Ralph Rosenblum Movies
A former shipping clerk and messenger, Ralph Rosenblum served with the Office of War Information during World War II. Rosenblum worked as an apprentice editor in the OWI's film department, which led to a postwar assignment as assistant editor on Robert Flaherty's The Louisiana Story (1948). He spent most of the 1950s as a TV film editor, graduating to theatrical features with 1958's Country Music Holiday. In the early 1960s, Rosenblum was one of the most trusted associates of filmmaker Sidney Lumet, editing such major Lumet productions as Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962), Fail-Safe (1964) and The Pawnbroker (1965). One of Rosenblum's favorite devices was to insert nouvelle vague-style flashbacks and flashforwards to break up otherwise static scenes, or to provide crucial plot points that the director had overlooked. He also had a fondness for using seemingly incongruous background music as comic punctuation: in both A Thousand Clowns (1965, which he also co-produced) and The Night They Raided Minsky's (1967), he pepped up slow-moving scenes with rousing renditions of "The Hallelujah Chorus." In his autobiography When the Shooting Stops...the Cutting Begins: A Film Editor's Story, Rosenblum claimed to have saved the maiden directorial efforts of Mel Brooks (The Producers) and Woody Allen (Take the Money and Run) by ruthlessly pruning miles of chaotic footage and imposing strict rules of continuity. While Brooks would later refute Rosenblum's claims, it is clear that Allen appreciated the editor's artistic "intrusions," since he employed Rosenblum as editor of his subsequent features Sleeper (1973), Love and Death (1975), Annie Hall (1977) and Interiors (1978). Annie Hall won Rosenblum the British equivalent of the Academy Award. Rosenblum turned director himself in 1980, helming several of PBS' American Playhouse projects ("The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg," "Greatest Man in the World," "Any Friend of Nicholas Nickelby is a Friend of Mine") and one theatrical feature, Stiffs (1986). Ralph Rosenblum spent his last years working out of his New York headquarters as an editorial consultant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A CIA agent recruits a meek family man for a secret mission involving interstellar communication and copious violence in this tongue-in-cheek buddy flick from the writer/producer of The Golden Child. Insurance salesman Bob Wilson (John Ritter) is the kind of guy who stands by while suburban punks steal his kid's bike. Nick Pirandello (James Belushi) is the exact opposite -- a brash, womanizing alpha male revered within the CIA for his many successful secret missions. When a fellow agent who looks exactly like Bob gets killed just days before he's due to head up a very delicate mission, Nick recruits the reluctant Bob to help out. As Bob gets drawn deeper into a world of Russian hit men, transsexual beauties, and secret-agent hijinks, he slowly gains the self-confidence that's always escaped him. Meanwhile, he's constantly at the mercy of Nick's tongue-in-cheek humor, so he's a little skeptical when Nick reveals that the big meeting is with a group of aliens who want to share their advanced technology with humans. As it turns out, there may be something to Nick's outrageous story -- if only Bob can survive long enough to find out. The lone directorial credit for screenwriter/producer Dennis Feldman, Real Men features Barney Miller vet Barbara Barrie in a supporting role as Nick's placid, accommodating mother. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Belushi, John Ritter, (more)
In this comedy, a young German woman named Elaine Hines (Hanna Schygulla) moves to New York City with dreams of becoming a writer. Elaine becomes entangled in a mystery and falls in with a group of gangsters who lead her through a series of crazy adventures. Released on video under the title Crazy Streets, this movie featured an appearance by Deborah Harry and was Alec Baldwin's first screen appearance. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hanna Schygulla, Deborah Harry, (more)
- 1985
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Mary Trimble wrote this TV adaptation of Ray Bradbury's short story. Brian Svrusis, a 12-year-old growing up in an small American town in the 1940s, comes to idolize mysterious stranger Fred Gwynne. Claiming that he's Charles Dickens, Gwynne holds Svrusis in thrall by revealing details of his "work in progress" Tale of Two Cities. The boy's fascination with Gwynne seriously erodes his relationship with his more pragmatic best friend. Any Friend of Nicholas Nickelby is a Friend of Mine was first telecast February 9, 1982, on PBS's American Playhouse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A deadly boating accident derails the life of a sensitive youngster, leading to confusion, madness and murder. Years after the incident, Angela (Felissa Rose) is still withdrawn and rarely speaks, living a sheltered life with her aunt and cousin Ricky (Jonathan Tiersten). The two young teens are sent off to Camp Arawak to spend the summer, and though Ricky attends every year and has plenty of friends, Angela is unable to fit in and finds herself the target of cruel taunts from her bunkmates. Her cousin is always ready to stick up for her, and she begins a timid romance with Ricky's best friend Paul (Christopher Collet), but it isn't enough to stop the abuse from their fellow campers. Soon a series of fatal accidents is plaguing Camp Arawak; a pedophilic cook is scalded alive, a practical joker drowns mysteriously and the boys' restroom becomes the scene of a horrific bee swarm attack. The campers are fleeing in droves, and the few who remain begin suspecting foul play. But who is the killer? The camp's owner (Mike Kellin) believes that the killings are only meant to ruin his business, and he's convinced that the hot-tempered Ricky is to blame. When the evening of the camp social arrives, it proves to be the bloodiest night of all, and a terrible secret is revealed in a bizarre confrontation on the beach. This offbeat slasher mystery (also known as Nightmare Vacation) has earned a sizable cult following for its twisted sensibilities and inspired a pair of direct-to-video sequels. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Kellin, Jonathan Tiersten, (more)
A fallen angel is sent to Earth to win back his heavenly status by bringing a feuding couple together again, but only divine intervention could turn this script around. The angel is Gabriel (Irwin Corey), a judge with a variety of digestive problems who scratches where it itches, when it itches -- and Carol (Virginia Penta) and Bill (Mark Mikulski) are the couple now in court to settle a palimony suit. Flashbacks to the couples' happier days, simulated sex, and nudity fill in the time to the final court decision. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irwin Corey, Virginia Penta, (more)
- 1982
Amy's angel is her guardian angel who, seeing her in a despondent state (from her parents' recent divorce and a painful lack of friends) shows Amy the bright side of her life, helping Amy understand the wonder that's waiting in this world, just for her. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1981
Hollywood veterans Henry Fonda and Myrna Loy co-starred for the first and only time in the 60-minute TV drama Summer Solstice. Fonda and Loy portray Joshua and Margaret Turner, who during their fiftieth year of marriage pay a visit to the Cape Cod beach where they first fell in love. In flashback, we see how Joshua, an aspiring artist, began surreptitiously sketching Margaret as she reclined nude in an isolated section of the beach. We then follow their relationship through all its triumphs, tragedies and occasional infidelities. Stephen Collins and Lindsay Crouse play the younger Joshua and Margaret in the flashback sequences. Written by Bill Phillips and directed by the famed film editor Ralph Rosenblum, Summer Solstice was produced by Boston's WCVB-TV; its ABC network premiere occurred on December 30, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Fonda, Myrna Loy, (more)
The Greatest Man in the World is based on a genteelly vitriolic short story by James Thurber. Brad Davis stars as a '30s-era aviator who becomes a national hero when he flies solo nonstop around the world. The problem: Davis is an illiterate boor. It's up to the journalists who've elevated Davis to idol status to exercise the "damage control" that will make the aviator public-friendly. Howard Da Silva and Carol Kane co-star in this February 18, 1980, presentation of PBS' "American Short Story." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
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Filmed in Vermont, The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg is based on one of Mark Twain's more mysoginistic works. Mysterious stranger Robert Preston shows up in Hadleyburg, a town that prides itself upon the honesty and integrity of its leaders. Preston offers $40,000 in gold to the anonymous Hadleyburg citizen who, years earlier, had given Preston a handout and some valuable advice. The stranger sends letters to each of Hadleyburg's nineteen finest families, containing cryptic clues pointing to the identity of the beneficiary of the gold. Before the story is over, it becomes painfully clear that 18 of the town's "nineteeners" are willing to lie and deceive in order to claim the prize. Adapted by Mark Harris (who was compelled to sweat out 40 pages of the original story in order to make it "play" on TV), The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg was first presented in tandem with a dramatization of William Faulkner's Barn Burning on PBS' American Short Story series; the program first aired on March 17, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Diane Keaton, Kristin Griffith, and Mary Beth Hurt play Renata, Flyn, and Joey, the grown daughters of wealthy Arthur (E.G. Marshall) and his emotionally disturbed wife, Eve (Geraldine Page). When Arthur leaves Eve, her three daughters rally around her. As it turns out, none of the daughters are ideally suited to provide an "anchor" for their distracted mother, but all four women are strengthened by their renewed relationship. Interiors received five Oscar nominations, including Best Director for Woody Allen, Best Original Screenplay for Allen, Best Actress for Geraldine Page, Best Supporting Actress for Maureen Stapleton (who plays Arthur's new love), and Best Art Direction for Mel Bourne and Daniel Robert. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristin Griffith, Mary Beth Hurt, (more)
- 1977
- PG
Shortly before the bank examiner is due to arrive, higher-ups at a small-town bank discover that a beloved long-term employee has embezzled $100,000. The embezzler (Paul Sand), says he did it just to point out a flaw in the bank's bookkeeping practices. Bank officers Jack and Emanuel (Burgess Meredith and Richard Basehart) cook up a scheme to cover up the theft, which, incidentally, will net them an additional hundred grand. The supposedly secret embezzlement and bank examiner visit becomes known throughout the tight-knit community. Some pillars of the community see it as an opportunity for gain and others want to help save reputations, but everyone gets involved. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burgess Meredith, Richard Basehart, (more)
Woody Allen's romantic comedy of the Me Decade follows the up and down relationship of two mismatched New York neurotics. Jewish comedy writer Alvy Singer (Allen) ponders the modern quest for love and his past romance with tightly-wound WASP singer Annie Hall (Diane Keaton, née Diane Hall). The twice-divorced Alvy knows that it's not easy to find a mate when the options include pretentious New York intellectuals and lifestyle-obsessed Rolling Stone writers, but la-di-dah-ing Annie seems different. Along the rocky road of their coupling, Allen/Alvy weigh in on such topics as endless therapy, movies vs. TV, the absurdity of dating rituals, anti-Semitism, drugs, and, in one of the best set pieces, repressed Midwestern WASP insanity vs. crazy Brooklyn Jewish boisterousness. Annie wants to move to Los Angeles to find that fame that finally does in the relationship -- but not before Alvy gets in a few digs at vacuous, mantra-fixated California. Originally entitled Anhedonia (the inability to enjoy oneself), Annie Hall blended the slapstick and fantasy from such earlier Allen films as Sleeper (1973) and Bananas (1971) with the more autobiographical musings of his stand-up and written comedy, using an array of such movie techniques as talking heads, splitscreens, and subtitles. Within these gleeful formal experiments and sight gags, Allen and co-writer Marshall Brickman skewered 1970s solipsism, reversing the happy marriage of opposites found in classic screwball comedies. Hailed as Allen's most mature and personal film, Annie Hall beat out Star Wars for Best Picture and also won Oscars for Allen as director and writer and for Keaton as Best Actress; audiences enthusiastically responded to Allen's take on contemporary love and turned Keaton's rumpled menswear into a fashion trend. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, (more)
Many observers consider the 60-minute Bernice Bobs Her Hair to be the best-ever filmed adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Bernice (Shelley Duvall), a shy retiring girl of the Roaring 20s, yearns to be popular. On the advice of her flapper cousin Marjorie (Veronica Cartwright), Bernice cuts her unfashionable long hair into a short bob, begins dressing more stylishly, and learns the Most Valuable Rule: "When you're with a man, there are only three topics of conversation: you, me and us." Bernice Bobs Her Hair first aired on PBS' American Playhouse on April 5, 1977. It was telecast in tandem with a dramatization of Sherwood Anderson's oft-adapted I'm a Fool. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Duvall, Bud Cort, (more)
Woody Allen's Love and Death is purportedly a satire of all things Russian, from Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky novels to Sergei Eisenstein films, but it plays more like a spin on Bob Hope's Monsieur Beaucaire. Allen plays Boris, a 19th century Russian who falls in love with his distant (and married) cousin Sonja (Diane Keaton). Pressed into service with the Russian army during the war against Napoleon, Boris accidentally becomes a hero, then goes on to win a duel against a cuckolded husband (Harold Gould). He returns to Sonja, hoping to settle down on the Steppes somewhere, but Sonja has become fired up with patriotic fervor, insisting that Boris join a plot to kill Napoleon. Intellectual in-jokes abound in Love and Death, and other gags are basic Allen one-liners; for instance, after being congratulated for his lovemaking skills, Boris replies nonchalantly, "I practice a lot when I'm alone." The pseudo-Russian ambience of Love and Death is comically enhanced by the Sergey Prokofiev compositions on the musical track. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, (more)
In 1973, health-food store owner Miles Monroe (Woody Allen) enters the hospital for a routine gall bladder operation. When he expires on the operating table, Miles' sister requests permission to cryogenically freeze her brother's body. After 200 years, Miles is unwrapped by a group of scientists and awakens to a "brave new world" of deadening conformity, ruled with an iron fist by a never-seen leader. Miles is forced to flee for his life when the scientists -- actually a group of revolutionary activists -- are overpowered by the leader's police. He eludes the cops by pretending to be an android, and in this guise is sent to work at the home of Luna (Diane Keaton), a composer of greeting cards who thinks that the world of the future is perfect as it stands. There's more, but why spoil your fun? Sleeper is the most visual of Woody Allen's earlier films, and demonstrated a more pronounced rapport between Allen and his off- and onscreen leading lady Diane Keaton than had previously existed. The Dixieland score is performed by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, (more)
Set during the Civil War, Bad Company stars Barry Brown as a Northern boy, Drew Dixon, who heads West to avoid getting drafted. He falls under the spell of Jake Rumsey (Jeff Bridges), an easygoing young con artist. Drew joins Jake's gang of boy bandits, who live by their wits and try to avoid confrontation with adult criminals like Big Joe (David Huddleston). It is Drew who must eventually save Jake from hanging, even though he realizes that his intervention could lead to his own execution. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
One of Woody Allen's earlier, more slapstick-oriented efforts, Bananas tells the story of Fielding Mellish (Allen), a neurotic New Yorker who follows the object of his affections, Nancy (Louise Lasser), to the fictional Central American country of San Marcos, where she is involved in a revolution. Nancy wants nothing to do with Fielding, but he soon becomes a guest of the country's dictator (Carlos Montalban), before accidentally becoming the leader of San Marcos himself. Fielding is eventually shipped back to the US and tried as a subversive, but being that this is a comedy, and an especially light one at that, everything works out in the end. A far cry from Allen's later, more somber films, Bananas still works as an often hilarious amalgam of sight gags, one-liners, and bizarre asides. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Louise Lasser, (more)
Born to Win is the grimly ironic title of this jet-black comedy about heroin addicts. George Segal plays Jay Jay, an ex-hairdresser who struggles to support his expensive drug habit. To avoid arrest, Jay Jay turns "narc," informing on his fellow junkies. Eventually Jay Jay's sense of self-hatred threatens to overwhelm him. Also released as Born to Lose and Addict, Born to Win was the first American film for Czech director Ivan Passer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Segal, Karen Black, (more)
- 1970
- R
Based on a novel by Harry Kressing, Something for Everyone must hold some sort of record for having the largest number of unsympathetic characters within a single film. Mercenary layabout Michael York talks himself into a footman's job at the estate of dissipated countess Angela Lansbury. In his efforts to advance himself socially and monetarily, York stops at nothing--including murder. He is eventually roasted on his own spit, courtesy of Lansbury's gross, ugly daughter Jane Carr. Guiding the debauched destinies of the characters is none other than Broadway luminary Harold Prince. The film has also been released as The Rook and Black Flowers for the Bride. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angela Lansbury, Michael York, (more)
Don't Drink The Water is taken from a play by Woody Allen. Walter Hollander (Jackie Gleason) is a middle-aged caterer from Newark, New Jersey who takes his wife Marion (Estelle Parsons) and his teenage daughter Susan (Joan Delaney) on a tour of Europe. When their plane is high-jacked to Vulgaria, Walter is mistaken for an international spy when he takes some photographs. Secret agent Krojack (Michael Constantine) is dispatched to capture the alleged spy. The family takes refuge in the American embassy where Axel Magee (Ted Bessell) is the son of the ambassador. Axel arranges for the family to stay there, but leaving then becomes the problem. Susan's problems are solved when she and Axel are married, providing her with diplomatic immunity. Walter and Marion are forced to disguise themselves as part of an Arab delegation to escape from Vulgaria. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Gleason, Estelle Parsons, (more)
When Woody Allen's fans refer to his "earlier, funnier" pictures, they often cite his directorial debut as a shining example. Co-written by Allen and Mickey Rose, this side-splitting takeoff of crime documentaries stars Allen as Virgil Starkwell, a sweetly inept career criminal. The film's most celebrated sequence involves Virgil's inability to write coherent holdup notes ("I have a gub"), but others include Virgil's losing battle with a recalcitrant coke machine and his misguided effort to emulate John Dillinger by carving a gun out of a bar of soap (his weapon disintegrates in a heavy rain). As was often the case in Allen's early films, not all the gags work, but for the most part, Take the Money and Run is a delight, enhanced by the on-target supporting performances of Janet Margolin, Marcel Hillaire, and (uncredited) Louise Lasser, as well as the energetic musical score of Marvin Hamlisch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Janet Margolin, (more)
Based on one of author Phillip Roth's shorter works, Goodbye Columbus stars Richard Benjamin as Neil, a young man of humble means who falls in love with Jewish-American-princess Brenda (Ali MacGraw). Their romance is out of the question so far as Brenda's suburbanite parents are concerned, so Neil and Brenda rendezvous in some of the sleaziest motels ever seen in a 1960s film (and that assessment includes The Bates Motel). Unwilling to take birth control pills because they upset her tummy, Brenda opts for a diaphragm, which unfortunately is discovered by her mother. Their rocky relationship comprises the bulk of the film. The trendy, New Wave-influenced direction by Larry Peerce gained a great deal of critical attention in 1969, notably such self-indulgent devices as having a close-up of a girl's navel dissolve into a long-shot of a swimming pool. Far more memorable is Peerce's amusingly straight-on depictions of upper-class Jewish/American social functions. In their film debuts, Richard Benjamin and Ali MacGraw are appealingly awkward; the more memorable performance is delivered by Michael Meyers as MacGraw's adenoidal younger brother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Benjamin, Ali MacGraw, (more)
- 1969
This trilogy begins with "Miriam" in which the title character (Susan Dunfee) watches as her longtime nanny Miss Miller (Mildred Natwick) slowly sinks into insanity. In "Among The Paths to Eden," Mary (Maureen Stapleton) is a lonely woman searching for a husband among the widowers paying respects to their dearly departed at a local cemetery. "A Christmas Memory" concerns the childhood recollections of a woman who slowly loses her mind. The last segment is narrated by the author and was shown on ABC television, winning both an Emmy and Peabody Award. The success of the program prompted Capote and Eleanor Perry to expand this feature to a trilogy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mildred Natwick, Susan Dunfee, (more)
- 1968
Bye Bye Braverman is a bittersweet adaptation of Wallace Markfield's coldly cynical novel To an Early Grave. Braverman, an idealistic minor author, dies; his four best friends, writers who in one way or another have all sold out, decide to attend his funeral. The foursome includes a disenchanted magazine writer (George Segal), a poet (Jack Warden), a book reviewer (Sorrell Booke), and an embittered bellyacher (Joseph Wiseman). Taking a picaresque journey from Greenwich Village to Brooklyn, the quartet never quite gets to the funeral, but their odyssey unearths many a self-revelation and previously unspoken truth. Like its four leading characters, Bye Bye Braverman loses its way towards the end, bringing this otherwise insightful comedy/drama to a muddied conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Segal, Jack Warden, (more)
