8 Burst results for "Arthur Penn"
Based On a True Story
"arthur penn" Discussed on Based On a True Story
"The movie doesn't really mention this, but I was always under the impression that it was Custer's wife who kind of helped secure his legacy after death. What you're saying here almost sounds like there may have been some other parts of it too, as far as military is concerned. She will write three books. About their life together in the west. And in those books, he is the 19th century American of a knight errant. He's good, gallant brave. His motives are always the purest he's considerate and loving husband and all things and just being in his presence is a pleasure. I mean, you get some glimpses of Victorian sexuality, you should comment about narrow waists and broad shoulders and things like that. So she begged by, which comes across in their private correspondence. They had a pretty healthy sex life. But yeah, Libby will become his press agent. And so the custard you see and they die with their boots on. That her vision of George Johnston Custer. She also went after the two senior officers in the 7th cavalry, major Reno and captain venting claiming that they deliberately abandoned her husband that they was rescue. And the army will hold a court of inquiry. In which those officers will be found, will be clear. But it's interesting within a few years each one gets kicked out of the army on morals charges. Maybe Marino is accused of being a peeping Tom looking through the window at his colonel's daughter as she's getting dressed and bentin was accused of getting drunk and exposing himself to urinate outside of a slumber store. I get this sense that the army just waited until I was looking and then it kind of handled the situation. Yeah, especially what you're saying. I mean, granted a different scenario, but what you're saying earlier when Custer was a West Point, it's having a lot of things just kind of shoved under the rug. But then here it sounds like, okay, well now we could come up with excuses to get rid of some people almost the opposite. Yeah, well, you know, in institutions, whether someone's right or wrong, if having them around causes trouble, then you get rid of them, you know, a certain people are sacrificed for the institution's needs. The movie seems to make a point to mention a song called Gary Owen. Was that actually a song that the 7th cavalry performed like we see them doing the movie? Definitely Gary Allen was an Irish drinking song, originated in the 1780s. I think Gary Allen is a suburb of dubla. It's about, you know, just going out and getting drunk and beating people up and smashing windows, having instead of spa water or drink from ale and pay the rectangle on the now and but it was a rocking tune and it became popular with Wellington's British regiments during the Napoleonic Wars. And it pops up in the bandwidth. Of Union Army, regimental bands during the Civil War. So cost run dominantly hurt it during the Civil War. It's interesting during the Civil War, his favorites is fighting song was Yankee doodle. One of his officers wrote whatever our old brigade banned son of Yankee doodle every man's hand went to his saber because it was always a signal for a charge, but he picks a new one for the 7th cavalry. And when he won his first big Indian victory at the battle of the Washington attacking at dawn, he had the 7th counter regimental band with him. And the signal of the charge, the bugle blowing the charge, the band master was told sound Gary. And so they're playing Gary on this brass shipments. They didn't play that much of it because the band bands been saliva froze. But they kind of knocked notes out to get the attack going. And Arthur Penn in little big man will show a fife and drum there playing Gary Owen when Custer attacks. The Indians at the Washington. Today we are talking about a movie that was made in 1941, but if a movie about Custer was made today in 2022, what do you think some of the differences would be in how his life is portrayed? Well, you know, there would be greater consciousness regarding the Indian side of the story. In the early 1990s, the 1991 ABC did a two part mini series called son of the Morningstar, which was based on a bestselling book by Evan canal. And that movie attempted to, well, it's sympathetic to the image. It's sympathetic to the Indians. In fact, comes across kind of a surly kind of guy just driven by his ambition, just care a bit about his family is in love with his wife, et cetera, but he's not as attractive a character as the other being lead crazy horse, played by Rodney a grant. And I imagine that even today that if a film was made about the little bighorn or about Custer's life, Custer wouldn't fare as well as some Indian Indian figures. I would just do bad because there were two sides of the guy. There were people who were willing to go to their death. With him, and there were other people, again, the set of cavalry, but you read memoirs and diaries and letters about half the people serve under him love him and half hate him. And being able to try to capture that and find an actor who could show you both sides of a man who could inspire those diametrically opposed reactions. That would be a challenge for a scriptwriter, and that would be a challenge for an actor. Well, let's say that you were in charge of that. What would be one of the things that you would like to be one of the things that you would change about that? Well, as I said, I would try to see if we could if we could capture that seeming contradiction. Kind of thing. But also, you know, customers in Indian fighter. That's how he's cast, but he also fought for Indians. The Lakota one reason that they were powerful was because they were able to take land and resources from their neighbors. And the whites, whenever they went into battle, they had a large number of Indians fighting on their side. The tribes that had been vanquished by the 18th were fighting. I mean, they were able to constantly do a kind of divide and conquer. Strategy throughout the Indian wars. But when Custer goes into the very little he has 35 Indian scouts and their job is not just to say, look, there are other Indians that are fight. Most of them were arikara or rise as the whites called them and the others were crow. And it's interesting the land at which the battle a little bit more was fought. That was traditionally pro territory. In fact, today, that's the crow agency. They have these big customers like sand reenactments. Each year, and they bring in white cavalry and actors and they use local Indian talent. The local Indian talent, though, are the descendants of the Indians who on Custer's side. But in the reenactment they're playing the suit because it's good business. But. Trying to bring in that kind of subtlety that.
Filmspotting
"arthur penn" Discussed on Filmspotting
"Bell at dinner and at this point she's still terrified of him. Soi i sit back. East about hades label. Posey guest told you name kelly's external now. It's not exactly the proposal that i find romantic. But more his response to her frightened rejection of him. He's very gallantly accepts. Her no says goodbye just kind of backs out of the room but he does promise that he's going to be back and he's going to ask her again the next night at the same time at dinner. There's this romantic persistent to it. And i think that scene captures what haunts us about that movie. Dangerous eroticism that. It has the beast. Is this gentleman but also a threat. Yeah that's a fantastic pick for me. It's very funny. We approach this differently. Josh because i also just went with choices default right to me but it was only after i came up with my top five and then i had my honorable mentions to that. Were fighting for a top five slot that it occurred to me that i didn't really have any really romantic films like the films that i would think of as great romantic comedies especially maybe can share some of them as we get through our list here but i know that those his movies that should be great candidates for this list but somehow got left off mine and i was looking for that hook. I always with the top five. What's the personal reason. What's the personal attachment to these films into these moments. That say romance to me. I never really came up with it again. It goes back to just sort of feeling right though in looking in my top five. There's a combination of picks where someone makes a tremendous sacrifice to show their love for someone and then the other choices are moments to just almost create the ideal moment in your mind the ideal kind of romantic experience. When you talk about that movie moment sweeping somebody off their feet. There's at least one choice like that here. On my list we should point out. That casablanca is in the pantheon. Yeah since spotting pantheon so that sacrifice letting her go if you want to consider that very romantic and most people do and rightfully so it's not going to be on our list. But raiders was in the pantheon. And i thought about that. The scene on the ship. Yeah i could see that for me too. I also put two movies. That really belong as one into the penalty box into my penalty box. Because it's come up recently on the show a few times. It's definitely come up a lot over almost eight years now of doing the show and that's before sunrise and before sunset. I think the ending of before sunrise is a great romantic gesture. And i also think the ending of before sunset is a great romantic gesture. I'm thinking of selene in this case in her action. Towards ethan hawke's jesse but we're not going to touch those there in my penalty box or get my number five and when i said movies that i don't really think of as romantic. This is a prime case of that. But i love this moment. It's actually the arthur penn film the classic film of nineteen sixty eight bonnie and clyde and the moment is the ballad of.
Slate's Culture Gabfest
"arthur penn" Discussed on Slate's Culture Gabfest
"Yeah. I mean clearly like they're not there's nothing in. This movie is realistic. Every year i said fortitude is exactly it and yet they can't they can't completely beat the beat the beach because trenton maddux's sister discover like a book or something some scrolls of someone else who had been on the beach explaining that the rocks are the are the things causing the aging which is stupid. Whatever like that's the beach makes you old but actually it's the rocks that make you old. Which jesus okay and So while they're figuring this out who do we see tell us who we see while trenches like looking up at these age aging cliffs there looks to be someone watch inc from the cliffs. They're very blurry there. In the distance is one person they have calculus but someone someone's duffy keeping the nine these folks right and it's m ni- shamala away. We don't know this yet. i guess. But i'll tell you know. They saw milan. Explain later though. Why but it's amnesia. Milan there's someone watching from close. Listen it spoiler specials all better off wailing okay. so now. we're getting into the part of the movie. Where like everyone starring die. Charles schizophrenia is getting the best of him. He keeps asking about some movie that jack nicholson and marlon. Brando were in together and then i was getting obsessed with trying to figure out that answer. I forget what the answer was. That doesn't even like randomly announced a one point. Yeah okay. apparently it's the missouri breaks Who even knows what that is. What i mentioned seventy six western brandon. Nicholson wow got stacked cast your john williams score arthur penn directing. Wow wow harry dean. This is the biggest Publicity coup this movie have gotten. I know yeah years later. Those and now people are actually paying attention very strange very strange obsessively thinking about this way. Oh my god okay wait so this is from the wikipedia. Missouri breaks okay so shamlan explained that this characters question was based on a conversation. We have with his own father who also has dementia and so this is one channel on says. I've never seen missouri breaks from my dad who actually has some dementia and he would not stop talking about jack. Nicholson marlon brando. This movie that they were in. And i was like dad. I've never seen it he goes. Jack nicholson marlon brando. He kept going on about it. I was like dad putting this movie. If you keep talking about those any did okay. Yeah okay like what. Quite a quite a okay. Wow that's such a i mean. That's like funny ferry personal touch. Wow i had no idea. That's very strange you. Let's i'm a..
Maltin On Movies
"arthur penn" Discussed on Maltin On Movies
"We sat in the balcony and saw the miracle-worker with and bancroft and pepper. And you know that's that's a lifetime memory burned in my in my brain. The movie was pretty good. And the arthur penn did a great job translate to the screen and now let's see if they all go down the hamilton. That's so cool. Yeah exactly exac- hamilton. I took my kids to see my youngest kids. And and where the impressed. Jesus was three right since they sing it all the time. They you know kids just learn things so fast. Sure elaborate rap stoked hip hop ages. They just loon it. Please do all dad stop it. Please do it again for me holder. I know you have three. How old are your kids or mouth is seventeen okay. My old daughter who's twenty eight and sees makes films film but she doesn't live here. She lives in new york. I just. I just marvel at the your devotion to the theater all through the years. Also the years While you were making films and and and films for for for television to jesse now we're talking about the fact that having we're about to see you play joe paterno. Hbo movie that you've done. Phil spector spit. And jack and you did this before it was cool to do this. This is part of it. Once for telling me that i attract better man. You're with that's it. Is i what i gather about. You having watched you for a long time. Is you love to act in in in that when it is something that feeds you when it's something that is nursing so i don't think you're the type who particularly cares what it is or if it's fancy it just has to be something that makes you happy something that you love. I tell you. I was very impressed with the quad cinema very flattered that they would do my work out. Tell the we're talking about the fact that in the quad cinema is doing a retrospective thirty of your films. They saved thirty. I love through. There are thirty certainly is thirty is Is but when they did the announcement they said something that i never..
KQED Radio
"arthur penn" Discussed on KQED Radio
"To keep programs like ours on the air. It is a site shrouded in mystery, meaning and mysticism and among the most visited in England, But now a very modern problem has Stonehenge back in the spotlight whether to build a tunnel under the stone Age temple to improve traffic flow nearby. Malcolm Brabourne is back to tell us how archaeologists and activist worn cherished site is now under threat. Britain's most flamboyant Druid King Arthur Penn. Dragon is on the warpath. I'm a pen dragon by name and nature and pen. Dragon means battle chieftain or head dragon, and I am the head of what's thought of as the warrior political arm of the Druid movement. It's me who takes the protest and it will be me. That opposes this tunnel by any means necessary. If it comes to it, just take a moment to listen to the silence here at Stonehenge. What you can probably hear in the background is the noise of traffic from the highway 250 yards away. It's not very busy today, but you can still hear it. Not very prehistoric. Those in favor of the tunnel say is that it will bring tranquility back to this ancient site. This video from Britain's Highways Authority projects. What a difference the tunnel would make to the landscape while improving the traffic flow. In what's frequently a major bottleneck. Nicola task. It is the director of Stonehenge As we stand here at the Stones, you can really see how this noisy and polluting road is a blight on the landscape. Stonehenge and its surrounding landscape is one of the most Important Neolithic sites within Europe and at the moment it has this road cutting that landscape in half. So we believe that the tunnel were really enhance the experience that people have of enjoying and exploring the wider landscape and help them make sense of the stones themselves. These tunnels don't even start outside of the World Heritage Site. It's absolutely head bang English, stupid. You've come to Cambridge to meet David Jakes, an archaeologist specializing in the mass elliptic period dating back more than 10,000 years. The idea that you can meddle with such a place as a Stonehenge landscape is beyond belief. It is heartbreaking. Jakes is one of 23 archaeologists who claimed the tunnel will damage artifacts yet to be discovered and is in breach of the World Heritage Convention. Jakes has been digging close to the river even within the Stonehenge Heritage site, and, among other things, has discovered what is believed to be a sacred stone used to a tenderizing meat. Carbon dating shows this to be a 6000 year old hoof print of a wild cow. It's the oldest sign of life discovered at Stonehenge and these and knives that Stone Age man would have used to put supper on the table. What we've got to Stonehenge potentially it's an archive of people managing crisis, whether it's death, whether it's good things in life, but it's going to be climate change, which we know happened in the Stonehenge landscape. Very early on. They're almost certainly were pandemics as well. We've got a natural archive ready and waiting for New science to bring those stories out, and it's all going to go. It's a problem which goes way beyond archaeology. It's a problem about roads. The problem about transportation. It's a problem about getting a good solution to a difficult problem. Archaeologist Tim Darvill has spent 30 years working on the Stonehenge site. He's standing at one of the proposed entrances or portals to the tunnel, which he supports. The engineers and the archaeologist to work together very closely to find places in the landscape where the impact will be absolute minimal. Stonehenge is a veritable cathedral with spiritual significance for eco warriors, pagans and druids, who have a reverence for the natural world. They worship here, each solstice, which marked the longest and shortest days. Half the claims to be a 21st century incarnation of the legendary British king, who led the defense against Saxon invaders in the 5th and 6th centuries. He's all struck by the engineering skills and grasp of astronomy displayed by the creators of this circle 4500 years ago. The layout of Stonehenge is perfectly positioned to frame the extreme limits of the sun's movement. Each solstice. It's the very observances.
Everything You Never Needed to Know About Movies, Music & Theater
"arthur penn" Discussed on Everything You Never Needed to Know About Movies, Music & Theater
"Are not interrupting You have infiltrated this boy. And i'm asking you in the name of god get out of this victim kind of thing And it said that it They went over a couple of cold couple of weeks couple of months and then all a sudden i know where the boy was fine and had no problems and grew up in apparently had a real regular life. And what have you when all this was going on there was a small little article that was written which going pure black who was a student in maryland. Saw and kept as like a kind of own that would be an interesting story to do and this was around the time the heat at the time. Abiding was a Comedy writer who's writing the pink panther series. And you know broad broad comedy and so he couldn't get a job doing anything else couldn't write dramas can do anything. Thought he's a comedy writer and so he said while riding novel that he wrote the exorcist Which is kind of dramatization and the actually interviewed the priests that were part of it. Who knew what was going on. And apparently the pre said. I can't tell you much. All i can tell you is that it really happened So it's kind of crazy that this kind of stuff. I mean we all experience supernatural items and i can only imagine that this You know. I have no reason to think that this didn't happen that this isn't true. I don't know about you. John but a lot of what i've read about this. It seems very credible. I mean you know. I think one thing that we have to understand right like Is that There is superstition in reality. Right like You know that I think one thing a lot of people don't understand. Is that the church. When presented with instances like this will actually go run the gamut of of things to say. Okay psychological issues at something else only at then. Will they say okay. This is something that can't be explained. Why science then. We have to move into the so Yeah i mean you know again i. I haven't read up on the case in a little bit of by. But i can say that like you know there is a kind of reality of evil and i think that there are You know i think from what i heard. I think this was one of those instances so something yeah. There was a lot so when liam pm wrote his novel do one thing he did was. He switched from a boy to a girl. That's why it's a vegan mcneil and not like robbie macneil or something like that but anyway he wrote it The book became a huge bestseller. So of course. Hollywood was like oh will we need to make a movie and william peter blatty in unprecedented ability somehow got The studio to agree to let him not only write screenplay but also be the producer so that he was actually controlling it and and seeing how how it went went about and he went to several different directors to see if they were interested Some of the names. Some of the names on the list. Were arthur penn Stanley kubrick Mike nichols Mark ridell was actually supposed to do. That's who the studio wanted. But for some reason. William peter blatty wanted william freaking at the time. William freaking was kind of. I mean this is the time of the autour and the young directors that were coming out..
Filmspotting
Here's What We're Watching During Quarantine
"I've had for years box. Dvd set that celebrates the Chicago Bulls six championships in the nineteen nineties. The title is NBA Dynasty Series Chicago Bulls Real quick takeaways couple takeaways Scottie. Pippen totally underrated. I I mean. I know he's considered a legend and one of the top fifty basketball players all time. But but he's even better than that as far as the goat discussion. Greatest of all time between Jordan and Lebron James. All right I conceded. I think it was a year or so ago that Lebron has probably taken that title. I'm more than willing to be argued that I'm more than willing to be argued wrong as a Chicagoan but one thing is for sure after going through some of these. Dvd's Jordan is so much more fun to watch. I mean he just. He spent so much time doing beautiful things. High up in the air way above Lebron's had would have been so That's just a blast to watch now. You can't this is kind of a sneaky. Pick you can't stream this. Dvd set so. I'll take this occasion as an excuse to mentioned that. Espn's ten part Michael Jordan Doc. The last eight they move that up it was gonNA come out on June nineteenth. Yup the release date is April nineteenth. So obviously I can't wait for that listeners. I can maybe loan you my bulls box set because it isn't streaming but otherwise just look for the last dance this weekend on ESPN. I will be watching it. Yeah I have not seen the set that you are watching but I cannot wait for Sunday night. When the ten part doc starts it's been this mythical thing that's been rumored to be in production or potentially production for some time new house coming out and ESPN wisely bumping that up. I think it's something that a lot of people just like us are going to be watching my number three these fall under the category of blind spots and in this case there is a specific hook to Josh. Though it wasn't by design all explain it's my unofficial slash official. Bruce SURTEES MARATHON. So one day. I realize I'm kind of running out of options in terms of things that are really hooking me on net flicks and I know that there are some things I should get to real cinematic blind spots that have been mentioned on the show over the years that I feel regret about but they just seem heavy. I'm not ready for it yet. I need stuff. That's under two hours. I can knock it out and I needed to be reasonably entertaining but I do still WanNa feel like I'm getting some homework done. I do still want to feel like I've crossed something off my list that I felt for some time that I needed to get to so I went over to Amazon prime. And one of the things that popped up happen to be dirty Harry the first dirty Harry movie with Clint. Eastwood Don Siegel directed and right away. I realized how stylishly shot it was and so after I watched it I looked up who the DP was and I see that. It's Bruce Surtees. I think yeah I know that name. I can't really tell you what else he's done. I don't know much about his history's legacy at all but that is a name I have heard and oh I'll just file that away okay. So what's next? Couple of days later I go back to prime one of the film's POPs up. Lennie the Bob. Fosse directed film about Lenny. Bruce and that really is one for me. I've always been ashamed because I adore. Is You know all that jazz. Fosse's film I like cabaret quite a bit as well and in the TV series Fossey Verdon some of the making of Lenny POPs up in that TV series it. Of course POPs up in all that jazz as well. A lot of cutting to scenes of the fosse alter Ego Joe Gideon cutting the movie. That would become lenny so it was kind of just been a joke for me that I've never watched this film. I decide I'm going to sit. And Watch Lenny and. I'm watching the credits. And whose name POPs up is responsible for the Black and white cinematography. It's Bruce Thirty so then decide okay. Well this is just too convenient too much of a coincidence. We're going to make this happen and I'll give you just a little bit of background on him. Is He a name? That's familiar to you at all Josh. Young familiar with the name. I don't think I would have been able to identify any of his movies though right so he got his start as a camera. Operator working with Don Siegel and especially on Siegel and Clint Eastwood Films in the late. Nineteen sixty so movies like two mules for sister Sarah and Cubans Bluff and then his first role as a cinematographer. As the director of photography was Nineteen. Seventy-one it was the beguiled so that Seagal Directing Eastwood and then play misty for me followed that where he was working with eastward again but this time Eastwood as director that was his debut he died in twenty twelve and if you look at his. Imdb the early two thousands in the nineties were not good to surtees out of maybe twenty. Titles there's not one that really stands out as essential viewing and even at the end of the eighties. The decade closed for surtees with rat boy back to the beach and licensed to drive in the eighties for him was otherwise filled with a lot of eastwood's stuff prior to that so movies like Fire Fox and tight rope and sudden impact even honky. Tonk man his heyday really was the nineteen seventies which brought me to night moves. This is an Arthur Penn. Early Bleak Neo Noir starring Gene Hackman as a former football player turned disillusioned private. I would other type of private. I is there in the seventies and it's all set within the movie business so it's reflexive to in the mode of Altman's the long goodbye and then the one I most recently watched was another Eastwood blindspot. Which is Pale writer?
The Book Review
The Life of Mike Nichols
"Ask Carter and Sam Kashmir join us now they wrote together an oral history of Mike Nichols it's called life isn't everything. Mike Nichols as remembered by one hundred and fifty of his closest friends Sam Ash. Thanks for being here. Just thanks for having US thank you. What was was the genesis of this project? Well after Mike's Death I was at Vanity Fair and wanted to do an oral history as much as we can get away with the magazine and ask had worked as a PA.. With Mike. And I knew him mm somewhat and so I thought it best to join forces and so we did this for the magazine originally and it was so interesting and there was so much material that it just kind of presented itself as a book kind of instantly. As soon as we saw together in the magazine they must have been painful to have to cut. Had it down to magazine size well. The piece was originally assigned at six thousand. Words ran at eleven thousand and still not a word practically about his theater career hear about his time at the compass. Players is a founding member of Improv. I mean there's so much still on the table Ash you're very lucky person having worked as the PA.. What did you work on? I worked on Charlie Wilson's war. That was my first job out of college. I was so upset on hangs Julia Roberts. What was that often? Yes Oh right. Of course. It was a big movie so very often. You felt very distant from where the the real real action was taking place but still. I really feel blessed who've been able to be as close as I was. So you mentioned Charlie. Wilson's war my immediate reaction. Shen is Oh my God. That's Mike Nichols. Also the thing that I think people don't even fully appreciate now is just how incredibly accomplished. He was and for so long so if we could just kind of begin with his I think I real fame fame was with Nichols and may but before we go into each of those stop. Just take us through because I think people may be associated him with the graduate and a couple of other major projects. But let's just list some some of them so people have a sense. Well there was the great success of the Nichols. and May Elaine. May and Mike Nichols as a comedy team. which kind of transformed formed Comedy really and Mike as Director. He and Neil Simon joined forces and he really kind of in a way. Reinvented invented Simon. For Neil Simon. You know with barefoot in the park and the odd couple and as of film director his first film was the Richard Richard Burton Elizabeth Taylor. Who's afraid of Virginia? Woolf which frank rich other people believed to be the maybe the best reputation of a of a stage play for film ever the graduate which was second film his second film shocking. JFK transformative you know and Oscar worthy. And then there's all all the stage work Tom Stoppard's the real thing David Raves hurly-burly streamers. Yeah camelot and S- Pamela camelot idle. I mean it's kind of prodian extraordinary range of of gifts that that he I mean. He Directs Spam Lot. I I think two years after doing angels in America for HBO. I mean that's range. I don't WanNa go too much into his early life by. I think it's important to point out that this was a person who arrived here. Didn't speak English. Not as first language goes to the University of Chicago right he meets Elaine. May let's start there. What was it that made that pairing so extraordinary? What did they do? You said that they revolutionized comedy Elaine may was the dangerous genius that entered Mike Nichols life and and changed him she was kind of a combustion engine and he was the steering wheel a little bit. Steve Martin told us the first time. When you listen to those records those bits or you know the sketches? which is he said that the that I heard irony brock kind of modernity to comics situations and things that comedians did not go? Nya such as the cost of funerals was is the time of Jessica Mitford the the American way of death. And you know I mean these are weighty subjects adultery a- adultery right the previous generation of comics from the fifties where people who came from Vaudeville and the Borscht Belt Nichols and may had a theater background around. And you know both the classical repertory but also as Improv actors and by the way they're also both at analysis and brought a level of psychological acuity to comedy that really hasn't been seen before let's just a clip of them from that period some day Arthur. You'll get married and you'll have suit of your own and honey when you do. I only pray that they make us suffer the way you. That's all I pray to mothers. Okay mom thanks for calling you very sarcastic. I'm doing my best now. You call me on on the telephone I me. I'm sorry I'm sorry that bothered you and look I didn't make you feel bad. Are you kidding I feel awful. Oh honey if I could believe that I'd be the happiest mother it's true. What do you think I feel crummy Arthur honey? Why don't you call me sweetheart? That's the one bit. That's kind of in a way close to auto biography at least for Mike that was sort of his mother in a way and and he had a difficult very difficult relationship with her. Are you know after the death of his physician. Father they were really plunged into poverty into serious poverty in in New York. He I used to have to go in the olden days to the Museum of TV and radio to watch these old clips. But now I I'm imagining that. You can see all of this on Youtube. Yeah there's a lot of great stuff and Youtube I encourage people to also look up there The award for total mediocrity that they did at the Emmys when you're in the nineteen fifties so that's just breathtaking. I just actually making fun of their own mirror. You know I mean they're making fun of show business with a successful right away. They were both part of this. Very heavy kind of avant-garde guard group called the compensator in Chicago and the two of them just clicked as their manager. Jack rollins later said there. They were like ham and eggs. They were a local will hit first then they came to New York. He signed them up his clients started booking them at local nightclubs and they were hit right away and then they started going non Jackpot and omnibus and they were hit nationally. So yeah it was. It was really just like that. It was that quick. How does it get from that to? Who's afraid of Virginia? Woolf well well they had a great success Nichols and may on Broadway at the Golden Theatre was an evening with Nichols in May ostensibly directed by Arthur Penn.. You know but not really and Elaine was just sort of tired of doing it and in a way was the comedic version of of the Beatles. Breaking up people were just. I just chop fall in. You know it's tragic. Yes yes yeah. It was kind of a loss in a way They would wind up working together. Other eventually you know as a screenwriter and director but but Mike it kind of put him in in the wilderness for a while He was really at see if we rely on a little bit. When he's got that evening on Broadway with a lame the theater? They were in shared an alley with a theater where her camelot was on stage with Richard Burton and they would kind of hang out after after the show and that's how he kind of got to know him and it was. It's essentially through that meeting Richard in that alley and threw him Liz. They were the ones who hired for Virginia Woolf. When you think about the collaborators he had the people he got to work with you mentioned Arthur panel the you know lately Richard Burton Elizabeth Taylor Dustin in Hoffman Jewels pfeiffer on carnal knowledge? It's just you know on and on Meryl Streep the biggest names and your subtitle is is Mike Nichols as remembered by hundred and fifty of his closest friends. Did He. Frequently form friendships during these professional collaborations was. He's one of those the people that everybody felt like they knew. And we're close to make exactly this actors and and many was writers really kind of fell in love with him. I mean we could have called the book seduced by Mike Nichols you know Natalie. Portman really wept recalling. Her work with Mike Sue now. Yeah and that was much later and the closer yes. Yes but also they did stage work together so they were totally devoted to him. I I mean Tom Stoppard. For example said I think his advice memorial you know he thought to himself who is there to to write for he so he was kind of an Avatar to all of these. She's tremendously gifted complicated. People and the friendships were very deep. And Very Real Maureen Dowd. Your colleagues said that he was a null coward figure with the Jersey Kaczynski past and unlike a lot of other people who had a really horrible childhoods he did not kind of wear it on his sleeve and he we've talked about it and didn't particularly want to spend a lot of time thinking about it and I I mean I think this is kind of the key to his career. Longevity Eddie is that he was. Somebody really always wanted to be living in the moment. And kind of looking forward to the next project even up until the end of his life when he had several things that were in progress including masterclass terrence. McNally's play that he was gonNA adapt for. HBO With Meryl Streep. Yeah I mean in a way. Our title is taken from a a model of Mike's life isn't everything but it's kind of a misnomer because it was everything to him. You know in a way I mean he could be difficult to and and some of the people in the booker occur quite open about yes. That Emma Thompson is one right exactly Thompson who who adored him. You know said we're not talking about some saint here so you know and in fact Mike toward the end of his life felt that he had been cruel to people and had betrayed others. You know but he did develop a music also about someone who sort of as much of a genius as he was you know he was also complicated difficult cat and felt like there were people to apologize to. Some people presumably wouldn't talk to you Elaine. May of course wouldn't what about Diane Sawyer and were there other people who you pursued and just said you know what no now. We did approach. Diane we wouldn't have done this actually without her been addiction you know and she gave us the same response that initially initially Sam Beckett gave to digital bear you know which is. I'm not going to stop you but I'm also not going to help you all that much. But when push came to shove and we needed the people such as Meryl Streep she was helpful behind the scenes and Elaine. She did. Give us a blurb. Although we didn't use it and the blurb facetiously officiously said well I I would tell you all I know. But they're going to pay me millions of dollars to write my memoirs something. You'll never do you know. She meant it as kind of a joke before before we go one final question what do you each of you. Thank was Nicholas's greatest work and then also so perhaps a personal favourite may be less known or just something new especially leaden. And why. Let's start with you ash. I would say probably the graduate. It's not the most original choice but I just have seen the movie so many times and I think that it it just has held up so much better than a lot of other youth movies of the time that it was sort of lumped in with that plus the the comedy albums is sort of where my original enthusiasm for him started. But you know I I think catch twenty. Two for example is a movie that has not really gotten. It's do. I think it's actually kind of a brilliant movie that was overshadowed by Mash at the time though it is I see no reason why the existence of Mash prevent people from enjoying it today not an easy novel to adapt to know and but I think him and Buck Henry and we did a credible job adapting it. Sam will I mean. It's so hard to choose. My mother would choose working girl in or Silkwood you know an but are you. Seeing your mother would be wrong. My mother never wrong But for me it's you know the stage work is kind and of extraordinary. I mean the Philip Seymour. Hoffman death of a salesman at the end of life using that was really just is an extraordinary unearth accomplishment. Really it brought him Full Circle Because that streetcar with the two original productions that changed his life really all right. I'm hoping that this interview. If nothing else forces everyone to go to youtube everyone to go and stream every single thing that Mike Nichols did that was available. He was such an incredible credible talent ash. Carter Sam cash. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much thank your new book is called. Life isn't everything. Mike Nichols as remembered by one hundred