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Posted: |
Dec 6, 2001 - 9:50 PM
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By: |
Howard L
(Member)
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...at Christopher Columbus? Christopher Kinsinger?? Nah, They All Laughed is the title of a 1981 quirky, witty, offbeat light romantic comedy written & directed by Peter Bogdanovich. It's one of those guilty little pleasures filmed all over the Big Apple with that patented late summer/early autumn look. Great location photography, great, Brooklyn Bridge (throughout!) and all. Consider it Bogdanovich doing Woody Allen sans neuroses. The plot concerns a trio of men employed by The Odyssey Detective Agency ("We Never Sleep"), two of whom (played by Ben Gazzara, John Ritter) have a knack for becoming smitten with the wives they've been hired to tail. They're both wonderful; the veteran Gazzara maintains a "distant, dreamy look" in his eyes the whole flick and Ritter is charmingly absent-minded in the screwball comedy tradition.
The always enchanting Audrey Hepburn and ravishing ex-playmate Dorothy Stratten portray the objects of their affection, respectively. There are more ladies, to be sure. The entire cast is just plain dynamite.
The music? Mr. Bogdanovich eschews traditional underscoring, as usual, but instead loads the film with source music, mostly of the pop variety. I mean there's music playing overhead in a bookstore, blaring from car radios; jazz in a roller rink (the incomparable Sing, Sing, Sing!!); live country music in a bar; and more. And let me tell you it worked. I couldn't help but muse, however, that the picture was tailor-made for Henry Mancini's "cocktail" sound. Yeah, Ms. Hepburn's presence and the whole New York ambience alone make for an obvious association, but oh, what Mr. Mancini could have done with this! Again, the flick works fine as is but one can only ponder the scoring possibilities.
One other note: the opening credits sport a most prominent shot of the Twin Towers in the background on what is nothing less than a perfectly crisp morning. Beautiful thing. Haunting now, in retrospect.
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I know that I'm one of the oldest Peter Bogdanovich fans here...how many others can boast watching Targets upon its first run in theatres?
From such a promising beginning, Bogdanovich built ever upward with The Last Picture Show, What's Up, Doc?, and Paper Moon.
Here, at the Zenith of his career, he fell into the sad pit of self-indulgence, giving us Daisy Miller, At Long Last Love (I saw that pathetic turkey at Radio City Music Hall!), and Nickelodeon.
I checked out at that point.
How much punishment is a film lover to take?
So, Howard...I've never seen They All Laughed. It was boxoffice poison in its day, because by that time Bogdanovich had successfully alienated most all of his loyal followers, both critics and audiences.
Here and now, you have stated the only kind words that I've ever heard about this movie!
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"What's Up, Doc?" is one of the bright spots from the 1970s. Totally, wackily wonderful -- owing so much to so many films -- with Streisand delightful and O'Neal miscast in spades.
BUT the supporting cast was such perfection -- MADELINE KAHN was robbed at Oscar-time (that scene of her being dragged out of the banquet hall -- her heels leaving wavy scuff marks on the floor -- is a miracle)...and all the other wonderful actors, including Mabel Albertson as the rich woman one of the thieves kept tripping up in the hotel lobby. Just cracks me up to think about it.
And the main titles...Cole Porter...and Streisand...."You're the Top"!
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The enjoyment of "They All Laughed" is hereby seconded. Though some of its music has not passed muster in the sense of being timeless--I'm referring to the country-bar aspect of it--I do remember remarking to several couples who had not seen it, "This is the way I'd like the world to be!" It is fun, sexy, and...
charitable is the word I'm looking for. It is a quintessential "New York" movie. The city has never looked better, or seemed so filled with opportunity. It is not for someone whose heart is two sizes too small.
In fact, I have not seen it for several years--it was the first movie I ever taped off cable--in fear that I will be disappointed, and lose the love I had for it so many years ago.
And "Last Picture Show" "Paper Moon" and "Doc" are all classics.
Bogdanovich seemingly has now settled into a position as Orson Welles' official apologist--as if one was needed! He's doing a lot of DVD commentary for classic films--he's on one track of "Citizen Kane," for instance. His last book, "Who the Hell Made it," is a great read for those of us who loved the Hawks/Ford/Welles/Stevens/Wellman era of movie-making.
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Can anyone here tell us about Bob Fosse's last film, Star 80?
I know that it was all about the rise and tragic fall of Dorothy Stratten.
I've never seen the film.
Was Peter Bogdanovich portrayed in it? I recall that Cliff Robertson played Hugh Hefner (what a great piece of casting!), but that's about all I can remember.
Reviews, anyone?
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Star 80--
Roger Rees played a Bogdanovich-like director...I remember a bitter, angry film with a supercharged Eric Roberts performance as the murderous husband. Most unpleasant, I don't remember whether it was especially enlightening about that world, or if it was just a freakshow. I think it was real though, as opposed to Joel Schumacher exploitation. Bogdanovich's book expose about Stratten was absorbing, even more bitter and scathing in its attack on Hefner and that particular glamor-rot orbit, but I think it was damning enough that people just thought it was over the line. Say too much and you'll get dismissed...
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You're right, it was all that, come to think of it...
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ANZALDIMAN tells it like it is, baby. Bogdanovich is a bimbo-mongering hypocrite who had no business insulting his soul-brother, Hugh Hefner.
I didn't catch the autumnal ambience of THEY ALL LAUGHED. But I certainly remember her as Miss August in PLAYBOY in 1979. She had a fantastic chest and delicious "bee-stung" kissy-kissy lips. Bogdanovich's subsequent marriage to Dorothy's sister can be interpreted as either a noble tribute to Dorothy or as a creepy betrayal of Dorothy. Personally, I think he's a first-class creep. And I have derived tremendous schadenfreude from his artistic decline (as delineated by Mr. Kinsinger).
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Does anyone have a clue as to how this Howard L thread suddenly became a Luscious Lazlo thread?
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Wasn't Bogdanovich also OBSESSED with Cybil Shepherd (another gorgeous blonde)?
It certainly seemed that way to many film critics, who loathed Daisy Miller.
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