V A William Abrahams Book
~~lli Holt, Rinehart and Winston
New York Contents
Author's Note xiii
DEVOLlJTION 1 TheShining WHY ARE MOVIES SO BAD? OR, TIIE NUMBERS 8 MUCKRAKERS AND SAINTS 20 Brubaker 1be Blues Brothers
BOYS AND GIRLS 27 The Blue Lagoon Urban Cowboy MASTER SPY, MASTER SEDUCER 35 Dressed to Kill CRAFf 40 Honeysuckle Rose
WHOANDWHO 46 Willie & Phil Airplane! The Great Santini Glose Encounters ofthe Third Kind, the Special Edition AUSTRAilANS 54 The Cbant of]immie Blacksmith The Getting of Wisdom
AS SWIFI' AS BUZZARD FllES The Stunt Man Those Lips, Those Eyes
V IBE MAN WHO MADE HOWARD HUGHES SING AND IBE IRON·BUITERFLY MOM 71 Melvin and Howard Ordinary People
IBE FROG WHO TIJRNED INTO A PRlNCE IBE PRlNCE WHO TIJRNED INTO A FROG 82 The Elephant Man Stardust Memories
DllZY, DllZY, DllZY 92 Private Benjamin Divine Madness Used Cars IBE CMUZATION OF IBE RUMP 101 Every Man for Himself
REUGIOUS PULP, OR IBE INCREDIBLE HULK 106 RagingBull
POS ES 112 Heaven :S Gate The Idolmaker Resurrection IBE FUNNIES 119 Popeye Flash Gordon
SENSORY DEPRNATION 127 Altered States The Competition VICTIMS 134 Tess Kagemusha ABEL GANCE 142 Napoll!on IBE ll'CH TO ACT 151 Fort Apache, the Bron.x TRAMONT'S MIRROR WOMEN A LA MODE 155 All Night Long Caddie The Incredible Sbrlnking Woman Nine toFive
vi LOVE, WAR, AND CUSTODW. SERVICES 164 La Gage aux Falles II The Dogs of War Eyewitness
OiANCE/FATE 173 Atlantic City The Postman Always Rings Twice
BOORMAN'S PLUNGE 182 Excalibur
SAFES AND SNOUTS 187 Thief TheHowling
WADDLERS AND BIKERS 194 Gaveman Knightriders Dawn of the Dead
SAO SONGS 201 This Is Elvis Heartworn Highways
WHIPPED 207 Raiders of the Lost Ark Cattle Annie and Little Britches
HEY, TORQUEMADA 214 History of the World-Part 1 Outland
GOOD NEWS 220 Dragonslayer Superman!I Stripes
POR'IRAIT OF TIIE ARTIST AS A YOUNG GADGETEER 226 Blow Out Arthur Zorro, the Gay Blade
DUNAWAY ASSOLUTA 233 Mommie Dearest The French Lieutenant's Woman So Fine
vii TiiREE PAIRS 241 True Confessions Charlots ofFire Rieb and Famous
CHILDHOOD OF TiiE DEAD 248 Pixote Looker Continental Divide BodyHeat TiiE SWAMP 257 Southern Comfort Ticket to Heaven Ragtime
TiiE DEVIL IN TiiE FLESH 266 The Devil's Playground On Golden Pond DREAMERS 272 Pennies from Heaven Reds FIAGNAG 283 Four Frlends My Dinner with Andre Absence ofMalice SHOOT TiiE MOON 290 MELTED ICE CREAM 296 Onefrom the Heart TheBorder TiiE MAN WHO UNDERSTANDS WOMEN 302 Personal Best CARRY YOUR OWN MATCHES 307 Quest for Fire Missing Tragedy ofa Ridiculous Man FRANCESCO ROSI 314 Three Brothers COMEDIANS 320 Diner Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip Deathtrap
viii RHAPSODY IN BLUE 327 Diva
AUDIENCE PLEASER 331 Victor/Victorla Cat People
A DEVIL WITHOUT FIRE 337 Mephisto
FIGHl'ERS 341 Smash Palace Annie Rockylll
TiiE PURE AND TiiE IMPURE 347 E. T. The Extra-Terrestrlal Poltergeist The Escape Artist
TiiE ONLY LCXilCAL TiiING TO 00 355 Star Trek II: Tbe Wrath of Khan
BABY, TiiE RAIN MUSf FALL 360 Blade Runner
COMEDY WITiiOUT IMPULSE 365 A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy Author! Author! TEXANS 370 Barbarosa The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
NEUTERED 376 Tbe World According to Garp An Ojficer and a Gentleman
ACTION 384 Tbe Road Wam0r
BUZZERS Tempest Night Shift
ACTORS AS HEROES 394 My Favorlte Year Tex Le Beau Mariage
ix UP TIIE RIVER 401 Fitzcarra/do Burden of Dreams
RICE KRISPIES 407 Fast Times at Ridgemont High Sweet Hours ]inxedl
TiiE MAGICIAN 413 Come Back to tbe 5 & Dime ]immy Dean, ]immy Dean
DESIGNS FOR UVING 418 Leap Jnto tbe Void ByDesign Eating Raoul
RAUNCH AND RETICENCE 424 Heartacbes Still of tbe Nigbt
TOOTSIE, GANDHI, AND SOPHIE 428 Tootsie Gandhi Sophie's Cboice
TIIE COOL AND TIIE DEAD 437 48 Hrs. Tbe Verdict
HOPELESS 442 Coup de Torebon Best Friends
MEMORY 446 Tbe Nigbt of tbe Sbooting Stars
TORRID ZONE 451 Tbe Year of Living Dangerously
JOKERS 456 Tbe King oj Comedy Lovesick
NIGHT LIFE 463 Local Hero Tales of Ordinary Madness La Nuit de Varennes
X SAVED! 470 Say Amen, Somebody Bad Boys
GENTS AND HICKS 475 The Flight ofthe Eagle Tender Mercies
FUN MACHINES 481 Return ofthe jedi Blue Thunder
INGMAR BERGMAN'S FAMILY REUNION 486 Fanny and Alexander WarGames
Index 497