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Hello, this is Lee Pfeiffer.
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I'm the editor in chief
of Cinema Retro magazine,
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which is dedicated to films
of the '60s and '70s.
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I'm delighted to be associated
with this Twilight Time release
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of Stanley Kramer's
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
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And I'm also delighted to be joined
by two friends and fellow film historians,
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Paul Scrabo and Eddy Friedfeld.
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Hi, this is Paul Scrabo.
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I'm a video engineer by trade,
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but I also enjoy working
on assorted media projects
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whenever I can get the time.
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Hi, I'm Eddy Friedfeld.
Thanks for joining us.
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I'm a writer, a historian.
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I teach film classes at NYU and at Yale.
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And I wanted to tee off our commentary.
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I mean, I think the best way
to look at this film
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is a love letter to romance,
to friendship, to family.
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This concept that everybody in this film,
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every character in this film cares deeply
about how the other character feels
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and their future.
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And that's the through line that...
And it's a first-rate cast.
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I mean, it actually feels
like a stage play
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because there are few sets and few actors
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and there's just such sparkling dialogue.
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Well, the dialogue is
through Kramer's old friend
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and collaborator William Rose.
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And I think, Paul,
as one of the great scholars in the world
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on It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
which was also directed by Stanley Kramer
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and co-written by William Rose...
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Well, I'm hardly a scholar.
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There are plenty of Mad World experts
like Jim Croper, Mike Schlesinger,
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Mark Evanier, who have set me straight
on a lot of things
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and they're far more articulate than I am.
But anyway,
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what I have to do is to make sure
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that my commentary is not six degrees
of Mad, Mad World,
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but it can't be helped at times.
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William Rose was a master
at writing stories
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that take place in one day,
comedies that take place in one day.
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He turned Nathaniel Benchley's novel,
The Off-Islanders
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into The Russians Are Coming,
the Russians Are Coming.
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Years ago Tania Rose told us
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that she felt that the screenplay
was vastly superior to the book.
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Mad World, of course, unfolds in one day
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and Stanley Kramer thought that
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner’s script
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would take place over a few days,
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but Rose insisted that it takes place
during a 12-hour period.
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-That was a kiss in the rearview mirror.
-Yes.
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That is the only kiss
the couple has in the film.
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That's significant.
We'll touch on it later.
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It is significant.
We will talk about it later,
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because it was...
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That was considered rather groundbreaking,
that modest scene,
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which is also just glimpsed
by the cabdriver in a rearview mirror
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as though they didn't want
to push the envelope too far
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by showing these two people
kissing up close.
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And I think that was after the famous
Kirk-Uhura kiss for you Star Trek fans.
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Right. Which years ago
at a Star Trek convention,
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William Shatner said that he felt
that that scene was a cop-out
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because his character
was forced to kiss her.
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I don't remember if that's true or not.
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But they... Kramer went to great pains
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to make that kiss passionate
but muted enough
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so that it would entertain
but not offend certain constituencies.
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And I think it's worth pointing out,
for people who don't know,
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the young lady in the film
is Katharine Houghton.
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She is actually
Katharine Hepburn's real-life niece.
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Not that that contributed
to her getting the job.
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Of course not.
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Actually, Mariette Hartley
and Samantha Eggar
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were in consideration early on,
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but the production thought that Katharine
would make it a more family affair
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and it was also good for publicity.
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-Joey?
-Hilary, hi. How are you?
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What a surprise!
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There's Virginia Christine...
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-I'll be with you in just a moment.
-Okay.
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...known as the...
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I guess most people would know her...
our generation... as the Folgers...
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-Folgers lady.
-Right?
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-I didn't know. That's very astute of you.
-Okay.
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Those of us of a certain age can remember
who the heck the Folgers lady was.
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But here we have a situation where...
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it's probably incomprehensible
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if younger people were watching this film
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to see anything groundbreaking in it.
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But it was.
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I mean, the idea
of interracial relationships,
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was still very much a taboo thing.
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It's brought out later in the film that,
incredible as it seems,
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interracial marriage was still illegal
in 16 states in the United States
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in 1967 when this film was released.
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So this was very much a hot-button issue.
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It preceded the monumental events
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that would take place the following year
in 1968
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with the assassination
of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy
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within a few months of each other.
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So this was still
the calm before the storm
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and racial tension was very much
an everyday topic of discussion
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in the United States during that time.
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The Civil Rights Act had just been passed.
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LBJ shepherded it through Congress
under great duress in 1965,
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which is very...
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You can see the people watching the film
being made across the street
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-from the hotel.
-Good old San Francisco.
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But this was...
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Came out basically in the wake
of the Civil Rights Act.
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You know, President Johnson's
largely defined
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by the ill-fated Vietnam War, but it swung
back a little bit, his legacy,
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in terms of this great piece
of legislation
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that helped define his presidency.
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Many crew members
from previous Stanley Kramer productions
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are together again for this outing.
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But a main Kramer associate is missing:
composer Ernest Gold.
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Here for the first and only time,
he uses Frank De Vol.
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And his music is very good.
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His Guess Who's Coming to Dinner theme
is played here
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so bright and so lush,
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you expect Loretta Young
to come flying down the stairs.
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Nobody's gonna get that reference.
I'm not... I'm sorry.
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The gentleman helping... the cabdriver...
is John Hudkins.
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He's primarily a Stuntman.
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And John Hudkins there was the gentleman
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responsible for doubling
for Jonathan Winters
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destroying the gas station
in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
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Why they... Now you can see he has stunt...
He looks like a stunt guy.
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What's also interesting
for the narrative here,
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is the cabdriver's character
is the first character
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to express either shock
and/or disapproval in the film.
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-At least curiosity.
-Curiosity is a good way to place it.
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-At least curiosity.
-Curiosity is a good way to place it.
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You're absolutely right.
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You're not really sure whether
he finds this a good thing or a bad thing.
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Here we have Isabel Sanford
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who is just... She represents status quo,
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-don't rock the boat here.
-Right.
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And the irony here is her iconic role,
Louise Jefferson,
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for 11 years she played the symbol
for moving on up
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-in another time, in another community.
-But in this film she's the symbol
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for keeping it steady.
You know, don't rock the boat.
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And threatened by change.
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She is Poitier's
most significant nemesis in this film.
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I think this is the little bit
of a plot twist here
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that you're not expecting
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because we expect
that Katharine Houghton's parents
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in this film are going to be the ones
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that outright reject
the character of John Prentice.
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However, it turns out to be
the African-American maid
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who feels very uncomfortable
with this situation.
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By the way, to dovetail your point
about interracial marriages, at this time,
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there are about 1.8 million marriages
in the United States.
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Only 8,000, less than one half of 1%,
were interracial.
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In 2012, interracial marriages climbed
to a new high of 4.8 million,
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which was one in 12.
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Which days?
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Yeah, it's hard to believe there
were only 8,000 such marriages in 1967.
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This character,
they don't do very much with.
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You'll see her again later,
but she's mostly just window dressing.
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There's a couple of people in here
that's mostly just window dressing
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that serve basically
to prove a social point
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or just to level criticism at...
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It may be fair that Stanley
makes this film, at times daring,
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and yet at the same time, comfortable.
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-In a way to get the point across.
-It had to be comfortable.
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And we'll get into the criticism
that was level led against the film
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in certain quarters...
in many quarters actually.
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Although it was a huge financial success
and most critics did like it...
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It was nominated for ten Academy Awards...
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This is a film that...
There was a big backlash against it,
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much of it directed
against Poitier himself
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and we'll get into that later as well.
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It seems so benign
and it just seems as though there's nobody
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and nothing about this film that would...
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There's the picture
of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
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-To indicate...
-It's the establishing shot
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to tell you exactly
what kind of house you're in.
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-Right.
-You're in a liberal, progressive house.
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Los Angeles, please. Area code 213.
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Axminister 246-99.
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You know, you look at Poitier
at this stage in his career,
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he's almost incredibly handsome.
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He's such a dynamic screen presence.
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Did he come right off
of In the Heat of the Night?
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-This was the biggest year of Sidney...
-And To Sir, with Love.
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This was the biggest year of his career.
To Sir, with Love,
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In the Heat of the Night,
followed by this.
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He is also the last actor
to have three hit movies
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within a six-month period.
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-Yes, and...
-That's mind-boggling
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in terms of today's context.
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You know I've always loved you...
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-He was a bona fide superstar.
-Definitely.
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And that line,
"You're just as Black as he is."
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I wanted to make another point.
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At that time, sociologists didn't believe
that Americans were
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"On the way to becoming a blended
race of coloured complexion."
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Even over a few generations,
they had no clue
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that arrivals of millions
of non-white immigrants
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would lead to more minority births
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than white births
in the last couple of years.
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And a major increase in people
identifying themselves as mixed-race.
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Here, we have Kate's first appearance
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00:11:25,601 --> 00:11:28,104
and of course,
she would win an Oscar for this,
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and the following year,
she would also win an Oscar
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00:11:32,316 --> 00:11:33,359
for The Lion in Winter.
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So this was a very good time
in her career.
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And this was, I think,
the first time in ten years
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that she was photographed in colour,
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00:11:42,743 --> 00:11:45,329
and she annoyed Spencer
to no end in this movie
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because if you watch the film
with the lenses,
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she watched how she looked,
the angles that she projected.
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That ticked Spencer off at times saying,
"Will you just get on with the acting?"
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But she was concerned
with how she looked in Technicolor.
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Or whatever colour this was.
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00:12:00,136 --> 00:12:02,597
-I think she was about 60...
-She was when this movie was made.
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00:12:02,680 --> 00:12:04,140
And she's still stunning.
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I mean, she was known...
earned the reputation,
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00:12:06,976 --> 00:12:10,479
the designation, of being
the First Lady of cinema.
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She has a regal look about her
no matter what she does.
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You know you're looking
at American royalty here.
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She started out her career...
The nickname that was given to her
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00:12:20,865 --> 00:12:23,743
by movie theatre owners
was "Box Office Poison"
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00:12:24,452 --> 00:12:28,289
because her movies
did so poorly at the box office.
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00:12:28,372 --> 00:12:33,085
And she, instead of skulking away,
she turned it around.
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00:12:33,169 --> 00:12:34,462
She was entrepreneurial.
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00:12:34,545 --> 00:12:37,173
She bought the rights
to The Philadelphia Story play,
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00:12:37,256 --> 00:12:39,091
which was a success on Broadway.
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00:12:39,675 --> 00:12:44,138
Amped up the role, beefed up the role
for the Dexter Haven character,
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00:12:44,221 --> 00:12:45,723
which was played by Cary Grant.
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00:12:45,806 --> 00:12:48,768
And that became a bona fide hit
and she never looked back.
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Yeah, she was as close as we can get
to royalty in this business.
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00:12:53,981 --> 00:12:58,611
After many years at United Artists,
Stanley Kramer made Ship of Fools
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00:12:58,694 --> 00:13:01,280
at Columbia Pictures in 1965.
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00:13:01,948 --> 00:13:05,826
I believe Kramer considered,
however briefly,
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00:13:06,327 --> 00:13:10,206
to reunite Tracy and Hepburn
for that film.
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00:13:10,289 --> 00:13:13,834
Hepburn was all for playing
the part of the angry alcoholic,
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00:13:13,918 --> 00:13:18,047
but only if Kramer also cast Tracy
as the lead.
237
00:13:18,673 --> 00:13:23,219
But Stanley Kramer realised quickly
that Spencer Tracy was too old
238
00:13:23,302 --> 00:13:26,472
and too ill to play that part.
239
00:13:26,555 --> 00:13:30,977
And those roles went
to Vivien Leigh and Oskar Werner.
240
00:13:31,060 --> 00:13:34,230
I wanted to point out his reaction,
241
00:13:34,313 --> 00:13:37,441
because he's basically doing this
by himself on screen.
242
00:13:37,525 --> 00:13:41,153
This is the only time in the film
he looks genuinely nervous.
243
00:13:41,237 --> 00:13:44,240
And I think that's just such a gift
to his acting skills
244
00:13:44,323 --> 00:13:48,452
because he plays such a competent,
accomplished, confident character.
245
00:13:48,536 --> 00:13:53,207
But here he is hesitant,
there's nervousness.
246
00:13:53,290 --> 00:13:55,376
Now, would you say that doing that
in the very beginning
247
00:13:55,459 --> 00:13:57,878
opens up people to the acceptance
of what's going on?
248
00:13:57,962 --> 00:13:59,839
-Yes. Yes.
-He's a likeable guy. He's a good guy.
249
00:13:59,922 --> 00:14:03,384
That's Kramer's gift
and William Rose's genius.
250
00:14:03,467 --> 00:14:05,636
That they're trying
to humanise this story.
251
00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:08,848
And I...
We're gonna point out all the plot devices
252
00:14:08,931 --> 00:14:12,935
to make this a human story.
253
00:14:13,019 --> 00:14:18,065
Well, it's a good time to point out
that the film was criticised
254
00:14:18,149 --> 00:14:22,945
in certain quarters
for the fact that the character
255
00:14:23,029 --> 00:14:25,531
of John Prentice
practically has a halo over him.
256
00:14:25,614 --> 00:14:31,287
And it looks a bit over-the-top today,
when you look at it.
257
00:14:31,370 --> 00:14:33,122
He's this world-famous doctor.
258
00:14:33,205 --> 00:14:36,584
He doesn't want to sleep
with his fiancée until they get married.
259
00:14:36,667 --> 00:14:39,628
Just about every cliché
about the white knight
260
00:14:39,712 --> 00:14:41,922
you can think of
embodied in this Black man.
261
00:14:42,006 --> 00:14:47,219
But at the time, it was very difficult
to find funding for a project like this.
262
00:14:47,303 --> 00:14:51,015
And if they had made him an edgier
character, like some people had argued,
263
00:14:51,098 --> 00:14:53,059
chances are this movie
wouldn't have happened.
264
00:14:53,142 --> 00:14:57,438
When I first saw this movie, I sort of
understood the criticism. He's perfect.
265
00:14:57,521 --> 00:15:00,691
He's a doctor, he's doing this,
he's doing... It doesn't seem real.
266
00:15:00,775 --> 00:15:05,029
But I understood when Kramer said,
"I wanted to make this movie
267
00:15:05,112 --> 00:15:09,950
that the only reason anybody
would object to the marriage
268
00:15:10,826 --> 00:15:12,912
-would be because he was a Black person."
-Right.
269
00:15:12,995 --> 00:15:18,417
And although it still has problems
here and there that critics have with it,
270
00:15:18,501 --> 00:15:21,712
-I do understand what he was trying to do.
-No, I do too.
271
00:15:21,796 --> 00:15:22,797
And it was very clever.
272
00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:26,342
And you have to look at a movie
like this within the context of its time.
273
00:15:26,425 --> 00:15:28,177
Those of us of a certain age,
274
00:15:28,260 --> 00:15:31,222
and I was probably, like,
11 years old when this came out.
275
00:15:31,305 --> 00:15:35,059
But I remember it was
a very significant film at the time.
276
00:15:35,142 --> 00:15:37,311
Certainly had a societal impact.
277
00:15:38,562 --> 00:15:41,315
Stanley Kramer was an unabashed liberal.
278
00:15:41,398 --> 00:15:46,320
He liked to make movies
that spoke to social issues.
279
00:15:46,403 --> 00:15:48,489
He never believed
in the old Hollywood adage
280
00:15:48,572 --> 00:15:50,866
to leave the messages to Western Union.
281
00:15:50,950 --> 00:15:54,870
He tried to convey them in his films.
And he also was not a man
282
00:15:54,954 --> 00:15:58,165
that was known, especially,
for doing many comedies.
283
00:15:58,249 --> 00:16:01,710
Most of his films are very serious.
284
00:16:01,794 --> 00:16:05,840
You think about The Defiant Ones,
you think about Judgment at Nuremberg,
285
00:16:06,882 --> 00:16:08,259
films of that nature.
286
00:16:09,301 --> 00:16:11,053
They would... Inherit the Wind.
287
00:16:11,137 --> 00:16:14,431
Today, politics on both
sides is so polarising
288
00:16:14,515 --> 00:16:16,559
that people can't even bring themselves
to go bowling...
289
00:16:16,642 --> 00:16:17,643
Identity politics. Yeah.
290
00:16:17,726 --> 00:16:19,854
...with somebody who has a different
political viewpoint.
291
00:16:19,937 --> 00:16:23,899
But back then, Hollywood was
very, kind of, evenly balanced.
292
00:16:23,983 --> 00:16:28,696
Certainly, the studio heads and some
of the big directors were very liberal.
293
00:16:28,779 --> 00:16:32,616
But you had this cross section...
You know, the big stars like John Wayne
294
00:16:32,700 --> 00:16:36,412
and Jimmy Stewart were very conservative
and everyone got along well.
295
00:16:36,495 --> 00:16:39,165
Well,
today it's the age of identity politics
296
00:16:39,248 --> 00:16:41,917
where one's character
is sized up by another
297
00:16:42,001 --> 00:16:44,587
based on their takes
on different subjects.
298
00:16:44,670 --> 00:16:46,714
You're not only wrong, you're stupid.
299
00:16:46,797 --> 00:16:49,091
You're not only stupid, you're evil.
300
00:16:49,175 --> 00:16:51,260
Why can't you be tolerant like I am?
301
00:16:51,844 --> 00:16:56,599
I really do think that Stanley Kramer
would be befuddled by all this today.
302
00:16:56,682 --> 00:17:01,228
And friends of mine who lean toward
the Right love Stanley Kramer's films.
303
00:17:01,312 --> 00:17:03,022
They know they're good stories.
304
00:17:03,606 --> 00:17:07,818
To me, it's always seemed it's the Left
that had problems with him sometimes.
305
00:17:07,902 --> 00:17:12,364
I first saw Stanley Kramer
in person at NYU in 1973.
306
00:17:12,448 --> 00:17:13,991
The interviewer opened the event
307
00:17:14,074 --> 00:17:16,660
by asking Kramer if he thought
he was a discarded liberal.
308
00:17:18,120 --> 00:17:21,373
Pauline Kael titled a chapter
in one of her books
309
00:17:21,457 --> 00:17:24,752
"The Intentions of Stanley Kramer,"
and then went on to bash
310
00:17:24,835 --> 00:17:27,129
just about everything he ever did.
311
00:17:27,213 --> 00:17:28,881
Thank you, Tillie.
312
00:17:30,507 --> 00:17:33,135
That withering look
that Louise Sanford just gave Poitier
313
00:17:33,219 --> 00:17:36,639
was good practise for how she treated
George Jefferson for 11 years.
314
00:17:37,431 --> 00:17:40,684
A year before this film, William Rose
was enjoying major success
315
00:17:40,768 --> 00:17:43,103
with The Russians Are Coming.
It was a big hit.
316
00:17:43,187 --> 00:17:48,192
He had already won Oscar nominations
for Genevieve and The Ladykillers,
317
00:17:48,275 --> 00:17:50,819
but he was not a Hollywood player.
318
00:17:50,903 --> 00:17:52,363
He didn't care for Hollywood.
319
00:17:52,446 --> 00:17:58,244
Norman Jewison recalled that he got cold
sweats whenever he landed in Los Angeles.
320
00:17:59,203 --> 00:18:02,957
William Rose was a native
of Jefferson City, Missouri,
321
00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:06,377
but preferred to live
in England's Channel Islands.
322
00:18:06,460 --> 00:18:07,795
In a nutshell.
323
00:18:07,878 --> 00:18:11,215
The notion about creating
this iconic character,
324
00:18:11,298 --> 00:18:17,680
I think, is so important
in finding the character compelling.
325
00:18:17,763 --> 00:18:21,892
Yeah, taught at Yale, lectures overseas,
326
00:18:21,976 --> 00:18:25,562
wants to bring health care
to rural Africa.
327
00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:30,901
But, you know, the interesting thing
is now, at that time,
328
00:18:30,985 --> 00:18:35,197
if we were doing commentary on this
and talked about somebody who was going
329
00:18:35,281 --> 00:18:38,200
to be a Columbia College,
Harvard Graduate Law School,
330
00:18:38,284 --> 00:18:39,952
Nobel Peace Prize winner,
331
00:18:40,035 --> 00:18:43,622
senator from Illinois
and future president of the United States,
332
00:18:43,706 --> 00:18:45,499
you wouldn't get a credible look.
333
00:18:45,582 --> 00:18:50,963
And this is a precursor to Barack Obama.
334
00:18:51,046 --> 00:18:55,301
But I think the most important aspect
of his credentials or his character
335
00:18:55,384 --> 00:18:59,138
is that he is a widower
and that he lost a son.
336
00:18:59,221 --> 00:19:05,394
And I think that generates a certain
amount of sympathy from every level.
337
00:19:05,477 --> 00:19:07,354
-Every corner of the audience.
-Yes. There he is.
338
00:19:07,438 --> 00:19:11,275
Tracy on-screen for the first time
in four years... since Mad World.
339
00:19:11,358 --> 00:19:18,324
It's funny, Tracy probably aged faster
than any leading man in screen history.
340
00:19:18,407 --> 00:19:20,868
He always looked much older
than his years.
341
00:19:20,951 --> 00:19:25,164
He's 67 here. He's not
that old by today's standards.
342
00:19:25,247 --> 00:19:28,876
I remember when...
I think it was Maximilian Schell
343
00:19:29,376 --> 00:19:31,545
won the award for Judgment at Nuremberg,
344
00:19:31,628 --> 00:19:35,591
and Maximilian Schell said,
"But most of all, I'd like to thank
345
00:19:35,674 --> 00:19:38,761
that grand old man, Spencer Tracy."
346
00:19:38,844 --> 00:19:41,013
Well, Tracy didn't like that at all.
347
00:19:41,096 --> 00:19:44,099
Tracy... And we might as well say it
right now, and talk about it.
348
00:19:44,183 --> 00:19:45,851
This film almost didn't get made.
349
00:19:45,934 --> 00:19:49,396
Tracy was in very poor health
throughout the four years
350
00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:50,939
in between Mad World and this.
351
00:19:51,023 --> 00:19:55,944
He was tempted go back
on-screen numerous times.
352
00:19:56,028 --> 00:20:00,908
Even talked about playing the president
in John Frankenheimer's Seven Days in May,
353
00:20:00,991 --> 00:20:02,868
but just couldn't bring himself to do it.
354
00:20:02,951 --> 00:20:05,371
He couldn't get insurance on this film.
355
00:20:05,454 --> 00:20:08,540
80 both Stanley Kramer
and Katharine Hepburn
356
00:20:08,624 --> 00:20:14,588
had to put up their salaries in escrow
in case Tracy died during production,
357
00:20:14,671 --> 00:20:18,342
another actor would come in
and basically be paid by their salaries.
358
00:20:18,425 --> 00:20:20,260
They would have
to do the film for nothing.
359
00:20:20,344 --> 00:20:23,305
There was a point where Tracy
was feeling so bad during production,
360
00:20:23,389 --> 00:20:24,848
he said to Stanley Kramer,
361
00:20:24,932 --> 00:20:28,310
"I hope you have enough
in the can to finish this film
362
00:20:28,394 --> 00:20:30,813
because I don't know whether
I'm going to make it through."
363
00:20:30,896 --> 00:20:33,482
And he survived a couple
of weeks past the wrap party.
364
00:20:33,565 --> 00:20:37,403
Well, he died 17 days after the last shot.
That's cutting it pretty close.
365
00:20:37,903 --> 00:20:41,949
Tracy was enthused about doing it.
People around him were not.
366
00:20:42,032 --> 00:20:44,284
They thought the strain
of it would be too great
367
00:20:44,368 --> 00:20:47,955
and they also thought the subject
matter would be too controversial,
368
00:20:48,038 --> 00:20:52,167
might hurt his public image as
the beloved old guy that, you know,
369
00:20:52,251 --> 00:20:56,130
everyone looked to
as a patriarch of a family.
370
00:20:56,213 --> 00:20:57,631
But he did stick to his guns.
371
00:20:57,714 --> 00:20:59,716
He was eager at that point
to get back to work,
372
00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:03,053
especially with his
old friend Stanley Kramer.
373
00:21:03,137 --> 00:21:06,723
They had made Inherit the Wind,
they had made Judgment at Nuremberg.
374
00:21:06,807 --> 00:21:08,934
They collaborated numerous times.
375
00:21:09,017 --> 00:21:13,439
This is that classic sitcom
TV-dad slow-burn,
376
00:21:13,522 --> 00:21:16,024
-what are you not telling me...
-What the hell is going on...
377
00:21:16,108 --> 00:21:18,235
-...that he does better than anybody else.
-Yes.
378
00:21:18,902 --> 00:21:21,113
I have to point this out.
379
00:21:21,196 --> 00:21:26,118
I mean, I like this movie a great deal
and I'm very admiring of it,
380
00:21:26,201 --> 00:21:28,078
but I have never understood...
381
00:21:28,162 --> 00:21:31,457
And this has always bothered me...
how this got an Oscar nomination
382
00:21:31,540 --> 00:21:34,751
for art design, art production
and set design,
383
00:21:35,461 --> 00:21:39,548
in a year where the volcano set
from You Only Live Twice,
384
00:21:39,631 --> 00:21:42,509
which still stands as possibly
the greatest film set by Ken Adam.
385
00:21:42,593 --> 00:21:45,429
I was waiting for the James Bond reference
to be worked into this commentary.
386
00:21:45,512 --> 00:21:47,264
Well, it's true. But forget about Bond.
387
00:21:47,347 --> 00:21:50,392
The volcano set, which came
out that year, You Only Live Twice,
388
00:21:50,476 --> 00:21:52,769
was a masterpiece of production design.
389
00:21:52,853 --> 00:21:55,731
If you want to talk about Bond,
it was in the first Casino Royale, too,
390
00:21:55,814 --> 00:21:57,483
regardless of what you think of the movie.
391
00:21:57,566 --> 00:22:00,152
The chateau set
from The Dirty Dozen was that year.
392
00:22:00,235 --> 00:22:02,154
-None of these things were nominated.
-Yes. I agree.
393
00:22:02,237 --> 00:22:04,281
And if you look at this,
as you pointed out, Paul,
394
00:22:04,364 --> 00:22:06,783
-the movie is shot like a sitcom.
-It's a studio.
395
00:22:06,867 --> 00:22:10,621
-It didn't look realistic, even back then.
-It was March 10th, 1967, I believe,
396
00:22:10,704 --> 00:22:13,707
was the first day of shooting.
But, yes, it is shot...
397
00:22:13,790 --> 00:22:16,919
It looks like a studio.
It is shot like a studio.
398
00:22:17,002 --> 00:22:18,003
It's lit like it.
399
00:22:18,086 --> 00:22:21,798
And the matte painting
of San Francisco, in my opinion,
400
00:22:21,882 --> 00:22:23,800
is my greatest flaw with the movie.
401
00:22:23,884 --> 00:22:25,135
It doesn't work at all.
402
00:22:25,219 --> 00:22:28,222
It looks as though you're watching
a Broadway production
403
00:22:28,305 --> 00:22:31,600
where somebody wheeled out a big set,
you know, a big painting.
404
00:22:31,683 --> 00:22:34,478
I believe they created
this whole studio environment,
405
00:22:34,561 --> 00:22:38,565
so it was one location for Spencer Tracy
to show up every day for.
406
00:22:38,649 --> 00:22:42,444
And this way, they had a controlled
space to get the film done.
407
00:22:43,111 --> 00:22:46,990
-Well, I understand. I get that.
-I also think that tight shots, you know,
408
00:22:47,074 --> 00:22:50,619
they always talk about acting is reacting,
and Spencer Tracy is credited
409
00:22:50,702 --> 00:22:53,997
with the famous line of "Say the words
and don't bump into the furniture."
410
00:22:54,081 --> 00:22:58,085
-Yes.
-But you have three unbelievable actors
411
00:22:58,585 --> 00:23:00,671
and just getting their reaction shots...
412
00:23:00,754 --> 00:23:07,135
There's a line where Poitier says to Joey,
413
00:23:07,970 --> 00:23:11,265
"She's more beautiful than you are,"
about Hepburn. And Hepburn is radiant.
414
00:23:11,348 --> 00:23:16,853
And she still has what they call... What
they characterise as her Bryn Mawr accent.
415
00:23:16,937 --> 00:23:19,064
I mean, she's just
so elegant and patrician.
416
00:23:19,147 --> 00:23:22,693
You bring up a good point that,
you know, this is true magic
417
00:23:22,776 --> 00:23:26,655
because we have very few people
who can really be called a star,
418
00:23:26,738 --> 00:23:28,574
in the sense these people were stars.
419
00:23:28,657 --> 00:23:32,327
These were... You had
two bona fide legends here,
420
00:23:32,411 --> 00:23:35,122
and you had a legend in the making
with Sidney Poitier.
421
00:23:36,290 --> 00:23:37,374
I mean, if Mom were.
422
00:23:38,834 --> 00:23:40,377
So tell him, will you?
423
00:23:40,961 --> 00:23:46,341
Thanks to Twilight Time, for the first
time, I believe, this film is in Blu-ray.
424
00:23:46,425 --> 00:23:51,722
And this brings up the question, are there
lenses in Spencer Tracy's glasses?
425
00:23:51,805 --> 00:23:54,641
-But I can't tell.
-I don't think so.
426
00:23:54,725 --> 00:23:56,935
Those could be George Reeves's glasses.
427
00:23:57,019 --> 00:24:00,522
Or Otto Meyer's glasses.
There were no lenses in there either.
428
00:24:00,606 --> 00:24:01,940
Another bizarre reference.
429
00:24:04,151 --> 00:24:09,448
You see, Matt, there's sort of
a special problem.
430
00:24:09,531 --> 00:24:13,201
See, I've got to fly to New York tonight
and on to Switzerland tomorrow.
431
00:24:13,285 --> 00:24:17,164
Notice there are so many tight shot...
There are so many close-ups here.
432
00:24:17,247 --> 00:24:18,665
The reaction shots.
433
00:24:18,749 --> 00:24:25,255
The dialogue is beautiful, but he lingers
on the reactions which are so amazing.
434
00:24:28,133 --> 00:24:29,593
According to the history,
435
00:24:30,761 --> 00:24:34,222
Kramer approached Sidney Poitier
436
00:24:34,306 --> 00:24:37,726
and told him that he already had
Tracy and Hepburn signed up
437
00:24:37,809 --> 00:24:40,771
before he had them signed up,
got him to agree
438
00:24:40,854 --> 00:24:43,565
and then got Tracy and Hepburn on board.
439
00:24:43,649 --> 00:24:47,819
And then Tracy and Hepburn
had a dinner with Poitier.
440
00:24:47,903 --> 00:24:51,531
And that was supposed to be an audition
dinner, which is a little unusual.
441
00:24:51,615 --> 00:24:56,495
Yes. Because, again, we bring
in some sort of a racial element.
442
00:24:56,578 --> 00:25:00,082
I mean, Hepburn and Tracy
considered themselves to be liberals,
443
00:25:00,165 --> 00:25:01,958
which is why they wanted to do it,
444
00:25:02,042 --> 00:25:05,545
but yet they still had to,
kind of, feel out the Black guy.
445
00:25:05,629 --> 00:25:09,466
Which, as somebody pointed out
at the time, would they have done that
446
00:25:09,549 --> 00:25:14,179
if it were, you know, a movie that had
Paul Newman as the love interest?
447
00:25:14,262 --> 00:25:16,473
I mean, Poitier was an established star.
448
00:25:16,556 --> 00:25:19,976
This was the biggest year
of his career, 1967.
449
00:25:20,060 --> 00:25:23,772
As I pointed out,
back-to-back-to-back blockbusters,
450
00:25:23,855 --> 00:25:26,108
To Sir, with Love,
In the Heat of the Night,
451
00:25:26,191 --> 00:25:27,567
and Guess Who's Coming To Dinner.
452
00:25:27,651 --> 00:25:30,570
And yet he wasn't nominated
for an Oscar that year.
453
00:25:30,654 --> 00:25:35,492
Now, the conventional wisdom was that,
by then, Hollywood was
454
00:25:35,575 --> 00:25:40,122
giving him a bit of a backlash
for playing these angelic characters,
455
00:25:40,205 --> 00:25:44,209
these desexualised heroes,
that didn't have much of a personal life.
456
00:25:44,292 --> 00:25:46,378
I just think it's more basic than that.
457
00:25:46,461 --> 00:25:50,006
He had three Oscar-winning
performances in the same year.
458
00:25:50,090 --> 00:25:51,675
He was splitting his own votes.
459
00:25:52,884 --> 00:25:56,096
To me, it seems as though he
could have been nominated
460
00:25:56,179 --> 00:26:00,642
for any one of those,
and he didn't get a nomination at all.
461
00:26:00,726 --> 00:26:02,936
So I don't...
Not quite certain it was political.
462
00:26:03,019 --> 00:26:04,563
He cancelled himself out. Yeah.
463
00:26:04,646 --> 00:26:07,065
This was also a film
that was way ahead of its time.
464
00:26:07,149 --> 00:26:10,068
I mean, we're commenting on this film
465
00:26:10,610 --> 00:26:14,990
a week after the Supreme Court
ruled that gay marriage is legal.
466
00:26:15,073 --> 00:26:17,159
I was thinking of that parallel as well.
467
00:26:17,242 --> 00:26:19,369
And there is a tremendous parallel.
468
00:26:19,453 --> 00:26:21,121
It certainly is. It certainly is.
469
00:26:21,204 --> 00:26:26,877
Because also portrayals of gay stereotypes
in the 1960s was completely different
470
00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:30,046
than, you know...
Even watching a show like I Spy,
471
00:26:30,130 --> 00:26:33,550
the novelty was that a white man
and a Black man were partners.
472
00:26:33,633 --> 00:26:37,345
Now it's something you wouldn't notice.
And that's the goal.
473
00:26:37,429 --> 00:26:40,682
The goal is to become
a country where it's...
474
00:26:40,766 --> 00:26:45,771
I'll go so far as to say, it went
from being a novelty to being a cliché.
475
00:26:45,854 --> 00:26:48,940
How many of these bad, tough cop
movies have we seen,
476
00:26:49,024 --> 00:26:53,528
you know, where the tough Black guy's
paired with the tough white guy
477
00:26:53,612 --> 00:26:55,447
and they're arguing and bickering?
478
00:26:55,530 --> 00:26:56,865
John, please. Come in.
479
00:26:56,948 --> 00:27:00,035
I'd like a couple of minutes
with the two of you, if I may.
480
00:27:00,118 --> 00:27:01,912
Sure, Doctor. Come on in.
481
00:27:04,998 --> 00:27:07,501
There's something you both ought to know.
482
00:27:08,210 --> 00:27:09,753
I made a decision.
483
00:27:10,879 --> 00:27:11,963
Joanna doesn't know about it...
484
00:27:12,047 --> 00:27:16,760
Stanley Kramer's films gave the studios
prestige but not necessarily profits.
485
00:27:16,843 --> 00:27:20,013
Mad World made a lot of money,
but it cost a lot of money.
486
00:27:20,096 --> 00:27:25,101
Ship of Fools, which, like this film,
was shot almost entirely on a sound stage,
487
00:27:25,185 --> 00:27:28,063
had also fallen short at the box office.
488
00:27:28,146 --> 00:27:31,900
Kramer had intended a large,
big, expensive film,
489
00:27:31,983 --> 00:27:34,319
Andersonville, as his next project,
490
00:27:34,402 --> 00:27:37,280
but after Ship of Fools's
lacklustre box office,
491
00:27:37,364 --> 00:27:39,616
Columbia would not give Kramer
enough money
492
00:27:39,699 --> 00:27:42,202
to produce this Civil War film.
493
00:27:42,285 --> 00:27:44,996
John, why have you decided that?
494
00:27:45,622 --> 00:27:51,962
A film like this, you know, yes,
undeniably, parts of it are creaky...
495
00:27:52,045 --> 00:27:54,422
-Dated, of course.
-...very quaint,
496
00:27:54,506 --> 00:27:58,677
but it needs to be accorded
the respect that it deserves.
497
00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:01,680
If nothing else,
you have Tracy and Hepburn together
498
00:28:01,763 --> 00:28:04,766
-doing this film...
-In their last film together.
499
00:28:04,850 --> 00:28:08,228
And that lends a certain degree...
a great deal of poignancy, I should say,
500
00:28:08,311 --> 00:28:11,022
between the two of them,
particularly at the end of the film.
501
00:28:11,106 --> 00:28:12,566
Look at their body language.
502
00:28:12,649 --> 00:28:13,984
They are a couple in love.
503
00:28:14,067 --> 00:28:15,735
-Yeah.
-You can't fake that.
504
00:28:15,819 --> 00:28:18,488
Eddy, I think, at this point,
it's probably worth pointing out
505
00:28:18,572 --> 00:28:23,285
that Tracy was married and in essence,
506
00:28:23,368 --> 00:28:25,787
Hepburn was serving
as his mistress, really.
507
00:28:25,871 --> 00:28:28,290
Neither one of them were happy
with that situation,
508
00:28:28,373 --> 00:28:31,167
but Tracy's wife, for religious reasons,
509
00:28:31,251 --> 00:28:34,296
being a devout Catholic,
refused to divorce him.
510
00:28:34,379 --> 00:28:35,922
Not only refused to divorce him,
511
00:28:36,006 --> 00:28:38,300
refused to acknowledge
what everyone knew...
512
00:28:38,383 --> 00:28:40,051
That Tracy was having an affair
with Hepburn.
513
00:28:40,135 --> 00:28:42,053
And Eddy mentioned to me earlier,
514
00:28:42,137 --> 00:28:44,806
that definitely was part
of his drinking problem, was it not?
515
00:28:44,890 --> 00:28:46,766
I think it was part and parcel.
516
00:28:46,850 --> 00:28:49,269
You know, it's hard to judge.
He was a raging alcoholic.
517
00:28:49,352 --> 00:28:52,856
There are accounts of him
passed out in a hotel room
518
00:28:52,939 --> 00:28:55,942
with Katharine Hepburn
sleeping outside the front door.
519
00:28:56,818 --> 00:28:59,362
You know, I wanna contextualize it,
520
00:28:59,446 --> 00:29:02,657
because it's very interesting how people
comment on other people's romances
521
00:29:02,741 --> 00:29:04,951
the moment you hear
about a divorce or a death.
522
00:29:05,535 --> 00:29:08,330
I'm convinced that these two people
adored each other.
523
00:29:08,413 --> 00:29:09,456
Well, obviously they did.
524
00:29:09,539 --> 00:29:13,585
I don't think anyone disputes that,
but Tracy, by all accounts, was a handful.
525
00:29:13,668 --> 00:29:15,962
I mean, they always said
Hepburn was a handful.
526
00:29:16,046 --> 00:29:19,633
If you worked with her,
she could be very demanding
527
00:29:19,716 --> 00:29:21,635
and very outspoken,
528
00:29:21,718 --> 00:29:24,471
but Tracy was that way with her.
529
00:29:24,554 --> 00:29:29,601
Tracy had also had relationships
with Loretta Young and Gene Tierney.
530
00:29:31,394 --> 00:29:36,483
My favourite story is,
before they did Woman of the Year in 1942,
531
00:29:36,566 --> 00:29:39,486
Hepburn is introduced to Tracy and says,
532
00:29:39,569 --> 00:29:42,405
"Mr Tracy,
I think you may be too short for me,"
533
00:29:42,489 --> 00:29:45,241
and Joe Mankiewicz,
the legendary producer, was with Tracy
534
00:29:45,325 --> 00:29:47,827
and says, "Don't worry,
he'll cut you down to size."
535
00:29:48,662 --> 00:29:52,457
And that's so symbolic of their romance,
536
00:29:52,540 --> 00:29:55,001
-because she was this tough, independent...
-She was.
537
00:29:55,085 --> 00:29:57,504
...strong woman,
and she needed that strong man.
538
00:29:57,587 --> 00:30:01,633
I remember one time... Many years ago I was
talking to John Wayne's widow, Pilar,
539
00:30:01,716 --> 00:30:04,344
and I said, "Is there anybody
that could push John Wayne around?"
540
00:30:04,427 --> 00:30:06,346
And she said, "Yeah, John Ford."
541
00:30:06,429 --> 00:30:08,932
Nobody could push him around except him.
542
00:30:09,015 --> 00:30:12,143
This little old man with an eye patch
would wag his finger at him
543
00:30:12,227 --> 00:30:13,353
and Duke would take it.
544
00:30:13,436 --> 00:30:15,397
Well, the same thing here.
545
00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:18,650
Kate Hepburn,
who no one could push around,
546
00:30:18,733 --> 00:30:22,487
put up with a lot from Tracy,
even on this movie.
547
00:30:22,570 --> 00:30:24,572
He was in ill-health.
548
00:30:24,656 --> 00:30:26,950
Sometimes he was in ill temper,
549
00:30:27,033 --> 00:30:30,662
and in front of the cast and crew,
he would often say things to her
550
00:30:30,745 --> 00:30:33,456
that was belittling to her,
551
00:30:33,540 --> 00:30:35,208
but she took it in stride.
552
00:30:35,291 --> 00:30:39,546
Sid Caesar told me that every day
at five o'clock at the end of the...
553
00:30:39,629 --> 00:30:42,549
Spencer Tracy's contract
on Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
554
00:30:42,632 --> 00:30:46,720
was his day ended
at five o'clock no matter what,
555
00:30:46,803 --> 00:30:49,180
and like clockwork,
she would show up in a convertible,
556
00:30:49,264 --> 00:30:51,349
pick him up and take him home.
557
00:30:51,433 --> 00:30:54,686
What did... Eddy, you knew Sid well.
558
00:30:54,769 --> 00:30:58,565
You've written books with him
and you delivered the eulogy at his wake.
559
00:30:58,648 --> 00:31:03,778
What did he think about Tracy
as just somebody to work with?
560
00:31:03,862 --> 00:31:05,905
-Did he ever comment on it?
-He adored Tracy.
561
00:31:05,989 --> 00:31:07,782
If we're gonna digress,
562
00:31:07,866 --> 00:31:11,369
Mad, Mad, Mad World
was a very com... a quick...
563
00:31:11,453 --> 00:31:15,957
I make it a point to use all four "mads"
because we named the street
564
00:31:16,041 --> 00:31:19,002
that Sid grew up on after him
last November
565
00:31:19,085 --> 00:31:21,379
in Yonkers, New York,
566
00:31:21,463 --> 00:31:24,674
and all the politicians came out,
and at the end of the ceremony,
567
00:31:24,758 --> 00:31:26,801
one of the Councilmen came over to me
568
00:31:26,885 --> 00:31:30,513
and said that one of the other Councilmen
had only mentioned three Mad Worlds.
569
00:31:30,597 --> 00:31:32,640
He said,
"I grew up with that movie in my house.
570
00:31:32,724 --> 00:31:33,892
-It was gospel."
-Blasphemy.
571
00:31:33,975 --> 00:31:35,560
He left out a "mad."
572
00:31:35,643 --> 00:31:39,189
But it was mostly comedians
who weren't seasoned actors,
573
00:31:39,272 --> 00:31:41,566
and there were two scripts
like phone books,
574
00:31:41,649 --> 00:31:43,109
size and thickness of phone books,
575
00:31:43,193 --> 00:31:45,487
one for the dialogue
and one for the action.
576
00:31:45,570 --> 00:31:49,532
And they all followed
Spencer Tracy's tone in terms...
577
00:31:49,616 --> 00:31:53,870
'Cause Sid was one of the only comedians
who had real acting experience,
578
00:31:53,953 --> 00:31:56,247
and they would get together
at night in the hotel
579
00:31:56,331 --> 00:31:57,999
to go through the dialogue and rehearse,
580
00:31:58,083 --> 00:32:00,585
so by the time they got to set
the next morning,
581
00:32:00,668 --> 00:32:02,337
they were prepped.
582
00:32:02,420 --> 00:32:04,005
But they had such respect...
583
00:32:04,089 --> 00:32:06,132
Tracy had a ball making the movie, right?
584
00:32:06,216 --> 00:32:08,093
-He loved making the movie.
-He loved it.
585
00:32:08,676 --> 00:32:11,387
How could you not
with all that comedy royalty there?
586
00:32:11,471 --> 00:32:13,807
The day Clark Gable passed away,
587
00:32:13,890 --> 00:32:16,935
Spencer Tracy was all broken up
because they were so close,
588
00:32:17,018 --> 00:32:19,562
and he said he helped build the studio
589
00:32:19,646 --> 00:32:22,273
and they didn't have enough fanfare
for his passing.
590
00:32:23,066 --> 00:32:25,652
Even in Mad World,
when Marilyn Monroe passed away
591
00:32:25,735 --> 00:32:27,028
during shooting in August,
592
00:32:27,112 --> 00:32:30,406
he made the same declaration of,
"Why can't they stop for an hour?"
593
00:32:30,490 --> 00:32:33,701
That's right.
That's a legendary story. That's true.
594
00:32:34,244 --> 00:32:35,537
For a whole week...
595
00:32:35,620 --> 00:32:38,623
I mean, you know, Katharine Houghton...
we'll talk about her a bit.
596
00:32:39,457 --> 00:32:42,210
She's still alive and well,
and with us today...
597
00:32:42,293 --> 00:32:46,381
Her career on-screen never took off,
but she did continue to act.
598
00:32:46,464 --> 00:32:49,259
Got some acclaim for some of the plays
that she did.
599
00:32:49,342 --> 00:32:51,928
Another... Notice the reaction shots.
600
00:32:52,011 --> 00:32:55,223
-They don't have to say a thing.
-A lot of sentiment in this movie.
601
00:32:55,306 --> 00:32:58,768
You know, she was also criticised
for playing the role of...
602
00:32:58,852 --> 00:33:03,231
Just so Goody-Two-shoes,
this character of the young woman.
603
00:33:04,190 --> 00:33:07,318
It's completely sanitised,
but that's not her fault.
604
00:33:07,402 --> 00:33:10,113
That's the way the character is written
605
00:33:10,196 --> 00:33:13,199
and that's the way
Kramer wanted her to act.
606
00:33:15,827 --> 00:33:16,953
Well?
607
00:33:18,955 --> 00:33:21,374
She's always been a happy human being.
608
00:33:22,041 --> 00:33:24,002
I wanted to call out
that piece of dialogue:
609
00:33:24,085 --> 00:33:26,462
"She's always been a happy human being."
610
00:33:26,546 --> 00:33:31,217
What more does a parent wanna say
about their own child
611
00:33:31,301 --> 00:33:33,928
in terms of success
and what they wish for?
612
00:33:34,012 --> 00:33:35,638
Being a happy human being.
613
00:33:35,722 --> 00:33:37,557
And that's the point of departure,
614
00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:41,060
and that's what makes this film
so significant.
615
00:33:41,144 --> 00:33:43,646
The initial idea
that was pitched to the studio
616
00:33:43,730 --> 00:33:47,233
was about Prentice not being a Black man
but a Jewish man.
617
00:33:47,942 --> 00:33:49,235
And they...
618
00:33:49,319 --> 00:33:52,739
The concept changed later.
619
00:33:52,822 --> 00:33:55,825
Judgment at Nuremberg's screenwriter
Abby Mann
620
00:33:55,909 --> 00:33:57,744
and later, William Rose,
621
00:33:57,827 --> 00:34:00,788
they both did work for Andersonville,
622
00:34:00,872 --> 00:34:03,208
but when that project was abandoned,
623
00:34:03,291 --> 00:34:06,294
Rose suggested
his interracial marriage story
624
00:34:06,377 --> 00:34:08,129
as Kramer's next project.
625
00:34:08,755 --> 00:34:12,508
He had already proposed this
to Kramer back in 1962.
626
00:34:13,343 --> 00:34:16,429
And we'll get back to Guess Who's Coming
to Dinner in a moment.
627
00:34:16,512 --> 00:34:21,142
Now let's join San Francisco
beach party already in progress.
628
00:34:22,852 --> 00:34:25,772
That's Skip Martin
and he certainly is, isn't he?
629
00:34:25,855 --> 00:34:27,315
Skipping all over the place.
630
00:34:27,398 --> 00:34:30,944
He can be spotted in the film version
of Bye Bye Birdie.
631
00:34:31,027 --> 00:34:35,073
He toured with Hello, Dolly!
for several seasons.
632
00:34:35,156 --> 00:34:37,450
His real name is William Mead
633
00:34:37,533 --> 00:34:39,911
and he had a wonderful time
making this film,
634
00:34:39,994 --> 00:34:43,706
saying that Stanley Kramer
gave him free rein to do his thing,
635
00:34:43,790 --> 00:34:46,626
and you can see he's doing
a lot of crazy things here.
636
00:34:46,709 --> 00:34:50,880
And I suppose this scene is to show
that the new generation
637
00:34:50,964 --> 00:34:53,383
has no hang up about skin colour.
638
00:34:58,388 --> 00:35:01,224
I'm waiting for Dick Shawn
and Barrie Chase to show up here.
639
00:35:07,313 --> 00:35:08,856
We saw it with the beach party movies,
640
00:35:08,940 --> 00:35:11,442
which were all made by guys
in their 50s and 60s.
641
00:35:11,526 --> 00:35:13,152
Or the beginning of Austin Powers.
642
00:35:13,236 --> 00:35:15,488
It's like nothing you ever saw.
643
00:35:15,571 --> 00:35:17,699
And now we're back to
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
644
00:35:17,782 --> 00:35:21,327
This is casual. Their dating is serious.
645
00:35:21,411 --> 00:35:25,581
So that's a juxtaposition of,
it's okay to date that casually
646
00:35:25,665 --> 00:35:27,417
except when you're dancing around
like an idiot.
647
00:35:27,500 --> 00:35:29,419
And by the way,
Larry the meat guy's dancing
648
00:35:29,502 --> 00:35:34,299
is less realistic than John Prentice
being a world-class doctor.
649
00:35:35,133 --> 00:35:37,969
Again, the reaction shots are precious.
650
00:35:38,052 --> 00:35:40,096
She is stunning,
651
00:35:40,930 --> 00:35:43,349
and there's such clear affection
and pride.
652
00:35:43,433 --> 00:35:47,186
I mean, we're watching the best actors
in history ply their trade,
653
00:35:47,270 --> 00:35:51,482
and if nothing else,
it's worth watching these performances.
654
00:35:52,567 --> 00:35:54,610
-You're burning your shirt.
-Oh, yes.
655
00:35:54,694 --> 00:35:57,155
I mean,
here we're going into the dissection
656
00:35:57,238 --> 00:35:59,699
of Poitier's character.
657
00:35:59,782 --> 00:36:02,035
It's like hitting us over the head
with the fact
658
00:36:02,118 --> 00:36:05,288
that this guy has got
no objectionable aspects
659
00:36:06,831 --> 00:36:10,043
to his personality or his career.
660
00:36:12,628 --> 00:36:15,757
You know, she even tells her mother
in a few minutes
661
00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:18,051
that, you know, "Well, don't worry.
662
00:36:18,134 --> 00:36:21,054
I wanted to sleep with him,
but he doesn't want to sleep with me."
663
00:36:21,137 --> 00:36:22,597
I mean...
664
00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:25,350
You can practically see,
like, angel wings.
665
00:36:25,433 --> 00:36:27,602
The key here is testing the hypocrisy.
666
00:36:27,685 --> 00:36:30,855
It's, "Mom and Dad,
you raised me to be liberal.
667
00:36:30,938 --> 00:36:33,900
You're raised me to be colour-blind,
and here I am."
668
00:36:34,817 --> 00:36:39,322
So it's a little bit of
do as I want you to do, not as I say.
669
00:36:39,405 --> 00:36:41,657
The film attacks liberalism
670
00:36:41,741 --> 00:36:48,581
in the sense that they think
there's a lot of phoney liberals.
671
00:36:48,664 --> 00:36:52,251
And, in fact, Tracy's character
is called out as that later,
672
00:36:52,335 --> 00:36:55,004
that you're all for all these rights
673
00:36:55,088 --> 00:36:58,841
until the situation arrives
at your own doorstep.
674
00:36:58,925 --> 00:37:01,886
It is a rather thought-provoking thing,
you know,
675
00:37:01,969 --> 00:37:05,264
that we as people go through all the time.
676
00:37:05,348 --> 00:37:07,975
You know, we say,
"That's a terrible thing."
677
00:37:08,059 --> 00:37:11,396
Okay, well, would you want your daughter,
your son to be in this situation?
678
00:37:11,479 --> 00:37:13,773
And that makes people pause and think.
679
00:37:13,856 --> 00:37:17,985
Again, you couldn't tell this story
if these were working-class families.
680
00:37:18,069 --> 00:37:20,822
It would just be
a completely different dynamic.
681
00:37:20,905 --> 00:37:25,743
All the charges or analysis
that Sidney Poitier's character
682
00:37:25,827 --> 00:37:29,038
is unrealistic
because he's such a successful doctor...
683
00:37:29,664 --> 00:37:34,210
Spencer Tracy lives in a mansion
over the bay
684
00:37:34,293 --> 00:37:36,546
and he's a newspaper publisher,
685
00:37:36,629 --> 00:37:38,339
and that's exceedingly rare.
686
00:37:38,423 --> 00:37:41,551
And the symbolism here
is he represents the fourth estate:
687
00:37:41,634 --> 00:37:44,303
the press, freedom, progress.
688
00:37:44,387 --> 00:37:46,639
So that's the tension here too,
689
00:37:46,722 --> 00:37:50,685
but by amping up the stakes,
you make the story more interesting.
690
00:37:50,768 --> 00:37:52,645
Well, it's an interesting point.
691
00:37:52,728 --> 00:37:55,022
If this were working-class people,
692
00:37:55,940 --> 00:38:00,111
it probably wouldn't have worked
as well dramatically.
693
00:38:00,194 --> 00:38:04,198
It would have taken on
an entirely different dimension to it.
694
00:38:04,282 --> 00:38:08,327
I was watching this film
with George Ann the other day, my wife.
695
00:38:08,411 --> 00:38:10,913
I mentioned that all this stuff
was done in the studio
696
00:38:10,997 --> 00:38:12,999
and she said, "Yeah, I can hear it."
697
00:38:13,708 --> 00:38:16,002
And I... "What do you mean
you can hear it?"
698
00:38:16,085 --> 00:38:19,964
She meant that it sounds
like they're still in the studio
699
00:38:20,047 --> 00:38:21,048
when they're outside.
700
00:38:21,132 --> 00:38:24,218
There is a very slight ambience,
701
00:38:24,302 --> 00:38:27,013
and you listening to the Blu-ray
can probably pick it up.
702
00:38:27,096 --> 00:38:28,681
There's birds here and there,
703
00:38:28,764 --> 00:38:31,142
maybe a little wind
or traffic here and there,
704
00:38:31,225 --> 00:38:34,729
but it's so slight
that it might as well not be there.
705
00:38:34,812 --> 00:38:36,772
No, I agree with you.
706
00:38:36,856 --> 00:38:39,692
I think they would have been better off...
This doesn't open up.
707
00:38:39,775 --> 00:38:42,695
If Kramer felt that matte painting
in the background
708
00:38:42,778 --> 00:38:46,032
is going to open up
basically a talky story,
709
00:38:46,115 --> 00:38:47,909
in that respect, it didn't work,
710
00:38:47,992 --> 00:38:51,662
because it's distractingly phoney
at times.
711
00:38:51,746 --> 00:38:54,707
It would have been better
if he had just, you know,
712
00:38:54,790 --> 00:38:58,503
put them inside the house
in a study or something
713
00:38:58,586 --> 00:39:01,214
because it really doesn't do anything
to open it up.
714
00:39:02,924 --> 00:39:05,510
But you never know. Things are changing.
715
00:39:06,677 --> 00:39:11,098
I have a feeling they're not changing
anywhere as fast as in my own backyard.
716
00:39:11,182 --> 00:39:15,603
Just tell me this.
Don't you think this quick decision
717
00:39:15,686 --> 00:39:18,981
about how we feel about this thing
is just a little unfair?
718
00:39:19,607 --> 00:39:21,234
In a way, I do.
719
00:39:21,859 --> 00:39:24,403
I just like watching two giants spar.
720
00:39:24,487 --> 00:39:28,324
You got one guy on the way up
and the other at the end of his life.
721
00:39:28,407 --> 00:39:30,660
What's also interesting
about the plot here
722
00:39:30,743 --> 00:39:34,914
is the way Prentice sets it up
723
00:39:34,997 --> 00:39:37,041
that he's not walking in saying,
724
00:39:37,124 --> 00:39:39,710
"I'm marrying your daughter
no matter what.
725
00:39:39,794 --> 00:39:42,713
Without your approval, I'm walking away."
726
00:39:44,006 --> 00:39:45,216
And I said...
727
00:39:46,968 --> 00:39:49,011
Now this shot coming up here,
728
00:39:49,095 --> 00:39:51,389
did they build a whole home exterior,
729
00:39:51,472 --> 00:39:54,392
and this is a matte painting
or photograph above it?
730
00:39:54,475 --> 00:39:56,894
That's the only shot like this
in the film.
731
00:40:00,648 --> 00:40:04,235
It seems like a good time
to bring up the fact
732
00:40:04,318 --> 00:40:06,946
that this was a very...
733
00:40:07,029 --> 00:40:09,782
A year of mixed emotions
for Sidney Poitier.
734
00:40:10,491 --> 00:40:15,371
He went into a deep funk, supposedly,
in 1967, towards the end of the year.
735
00:40:15,454 --> 00:40:19,375
He knew he could never top this year
professionally,
736
00:40:19,458 --> 00:40:22,336
with three acclaimed
box office blockbusters:
737
00:40:22,420 --> 00:40:24,380
To Sir, with Love,
In the Heat of the Night,
738
00:40:24,463 --> 00:40:26,132
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
739
00:40:26,215 --> 00:40:27,842
He knew in his mind...
740
00:40:27,925 --> 00:40:30,386
He tried
to get around it psychologically...
741
00:40:30,469 --> 00:40:34,390
That it was only going
to go downhill from there.
742
00:40:34,473 --> 00:40:36,017
And I hesitate to ever say
743
00:40:36,100 --> 00:40:39,270
Sidney Poitier's career
ever went downhill.
744
00:40:39,353 --> 00:40:41,397
I don't mean that in a pejorative way,
745
00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:44,942
but no one ever had that kind of success.
746
00:40:45,026 --> 00:40:47,278
He certainly never had
that kind of success again.
747
00:40:47,361 --> 00:40:50,865
He knew it and he tried
to gear himself psychologically for that.
748
00:40:51,907 --> 00:40:54,702
He went on, of course,
and expanded his horizons very wisely,
749
00:40:54,785 --> 00:40:57,955
I think, to become a director
of some esteem.
750
00:40:58,039 --> 00:41:00,166
He had some big hits as a director.
751
00:41:00,249 --> 00:41:02,960
So he was...
And then, you know, I think his...
752
00:41:03,544 --> 00:41:07,048
The lack of Poitier movies
over the last 25, 30 years
753
00:41:07,131 --> 00:41:08,966
has been a real...
754
00:41:09,050 --> 00:41:12,136
It really hurts me
that he's been on-screen so little,
755
00:41:12,219 --> 00:41:13,846
but that's due to his own choice.
756
00:41:13,929 --> 00:41:16,557
He is amazingly funny in this film.
757
00:41:16,641 --> 00:41:20,394
You could see him doing one of those
in one door, out the other farces,
758
00:41:20,478 --> 00:41:22,480
"Don't come in here."
"What's going on?" You know?
759
00:41:22,563 --> 00:41:24,649
I wish he did more comedy.
760
00:41:24,732 --> 00:41:28,069
Katharine Houghton said
that Sidney Poitier was very kind to her.
761
00:41:28,152 --> 00:41:31,447
She remembers him saying
that he was tired of acting.
762
00:41:31,530 --> 00:41:35,743
He felt he contributed as much as he could
and he wanted to direct,
763
00:41:35,826 --> 00:41:38,788
and he wanted to bring more Black people
into the business.
764
00:41:39,580 --> 00:41:42,416
-I was gonna write to them.
-What difference does it make?
765
00:41:43,084 --> 00:41:44,794
Do you think they wouldn't come?
766
00:41:44,877 --> 00:41:46,045
Call them back and tell them.
767
00:41:46,128 --> 00:41:49,256
They're gonna know anyway at half past six
because I'll go with you to meet them.
768
00:41:49,340 --> 00:41:51,717
Oh, no. That's not a good idea.
I'll meet them.
769
00:41:52,635 --> 00:41:57,264
Poitier wrote the foreword
to Stanley Kramer's autobiography.
770
00:41:57,348 --> 00:42:00,726
So this was actually, what, the third time
that they worked together?
771
00:42:00,810 --> 00:42:02,687
So they were old friends and colleagues,
772
00:42:02,770 --> 00:42:05,564
and he really respected Kramer
for putting him on the map.
773
00:42:05,648 --> 00:42:08,567
He was also very adept
at being the young man,
774
00:42:08,651 --> 00:42:11,195
and some actors...
775
00:42:11,278 --> 00:42:14,156
Although he aged well, very well,
776
00:42:14,907 --> 00:42:17,827
some actors were more comfortable
playing older.
777
00:42:17,910 --> 00:42:21,997
I think of Paul Newman and Robert Redford
who were more comfortable...
778
00:42:22,081 --> 00:42:25,835
Particularly somebody like Redford
who'd had no plastic surgery,
779
00:42:25,918 --> 00:42:29,505
who just... you can see every wrinkle
on him in a contemporary film.
780
00:42:29,588 --> 00:42:31,590
They got better
as they got older, you know.
781
00:42:33,676 --> 00:42:37,680
You know, Poitier was quite nervous
782
00:42:37,763 --> 00:42:41,100
acting opposite Tracy and Hepburn.
783
00:42:41,183 --> 00:42:44,186
Even though he was a seasoned pro
by that point,
784
00:42:44,270 --> 00:42:46,230
he was very nervous.
785
00:42:47,064 --> 00:42:51,318
He would bumble his lines to such a degree
786
00:42:51,402 --> 00:42:53,779
that on a couple of occasions,
787
00:42:54,572 --> 00:42:57,992
Kramer had to film him
talking to empty chairs
788
00:42:58,075 --> 00:43:00,327
to take the nervousness factor away,
789
00:43:00,411 --> 00:43:03,122
because he was just very intimidated.
790
00:43:03,205 --> 00:43:05,666
Not because they weren't nice to him,
791
00:43:05,750 --> 00:43:09,044
but he was aware
that he was the young upstart,
792
00:43:09,128 --> 00:43:11,964
you know,
against these two cinematic legends.
793
00:43:12,590 --> 00:43:14,717
One can understand his trepidation.
794
00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:17,511
These are also people
who inspired him to become an actor,
795
00:43:17,595 --> 00:43:21,974
and I've been through moments
where I've gotten to work
796
00:43:22,057 --> 00:43:25,186
with people I've idolised
over the course of my life
797
00:43:25,269 --> 00:43:27,271
and it's very daunting,
798
00:43:27,354 --> 00:43:30,232
and to the credit of people
I've gotten to work with...
799
00:43:30,316 --> 00:43:34,111
Caesar, Mel Brooks,
Carl Reiner, Billy Crystal...
800
00:43:34,195 --> 00:43:39,366
They expect the best from you
and they draw you out.
801
00:43:39,450 --> 00:43:42,536
I just had occasion to speak
to Carl a couple of hours ago.
802
00:43:42,620 --> 00:43:44,163
I don't know if I mentioned that.
803
00:43:44,246 --> 00:43:47,416
By the way, I hate people who name-drop,
but he's the kind of person...
804
00:43:47,500 --> 00:43:50,377
-He is now 93 years old...
-Right.
805
00:43:50,461 --> 00:43:54,882
...and whenever I speak with him,
I don't think of someone who's an old man,
806
00:43:54,965 --> 00:43:57,468
I think of somebody
who's constantly working
807
00:43:57,551 --> 00:44:00,429
and who inspires you
to become a better version of yourself.
808
00:44:00,513 --> 00:44:02,014
Before we started this recording,
809
00:44:02,097 --> 00:44:04,433
you mentioned
that you mentioned William Rose to him.
810
00:44:04,517 --> 00:44:06,477
Yes.
And he said William Rose was a genius.
811
00:44:06,560 --> 00:44:10,523
William Rose wrote the script
of the first film
812
00:44:10,606 --> 00:44:13,526
that he played the lead in,
The Russians Are Coming.
813
00:44:13,609 --> 00:44:16,445
Well, Rose's original draft of this script
814
00:44:16,529 --> 00:44:19,782
that was presented to Kramer
for his eyes only
815
00:44:19,865 --> 00:44:26,288
was filled with a lot
of racially insensitive work.
816
00:44:26,372 --> 00:44:29,458
Well, those that have seen
the earliest outlines
817
00:44:29,542 --> 00:44:32,503
put William Rose
about 20 years behind the times.
818
00:44:32,586 --> 00:44:35,172
He hadn't lived in the United States
for a good while.
819
00:44:35,256 --> 00:44:39,969
Originally, the script had a section
where one of the characters was upset
820
00:44:40,052 --> 00:44:43,639
that Cassius Clay
changed his name to Muhammad Ali,
821
00:44:44,306 --> 00:44:49,478
and much of Tillie's dialogue was written
with a deliberate, stereotyped dialect.
822
00:44:50,062 --> 00:44:51,897
And speaking of stereotypes,
823
00:44:51,981 --> 00:44:55,442
here's Cecil Kellaway
playing Monsignor Ryan.
824
00:44:55,526 --> 00:44:57,486
I'm afraid I am.
825
00:44:57,570 --> 00:45:00,531
But I knew nothing of this.
Why haven't your parents informed me?
826
00:45:00,614 --> 00:45:03,534
They didn't know either.
We only flew back this morning.
827
00:45:03,617 --> 00:45:05,744
What's interesting to me here
828
00:45:05,828 --> 00:45:11,041
is that Stanley Kramer is known
for offbeat casting in supporting roles.
829
00:45:11,125 --> 00:45:13,252
You think of Gene Kelly
in Inherit the Wind,
830
00:45:13,335 --> 00:45:14,712
Fred Astaire in On the Beach,
831
00:45:14,795 --> 00:45:16,922
Ray Bolger in The Runner Stumbles.
832
00:45:17,006 --> 00:45:19,592
All those guys were dancers, by the way.
833
00:45:19,675 --> 00:45:23,929
So here Kramer hires someone
totally on the nose,
834
00:45:24,805 --> 00:45:29,268
so much so that Donald Spoto,
who wrote a book about Kramer's films,
835
00:45:29,351 --> 00:45:33,647
called this choice of casting
"right out of Going My Way."
836
00:45:33,731 --> 00:45:38,402
Now, having said that,
Cecil Kellaway is wonderful.
837
00:45:38,485 --> 00:45:40,613
It is always a pleasure to see him,
838
00:45:40,696 --> 00:45:46,243
and perhaps it was a deliberate choice
to have non-controversial casting here,
839
00:45:46,327 --> 00:45:48,537
making the film go down more smoothly
840
00:45:48,621 --> 00:45:51,415
considering its touchy subject matter
at the time.
841
00:45:52,625 --> 00:45:54,877
-Are you aware of that?
-I'm wholly aware of it.
842
00:45:54,960 --> 00:45:56,962
When I'm married to him,
I'll be important.
843
00:45:57,880 --> 00:46:00,215
I daresay you will, as a matter of fact.
844
00:46:01,342 --> 00:46:03,969
-Where's Arnold Palmer?
-Dad and Mom are in the garden.
845
00:46:04,637 --> 00:46:07,014
Just go on with what you're doing. Fore!
846
00:46:07,723 --> 00:46:10,142
Cecil Kellaway's character
is so important for the film.
847
00:46:10,225 --> 00:46:13,729
Also, the supporting characters
in this film are fabulous
848
00:46:13,812 --> 00:46:18,442
because, other than Isabel Sanford,
849
00:46:18,525 --> 00:46:21,153
-this is really the first...
-I would argue with you on that, Eddy.
850
00:46:21,236 --> 00:46:25,783
I don't think he's significant at all
other than as a sounding board
851
00:46:25,866 --> 00:46:27,993
for other people's reactions
852
00:46:28,077 --> 00:46:32,164
and to give a couple of criticisms
that are designed to please the audience.
853
00:46:32,247 --> 00:46:33,499
You made my point.
854
00:46:33,582 --> 00:46:36,418
You just made my point for me,
because the concept of...
855
00:46:36,502 --> 00:46:41,966
In the context of racial prejudice,
he plays... he represents religion.
856
00:46:42,049 --> 00:46:43,425
He plays a priest.
857
00:46:43,509 --> 00:46:46,679
Interestingly enough,
none of the other characters are Catholic.
858
00:46:46,762 --> 00:46:49,431
-And they're not religious at all.
-And they're not religious at all.
859
00:46:49,515 --> 00:46:52,893
He's carrying the torch
for organised religion
860
00:46:52,977 --> 00:46:55,562
which preaches benevolence and tolerance,
861
00:46:55,646 --> 00:46:58,941
which is why he's so important
to the narrative.
862
00:46:59,024 --> 00:47:02,611
And I love him as an actor. He shows up...
863
00:47:02,695 --> 00:47:05,489
-He gives a fine performance.
-...in some of my favourite movies.
864
00:47:05,572 --> 00:47:07,825
But he was nominated?
I didn't realise that.
865
00:47:08,409 --> 00:47:09,910
-Yes, he was...
-Wow.
866
00:47:09,994 --> 00:47:13,789
...and he was in a film
which we both enjoyed, Fitzwilly.
867
00:47:13,872 --> 00:47:16,875
Came out the same year as this movie.
Nice John Williams score.
868
00:47:16,959 --> 00:47:20,546
Barbara Feldon's first feature.
The most beautiful woman on television.
869
00:47:20,629 --> 00:47:24,008
I see on Paul Scrabo's wall in front
of me, the Fitzwilly movie poster.
870
00:47:24,091 --> 00:47:25,342
Okay, that's enough of that.
871
00:47:25,426 --> 00:47:28,679
Now, as the shooting went on,
Spencer Tracy,
872
00:47:28,762 --> 00:47:32,182
very aware of the slender thread
this film was hanging on,
873
00:47:32,266 --> 00:47:36,103
started to address
the director of photography, Sam Leavitt,
874
00:47:36,186 --> 00:47:37,896
at the end of good takes.
875
00:47:37,980 --> 00:47:41,483
He would say, "Did you get that, Sam?
Did you get that one?"
876
00:47:46,321 --> 00:47:47,322
Thank you.
877
00:47:48,032 --> 00:47:51,076
That shot was like Cruella de Vil,
in a way.
878
00:47:51,160 --> 00:47:52,536
That whole thing was...
879
00:47:52,619 --> 00:47:54,371
-That's a very good point.
-Now, here's the thing.
880
00:47:54,455 --> 00:47:57,124
She appeared in several
Stanley Kramer productions:
881
00:47:57,207 --> 00:48:02,755
The Men, Cyrano de Bergerac,
High Noon and Judgment at Nuremberg.
882
00:48:02,838 --> 00:48:07,342
She was married to
the wonderful character actor Fritz Feld.
883
00:48:07,426 --> 00:48:08,552
Thank you, Eddy.
884
00:48:08,635 --> 00:48:11,388
Fritz Feld,
who used to make that popping sound.
885
00:48:11,472 --> 00:48:15,350
They actually appeared together
in the Rat Pack film 4 for Texas.
886
00:48:18,228 --> 00:48:21,774
And Virginia Christine
holds a special place
887
00:48:21,857 --> 00:48:25,986
in the hearts of many of my friends
who are Universal horror buffs
888
00:48:26,070 --> 00:48:29,406
because she appeared
in The Mummy's Curse in 1944,
889
00:48:29,490 --> 00:48:30,491
so there you go.
890
00:48:30,574 --> 00:48:33,285
-I'm gonna pop one more time.
-I don't blame...
891
00:48:33,368 --> 00:48:34,870
Do it again, 'cause I missed it.
892
00:48:34,953 --> 00:48:37,414
-You've got the pop.
-Excellent. You know how to do it.
893
00:48:38,999 --> 00:48:41,293
I'm a sucker for redemption on film,
894
00:48:41,376 --> 00:48:44,505
and I always want pathetic characters
like her
895
00:48:44,588 --> 00:48:47,800
to eventually redeem themselves
by the end of the movie,
896
00:48:47,883 --> 00:48:49,718
but I know that's not realistic.
897
00:48:49,802 --> 00:48:53,013
-But, again...
-She also provides the contrast.
898
00:48:53,097 --> 00:48:56,183
-She serves no purpose...
-She's the educated, the wealthy.
899
00:48:56,266 --> 00:48:59,978
...to either the Cecil Kellaway character
or her,
900
00:49:00,062 --> 00:49:04,149
except to get a gut reaction
from the audience.
901
00:49:04,233 --> 00:49:07,486
You know, a laugh or an applause line.
902
00:49:07,569 --> 00:49:08,987
And this woman is...
903
00:49:09,071 --> 00:49:12,074
-And how ridiculous she would sound.
-Her character is so snarky.
904
00:49:12,157 --> 00:49:14,493
Right, but it's also,
to your other point before, Lee,
905
00:49:14,576 --> 00:49:16,620
about guiding the message,
906
00:49:16,703 --> 00:49:19,456
that Kramer wanted
to deliver a particular message.
907
00:49:19,540 --> 00:49:23,252
Because, again, this notion of
just because you're wealthy, educated,
908
00:49:23,335 --> 00:49:24,920
you're not necessarily enlightened.
909
00:49:25,420 --> 00:49:26,630
Right. Right.
910
00:49:26,713 --> 00:49:30,592
And, you know, another article I read:
911
00:49:30,676 --> 00:49:35,222
In 2011, 51% of Americans were married.
912
00:49:35,305 --> 00:49:39,768
1960, 72% of Americans were married.
913
00:49:39,852 --> 00:49:44,106
But one of the reasons that marriage
has declined in America
914
00:49:44,189 --> 00:49:48,694
is that there are cultural rules
that now compel couples to wait to marry
915
00:49:48,777 --> 00:49:51,864
until they've reached upper class status.
916
00:49:51,947 --> 00:49:56,869
That statistic from a couple of years ago
directly impacts this film
917
00:49:56,952 --> 00:50:00,164
because we're dealing
with upper-middle-class people here.
918
00:50:00,247 --> 00:50:04,042
I would say they're far more middle class
than they're upper-class people.
919
00:50:04,126 --> 00:50:06,003
This confirms your point earlier on
920
00:50:06,086 --> 00:50:09,506
that every person in this film
is important to the story.
921
00:50:09,590 --> 00:50:10,799
Yes, very important.
922
00:50:11,466 --> 00:50:14,178
I'm afraid we're not really
the sort of people...
923
00:50:14,261 --> 00:50:15,304
Because they all...
924
00:50:15,387 --> 00:50:18,974
It's such a tight script
that everybody makes a point.
925
00:50:19,057 --> 00:50:20,475
What I'm trying to get at
926
00:50:20,559 --> 00:50:23,520
is Kellaway's character
and that lady's character,
927
00:50:23,604 --> 00:50:26,899
they're not important
in the sense that they're fleshed out.
928
00:50:26,982 --> 00:50:29,651
They have no backgrounds.
You don't know anything about them.
929
00:50:30,319 --> 00:50:32,112
They are in there. Yes, they are.
930
00:50:32,196 --> 00:50:35,490
They serve as an important plot device,
but nothing else.
931
00:50:35,574 --> 00:50:39,828
We don't know anything about
how Kellaway and Tracy's characters met.
932
00:50:39,912 --> 00:50:42,831
It also seems to be,
when you're watching it, this day...
933
00:50:42,915 --> 00:50:46,001
They should've called it The Longest Day,
because everything that's packed...
934
00:50:46,084 --> 00:50:50,130
They keep talking about how Poitier
has to catch a plane in the evening.
935
00:50:50,214 --> 00:50:51,298
I've seen that movie.
936
00:50:51,381 --> 00:50:53,717
You wouldn't confuse those two movies.
937
00:50:53,800 --> 00:50:55,677
When you're watching this thing,
you're saying,
938
00:50:55,761 --> 00:50:57,679
"My God, how much time
has already elapsed?"
939
00:50:57,763 --> 00:50:59,306
It seems like a very long time,
940
00:50:59,389 --> 00:51:02,476
given all the emotional angst
that's taking place.
941
00:51:02,559 --> 00:51:06,897
They keep saying his mother and father
are gonna fly in on the same day,
942
00:51:06,980 --> 00:51:10,025
he's gonna pick them up at the airport,
they're gonna come for dinner,
943
00:51:10,108 --> 00:51:13,403
and then he's somehow gonna get out
to catch the ten o'clock flight.
944
00:51:13,487 --> 00:51:16,490
That adds to the confusion of the day.
945
00:51:16,573 --> 00:51:20,494
In the Blu-ray version, Sean Connery
is gonna parachute into San Francisco.
946
00:51:20,577 --> 00:51:22,496
And everything's gonna be fine.
947
00:51:22,579 --> 00:51:26,083
And by the way,
anybody who is a fan of William Rose
948
00:51:26,166 --> 00:51:29,336
should buy the movie Genevieve.
949
00:51:30,045 --> 00:51:34,633
It's one of the most perfect
filmed comedies ever made.
950
00:51:34,716 --> 00:51:36,176
And who starred in it, Paul?
951
00:51:36,260 --> 00:51:38,762
Kenneth More, I believe.
He's the only person off the top...
952
00:51:38,845 --> 00:51:41,431
And other people,
other great English actors too,
953
00:51:41,515 --> 00:51:44,977
but it's a totally delightful film,
954
00:51:45,060 --> 00:51:48,021
but just leaves credence
to how great he was, William Rose.
955
00:51:48,105 --> 00:51:50,899
Rose would co-write
with his wife, correct?
956
00:51:50,983 --> 00:51:55,112
I believe he was on set with her
for The Russians Are Coming.
957
00:51:55,195 --> 00:51:58,448
I'm not an expert on that.
I don't have all the information on that.
958
00:51:58,532 --> 00:52:01,827
They co-wrote Mad, Mad World.
959
00:52:03,245 --> 00:52:07,124
On April 5th,
Spencer Tracy spent his 67th birthday
960
00:52:07,207 --> 00:52:10,419
shooting his first scenes
with Cecil Kellaway.
961
00:52:10,502 --> 00:52:12,671
Kellaway was having trouble with lines,
962
00:52:12,754 --> 00:52:17,384
but Tracy, Hepburn and Kramer
worked with the 73-year-old actor
963
00:52:17,467 --> 00:52:20,971
and his performance
was pretty much put together line by line.
964
00:52:21,054 --> 00:52:22,723
...flying out from Los Angeles.
965
00:52:23,807 --> 00:52:25,726
A few weeks into the production,
966
00:52:25,809 --> 00:52:28,854
Spencer Tracy was clearly losing energy.
967
00:52:28,937 --> 00:52:30,814
Kramer went back to his original plan
968
00:52:30,897 --> 00:52:33,734
of Tracy arriving at ten o'clock
in the morning,
969
00:52:33,817 --> 00:52:37,195
getting made up,
getting the master shot done,
970
00:52:37,279 --> 00:52:39,614
and then after that, close-ups,
971
00:52:39,698 --> 00:52:43,118
and if necessary,
some over-the-shoulder shots.
972
00:52:43,201 --> 00:52:47,247
And when the company broke for lunch,
Kramer would send Spencer Tracy home.
973
00:52:51,418 --> 00:52:55,505
You know, that was actually sculpted
by Katharine Hepburn
974
00:52:56,214 --> 00:52:58,300
for Spencer Tracy.
975
00:52:58,383 --> 00:53:00,594
And after she passed away...
976
00:53:00,677 --> 00:53:03,347
Which I think was 2004, I believe...
977
00:53:03,430 --> 00:53:06,475
That was auctioned off
with the expectations
978
00:53:06,558 --> 00:53:09,227
it might get $5,000.
979
00:53:09,311 --> 00:53:13,023
It sold for three-hundred-and-some
thousand dollars, that sculpture.
980
00:53:13,106 --> 00:53:16,026
But she actually did that herself
of Tracy.
981
00:53:16,109 --> 00:53:18,236
...quite extraordinarily happy.
982
00:53:23,116 --> 00:53:26,787
I'd better tell Tillie. If you listen,
you'll hear her going through the roof.
983
00:53:32,793 --> 00:53:36,922
I've brought you the latest bulletin.
Guess who's coming to dinner now.
984
00:53:38,006 --> 00:53:40,759
The Reverend Martin Luther King?
985
00:53:41,468 --> 00:53:43,303
Now let me comment on this,
986
00:53:43,387 --> 00:53:47,849
because after this film came out
in December 1967,
987
00:53:47,933 --> 00:53:50,852
Dr King was assassinated in April 1968.
988
00:53:50,936 --> 00:53:52,854
But film in those days, unlike today,
989
00:53:52,938 --> 00:53:56,024
with video platforms taking over
almost immediately,
990
00:53:56,108 --> 00:54:00,195
movies stayed in theatres for many,
many months, sometimes years.
991
00:54:00,278 --> 00:54:03,949
And when that happened,
when he was assassinated,
992
00:54:04,032 --> 00:54:06,868
the prints were ordered to be cut.
993
00:54:06,952 --> 00:54:10,288
That scene was cut from the theatres
994
00:54:10,372 --> 00:54:13,667
that were still showing the movie
in April 1968.
995
00:54:14,459 --> 00:54:18,588
And it's one of the few things...
cultural references... in this movie
996
00:54:18,672 --> 00:54:23,635
that actually indicates what time period
it's specifically taking place in.
997
00:54:34,604 --> 00:54:36,773
-Now look at this.
-Let's talk about Spencer Tracy's hat.
998
00:54:36,857 --> 00:54:39,109
There it is.
Nobody could wear it like him.
999
00:54:39,192 --> 00:54:40,777
Now the story is
1000
00:54:40,861 --> 00:54:45,365
that hat was eventually given
to Henry Fonda,
1001
00:54:45,449 --> 00:54:48,243
who wore it in a portion of
On Golden Pond.
1002
00:54:48,326 --> 00:54:50,662
-Wow.
-And that might have been the hat
1003
00:54:50,745 --> 00:54:53,832
that he wore in Bad Day at Black Rock.
1004
00:54:53,915 --> 00:54:54,916
It looks like it.
1005
00:54:55,000 --> 00:54:57,627
It might have been the hat
that he wore in Mad, Mad World.
1006
00:54:57,711 --> 00:55:00,172
-I don't know. I haven't investigated.
-It certainly looks like it.
1007
00:55:00,255 --> 00:55:01,840
This is a famous place,
1008
00:55:01,923 --> 00:55:05,927
like, a landmark,
pop-culture place, San Francisco.
1009
00:55:06,011 --> 00:55:09,723
And this is actually the last scene
that Spencer Tracy shot in the movie.
1010
00:55:09,806 --> 00:55:12,100
-That's absolutely right.
-He's clearly not there.
1011
00:55:12,184 --> 00:55:14,394
It's second unit stuff, and it looks it.
1012
00:55:14,478 --> 00:55:16,980
-Now this is Alexandra Hay.
-Alexandra Hay.
1013
00:55:17,063 --> 00:55:21,359
-She's best known for the movie...
-Model Shop. Model Shop.
1014
00:55:21,443 --> 00:55:24,404
Well, yeah, and also How Sweet It Is!
with James Garner.
1015
00:55:24,488 --> 00:55:28,492
But mostly in a movie that
nobody's really ever seen, Skidoo...
1016
00:55:28,575 --> 00:55:30,368
-The Otto Preminger disaster.
-...with an all-star cast.
1017
00:55:30,452 --> 00:55:33,413
With Jackie Gleason. Right.
Now here, it's sad...
1018
00:55:33,497 --> 00:55:35,874
-It was maybe a year after this.
-When we do commentaries,
1019
00:55:35,957 --> 00:55:40,420
I hate to say this: she passed away
at age 46 from heart disease,
1020
00:55:40,504 --> 00:55:45,884
this lovely woman, who did
delightful supporting actress roles
1021
00:55:45,967 --> 00:55:48,345
in films in the late '60s.
1022
00:55:48,428 --> 00:55:50,847
-Will you have some? It's delicious.
-No, black coffee.
1023
00:55:50,931 --> 00:55:53,892
One double fresh Oregon boysenberry
and one black coffee.
1024
00:55:53,975 --> 00:55:55,143
Look at them together again.
1025
00:55:55,227 --> 00:55:58,647
I wanna read a passage about
Hepburn and Tracy.
1026
00:55:59,648 --> 00:56:03,151
Hepburn was describing
the Woman of the Year scenario
1027
00:56:03,235 --> 00:56:06,446
to prospective director George Stevens,
1028
00:56:06,530 --> 00:56:09,449
and she talked about the two
principal characters,
1029
00:56:09,533 --> 00:56:11,952
and she was actually describing
the two of them.
1030
00:56:12,035 --> 00:56:15,038
"She was the superior woman,
he a common man.
1031
00:56:15,121 --> 00:56:17,415
She was talkative, he taciturn.
1032
00:56:17,499 --> 00:56:20,293
She was devoted to world affairs,
he to sports.
1033
00:56:20,377 --> 00:56:23,380
She hobnobbed
with intellectuals and world leaders,
1034
00:56:23,463 --> 00:56:25,966
he with punch-drunk ex-fighters.
1035
00:56:26,049 --> 00:56:27,842
She wanted marriage and career,
1036
00:56:27,926 --> 00:56:30,720
he a traditional wife
and plenty of children."
1037
00:56:31,388 --> 00:56:34,641
And, you know,
it's kind of symbolic of the relationship
1038
00:56:34,724 --> 00:56:36,935
that they ultimately wound up having
1039
00:56:37,018 --> 00:56:39,396
-because they never...
-Opposites attract.
1040
00:56:39,479 --> 00:56:41,022
...played house in the conventional sense.
1041
00:56:41,106 --> 00:56:43,567
You have to wonder what's going through
Hepburn's mind here
1042
00:56:43,650 --> 00:56:47,237
because it's sort of a frivolous scene
in and of itself.
1043
00:56:47,320 --> 00:56:50,782
But it also would be the last scene
that Tracy did in the film.
1044
00:56:50,865 --> 00:56:54,119
I don't believe it's frivolous.
This is very important.
1045
00:56:54,202 --> 00:56:55,537
-It's a metaphor.
-Well...
1046
00:56:55,620 --> 00:56:58,498
-He's not crazy about something...
-Yes, the ice cream is,
1047
00:56:58,582 --> 00:57:01,334
but it kind of, like, hits you
over the head with a sledgehammer.
1048
00:57:01,418 --> 00:57:04,045
-I know, but...
-When I mean, "frivolous,"
1049
00:57:04,129 --> 00:57:06,715
I don't mean what's going on in the scene,
1050
00:57:06,798 --> 00:57:11,219
only that you could cut this out of
the film and it doesn't affect the story.
1051
00:57:11,303 --> 00:57:12,679
I take issue with you on that
1052
00:57:12,762 --> 00:57:15,640
because the underlying theme
of the movie... And in a couple of scenes,
1053
00:57:15,724 --> 00:57:18,560
we're gonna see a speech
where he's accused
1054
00:57:18,643 --> 00:57:21,271
of not remembering
what it's like to be in love.
1055
00:57:21,354 --> 00:57:22,564
This is a date.
1056
00:57:22,647 --> 00:57:25,817
This is something they could have gone on
as teenagers and are still doing.
1057
00:57:25,900 --> 00:57:27,902
-This is a very tightly woven film.
-It's a good point,
1058
00:57:27,986 --> 00:57:31,489
but I'll tell you the value of this scene
is the just priceless interaction.
1059
00:57:31,573 --> 00:57:33,491
It's very good. I like it very much.
1060
00:57:33,575 --> 00:57:34,784
Okay.
1061
00:57:38,705 --> 00:57:41,541
Now coming up
is where Tillie confronts John.
1062
00:57:41,625 --> 00:57:45,503
And you'll notice that the camera
will go into a Dutch angle,
1063
00:57:45,587 --> 00:57:47,255
a tilted angle.
1064
00:57:47,339 --> 00:57:50,884
It's interesting,
but it's also odd to see that
1065
00:57:50,967 --> 00:57:54,471
in such an otherwise
calmly photographed film.
1066
00:57:55,639 --> 00:57:59,100
Sidney Poitier was going through
a very bad time in his personal life
1067
00:57:59,184 --> 00:58:03,730
in terms of the backlash
that was taking place among some critics,
1068
00:58:03,813 --> 00:58:05,649
and especially in the Black community,
1069
00:58:05,732 --> 00:58:10,487
that they seem to have forgotten
the obstacles he had to endure
1070
00:58:10,570 --> 00:58:14,324
to get to this point in his career
and the groundbreaking work he did.
1071
00:58:14,407 --> 00:58:20,246
He was being criticised for always playing
these angelic, desexualised men.
1072
00:58:20,330 --> 00:58:24,834
And this scene,
some Black critics pointed out that he...
1073
00:58:24,918 --> 00:58:29,047
This is a man that is so devoid
of having any sexuality
1074
00:58:29,130 --> 00:58:31,383
that he can't even
show the maid his chest.
1075
00:58:31,466 --> 00:58:35,970
Okay, now there was a playwright
named Clifford Mason,
1076
00:58:36,054 --> 00:58:37,931
an African-American playwright,
1077
00:58:38,014 --> 00:58:41,726
who, in 1967,
right before this film came out,
1078
00:58:41,810 --> 00:58:46,314
published a scathing personal attack
on Sidney Poitier
1079
00:58:46,398 --> 00:58:48,858
in the pages of The New York Times.
1080
00:58:48,942 --> 00:58:52,153
He used the N-word to describe him.
1081
00:58:52,237 --> 00:58:56,032
He did everything he could to demean him
personally and professionally.
1082
00:58:56,116 --> 00:59:00,161
It greatly hurt Sidney Poitier,
but he never responded in print.
1083
00:59:00,245 --> 00:59:05,583
He bit his tongue, as was his custom,
but it hurt him personally.
1084
00:59:05,667 --> 00:59:09,337
He felt very upset by that,
and he would tell people...
1085
00:59:09,421 --> 00:59:12,632
He would tell people privately,
"These people forget.
1086
00:59:12,716 --> 00:59:19,139
If I didn't act as a ground breaker,
there wouldn't have been what followed,"
1087
00:59:19,222 --> 00:59:22,225
-basically, which was the Shaft movies...
-He was the first Black leading man.
1088
00:59:22,308 --> 00:59:24,686
...Richard Roundtree, Fred Williamson,
Yaphet Kotto.
1089
00:59:24,769 --> 00:59:26,646
-All these tough-ass guys...
-Isaac Hayes.
1090
00:59:26,730 --> 00:59:30,275
-...wouldn't have existed if it wasn't for...
-Now, these car scenes...
1091
00:59:30,358 --> 00:59:32,318
This is obviously processed,
you could see.
1092
00:59:32,402 --> 00:59:33,903
Terrible processed shot here.
1093
00:59:33,987 --> 00:59:37,532
This was Tracy's last shot for the film.
1094
00:59:37,615 --> 00:59:40,493
After this was done,
Kramer announced to the crew,
1095
00:59:40,577 --> 00:59:45,331
"Ladies and gentlemen,
that was Spencer Tracy's last shot."
1096
00:59:45,415 --> 00:59:47,584
This was the last stuff
done for the movie,
1097
00:59:47,667 --> 00:59:50,628
and the crew burst into applause.
1098
00:59:51,129 --> 00:59:54,758
Karen Kramer, Kramer's wife,
1099
00:59:54,841 --> 00:59:57,177
noticed that Stanley teared up,
1100
00:59:57,260 --> 01:00:02,849
something that she's never seen
her husband ever do before or since.
1101
01:00:02,932 --> 01:00:06,060
Then Tracy stepped out of the car,
out of the process shot,
1102
01:00:06,144 --> 01:00:08,146
smiled to the crew and left.
1103
01:00:08,229 --> 01:00:09,856
Kramer said softly,
1104
01:00:09,939 --> 01:00:13,693
"That's the last time you will see
Spencer Tracy on camera."
1105
01:00:14,319 --> 01:00:16,946
Now, supposedly,
Katharine Hepburn heard that
1106
01:00:17,030 --> 01:00:18,948
and she didn't care for that.
1107
01:00:19,032 --> 01:00:21,284
She had a couple of words
for Stanley about that.
1108
01:00:21,367 --> 01:00:22,786
-Interesting.
-Yeah.
1109
01:00:23,453 --> 01:00:27,457
He made a phone call to his wife,
I guess, "I made it."
1110
01:00:27,540 --> 01:00:30,460
There was a wrap party
three days after that shot.
1111
01:00:30,543 --> 01:00:31,711
Tracy didn't go.
1112
01:00:31,795 --> 01:00:36,132
Hepburn went and made it a point
to sincerely thank the crew,
1113
01:00:36,216 --> 01:00:39,093
saying that their help
made a hell of a lot of difference.
1114
01:00:39,719 --> 01:00:42,096
Spencer Tracy did not go to the party,
1115
01:00:42,180 --> 01:00:45,391
but he did phone his friends,
saying, quote, "I did it.
1116
01:00:45,475 --> 01:00:46,935
I finished the picture,
1117
01:00:47,018 --> 01:00:50,271
and I was betting against myself
every step of the way."
1118
01:00:50,355 --> 01:00:52,315
-So this film meant a lot to him.
-Yeah.
1119
01:01:07,497 --> 01:01:10,458
Maybe I'm putting too much in here,
but here we have "The Glory of Love."
1120
01:01:10,542 --> 01:01:15,797
It reminds me a bit of how Stanley Kramer
handled "Waltzing Matilda"
1121
01:01:15,880 --> 01:01:18,049
-a little bit through On the Beach.
-Yes.
1122
01:01:18,132 --> 01:01:21,553
Although not as... I mean,
On the Beach is very grim,
1123
01:01:21,636 --> 01:01:23,721
-but it was an idea...
-It was a theme.
1124
01:01:23,805 --> 01:01:28,476
He uses music as a thematic device
to link emotions in certain scenes.
1125
01:01:28,560 --> 01:01:32,063
A very good point, because he certainly
does that in On the Beach,
1126
01:01:32,146 --> 01:01:34,482
which couldn't be further away
in terms of subject matter
1127
01:01:34,566 --> 01:01:37,777
-given that it's nuclear annihilation.
-You know, Mel Brooks said to me
1128
01:01:37,861 --> 01:01:40,864
that music is a director's way
of telling you how to think,
1129
01:01:40,947 --> 01:01:44,450
-and a great director will...
-It's well done, well thought.
1130
01:01:44,534 --> 01:01:46,327
...use music so significantly.
1131
01:01:46,411 --> 01:01:50,081
And directors like Martin Scorsese,
Barry Levinson,
1132
01:01:50,164 --> 01:01:53,084
they always talk about how carefully
they've chosen the soundtracks...
1133
01:01:53,167 --> 01:01:55,086
-Right.
...for films.
1134
01:01:56,212 --> 01:01:59,215
"The Glory of Love" was written in 1936.
1135
01:01:59,299 --> 01:02:01,259
It was a hit by Benny Goodman.
1136
01:02:01,342 --> 01:02:05,305
And this is another example
of how Stanley Kramer did his best
1137
01:02:05,388 --> 01:02:09,225
to make this thought-provoking film
less threatening
1138
01:02:09,309 --> 01:02:12,353
by playing this old familiar standard
throughout it.
1139
01:02:12,437 --> 01:02:14,397
...crazy for both of you
to be going all that way...
1140
01:02:14,480 --> 01:02:18,902
By the way, that speech that
Isabel Sanford gave is extremely powerful,
1141
01:02:18,985 --> 01:02:23,072
and even by today's standards,
it's still very, very powerful.
1142
01:02:23,156 --> 01:02:25,867
And the pay-off,
"And you're not even that good-looking."
1143
01:02:25,950 --> 01:02:27,452
Truth is, he is that good-looking.
1144
01:02:27,535 --> 01:02:29,954
He is.
He's an incredibly good-looking guy.
1145
01:02:30,038 --> 01:02:33,458
This movie must have had provided
a lot of laughs in its run theatrically.
1146
01:02:33,541 --> 01:02:35,418
I think it did, but it was criticised.
1147
01:02:35,501 --> 01:02:38,254
It was criticised in certain quarters
1148
01:02:38,338 --> 01:02:42,884
and widely criticised in certain quarters
for being too...
1149
01:02:43,635 --> 01:02:45,678
Making liberals feel too comfortable,
1150
01:02:45,762 --> 01:02:48,014
making them feel good about themselves
1151
01:02:48,681 --> 01:02:52,435
by presenting everyone in these safe,
angelic characters.
1152
01:02:52,518 --> 01:02:54,187
...not going to try to pretend...
1153
01:02:54,270 --> 01:02:57,815
This is the fourth shot that I've counted
where she is looking up at him.
1154
01:02:57,899 --> 01:02:59,943
She's looking...
literally looking up to him.
1155
01:03:00,526 --> 01:03:02,362
It's an interesting point.
1156
01:03:03,821 --> 01:03:07,450
But I still say Tracy,
who was virtually on his deathbed here,
1157
01:03:07,533 --> 01:03:10,995
looks a hell of a lot better than he did
four years earlier in Mad, Mad World.
1158
01:03:11,079 --> 01:03:13,456
Yes, he... Well, he was very sick then.
1159
01:03:13,539 --> 01:03:16,376
He was part of a class
of consummate performers.
1160
01:03:16,459 --> 01:03:20,421
You know, he...
This is 110% and it's just effortless.
1161
01:03:20,505 --> 01:03:22,507
If you didn't know that he was dying...
1162
01:03:22,590 --> 01:03:25,593
No, you'd never know. I mean,
he looks healthier there than he...
1163
01:03:25,677 --> 01:03:28,846
In fact, I think most of it,
if not all of it, is done...
1164
01:03:28,930 --> 01:03:31,891
I'll talk about it just briefly later on...
as an editor's trick.
1165
01:03:31,975 --> 01:03:35,436
Robert C. Jones edited this movie
1166
01:03:35,520 --> 01:03:39,607
to capture the best of him, you know,
visually and verbally.
1167
01:03:39,691 --> 01:03:43,236
And, of course, a lot of this was shot
in very short takes with Tracy.
1168
01:03:43,319 --> 01:03:44,529
He spent very little time on the set.
1169
01:03:44,612 --> 01:03:47,156
But you see how Katharine Hepburn's
watching how she looks?
1170
01:03:47,240 --> 01:03:48,992
She thought she had an ugly neck.
1171
01:03:49,075 --> 01:03:51,703
Throughout the film,
she's wearing stuff to cover it.
1172
01:03:52,745 --> 01:03:55,456
In the film
and even in the publicity shots,
1173
01:03:55,540 --> 01:03:57,709
you see her hand covering her neck.
1174
01:03:58,626 --> 01:04:03,131
Spencer Tracy refused to wear make-up
for both this film and Mad, Mad World.
1175
01:04:03,214 --> 01:04:05,341
He didn't even like his forehead
to be powdered.
1176
01:04:20,982 --> 01:04:26,112
This has got an almost intentionally
surrealistic, dreamlike quality to it.
1177
01:04:26,195 --> 01:04:29,407
I don't think they were trying
to make this look realistic here.
1178
01:04:29,490 --> 01:04:32,243
I think this is supposed to have
a fantasy element in it.
1179
01:04:32,326 --> 01:04:36,456
Of course, we see in her eyes
what's going through Kate Hepburn's mind.
1180
01:04:50,094 --> 01:04:51,846
We're talking about
what a busy day it was.
1181
01:04:51,929 --> 01:04:56,392
I forgot, Poitier and Houghton
also go out with the other couple
1182
01:04:56,476 --> 01:04:57,685
in the middle of this day.
1183
01:04:57,769 --> 01:05:00,146
-I mean, how long is this day?
-I know. I know.
1184
01:05:00,730 --> 01:05:02,565
It's a 42-hour day. Live with it.
1185
01:05:02,648 --> 01:05:04,275
That's what William Rose does.
1186
01:05:04,358 --> 01:05:06,152
Think of the one day in
The Russians Are Coming
1187
01:05:06,235 --> 01:05:07,904
or the one day in Mad World.
1188
01:05:07,987 --> 01:05:11,115
My passport's in order.
There's nothing at all that I really need.
1189
01:05:11,199 --> 01:05:12,909
I'm still intrigued by scenes...
1190
01:05:12,992 --> 01:05:14,827
How many movies couldn't be made today?
1191
01:05:14,911 --> 01:05:16,913
Old movies wouldn't work
in today's society
1192
01:05:16,996 --> 01:05:19,582
-because people couldn't get to a phone.
-Right.
1193
01:05:19,665 --> 01:05:22,335
The end of Psycho,
when they get to the motel, he says,
1194
01:05:22,418 --> 01:05:25,546
"If you find anything in that house,
get in the car, don't bother to tell me,
1195
01:05:25,630 --> 01:05:28,132
go back to the town and get the sheriff."
Well, today...
1196
01:05:29,300 --> 01:05:30,301
Well...
1197
01:05:31,636 --> 01:05:35,598
I guess I should've called you back again,
because there is this one thing I...
1198
01:05:35,681 --> 01:05:37,725
I should've...
1199
01:05:37,809 --> 01:05:39,852
I've been meaning to write to you
about it.
1200
01:05:40,686 --> 01:05:42,980
Yeah,
there's one thing I didn't explain, Dad.
1201
01:05:43,648 --> 01:05:46,734
And I'm afraid it's gonna be...
1202
01:05:46,818 --> 01:05:48,986
-This is Beah Richards and Roy Glenn...
-Right.
1203
01:05:49,070 --> 01:05:53,199
-...having their own mirror reaction shot.
-Two marvellous actors.
1204
01:05:53,282 --> 01:05:55,701
This was the biggest role
Mr Glenn ever had.
1205
01:05:55,785 --> 01:05:58,121
Beah Richards went on to do other things.
1206
01:05:58,204 --> 01:06:01,124
She was an established actress
with some good roles,
1207
01:06:01,207 --> 01:06:04,460
-but he was mostly a character actor...
-Look, this is fantastic.
1208
01:06:04,544 --> 01:06:07,255
There's a rumour that he was the voice
of Tony the Tiger.
1209
01:06:07,338 --> 01:06:09,090
I've heard that rumour,
but I don't think it's ever...
1210
01:06:09,173 --> 01:06:10,716
It may be an urban legend.
1211
01:06:12,051 --> 01:06:14,470
I believe that was Thurl Ravenscroft.
1212
01:06:14,554 --> 01:06:17,098
He was the original voice
of Tony the Tiger.
1213
01:06:18,266 --> 01:06:19,642
I can explain.
1214
01:06:19,725 --> 01:06:23,020
The scene he has
where he and Poitier square off...
1215
01:06:23,104 --> 01:06:26,941
Save that. That's one of
my favourite all-time movie scenes.
1216
01:06:27,024 --> 01:06:29,652
-It's a great scene.
-But that was also knocked.
1217
01:06:30,361 --> 01:06:32,238
-That scene was also knocked.
-Yes, it was.
1218
01:06:32,321 --> 01:06:34,532
And we'll get into that when it plays out.
1219
01:06:36,450 --> 01:06:39,996
Beah Richards was nominated
for Best Supporting Actress in this.
1220
01:06:40,079 --> 01:06:42,707
I guess the biggest surprise in this film
1221
01:06:42,790 --> 01:06:44,917
is that Tracy, out of sheer sentiment,
1222
01:06:45,001 --> 01:06:48,254
did not get the Oscar for it.
1223
01:06:48,337 --> 01:06:51,340
This year, Cliff Robertson won for...
1224
01:06:51,424 --> 01:06:53,259
No, no, no. Rod Steiger won. Excuse me.
1225
01:06:53,342 --> 01:06:55,219
Rod Steiger won, In the Heat of the Night.
1226
01:06:55,303 --> 01:06:58,055
Ironically, a Sidney Poitier movie.
1227
01:06:58,848 --> 01:07:00,892
-That's out of the question.
-I'll tell you something else.
1228
01:07:00,975 --> 01:07:02,351
I couldn't do what you're about to do,
1229
01:07:02,435 --> 01:07:05,313
so I don't begin to understand
how you propose to go about it.
1230
01:07:05,396 --> 01:07:06,856
But you can't break their hearts...
1231
01:07:06,939 --> 01:07:09,609
I did the last interview with Rod Steiger
before he passed away,
1232
01:07:09,692 --> 01:07:12,486
and he was convinced that he was going
to win the Oscar for The Pawnbroker.
1233
01:07:12,570 --> 01:07:15,156
Yes. Everybody was,
and they gave it to Lee Marvin.
1234
01:07:15,239 --> 01:07:18,993
Right, and he was gunning
for The Godfather.
1235
01:07:19,076 --> 01:07:21,037
He thought that
that would send him right in...
1236
01:07:21,120 --> 01:07:23,122
Winning the Oscar would send him
right into...
1237
01:07:23,206 --> 01:07:26,500
-To that A-list type of super list.
-To The Godfather, and didn't get it.
1238
01:07:26,584 --> 01:07:28,920
And he had issues with Brando
1239
01:07:29,003 --> 01:07:32,089
because of their rivalry on
On the Waterfront,
1240
01:07:32,632 --> 01:07:35,551
because he had to do
all his scenes with Brando.
1241
01:07:35,635 --> 01:07:38,304
And then when his turn came, Brando left.
1242
01:07:38,387 --> 01:07:41,474
Brando got up and left, yeah.
He was playing against an empty chair.
1243
01:07:41,557 --> 01:07:45,269
But, you know,
there's a lot of ironies all throughout
1244
01:07:45,353 --> 01:07:48,648
the people involved
directly or indirectly with this film.
1245
01:07:48,731 --> 01:07:52,151
...will accept whatever you say to him
because he's a terribly sensitive man.
1246
01:07:52,235 --> 01:07:54,278
You know, when Tracy passed away,
1247
01:07:54,362 --> 01:07:57,782
Hepburn, out of respect,
did not go to the funeral.
1248
01:07:57,865 --> 01:08:02,078
But she showed up at the mortuary
and rode in the hearse
1249
01:08:02,828 --> 01:08:05,414
till very close to the funeral and got out
1250
01:08:05,498 --> 01:08:09,001
and made the trip from the mortuary alone,
1251
01:08:09,085 --> 01:08:12,880
and said something to the effect that,
you know, "This is...
1252
01:08:13,756 --> 01:08:16,509
-This is where I get out."
-Right.
1253
01:08:17,301 --> 01:08:18,803
I'm gonna be on her side.
1254
01:08:18,886 --> 01:08:23,140
Twenty-six years they were together
and starred in nine movies together.
1255
01:08:23,224 --> 01:08:26,686
She said, "Goodbye, friend.
Here's where I leave you."
1256
01:08:29,105 --> 01:08:30,606
Damn it.
1257
01:08:31,649 --> 01:08:35,403
-Can I get you another drink?
-No, thanks. I'll get it myself.
1258
01:08:41,867 --> 01:08:43,536
I wish we had more time...
1259
01:08:46,330 --> 01:08:49,542
Front seat, couple in love.
Back seat, couple in shock.
1260
01:08:50,501 --> 01:08:52,295
- ...reacted to...
-Yeah.
1261
01:08:52,378 --> 01:08:55,464
-I wanted to ask that too.
-Please call me Joanna.
1262
01:08:56,090 --> 01:08:59,218
They were shaken all right. I don't think
I've ever seen them so surprised.
1263
01:09:00,177 --> 01:09:05,266
Freedomways was
an African-American cultural journal.
1264
01:09:05,891 --> 01:09:09,020
It started publishing in 1961.
1265
01:09:09,103 --> 01:09:12,315
Beah Richards was
a regular columnist for it.
1266
01:09:12,398 --> 01:09:15,860
The FBI had a file on her
for over 15 years.
1267
01:09:15,943 --> 01:09:18,446
...the two of you are behaving
like a couple of escaped lunatics.
1268
01:09:18,529 --> 01:09:21,115
She was angry, depressed
1269
01:09:21,198 --> 01:09:24,994
about the lack of work
for African-American performers.
1270
01:09:25,911 --> 01:09:27,872
...it's like trying to ride a rocket.
1271
01:09:27,955 --> 01:09:30,875
I mean, we didn't plan it,
it just happened that way.
1272
01:09:30,958 --> 01:09:34,962
It's a little hard on Joanna's folks,
and I'm sure it's gonna be hard on you.
1273
01:09:36,422 --> 01:09:38,299
We've got one evening to discuss it,
1274
01:09:38,382 --> 01:09:41,427
and if you have any objections,
you'd better raise them in a hurry,
1275
01:09:41,510 --> 01:09:44,722
'cause in exactly four hours,
we're gonna be on that plane and gone.
1276
01:09:44,805 --> 01:09:48,392
Well, I don't think I could list
all my objections in four hours.
1277
01:09:48,476 --> 01:09:50,686
I think I'd need more like eight hours.
1278
01:09:50,770 --> 01:09:56,567
Well, you've only got four hours, so
you'll just have to talk twice as fast.
1279
01:10:11,457 --> 01:10:15,419
-Christina!
-Hello, darling. How are you?
1280
01:10:15,503 --> 01:10:19,715
-Forgive me. I'm a little bit early.
-Come in.
1281
01:10:20,633 --> 01:10:24,345
You know, I don't like to be always
repeating myself,
1282
01:10:24,428 --> 01:10:26,055
but how long is it since I remarked
1283
01:10:26,138 --> 01:10:29,725
that I thought that you were
the loveliest woman I have ever known?
1284
01:10:30,726 --> 01:10:31,727
-You know...
-You're sweet.
1285
01:10:31,811 --> 01:10:34,939
...there is a kind of envy
that is in no way sinful.
1286
01:10:35,022 --> 01:10:37,483
That's what I've always had for Matt
all these years.
1287
01:10:37,566 --> 01:10:38,984
What can I get you to drink?
1288
01:10:39,068 --> 01:10:43,364
Well, I like scotch,
but aren't we drinking wine?
1289
01:10:44,198 --> 01:10:45,282
Yes.
1290
01:10:45,366 --> 01:10:49,870
The best political criticism is
where both sides gets presented equally,
1291
01:10:50,454 --> 01:10:52,832
and then the audience is left
to make their own decision.
1292
01:10:52,915 --> 01:10:55,334
But don't you find that in today's world...
1293
01:10:55,418 --> 01:10:58,879
And, you know, I'm always accused as,
"He's stuck in the past with movies."
1294
01:10:58,963 --> 01:11:01,715
There are some great movies
being made today.
1295
01:11:01,799 --> 01:11:05,052
But don't you find movies like this,
with long takes
1296
01:11:05,136 --> 01:11:07,263
and the editing isn't flashy or gimmicky?
1297
01:11:07,346 --> 01:11:10,349
Well, we're gonna bring that up later on.
You make a very good point there.
1298
01:11:10,433 --> 01:11:12,309
Long takes with great dialogue
and great acting.
1299
01:11:12,393 --> 01:11:15,479
You can just sit down and relish
these types of scenes.
1300
01:11:15,563 --> 01:11:19,775
Look at the power of this acting here
between these two fine actors.
1301
01:11:20,276 --> 01:11:21,944
...that he wouldn't marry Joey
1302
01:11:22,027 --> 01:11:23,946
unless we could say
that we approve the marriage
1303
01:11:24,029 --> 01:11:25,656
with no reservations whatever.
1304
01:11:25,739 --> 01:11:28,325
Joey doesn't know that he said that.
1305
01:11:28,409 --> 01:11:31,370
Now she's suddenly decided to go
with him tonight. She has her tickets,
1306
01:11:31,454 --> 01:11:35,124
the two of them are on their way in
from the airport with John's parents.
1307
01:11:35,207 --> 01:11:38,085
Neither of them knows
that Matt has decided...
1308
01:11:39,044 --> 01:11:41,005
You know, I was saying, Eddy,
1309
01:11:41,088 --> 01:11:43,924
that this movie looks quaint
in certain ways today.
1310
01:11:44,008 --> 01:11:46,260
But I'd have to think
the people who made it
1311
01:11:46,343 --> 01:11:49,763
would love to know
that there was a period of time
1312
01:11:49,847 --> 01:11:51,140
where it would look quaint,
1313
01:11:51,223 --> 01:11:53,434
where the idea of an interracial marriage
1314
01:11:53,517 --> 01:11:59,106
was such a yawn inducement
when it comes to social controversy.
1315
01:11:59,190 --> 01:12:03,152
-That's what they were striving for.
-Two things happened in 1967.
1316
01:12:03,235 --> 01:12:06,947
There was the case Loving v. Virginia
that the Supreme Court ruled on.
1317
01:12:07,031 --> 01:12:09,158
And interestingly enough, Margaret Rusk,
1318
01:12:09,241 --> 01:12:12,203
who was the daughter
of then-Secretary of State Dean Rusk,
1319
01:12:12,286 --> 01:12:14,330
married a young Black man
named Guy Gibson Smith.
1320
01:12:14,413 --> 01:12:15,789
Right. And the Loving case
1321
01:12:15,873 --> 01:12:18,584
is still widely discussed
because we've just come from
1322
01:12:18,667 --> 01:12:22,296
the Supreme Court ruling last week
which Iegalised gay marriage.
1323
01:12:22,379 --> 01:12:24,673
And a lot of people were
bringing up the Loving case...
1324
01:12:24,757 --> 01:12:27,676
-Right.
-...which an interracial couple in the '60s
1325
01:12:27,760 --> 01:12:29,803
wanted to get married
in the state of Virginia
1326
01:12:29,887 --> 01:12:33,224
and were told by the clerks
you can't do it because it's illegal.
1327
01:12:34,141 --> 01:12:35,351
So it's hard to believe.
1328
01:12:35,434 --> 01:12:38,521
But again, I think the best compliment
1329
01:12:38,604 --> 01:12:41,232
that we could give the people
involved in this movie
1330
01:12:41,315 --> 01:12:44,777
is that at least some of them
had lived to see a day
1331
01:12:44,860 --> 01:12:49,573
when this thing did look quaint,
the subject matter.
1332
01:12:49,657 --> 01:12:51,116
That's what they were striving for.
1333
01:12:51,200 --> 01:12:54,703
Now, remember our old friend
Skip Martin, who we saw earlier on.
1334
01:12:54,787 --> 01:12:56,080
We don't see him anymore in the movie.
1335
01:12:56,163 --> 01:13:00,376
But he remembered when this film was made
1336
01:13:00,459 --> 01:13:04,672
and he remembered
that the film used, in his words,
1337
01:13:05,214 --> 01:13:10,219
"Very old-fashioned lighting
that took forever to set up."
1338
01:13:10,928 --> 01:13:15,474
And he remembered Spencer Tracy
getting very impatient between takes
1339
01:13:15,558 --> 01:13:19,687
because they had to light everything,
it seemed, within an inch of its life.
1340
01:13:19,770 --> 01:13:20,771
Yes.
1341
01:13:20,854 --> 01:13:24,233
...to come in here and expect me to be happy
about something that any normal...
1342
01:13:24,316 --> 01:13:26,151
For God's sake!
1343
01:13:26,235 --> 01:13:29,947
Matt, you're now at the point
of destroying all the happiness
1344
01:13:30,030 --> 01:13:32,908
there is in one of the happiest families
I've ever known.
1345
01:13:33,576 --> 01:13:35,911
Have you any appreciation at all
for Christina?
1346
01:13:35,995 --> 01:13:37,121
Christina?
1347
01:13:37,663 --> 01:13:41,208
Have you any appreciation at all
of how that woman has behaved today?
1348
01:13:41,292 --> 01:13:43,961
From the moment they walked in,
she was all for it
1349
01:13:44,044 --> 01:13:46,964
-as though there were no problems at all.
-But there are no problems
1350
01:13:47,047 --> 01:13:49,633
that Joey and young Prentice
don't know about.
1351
01:13:49,717 --> 01:13:53,429
Christina has more respect for Joey's
judgment than you have, I must say.
1352
01:13:53,512 --> 01:13:58,601
Come off it! If Joey came home
with some fuzzy-wuzzy and said,
1353
01:13:58,684 --> 01:14:03,606
"Mom, this is the man for me,"
Christina would say, "How wonderful!
1354
01:14:03,689 --> 01:14:06,734
Where will we get enough roses
to fill the Rose Bowl?"
1355
01:14:07,484 --> 01:14:10,321
I'm trying to remember
where I've seen you so angry.
1356
01:14:10,404 --> 01:14:13,866
Oh, yes. When you took nine shots
on the seventh green.
1357
01:14:15,576 --> 01:14:17,453
Would you mind
getting the hell out of here?
1358
01:14:17,536 --> 01:14:20,247
I think I know why you're angry too.
1359
01:14:20,331 --> 01:14:23,000
Not with the doctor,
whom you obviously respect,
1360
01:14:23,083 --> 01:14:26,086
not with Joey or Christina,
not even with me.
1361
01:14:26,170 --> 01:14:30,257
-You're angry with yourself, Matt.
-You're a pontificating old poop!
1362
01:14:30,341 --> 01:14:33,594
You're angry because all of a sudden
and in a single day,
1363
01:14:33,677 --> 01:14:34,803
you've been thrown.
1364
01:14:34,887 --> 01:14:37,014
You're the last man in the world
I would've expected
1365
01:14:37,097 --> 01:14:38,474
to behave the way you are.
1366
01:14:38,557 --> 01:14:41,018
Variety, though... Variety called it,
1367
01:14:41,101 --> 01:14:44,605
"An outstanding Stanley Kramer production,
1368
01:14:44,688 --> 01:14:47,608
superior in almost every imaginable way."
1369
01:14:47,691 --> 01:14:51,111
Called it a landmark
and praised everyone to high heavens.
1370
01:14:51,195 --> 01:14:52,529
What was after this?
1371
01:14:52,613 --> 01:14:57,868
After this film, Kramer directed
The Secret of Santa Vittoria,
1372
01:14:57,951 --> 01:14:59,912
also written by William Rose.
1373
01:14:59,995 --> 01:15:02,956
That was based
on a best-selling book at the time.
1374
01:15:03,040 --> 01:15:04,750
It was a pretty entertaining film.
1375
01:15:05,334 --> 01:15:08,754
Then came Revolutions Per Minute... R.P.M.
1376
01:15:08,837 --> 01:15:12,091
And Kramer says that's
the worst film he ever made.
1377
01:15:13,467 --> 01:15:15,886
Bless the Beasts & Children.
1378
01:15:15,969 --> 01:15:17,805
That has a pretty good following.
1379
01:15:17,888 --> 01:15:21,642
Oklahoma Crude,
George C. Scott and Faye Dunaway.
1380
01:15:21,725 --> 01:15:23,060
They're pretty good in that.
1381
01:15:23,143 --> 01:15:26,897
The Domino Principle is all about
everything being a conspiracy
1382
01:15:26,980 --> 01:15:29,400
and there's no answers to anything
1383
01:15:29,483 --> 01:15:30,984
and it just doesn't go anywhere.
1384
01:15:31,068 --> 01:15:32,069
It's just...
1385
01:15:33,153 --> 01:15:34,655
It's sort of empty.
1386
01:15:35,197 --> 01:15:37,116
And The Runner Stumbles.
1387
01:15:37,199 --> 01:15:39,326
Kramer hired Dick Van Dyke
1388
01:15:39,410 --> 01:15:42,287
to play a priest
accused of murdering a nun.
1389
01:15:42,371 --> 01:15:45,624
That's another example of offbeat casting.
1390
01:15:45,708 --> 01:15:48,377
But he said to Dick Van Dyke,
1391
01:15:48,460 --> 01:15:52,005
"I don't wanna see any bit of
Dick Van Dyke in your performance."
1392
01:15:52,631 --> 01:15:55,592
And Van Dyke was thinking,
"Well, what did he hire me for?"
1393
01:15:55,676 --> 01:16:00,347
And in early sections of that film,
Dick Van Dyke is just stiff.
1394
01:16:00,431 --> 01:16:02,558
He just doesn't know what to do.
1395
01:16:02,641 --> 01:16:05,060
It was done on a relatively low budget
1396
01:16:05,144 --> 01:16:08,605
and it plays like
a pretty good Hallmark special.
1397
01:16:08,689 --> 01:16:09,773
Lee, this is for you.
1398
01:16:09,857 --> 01:16:14,862
I met Karen, Stanley Kramer's widow,
last year at an event in LA.
1399
01:16:14,945 --> 01:16:17,489
She was an actress in the '60s...
1400
01:16:17,573 --> 01:16:20,159
-Very successful.
-Very successful.
1401
01:16:20,242 --> 01:16:21,785
She was in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
1402
01:16:21,869 --> 01:16:24,246
in an episode called
"The Hong Kong Shilling Affair."
1403
01:16:24,329 --> 01:16:28,292
Yeah, I remember that. Yes.
That was season 1, as I recall.
1404
01:16:28,375 --> 01:16:31,545
And don't forget, don't forget
The Disorderly Orderly with Jerry Lewis.
1405
01:16:31,628 --> 01:16:32,629
I didn't realise that.
1406
01:16:32,713 --> 01:16:34,631
She was very funny in her own right
in that movie.
1407
01:16:34,715 --> 01:16:37,718
Here we have
the big confrontational meeting here,
1408
01:16:37,801 --> 01:16:40,971
or what they anticipate might be
a confrontational meeting.
1409
01:16:41,054 --> 01:16:44,767
And can we mention that one
of Stanley's daughters, Katharine Kramer,
1410
01:16:44,850 --> 01:16:47,770
is named after Katharine Hepburn. Yeah.
1411
01:16:47,853 --> 01:16:51,148
-...view, Mrs Drayton.
-Thank you. Please sit down.
1412
01:16:51,231 --> 01:16:53,233
Sit down, Mr Prentice.
1413
01:16:58,489 --> 01:17:02,743
-Did you have a pleasant flight?
-Very pleasant, thank you.
1414
01:17:02,826 --> 01:17:06,330
The view of the sunset was breathtaking.
1415
01:17:06,413 --> 01:17:09,249
Only took 40 minutes. 400 miles.
1416
01:17:09,958 --> 01:17:12,002
It's incredible, isn't it?
1417
01:17:15,297 --> 01:17:20,052
My husband will be down directly,
I think. He's upstairs changing.
1418
01:17:20,135 --> 01:17:24,139
And we have a friend of ours
who's coming to dinner, Monsignor Ryan.
1419
01:17:25,015 --> 01:17:26,642
I'm sure they'll be down in a minute.
1420
01:17:26,725 --> 01:17:29,603
-Mrs Prentice. Mom.
-Thank you.
1421
01:17:29,686 --> 01:17:31,897
The big critics carried a lot of weight.
1422
01:17:31,980 --> 01:17:33,106
People listened to them.
1423
01:17:33,190 --> 01:17:35,734
They were highly influential,
for better or worse.
1424
01:17:35,818 --> 01:17:38,153
And this film,
the reason we're pointing this out
1425
01:17:38,237 --> 01:17:41,240
is that this film was by...
It was not, you know,
1426
01:17:41,323 --> 01:17:44,493
universally acclaimed
as a great movie at the time,
1427
01:17:44,576 --> 01:17:48,747
although I'd have to think
the vast majority of critics did like it.
1428
01:17:48,831 --> 01:17:50,707
Certainly, the Academy did.
1429
01:17:51,542 --> 01:17:53,335
I've got to talk to your father.
1430
01:17:53,418 --> 01:17:57,130
It was a popular success,
which is the most important thing of all,
1431
01:17:57,214 --> 01:18:02,511
and it did initiate the kind of
conversation, socially, over dinner tables
1432
01:18:02,594 --> 01:18:04,596
in Black and white households.
1433
01:18:04,680 --> 01:18:07,182
Although, I've always maintained
1434
01:18:07,266 --> 01:18:09,852
it's a movie made by white people
1435
01:18:09,935 --> 01:18:12,855
about Black people, for white people.
1436
01:18:12,938 --> 01:18:18,068
But it obviously opened up
a very important social conversation,
1437
01:18:18,151 --> 01:18:21,822
and all of these things were
building blocks to where we are today.
1438
01:18:21,905 --> 01:18:24,533
Each one chipped away at racial prejudice
1439
01:18:24,616 --> 01:18:27,286
and humanised both races to each other.
1440
01:18:27,369 --> 01:18:30,664
So it did have, I would say,
a very profound social impact,
1441
01:18:30,747 --> 01:18:33,542
and you must respect it for that reason,
in my opinion.
1442
01:18:33,625 --> 01:18:37,379
We've talked about
the racial divide in America at the time,
1443
01:18:37,462 --> 01:18:40,173
but we didn't talk about
the generational divide.
1444
01:18:40,257 --> 01:18:44,136
America was also divided at the time
because of the Vietnam War
1445
01:18:44,219 --> 01:18:46,972
and because of other social issues
generationally.
1446
01:18:47,055 --> 01:18:48,473
You bring up a good point, Eddy,
1447
01:18:48,557 --> 01:18:50,893
and this is something that bothers me
a bit about this film
1448
01:18:50,976 --> 01:18:54,563
is that there's absolutely no discussion
1449
01:18:54,646 --> 01:18:58,025
of the 800-pound gorillas
that are sitting around these people,
1450
01:18:58,108 --> 01:19:02,279
which is the subject of racial strife
that's going on.
1451
01:19:02,362 --> 01:19:06,033
Riots, Watts, all these things
that are... that are taking place...
1452
01:19:06,116 --> 01:19:07,826
That's because they don't care.
1453
01:19:07,910 --> 01:19:09,786
They care about their son
and their daughter.
1454
01:19:09,870 --> 01:19:12,039
-It's sanitised, though...
-That's why this movie endures.
1455
01:19:12,122 --> 01:19:14,499
-It's very sanitised.
-...in the way that The Graduate is.
1456
01:19:14,583 --> 01:19:19,546
The Graduate is also a very strange film,
as impressive as it is.
1457
01:19:19,630 --> 01:19:23,926
It never addresses that 800-pound gorilla,
which is the Vietnam War.
1458
01:19:24,009 --> 01:19:29,598
If you were coming out of college in 1967,
Vietnam was all you thought about.
1459
01:19:29,681 --> 01:19:34,311
Okay, the draft, Vietnam...
and it's never mentioned in The Graduate.
1460
01:19:34,394 --> 01:19:36,647
Now, they are two very good movies
in their own way,
1461
01:19:36,730 --> 01:19:40,400
but they're almost pretentious
1462
01:19:40,484 --> 01:19:42,945
in their avoidance
of these great social issues.
1463
01:19:43,820 --> 01:19:47,407
True, but this film was
1464
01:19:47,491 --> 01:19:49,743
completely rejected by college students.
1465
01:19:49,826 --> 01:19:53,997
Kramer wound up doing
a nine-campus tour in early 1968,
1466
01:19:54,081 --> 01:19:57,209
and they scolded the director
about the movie.
1467
01:19:57,292 --> 01:20:00,170
The audience for this film,
demographically,
1468
01:20:00,253 --> 01:20:02,255
-was middle-aged and older people.
-Right.
1469
01:20:02,339 --> 01:20:04,466
But I think the reason is important,
1470
01:20:04,549 --> 01:20:07,594
because college students were upset
that the film was made in the first place
1471
01:20:07,678 --> 01:20:11,014
because young adults already accepted
interracial love affairs.
1472
01:20:11,098 --> 01:20:14,309
They objected that Poitier and Houghton
never have sex.
1473
01:20:14,393 --> 01:20:16,979
They roasted the flawless Black hero.
1474
01:20:18,397 --> 01:20:19,439
But Kramer defended it.
1475
01:20:19,523 --> 01:20:21,984
He insisted
the reviewers who didn't like it
1476
01:20:22,067 --> 01:20:24,152
and students were missing the point
1477
01:20:24,236 --> 01:20:26,947
that Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
was a deliberate fantasy.
1478
01:20:27,030 --> 01:20:29,074
And this quote I love of Kramer's,
1479
01:20:29,157 --> 01:20:31,201
"The film is an adventure
into the ludicrous.
1480
01:20:31,284 --> 01:20:32,536
The characters so perfect
1481
01:20:32,619 --> 01:20:34,830
that the only conceivable objection
to the marriage..."
1482
01:20:34,913 --> 01:20:35,914
Right.
1483
01:20:35,998 --> 01:20:37,833
"...could be ludicrously enough,"
to your point, Lee...
1484
01:20:37,916 --> 01:20:39,793
"The pigmentation of a man's skin.
1485
01:20:39,876 --> 01:20:42,754
That was the point of the film,
and it worked."
1486
01:20:43,922 --> 01:20:48,010
Joey's still very young, Mrs Prentice,
but she's not a child...
1487
01:20:49,928 --> 01:20:53,682
and they're deeply in love
with each other.
1488
01:20:58,395 --> 01:21:00,522
Mrs Drayton, are you about to tell me
1489
01:21:01,273 --> 01:21:03,066
that you'd be willing
to approve the marriage
1490
01:21:03,150 --> 01:21:05,694
but that your husband won't? Is that it?
1491
01:21:07,237 --> 01:21:11,074
And again, I'm getting back to
Poitier's dilemma in this,
1492
01:21:11,158 --> 01:21:15,370
in that he's basically faced
the same dilemma
1493
01:21:15,454 --> 01:21:17,414
that Jackie Robinson faced
1494
01:21:17,497 --> 01:21:20,751
being the first Black
integrated baseball player.
1495
01:21:20,834 --> 01:21:24,087
He had to be perfect.
Perfect at all times.
1496
01:21:24,171 --> 01:21:27,049
Perfect in a way that white actors
didn't have to be perfect
1497
01:21:27,132 --> 01:21:29,301
in their personal lives.
1498
01:21:29,384 --> 01:21:31,762
You know,
if you read Mitchum smoked some pot
1499
01:21:31,845 --> 01:21:35,098
or Newman got drunk
or Duke Wayne punched somebody out,
1500
01:21:35,182 --> 01:21:36,975
that just goes with the flow.
1501
01:21:37,059 --> 01:21:39,019
Don't disrespect the Duke.
1502
01:21:39,102 --> 01:21:43,273
But what I'm saying is that Poitier
had to always be Mr Perfect,
1503
01:21:43,356 --> 01:21:46,526
not only on screen,
but in his personal life.
1504
01:21:47,652 --> 01:21:48,945
When Barack Obama...
1505
01:21:49,029 --> 01:21:51,823
I'm not getting into politics
or whether you like his policies or not,
1506
01:21:51,907 --> 01:21:54,701
but everyone would agree,
in his social life,
1507
01:21:54,785 --> 01:21:58,288
it had to be absolutely perfect,
the good family man,
1508
01:21:58,371 --> 01:22:00,040
because politics is so dirty.
1509
01:22:00,123 --> 01:22:01,958
But then we go back
1510
01:22:02,042 --> 01:22:06,463
to possibly, in film-making, compromise.
1511
01:22:06,546 --> 01:22:09,257
If they didn't compromise in the casting...
1512
01:22:09,341 --> 01:22:10,842
Films wouldn't have been made.
1513
01:22:10,926 --> 01:22:12,344
...in the writing,
1514
01:22:12,427 --> 01:22:15,388
the film would probably
not have been made.
1515
01:22:15,472 --> 01:22:17,516
-So there you go.
-And Poitier said...
1516
01:22:17,599 --> 01:22:21,144
He defended himself,
especially after the Clifford Mason piece
1517
01:22:21,228 --> 01:22:22,938
against him in The New York Times.
1518
01:22:23,021 --> 01:22:25,649
He said, "I would never...
1519
01:22:25,732 --> 01:22:28,151
My race has been denigrated enough
1520
01:22:28,235 --> 01:22:29,945
that I promised myself
1521
01:22:30,028 --> 01:22:35,408
I would never play
an outright bad guy on screen."
1522
01:22:35,492 --> 01:22:37,119
At least in his early years.
1523
01:22:37,202 --> 01:22:40,080
"And I will never do anything
that degrades my race,
1524
01:22:40,163 --> 01:22:41,957
because society's done that enough."
1525
01:22:42,040 --> 01:22:43,792
Also, this was the '60s.
1526
01:22:43,875 --> 01:22:48,296
This was the decade
before the anti-hero became acceptable
1527
01:22:48,380 --> 01:22:49,381
and an art form.
1528
01:22:49,464 --> 01:22:52,634
And going back to John Wayne, John Wayne
was very protective of his image.
1529
01:22:52,717 --> 01:22:55,262
One of my favourite films
that I teach in one of my classes
1530
01:22:55,345 --> 01:22:57,180
is The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
1531
01:22:57,264 --> 01:22:59,683
In the script, he was supposed to...
1532
01:22:59,766 --> 01:23:01,434
John Wayne's character
was supposed to shoot
1533
01:23:01,518 --> 01:23:03,520
the Liberty Valance character in the back.
1534
01:23:03,603 --> 01:23:06,565
And he vetoed that. He said, "John Wayne
doesn't shoot anybody in the back."
1535
01:23:06,648 --> 01:23:08,024
It was interesting.
1536
01:23:08,108 --> 01:23:10,694
There was a couple of roles
that he was curious about
1537
01:23:10,777 --> 01:23:12,028
and would love to have done.
1538
01:23:12,112 --> 01:23:15,031
He was open about it, but says,
"I just can't... I just can't do it."
1539
01:23:15,115 --> 01:23:16,992
The same thing is true with Poitier.
1540
01:23:17,075 --> 01:23:18,660
Poitier was saying,
1541
01:23:18,743 --> 01:23:21,872
"Look, I was trying to build up the image
1542
01:23:21,955 --> 01:23:24,166
of the Black person on-screen,
1543
01:23:24,249 --> 01:23:26,001
so I tended not to play..."
1544
01:23:26,084 --> 01:23:30,839
I can only think of one villain
that he played in this period,
1545
01:23:30,922 --> 01:23:33,967
and that was in a movie
called The Long Ships.
1546
01:23:34,050 --> 01:23:35,468
It's not a very good movie.
1547
01:23:35,552 --> 01:23:38,180
He's good in it,
where he played an outright villain.
1548
01:23:38,263 --> 01:23:43,560
Curiously, the Clifford Mason piece
in The New York Times
1549
01:23:43,643 --> 01:23:46,855
says that's the only movie
that he liked Poitier in.
1550
01:23:46,938 --> 01:23:51,401
But he was definitely like Wayne
and like these other people.
1551
01:23:51,484 --> 01:23:54,321
He did not want to go against
what his popular image was.
1552
01:23:54,404 --> 01:23:56,656
He had a mandate,
and he had a franchise to protect...
1553
01:23:56,740 --> 01:23:57,741
It was a mandate.
1554
01:23:57,824 --> 01:23:59,367
...and a responsibility.
1555
01:23:59,451 --> 01:24:02,537
A responsibility... that's the word...
that most actors didn't have.
1556
01:24:02,621 --> 01:24:05,498
I mean, if Paul Newman or Wayne
played somebody
1557
01:24:05,582 --> 01:24:08,501
that went totally against
their traditional roles,
1558
01:24:08,585 --> 01:24:10,879
the most that would do
is hurt at the box office.
1559
01:24:10,962 --> 01:24:12,964
-They didn't have to answer to anybody.
-Right.
1560
01:24:13,048 --> 01:24:16,801
But this guy had to answer to it
on a social level too.
1561
01:24:16,885 --> 01:24:19,930
And to the theme of this movie,
1562
01:24:20,013 --> 01:24:22,724
he wasn't a Black movie star,
he was a movie star.
1563
01:24:22,807 --> 01:24:25,602
He was a movie star,
because growing up as a kid,
1564
01:24:25,685 --> 01:24:27,979
I didn't look at him as a Black guy, okay?
1565
01:24:28,063 --> 01:24:29,898
And that was his great breakthrough.
1566
01:24:29,981 --> 01:24:32,108
Guys like me... young, white kids...
1567
01:24:32,192 --> 01:24:35,946
We didn't say, "Hey, let's go see
the movie starring that cool Black guy."
1568
01:24:36,029 --> 01:24:39,532
Same thing with Cosby on I Spy,
which was roughly the same time.
1569
01:24:39,616 --> 01:24:44,412
The genius of his breakthrough was
that after the first couple of episodes,
1570
01:24:44,496 --> 01:24:46,456
you didn't even think of him as Black.
1571
01:24:46,539 --> 01:24:47,540
He was just there.
1572
01:24:47,624 --> 01:24:51,253
It was deliberate in terms of how Cosby
played the character Alexander Scott.
1573
01:24:51,336 --> 01:24:53,129
He didn't play it as a Black man.
1574
01:24:53,213 --> 01:24:55,340
He played it as a man
who happened to be Black.
1575
01:24:55,423 --> 01:24:58,134
That's right.
And great, great progress came...
1576
01:24:58,218 --> 01:25:00,428
You just brought up a direct line
that I believe
1577
01:25:00,512 --> 01:25:03,473
-Sidney Poitier says to his father.
-Yeah, later on.
1578
01:25:03,556 --> 01:25:06,601
And the script
was knocked for that as well.
1579
01:25:06,685 --> 01:25:08,103
...with your father for almost...
1580
01:25:08,186 --> 01:25:09,271
Yeah, that's a...
1581
01:25:09,354 --> 01:25:14,442
This is interesting because
this is also another swatch
1582
01:25:14,526 --> 01:25:17,279
that is in this movie, the feminine power.
1583
01:25:17,362 --> 01:25:19,531
That the feminine...
1584
01:25:19,614 --> 01:25:21,283
That the women are wiser than the men.
1585
01:25:21,366 --> 01:25:23,743
-They're more progressive than the men.
-That's a good point.
1586
01:25:23,827 --> 01:25:26,538
They are much wiser
than the men in this film.
1587
01:25:26,621 --> 01:25:30,750
And it's the women's wisdom
that sways the men...
1588
01:25:30,834 --> 01:25:32,585
That's a good point, very good point.
1589
01:25:32,669 --> 01:25:35,463
...which is interesting.
1590
01:25:35,547 --> 01:25:38,466
That his strength comes from his mother.
1591
01:25:38,550 --> 01:25:41,428
The men spend a lot of time bickering,
1592
01:25:41,511 --> 01:25:43,972
whereas the women are much more logical.
1593
01:25:44,055 --> 01:25:46,099
That also goes back to screwball comedies
1594
01:25:46,182 --> 01:25:48,226
where the women were smarter than the men
1595
01:25:48,310 --> 01:25:49,978
and they were the first equals.
1596
01:25:50,061 --> 01:25:53,106
That was the era where on film,
1597
01:25:53,189 --> 01:25:55,692
women became equal to men.
1598
01:25:55,775 --> 01:25:59,654
By the way, I was thinking of John Ford,
who had directed Liberty Valance.
1599
01:25:59,738 --> 01:26:04,284
John Ford was Katharine Hepburn's lover
before Spencer Tracy.
1600
01:26:04,367 --> 01:26:05,702
And according to Ford...
1601
01:26:05,785 --> 01:26:07,704
That must have made
for some combustible evenings.
1602
01:26:07,787 --> 01:26:09,372
...she was the only woman he ever loved.
1603
01:26:09,456 --> 01:26:11,750
Can we say that some years later
that William Rose
1604
01:26:11,833 --> 01:26:13,918
was Katharine Hepburn's lover?
1605
01:26:14,002 --> 01:26:15,170
-Wow.
-Yeah.
1606
01:26:16,338 --> 01:26:18,965
She was a busy lady on-screen and off.
1607
01:26:19,049 --> 01:26:20,091
I mean, this is after...
1608
01:26:20,175 --> 01:26:22,510
-Good story about Kate Hepburn.
-This is post-Spencer, right?
1609
01:26:22,594 --> 01:26:23,887
Good story about Kate Hepburn.
1610
01:26:23,970 --> 01:26:26,473
Tony Harvey,
who directed The Lion in Winter,
1611
01:26:26,556 --> 01:26:29,768
said that he had visited her
very late in her life.
1612
01:26:29,851 --> 01:26:31,102
He remained friendly with her.
1613
01:26:31,186 --> 01:26:34,189
When everyone else from show business
she had dropped,
1614
01:26:34,272 --> 01:26:37,150
he would visit her at her estate
in Connecticut.
1615
01:26:37,233 --> 01:26:41,071
And he told me the story
that when they made The Lion in Winter,
1616
01:26:41,154 --> 01:26:42,280
which he directed,
1617
01:26:42,364 --> 01:26:44,407
she said,
"Look, I don't go to Oscar ceremonies.
1618
01:26:44,491 --> 01:26:47,285
If I win this thing,
just pick it up for me, will you, Tony?"
1619
01:26:47,369 --> 01:26:52,624
So he accepted it for her that night
and brought it over to her house in 1969,
1620
01:26:52,707 --> 01:26:55,710
and she was on a ladder,
painting her kitchen.
1621
01:26:55,794 --> 01:26:58,713
And he had it all wrapped up in newspaper.
1622
01:26:58,797 --> 01:27:01,591
She says, "What is that, Tony?"
He said, "Well, that's your Oscar."
1623
01:27:01,674 --> 01:27:03,676
She said,
"I don't want to get paint on it.
1624
01:27:03,760 --> 01:27:06,179
Stick it in that cupboard up there."
1625
01:27:06,262 --> 01:27:08,598
And about a year later,
he came back for a party
1626
01:27:08,681 --> 01:27:10,392
and went into the cupboard to get a glass,
1627
01:27:10,475 --> 01:27:12,477
and it was still in there
wrapped in the newspaper.
1628
01:27:12,560 --> 01:27:15,855
-That's funny.
-That's as unpretentious as you can get.
1629
01:27:15,939 --> 01:27:19,025
It also doesn't surprise me
because actors like that
1630
01:27:19,109 --> 01:27:20,693
were more about the art,
1631
01:27:20,777 --> 01:27:22,904
and the awards were secondary.
1632
01:27:22,987 --> 01:27:26,574
That's interesting.
All right, we have more to talk about.
1633
01:27:26,658 --> 01:27:29,327
I have at least six hours more
worth of material.
1634
01:27:29,411 --> 01:27:31,037
We're running out of film here.
1635
01:27:31,121 --> 01:27:35,250
The longest day is coming to an end here
in terms of these characters.
1636
01:27:35,333 --> 01:27:37,419
They've packed a lot into it.
1637
01:27:38,002 --> 01:27:41,506
Roger Ebert, he loved and hated this film.
1638
01:27:42,257 --> 01:27:44,968
He talked about a beautiful film,
1639
01:27:45,051 --> 01:27:50,014
and he said that Kramer uses every trick
1640
01:27:50,098 --> 01:27:51,724
in the Hollywood bag.
1641
01:27:51,808 --> 01:27:54,602
Ebert was one of the people
that inspired me to do this.
1642
01:27:54,686 --> 01:27:57,814
When I said to him... I said,
"Roger, you're the reason I'm doing this,"
1643
01:27:57,897 --> 01:27:59,732
he said, "Don't you dare blame me."
1644
01:27:59,816 --> 01:28:00,859
That's a great story.
1645
01:28:00,942 --> 01:28:04,946
And he was part of that generation
with Pauline Kael
1646
01:28:05,029 --> 01:28:06,448
and Judith Crist.
1647
01:28:06,531 --> 01:28:07,532
Rex Reed.
1648
01:28:07,615 --> 01:28:09,951
Can I say... We said this
before we started the recording,
1649
01:28:10,034 --> 01:28:12,120
and I talked to Eddy about this,
1650
01:28:12,203 --> 01:28:15,748
that writing about films is one thing.
1651
01:28:15,832 --> 01:28:17,333
I don't think it's a big deal.
1652
01:28:17,417 --> 01:28:20,628
I think the way
Roger Ebert lived his life,
1653
01:28:20,712 --> 01:28:22,213
the way he passed away,
1654
01:28:22,297 --> 01:28:26,509
his bravery, his good nature,
1655
01:28:26,593 --> 01:28:28,344
I think that
was his greatest contribution...
1656
01:28:28,428 --> 01:28:30,054
He certainly did a lot to popularise film.
1657
01:28:30,138 --> 01:28:31,764
...more than anything else.
1658
01:28:31,848 --> 01:28:33,516
I completely agree.
1659
01:28:33,600 --> 01:28:36,311
By the way, this is one...
This is my favourite scene in the film...
1660
01:28:36,394 --> 01:28:37,395
Mine too.
1661
01:28:37,479 --> 01:28:40,190
...and one of my favourite scenes
in all film,
1662
01:28:40,273 --> 01:28:41,774
because this is so pure.
1663
01:28:41,858 --> 01:28:43,067
This guy...
1664
01:28:43,151 --> 01:28:46,613
Do you notice that both the scenes
that have the most power
1665
01:28:46,696 --> 01:28:48,615
are between the two Black people?
1666
01:28:48,698 --> 01:28:50,742
Somebody else mentioned that.
1667
01:28:50,825 --> 01:28:53,828
This doesn't have...
This rings true on an emotional level.
1668
01:28:53,912 --> 01:28:55,663
-There's an angle as well.
-Father and son.
1669
01:28:55,747 --> 01:28:56,748
This is universal.
1670
01:28:56,831 --> 01:29:00,752
This is, "I busted my ass
to get you where you are."
1671
01:29:00,835 --> 01:29:04,589
And this gentleman, Roy Glenn, he should
have been nominated also, I think.
1672
01:29:04,672 --> 01:29:07,133
-He gives a very good performance.
-He commands.
1673
01:29:07,217 --> 01:29:08,968
-Very good performance.
-He really does.
1674
01:29:10,261 --> 01:29:13,139
And Poitier says something shocking
in this scene,
1675
01:29:13,223 --> 01:29:15,767
like, "I don't owe you anything, okay?"
1676
01:29:15,850 --> 01:29:18,686
And it's shocking when you hear it.
How can you speak to your father...
1677
01:29:18,770 --> 01:29:21,272
-He wraps it up by saying, "I love you."
-He rationalises it.
1678
01:29:21,356 --> 01:29:25,109
What I realised is, there was a line
that the father could have said,
1679
01:29:25,193 --> 01:29:29,280
that couldn't be said here,
as I thought it through,
1680
01:29:29,364 --> 01:29:30,990
because the father said,
1681
01:29:31,074 --> 01:29:33,576
"Look, you don't have a son
who's a doctor."
1682
01:29:33,660 --> 01:29:38,039
And he couldn't have said that because
Poitier's character lost a child.
1683
01:29:38,122 --> 01:29:40,041
But that's the coda here.
1684
01:29:40,124 --> 01:29:42,544
"I was a postman. You're a doctor.
1685
01:29:42,627 --> 01:29:43,962
That's mine."
1686
01:29:44,045 --> 01:29:47,549
But it's such an honest moment
between father and son.
1687
01:29:47,632 --> 01:29:49,801
It's really... It's acting at its best.
1688
01:29:49,884 --> 01:29:54,305
Beah Richards confessed
to her friend Ossie Davis
1689
01:29:54,389 --> 01:29:57,308
that she felt much
she had to say in the scene
1690
01:29:57,392 --> 01:29:59,727
was sort of a lie,
1691
01:29:59,811 --> 01:30:02,939
but she did realise
that this was an opportunity
1692
01:30:03,022 --> 01:30:06,985
to make some sort of statement
in a major motion picture.
1693
01:30:07,068 --> 01:30:11,864
So, to quote Ossie Davis,
"She made it with authority."
1694
01:30:14,742 --> 01:30:18,246
If you ever felt what my son...
1695
01:30:20,164 --> 01:30:23,751
Director Norman Jewison
was a fan of Stanley's.
1696
01:30:23,835 --> 01:30:27,922
But he said that Kramer
was a better producer than director.
1697
01:30:28,006 --> 01:30:29,757
...that was a long time ago.
1698
01:30:29,841 --> 01:30:35,179
But with his films totalling
23 Oscar-nominated performances,
1699
01:30:36,055 --> 01:30:38,057
maybe we can argue with that.
1700
01:30:39,767 --> 01:30:41,894
Stanley Kramer put us in a courtroom
1701
01:30:41,978 --> 01:30:44,522
with Spencer Tracy and Fredric March.
1702
01:30:44,606 --> 01:30:49,485
He handled potentially difficult actors
like George C. Scott, Humphrey Bogart,
1703
01:30:49,569 --> 01:30:52,947
Marlon Brando,
Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift.
1704
01:30:53,615 --> 01:30:55,867
He tackled the works of Arthur Miller,
1705
01:30:55,950 --> 01:30:58,244
the works of Dr Seuss.
1706
01:30:58,870 --> 01:31:02,832
He provided comedy fans
with possibly the definitive performances
1707
01:31:02,915 --> 01:31:05,710
of Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers
and Milton Berle.
1708
01:31:06,461 --> 01:31:10,089
He world-premiered
Judgment at Nuremberg in Berlin.
1709
01:31:10,757 --> 01:31:13,343
All this, and he blew up the world too.
1710
01:31:13,426 --> 01:31:16,846
You say you don't want to tell me
how to live my life?
1711
01:31:16,929 --> 01:31:18,556
So, what do you think you've been doing?
1712
01:31:18,640 --> 01:31:21,059
You tell me what rights I've got
or haven't got
1713
01:31:21,142 --> 01:31:23,811
and what I owe you
for what you've done for me.
1714
01:31:25,563 --> 01:31:27,565
Let me tell you something.
1715
01:31:27,649 --> 01:31:29,484
I owe you nothing.
1716
01:31:29,567 --> 01:31:31,319
This is what he's saying to his father.
1717
01:31:31,402 --> 01:31:33,821
If you can imagine saying this
to your father,
1718
01:31:33,905 --> 01:31:35,698
you can almost feel the man's heart.
1719
01:31:35,782 --> 01:31:37,784
He rationalises it now.
1720
01:31:39,077 --> 01:31:43,289
Poitier is...
He's just an absolute joy to watch.
1721
01:31:43,373 --> 01:31:45,958
And even when he was
in substandard movies, he's riveting.
1722
01:31:46,042 --> 01:31:48,961
That's why this would have worked
as a stage play because...
1723
01:31:49,045 --> 01:31:50,171
I thought that too.
1724
01:31:50,254 --> 01:31:52,965
...the dialogue, the moments,
the individual moments
1725
01:31:53,049 --> 01:31:54,384
are so powerful,
1726
01:31:55,718 --> 01:31:59,263
and he's representing a generation,
and it's also...
1727
01:31:59,347 --> 01:32:04,936
It could still work as a stage play,
as a period piece, okay?
1728
01:32:05,019 --> 01:32:08,981
You could do this off Broadway
with some tweaking, some rewriting,
1729
01:32:09,065 --> 01:32:10,608
cutting out some of the corny things
1730
01:32:10,692 --> 01:32:12,860
and maybe toughening up
certain aspects of it.
1731
01:32:12,944 --> 01:32:16,864
But it could still work
if it's viewed as a period piece
1732
01:32:16,948 --> 01:32:18,950
because the writing is so good.
1733
01:32:19,033 --> 01:32:20,702
But where would you get...
1734
01:32:20,785 --> 01:32:23,579
-Who would want to step into these roles?
-That was gonna be my question.
1735
01:32:23,663 --> 01:32:25,456
Where are you gonna get people
of this quality?
1736
01:32:25,540 --> 01:32:28,000
It's not like taking over
to be the next Tarzan or Batman.
1737
01:32:28,084 --> 01:32:30,169
Who would ever step into these roles,
1738
01:32:30,253 --> 01:32:33,881
with the shadows of these icons
hanging over this production?
1739
01:32:33,965 --> 01:32:35,341
Don't be disrespecting Batman.
1740
01:32:39,887 --> 01:32:43,474
And here come the lines
that comforted some
1741
01:32:43,558 --> 01:32:45,560
and angered others.
1742
01:32:46,894 --> 01:32:48,020
Dad.
1743
01:32:50,898 --> 01:32:52,358
You're my father.
1744
01:32:53,901 --> 01:32:56,279
I'm your son. I love you.
1745
01:32:57,321 --> 01:33:00,491
I always have and I always will.
1746
01:33:02,493 --> 01:33:05,663
But you think of yourself
as a coloured man.
1747
01:33:07,039 --> 01:33:10,084
I think of myself as a man.
1748
01:33:12,086 --> 01:33:17,383
Okay. I'm not qualified to judge
if that's a misplaced thought.
1749
01:33:17,467 --> 01:33:19,177
I'm not a person of colour.
1750
01:33:19,260 --> 01:33:22,764
But some involved in the civil rights
movement took offence to it.
1751
01:33:23,598 --> 01:33:27,185
Did it imply that one's Black heritage
was not important?
1752
01:33:29,687 --> 01:33:33,900
...would you go out there
and see after my mother?
1753
01:33:49,165 --> 01:33:51,292
I'm also really happy
about what this scene is.
1754
01:33:51,375 --> 01:33:53,753
There's no reconciliation right now.
There's no hug.
1755
01:34:03,304 --> 01:34:05,807
This is a really, really nice cue.
1756
01:34:06,349 --> 01:34:09,352
And Frank De Vol's score,
I think we mentioned,
1757
01:34:09,435 --> 01:34:11,813
was nominated for an Academy Award.
1758
01:34:11,896 --> 01:34:14,315
I think Ernest Gold would have done
a wonderful job as well,
1759
01:34:14,398 --> 01:34:16,859
but Frank De Vol was excellent.
1760
01:34:16,943 --> 01:34:21,280
He lost out to Alfred Newman
and Ken Darby for Camelot.
1761
01:34:23,282 --> 01:34:25,660
Because there were some original songs
in Camelot, that's why.
1762
01:34:25,743 --> 01:34:26,744
I guess so.
1763
01:34:26,828 --> 01:34:29,789
And it was a much more realistic movie.
80 you suffer for being unrealistic.
1764
01:34:29,872 --> 01:34:33,459
Going back to Frank De Vol for a second,
because we're fans of The Dirty Dozen.
1765
01:34:33,543 --> 01:34:35,670
And Frank De Vol did the score
for The Dirty Dozen.
1766
01:34:35,753 --> 01:34:39,173
He also did, I believe, the score
for the sitcom Family Affair.
1767
01:34:39,257 --> 01:34:40,258
Yes. Absolutely.
1768
01:34:40,341 --> 01:34:43,052
-It was a great score.
-He did every television show in the '60s.
1769
01:34:43,135 --> 01:34:45,513
People know him as an actor for either
1770
01:34:45,596 --> 01:34:48,641
as, I think, it's Fernwood Tonight,
1771
01:34:48,724 --> 01:34:50,893
but as a baby boomer,
1772
01:34:50,977 --> 01:34:54,188
I prefer to remember him as an actor
as Myron Bannister
1773
01:34:54,272 --> 01:34:55,731
in I'm Dickens, He's Fenster.
1774
01:34:55,815 --> 01:34:57,692
I don't know if anybody out there
remembers that.
1775
01:34:57,775 --> 01:34:59,235
-That was a great pull.
-That was one of...
1776
01:34:59,318 --> 01:35:00,361
-John Astin.
-Bravo.
1777
01:35:00,444 --> 01:35:03,781
Stan Laurel wrote Leonard Stern
a letter saying,
1778
01:35:03,865 --> 01:35:07,118
"That's one of the funniest shows on TV,"
'cause he loved the slapstick.
1779
01:35:07,201 --> 01:35:11,497
But this music right here
is just the thinking music.
1780
01:35:11,581 --> 01:35:14,125
Look, if I had that house
and I had that view,
1781
01:35:14,208 --> 01:35:16,836
I could come
to any significant decision possible.
1782
01:35:19,130 --> 01:35:22,174
How many actors get that great last movie?
1783
01:35:22,258 --> 01:35:25,845
We talked about John Wayne.
He had it with The Shootist.
1784
01:35:25,928 --> 01:35:28,764
Clark Gable had a very good film
with The Misfits.
1785
01:35:28,848 --> 01:35:30,933
-Marilyn Monroe, The Misfits.
-How many are lucky?
1786
01:35:31,017 --> 01:35:35,396
Yeah, I mean, how many of these guys
go out on a film
1787
01:35:35,479 --> 01:35:37,106
worthy to be their final movie?
1788
01:35:37,189 --> 01:35:38,190
It's tricky.
1789
01:35:38,274 --> 01:35:40,902
You know, Jack Lemmon waited
a year or two years between roles
1790
01:35:40,985 --> 01:35:43,404
because he had to pick a role
that suited him.
1791
01:35:43,487 --> 01:35:47,658
The stuff just wasn't always available.
The great scripts were not just waiting.
1792
01:35:47,742 --> 01:35:49,285
Very few get it.
1793
01:35:49,368 --> 01:35:52,371
That joke about someone, he does
the impression of Robert De Niro's agent.
1794
01:35:52,455 --> 01:35:54,373
-"I'll take it."
-Yeah.
1795
01:35:54,457 --> 01:35:58,002
Well, another one that had that
was Peter Finch with Network.
1796
01:35:58,085 --> 01:36:01,005
You know, a great last role.
1797
01:36:01,088 --> 01:36:02,214
Right.
1798
01:36:03,299 --> 01:36:06,552
Or Michael Caine always defended
the lesser roles he took.
1799
01:36:06,636 --> 01:36:08,638
He said, "I was scared
I'd never get work again."
1800
01:36:08,721 --> 01:36:12,767
He said, you know, "I did The Swarm.
And I did Jaws: The Revenge.
1801
01:36:12,850 --> 01:36:16,145
And I had a house built,
and those movies aren't too good,
1802
01:36:16,228 --> 01:36:18,981
but my house is wonderful,
I just want to tell you."
1803
01:36:20,650 --> 01:36:24,695
-Mary, you've got to understand...
-Please, John.
1804
01:36:24,779 --> 01:36:26,489
The monsignor is right.
1805
01:36:26,572 --> 01:36:28,282
I remember Guy Hamilton telling us
1806
01:36:28,366 --> 01:36:30,576
the only reason he did
Force 10 from Navarone
1807
01:36:30,660 --> 01:36:32,745
was they bought him a house in Spain.
1808
01:36:32,828 --> 01:36:35,206
I said, "It must have looked better
on the printed page."
1809
01:36:35,289 --> 01:36:37,041
He said, "No, it didn't.
1810
01:36:37,124 --> 01:36:39,710
It looked bad there,
and I made a bad movie out of it.
1811
01:36:39,794 --> 01:36:41,796
But I love this house in Spain."
1812
01:36:41,879 --> 01:36:43,297
Right.
1813
01:36:43,381 --> 01:36:45,049
And there he is, the epiphany.
1814
01:36:46,258 --> 01:36:48,344
-The moment of clarity.
-Wonderful close-up.
1815
01:36:50,221 --> 01:36:52,139
I'll be a son of a bitch.
1816
01:36:53,307 --> 01:36:57,687
That was big stuff, to say that on screen,
especially coming from Spencer Tracy.
1817
01:36:58,437 --> 01:37:00,106
Here comes his big speech.
1818
01:37:00,189 --> 01:37:02,108
Yeah, in a bit anyway. Yes.
1819
01:37:05,695 --> 01:37:07,989
It's funny. We wanna watch this,
and we're supposed to talk.
1820
01:37:08,072 --> 01:37:09,824
Yeah. Well, it's gonna be...
1821
01:37:09,907 --> 01:37:12,410
Not meaning to be disrespectful
with a commentary track
1822
01:37:12,493 --> 01:37:14,370
if we talk over this speech,
1823
01:37:14,453 --> 01:37:17,331
but that's what, I guess,
a commentary track is for.
1824
01:37:17,415 --> 01:37:20,668
But thanks to Twilight Time
for putting out this movie
1825
01:37:20,751 --> 01:37:24,005
for the first time
in its high-def version.
1826
01:37:25,297 --> 01:37:28,551
You didn't have the guts
to tell me face to face, did you?
1827
01:37:28,634 --> 01:37:31,470
Before you start telling me
how much guts I've got...
1828
01:37:31,554 --> 01:37:33,264
This is another great scene.
1829
01:37:33,347 --> 01:37:39,353
You know, where masters cannot hold back.
1830
01:37:40,312 --> 01:37:42,189
There was a show last year
called True Detective.
1831
01:37:42,273 --> 01:37:44,984
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson,
who are both leading men,
1832
01:37:45,067 --> 01:37:47,737
played co-stars,
and they were good friends.
1833
01:37:47,820 --> 01:37:51,866
And what I loved about that show is that
they just kept hammering at each other
1834
01:37:51,949 --> 01:37:53,117
creatively,
1835
01:37:53,200 --> 01:37:54,660
and that's what's happening here.
1836
01:37:54,744 --> 01:37:59,206
You know, I'm sure his stage direction
was, "Give it all you got."
1837
01:38:00,374 --> 01:38:03,252
You know that I have
no reservations about anything.
1838
01:38:04,086 --> 01:38:07,214
And that whatever makes you happy
is my happiness too.
1839
01:38:07,298 --> 01:38:09,008
Of course I know that.
1840
01:38:10,551 --> 01:38:12,344
Then listen to me, darling.
1841
01:38:13,846 --> 01:38:17,975
There's something I have to tell you
about this situation,
1842
01:38:18,726 --> 01:38:20,895
which you don't really...
1843
01:38:20,978 --> 01:38:22,980
Christina! What are you doing up there?
1844
01:38:23,064 --> 01:38:26,192
Joey! Come on down here, both of you!
1845
01:38:28,694 --> 01:38:32,531
How about your glasses? Can I get
you a drink, Mr and Mrs Prentice?
1846
01:38:32,615 --> 01:38:34,241
-No, thank you.
-John...
1847
01:38:34,325 --> 01:38:36,327
Spencer said,
"Everybody says I'm a good actor,
1848
01:38:36,410 --> 01:38:39,163
but only Stanley Kramer gives me work."
1849
01:38:39,246 --> 01:38:40,498
That was the thing.
1850
01:38:40,581 --> 01:38:43,709
And now originally,
when he finished Mad, Mad World,
1851
01:38:44,502 --> 01:38:47,379
Tracy said,
"This is a good, big one to go out with."
1852
01:38:47,463 --> 01:38:48,964
He didn't want to work anymore.
1853
01:38:49,048 --> 01:38:51,967
Then it's, like, what do you want to do?
You just wanna sit around?
1854
01:38:52,051 --> 01:38:54,428
Well, what's interesting is...
1855
01:38:54,512 --> 01:38:56,639
I'm trying to think of his contemporaries.
1856
01:38:56,722 --> 01:38:59,266
Henry Fonda did television.
James Stewart did television.
1857
01:38:59,350 --> 01:39:00,559
A lot of them did, yeah.
1858
01:39:00,643 --> 01:39:02,228
-He never did television.
-That's right.
1859
01:39:02,311 --> 01:39:04,313
He never did television
and he didn't do commercials.
1860
01:39:04,396 --> 01:39:07,858
And I can't recall an incident
where I saw him on a talk show
1861
01:39:07,942 --> 01:39:10,694
or a Dean Martin celebrity roast.
1862
01:39:10,778 --> 01:39:12,488
-Right.
-I never remember seeing him...
1863
01:39:12,571 --> 01:39:13,572
There's certain...
1864
01:39:13,656 --> 01:39:17,493
Because back then, stars like him
remained an air of mystery about them
1865
01:39:17,576 --> 01:39:20,579
because you didn't see them
every five minutes.
1866
01:39:21,789 --> 01:39:24,750
Right. And he also started his career
in the theatre.
1867
01:39:24,834 --> 01:39:26,877
Paul Newman started in live television.
1868
01:39:26,961 --> 01:39:29,588
Steve McQueen started in live television.
1869
01:39:29,672 --> 01:39:31,423
There was a whole generation...
1870
01:39:31,507 --> 01:39:35,052
You notice he's got his hand in his pocket
like Bad Day at Black Rock
1871
01:39:35,136 --> 01:39:37,847
or the opening in Mad World
when he has his hand in his pocket.
1872
01:39:37,930 --> 01:39:39,557
He was packing, just in case.
1873
01:39:40,182 --> 01:39:43,936
...who's been a member of this family
for 22 years.
1874
01:39:44,019 --> 01:39:46,355
And who today
has been making a great deal...
1875
01:39:46,438 --> 01:39:48,065
This is a great role for her.
1876
01:39:51,152 --> 01:39:54,238
For anyone interested
in real, in-depth information
1877
01:39:54,321 --> 01:39:56,240
about Guess Who's Coming to Dinner,
1878
01:39:56,323 --> 01:39:58,450
I recommend the following books:
1879
01:39:58,534 --> 01:40:01,704
Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris.
1880
01:40:01,787 --> 01:40:04,957
Spencer Tracy: A Biography
by James Curtis.
1881
01:40:05,708 --> 01:40:09,378
Stanley Kramer, Film Maker
by Donald Spoto.
1882
01:40:09,461 --> 01:40:12,840
And Stanley Kramer's autobiography
written with Thomas Coffey
1883
01:40:12,923 --> 01:40:15,342
titled, what else,
1884
01:40:15,426 --> 01:40:18,345
A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
1885
01:40:19,513 --> 01:40:24,018
...and that her intended was a young man
whom I'd never met
1886
01:40:24,101 --> 01:40:25,853
who happened to be a Negro.
1887
01:40:27,229 --> 01:40:31,358
Well, I think it's fair to say
that I responded to this news
1888
01:40:31,859 --> 01:40:34,945
in the same manner that any normal father
would respond to it,
1889
01:40:35,029 --> 01:40:38,115
unless of course his daughter
happened to be a Negro too.
1890
01:40:40,034 --> 01:40:44,622
In a word, I was flabbergasted,
and while I was still being flabbergasted,
1891
01:40:44,705 --> 01:40:49,543
I was informed by my daughter...
a very determined young woman,
1892
01:40:49,627 --> 01:40:51,462
much like her mother...
1893
01:40:51,545 --> 01:40:58,219
That the marriage was on no matter what
her mother and I might feel about it.
1894
01:41:00,221 --> 01:41:03,307
Then the next rather startling development
occurred:
1895
01:41:04,350 --> 01:41:07,603
when you walked in and said that
unless we... her mother and I...
1896
01:41:07,686 --> 01:41:10,898
Approved of the marriage,
there would be no marriage.
1897
01:41:11,398 --> 01:41:12,399
You didn't?
1898
01:41:12,483 --> 01:41:14,526
One of the groundbreaking
ones that preceded this
1899
01:41:14,610 --> 01:41:16,946
was called
The World, the Flesh and the Devil,
1900
01:41:17,029 --> 01:41:18,822
with Harry Belafonte.
1901
01:41:18,906 --> 01:41:20,991
I think it was made in 1959,
1902
01:41:21,075 --> 01:41:22,952
where it was a doomsday thriller
1903
01:41:23,035 --> 01:41:27,248
where the only two people left on Earth
is a white woman and a Black guy.
1904
01:41:27,331 --> 01:41:30,584
And they're getting along
like a house on fire,
1905
01:41:30,668 --> 01:41:33,087
and just as romance is about to blossom,
1906
01:41:33,170 --> 01:41:36,382
this third character,
played by Mel Ferrer,
1907
01:41:36,465 --> 01:41:37,633
comes out of the woodwork.
1908
01:41:37,716 --> 01:41:40,636
It's not nearly as well-known
as some of these other movies,
1909
01:41:40,719 --> 01:41:42,596
but it's a very intelligently done film.
1910
01:41:42,680 --> 01:41:46,684
It also has some of the great
empty-canyons-of-New-York shots.
1911
01:41:46,767 --> 01:41:48,310
It's tough to get those shots.
1912
01:41:48,394 --> 01:41:50,938
I've never seen anything like it,
other than LA in The Omega Man.
1913
01:41:51,021 --> 01:41:52,690
I don't know how they got those shots.
1914
01:41:52,773 --> 01:41:57,194
But it's another thing that really touched
on some of these interracial issues.
1915
01:41:57,278 --> 01:42:00,656
I just want to bring up here,
'cause we're talking about this scene.
1916
01:42:00,739 --> 01:42:03,826
We've said before,
we think an editor is performing his best
1917
01:42:03,909 --> 01:42:06,620
when you see microsecond cuts
of action sequences.
1918
01:42:06,704 --> 01:42:08,539
"Oh, what great editing."
1919
01:42:08,622 --> 01:42:12,251
But many times the craft is hidden,
1920
01:42:12,334 --> 01:42:15,546
and Stanley Kramer
let editor Robert C. Jones
1921
01:42:15,629 --> 01:42:18,674
work his magic in this final sequence.
1922
01:42:18,757 --> 01:42:21,593
I'm going to quote Robert Jones here
for a minute.
1923
01:42:21,677 --> 01:42:22,845
10:45.
1924
01:42:22,928 --> 01:42:28,892
"To keep Spencer Tracy appearing
dynamic and healthy in this scene
1925
01:42:28,976 --> 01:42:31,186
was the greatest challenge.
1926
01:42:31,270 --> 01:42:33,397
To keep him seeming vibrant
1927
01:42:33,480 --> 01:42:36,275
meant going through a lot of film
1928
01:42:36,358 --> 01:42:38,319
and cheating a lot of things,
1929
01:42:38,402 --> 01:42:41,905
carefully picking lines that were usable
1930
01:42:41,989 --> 01:42:44,616
and deleting those that weren't,
1931
01:42:44,700 --> 01:42:47,870
using a line of dialogue from take 3
1932
01:42:47,953 --> 01:42:50,539
over a picture from take 4.
1933
01:42:50,622 --> 01:42:54,084
Stanley Kramer gave me
a lot of room to do that
1934
01:42:54,168 --> 01:42:59,631
and permission to cut to Katharine Hepburn
or to the other actors
1935
01:42:59,715 --> 01:43:04,595
so we could just pick
Spencer Tracy's best delivery of a line
1936
01:43:04,678 --> 01:43:07,139
regardless of what the camera was doing.
1937
01:43:07,890 --> 01:43:10,642
We went through it for weeks and weeks,
1938
01:43:12,061 --> 01:43:14,480
and I think Tracy's health
1939
01:43:15,647 --> 01:43:18,984
actually added something
to the performance,
1940
01:43:19,735 --> 01:43:23,655
a kind of vulnerability
he hadn't had before."
1941
01:43:24,823 --> 01:43:25,824
Well, it's true.
1942
01:43:25,908 --> 01:43:29,536
And if you look at Katharine Hepburn's
eyes there, those are real tears.
1943
01:43:29,620 --> 01:43:33,290
They said she realises
he's talking about the power of love
1944
01:43:33,374 --> 01:43:35,084
and its effect on people.
1945
01:43:35,167 --> 01:43:39,296
And obviously, she's substituting herself
in their own relationship
1946
01:43:39,380 --> 01:43:40,381
as he's speaking,
1947
01:43:40,464 --> 01:43:43,008
knowing his days are very, very numbered.
1948
01:43:43,092 --> 01:43:46,136
There's another great line of dialogue
that I don't think is a coincidence.
1949
01:43:46,220 --> 01:43:47,888
He says, "What time is your plane?"
1950
01:43:47,971 --> 01:43:49,598
And the response is, "10:30."
1951
01:43:49,681 --> 01:43:52,726
And it reminds me of another couple,
romantic couple,
1952
01:43:52,810 --> 01:43:55,396
that needs to get on a plane,
which is the end of Casablanca.
1953
01:43:55,479 --> 01:43:56,480
Yep.
1954
01:43:56,563 --> 01:43:58,440
You're getting on that plane
with Victor Laszlo.
1955
01:43:59,066 --> 01:44:02,903
Because in the final analysis it
doesn't matter a damn what we think.
1956
01:44:03,737 --> 01:44:06,281
The only thing that matters
is what they feel
1957
01:44:07,116 --> 01:44:11,036
and how much they feel for each other.
1958
01:44:15,416 --> 01:44:19,253
And if it's half of what we felt...
1959
01:44:23,382 --> 01:44:24,633
that's everything.
1960
01:44:37,938 --> 01:44:41,567
If I could borrow a title
from a Spencer Tracy movie,
1961
01:44:42,401 --> 01:44:45,696
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
was, I suppose,
1962
01:44:45,779 --> 01:44:47,865
Stanley Kramer's Last Hurrah.
1963
01:44:48,657 --> 01:44:50,784
It was certainly his last big hit,
1964
01:44:50,868 --> 01:44:53,829
and the '60s were wonderful
for Stanley Kramer.
1965
01:44:53,912 --> 01:44:56,582
The '70s, not so much.
1966
01:44:56,665 --> 01:44:58,167
His best film to come,
1967
01:44:59,376 --> 01:45:02,546
possibly, Bless the Beasts & Children.
1968
01:45:02,629 --> 01:45:04,631
I guess most would agree with that.
1969
01:45:05,299 --> 01:45:08,969
But he was never concerned
about being a Hollywood A-lister
1970
01:45:09,052 --> 01:45:10,721
or a partygoer,
1971
01:45:10,804 --> 01:45:13,515
and he moved up to Washington State,
1972
01:45:13,599 --> 01:45:17,269
a place he felt was better
for his family and his values.
1973
01:45:18,145 --> 01:45:20,314
He shot his last film up there,
1974
01:45:20,397 --> 01:45:23,567
The Runner Stumbles, in 1979.
1975
01:45:26,445 --> 01:45:29,031
You can try to ignore those people
1976
01:45:29,823 --> 01:45:33,994
or even feel sorry for them
and for their prejudices and bigotry
1977
01:45:34,077 --> 01:45:37,372
and their blind hatreds and stupid fears,
1978
01:45:38,290 --> 01:45:42,878
but where necessary, you'll just
have to cling tight to each other
1979
01:45:44,046 --> 01:45:47,007
and say, "Screw all those people."
1980
01:45:47,966 --> 01:45:50,761
Anybody could make a case,
and a hell of a good case,
1981
01:45:50,844 --> 01:45:52,679
against your getting married.
1982
01:45:53,305 --> 01:45:56,808
The arguments are so obvious
that nobody has to make them.
1983
01:45:58,227 --> 01:46:00,312
But you're two wonderful people...
1984
01:46:02,147 --> 01:46:04,107
who happened to fall in love
1985
01:46:05,192 --> 01:46:06,902
and happened to have...
1986
01:46:06,985 --> 01:46:10,822
Stanley Kramer attended
the 25th anniversary of Mad World
1987
01:46:10,906 --> 01:46:13,617
at the Cinerama Dome in 1988
1988
01:46:13,700 --> 01:46:15,827
with his daughter Katharine.
1989
01:46:15,911 --> 01:46:19,456
He told a reporter
he was so happy to see his friends again
1990
01:46:19,540 --> 01:46:23,085
and so proud to see his movie go on
to great accomplishment.
1991
01:46:23,168 --> 01:46:25,796
He wanted to do a film called Polonaise,
1992
01:46:25,879 --> 01:46:28,131
focusing on Lech Walesa.
1993
01:46:28,215 --> 01:46:30,342
And he wanted Robin Williams to play him.
1994
01:46:30,425 --> 01:46:32,594
You know, they looked exactly alike.
1995
01:46:33,929 --> 01:46:35,931
Again, superb reaction shot.
1996
01:46:36,723 --> 01:46:39,434
I mean, it's just beautifully edited.
1997
01:46:39,518 --> 01:46:42,896
Knows how to cut to
just to punch the scene.
1998
01:46:43,605 --> 01:46:45,190
And there's, you know...
1999
01:46:45,274 --> 01:46:48,151
It's a director's dream to have actors
that, no matter where you turn,
2000
01:46:48,235 --> 01:46:50,320
you can get the right moment.
2001
01:46:53,490 --> 01:46:56,201
Well, Tillie. When the hell
are we gonna get some dinner?
2002
01:47:04,042 --> 01:47:06,003
To quote Stanley Kramer,
2003
01:47:06,086 --> 01:47:08,171
"I'm a mess of contradictions.
2004
01:47:08,255 --> 01:47:11,466
Conservative in some ways,
liberal in others.
2005
01:47:11,550 --> 01:47:15,387
Occasionally cautious,
but most of the time a sporting type.
2006
01:47:15,470 --> 01:47:18,765
I've always gambled with films,
and I still do.
2007
01:47:18,849 --> 01:47:22,561
They told me I was crazy
to try a film about interracial marriage.
2008
01:47:22,644 --> 01:47:26,398
But Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
was powerful at the box office."
2009
01:47:26,481 --> 01:47:27,816
I'm Paul Scrabo.
2010
01:47:27,899 --> 01:47:31,778
I was fortunate enough to spend
a little time with Stanley Kramer.
2011
01:47:31,862 --> 01:47:34,156
He was a nice man.
2012
01:47:34,823 --> 01:47:37,326
Thank you, Twilight Time. Thank you, Eddy.
2013
01:47:37,409 --> 01:47:38,744
Thank you, Lee.
2014
01:47:38,827 --> 01:47:40,412
Yes, it's a great pleasure.
2015
01:47:40,495 --> 01:47:43,540
And remember to check out
our reviews and interviews
2016
01:47:43,624 --> 01:47:46,585
at Cinemaretro.com.
2017
01:47:46,668 --> 01:47:49,087
And, Eddy,
good doing these with you again.
2018
01:47:49,171 --> 01:47:51,214
-It's been a while.
-Thank you. Pleasure to be here.
2019
01:47:51,298 --> 01:47:54,051
And thanks to Twilight Time
for the opportunity.
2020
01:47:54,134 --> 01:47:55,886
Hope you enjoyed it.