Word: film
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Dates: during 1980-1980
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Sandy Bates is an idolized comic-turned-director who is cursed by his own gifts. Steamrollered by his staff -- incompetents to the last man, woman and child -- into attending a weekend retrospective of his work (a vicious parody of Judith Crist's Connecticut film weekends), he finds himself incessantly put upon by fans ("I just adore your movies, especially the earlier funnier ones"), groupies, unemployed actors, and other assorted morons who interrupt even his phone calls with requests for photos, autographs, jobs, charity appearances, sex, or a hearing for some stupendously bad idea for a new movie. In addition...
...shame too, because the cast assembled for this film is quite remarkable. Anthony Hopkins is more than capable of showing a complex man at work. Dr. Treves, it shouldn't be forgotten, made his name in English society thanks to his "discovery" of the Elephant Man. Why is he never given a moment of self-congratulation? As for John Hurt's performance, it is shrouded by the sheer physicality of the role. Inexplicably, he is a totally sweet, naive man right from the moment he is rescued from a life of degradation. Where are the anger, the mistrust and hostility...
...film also leaves many questions unnecessarily unanswered. How did Merrick learn to read? What happened to Merrick's mother? Why is his spine deformed? The answers (not given in the movie): he was taught to read in the workhouse where his mother sent him, age 3, because she couldn't stand the sight of him. His back was crippled in a workhouse accident. Are these answers so difficult in a film purportedly telling us the truth about The Elephant...
...more comedy discs). He is oft-seen on television: HBO shows, Johnny Carson, and two NBC specials this fall, with guests Rodney Dangerfield, Jane Curtin, Judd Hirsch and the Charlie Daniels Band. And he is not unknown in movies either: The Landlord, Hooper and the in-progress animated film The Last Unicorn. Klein's also got some of his own film projects and scripts on the burner...
...Radio is peculiarly well suited to talk shows," he observes. "That is, if you have a guest who can talk. William Shatner and Persis Khambatta came on to plug Star Trek--The Motion Picture. I didn't see the film. They didn't want the press to see a screening--the assholes...