RON HOWARD

                                                             Part One

He was perhaps the most beloved child in America, and it’s pretty obvious that for years many of Hollywood’s heavy hitters couldn’t shake the image of Ron Howard as little Opie Taylor on the Andy Griffith Show. That might account for the fact that he was nominated for a directorial Oscar for the first time for A Beautiful Mind (2001), despite several previous stellar efforts. Well, at least Mr. Howard won that year, and his film won Best Picture.

A Beautiful Mind is one terrific movie! Russell Crowe is just fantastic as John Nash, a brilliant but deeply disturbed mathematician who in fact won the Nobel Prize despite his handicap. Jennifer Connelly grabbed her own Oscar as Nash’s long-suffering wife. This is a director’s movie, and Mr. Howard gets every ounce out of the story. 

Since that triumph, Mr. Howard has directed Russell Crowe and Rene Zellwegger in Cinderella Man (2005), a much underrated film about the incredible comeback of heavyweight boxer James Braddock. 

Ron Howard’s achievement in directing Apollo 13 (1995) is considerable, because everyone in the world knows the ending- Apollo 13 did not crash and burn, but returned safely to earth. And yet, this is one of the most edge-of-your-seat, suspense-filled movies ever made. A stellar cast includes Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise and Ed Harris. The special effects are totallly convincing. And this movie will leave you gasping in spite of yourself! Yet the 1995 directing Oscar went to Mel Gibson for Braveheart. Oh, please...

Cocoon (1986) is a real charmer and Ron Howard ably directs a cast of older actors, including Don Ameche (Oscar, Best Supporting Actor), Hume Cronyn, Wilford Brimley, Brian Dennehy and Jack Gilford. Florida senior citizens discover a real fountain of youth, and the results are not always expected but are always funny and entertaining. 

Tom Hanks connects with Ron Howard again in the clever and winning Splash (1984) with Daryl Hannah as a real mermaid who is found in the city by Mr. Hanks. He falls for her, and what to do with and for her becomes his joy and his plague, and great entertainment for us. 

Ron Howard’s first big hit was the underrated Night Shift (1982) with Henry Winkler (The Fonz!) as a quiet introvert working in a morgue because of the stillness, and Michael Keaton as his manic, off-the-wall assistant who hatches a wild plot to use their workplace as a brothel. . 

All of the movies in this column are available on DVD. All are suitable for kids 12 and up. This is the first of three planned articles about this great director. Watch this space!