Jason Robards, Jr. Movies
One of Hollywood's elder statesmen, Jason Robards Jr. had a rich, deep voice and authoritative aura that befit the distinguished citizens he often played. The son of stage and screen actor Jason Robards Sr., Robards kept alive his rich heritage throughout the second half of the 20th century.Born July 26, 1922, in Chicago, Robards was a military man before becoming an actor. He served seven years in the Navy, and was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked in 1941 (he later received the Navy Cross). Following his service, Robards moved to New York to pursue an acting career. He found work in incidental plays, radio soap operas, and live television dramas, driving a cab and teaching school to support himself. After a decade of obscurity, he rose to prominence in 1956 in the Circle in the Square production of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh. He appeared on Broadway the following year in Long Day's Journey Into Night, for which he won a New York Drama Critics Award. Following that success, he remained a busy and popular Broadway performer, and, in 1958, got the opportunity to appear with his father in The Disenchanted.
Making his onscreen debut in The Journey (1959), Robards maintained a TV and screen career while continuing to work on the stage. He tended to appear in two or three movies per year during the '60s, including the acclaimed 1962 screen adaptation of Long Day's Journey Into Night and Sergio Leone's much lauded 1968 Western Once Upon a Time in the West. Two years after his role in the war epic Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), the actor was in a near-fatal car crash, but managed to make a complete recovery, returning to Broadway two years later. He ended the '70s by winning Oscars for his supporting roles in All the President's Men (1976) and Julia (1977), and was nominated for the same award for his portrayal of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes in Melvin and Howard (1980), The slew of awards and nominations during this period also served as a nice complement to the six Tony awards he had been nominated for between 1960 and 1974. In 1978, Robards returned to the material that had helped to cement his reputation by directing himself in a revival of Long Day's Journey Into Night, which opened at Brooklyn Academy of Music Opera House.
Robards continued to act on-stage and in film throughout the '80s, in addition to working on a number of documentaries and made-for-TV movies. Among his more notable television portrayals were the title role in the acclaimed 1980 miniseries F.D.R.: The Last Year (1980) and a lead part in You Can't Take It With You (1984). He also participated in the 1982 documentary Burden of Dreams, a highly acclaimed film about the making of Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo. Robards' screen roles during that decade were usually limited to the part of the patriarch in such films as Square Dance (1987) and Parenthood (1989), although he was introduced to a younger audience with his lead in the 1989 comedy Dream a Little Dream, which featured Corey Haim and Corey Feldman and little else.
Robards worked steadily throughout the '90s, taking on roles in such acclaimed features as Philadelphia (1993), A Thousand Acres (1997), and Beloved (1998). He also continued to appear in a number of TV miniseries. In 1999, Robards lent his voice to the widely lauded documentary The Irish in America: The Long Journey Home, further demonstrating that, in addition to being one of Hollywood's most respected figures, he was also one of its most versatile. One of Robards' last roles was a suitably complex one, a dying man longing for a reconciliation with his estranged son in Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia (1999). The actor died of cancer, himself, the following year. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
Upon the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, Harry Truman became the 33rd president of the United States. This video captures the exciting details surrounding Truman's later race for re-election against Dewey, along with many other important historical moments. Viewers are reminded that Truman was a combat artillery captain during WWI and a highly respected U.S. senator before becoming vice president. As many recall, it was Truman who made the fateful decision to drop the first atomic bomb on Japan in 1945. Three years later, he chose to recognize the new state of Israel. Truman was also behind such important programs as the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, and the North Atlantic Treaty, which was designed to stop the Soviets from expanding further into Europe.
~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Made for the USA Network, this first film adaptation of Willa Cather's classic novel is a coming-of-age story of set in 1880s Nebraska. Orphaned after his parents die in a smallpox epidemic in Virginia, the teenaged Jimmy Burden (Neil Patrick Harris) moves to the farm of his grandparents (Jason Robards, Eva Marie Saint) outside Black Hawk, Nebraska. Their neighbors, newly arrived from Bohemia, are the Shimerda family, and Jimmy instantly becomes friends with the family's 15-year-old daughter, Antonia (Elina Lowensohn). He's pulled in two directions; her father wants him to teach her English, but his grandfather is wary of her distracting Jimmy from his own studies. After tragedy strikes the Shimerda family, Jimmy moves to town with his aging grandparents, who want to nurture his potential for becoming a university student and taking on a career. Antonia does come to work in town, thanks to the help of Jimmy's grandmother, but it's made clear to the young woman that she is not to distract Jimmy from his studies. Although Jimmy does go off to the state university in Lincoln and eventually Harvard Law School, he and Antonia maintain their friendship, understanding that the bond they formed as adolescents will endure. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
Two leaders with different philosophies about battle and leadership wage war with each other in this tense military thriller. Capt. Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) is the commanding officer of a nuclear submarine, the U.S.S. Alabama. Ramsey is a distinguished veteran near the end of his career, and he leads his men with an iron hand; as he puts it, "We're here to preserve democracy, not to practice it." Ramsey is assigned a new second-in-command, Lt. Cmmdr. Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington); Hunter is much younger than Ramsey, Harvard educated, and believes the goal of the military in the nuclear age is to prevent war, not fight it. While at sea, word reaches the Alabama that a splinter group of Russian forces have seized missile silos, and the ship is put on red alert. The Alabama has orders to fire, but as it is receiving a new incoming order the radio malfunctions. It's Ramsey's contention that an order is an order and they are to move forward with the attack, while Hunter feels if there is any question at all about their mission, they should wait until they can receive further instruction, with Hunter going so far as to threaten mutiny against Ramsey if the missile strike is carried out. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Towne both contributed to the screenplay without credit. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, (more)
- 1994
Ken Burns' celebrated baseball documentary has come full circle, from the black-and-white images of the game's beginnings to the full color of the modern era. Ken Burns' Baseball: Inning 9 -- Home, the final episode, deals with such threats to our national pastime as drug use by players, the egos of players and owners such as Reggie Jackson and George Steinbrenner, sky-rocketing salaries, and Pete Rose's banishment for gambling. But it also relives such moments as Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's home run record, Carlton Fisk keeping the ball fair at Fenway with his body language, and Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. hitting back-to-back home runs in a game. Jackie Robinson's funeral is also covered in this episode, as Burns continues to pay tribute to the man who broke baseball's color barrier. ~ Kathryn Tamms, All Movie Guide
- 1994
The magical paradise of Pearl Harbor was shattered on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed the territory of Hawaii. In this documentary, narrated by Jason Robards, questions surrounding that event, many of which still remain, are addressed. Using newsreels, Hollywood movies, Japanese films, radio broadcasts, and propaganda films, Pearl Harbor: Surprise and Remembrance provides a unique look back at a day that forever changed the United States. ~ Cara Saposnik, All Movie Guide
Director Ron Howard's drama follows a beleaguered reporter during a hectic 24 hours at a New York City tabloid. Michael Keaton stars as Henry Hackett, a metro editor for the struggling New York Sun. Hackett is being wooed by the Sentinel, a more upscale paper, but he's addicted to the adrenaline-stimulating, breakneck pace of the Sun's newsroom, much to the consternation of his pregnant wife Martha (Marisa Tomei. Hackett is currently pursuing a story of two minority youths who have been arrested for the murders of two men. He learns that the police think that the killings may be a mob hit. In the court of public opinion, however, the innocent suspects are being judged as guilty, and the police may bow to the pressure. As Hackett and his staff desperately work all the story's angles to find the truth, several other dramas unfold. Top editor Bernie (Robert Duvall) learns that he has prostate cancer, and tough publisher Alicia (Glenn Close) wonders if her lack of popularity is due to her cost-cutting, her personality, or the fact that she's a woman. In their only collaboration, screenwriter David Koepp co-wrote the script with his brother Stephen Koepp, a senior editor at Time magazine. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Keaton, Robert Duvall, (more)
- 1994
The classic black-and-white newsreel clips and old photographs that dominated the first seven innings of Ken Burns' documentary tribute to America's pastime now give way to color clips as baseball enters the '60s in Ken Burns' Baseball: Inning 8 -- A Whole New Ballgame. In this decade, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris tried to overtake Babe Ruth's home run record, Sandy Koufax made a name for himself, and Bob Gibson and Denny McLain had MVP pitching seasons. In other highlights, fans said goodbye to Ted Williams, welcomed the New York Mets, and Curt Flood challenged the reserve clause as institutional slavery when he refused to be traded from the Cardinals to the Phillies. ~ Kathryn Tamms, All Movie Guide
- 1994
New York held sway in the world of baseball from 1950-1960, and the seventh episode -- or "inning" -- of Ken Burns' documentary series focuses on the dominating forces of the Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants. At least one of these teams played in every World Series between 1949 and 1958, and six of those series saw the Yankees pitted against either the Dodgers or the Giants. Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle of the Yankees, Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella of the Dodgers, as well as Willie Mays and Bobby Thompson of the Giants are just some of the legendary players who lit up the newsreel clips and increasingly popular TV screens. It was a decade of moving franchises, as the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, the Giants to San Francisco, and the Braves to Milwaukee. But in the seventh inning, the game is far from over. ~ Kathryn Tamms, All Movie Guide
A 12-year old boy inherits the Minnesota Twins in this baseball comedy that is aimed toward younger viewers. Young Billy, a normal twelve-year old, is nuts about baseball and knows almost everything there is to know about the game. He should, his grandfather owns the perennial losers, the Minnesota Twins. When grandpa dies, he leaves the Twins in Billy's hands. Naturally the players are skeptical, especially after Billy designates himself as team manager. But with a combination of guile, knowledge and determination, Billy earns their grudging respect and the team begins a winning streak. Initially, Billy reminds the team that baseball is supposed to be fun, but he soon forgets that as he becomes increasingly involved in the adult world of competition, management and team politics. His three friends are angered that he no-longer has time for them. Billy gets made when the first baseman starts going out with his mom. Eventually the burned out Billy must again learn how to be a kid. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luke Edwards, Timothy Busfield, (more)
- 1994
Negro League Baseball, in all of its triumphs and tragedies, is captured in inning five of Ken Burns' classic baseball documentary. The stories of great Negro League players such as Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Judy Johnson, and Buck Leonard help set the stage for the history-making moment in 1942 when Jackie Robinson walked onto Ebbet's Field for the first time. Back in the Major Leagues, the program focuses on Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio, the Yankees' challenge to Dizzy Dean and the Gas House Gang St. Louis Cardinals, and the impact of the Great Depression as inspiration for the first All-Star game. ~ Kathryn Tamms, All Movie Guide
- 1994
The previous five "innings" of Ken Burns' sweeping baseball documentary set the stage for the triumphant moment in this sixth episode when Jackie Robinson takes the field in his first Major League game for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1942, an event of enormous personal and social significance. Other personal achievements of the decade included Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak and Ted Williams' .406 batting average in 1941. Burns also highlights the state of baseball during World War II, rescued, in part, by the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The decade ended with the death of the legendary Babe Ruth. ~ Kathryn Tamms, All Movie Guide
- 1994
At the turn of the 20th century, Ken Burns' documentary homage to baseball history enters its "second inning." Baseball's first decade in the new century began with the creation of a new league, as "Ban" Johnson's unbending will -- along with the 500-dollar bonus he offered National League players to switch allegiances -- forced the American League into being. Detroit's Ty Cobb ruled the decade on the field while the Pirates' Honus Wagner, another possible contender for best player, was pushed to the sidelines. Other highlights of volume two in this nine-part series include the development of independent professional Negro teams, as well as the story of female semi-pro pitcher Alta Weiss. ~ Kathryn Tamms, All Movie Guide
- 1994
The third inning of Ken Burns' nine-inning documentary leads us into the Roaring '20s, but not before hitting the sport's stumbling block that was the Black Sox World Series scandal of 1919. Charles Comisky's stingy handling of the Chicago White Sox, who would eventually throw the series against the Reds, was tempered by the success of the Athletics under Connie Mack. Kenesaw Mountain Landis became baseball's first Commissioner, making headlines both by banning the Black Sox for life, and by approving the sale of George H. Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees for 125,000 dollars. The dark cloud of scandal was about to be cleared away by a new hero. ~ Kathryn Tamms, All Movie Guide
- 1994
In a decade dominated by the New York Yankees, Babe Ruth became the nation's "heirloom." Inning four of Ken Burns' sweeping nine-part documentary series focuses on the years 1920-1930, when baseball's black mark left by the Black Sox scandal of 1919 was erased by the legend of Babe Ruth. His impact on the game far overshadowed the previous achievements of the beloved Ty Cobb. This episode also highlights other great players of the decade such as Rogers Hornsby and Walter Johnson, the organization by Rube Foster of the Negro Leagues, and the barnstorming of the country by the House of David. ~ Kathryn Tamms, All Movie Guide
An attempt to overthrow the President of the United States is the subject of this made-for-cable conspiracy-thriller. Forest Whitaker stars as Colonel Mackenzie Casey, a loyal member of President Foster's (Sam Waterston) inner circle. When Casey discovers a plot by his superior (Jason Robards) to stage a coup during military exercises, he teams up with Foster to thwart the plans before it's too late. The story was based on a novel by Charles W. Bailey and Fletcher Knebel, and Whitaker was nominated for a SAG Award for his lead performance. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Forest Whitaker, Sam Waterston, (more)
- 1994
The first episode in Ken Burns' spectacular documentary of America's favorite pastime takes us from baseball's origins in the 1840s to the dawning of a new century, when glorious moments were captured in still photos rather than newsreel footage. Learn about the valuable contributions of Albert Goodwill Spaulding and Harry Wright, and recall some of the century's great players such as King Kelly, Cap Anson, and Cy Young. Burns highlights great teams like the Cincinnati Red Stockings and the Baltimore Orioles, and provides the background of those less glorious moments, when Moses Fleetwood Walker and all other Negroes were expelled from the major leagues. Also told is the story of John Montgomery Ward's efforts to establish a players' union. Ken Burns' Baseball: Inning 1 -- Our Game is a powerful and informative first inning for this classic baseball series. ~ Kathryn Tamms, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Franz Kafka's classic tale of Josef K., a bank clerk who is placed on trial for an unnamed, unknowable crime, is given a faithful, if not overly literal, treatment in this drama. Knowing only that he has been charged, Josef naturally sets out to defend himself, but soon finds himself deeply mired in a battle against an incomprehensible government bureaucracy. Following Orson Welles's adaptation of the book by some three decades, director David Jones chooses to avoid the earlier film's expressionistic approach. Instead, he sets Josef's travails against a realistic background that specifically recalls Eastern Europe during the early 20th century, the time of the book's writing. Similarly, the screenplay by famed British playwright Harold Pinter, whose own darkly absurd vision owes much to Kafka, hews closely to the original text. This faithful approach helps ground the story in historical reality, and allows for a good use of brooding Prague locations. However, many critics have found this approach less effective than the low-budget abstraction of Welles' version, which is more successful at highlighting the universality and symbolic nature of the tale. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kyle MacLachlan, Anthony Hopkins, (more)
This Disney-produced made-for-TV version of the classic children's tale features Noley Thornton as Heidi, the plucky girl from the Alps, with Jane Seymour as a mean-spirited governess and Jason Robards as Heidi's kindly grandfather. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
At the time of its release, Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia was the first big-budget Hollywood film to tackle the medical, political, and social issues of AIDS. Tom Hanks, in his first Academy Award-winning performance, plays Andrew Beckett, a talented lawyer at a stodgy Philadelphia law firm. The homosexual Andrew has contracted AIDS but fears informing his firm about the disease. The firm's senior partner, Charles Wheeler (Jason Robards), assigns Andrew a case involving their most important client. Andrew begins diligently working on the case, but soon the lesions associated with AIDS are visible on his face. Wheeler abruptly removes Andrew from the case and fires him from the firm. Andrew believes he has been fired because of his illness and plans to fight the firm in court. But because of the firm's reputation, no lawyer in Philadelphia will risk handling his case. In desperation, Andrew hires Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), a black lawyer who advertises on television, mainly handling personal injury cases. Miller dislikes homosexuals but agrees to take the case for the money and exposure. As Miller prepares for the courtroom battle against one of the law firm's key litigators, Belinda Conine (Mary Steenburgen), Miller begins to realize the discrimination practiced against Andrew is no different from the discrimination Miller himself has to battle against. The cast also includes Antonio Banderas as Andrew's partner, Joanne Woodward as Andrew's mother, and Stephanie Roth as Joe's wife. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, (more)
This eighth adaptation of the timeless Mark Twain novel casts Elijah Wood as Huckleberry Finn, the half-literate son of a drunk who runs away from home and follows the Mississippi River with an escaped slave named Jim (Courtney S. Vance). Along the way, the duo encounter adventures with colorful characters like The King (Jason Robards) and the Duke (Robbie Coltrane), two con men who impersonate British visitors in order to swindle two sisters out of their fortune, and Susan Wilks (Laura Bundy), the spunky 12-year-old girl who gives Huck his first kiss. Jim also re-educates Huck away from the racist views that he has grown up with. Not the most in-depth version of Twain's tale, The Adventures Of Huck Finn is a solid retelling of the classic story. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elijah Wood, Courtney Vance, (more)
- 1992
President Abraham Lincoln leads the Union in the fight to end the awful bloodshed of the Civil War. The year is 1863. The president had a continuous struggle with the commanders of his army, and the bloodshed from the fighting at Antietam and Fredericksburg distressed him greatly. 1863 was the year of his Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address. Listen to the story of the events that led to the amazing address at Gettysburg. Actor Jason Robards brings to life the voice of President Lincoln. PBS originally aired this program, the second of a four-volume set narrated by actor James Earl Jones. ~ Linda J. Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1992
A shrewd politician, Abraham Lincoln had the intelligence, ambition, and principles to grow into his job as president. This is the first of four videos in the Lincoln series, which originally aired on PBS. Produced and directed by Peter W. Kunhardt, this program is narrated by renowned actor James Earl Jones, and features award-winning actor Jason Robards reading from letters, speeches, and diaries. Highlights include period photographs. The other three programs in the series are titled Lincoln: The Pivotal Year, 1863, Lincoln: I Want to Finish This Job, 1864, and Lincoln: Now He Belongs to the Ages, 1865. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- 1992
This video is the fourth installment of the Lincoln series, originally aired on PBS. This volume focuses on the last days and hours of Abraham Lincoln's life. Viewers watch as Lincoln's enemies plot their final revenge on the man they believed had dishonored their heritage. The video also reveals how Lincoln's own dreams foreshadowed his murder and how the series of public funerals, following his death, helped fuel his legendary status that has only grown with time. ~ Karla Baker, All Movie Guide
