Diane Keaton Had Both Style & Substance

A short time ago, my brother Ezra informed me that Diane Keaton had passed away. She was 79.

Of course, Keaton will be remembered for her portrayal of Kay Adams Corleone in the three Godfather films. There were also her numerous collaborations with Woody Allen including Annie Hall which garnered her an Oscar for Best Actress and became a fashion trendsetter in the process. I mean June and Jean Millington of Fanny certainly took a page out of Keaton's book when they released the Ladies on a Stage album in 1978.

Keaton received three subsequent Best Actress nominations for Reds (1981), Marvin's Room (1996) and Something's Gotta Give (2003). She will also be remembered for appearances in the Father of the Bride movies with Steve Martin as well as in The First Wives Club with Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn.

When I think of Keaton, I think of the aforementioned collaborations with Allen. In all they appeared in 8 films together - Play it Again, Sam (1972); Sleeper (1973); Love and Death (1975); Annie Hall (1977); Interiors (1978); Manhattan (1979); Radio Days (1987); and Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993).

Of these collaborations, I am most fond of Play it Again, Sam which Allen and Keaton debuted on Broadway in 1969 for which Keaton earned a Tony nomination. Inspired by Casablanca, Allen plays Allan Felix who has just endured a messy divorce with his best friends Dick and Linda Christie (played by the late Tony Roberts and Keaton) trying to set him up with other women with disastrous results. Over time, Allan falls in love with Linda and Linda reciprocates. But Allan knows Linda needs to get on that plane with Dick and ends the relationship and walks off into the fog much like Bogart.

I would love to see Play It Again, Sam at The Brattle or some other theatre. Unfortunately, Allen's films are verboten due to questionable allegations of sexual abuse against his daughter Dylan. Whatever one might think of Allen, we are also denied viewing some of Keaton's best work because Allen has been declared persona non grata. For her part, Keaton has long been one of Allen's staunchest defenders.

Diane Keaton was a remarkable woman of both style and substance. R.I.P.