And honestly, considering the lack of success of third-party and independent presidential candidates over the years, for such a pairing to be successful, it would probably take a more moderate member of one of the major parties to defect to the other side and agree to be the running mate of that major partys candidate. His role was of the gym teacher Mr. Wall. My Fellow Americans is possibly the funniest movie I have ever seen, and I never get tired of watching it. "She's a control freak. Starring: And he has sort of been, I think, left in the dust, as it were. | Turned out he was gay. She had a special fondness for Adlai Stevenson, and she was genuinely disappointed that Adlai had been defeated by JFK at 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. He found special pleasure in winning a New York Film Critics Award in 1996 for his work as a gangster in Robert Altmans Kansas City.. Appearing on a taped TV special starring Petula Clark, Belafonte joined the British singer on the anti-war song On the Path of Glory. At one point, Clark placed a hand on Belafontes arm. *** out of **** (Beware, spoilers in my review). As for her other romantic relationships, Andersen said Streisand nearly tied the knot with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau of Canada. Realizing that he was signing his own political death warrant, Slaton commuted Franks sentence to life imprisonment. I think I watched it about six times in the last four years and it never fails to crack me up, I've enjoyed it as much the last time as the first time. Matthau's first Broadway role came at the age of 28 when he was hired as understudy for the role of an 83-year-old English bishop in Anne of the Thousand Days, Matthau was born Walter John Matthow[2][3] on October 1, 1920, in New York City's Lower East Side. Lemmon and Garner, as Republicans and Democrats in Washington are wont to do, dont like each other very much. He also starred in 10 films alongside Jack Lemmon, including The Odd Couple (1968), The Front Page (1974) and Grumpy Old Men (1993). Please enter valid email address to continue. The film was rather poorly marketed, in other words. He was 96. Frank met his death with courage, continually repeating his claims of innocence. They married in New York in 1917. Woe to the musician who missed his cue, or the agent who fouled up a booking, he confided. Had Walter Mathau been cast in the role of Democratic Governor Matt Douglas and not James Garner, we would've been calling this "Grumpiest Old Men," as if it were a sequel to the inspired comedies Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathau made in the mid-nineties. We just happened upon this movie a couple of years ago when looking for some movies to rent. "There are many people who were afraid," he said. He had two children, Jenny and David, by his first wife, and a son, Charlie Matthau, with his second wife. "In his diaries, he wrote about how he found her devastatingly attractive. | I didnt want to tone down my sexuality, either. In NJ, we have two former (rival)governors who share a political column. Instead, Slaton carefully reviewed the evidence and concluded that he had quite a bit of doubt about Franks guilt. Clark and Belafonte resisted, successfully, and for the first time a man and woman of different colors touched on national television. He appeared eight times between 1962 and 1964 on The DuPont Show of the Week and as Franklin Gaer in an episode of Dr. Kildare ("Man Is a Rock", 1964). He was in Washington in January 2009 as Obama was inaugurated, officiating along with Baez and others at a gala called the Inaugural Peace Ball. While in the service, he read Color and Democracy by the Black scholar W.E.B. A new unauthorized biography traces her eventful life, chronicling everything from Streisand's painful childhood to her long list of romantic conquests. Streisand is fiercely protective of her privacy and Andersen said it was difficult to find people who would speak about her on the record. He took the leading role of Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red in Roman Polanski's swashbuckler Pirates (1986). 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. Starring: In 1982, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. By the early 1960s, he had decided to make civil rights his priority. 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. The trial produced accusations that the defense attempted to bribe jurors. 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 3. I was having almost daily talks with Martin, Belafonte wrote in his memoir My Song, published in 2011. We just don't kno, Ill add the shotgun- for those who cant hit the, Personal observations. OUT TO SEA was another Lemmon and Matthau romp, and finally came THE ODD COUPLE II, which was a weak (but amusing) sequel. He appeared in the Cary Grant-Audrey Hepburn crime thriller Charade (1963). A must see! I started watching it because I thought it was a historical movie but I was wrong and I'm happy about it. Hollywood legends Jack Lemmon and James Garner star as former U.S. presidents (Lemmon Republican and Garner Democratic) who unwittingly become involved with political espionage as they become targets of someone within the new administration (Dan Aykroyd, Lemmon's former vice president, is now the commander-in-chief). If you need to laugh you'll certainly enjoy this movie! and Cactus Flower (both 1969); for the latter film, Goldie Hawn received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. His Calypso, released in 1955, became the first officially certified million-selling album by a solo performer, and started a national infatuation with Caribbean rhythms (Belafonte was nicknamed, reluctantly, the King of Calypso). But the two seem to run into each other somewhat frequently in the early-goings and have plenty of sophomoric insults to hurl, recapturing the charm that made Grumpy Old Men so successful a few years earlier. Jack Lemmon,Judi West,Ron Rich, Comedy of MannersComedyCon Artist / Hustler, NIcholas Ray My husband and I both love this movie, for a number of reasons. Walter Matthau,Joe Don Baker,Andrew Robinson, Action ThrillerCaperChase Movie, Elaine May Despite the 5-bedroom home being [] FAQ Belafontes friend, civil rights leader Andrew Young, would note that Belafonte was the rare person to grow more radical with age. For the first time in history a woman is She eclipsed him and he couldn't take it," said Andersen. They receive equally expert support from Lauren Bacall, demonstrating her rarely-exploited talent for comedy; Dan Aykroyd in an uncharacteristically restrained performance; and the always-solidly professional John Heard, as well as an extraordinarily sharp supporting cast studded with many familiar faces -- such as Wilford Brimley ("China Syndrome"), Sela Ward, and Esther Rolle of "Good Times" fame -- though not all are necessarily household names. She was telling the director, Gene Kelly, how to direct that movie. He played detective Ted Casselle in the Hitchcockian thriller Mirage (1965), directed by Edward Dmytryk. "He calls her beazer, which is a nickname I find fascinating because it means schnoz. On Broadway, Matthau originated the role of Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple by playwright Neil Simon, for which he received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1965, his second after A Shot in the Dark in 1962. And if he's nothing else, Walter Matthau, the 50yearold stage and movie actor, is a compulsive gambler. Harry was that rare type of character that radiates greatness, and you hope that some of it rubs off on you.. Andersen told the story of her relationship with Walter Matthau during the filming of "Hello, Dolly. "My Fellow Americans" is a watchable little film, but ultimately it does not completely succeed. In 1963, Belafonte was deeply involved with the March on Washington. or Create A New Account , Stanley Donen [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. Walter Matthaus opening line was Miami, Floridawhere the oranges and tourists are freshly squeezed every day. The birth of the Florida Department of Law The film marks the first screen collaboration between Matthau and Jack Lemmon. 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. Based-on-Theatre Buddy Film Comedy of Errors. Belafonte met Brando, Walter Matthau and other future stars while taking acting classes at the New School for Social Research. [4][5], As part of a lifelong love of practical jokes, Matthau created the rumors that his middle name was Foghorn and his last name was originally Matuschanskayasky (under which he is credited for a cameo role in the film Earthquake). She said, 'I'm an actress, not a singer. Jack lemmon was fantastic in the movie. ", "Louis Kind is emotionally abusive. -Earth Mother, Jack Lemmon and James Garner are in top comedic form in My Fellow Americans. I had never seen him so shaken, Belafonte later wrote. It makes me cry whenever i like to watch it, Morrie i think was a great person and he gave Mitch (A pupil he teached) a message, Telling him IF YOU KNOW HOW TO DIE, THEN YOU KNOW HOW TO LIVE. This is what politics should be! Starring: [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. She was running the show. Two ex-Presidents of the USA, Kramer and Douglas are both bitter rivals, being one either side of the political spectrum but also having gone head to head on several campaigns. With Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Fiedler, Herb Edelman. 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.' Highly recommended--hilarious, with a surprise ending. On the show, Yorke plays Brooke Dubek, one of the titular other two, a struggling 30-something in search of direction, clinging with dug-in nails to her famous brother and mother to give her some semblance of a path. Belafonte schooled Kennedy on the importance of King, and arranged for them to speak. ", To read an excerpt from "Barbra The Way She Is," click here. Michael Crawford,Louis Armstrong,Danny Lockin, David Miller They accidentally find themselves in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in North Carolina, a state which is not ALL nowhere, and must somehow reach Lemon's Presidential Library in Ohio for the hidden evidence that will save them. Story-wise, the film revolves around Harry Hinkle (Lemmon), a cameraman who is accidentally injured while filming a "She said once that 'If God wrote my biography I wouldn't like it,' " he said. So many professional actors, so much sophomoric humor. "My Fellow Americans" is not an especially deep or groundbreaking film--but it is marvelously entertaining. While based in England at RAF Old Buckenham in Norfolk, he flew missions across to continental Europe during the Battle of the Bulge. Both served in the military during World War II, acted in the American Negro Theatre and then broke into film. Both spent part of their childhoods in the Caribbean and ended up in New York. Could it work? Since Matthau has achieved much critical and material success as an actor in James Mason,Barbara Rush,Walter Matthau, Michael Ritchie #inline-recirc-item--id-abdaf0c6-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { The actors who played the presidents were a perfect match. Isaac Babel, Grace Paley, and Philip Roth. He was a great actor and he never wanted to make movies that would be boring to the auidence. He gave up his three pack a day smoking habit as a result. "He is the person who taught her about art and music and shaped her approach on stage and convinced her to sing. Harry Belafonte, the civil rights and entertainment giant who began as a groundbreaking actor and singer and became an activist, humanitarian and conscience of the world, has died. WebWalter Matthau was an American actor who was well-known his performances in theatre, feature films and television. But Belafonte would later criticize Obama for failing to live up to his promise and lacking fundamental empathy with the dispossessed, be they white or Black., Harry Belafonte (right) joins Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and James Forman of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee during a press conference in Atlanta on April 30, 1965. That the screenplay works quite well in political thriller terms, with dramatically satisfying plot twists throughout, is rewarding enough; it's so much icing on the cake that the accompanying gags are equally strong, making this one of the most facile blends of suspense and comedy since the films of Colin Higgins. To that, Douglas says, "Oh. His mother, Rose (ne Berolsky or Beransky), was a Lithuanian-Jewish immigrant who worked in a garment sweatshop, and his father, Milton Matuschansky, was a Ukrainian-Jewish peddler and electrician, from Kyiv, Ukraine. He stands as the model and the epitome of the celebrity activist. "She stands to make upwards of $150 million on this particular tour," he said. We figured with Jack Lemmon and James Garner it couldn't be too bad. Starring: Matthau directed a low-budget movie called The Gangster Story (1960) and played a sympathetic sheriff in Lonely Are the Brave (1962), which starred Kirk Douglas. He worked closely with his friend and generational peer the Rev. Belafonte was a poor reader he was probably dyslexic, he later realized and dropped out of high school, soon joining the Navy. For reasons unknown he used the name Leonard Elliot. Bipartisanship to the max. The Calm Life of Former Presidents Gets Interrupted.