Those Lips, Those Eyes

Released in 1980, "Those Lips, Those Eyes" is a film I missed seeing at the time. In fact, I don't even remember it being in theaters, despite the fact that I went to many films around that time and I thought I had seen all of Glynnis O'Connor's films of that era. Either it was not promoted well or I gleaned from reviews that it was a real dud.

Having recently watched it, however, I find it is not without its charms. Written by David Shaber--who also wrote the screenplay for "The Warriors"--the film is a coming of age story about a young man who is studying pre-med in Ohio when he is exposed to the world of live theater.

Artie Shoemaker (Tom Hulce) knows nothing of the theater world when he takes a summer job handling props and scenery for a regional outdoor theater. As many who are exposed to the peculiar charms of the stage, Artie is enchanted. The male lead of the summer season is Harry Crystal--played by stage star Frank Langella. Harry seems like a guy who has it all together and is on top of the world. But Artie has much to learn.

During the summer, Artie learns about the magic, the dreams, the drama, and the heartbreak that accompany life onstage and backstage. He falls for a dancer, Ramona (Glynnis O'Connor), who personifies the illusions of love and the theater. He decides to drop our of school and become a playwright.

The film was shot at a Cleveland Heights outdoor theater venue and it feels genuine to the theater experience. The actors perform well, even if their parts are not too demanding. Four years after this film, Tom Hulce--also a stage star--will play the lead role in the amazing film "Amadeus".

This film's greatest allure for me is the roster of notable actors. Hulce, O'Connor and Langella did not appear in relatively many films between them, given the visibility of their careers around the time of this film.

I was intrigued by this movie, because it was shot in my hometown of Cleveland -- actually at Cain Park (Summer) Theater in Cleveland Heights.

A pre-med student, Tom Hulce, takes a summer job as a prop man at Cain Park. He meets perennial summer actor-singer, Frank Langella. The veteran Frank still has dreams of making it big on Broadway, but it likely will never happen. However, he manages to impart his dreams of the theater onto Hulce, who by the end of the movie, loses his virginity and commits his hopes to the theater rather than medicine.

Fine acting by Hulce, Langella, Glynnis O'Connor and Kevin McCarthy, who has a small part as a lecherous agent near the end of the movie. He dashes Langella's hopes again, but Langella acquires another agent "who can get him places that (the mcCarthy character) can only dream of."

In the early 1950's, young college student Tom Hulce takes a summer job as the prop master for a summer stock theater company in Cleveland, Ohio. He finds himself pulled away from his Pre-Med studies and towards the theater, partly by his friendship with struggling New York actor Frank Langella and partly through a romance with dancer Glynnis O'Connor.

You basically know how this movie will play out. Hulce's father, the great Jerry Stiller, will pressure him to focus on school, but he won't listen, but then a great reversal will drive him back to his old life before a compromise is reached at the film's climax. It's all formula and this film really doesn't deviate from it.

That's not really a bad thing. Formulas exist for a reason and how well a formulaic film works has a lot to do with the actors and whatever colour the script adds. This film really doesn't work, and surprisingly it's mostly because of Hulce. He made this between "Animal House" and ":Amadeus", and maybe it's his relative inexperience or maybe he's just woefully miscast, but he's not good in this film and he drags it down.

The warmest, most engaging movie of its genre, Those Lips, Those Eyes, made me smile and cry as it reminded me of the work it takes to pursue a dream and the pain of disappointment. Hulce and Langella are superb and the story seems to write itself. A brilliant screenplay by David Shaber (one of my favorites! - see The Warriors and Nighthawks for more...) and beautiful sets filmed on location (I think) at the actual summer theater in which the story takes place. You can't see this movie and not want to drop everything and get into the theater! Please check this video out if you can find it.

It's understandable that one reviewer called the show scenes in the movie,"musicals", and Hollywood did make screen musicals of them. But they are excerpts from the genre of operetta. This was a pre 1940 style of "light comic" music drama, originating in Europe, at the turn of the century. Among the leading composers were Franz Lehar, and Victor Herbert. The cast had to have operatic voices, and sing, not talk the song a la Rex Harrison in "My Fair Lady". Of course in direct rebutal, to what I just said, Frank Langella, a non singing actor, sings "Someday", in a sotto voce (soft) style a la Perry Como. If someone says, "Summerstock, and operetta", and you go, "Huh?", this is not the movie for you, which is why about seven people saw it. This was summer live musical theatre, where youngsters with stars in their eyes, and pros who were never superstars, performed operetta classics in local theatres all over the country, like "The Merry Widow", "Rose Marie", and "The Desert Song". The plots are corny and ludicrous....but the songs...."Someday", "One Alone", "One Kiss", make me cry, because I remember how long ago it was when I first heard them and their beauty captures me more and more. Frank Langella is wonderful, as the romantic male lead in all the shows, who you know is not going to make it to stardom. Glynnis O'Connor, as the ingenue who breaks Tom Hulce's heart is impressive, and to show what an unstable field showbiz is, imdb has no credits for her from 98 to 02. I think Tom Hulce is a highly underrated actor. There's something so endearing about him, but the great roles don't seem to be offered to him today. I own this film and I've watched it over and over. As the pros say, "highly recommended".