reworked it, took a bunch of characters out and wrote a character in for a folk or country musician to play--
Nolan: Which wound up being Ronny Cox--
Sam: Yeah. When we started filming, 'Deliverance' hadn't been released yet and neither had 'Traffic Jam'. Ronny was hired on word of mouth and Stone was able to get it greenlit because his career had bounced back. I really liked working with that entire cast, but Ronny was a lot of fun. He tried teaching me how to play the banjo but I wasn't very good at it. [2]
(Sam chuckles)
Nolan: But you do have a banjo in your living room--
Sam: That was a gift from Ronny when the film wrapped. He told me to keep practising, There's still time, I suppose.
Nolan: Can I ask about the title?
Sam: It was impossible to find a decent title no matter how good the picture was. I think that was the issue. Nobody is gonna go see a film called 'Chautauqua' but 'Iowa, 1927' didn't sound appealing either. Ida used to joke that the producers spent all night trying to come up with a title--
Both men chuckle
[1] There's a bunch of info about the OTL film here.
[2] This checks out. According to AFI Catalog, Deliverance was shot mid-May--late Aug 1971 in Clayton, GA. Sam's film was shot between January-April, 1972.
GS: I rather enjoyed your performances in 'The Pale Horse' and 'Mary Rose'. But, I suppose those types of films have fallen by the wayside. Which is a shame--
Sam looks up at Gloria Swanson and then at Dick Cavett
Sam: Dick, you forgot to mention the other film I just shot. They're still working on a title. It's based on a novel called Chautauqua. Ida Lupino directed it and Andrew L. Stone wrote the script.
DC: Is this the project that's been floating around Hollywood for a long time?
Sam: Yes. Andrew L. Stone got the rights and then did a major re-work on the script. He was unable to direct, so Ida Lupino took over. I had accepted the project while we were working on Traffic Jam.
GS: That title--
DC: Is a handful!
The audience laughs and Gloria shoots Cavett a playful look
GS: I was going to ask about the title. Is the film about the travelling Chautauqua shows in the 1920s?
Sam: Yes. I wasn't aware of the shows, so I did some research going in. I play the manager of the travelling company and we end up in a small town and...things happen.
GS: That sounds like a very interesting picture--
DC: Ida Lupino is one of the only actresses who has crossed over into directing--
Sam: I think more should. It seems ridiculous that they aren't being allowed to--
GS: I did have my own production company many years ago--
************************************************************************************************************
Iowa, 1927 (Universal, February 1973) [1]
Screenplay by Andrew L. Stone (Based on the novel Chautauqua by Day Keene and Dwight Vincent)
Directed by Ida Lupino
Cast
Sam Westwood as Walter Hale- The young, sometimes stubborn manager of a travelling Chautauqua company.
Jessica Walter as Anita Bix- A widowed mother in a small Iowa town working for the local pharmacist Harrison Wilby.
Ronny Cox as Will Taggart- A musical humorist and one of the performers in the Chautauqua troupe. He is also one of Walter's only friends. Will is based on performers like Charles Ross Taggart.
Erin Murphy as Carol Bix- Anita's daughter
Dabney Coleman as Harrison Wilby- The sleazy pharmacist who constantly harasses Anita, even threatening her job at times.
Marilyn Mason as Charlene- The troupe's story lady and girlfriend of Will Taggart. While Will and Walter are close, Walter and Charlene constantly argue.
Roberts Blossom as The Gambler
Plot
Radford Center, Iowa, 1927 {2}:
A travelling Chautauqua company arrives in town. The troupe has been dealing with internal squabbles. The new manager, Walter Hale (Westwood), is trying to prevent Charlene (Mason), the troupe's "Story Lady" from recruiting the performers to form a union. One of the few members of the troupe Walter does get on well with is Will Taggart (Cox), a musical humorist who also happens to be Charlene's boyfriend.
Walter steps out to make a purchase for the group at Wilby's drug store. He briefly meets Anita Bix, who works for the sleazy Wilby and asks her out on a date the following evening, to which she obliges. Walter's date with Anita goes well and she introduces him to her daughter Carol (Murphy).
Anita and Carol attend a performance of the Chautauqua show the following evening. Despite Walter's relationship with Charlene becoming increasingly contentious, Carol takes a liking to her, even enjoying her stories.
The next evening, after the pharmacy has locked up, Wilby begins to make unwanted advances towards Anita who reacts by murdering him in self-defence.
After Wilby's body is found, the town becomes caught up in a scandal. A shady gambler is arrested, but Walter suspects that the real killer is Anita based on his interactions with her the night of the murder when he tried to surprise her in front of Wilby's drug store.
Walter eventually gets Anita to confess during a Chautauqua performance, where she makes public the sexual harassment that Wilby directed at her. Anita's self-defence plea frees the wrongly jailed man, but Charlene accuses Walter of using the crime to financially enrich the Chautauqua.
Walter talks to Anita and she forgives him. Anita and Carol decide to leave Raford Center and accept Walter's offer to join him and the travelling company. Walter patches things up with Charlene and the rest of the troupe in time for her wedding to Will and the film ends with the performers moving onto a new town.
Walter steps out to make a purchase for the group at Wilby's drug store. He briefly meets Anita Bix, who works for the sleazy Wilby and asks her out on a date the following evening, to which she obliges. Walter's date with Anita goes well and she introduces him to her daughter Carol (Murphy).
Anita and Carol attend a performance of the Chautauqua show the following evening. Despite Walter's relationship with Charlene becoming increasingly contentious, Carol takes a liking to her, even enjoying her stories.
The next evening, after the pharmacy has locked up, Wilby begins to make unwanted advances towards Anita who reacts by murdering him in self-defence.
After Wilby's body is found, the town becomes caught up in a scandal. A shady gambler is arrested, but Walter suspects that the real killer is Anita based on his interactions with her the night of the murder when he tried to surprise her in front of Wilby's drug store.
Walter eventually gets Anita to confess during a Chautauqua performance, where she makes public the sexual harassment that Wilby directed at her. Anita's self-defence plea frees the wrongly jailed man, but Charlene accuses Walter of using the crime to financially enrich the Chautauqua.
Walter talks to Anita and she forgives him. Anita and Carol decide to leave Raford Center and accept Walter's offer to join him and the travelling company. Walter patches things up with Charlene and the rest of the troupe in time for her wedding to Will and the film ends with the performers moving onto a new town.
Notes From IMDB
Iowa, 1927 had been in development Hell since at least 1960, the year the source novel was released.
The script was heavily rewritten once Andrew L. Stone took over the project. Stone had intended to direct, but had to bow out and was replaced by Ida Lupino.
Andrew L. Stone was concerned about working on another musical comedy after the flop he had with 1969's How Now, Dow Jones? so he re-wrote the script that had been circulating to play up the darker dramatic content albeit with a happy ending.
Sam Westwood was Stone's first choice to play Walter Hale.
Ida Lupino's first time working with Sam Westwood. The second would be in front of the camera in The Reincarnation Of Peter Proud (1976).
*****************************************************************************************************************
From a cassette tape belonging to the archive of Nolan Hendricks. This one is labelled 'Sam Westwood, 1990'
Sam: It wasn't a flop, but it wasn't a hit either. The reviews were decent enough and it led to Ida directing 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' and Jesica Walter, of course, did 'Network'.
Nolan: How did you get attached to the project? From what I gather, it had been floating around for a really long time.
Sam: Well, somehow Andrew L. Stone acquired the rights. There was a script, but he reworked it, took a bunch of characters out and wrote a character in for a folk or country musician to play--
Nolan: Which wound up being Ronny Cox--
Sam: Yeah. When we started filming, 'Deliverance' hadn't been released yet and neither had 'Traffic Jam'. Ronny was hired on word of mouth and Stone was able to get it greenlit because his career had bounced back. I really liked working with that entire cast, but Ronny was a lot of fun. He tried teaching me how to play the banjo but I wasn't very good at it. [2]
(Sam chuckles)
Nolan: But you do have a banjo in your living room--
Sam: That was a gift from Ronny when the film wrapped. He told me to keep practising, There's still time, I suppose.
Nolan: Can I ask about the title?
Sam: It was impossible to find a decent title no matter how good the picture was. I think that was the issue. Nobody is gonna go see a film called 'Chautauqua' but 'Iowa, 1927' didn't sound appealing either. Ida used to joke that the producers spent all night trying to come up with a title--
Both men chuckle
[1] There's a bunch of info about the OTL film here.
[2] This checks out. According to AFI Catalog, Deliverance was shot mid-May--late Aug 1971 in Clayton, GA. Sam's film was shot between January-April, 1972.
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"Nolan" was a little tired and called poor Ronny Cox 'Wally Cox'. He apologizes for the error. 
Nice to see Ida Lupino is still directing in this timeline.
OTL she was doing TV in the 60's and quit by the 1970's.
She directed one of my favorite thrillers :The Hitch Hiker , back in 1953. I read that she was always upset that she was not allow to do more thrillers.
Hope you let her do some in this time line.
Maybe she could do some of the Ripley Novels?
Nice to see Stone still working. Also want to see him do more.
It be nice if he could get a few big hits.
Maybe the adaption of "The Kidnapping of the President" or "The Zero Factor" or even "The Fifth Horsemen "
Only the first was adapted into film in our Timeline. All Three were books that had on their covers "Soon to be a Major Motion Picture"
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Hey everyone!
There will be a whole batch of posts coming up over the course of the next two weeks. The polls are up as well, don't forget to vote for Sam!
There will be a whole batch of posts coming up over the course of the next two weeks. The polls are up as well, don't forget to vote for Sam!
Live And Let Die (United Artists, June 27th, 1973)
What did it matter to ya
When you got a job to do you got to do it well
You got to give the other fella hell
"Edward, by this point, was becoming erratic, so they brought me in to help him pen the script and he was initially hostile and would give me a rough time. I wanted to add a redneck sheriff in for comic relief and we fought over that--"
-Tom Mankiewicz in a 1993 interview with 007 Magazine
Live And Let Die (United Artists, June 27th, 1973)
Directed by Guy Hamilton
Screenplay by Edward O'Malley and Tom Mankiewicz (Based on the novel by Ian Fleming)
Music by George Martin ('Live And Let Die' and 'Hi Hi Hi' performed by Paul McCartney & Wings courtesy of Apple Records. 'Live And Let Die' also performed by B.J. Arnau courtesy of RCA Records)
Produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman
Cast
Roger Moore as James Bond 007
James Earl Jones as Dr Kananga and Mr Big. A corrupt Caribbean Prime Minister who doubles as a drug lord
Twiggy as Solitaire
Yaphet Kotto as Felix Leiter
Julius Harris as Tee Hee Johnson: Kananga's henchman who has a pincer for a hand
Gloria Hendry as Rosie Carver
Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi
Bernard Lee as M
Roy Stewart as Quarrel Jr.
Earl Jolly Brown as Whisper
Tommy Lane as Adam, one of Kanaga's henchmen
B.J. Arnau as Singer at Fillet of Soul
Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny
Plot
Opening credits sequence
Three MI6 agents are killed under mysterious circumstances within 24 hours of each other in the United Nations, New Orleans and a Caribbean nation, San Monique, while monitoring the operations of the island's dictator Dr Kananga.
Cut To the main titles
Notes From IMDB (PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY!)
Future Bond girl Jane Seymour (The Man With The Golden Gun) was nearly cast as Solitare before Broccoli and Salzman decided on Twiggy.
Roger Ebert:
"Moore is in top form as 007 here. Twiggy shows that her debut performance in The Boyfriend was no fluke, and the score, including songs by Paul McCartney, adds to the fun. James Earl Jones is also superb as the villain".
From Forgotten Films, Volume 2: The New Hollywood Era by Nolan Hendricks (2001)
Twiggy shot her next film, the Richard Quine directed thriller W (1974) in California from April-mid-June 1973. The schedule allowed for Twiggy to promote for her second film, the James Bond classic Live And Let Die. Appearing alongside Twiggy in W were future husband Michael Witney, as well as Sam Westwood as Twiggy's psychotic ex-husband--"
From a cassette tape belonging to the archive of Nolan Hendricks. This one is labelled 'Sam Westwood, 1990'
Nolan: What made you accept 'W'?
Sam: The chance to do a movie with Twiggy. I had done that photoshoot with her years earlier and we got on great. Her first two pictures were big hits, and I loved the idea of playing the bad guy.
'W' was released right after I was let go from 'Dune' and 'Inferno'. I was barely able to take part in promotion because of doctors orders, but it was being sold as a vehicle for Twiggy anyway. That said, the film wasn't a hit, and some of the reviews were bad. I'd still take 1974 over 1983 any day of the week, though.
[1] IOTL this was an insanely long sequence that bogged the film down and introduced the unbearable Sherriff Pepper, who as mentioned, is absent from the film ITTL.
[2] We don't get that awful inflation death scene ITTL either.
When you got a job to do you got to do it well
You got to give the other fella hell
"Edward, by this point, was becoming erratic, so they brought me in to help him pen the script and he was initially hostile and would give me a rough time. I wanted to add a redneck sheriff in for comic relief and we fought over that--"
-Tom Mankiewicz in a 1993 interview with 007 Magazine
Live And Let Die (United Artists, June 27th, 1973)
Directed by Guy Hamilton
Screenplay by Edward O'Malley and Tom Mankiewicz (Based on the novel by Ian Fleming)
Music by George Martin ('Live And Let Die' and 'Hi Hi Hi' performed by Paul McCartney & Wings courtesy of Apple Records. 'Live And Let Die' also performed by B.J. Arnau courtesy of RCA Records)
Produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman
Cast
Roger Moore as James Bond 007
James Earl Jones as Dr Kananga and Mr Big. A corrupt Caribbean Prime Minister who doubles as a drug lord
Twiggy as Solitaire
Yaphet Kotto as Felix Leiter
Julius Harris as Tee Hee Johnson: Kananga's henchman who has a pincer for a hand
Gloria Hendry as Rosie Carver
Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi
Bernard Lee as M
Roy Stewart as Quarrel Jr.
Earl Jolly Brown as Whisper
Tommy Lane as Adam, one of Kanaga's henchmen
B.J. Arnau as Singer at Fillet of Soul
Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny
Plot
Opening credits sequence
Three MI6 agents are killed under mysterious circumstances within 24 hours of each other in the United Nations, New Orleans and a Caribbean nation, San Monique, while monitoring the operations of the island's dictator Dr Kananga.
Cut To the main titles
James Bond arrives in New York City to investigate the first murder. Kananga is also in New York, visiting the United Nations and representing San Monique. Just after Bond arrives, his driver is shot dead by Whisper, one of Kananga's men, while taking Bond to meet Felix Leiter of the CIA. Bond is nearly killed in the ensuing car crash.
A trace on the killer's licence plate eventually leads Bond to Mr Big, a ruthless gangster who runs a chain of Fillet of Soul restaurants throughout the United States. Bond meets up with his counterpart in the CIA, Felix Leiter. The pair go to a Fillet of Soul restaurant in Harlem but are captured. Bond is interrogated by Mr Big, who uses his fortune-telling employee, Solitaire, to determine if Bond is telling the truth. Solitaire lies to Mr Big, supporting Bond's cover story. Mr Big decides to release Bond and Leiter, sympathetic because of a shared appreciation of jazz.
In San Monique, Bond meets Rosie Carver, a CIA double agent. They meet up with a friend of Bond's, Quarrel Jr., who takes them by boat near Solitaire's home. Bond suspects Rosie of working for Kananga. She is shot dead, remotely, by Kananga, to stop her confessing the truth to Bond. Inside Solitaire's house, Bond uses a stacked tarot deck of cards, that show only "The Lovers", to trick her into thinking that seduction is in her future, and then seduces her. Solitaire loses her ability to foretell the future when she loses her virginity to Bond and decides to co-operate with Bond as she has feelings for him and has grown tired of being controlled by Kananga.
Bond and Solitaire escape by boat and fly to New Orleans. There, Bond is captured by Kananga. It transpires that Kananga is producing two tons of heroin and is protecting the poppy fields by exploiting San Monique locals' fear of voodoo priest Baron Samedi, and the occult. Through his alter ego, Mr Big, Kananga plans to distribute the heroin free of charge at his Fillet of Soul restaurants, which will increase the number of addicts. Bond escapes by pretending to be a flight instructor to an older lady. Felix Leiter later chides Bond for this.
When Kananga finds out that Bond slept with Solitaire, he turns her over to Baron Samedi to be sacrificed. He is angry because her ability to read tarot cards is gone, and he wanted to be the one to take her powers away. Meanwhile, Kananga's one-armed henchman, Tee Hee Johnson, leaves Bond to be eaten by alligators at a farm in the Louisiana backwoods. Bond escapes by running along the animals' backs to safety. He sets a drug lab on fire and steals a speedboat. A chase scene set to 'Hi Hi Hi' by Wings accompanies Bond being chased by Kanaga's men. [3]
Back in San Monique, Bond has set timed explosives throughout the poppy fields. He rescues Solitaire from the voodoo sacrifice and throws Samedi into a coffin of poisonous snakes. Bond and Solitaire escape below ground into Kananga's lair. Kananga captures them both and proceeds to lower them into a shark tank. Bond escapes and as in You Only Live Twice (1969), tosses Kananga into the shark tank where he meets his demise. [4]
After the job is done, Leiter puts Bond and Solitaire onto a train and out of the country. Tee Hee Johnson follows Bond and Solitaire onto the train and tries to kill Bond, but loses his prosthetic arm in a fight with him and is flung out of the window. As the film ends, a laughing Samedi is revealed to be perched on the front of the speeding train.
End
A trace on the killer's licence plate eventually leads Bond to Mr Big, a ruthless gangster who runs a chain of Fillet of Soul restaurants throughout the United States. Bond meets up with his counterpart in the CIA, Felix Leiter. The pair go to a Fillet of Soul restaurant in Harlem but are captured. Bond is interrogated by Mr Big, who uses his fortune-telling employee, Solitaire, to determine if Bond is telling the truth. Solitaire lies to Mr Big, supporting Bond's cover story. Mr Big decides to release Bond and Leiter, sympathetic because of a shared appreciation of jazz.
In San Monique, Bond meets Rosie Carver, a CIA double agent. They meet up with a friend of Bond's, Quarrel Jr., who takes them by boat near Solitaire's home. Bond suspects Rosie of working for Kananga. She is shot dead, remotely, by Kananga, to stop her confessing the truth to Bond. Inside Solitaire's house, Bond uses a stacked tarot deck of cards, that show only "The Lovers", to trick her into thinking that seduction is in her future, and then seduces her. Solitaire loses her ability to foretell the future when she loses her virginity to Bond and decides to co-operate with Bond as she has feelings for him and has grown tired of being controlled by Kananga.
Bond and Solitaire escape by boat and fly to New Orleans. There, Bond is captured by Kananga. It transpires that Kananga is producing two tons of heroin and is protecting the poppy fields by exploiting San Monique locals' fear of voodoo priest Baron Samedi, and the occult. Through his alter ego, Mr Big, Kananga plans to distribute the heroin free of charge at his Fillet of Soul restaurants, which will increase the number of addicts. Bond escapes by pretending to be a flight instructor to an older lady. Felix Leiter later chides Bond for this.
When Kananga finds out that Bond slept with Solitaire, he turns her over to Baron Samedi to be sacrificed. He is angry because her ability to read tarot cards is gone, and he wanted to be the one to take her powers away. Meanwhile, Kananga's one-armed henchman, Tee Hee Johnson, leaves Bond to be eaten by alligators at a farm in the Louisiana backwoods. Bond escapes by running along the animals' backs to safety. He sets a drug lab on fire and steals a speedboat. A chase scene set to 'Hi Hi Hi' by Wings accompanies Bond being chased by Kanaga's men. [3]
Back in San Monique, Bond has set timed explosives throughout the poppy fields. He rescues Solitaire from the voodoo sacrifice and throws Samedi into a coffin of poisonous snakes. Bond and Solitaire escape below ground into Kananga's lair. Kananga captures them both and proceeds to lower them into a shark tank. Bond escapes and as in You Only Live Twice (1969), tosses Kananga into the shark tank where he meets his demise. [4]
After the job is done, Leiter puts Bond and Solitaire onto a train and out of the country. Tee Hee Johnson follows Bond and Solitaire onto the train and tries to kill Bond, but loses his prosthetic arm in a fight with him and is flung out of the window. As the film ends, a laughing Samedi is revealed to be perched on the front of the speeding train.
End
Notes From IMDB (PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY!)
Future Bond girl Jane Seymour (The Man With The Golden Gun) was nearly cast as Solitare before Broccoli and Salzman decided on Twiggy.
Roger Ebert:
"Moore is in top form as 007 here. Twiggy shows that her debut performance in The Boyfriend was no fluke, and the score, including songs by Paul McCartney, adds to the fun. James Earl Jones is also superb as the villain".
From Forgotten Films, Volume 2: The New Hollywood Era by Nolan Hendricks (2001)
Twiggy shot her next film, the Richard Quine directed thriller W (1974) in California from April-mid-June 1973. The schedule allowed for Twiggy to promote for her second film, the James Bond classic Live And Let Die. Appearing alongside Twiggy in W were future husband Michael Witney, as well as Sam Westwood as Twiggy's psychotic ex-husband--"
From a cassette tape belonging to the archive of Nolan Hendricks. This one is labelled 'Sam Westwood, 1990'
Nolan: What made you accept 'W'?
Sam: The chance to do a movie with Twiggy. I had done that photoshoot with her years earlier and we got on great. Her first two pictures were big hits, and I loved the idea of playing the bad guy.
'W' was released right after I was let go from 'Dune' and 'Inferno'. I was barely able to take part in promotion because of doctors orders, but it was being sold as a vehicle for Twiggy anyway. That said, the film wasn't a hit, and some of the reviews were bad. I'd still take 1974 over 1983 any day of the week, though.
[1] IOTL this was an insanely long sequence that bogged the film down and introduced the unbearable Sherriff Pepper, who as mentioned, is absent from the film ITTL.
[2] We don't get that awful inflation death scene ITTL either.
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Interesting casting with Jones. He be great.
But Yaphet Kotto was the best thing in "Live and Let Die" in the OTL.
And David Hedison was my favorite Felix in any of the James Bond movies till Jeffery Wright in Casino Royale.
Glad to see no Sheriff Pepper. I could not stand him even when I first saw him in the late 70's.
And I can not believe that they brought him back in "Man with the Golden Gun".
And i glad that there no inflation death. That was the most silly death in any of the bond films.
1973 In Film
From Forgotten Films, Volume 2: The New Hollywood Era by Nolan Hendricks (2001)
"Last Tango In Paris was a highly controversial French art-house film from director Bernardo Bertolucci starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Sylvia Kristel. United Artists rejected this film due to the amount of sexual content. Last Tango was picked up by AIP's International Classics subsidiary in an effort to reach an art-house crowd, though it was equally at home in grindhouse cinemas. Though mostly remembered today for the ensuing moral panic it caused in North America, the film jump-started Kristel's career in films such as Emmaunel (1974)".
"One of Sutherland's first released star vehicles following his Oscar win was Lady Ice opposite Susan George and Robert Duvall--" [1]
The Hollywood Reporter (May 11th, 1973)
Bruce Lee survived a cerebral edema yesterday while at an ADR session for Enter The Dragon at Golden Harvest studios in Hong Kong. The actor is on bed rest--" [SEE LINK]
The Hollywood Reporter May 18, 1973
"Production has once again been halted on Bruce Lee's next film, Game Of Death. The film had been shooting last year when filming was cut short to allow Lee to star in the upcoming Enter The Dragon, for Warner Brothers, the first Hollywood studio to produce a kung fu picture--"
From the Biography episode "Bruce Lee" (1995)
"It was a secret at the time, but Lee had left Hong Kong for health reasons. Several months prior, the actor had an operation performed to remove the sweat glands from his armpits. On May 10th, 1973 while at an ADR session for Enter The Dragon, Lee collapsed. The air conditioner in the tiny dubbing facility had been turned off, which was believed to have caused the incident--"
"It was uncertain if Lee would be able to resume filming Game Of Death in Hong Kong or whether he would have to resort to filming in cooler climates--" [2]
Hollywood Reporter June 28th, 1973:
"FILM PRODUCER ARTHUR P. JACOBS RUSHED TO HOSPITAL"
Hollywood Reporter, June 29th, 1973:
"Film Producer Arthur P. Jacobs is headed for a speedy recovery--"
Variety, September 1973:
"Arthur P. Jacobs APJAC Productions is to proceed with an adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel Dune. The producer is in talks with Paramount to release the picture which is said to be budgeted at $7 million--"
Variety, October 1973:
"Douglas Trumbull (Silent Running) has signed on to direct Arthur P. Jacobs production of the Frank Herbert novel Dune. The film, with a screenplay by Rospo Pallenberg, will start production at the beginning of 1974--"
[3]
[1] Jennifer O'Neill was chosen over Susan George IOTL.
[2] Bruce Lee is alive, but rumour has it there was a lot of ice on his film sets ITTL.
[3] Pallenberg, mostly known IOTL for the screenplay to Exorcist II: The Heretic also penned an unfilmed Dune screenplay. [SEE LINK]
"Last Tango In Paris was a highly controversial French art-house film from director Bernardo Bertolucci starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Sylvia Kristel. United Artists rejected this film due to the amount of sexual content. Last Tango was picked up by AIP's International Classics subsidiary in an effort to reach an art-house crowd, though it was equally at home in grindhouse cinemas. Though mostly remembered today for the ensuing moral panic it caused in North America, the film jump-started Kristel's career in films such as Emmaunel (1974)".
"One of Sutherland's first released star vehicles following his Oscar win was Lady Ice opposite Susan George and Robert Duvall--" [1]
The Hollywood Reporter (May 11th, 1973)
Bruce Lee survived a cerebral edema yesterday while at an ADR session for Enter The Dragon at Golden Harvest studios in Hong Kong. The actor is on bed rest--" [SEE LINK]
The Hollywood Reporter May 18, 1973
"Production has once again been halted on Bruce Lee's next film, Game Of Death. The film had been shooting last year when filming was cut short to allow Lee to star in the upcoming Enter The Dragon, for Warner Brothers, the first Hollywood studio to produce a kung fu picture--"
From the Biography episode "Bruce Lee" (1995)
"It was a secret at the time, but Lee had left Hong Kong for health reasons. Several months prior, the actor had an operation performed to remove the sweat glands from his armpits. On May 10th, 1973 while at an ADR session for Enter The Dragon, Lee collapsed. The air conditioner in the tiny dubbing facility had been turned off, which was believed to have caused the incident--"
"It was uncertain if Lee would be able to resume filming Game Of Death in Hong Kong or whether he would have to resort to filming in cooler climates--" [2]
Hollywood Reporter June 28th, 1973:
"FILM PRODUCER ARTHUR P. JACOBS RUSHED TO HOSPITAL"
Hollywood Reporter, June 29th, 1973:
"Film Producer Arthur P. Jacobs is headed for a speedy recovery--"
Variety, September 1973:
"Arthur P. Jacobs APJAC Productions is to proceed with an adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel Dune. The producer is in talks with Paramount to release the picture which is said to be budgeted at $7 million--"
Variety, October 1973:
"Douglas Trumbull (Silent Running) has signed on to direct Arthur P. Jacobs production of the Frank Herbert novel Dune. The film, with a screenplay by Rospo Pallenberg, will start production at the beginning of 1974--"
[3]
[1] Jennifer O'Neill was chosen over Susan George IOTL.
[2] Bruce Lee is alive, but rumour has it there was a lot of ice on his film sets ITTL.
[3] Pallenberg, mostly known IOTL for the screenplay to Exorcist II: The Heretic also penned an unfilmed Dune screenplay. [SEE LINK]
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Did Bruce Lee really have his sweat Glands removed? Seem a dumb thing to do.
Look forward to more on Jacobs Dune.
Look forward to more on Jacobs Dune.
Sam promotes The Last American Hero (1973) and later discusses the film.
Like the pine trees linin' the windin' road
I've got a name, I've got a name
Like the singin' bird and the croakin' toad
I've got a name, I've got a name...
Sam Westwood's second appearance on What's My Line? (1973)
By the time the syndicated version of What's My Line started in 1968, the famous chalkboard was discarded and gameplay was different. Regular panellists Arlene Francis and Soupy Sales are joined by Natalie Wood and M*A*S*H* star Alan Alda.
Larry Blyden: Once again we have reached that very special part of "What's My Line?" where we bring out our mystery guest. Everybody make sure your blindfolds are in place!
Mystery guest, will you enter and sign in, please?
A man comes out on to the set and takes his place next to Blyden. As the caption says, he's none other than Sam Westwood!
There is some cheering and even a few whistles thrown in Sam's direction. As this predates Sam becoming fluent in Japanese, he uses a fake French accent.
Blyden: Alright panel, we will go one question at a time. You have three minutes and we will start with Arlene Francis. [SEE LINK]
AF: Are you an actor?
Sam: Oui
Blyden: Soupy, it's your turn.
SS: From some of the whistles I'm going to guess that you're a bit of a sex symbol--
The audience laughs. Sam is trying to contain himself. Unsure of how to answer, he looks over at Lary Blyden.
Sam: Oui and No!
Blyden: Our mystery guest is considered to be a good looking leading man, but he prefers to take roles that challenge him.
Natalie, it's your turn.
NW: Have you appeared in Hollywood pictures?
Sam: Oui
Blyden: Alan?
AA: Are you in movies that would currently be playing in theatres, or are you an old-time star?
Because Sam is still in his 20's at this time, sections of the audience laugh at the last half of the question
AA: I guess that's a no
The panel laughs too.
Sam: Oui and No!
Blyden: Arlene?
AF: Are you a big star in France?
Unsure how to answer, Sam looks over at Larry Blyden
Blyden: While our mystery guest has made films abroad, he tends to make a large number of Hollywood films.
Blyden: Soupy?
SS: Do you have a film currently playing in New York City?
Sam: Oui
Blyden: Natalie?
NW: I'm going to guess. Are you Warren Beatty?
Sam slips and uses his real voice
Sam: I wish!
Audience and panel laugh. Sam cringes at having almost blown his cover in more ways than one. The blindfolded panel appears to still be very confused. Natalie Wood thought she had this in the bag by guessing her former costar Warren Beatty.
Blyden: Alan?
AA: You sound....familiar. Have you...been nominated for an Oscar?
Sam: Oui
Blyden: Arlene?
AF: You said you had a film currently playing in New York City. Is it a dramatic film?
Sam: Oui
Blyden: Natalie?
NW: Are you playing opposite a blonde actress who I worked with on 'Diamonds Are Forever'? Is this Sam Westwood?
Sam: Oui!
The panel takes their blindfolds off. Sam is smiling
Blyden: Everybody meet our mystery guest Sam Westwood!--
And I carry it with me like my daddy did
But I'm living the dream that he kept hid
Movin' me down the highway, rollin' me down the highway
Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by
But I'm living the dream that he kept hid
Movin' me down the highway, rollin' me down the highway
Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by
From a cassette tape belonging to the archive of Nolan Hendricks. This one is labelled 'Sam Westwood, 1990'
Sam: My dad worked on cars. It was never my thing. I just wanted a vehicle that ran. (laughs)
Anyway, he wanted to race stock cars, I was really little, and my mother refused to let him do it. She was scared he'd get into an accident. When I shot the movie, he was thrilled because he got to live vicariously through me. My mom, on the other hand, was horrified. I had to call home on a regular basis shooting that one, even after reassuring her that Phil, my stuntman was going to be present for a lot of it. At the time, I thought it was silly and then a few years later, after she had passed, I missed little things like that. Just the chance to, you know, call her.
The tape stops for a moment and resumes with Nolan asking Sam about racing
Sam: No, it was just a role. Paul Newman did take a little time to help me prepare for it and got me in touch with some people I could train with. But as far as actually wanting to race cars later, no.
Because I was playing a race car driver, my publicist at the time, got the idea to "butch me up" in the press. The fact that I got great reviews and even won a Golden Globe for playing Junior wasn't enough. They felt this need to make me palatable to racing fans. I was getting annoyed that I couldn't just believably play a character and have that be enough.
There were also these rumours that Valerie Perrine and I had a thing. I just let people print it. Harris and I were together by the time the film came out, although Valerie did become one of our closest friends.
Nolan: I'll have to admit, I was excited when you invited me to a party and she showed up.
Sam: I was impressed with how you carry yourself, by the way. You aren't like...tripping people over for autographs.
Both men laugh
Sam: You realize that we are just normal people who happen to have a very public job. And I mean, autographs are part of said job, but I think of you as a family member and wouldn't want any family acting that way. (chuckles)
Nolan: I wanted to write about films before I even knew Harris was my biological father--
Like the fool I am and I'll always be
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
They can change their minds but they can't change me
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
Oh, I know I could share it if you want me to
If you're goin' my way, I'll go with you--
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
They can change their minds but they can't change me
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
Oh, I know I could share it if you want me to
If you're goin' my way, I'll go with you--
The Last American Hero (20th Century Fox, July 27th, 1973).
Directed by Lamont Johnson. Starring Sam Westwood as Junior Jackson and Valerie Perrine as Marge. "I Got A Name" performed by Jim Croce. [1]
The film was a critical and box office success and won Westwood a Golden Globe for Best Actor- Motion Picture Drama.
[1] As IOTL "I Got A Name" from the soundtrack was a posthumous hit for Croce. As the saying goes, this isn't a utopia. Also, Jeff Bridges will still have a great film career. Don't panic.
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