Buck Henry Movies
Buck Henry's meek and mild, ordinary guy demeanor belies a razor-sharp dry, wry wit that he aptly applies to his screenplays, the roles he portrays, and the projects he directs. Born Buck Henry Zuckerman to a successful Wall Street broker (who was once an Air Force general) and actress Ruth Taylor, Henry launched his career as an actor at age 16, plying a small role in the Broadway version of Life With Father. During the Korean War, Henry served with the Seventh Army Repertory Company touring Germany performing in a musical comedy that he wrote and directed. During the '50s, Henry became somewhat famous for perpetrating the famous SINA hoax -- the acronym stands for the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals -- that made Henry a popular figure on talk shows where he would claim that naked animals were the cause of humanity's moral decay. In 1960, Henry worked briefly in an improvisational troupe before moving to the West Coast to write for the popular television satire That Was the Week That Was with hosts Steve Allen and Garry Moore. He and fellow comic Mel Brooks collaborated in 1964 to create the pilot for the successful spy spoof Get Smart. That year Henry also collaborated on the screenplay and starred in The Troublemaker, but it was not until Henry's second collaborative screenplay for The Graduate (1967) -- he also played a small role -- that he became one of Hollywood's most in-demand screenwriters.In 1973, he and Warren Beatty were Oscar nominated for their joint effort Heaven Can Wait, a remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941). In the film, Henry played the small but crucial role of the heavenly escort who goofs and brings a football player to heaven too soon. Henry was a periodic host on the NBC comedy series Saturday Night Live during the '70s. Through the '80s and '90s, Henry continued to occasionally write screenplays and play supporting roles in feature films. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Few television programs have broken as many taboos as Screw publisher Al Goldstein's groundbreaking late-night cable program Midnight Blue, and in this collection of audacious clips, Goldstein takes a look beyond the porn and politics and into the lives of the era's hottest celebrities. From the notorious "Barbra Streisand Porno Movie" to a visit to the 1979 Hooker's Ball where football legend O.J. Simpson offers his candid views on the sexual state of the nation, these are the interviews that would influence and inspire the celebrity gossip programs for decades to come. After witnessing Go-Go's beauty Belinda Carlisle fly solo in a late-night pleasure session, viewers can get a peek at the infamous Rob Lowe sex tape -- footage that nearly brought the handsome Brat Packer's Hollywood career to a screeching halt. Other guests include Arnold Schwarzenegger, R. Crumb, Tiny Tim, Gilbert Gottfried, Larry Flynt, Debbie Harry, Buck Henry, and vintage commercials for some of New York City's hottest adult sweet spots offer an intimate look at a time when the debauchery of the disco era was at an all-time high. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Goldstein, Alex Bennett, (more)
Stockard Channing stars in this made-for-cable comedy-drama as Dr. Beth Noonan, a female psychiatrist trying to hold her life together as she guides four of her patients through personal turmoil. Lauren Travis (Elle MacPherson), a respected lawyer, finds her sexual identity thrown into question when she discovers she's attracted to another woman, Casey (Kate Capshaw). Helen McCormick (Glenne Headly) is forced to spend a week with her two estranged sisters, Kathy (Allison Janney) and Kim (Rebecca DeMornay) after the death of their mother. Nia Morgan (Lynn Whitfield) is convinced her husband is being unfaithful to her; she hires Rachel (Linda Hamilton) to lure her spouse into infidelity, but Rachel learns that Nia's husband is actually involved with Betty (Mia Farrow), an older and unglamorous waitress. And after Dr. Noonan decides she can't handle the deep neuroses of Suzanne Nabor (Camryn Manheim), Suzanne snaps and takes the doctor hostage, along with three other people. It's a Girl Thing also stars Scott Bakula, Buck Henry, and Bruce Greenwood; it first aired in two parts on the Showtime premium cable network in January, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stockard Channing, Elle MacPherson, (more)
An acclaimed art house filmmaker in his native Czechoslovakia who found a second act in America, Milos Forman has brought such noted Hollywood fare as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, and Man on the Moon to the silver screen. This video profile highlights his long and winding career, featuring interviews with Annette Bening, Michael Douglas, and Jim Carrey. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Documentary filmmaker Nick Davis, the grandson of famed Hollywood screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz (Citizen Kane), wrote and directed this comedy-drama about young New Yorkers at a party on New Year's Eve in the year 1999. The dawning millennium brings the partygoers to an existential precipice, where they look into a yawning canyon of angst, identity crises, insecurities, mood swings, doubts, dreams, and dilemmas. In the neat Greenwich Village apartment of Andrew Goldman (Matt McGrath), the party guests include neurotic Rufus Wild (Dan Futterman), aggressive lesbian Suki (Sandrine Holt), Andrew's self-stringent father Harold (Buck Henry), the mysterious, philosophical Goat Man (Steven Wright), immature and bookish Danny (David Gelb), and insecure vocalist Sylvia (Margaret Devine). To kick into the new millennium with a fresh outlook, Rufus attempts to end his relationship with girlfriend Annabell (Jennifer Garner), but he nevertheless feels they shouldn't cancel their plans to go to Andrew's apartment. At the party, Rufus sees Nicole (Amanda Peet), a woman he's wanted. He considers a confession to her of his desires, but a black-and-white flashback with accompanying internal monologue forces him into a reflective self-examination. The music track goes from the baroque (Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni) to alternative rock (Dandy Warhols). Shown at the 1998 L.A. Independent Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Futterman, Jennifer Garner, (more)
In this romantic comedy with supernatural touches, Stevenson Lowe (James Spader) works for a large publishing house, editing and acquiring new projects. Lowe's new boss is after him to buy fewer books that are good and more books that will sell, while his girlfriend Julia (Polly Walker) is trying to convince him that marriage might not be such a bad idea. But marriage is a tough sell for Lowe; in the hopes that a new home might make him think about settling down, Julia suggests that Lowe look at a brownstone that's just gone on the market. Lowe likes the place and buys it, without deciding if Julia should join him. However, Lowe quickly discovers that he's not actually alone in his new digs; the ghosts of Max Gale (Michael Caine) and Lily Marlowe (Maggie Smith), an acting couple who were the toast of the legitimate stage many years ago, are already in residence. Max and Lily are soon offering Lowe all sorts of unsolicited advice on winning the heart of his lady love, though given how much they bicker, they may not be the best people from whom to learn the art of romance. Buck Henry, Sam Shepard, Frank Whaley, and Marcia Gay Harden highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Spader, Michael Caine, (more)
- 1992
Based on a novel by Thomas McGuane, this made-for-TV feature stars William Petersen as Joe Starling, a painter suffering from creative block. For inspiration, he returns to his family's Montana home, only to find the land coveted by a malevolent developer (Jack Palance). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Murphy (Candice Bergen) is getting tired of accusations that she dates men solely on the basis of their looks, especially since the accusations are true. To prove something not only to her friends but to herself, Murphy agrees to go out with her new acquaintance, nerdish-but-brilliant physicist Victor Rudman (Buck Henry). Naturally, Murphy is certain that she is in for an evening of intellectual rather than carnal stimulation--but Victor Rudman turns out to have other ideas! This is the 17th episode of Murphy Brown--which happens to be the same number of secretaries that she's already hired and fired. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Within a single year, Gilda Radner rose from talented but obscure improv comedienne to "America's Sweetheart" thanks to NBC's Saturday Night Live. The 60-minute video The Best of Gilda Radner is culled from SNL's vintage years, 1975 to 1980. Included are such beloved Radner creations as Roseanne Roseannadanna ("Thought ah wuz gonna die!"), Emily Litella ("Never mind!"), Lisa Looper ("That was so funny I a'most fergot t' LAFFFFF") and, of course, Baba Wawa. We are also treated to Gilda's takeoff of Lucille Ball and her extended "Dancing in the Dark" number with Steve Martin. You may find yourself alternately laughing and crying through The Best of Gilda Radner--crying because this matchless performer left this world much too soon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An international collection of well-known directors contributed to this compilation film, each fashioning a short film inspired by an aria from a famous opera. The approaches vary broadly, from the playful abstraction of Jean-Luc Godard's segment, which illustrates Armide with exercising body-builders, to the more literal approach of Franc Roddam, who transports Tristan und Isolde's story to modern-day Las Vegas. A particular stand-out is Julian Temple's take on Rigoletto, which recasts Verdi as the accompaniment to a contemporary Southern California sex farce. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Theresa Russell, Nicola Swain, (more)
- 1985
Assembled long after John Belushi's death in 1982, The Best of John Belushi is at once hilarious and melancholy. From 1975 to 1979, Belushi was a member in excellent standing of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on NBC's Saturday Night Live. This 60-minute video covers those amazing years, offering such highlights as "Samurai Delicatessen" and "The Honeybees." Best and most poignant of all the scenes is the elegiac "Don't Look Back in Anger". This is the one wherein an aged John Belushi strolls reflectively past the graves of all his SNL costars-then breaks into an exuberant dance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Belushi
Maxwell Smart, the infamous Agent 86 from the '60s television sitcom Get Smart makes his feature-film debut in this goofy espionage spoof. This time, Smart and his cohorts must stop enemy spies from detonating a bomb that would destroy all the world's clothing. On television, the film was renamed The Return of Maxwell Smart. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Adams, Sylvia Kristel, (more)
- 1980
This 1980 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Buck Henry and features musical guest Andrew Gold. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Henry, Andrew Gold, (more)
- 1979
Not to be confused with the 1986 TV miniseries of the same name, Strong Medicine is the bizarre tale of a bizarre young woman, played bizarrely by Kate Manheim. Shunted aside by society in general, she loses all touch with reality. It helps not at all that she comes in contact with several equally "lost" souls. For an avant-garde exercise, Strong Medicine has a remarkably high-profile cast; it also features Raul Julia and My Dinner With Andre's Wallace Shawn. Filmed in 1979, Strong Medicine lay on the shelf unreleased for nearly six years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Manheim
- 1979
This 1979 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Buck Henry and features musical guest Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Henry, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, (more)
- 1979
Culled from a 1979 comedy concert, this sampling of the Wild and Crazy Guy at his wildest and craziest may be familiar to his older fans, but is well worth another go-round. "Happy Feet," "King Tut," the arrows and the bunny ears are all in attendance; by this time, Martin's catchphrase and stock routines were so familiar that audiences began laughing before they even occurred, sometimes shouting the lines in unison just as Martin opens his mouth. The video is rounded out with Martin's Oscar-nominated short subject, The Absent Minded Waiter. Steve Martin Live was directed by Carl Gottleib, an associate of Martin's since his days on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour writing staff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
This 1979 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Buck Henry and features musical guest Bette Midler. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Henry, Bette Midler, (more)
- 1978
This 1978 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Buck Henry and features musical guest the Grateful Dead. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Henry, The Grateful Dead, (more)
- 1978
This 1978 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Buck Henry and features musical guest Sun Ra. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Henry, Sun Ra, (more)
- 1977
This 1977 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Buck Henry and features musical guests Kenny Vance and Jennifer Warnes. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Henry, Kenny Vance, (more)
- 1977
This 1977 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Buck Henry and features musical guest Leon Redbone. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Henry, Leon Redbone, (more)
- 1976
This 1976 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Buck Henry and features musical guest Gordon Lightfoot. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Henry, Gordon Lightfoot, (more)
- 1976
This 1976 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Buck Henry and features musical guests Bill Withers and Toni Basil. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Henry, Bill Withers, (more)
- 1976
This 1976 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Buck Henry and features musical guest the Band. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Henry, The Band, (more)
With Howard Hawks's Bringing Up Baby (1938) as his blueprint, Peter Bogdanovich resurrected and payed homage to 1930s screwball comedy in What's Up, Doc? (1972). When wacky co-ed Judy Maxwell (Barbra Streisand, in the Katharine Hepburn part) spies nebbishy musicologist Howard Bannister (Ryan O'Neal in bespectacled Cary Grant mode) in a San Francisco hotel lobby, she decides that Howard and his precious igneous rocks are right up her alley. Too bad Howard already has a fiancée, the propriety-fixated Eunice (Madeline Kahn in her film debut). Using all her arcane knowledge from brief stays at numerous colleges, Judy tries to charm her way to a $20,000 grant for Howard, and Howard himself, at a banquet with grantor Frederick Larrabee (Austin Pendleton). Things get even more complicated the next day when Judy's underwear-filled overnight bag gets mixed up with Howard's rock bag, which gets mixed up with Mrs. Van Hoskins' bag of jewels, which gets mixed up with Mr. Smith's bag of top secret government papers. All sides converge at Larrabee's mod townhouse and the chase begins. Retaining Hawks' machine-gun pace (as well as the sly pop culture referentiality of Billy Wilder), Bogdanovich and writers Buck Henry, David Newman, and Robert Benton updated the opposites-attract screwball convention for contemporary times. O'Neal gently parodied not only Grant but also his own Love Story (1970) preppy, while Kahn represents stiff-wigged 1950s manners as opposed to Streisand's long-haired, pants-wearing free spirit. The happy ending, in which Cole Porter-belting youth wins out over old manners, found favor with audiences, as What's Up, Doc? became one of the most popular films of 1972, and the second hit in a row for Bogdanovich after 1971's The Last Picture Show. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, (more)
