“You wanna know somethin’, punk? You were born dumb and you’re gonna die dumb.”
Time to celebrate an Oscar-winning Actor who was also an action star – Art Carney! With so much celebration of the Academy Awards, here is a film starring Oscar winners and nominees, directed by an Oscar-winning Director – so much talent on such a neglected classic!
Wait – WHAT????
Yes, Art Carney was an action star! One of Hollywood’s most unique crossovers of all time began in 1974, when legendary “Honeymooners” TV star Art Carney won Best Actor for his work in the film “Harry And Tonto.”
Here is one of the most unique Oscar photos ever: Best Actor Art Carney hugging Francis Ford Coppola, who won that year for the brilliant “The Godfather Part II”!
Now only was Carney brilliant in this sweet road movie about an old man and his cat, but he parlayed it into a multitude of film roles, including his work as an action star!
“The Nicest Movie You’ll Ever See About Murder And Blackmail!”
Time to celebrate one of the greatest 70′s films ever, the classic:
The Late Show!
Director Robert Benton created one of the best films of the decade – with a terrific cast including Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill Macy and Joanna Cassidy. Benton would go on to win an Oscar for “Kramer Vs. Kramer”, but this late 70′s film noir look at LA is a neglected gem.
Here is the trailer:
“Back in the Forties, this town was crawlin’ with dollies like you. Good-lookin’ coquettes tryin’ their damnedest to act tough as hell. I got news for you: they did it better back then. This town doesn’t change – they just push the names around. Same dames… screwin’ up their lives just the same way.”
That’s Art Carney speaking: a broken down gumshoe struggling to make rent, who has seen it all. He gets a new client, Lily Tomlin, who needs help finding her cat.
“Boy, it’s really lucky for you that I just happen to be a very self-destructive person.”
Tomlin has never been better as a woman full of self-doubt, paranoia and big big dreams! What happens next is one of the best tales of Hollywood noir ever, with terrific acting and a ton of recognizable faces in small roles.
If you only know Art Carney from The Honeymooners, his performance here is amazing, and Lily Tomlin is also outstanding – her best film work ever…
“The Late Show” is poignant, touching, full of action and twists, and oozing with the smell of Hollywood glitter and grime. Director Robert Benton was oscar-nominated for his script…
Carney Kicks Ass!
The best part of the film is Carney as a washed up private eye – who gets a chance to show that he’s a tougher guy than he looks…
There are SO many great supporting characters in this film, but none more memorable than Bill Macy, a veteran character actor from TV’s “Maude”, who is pitch perfect as a small time Hollywood hustler…
Macy captures perfectly the kind of small time hustler who Carney has to deal with as he tries to find Tomlin’s cat…the plot, however, is much much more than that, and a truly great gem of a movie…
“The Late Show” is now on DVD, and you can also find it on various ondemand services…Director Robert Benton does a great job with this film, which led to his next movie:
Robert Benton went on to write and direct the classic “Kramer Vs. Kramer”, which won a multitude of Oscars, including:
Best Picture Of 1979
Best Actor Dustin Hoffman
Best Supporting Actress Meryl Streep
Best Director Robert Benton
Best Screenplay Robert Benton
So, be sure to watch this great film as well! Kudos!
