Goldie Hawn : 'American Cinema's First Modern Comedienne'
Jul 11, 2024 0:10:26 GMT
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Post by petrolino on Jul 11, 2024 0:10:26 GMT
Goldie Hawn : 'Tickling The Funny Bone (& Ticklin' The Keys) ... '
I've seen just about all of Goldie Hawn's films made between the 1960s and the 1990s but need to catch up a bit this century. She made her feature film debut as one of the dancing girls in Michael O'Herlihy's Disney favourite 'The One And Only, Genuine, Original Family Band' (1968), which featured Kurt Russell among its cast. Her second appearance came in Gus Trikonis' biker picture 'The Sidehackers' (1969).
"Goldie Hawn is held in huge esteem by her public, in part because she clawed her way up into Hollywood the old-fashioned way, via the chorus line. Born in Washington, DC, she was raised by a dance school owner mother and band musician father. Her mother was the daughter of Jewish immigrants and Hawn was raised in the faith and now usually refers to herself as "Jewish-Buddhist".
She took ballet and tap lessons from the age of three and danced in professional ballet at the age of 10. At 16, she appeared as Juliet in a festival production of Romeo and Juliet. She dropped out of a drama major at the American University, Washington, DC, to take up professional dance work, which eventually led to her being spotted for a role in the 1967 sitcom Good Morning, World. Her reputation as the ditzy blonde with the infectious laugh was born.
Already a household name for her comic turns in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, her most critically acclaimed role came in 1969 with an Academy Award for best supporting actress for Cactus Flower alongside Ingrid Bergman and Walter Matthau."
- Viv Groskop, The Guardian
Dancing dropout Goldie Hawn worked as a ballet teacher in Washington D.C. in the early 1960s
She took ballet and tap lessons from the age of three and danced in professional ballet at the age of 10. At 16, she appeared as Juliet in a festival production of Romeo and Juliet. She dropped out of a drama major at the American University, Washington, DC, to take up professional dance work, which eventually led to her being spotted for a role in the 1967 sitcom Good Morning, World. Her reputation as the ditzy blonde with the infectious laugh was born.
Already a household name for her comic turns in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, her most critically acclaimed role came in 1969 with an Academy Award for best supporting actress for Cactus Flower alongside Ingrid Bergman and Walter Matthau."
- Viv Groskop, The Guardian
Dancing dropout Goldie Hawn worked as a ballet teacher in Washington D.C. in the early 1960s
"An actress I’d love to work with is Nicole Kidman, or Goldie Hawn. I love them and would kill to work with them."
- Linnea Quigley, Cinema Crazed
Quentin Tarantino discusses 'Cactus Flower' with Kim Morgan
- Linnea Quigley, Cinema Crazed
Quentin Tarantino discusses 'Cactus Flower' with Kim Morgan
Hawn opened the new decade with a British film, Roy Boulting's comedy 'There's A Girl In My Soup' (1970), a spirited comic vehicle tailored specifically to the talents of its star Peter Sellers. 1970 was a good year for Sellers as he headlined Alvin Rakoff's social drama 'Hoffman' (1970) and appeared in Simon Hesera's cult arthouse picture 'A Day At The Beach' (1970). He'd close the decade with Hal Ashby's satire 'Being There' (1979) but there were some serious mis-steps in between, including a career nadir with Joseph McGrath's 'The Great McGonagall' (1974). Sellers also witnessed the demise of a long creative partnership he'd maintained with Boulting when they collaborated on one of the worst bedroom farces ever made, the wartime chastise 'Soft Beds, Hard Battles' (1974).
Sellers' temporary reinvigoration in 1970 seemed to stem from an injection of oomph given him by Hawn in 'There's A Girl In My Soup' and Irish actress Sinéad Cusack in 'Hoffman'. "Age gap" films showcasing veteran actors being pursued by young actresses (and vice versa) were all the rage at the time so it's natural that Hawn wound up in one; other examples would be Menahem Golan's 'What's Good For The Goose' (1969), Don Henderson's 'Weekend With The Babysitter' (1970), Richard Donner's 'Twinky' (1969) and Clint Eastwood's 'Breezy' (1973). She'd go on to better things but her performance here remains enjoyable.
“My mom has always been an inspiration to me and, in so many ways, the foundation for my values. There’s no doubt that I inherited her love for life and all of its experiences, big and small.”
- Kate Hudson, The Independent
- Kate Hudson, The Independent
Musician and bandleader Edward Rutledge Hawn and dance student Goldie Hawn (his daughter) look over sheet music for 'As Long As He Needs Me' at their home in Takoma Park, Maryland in 1960 (photographed by Joseph Klipple) [Getty Images]
# I'd recommend the album 'Goldie' (1972) by Goldie Hawn. Here's the tracklist ~ 'My Blue Tears' 2:14 / 'Wynken, Blynken And Nod' 2:32 / 'Butterfly' 3:20 / 'Uncle Pen' 2:40 / 'The House Song' 4:02 / 'I'll Be Your Baby Tonight' 3:00 / 'Carey' 2:46 / 'Cloudy Summer Afternoon' 2:45 / 'Ring Bell' 3:00 / 'I Wanna Woo You' 2:30 / 'Pasadena' 2:45.
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Below, I've picked out what I consider to be her funniest movies made between 1971 and 1980, a decade of subversive cinema in which she helped define the role of the modern film comedienne. If you're at all curious as to whether her bond with friend and fellow 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In' cast member Lily Tomlin has lasted, just recently they were all smiles while being photographed together attending an event honouring George Schlatter at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, California.
01. '$' (1971 - Richard Brooks) : Dawn Divine
I think every performer needs a strong director to bring out their true potential. Goldie Hawn found this in Richard Brooks, an intelligent, literary and innovative filmmaker who directed some of the enduring classics of 20th century cinema. The satirical crime caper '$' at times plays like an instrumental musical set in the underworld, bolstered by a blistering music score from funk maestro Quincy Jones.
"The premise has a beautiful simplicity to it. Safety-deposit vaults in Hamburg are being used by an assortment of white-collar crooks to hold money they legally shouldn't possess. There is a supply sergeant who is ripping off the U.S. Army, a shady character from Los Vegas, a guy who deals in drugs, and so on. The thing they have in common is that they can't squawk if they find their lock-boxes empty. They weren't supposed to be full to begin with.
This situation gradually emerges during the first 15 minutes of Richard Brooks' "$", a slick and breakneck caper movie that runs like a well-oiled thrill. Warren Beatty plays a smooth-talking American expert in anti-burglary devices, Goldie Hawn gets a job in the bank and they devise an exquisitely complicated plan that gets Beatty into the bank vault but out of view while the entire bank staff applauds what they think is, a demonstration of the latest Yankee Security devices.
The story is of course much more complicated than that, but twists, turns and double-reverse whammies are the very soul of the caper movie. Brooks, a craftsman writer-director whose recent credits includes "The Professionals" and "In Cold Blood," has fun with the structure of his movie. It works something like recent Robert Altman films; Brooks never stops to explain anything, never lingers over a plot, never bores us with lectures and explanations. Instead, all his characters plunge ahead, obsessed with greed.
Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn are weirdly interesting together. Their acting styles lie at right angles, so you get two textures in the same scene. Since the visual style of the movie keeps whamming textures against each other, this contrast in the acting really works.
Beatty is the best con man in movies, certainly since Clark Gable died. He is filled with deals, angles, things he has to pull you over in a corner to whisper. He can make you rich tomorrow, and himself, too, one of these days. And he has an unusual kind narcissism -- unusual for an actor. He isn't narcissistic about himself, but about his style; he's in love with conning people.
Up against Beatty's con, Goldie Hawn is pure gullibility. Her eyes are big enough to make a Keane painting look representational, and when she walks, it's as if she were finally getting the knack. How these two people got together is never made much of in "$." They're too absorbed in getting all those dollars, those marks and liras and francs, out of that vault and into their arms. It is good to see people who enjoy working together. Brooks is good at showing it too; we got a sense of camaraderie in a shared goal in "The Professionals" and "In Cold Blood," and now in "$." All of the goals are illegal, of course, but that's the frosting."
- Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times
Heist!
Hawn matches wits here with Warren Beatty as Brooks crafts a scintilating look at time spent on the grift; Hawn and Beatty would go on to make Hal Ashby's seminal social drama 'Shampoo' (1975). An important aspect of Hawn's work in '$' is it established her as one of crime cinema's wildcards for decades to come. Some of her best work in the crime genre would include Steven Spielberg's road thriller 'The Sugarland Express' (1974), John Badham's chase thriller 'Bird On A Wire' (1990), Damian Harris' suspense thriller 'Deceived' (1991) and Chris Menges' depressing hustle drama 'CrissCross' (1992).
02. 'Butterflies Are Free' (1972 - Milton Katselas) : Jill Tanner
The gentle comic drama 'Butterflies Are Free' is set in San Francisco, California in the 1970s. It's the story of a young blind man, Don Baker (Edward Albert), who moves in to a new apartment for the first time and looks to consolidate his sense of independence. Jill Tanner (Goldie Hawn) moves in to a nearby apartment and becomes Don's new neighbour. The two become friends but Jill doesn't get along with Mrs. Baker (Eileen Heckart), Don's protective mother.
'I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free. Mankind will surely not deny to Harold Skimpole what it concedes to the butterflies.'
- Charles Dickens, 'Bleak House' (1852)
- Charles Dickens, 'Bleak House' (1852)
'Butterflies Are Free' - The Free Design
'Butterflies Are Free' is based on a play by Leonard Gershe who was also a popular lyricist. It's a beautiful film about dealing with loneliness that suggests it's good to step outside your comfort zone from time to time.
The action here is photographed by legendary cinematographer Charles Lang and directed by Milton Katselas who also staged the play on Broadway. It's less overtly dramatic in its style than either Robert Ellis Miller's 'The Girl From Petrovka' (1974) or Jonathan Demme's 'Swing Shift' (1984), two more Hawn films I enjoy, so I'm comfortable including it here.
# On screen, Goldie Hawn demonstrates that unique Hungarian quirkiness, like Bela Lugosi, Peter Lorre, Paul Lukas, Tony Curtis etc., thanks to her family heritage.
03) 'The Duchess And The Dirtwater Fox' (1976 - Melvin Frank) : Amanda Quaid / Duchess Swansbury / Bluebird
In 'The Duchess And The Dirtwater Fox', a cabaret artist from the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts works the Barbary Coast bar scene in San Francisco, California where she performs songs in English and German while leading collectives of chorus girls. Goldie Hawn plays this cosmopolitan grifter who engages in a battle of wits with an Irish-American card sharp played by George Segal. In her hands, the art of turning tricks becomes permanently extended foreplay.
"Who would play me in the film of my life? Goldie Hawn. I love her so much."
- Emma Bunton, The Guardian
- Emma Bunton, The Guardian
'Blue Eyes' - The Peppermint Trolley Company
Hawn portrays multiple personalities in 'The Duchess And The Dirtwater Fox'. The Duchess is like a cross between Mary Poppins, Miss Jean Brodie and Calamitous Jane, fluent in the latin languages of French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish (all at once) as well as German. The film is a satire on organised religion, free enterprise and multiculturalism that takes a piquant view of the politics and philosophy of monetised exhibitionism, the forms it takes and potential consequences of this.
04. 'Foul Play' (1978 - Colin Higgins) : Gloria Mundy
The elegant mystery 'Foul Play' sees a librarian drawn in to a web of intrigue centred around the search for a missing roll of film. It returns Goldie Hawn once again to the city of San Francisco to play a role that was written with her in mind.
“When we – or our children – are stressed, anxious, bored, or unhappy, we are much less able to cope with problems and take in new information. Our brains close tight like a fist. If we are happy, relaxed and curious, on the other hand, our brains open like a flower.”
- Goldie Hawn, '10 Mindful Minutes'
'Palm Desert' - Van Dyke Parks
The success of 'Foul Play' led to a television spin-off, 'Foul Play', which aired in 1981. This is the first of a brace of funny films Hawn made with comedian Chevy Chase that conversely helped establish him as a serious actor.
05. 'Private Benjamin' (1980 - Howard Zieff) : Private Judith Benjamin
Goldie Hawn ventured to Italy to work with the great comic director Mario Monicelli on 'Lovers And Liars' (1979); Monicelli was one of the architects of an influential film movement that came to be known as "commedia all'Italiana" (comedy Italian style). She planned on making the sports comedy 'The Main Event' (1979) with director Howard Zieff but when she dropped out Barbra Streisand stepped in. Fortunately, she got to work with Zieff just a year later on the military comedy 'Private Benjamin'.
“The business was changing while I was in it. Conglomerates were coming in, starting to buy studios. Now it’s all about being on the stock market, building amusement parks.
Videotapes started back then, and I remember Jack Nicholson saying, ‘I’m never going to be on one of those small screens!’ And I thought, Dude, I don’t think we have a choice!”
- Goldie Hawn, Vanity Fair
'Blueberry Blue' - The Lemon Pipers
The success of 'Private Benjamin' led to a television spin-off, 'Private Benjamin', which aired from 1981 to 1983.
06. 'Seems Like Old Times' (1980 - Jay Sandrich) : Glenda Gardenia Parks
Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase were reunited for 'Seems Like Old Times' which was written by playwright Neil Simon. I'd rank it among the very best Neil Simon movies, beautifully performed and expertly directed by Jay Sandrich, son of filmmaker and musical specialist Mark Sandrich.
“I consider myself more a dancer than anything else.”
- Goldie Hawn, The Guardian
Quentin Tarantino ponders the differences between Chevy Chase and Bill Murray movies ['The Joe Rogan Experience']
Hawn would go on to make more films with comic elements I feel are worth seeing. My favourites would be Norman Jewison's comic drama 'Best Friends' (1982), Herbert Ross' political satire 'Protocol' (1984), Michael Ritchie's sports comedy 'Wildcats' (1986), Garry Marshall's romantic comedy 'Overboard' (1987), John Badham's comic thriller 'Bird On A Wire' (1990), Robert Zemeckis' comedy horror 'Death Becomes Her' (1992), Frank Oz's neo-screwball 'Housesitter' (1992) and Woody Allen's comic musical 'Everyone Says I Love You' (1996).
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American Comediennes (born 1942 - 1952)
These multi-talented performers proved themselves to be equally adept at comedy and drama, whether performing on stage, on television, or in the movies ...
Barbra Streisand (born April 24, 1942, Brooklyn, New York)
Madeline Kahn (born September 29, 1942, Boston, Massachusetts)
Penny Marshall (born October 15, 1943, The Bronx, New York)
Goldie Hawn (born November 21, 1945, Washington, D.C.)
Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945, Honolulu, Hawaii)
Diane Keaton (born January 5, 1946, Los Angeles, California)
Gilda Radner (born June 28, 1946, Detroit, Michigan)
Andrea Martin (born January 15, 1947, Portland, Maine)
Cindy Williams (born August 22, 1947, Los Angeles, California)
Jane Curtin (born September 6, 1947, Cambridge, Massachusetts)
Teri Garr (born December 11, 1947 {year of birth hotly disputed; other years cited include 1944, 1945 and 1949}, Lakewood, Ohio)
Bernadette Peters (born February 28, 1948, Queens, New York)
Shelley Long (born August 23, 1949, Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Ann Risley (born September 30, 1949, Madison, Wisconsin)
Jessica Harper (born October 10, 1949, Chicago, Illinois)
Denny Dillon (born May 18, 1951, Cleveland, Ohio)
Anjelica Huston (born July 8, 1951, Santa Monica, California)
Karen Allen (born October 5, 1951, Carrollton, Illinois)
Beverly D'Angelo (born November 15, 1951, Upper Arlington, Ohio)
Laraine Newman (born March 2, 1952, Los Angeles, California)
Nora Dunn (born April 29, 1952, Chicago, Illinois)
Carol Kane (born June 18, 1952, Cleveland, Ohio)
Melanie Mayron (born October 20, 1952, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Annie Potts (born October 28, 1952, Nashville, Tennessee)
Karen Allen (born October 5, 1951, Carrollton, Illinois)
Beverly D'Angelo (born November 15, 1951, Upper Arlington, Ohio)
Laraine Newman (born March 2, 1952, Los Angeles, California)
Nora Dunn (born April 29, 1952, Chicago, Illinois)
Carol Kane (born June 18, 1952, Cleveland, Ohio)
Melanie Mayron (born October 20, 1952, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Annie Potts (born October 28, 1952, Nashville, Tennessee)
Roseanne Barr (born November 3, 1952, Salt Lake City, Utah)
"Well, I’m not an improviser, as in someone who’s spent time doing that with another group of actors, like the Second City people or the Saturday Night Live people. But I certainly feel that I can do it, and I enjoy doing it within a scene. I love doing it within a scene that’s been written. I’ve never just improvised a whole scene."
- Carol Kane, The A.V. Club
Quentin Tarantino talks political comedy with Bill Maher [Club Random Podcast]
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I then got to pondering which comedy actors fell within this same general timeframe. It's funny, the great Garrett Morris was older than his counterparts on 'Saturday Night Live' - he's actually 87 years old now. On the other hand, Eddie Murphy was the wunderkind on the scene and he's 63 years old. Then you had performers like Tom Hanks and John Belushi's kid brother James Belushi who were a little younger than their contemporaries on the scene.
This here is a selection of great comedians who were active in the United States and Canada, born within the same general time frame, whom I associate in my mind with the heyday of great comic institutions like the Compass Players, the Committe, MAD, National Lampoon, the Groundlings, SCTV and Saturday Night Live.
American Comedians (born 1940 - 1954)
Howard Hesseman (born February 27, 1940, Lebanon, Oregon)
Richard Pryor (born December 1, 1940, Peoria, Illinois)
Joe Flaherty (born June 21, 1941, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Joe Flaherty (born June 21, 1941, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Archie Hahn (born November 1, 1941, Los Angeles, California)
Chevy Chase (born October 8, 1943, New York City, New York)
Harry Shearer (born December 23, 1943, Los Angeles, California)
Craig T. Nelson (born April 4, 1944, Spokane, Washington)
Richard Belzer (born August 4, 1944, Bridgeport, Connecticut)
David Rasche (born August 7, 1944, Belleville, Illinois)
Harold Ramis (born November 21, 1944, Chicago, Illinois)
Steve Martin (born August 14, 1945, Waco, Texas)
Brian Doyle-Murray (born October 31, 1945, Chicago, Illinois)
Tim Thomerson (born April 8, 1946, Coronado, California)
Cheech Marin (born July 13, 1946, Los Angeles, California)
Harold Ramis (born November 21, 1944, Chicago, Illinois)
Steve Martin (born August 14, 1945, Waco, Texas)
Brian Doyle-Murray (born October 31, 1945, Chicago, Illinois)
Tim Thomerson (born April 8, 1946, Coronado, California)
Cheech Marin (born July 13, 1946, Los Angeles, California)
David Letterman (born April 12, 1947, Indianapolis, Indiana)
David L. Lander (born June 22, 1947, New York City, New York)
Richard Lewis (born June 29, 1947, New York City, New York)
Albert Brooks (born July 22, 1947, Beverly Hills, California)
Michael McKean (born October 17, 1947, New York City, New York)
Tim Matheson (born December 31, 1947, Glendale, California)
Christopher Guest (born February 5, 1948, New York City, New York)
Billy Crystal (born March 14, 1948, New York City, New York)
George Wendt (born October 17, 1948, Chicago, Illinois)
Andy Kaufman (born January 17, 1949, New York City, New York)
John Belushi (born January 24, 1949, Chicago, Illinois)
George Wendt (born October 17, 1948, Chicago, Illinois)
Andy Kaufman (born January 17, 1949, New York City, New York)
John Belushi (born January 24, 1949, Chicago, Illinois)
Jim Varney (born June 15, 1949, Lexington, Kentucky)
Charles Rocket (born August 28, 1949, Bangor, Maine)
Garry Shandling (born November 29, 1949, Chicago, Illinois)
Tim Kazurinsky (born March 3, 1950, Johnstown, Pennsylvania)
Jay Leno (born April 28, 1950, New Rochelle, New York)
Charles Fleischer (born August 28, 1950, Washington, D.C.)
Bill Murray (born September 21, 1950, Evanston, Illinois)
Joe Piscopo (born June 17, 1951, Passaic, New Jersey)
Robin Williams (born July 21, 1951, Chicago, Illinois)
Michael Keaton (born September 5, 1951, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania)
Paul Reubens (born August 27, 1952, Peekskill, New York)
Jay Leno (born April 28, 1950, New Rochelle, New York)
Charles Fleischer (born August 28, 1950, Washington, D.C.)
Bill Murray (born September 21, 1950, Evanston, Illinois)
Joe Piscopo (born June 17, 1951, Passaic, New Jersey)
Robin Williams (born July 21, 1951, Chicago, Illinois)
Michael Keaton (born September 5, 1951, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania)
Paul Reubens (born August 27, 1952, Peekskill, New York)
Tim Allen (born June 13, 1953, Denver, Colorado)
Dennis Miller (born November 3, 1953, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Jerry Seinfeld (born April 29, 1954, New York City, New York)
+ Canadian Contingent ...
Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946, Hamilton, Ontario)
Phil Hartman (born September 24, 1948, Brantford, Ontario)
Dave Thomas (born May 20, 1949, St. Catharines, Ontario)
Paul Shaffer (born November 28, 1949, Toronto, Ontario)
Martin Short (born March 26, 1950, Hamilton, Ontario)
John Candy (born October 31, 1950, Newmarket, Ontario)
Dan Aykroyd (born July 1, 1952, Ottawa, Ontario)
Rick Moranis (born April 18, 1953, Toronto, Ontario)
John Candy (born October 31, 1950, Newmarket, Ontario)
Dan Aykroyd (born July 1, 1952, Ottawa, Ontario)
Rick Moranis (born April 18, 1953, Toronto, Ontario)
# Canadian comediennes Catherine O'Hara (born March 4, 1954 in Toronto, Ontario) and Robin Duke (born March 13, 1954 in St. Catharines, Ontario) were classmates at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke, Ontario.
These are some of the men and women who helped reshape comedy in the movies. Seeing Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn together, perhaps there were some viewers who found the age difference detectable. This was observed when Gene Wilder and his friend Richard Pryor hooked up to make a series of movies together. Whatever.
My all-time favourite comedy duo are different ages; Canadian comic Tommy Chong who's now 86 and his young pal Cheech Marin who's 77. We recently lost Martin Mull at the age of 80, who was 10 years older than his 'Fernwood 2 Night' comedy partner, Fred Willard.
"I’m much older than Cheech and so I grew up on radio and later had some experience on air. I had that ingrained in me and knew we could get into people’s minds and imaginations. I knew those albums were going to resonate, but the sad thing about today is we really don’t have radio or vinyl anymore. More than anything, the kids don’t have time anymore to sit down like in the old days, play an album in their rooms or at a party and just listen. Their time is chopped up between YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Iphone, Ipad, Ipod, and all of these smart gadgets. We’re in a new age but it was fun while it lasted.
The song “Basketball Jones” is a good example. We drew on the black community for that song because Cheech and I were entrenched and studied their culture. Before Cheech and Chong, Latinos and blacks were “gang members” and were dangerous and they were scary. We tried to debunk that myth for both races through our comedy, and I think we did a pretty good job."
- Tommy Chong, Pheonix Metro
- Tommy Chong, Pheonix Metro
The Monkees on Laugh-In | Clip Reel | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
