Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris inspired several parodies but this is the only one to feature Lenny Bruce’s mom (Sally Marr). The 1973 film is a note for note spoof of the Brando vehicle starring omnipresent character actor Michael Pataki (as Michael “Loveman”) and with editing performed by future director John Carpenter. There were two versions of the film, one rated “X” for hardcore footage spliced into the film after the fact.
The post Last Foxtrot in Burbank appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Last Foxtrot in Burbank appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 5/17/2021
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Lenny Bruce: Dustin Hoffman in the 1974 Bob Fosse movie. Lenny Bruce movie review: Polemical stand-up comedian merited less timid biopic (Oscar Movie Series) Bob Fosse's 1974 biopic Lenny has two chief assets: the ever relevant free speech issues it raises and the riveting presence of Valerie Perrine. The film itself, however, is only sporadically thought-provoking or emotionally gripping; in fact, Lenny is a major artistic letdown, considering all the talent involved and the fertile material at hand. After all, much more should have come out of a joint effort between director Fosse, fresh off his Academy Award win for Cabaret; playwright-screenwriter Julian Barry, whose stage version of Lenny earned Cliff Gorman a Tony Award; two-time Best Actor Oscar nominee Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy); and cinematographer Bruce Surtees (Play Misty for Me, Blume in Love). Their larger-than-life subject? Lenny Bruce, the stand-up comedian who became one of the...
- 6/5/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Today we are talking to a veritable legend in her own time - arguably the most influential and recognizable female stand-up comedian of all time, the one and only Joan Rivers. Opening up and revealing her trademark, impossible-to-top wit all the while, Rivers and I discuss many aspects of her life and career, with a particular focus on her many current projects - most importantly, the third season of her smash hit reality series Joan amp Melissa Joan Knows Best on We TV. What will happen when Joan, Melissa and company visit Colonial Williamsburg What illicitness will they discover on Willie Nelson's former tour bus Will Joan get arrested for protesting her book being banned at a big retailer Answers to these questions all will be arrived up on Saturday. In addition to all about Joan amp Melissa Season Three and the current series-high ratings run of Fashion Police,...
- 3/9/2013
- by Pat Cerasaro
- BroadwayWorld.com
Today we are talking to a veritable legend in her own time - arguably the most influential and recognizable female stand-up comedian of all time, the one and only Joan Rivers. Opening up and revealing her trademark, impossible-to-top wit all the while, Rivers and I discuss many aspects of her life and career, with a particular focus on her many current projects - most importantly, the third season of her smash hit reality series Joan amp Melissa Joan Knows Best on We TV. What will happen when Joan, Melissa and company visit Colonial Williamsburg What illicitness will they discover on Willie Nelson's former tour bus Will Joan get arrested for protesting her book being banned at a big retailer Answers to these questions all will be arrived up on Saturday. In addition to all about Joan amp Melissa Season Three and the current series-high ratings run of Fashion Police,...
- 3/9/2013
- by Pat Cerasaro
- BroadwayWorld.com
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Joan Rivers "made the rounds" in New York during the '50s, appearing in a few off-off Broadway plays (including one where she played a lesbian opposite an equally unknown Barbra Streisand), surviving sleazy agents, tawdry clubs, and hostile audiences. A 1965 booking on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" led to her hosting one of the first syndicated talk shows on daytime TV, "That Show with Joan Rivers" in 1968. In the '70s Joan wrote the TV-movie The Girl Most Likely To (starring Stockard Channing) and then wrote and directed her first feature film Rabbit Test, casting Billy Crystal in the lead. In 1983 Joan became the permanent guest host on "The Tonight Show." Later, she headlined in Las Vegas, sold out Carnegie Hall, produced a Grammy nominated comedy album, and wrote two best-selling books. In 1989 the Tribune Corporation launched Joan in her own syndicated daytime talk show.
- 1/18/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Film review: 'Lenny Bruce'
Robert Weide's film about Lenny Bruce serves an invaluable function in providing information about a seminal cultural hero whom everyone seems to know of without knowing much about.
This cogent, well-organized, informative and engrossing documentary is a must-see for anyone interested in how Bruce changed the face of comedy and led the way toward today's anything-goes culture. Produced by HBO, it is receiving its premiere engagement at New York's Film Forum.
The film breaks no new ground stylistically; it is a conventional documentary, a chronological portrait of Bruce's life as told through archival footage and talking heads. But when the story is this powerful and the central figure so dynamic, there is no need for fanciness.
The project details Bruce's evolution from a conventional, shtick-ridden comic to a taboo-busting social commentator whose use of profanity and thoughtful but hilarious explorations of such subjects as race, sex and religion led to his downfall. Weide's thesis is that Bruce's social criticism, much more than his use of explicit language, is what led the authorities to crack down on him, and he makes his case with conviction. He also doesn't neglect to chronicle the less attractive aspects of Bruce's life, including his drug addiction, but neither does he dwell on them.
Included is much fascinating rare footage. Assembled are home movies; clips of Bruce's appearances on television shows that haven't been seen in decades (and in one case, never, since it was deemed too controversial for broadcast); scenes from a grade B crime movie that Bruce directed, wrote and starred in; a television interview with Nat Hentoff in which Bruce was clearly stoned; and news footage in which Bruce's naked corpse is surrounded by police and photographers. We also get to see and hear many examples of Bruce in his prime, with excerpts from many of his classic routines.
There are also interviews with a wide cross-section of those who knew him best: his late mother, Sally Marr, ex-wife Honey, daughter Kitty, friends and colleagues, lawyers and managers -- even the assistant district attorney who helped prosecute him. The entertaining narration is provided by Robert De Niro, no insignificant cultural icon himself.
"Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth" gathers force in its final segments, when it depicts Bruce's mental, physical and emotional decline as his career was systematically destroyed. It tells an important story, and it does so with insight and intelligence.
LENNY BRUCE: SWEAR TO TELL THE TRUTH
A Whyaduck Prods. release
in association with HBO Documentary Films
Producer, director, screenplay: Robert B. Weide
Executive producer: Sheila Nevins
Editors: Geof Bartz, Robert B. Weide
Narrator: Robert De Niro
Color/black & white/stereo
Running time -- 94 minutes
No MPAA rating...
This cogent, well-organized, informative and engrossing documentary is a must-see for anyone interested in how Bruce changed the face of comedy and led the way toward today's anything-goes culture. Produced by HBO, it is receiving its premiere engagement at New York's Film Forum.
The film breaks no new ground stylistically; it is a conventional documentary, a chronological portrait of Bruce's life as told through archival footage and talking heads. But when the story is this powerful and the central figure so dynamic, there is no need for fanciness.
The project details Bruce's evolution from a conventional, shtick-ridden comic to a taboo-busting social commentator whose use of profanity and thoughtful but hilarious explorations of such subjects as race, sex and religion led to his downfall. Weide's thesis is that Bruce's social criticism, much more than his use of explicit language, is what led the authorities to crack down on him, and he makes his case with conviction. He also doesn't neglect to chronicle the less attractive aspects of Bruce's life, including his drug addiction, but neither does he dwell on them.
Included is much fascinating rare footage. Assembled are home movies; clips of Bruce's appearances on television shows that haven't been seen in decades (and in one case, never, since it was deemed too controversial for broadcast); scenes from a grade B crime movie that Bruce directed, wrote and starred in; a television interview with Nat Hentoff in which Bruce was clearly stoned; and news footage in which Bruce's naked corpse is surrounded by police and photographers. We also get to see and hear many examples of Bruce in his prime, with excerpts from many of his classic routines.
There are also interviews with a wide cross-section of those who knew him best: his late mother, Sally Marr, ex-wife Honey, daughter Kitty, friends and colleagues, lawyers and managers -- even the assistant district attorney who helped prosecute him. The entertaining narration is provided by Robert De Niro, no insignificant cultural icon himself.
"Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth" gathers force in its final segments, when it depicts Bruce's mental, physical and emotional decline as his career was systematically destroyed. It tells an important story, and it does so with insight and intelligence.
LENNY BRUCE: SWEAR TO TELL THE TRUTH
A Whyaduck Prods. release
in association with HBO Documentary Films
Producer, director, screenplay: Robert B. Weide
Executive producer: Sheila Nevins
Editors: Geof Bartz, Robert B. Weide
Narrator: Robert De Niro
Color/black & white/stereo
Running time -- 94 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/29/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.