DVD Review HTF DVD REVIEW: Nickelodeon/The Last Picture Show (1 Viewer)

[Simon Howson]

Of course Arnie's lawyers were smart enough to include their own definition of "break even" that resulted in Schwazaneger receiving millions of additional profits from the theatrical and DVD releases, even though by the studio's own definition, the film never reached "break even".

Whether or not a film is profitable is completely unrelated to whether a studio says a film is profitable. Unfortunately we don't know how much money Nickelodeon made without any hard boxoffice data.

 

[ahollis]

One thing is if all the films that the studios claim did not make money actually did not make money, then the studios would be out of business. Whether a film makes money is based on the accounting practices in place and what the contracts say about how expenses are accounted. Smart people have their participation based on the first dollar taken in at the box office. Of course you need to be Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks or Meryl Streep for that to happen.

The reason for so much confession between AT LONG LAST LOVE and NICKELODEON is they were made back to back with both Burt Reynolds and Cybill Sheppard in them. AT LONG LAST LOVE was the film that ended it all for the great director, at least for several years. While it is difficult to find the BO gross on NICKELODEON, I have it is an old Box Office Magazine that I will hunt for, the box office gross for AT LONG LAST LOVE was 1.5 million and help seal the deal of closing the Radio City Music Hall as a movie theatre (along with other factors). When the picture opened the critics called it the worst film ever made. Now it is camp and some film fans and critics actually talk of it fondly and want to to see it. Time does erase bad memories.

As for The Last Picture Show. Mr. Bogdonvich has tinkered with this film since it's release. For the first VHS release he trimmed the nude swimming party along with some of the pool hall scenes. He has added something back in little by little for the laserdisc, and DVD releases. This film is his passion and I am sure like all good fathers, he wants it to continue to grow to be the best that it can. It is almost a perfect film and one of my all time favorites. I look forward to both films when they arrive (Should have been yesterday). I am glad to hear some of the positive responses on NICELODEON, because of my interest in film history this hits on many marks, from the story to the back-story.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Actually, Shepherd is not in Nickelodeon as they would not let Peter cast her in it. I do think the Daisy Miller-At Long Last Love combo pretty much had a lot of folks turned against Mr. Bogdanovich and this led to the knives already being sharp for Nickelodeon....

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Here's a look at what Nickelodeon played against in 1976....tough year to get noticed!

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Film (distributor) Release Revenue
1 Rocky (UA) Nov 76 $56.525 m

2 A Star is Born (WB) Dec 76 $37.100 m

3 King Kong (Para.) Dec 76 $36.915 m

4 Silver Streak (Fox) Dec 76 $30.018 m

5 All the President's Men (WB) Apr 76 $30.000 m

6 The Omen (Fox) Jun 76 $28.544 m

7 The Bad News Bears (Para.) Apr 76 $24.888 m

8 The Enforcer (WB) Dec 76 $24.000 m

9 In Search of Noah's Ark (Sunn) Jul 76 $23.770 m

10 Midway (Univ.) Jun 76 $21.610 m

11 Silent Movie (Fox) Jun 76 $21.242 m

12 To Fly! (MacFree)*** Jul 76 $20.000 m

13 The Pink Panther Strikes Again (UA) Dec 76 $19.883 m

14 Murder By Death (Colu.) Jun 76 $19.106 m

15 Marathon Man (Para.) Oct 76 $16.575 m

16 Carrie (UA) Nov 76 $15.208 m

17 Network (MGM/UA) Nov 76 $13.922 m

18 The Outlaw Josey Wales (WB) Jun 76 $13.500 m

19 Taxi Driver (Colu.) Feb 76 $12.569 m

20 Freaky Friday (Disney) Dec 76 $11.708 m

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I also found this very interesting. Here are two versions of what went wrong with Nickelodeon:

Complete article here

TINYLINK.com


The Bogdanovich version:

The director says that Columbia Pictures chief David Begelman refused to let him make the movie he wanted to make. "I had to make too many terrible compromises," Bogdanovich told me. "I wanted to do it in black-and-white, but Begelman refused. I wanted Ryan O'Neal's part to be played by John Ritter, I wanted Burt Reynolds' part to be played by Jeff Bridges and I wanted Jane Hitchcock's part to be played by Cybill Shepherd. I had to give in to Begelman, so by the time I started shooting, the movie was already compromised. There were just too many things I regretted having to do that hurt the film."

Bogdanovich still doesn't understand why Begelman refused to let the film be shot in black-and-white, especially since it was made not long after a number of filmmakers had enjoyed b&w hits, notably Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein," Bob Fosse's "Lenny" and Bogdanovich's own "The Last Picture Show."

"The whole idea was to capture the era, since obviously the original films were shot in black and white," he says. "My cinematographer, Laszlo Kovacs, carefully lit everything to accommodate black-and-white, which is why the lighting looks so good. We used a lot of the techniques of the silent era, irising in and out of scenes. There are no opticals at all in the film. But all the studio wanted was another broad comedy like [his 1972 hit] 'What's Up, Doc?' "



The Winkler version:

Best known as a producer of "Rocky" (which came out the same year as "Nickelodeon,") "Raging Bull" and "GoodFellas," Winkler was already a veteran producer by the time he found himself with a hot script in hand by W.D. (Rick) Richter, who went on to write films for Gene Hackman and Barbra Streisand ("All Night Long") and Robert Redford ("Brubaker"). "It was a great script called 'Stardust Memories,' " Winkler told me. "We sold it right away to Begelman, who went after Bogdanovich to direct it because Peter was the hot guy of the moment."

Bogdanovich was so hot that when a meeting was set up, the director didn't come to the studio, the studio chief had to come to him. As Winkler recalls: "He made David come to his office and wait until the receptionist said, 'Mr. Bogdanovich will see you now.' As soon as we came inside, we were very haughtily told that he thought the script was a piece of [garbage]. I'd been around long enough to know that I should take that as a bad sign. I remember coming out of the meeting, saying, 'David, why should we make the movie with someone who hates our script?' And all David said was, 'Hey, he's a genius.' "

Winkler says Bogdanovich proceeded to entirely rewrite the script. "What he filmed had nothing to do with the original script. I know it meant a lot to Peter to have all of the authentic stories about the silent period in the film, but Rick's script, authentic or not, was terrific. It was just a great drama. By the time Peter was done with it, it was authentic, but it wasn't dramatic anymore. Peter hadn't really experienced any failure yet -- we hired him before 'At Long Last Love' had come out -- so he was easily the most arrogant person I'd ever met in the business, before or since. When we shot the picture, he actually directed some of the scenes on horseback. When I asked him why he was on horseback, he said, "Because that's the way John Ford did it.' "

After Bogdanovich had finished editing the picture, Winkler and his producing partner, Robert Chartoff, went to the director's Bel-Air mansion to see his cut of the film. "It was atrocious. I guess we must have made our feelings known, because I remember Bogdanovich's mother, who was apparently living at the mansion at the time, coming in and saying, 'Don't listen to these people. They're the same kind of men who ruined your father.' I have no idea to this day what she meant," say Winkler. "But for Peter to blame the movie's failure on the casting and not being in black-and-white is a really terrible excuse for a guy who simply screwed up a really terrific script."

 

[scribe1964]

I would definitely believe the Winkler version. His description of Bogdnavich at the time matches others I've heard. I read somewhere that many in the industry really enjoyed it when his career when down the drain.

As for the box office of Nikelodeon, according to James Monaco's book, AMERICAN FILM NOW, it did as poorly as "At Long Last Love."

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Yeah, I don't know him but in speaking with different people and reading different things I am well aware that Mr. Bogdanovich is not well liked and in many cases despised. I've never met him so I don't have my own opinion of him. I can say that in talking with people who have interacted with him more recently they claim these days he is a decent guy, perhaps he learned a lesson or two in humility over the years. Again, who am I to say though because I've never met the man.

I basically judge him on his work only and I like many of his films a lot. I loved What's Up Doc?, The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon, and Saint Jack. I really enjoyed They All Laughed, The Cat's Meow, and his Tom Petty film. That gives the guy a pretty good track record in my book.

I think most of the directors from that era (the whole Easy Riders, Raging Bulls period) have an encyclopedia of stories about them that make them seem like real a$%ho!3s....and perhaps they were but they made some fine films.

 

[ahollis]

You are right, my mistake. Cybil was at that time considered box office poison and At Long Last Love did not help change that thought.

Thanks for pointing out my error.

 

[Patrick H.]

The one thing that bugs me about Bogdanovich is that he seems to have appointed himself de facto guardian of the legacies of the older directors he knew like Hitchcock and Welles. He's done a seemingly endless amount of interviews and commentaries for their films on DVD, and they always feature a lot of name-dropping and an overall arch attitude. However, at the same time, I recognize that he is THE source for a lot of this info, because he took pains in the early 70s to befriend and converse with the previous generation of filmmakers to an extent no one else did (at least who's still around).

That said, he certainly made some substantial films in the 70s, and I look forward to seeing 'Nickelodeon.'

 

[Patrick H.]

double-post

 

[Bradley-E]

Ever see IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES? The characters are modeled after Bogdanovich, Polly Platt (his wife at one time) and Cybill Shepherd.

Personally, I have always liked his work. He directed PICTURE SHOW, WHAT'S UP DOC? and PAPER MOON back to back. All three are classics in my opinion. I also liked TARGETS, THEY ALL LAUGHED, NICKELODEON, MASK, SAINT JACK, THE THING CALLED LOVE, and even found things to like in TEXASVILLE.

My guess is that his arrogant additude in Hollywood killed his momentum more than a couple of box office failures. His talent was evident and he really produced quality films. After I while there gets to be a point in Hollywood where you become such a pain in the ass that it is not worth it. Recent example: Lindsay Lohan. I think Bogdanovich's personality was poision more than his films.

 

[Jon Martin]

And he is also on the commentary track (along with those archival recordings) of the upcoming LIBERTY VALANCE and EL DORADO DVDs from Paramount.

 

[Richard--W]

Let's be fair.

In view of all the documentaries and scholarship that's been published on Hitchcock, Welles, and Ford, it's hardly fair to accuse Bogdanovich of appointing himself a de facto guardian. He made a professional effort to understand their methods by studying their work and by interviewing them at length. The old masters respected Bogdanovich, welcomed his friendship, and opened up to him. So he is an obvious choice for biographers, historians, and documentarians who are looking for insights on these directors. He is merely one of a number of authorities who is routinely asked for his input. What you perceive as an arch attitude I perceive as the voice of experience, and if he has an ego, it's because he's earned it.

As a director, some of his more recent films are of very highly quality regardless of box-office performance. If his recent films were financially unsuccessful he wouldn't be making them.

Richard

 

[cadavra]

It's also important to recognize that the Bogdanovich of today is not the Bogdanovich of 30 years ago. He knows he was an ass back then--he sometimes introduces himself as "I used to be Peter Bogdanovich"--and genuinely regrets it; the few times I've spent in his company I've found him to be utterly charming and entertaining. Moreover, even in his worst days, he was still bringing in his pictures on time and on budget, a feat none of his contemporaries can match.

Mike S.

 

[Patrick H.]

True...that is my perception. I don't know him personally. I've also certainly never avoided any supplemental material he's participated in, and indeed often find his info quite valuable. His tone just makes me roll my eyes at times, and he has a tendency to drift into personal anecdotes when I'm interested in more detailed historical info (which I'm certain he probably knows as well).

 

[Bradley-E]

I'd love to sit down and talk film with Bogdanovich. I've always appreciated him as a filmmaker and prefer his work to many directors everyone adores.

 

[scribe1964]

I can't stand it when he does impersonations of his idols. It's SO cheesy.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I have to say I'm one of the people that has no problem listening to Peter talk about film. I think the more stuff he participates in the better.

 

[Erik_H]

I saw "Nickelodeon" in December 1976 under unusual circumstances. As a promotional gimmick, Columbia lowered the admission price for the film to 5 cents for a single screening per theater. I don't recall offhand if the discount was for a public "sneak preview" advance showing shortly before the release date or for the first screening on opening day. I attended one of those 5 cent shows---the theater was packed (a situation that was rarely replicated for screenings at full price). Many theaters participated in this promotion, which attracted a fair amount of attention at the time.

 

[JoeStemme]

Peter Bogdanovich's film remains a timeless masterpiece. It's set in the 1950s, based on a novel from the 1960s and, of course, was released in the 1970s. Still, it has a quality that is beyond a specific period. The coming of age story of two young boys and the small dying town they live in has a universal quality. Intuitively, one knows there are many Sonnys, Duanes, Jacys and Ruth Poppers out there right now.

Larry McMurtry adapted his own novel with Bogdanovich. A semi-autobiographical tale set in Texas, weaves a portrait of a group of characters who seem trapped in a place with little hope. Bogdanovich's partner and wife at the time, Polly Platt, was integral in helping create the look and feel of the film, strikingly shot in Black & White by Robert Surtees.

The cast is exceptional from the young leads, Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepard, to the older characters including Ellen Burstyn, Eileen Brennan and Ben Johnson. Bridges and Burstyn were Oscar nominated and Johnson won for Supporting Actor. Still, it's Cloris Leachman (also an Oscar winner) as a despondent middle-aged wife who truly tears at the soul here. Here misery and desperation reveals so much about not just the characters, but the weariness of small time life. Leachman showed her brilliant skills as a comedienne on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and in Mel Brooks' films - she was a truly exceptional actress. In the decades since it's release, America has seen many towns just like Anarene, Texas wither and fade away. And, not just tiny places, big cities as well.

The reception the film had hugely impacted Bogdanovich. Hailed as the greatest young Directing talent since Orson Welles (with whom Bogdanovich had a complicated relationship), he seemed hell-bent on repeating Welles fall from grace. That's a story for historians to dissect. THE LAST PICTURE SHOW is one of the great films of the 1970s, and it echoes today.