Pat Neal Is Back

This is a short film promoting actress Patricia Neal and her comeback appearance in "The Subject Was Roses" (1968). Born in 1926, Ms. Neal became a stage, then a screen actress during the 1940s. She was also known as Gary Cooper's young lover. After that ended badly, Neal focused on better roles, both on and off screen. Her stature grew until winning a shelf full of film awards for her excellent performance as Paul Newman's sexy middle-aged housekeeper in "Hud" (1963). She was in demand as an actress throughout the 1960s, but took time out for children when… suddenly, in 1965, she suffered a series of strokes...

Neal was not expected to ever "act" on screen again - if she was lucky enough to recover at all. Her strength, determination, and complete recovery was amazing. "The Subject Was Roses" revealed Neal was in top form. It is a little disheartening to see her smoking so many cigarettes; it did cause more pain in subsequent years, but she lived a long life anyway. Written and directed by Edward Beyer, "Pat Neal Is back" has some good "behind the scenes" moments showing Neal, veteran Jack Albertson, and newcomer Martin Sheen working on their film characterizations. The men had created their roles on Broadway.

***** Pat Neal Is Back (1968) Edward Beyer ~ Patricia Neal, Martin Sheen, Jack Albertson, Ulu Grosbard