The household was violent: Belafonte sustained brutal beatings from his father, and he was sent to live for several years with relatives in Jamaica. Brando was an inspiration as an actor, and he and Belafonte became close, sometimes riding on Brandos motorcycle or double dating or playing congas together at parties. [9], Matthau was trained in acting at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School with German director Erwin Piscator. Dan Aykroyd plays Pres. A very good supporting cast includes John Heard in a hilarious performance as a Dan Quayle lookalike Vice President, and Wilford Brimley is droll as the Democratic Party Chairman. He starred with Jack Lemmon on some films. I suggest if your looking for a movie to watch but don't know which, go to Netflix and watch My Fellow Americans! Jack Lemmon,Walter Matthau,Ann-Margret, Ronald Neame During the 1980s and 1990s Matthau served on the advisory board of the National Student Film Institute.[20][21]. What I remember more than anything Robeson said, was the love he radiated, and the profound responsibility he felt, as an actor, to use his platform as a bully pulpit, Belafonte wrote in his memoir. Starting in 1954, he released such top 10 albums as Mark Twain and Other Folk Favorites and Belafonte, and his popular singles included Mathilda, Jamaica Farewell and The Banana Boat Song, a reworked Caribbean ballad that was a late addition to his Calypso record. [citation needed] New York Times critic Janet Maslin disliked the film but praised Matthau's performance.[19]. }, First published on March 29, 2006 / 10:59 AM. And if he's nothing else, Walter Matthau, the 50yearold stage and movie actor, is a compulsive gambler. Buy or Rent on iTunes. Reward offered as manhunt for Texas shooting suspect reaches "dead end", Louisiana's health care deserts put women, babies at risk, doctors say, Second convoy of U.S. citizens fleeing Khartoum arrives at Port Sudan, How a tall Texan became an unlikely Australian rules football star, Surviving the torturous hell of the Hanoi Hilton, Texas surfer pushed offshore by strong winds rescued by Coast Guard, Tornado flips cars, downs trees after touching down in South Florida, Shaquil Barrett's 2-year-old daughter dies in drowning accident, Investors sue Adidas over Kanye West Yeezy deal. When this film first came out, the trailers did not interest me in the least. Matthau won a Best Supporting Oscar Award for his first nominated role in Billy Wilder's The Fortune Cookie. Highly recommended--hilarious, with a surprise ending. 3. The script may not be the best written script ever, but it certainly contains a whole bunch of very funny one-liners, as well as a good deal of visual comedy. This double standard just does not play as well as I would have liked. Broadway hits turned into films continued to cast Matthau in lead roles in Hello, Dolly! Neil Simon cast him in the play The Odd Couple in 1965, with Matthau playing slovenly sportswriter Oscar Madison, opposite Art Carney as Felix Ungar. Du Bois and was deeply affected, calling it the start of his political education. Her first husband was the actor Elliott Gould. It looked like Beavis and Butthead with two old guys (in a bad way). Belafonte met Brando, Walter Matthau and other future stars while taking acting classes at the New School for Social Research. Starring: Matthau also helped raise his stepchildren, Aram Saroyan and Lucy Saroyan. Starring: What joy that beautiful child would h, The last eight weeks have been the happiest and mo, The killer of homicide in the first degree, murder, "I prefer Augustinianism because he was black. Please enter valid email address to continue. ", "He hated Barbra Streisand," he said. Im as proud of that film critics award as I am of all my gold records, he wrote in his memoir. He played a villain in King Creole (1958), in which he gets beaten up by Elvis Presley. They did not get married, as they had planned. I'm often disappointed after paying to watch a film, but this choice was well worth the rental fee & I wasn't disappointed! Much of my political outlook was already in place when I encountered Dr. King, Belafonte later wrote. Well, its close to the time of changing presidents and this movie sprung to my mind to watch. Thank you Jack, you were a fantastic, a great, true person who was kind, helpful and brilliant. The casting is good also the supporting roles from Jon Heard, Dan Aykroyd, Wilford Brimley and Lauren Baccal. Matthau played three roles in the film version of Simon's Plaza Suite (1971) and was in the cast of its followup California Suite (1978). Rita Moreno is next to Belafonte; Marlon Brando is halfway up the steps wearing a dark tie. His father was a seaman and cook with Dutch and Jamaican ancestry and his mother, part Scottish, worked as a domestic. He was the first Black person to produce for TV. Somehow we had missed it when the movie had been released and it was new to us. Being that McCain was the Republican nominee, Lieberman likely wouldve been labeled a Republican as well, even if his ideology wasnt exactly to the right, but more center-left. [25] He was buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. He achieved great success in the comedy film, The Fortune Cookie (1966), as a shyster lawyer, William H. "Whiplash Willie" Gingrich, starring yet again opposite Lemmon; the first of many collaborations with Billy Wilder, and a role that would earn him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. OUT TO SEA was another Lemmon and Matthau romp, and finally came THE ODD COUPLE II, which was a weak (but amusing) sequel. The original script, a dark work based on the novel of the same name, was rewritten and transformed into a comedy in order to play to Matthau's specific talents. One could call it "Grumpy Old Men Go To Washington", it bore such a resemblance. Glenda Jackson,Walter Matthau,Sam Waterston, ActionAction ComedyAdventure Comedy, Herbert Ross "One of the touching things is when Louis takes them out for ice cream and turns to Barbra and says, 'You're too ugly to have ice cream.' The Kennedys were among the first politicians to seek his opinions, which he willingly shared. WebIt was to star Matthau as a Democratic ex-President, whose one term in office was following the one term of his rival, Republican ex-President Lemmon, and both would be followed | Brando was an inspiration as an actor, and he and Belafonte became close, sometimes riding on Brandos motorcycle or double dating or playing congas together at parties. "I believe that the deceased was a Republican, sir," he replies. With his glowing, handsome face and silky-husky voice, Belafonte was one of the first Black performers to gain a wide following on film and to sell a million records as a singer; many still know him for his signature hit Banana Boat Song (Day-O), and its call of Day-O! Matthau won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the Billy Wilder film The Fortune Cookie (1966). GOD BLESS YOU. James Mason,Barbara Rush,Walter Matthau, Michael Ritchie But to me it did get a little confusing right around the middle but when the ending happened it cleared it all up. They married in New York in 1917. Slaton had been Governor of Georgia for two non-consecutive terms. None of the reviewers have said much about the "king among the commoners" theme. Kings death left Belafonte isolated from the civil rights community. In a change of pace, Matthau played Albert Einstein in the film I.Q. Dan Aykroyd plays the current president William Haney and John Heard is the vice president Ted Matthews.Lauren Bacall plays Kramer's wife Margaret.My Fellow Americans from 1996 is filled with good actors.The leading couple Lemmon and Garner are very charismatic as the former presidents.In the movie the presidents get into many hilarious situations.I'm sure none of the former presidents has been in a gay parade.Nobody knows where Bill Clinton has been.This is a perfect movie to watch especially now because George W. Bush and Al Gore are desperately fighting who will become the next president of The United States.The movie doesn't contain too much of politics which makes it even better. In 1963 he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance in The DuPont Show of the Week. They became lifelong friends after making The Fortune Cookie and would make a total of 10 movies together11 counting Kotch, in which Lemmon has a cameo as a sleeping bus passenger. Harry Belafonte was born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. in 1927, in a community of West Indians in Harlem. He also starred in Plaza Suite, Kotch (both 1971), Charley Varrick (1973), The Sunshine Boys (1975), and Hopscotch (1980). Starring: "And at one point he came into her dressing room, caught her by surprise, got down on his knees, took the bottle of finger nail polish and started painting her nails. Slaton was nearing the end of the term, and could have dumped this into the lap of his successor. He ended the war with the rank of Staff Sergeant, and returned home to America for demobilization at the war's end intent on pursuing a career as an actor. Jack Lemmon and James Garner play ex-presidents Russell Kramer and Matt Douglas, who find themselves embroiled in a murder plot and have to go on the lam. The great True Story movie he made has got to be Tuesday's with Morrie. I was having almost daily talks with Martin, Belafonte wrote in his memoir My Song, published in 2011. As the two feuding ex-presidents they make this movie. Belafonte would often criticize the Kennedys for their reluctance to challenge the Southern segregationists who were then a substantial part of the Democratic Party. Martin Luther King Jr., often intervening on his behalf with both politicians and fellow entertainers and helping him financially. I thought My Fellow Americans was a fantastic and a funny movie to watch. He was turned off by the separatist beliefs of Stokely Carmichael and other Black Power activists and had little chemistry with Kings designated successor, the Rev. "He calls her beazer, which is a nickname I find fascinating because it means schnoz. His friendship with Robeson and support for left-wing causes eventually brought trouble from the government. Starring: His political career came to a screeching halt in 1915 when he commuted the death sentence of Leo Frank to life imprisonment. They want to work with Barbra again.". The chemistry between James Garner & Jack Lemmon is excellent & provides a great deal of humor ! 1. Walter Matthau went to the head of the studio, Richard Zanuck, and Zanuck said, 'I'd love to help you but this is not 'Hello, Walter' we're making.' AP Photo/Ed Widdis. The screenplay's considerable entertainment value -- particularly for a political junkie -- is enhanced and brought to its full potential by solid direction and cutting, as well as the unassailable professionalism of a first-rate cast. He risked his life and livelihood and set high standards for younger Black celebrities, scolding Jay Z and Beyonce for failing to meet their social responsibilities, and mentoring Usher, Common, Danny Glover and many others. It starts out slowly but within 30 minutes gains momentum & really begins to flow. Soon they are chased by bad secret service agents and constant assassination attempts also follow with would-be hilarious results. He had two children, Jenny and David, by his first wife, and a son, Charlie Matthau, with his second wife. He acknowledged extra-marital affairs, negligence as a parent and a frightening temper, driven by lifelong insecurity. The actors who played the presidents were a perfect match. What she wants it for are her political causes, building a war chest for 2008 and her various philanthropist charities. The Calm Life of Former Presidents Gets Interrupted. On the late evening of June 30, 2000, he had a heart attack at his home and was taken by ambulance to the St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica where he died a few hours later at 1:42a.m. on July 1, 2000, at age 79. [22], Matthau was married twice: first to Grace Geraldine Johnson from 1948 to 1958, and then to Carol Marcus from 1959 until his death in 2000. "My Fellow Americans" is a watchable little film, but ultimately it does not completely succeed. Belafonte was so impressed that he joined as a volunteer, then as an actor. In his memoir, he chastised Poitier for a radical breach by backing out on a commitment to star as Mandela in a TV miniseries Belafonte had conceived, then agreeing to play Mandela for a rival production. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our, Cellular store employee shot during robbery in Canton, Baltimore Police say, Boston Bruins, after setting NHL records for wins and points, get eliminated in the 1st round with a Game 7 OT loss, Oldfields School alumni and supporters say they must raise $20 million by May 10 to save Baltimore County school, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Belafonte made history in 1968 by filling in for Johnny Carson on the Tonight show for a full week. He said, 'You are the only one who ever intimidated me.' The on screen chemistry and formidable comic timing of Jack Lemmon and James Garner as the former presidents, in their first and only screen pairing, is delightful, and thankfully so: one or both dominate almost every scene in the film. He was ever engaged and unyielding, willing to take on Southern segregationists, Northern liberals, the billionaire Koch brothers and the countrys first Black president, Barack Obama, whom Belafonte would remember asking to cut him some slack., Belafonte responded, What makes you think thats not what Ive been doing?, Belafonte had been a major artist since the 1950s. "But even if The movie was very well done i think. The book is called "Barbra The Way She Is" and author Christopher Andersen joined The Early Show Wednesday to tell more about his findings. Matthau and Griffith later appeared in the critical and box office hit A Face in the Crowd (1957), directed by Elia Kazan. I thought this might create a problem, but no. Enjoyable pap silly nonsense but just about fun enough to be passable. None of the members of the lynch mob were ever prosecuted, Governor Slaton lived until 1955. Walter Matthau,George Burns,Richard Benjamin, Based-on-TheatreComedyReunion Films, Gene Saks Matthau also received two British Academy Film Awards and a Golden Globe Award. He was among the Black activists at a widely publicized meeting with the attorney general, when playwright Lorraine Hansberry and others stunned Kennedy by questioning whether the country even deserved Black allegiance. / CBS. We are fans of James Garner in particular, and Jack Lemmon also. [12] Matthau appeared during the Oscar telecast shortly after having been injured in a bicycle accident; nonetheless, he scolded actors who had not attended the ceremony, especially the other major award winners that night: Paul Scofield, Elizabeth Taylor and Sandy Dennis. During their cross-country trek, the two former Presidents find out who their "fellow Americans" REALLY are - illegal immigrants, homeless families looking for a job, gay security guards, etc., etc. [17] Matthau wrote the scene in which Kendig and Isobelapparently strangersmeet in a Salzburg restaurant and strike up a conversation about wine that ends in a passionate kiss. I just finished watching this movie on Netflix and I really enjoyed. Walter Matthau was best known for starring in many films which included Charade (1963), The Odd Couple (1968), Grumpy Old Men
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