I am not feeling good. My brain thinks it’s three a.m. and I shouldn’t be awake. I have no idea why.
Anyway, no damn chance of seven trivia questions, so we’re doing more actor round-robin. It was a lot of fun last week. I’ll start:
An obsessed fan, a boxer, an overprotective father.
Robert DeNiro–The Fan, Raging Bull, and Meet the Parents
Actually, I meant King of Comedy, but regardless, you’ve got it.
Amateur herpetologist, cold-blooded killer, logger
Henry Fonda
The Lady Eve, Once Upon a Time in the West, Sometimes a Great Notion
A rich former convict, a reverend doctor, a pulp writer
Too hard, or is no one out there?
I don’t have it, but I’m feeling woozy.
Can’t play today, too much work.
Also, I’m stumped.
Clue: a naive American pulp writer in Europe
Sounds like Joseph Cotton in “The Third Man”, but darned if I can figure out the other two films on your list.
Bill’s on to something.
First film is a lesser known film by a very major director. Second film is the subject of one of the most revealing books on filmmaking.
Had to resort to IMDB (I hope that isn’t cheating) for the second film: Heaven’s Gate. Still stumped by the first film.
But it’s definitely Joseph Cotten.
Yes, Cotten. The first film is Under Capricorn, a rarely screened Hitchcock.
Go, Bill.
Took a whole lot of IMDb-ing, but I think the first film is Under Capricorn.
At any rate, it’s Bill’s turn, isn’t it?
I’ll go easy on everyone:
An ex-vaudevillian, a bank robber, God.
Jinx!
Stumped, but then that doesn’t take much when you’re as film-illiterate as I am.
George Burns
The Sunshine Boys, Going in Style, Oh, God
And it’s over to George!
a frightened insomniac, a manifesto writing attempted assassin, a teen who has written 65 songs for an unrequited love
Lili Taylor? The Haunting, I Shot Andy Warhol, and…Say Anything maybe?
You got it, Tom, and you’re right on “Say Anything,” too.
Never seen that one, although I gather it’s sort of iconic for people of our generation.
Okay, here goes: a gunfighter, a corrupt cop, an alcoholic writer.
Crap, that’s like any three random movies you could pick!
I’ll wait a little while and then drop a hint if necessary.
Well, he works for clue 2 and he’s been in a billion films and Lili Taylor might have got you to him via “Mystic Pizza” and his sister, so I’ll take a wild guess and say Eric Roberts? (Role 2 “The Dark Knight”)
I’m out of here for awhile, but it’s not like I think I got it right anyway….
Not Eric Roberts.
Hints: 3 movies by celebrated American directors; the first and last are nearly 20 years apart.
Hint: this actor is probably best known for his role as a general.
Sterling Hayden, most famous as General Jack D. Ripper, but the three films in the original clue are Johnny Guitar, The Godfather, and The Long Goodbye (the last one is a guess, as I’ve only seen parts of it a long time ago) (dirs: Coppola, Ray, Altman)
You got it! Your turn.
Anyone else out there or do we end it on a Long Goodbye? I’ll come up with something if people want to play.
Not that you don’t count, Tom.
Well, just in case:
a dying millionaire, a member of a fictional singing family, an unusual detective
Just so you know, George, I still haven’t given up on this one.
Is it Buddy Ebsen? The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band would be the second role, and Barnaby Jones would be the third. And I’m sure he played a dying millionaire at some point.