Much to my surprise, there was a standby line outside the theatre for those who wanted to see Harry & Tonto. I was lucky to get a seat in the theater because it was packed. Then again perhaps I shouldn't have been because Harry & Tonto is one of my favorite films and I shouldn't be surprised that others would share that opinion.
Prior to the film, the audience was treated to a presentation by the Film Forum's program director Bruce Goldstein (no relation). He showed some clips from The Honeymooners and also showed the clip where Carney won his Best Actor award. Two things stood out about that clip. First, the presenter was Glenda Jackson who had won Best Actress the previous year for A Touch of Class. I got to know her when I was a parliamentary intern in London in 1995 when she was a Labour MP so seeing her on screen brought back memories. Second, Carney beat out a who's who of actors - Jack Nicholson for Chinatown, Al Pacino for The Godfather, Part II, Dustin Hoffman in Lenny and Albert Finney in Murder on the Orient Express. Sadly, Finney passed away yesterday and never did win an Oscar despite five nominations.
For those unfamiliar with Harry and Tonto, it is about a retired teacher and his orange tabby who are forced out of their New York City apartment and proceed to go on the road through Chicago, the American Southwest (Arizona, Colorado and Vegas) before arriving in Los Angeles. The America of the early to mid 1970's was kind of like Carney and his cat - aging, decrepit and trying to get on with life. Although I've watched this movie multiple times this viewing resonated with me because I recognized the benches down the medium of Broadway on the Upper West Side.
It also resonated with me in that I wonder how long can my Dad and I live in New York City. Oh, the building in which I live might not get torn down. But it could get sold and where would we go? Barring a windfall, there will very likely come a time when I have to leave NYC. What path would I take? Would I stay in the Northeast or would I follow Harry and "go west, old man"? But these days California is every bit as expensive as New York. But for the moment I am in NYC. Unlike last night when I was surrounded by Trump worshippers, this evening I was in more familiar territory among neurotic, left-wing Jews.
While Carney would receive critical acclaim, there were an array of great actors in this movie - Ellen Burstyn and Larry Hagman being the best known. But there was also Geraldine Fitzgerald, Philip Bruns (who appeared on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and was also the murder victim in the Columbo episode "An Exercise in Fatality"), Barbara Rhoades (who also appeared in a Columbo episodes "Lady in Waiting" and "Identity Crisis"), Chief Dan George (who my mother once met in Thunder Bay), acting teacher extraordinaire Herbert Berghof, a young Josh Mostel (son of Zero Mostel) and a young Melanie Mayron who would later star in thirtysomething.
Then there was Tonto. Have I mentioned that I love orange tabbies? I'm not a fan of keeping cats on leashes. Most cats who spend any extended period of time on leashes lose their marbles. But Tonto somehow did it. He deserved to win an award as much as Carney.
At the conclusion of Harry and Tonto, a majority of the theater emptied. I opted to stay on and watch The Late Show. I knew that Carney and Tomlin had done a movie together, but had never seen it. Released in 1977, The Late Show is a send up of the film noire pulp detective movie. Carney plays a retired detective who tries to find the person responsible for murdering his former partner while Tomlin plays an eccentric woman who is looking for her cat. I can't help but think that Robert Benton and Robert Altman were playing a rib on Carney as Tomlin's first line to him was, "Do you like cats?"
Although not as poignant as Harry and Tonto, there is an odd yet sweet romantic chemistry between Carney and Tomlin which fortunately never gets consummated. As with Harry and Tonto, there is a strong supporting cast with William Macy (best known for his work on Maude starring Bea Arthur), Joanna Cassidy, Eugene Roche, John Considine and veteran stage actress Ruth Nelson. But the pace was inconsistent, the chase scene won't make anyone forget Bullitt and there was a lot of no so subtle product placement advertising. Nevertheless, the film is weird enough to see once.
While Art Carney will always be remembered for playing Ed Norton, his 1970's film renaissance represents a far more dynamic phase of his career.
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