PETER BOGDANOVICH

        The late Peter Bogdanovich, who died recently at 82, had an incredible streak of good films in the early 1970's. He continued to direct but had few winners for some 20 years, then popped onto the radar for one last time.

Bogdanovich began his run with the Oscar-winning and altogether wonderful The Last Picture Show (1971). Perfectly portraying a small, dusty Texas town on the verge of going under, it interweaves several stories of the residents. The main story is about two high school seniors, Duane (Jeff Bridges) and Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) as they play out their last year as best buddies.  It was nominated for eight Oscars. Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman were the only winners. Leachman is heart breaking as the loveless wife of a macho high school coach. Johnson is superb as Sam the Lion, beloved by the community, and  the principled mentor of the kids. Bogdanovich lost to William Friedkin for The French Connection for Best Director.

Next on the Bogdanovich run is What’s Up, Doc (1972) a funny take-off of the madcap comedies of the 1930's and 40's. Ryan O’Neal is the bookish doctor of music Howard Bannister, on his way from Iowa to San Francisco to compete for a musicianship prize. He is accompanied by his tightly-wound fiance played by Madeline Kahn. They encounter bad girl Judy Maxwell (Barbra Streisand) who manages to muddle practically everything. Four plaid suitcases belonging to four different people on the same hotel floor add to the merriment. 

The third instalment of the Bogdanovich series is the enchanting Paper Moon (1973). Bogdanovich favorite Ryan O’Neal is con man Moses Pray, rooking the good people of Kansas and Missouri with nary a qualm. He is joined by Addie, a quite capable waif all of nine years old. She is played by the incredible Tatum O’Neal, Ryan’s real daughter. The two make a formidable pair of con artists. Tatum became the youngest Oscar winner in history for her performance. Lots of fun!

The last Bogdanovich film in this run is Daisy Miller (1974), his adaptation of the novel by Henry James. Peter’s then-girlfriend Sybill Shepherd plays the beautiful but flighty Daisy. The film is almost perfectly true to the source, and was praised by most critics. But- it didn’t make any money and cost Bogdanovich his standing as a producing director with the Hollywood moguls. He blamed himself for not making it “more commercial.”

There follows a series of Bogdanovich movies. Some are mediocre. Some are God-awful. And then he got his big chance and he hit it out of the park.

To Sir, With Love (1996) is a big hit for Peter and for his star, Sidney Poitier. Poitier plays Mark Thackeray, an immigrant from British Guiana. While waiting for his dream engineering job to open up, he agrees to teach high school in London’s gritty East Side. There are ups and downs as Thackeray gradually earns the grudging respect of the kids. The title song, sung by Lulu, was number one on the Billboard chart in 1997. She is the only other recognizable name in the film. 

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. Paper Moon and What’s Up Doc? are suitable for all ages. The rest are for grown-ups.