The Only Game in Town 1970

One of Elizabeth Taylor's directors accurately if unkindly said that "Elizabeth's face
is her fortune, but her body belongs to somebody else!" Yes, but what a face!

Warren Beatty & Elizabeth Taylor's rapport is one of the few bright spots in
1970's romantic drama,"The Only Game in Town."

A life-long Elizabeth Taylor fan, there are not many ET films that I won't repeat-watch, but The Only Game in Town is one. I found a great print of this flick recently, so I gave it a second try. Once again, I was bored to tears.

The Only Game in Town is basically a two-character Broadway play turned movie that was filmed late 1968/early '69, but dumped into release January, 1970! For the last time, The Only Game in Town won Elizabeth Taylor her highest salary, 1.25 million dollars. As in A Place in the Sun and Giant, Taylor got favored director George Stevens, but as with Monty Clift and James Dean, Taylor got a hot method leading man, Warren Beatty, fresh off Bonnie and Clyde. 

One of the few scenes of location shooting, the opening credits of ET strolling home.

Game was set in Las Vegas, but filmed mostly in Paris. Why? So Taylor could be near Richard Burton, where he was filming his dud, Staircase. There was some exterior filming in Vegas. And if nearly all the film takes place in her character's apartment or with Beatty in casinos, what was the difference?

The one-night stand between Fran & Joe becomes something deeper in
"The Only Game in Town."

The real problem, as often the case with movies that bomb big, was the script. The Only Game in Town was first a poorly reviewed Broadway flop. Here, Warren Beatty's Joe is an addicted gambler and Taylor's Fran is an aging showgirl, waiting for her married lover to come through with a proposal. Then Joe and Fran hook up, start to fall for each other, and fight and make up along the way. That’s it.

ET doesn't even do jazz hands as the aging showgirl in "The Only Game in Town."

The other big problem with Game is both stars are miscast. Warren Beatty was far too young and breezy to be believable as a world-weary, down on his luck gambler. Frank Sinatra was first choice, but left when Taylor's emergency hysterectomy took a long recovery, and he left the project. Elizabeth Taylor, as many viewers noted, was too short and plump to play a Vegas showgirl. The perfect team would have been Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine, as an extension of the roles they played in Some Came Running a decade before.

Big stars, with even bigger hairstyles, in "The Only Game in Town."

What is unfair from today’s viewpoint is how many critics and film fans have dumped all the blame on Taylor. Many commented that Liz looked like Beatty's mother. Taylor did look matronly with her shapeless minis and with football helmet wigs. Some of this was the era’s style, none of which suited petite and plump Elizabeth. However, at 36, her face still looks quite lovely here. And while Beatty was boyish at 31, but he doesn't look like the kid from Splendor in the Grass. With Heaven Can Wait eight years later, Warren at 40 would start giving himself the soft focus treatment. Even if Taylor looks older, I think of all the prematurely aged actors like Gable, Cooper, Crosby, Stewart, and Astaire, acting opposite new stars like Audrey, Grace, or Leslie Caron— all a quarter of a century younger! And many of young Elizabeth’s co-stars were 15 to 20 years older, too. Here, Elizabeth hardly looked like a hag.

This profile photo of Elizabeth Taylor & Warren Beatty reminds me of a famous pic of ET & Richard taken five years before. Burton admitted concern over Beatty's charms.

Off-screen, Taylor and Beatty certainly had a mutual admiration society, to the point where hubby Richard Burton admitted concern. When Elizabeth said she thought of Warren as a brother, Burton replied, "Yes, but I worry about incest!" Taylor later told Barbara Walters that she rated Warren an 11 on a scale of one to 10. Elizabeth called Warren “Warren Beauty;” my nickname for him is “Sleeping Beatty!” I've always thought of Beatty as an artsy George Hamilton, but his wry charm can appeal. Beatty commented much later that he thought Elizabeth had the most beautiful face he’d ever seen and that he never met an actress less interested in acting, at that point.

Warren Beatty as Joe & Elizabeth Taylor as Fran, about to commit in "The Only Game in Town." One critic commented that ET's face was still a national attraction, but her performance was awfully grand. Warren's sleepy style didn't win raves, either.

More than Taylor’s physical attributes, it’s her intrusive fame that distracts. What showgirl who’s a homebody that watches old movies would constantly be changing outfits, wigs, and wear full makeup just to sit around her apartment? Or wake up wearing tons of jewelry? Scenes with hefty Liz asking to be carried by Beatty into the bedroom, or questioning the size of a diamond ring, all seems like begging for ridicule. Also, has anyone ever noticed how much Kim Novak’s more believable Third Girl from the Left resembles The Only Game in Town? Both feature an aging showgirl, schmuck boyfriend, and younger beau.

Who wears their jewelry to bed? Elizabeth Taylor in "The Only Game in Town!"

Despite Taylor being overly dramatic in the big scenes, she’s good in her brittle banter with Beatty. I like the scene where they twit each other by singing to each other from different rooms. While Warren Beatty is not one of my favorite actors, he does show a flair for humor. His youth plays against him, where his constant jokes doesn't seem like a defense mechanism of an older guy keeping reality at bay, but that of an immature jerk. Still, in his big scene, where he finally admits that he's in love with Fran, teary-eyed and all, Beatty’s genuinely touching.

Warren Beatty's great as Joe declares his love for Fran in "The Only Game in Town."

George Stevens was known for his character-driven, methodic style. You come to know the characters here, but after Fran turns down her long-time beau's proposal, the movie has nowhere else to go. This was Stevens’ last film and his work had become lethargic, as in 1965’s The Greatest Story Ever Told.

The only thing more boring than Fran's married lover finally agreeing to put a ring
on it is staring at the avocado green decor!

Vicki Tiel and Mia Fonssagrives were Taylor’s designer friends. Their clothes represent Taylor's worst style period. Yes, ET was not a '60s chick. But they really couldn't think of any other way of dressing her than to throw her in tent-like minis? Thankfully, they stick to solid colors, which makes ET's coloring pop. I'm sure hairdresser Alexandre of Paris knew the drill of what Liz wanted, but couldn't he have fashioned her wigs not to look like bowling balls? One critic correctly commented that Taylor looked like the dancing tomato from the old drive-in movie ads, in rounded ‘dos and muumuu minis, with her short legs sticking out.

Liz looks lovely in an indigo blue boating top...

I guess ET's fancy designers forgot that stripes aren't exactly slimming when your star is short and chubby. And Elizabeth Taylor's hat is nearly as tall as she is!

Taylor hadn’t been slim on film since Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but didn’t start getting called out on it until The Sandpiper. I recall Rex Reed’s quote about ET in Game, that she looked like “the Goodyear Blimp pumped full of Chasen’s chili.” The unkind comments on her weight reached fever pitch in the late ‘70s as a fat Republican wife, and Joan Rivers led the pack. It’s odd that in our current PC culture, some show biz writers or bloggers think it’s funny to make Liz Taylor fat or drunk jokes, while clutching their pearls over the same criticism of today’s stars.

While Warren Beatty enjoyed working with ET, the real reason he accepted
"The Only Game in Town" was to work with George Stevens. Beatty's later work reflected Stevens methodical style, for better and worse.

The Only Game in Town was an attempt at the kind of mainstream movie Elizabeth Taylor used to make. Critic Pauline Kael aptly wrote that “after the initial pleasure of seeing Elizabeth looking prettier than she has in years, Game is a sluggish star vehicle of the bad old days.” I don’t think anyone involved here was at their best, and watching this Game once is definitely enough.

 

The scene where Joe wins big, then loses bigger, is one of the best from "The Only Game in Town." Interesting that Beatty began the decade starring with Vivien Leigh & ended with Elizabeth Taylor.

Here’s my post on the 10 year anniversary of Elizabeth Taylor’s passing: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2021/03/reflections-of-life-long-elizabeth.html

FYI: I put all the movie overflow on my public FB  movie page. 

Check it out & join!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/178488909366865/ 

Is this the apricot scarf Carly Simon wrote about in "Your So Vain?" 

 

To Sidney, With Love

Sidney Poitier in one of his big three films from '67: "To Sir, With Love."

1967 was the “Summer of Love” and year that audiences truly loved Sidney Poitier. The Oscar-winning actor was 40, and at the height of his stardom. He starred in three diverse films that year which dealt with race, to varying degrees. All were huge commercial hits. One got critical raves, and the other two got mixed reviews, but gave praise to Poitier.

In the Heat of the Night still packs a punch and is a bonafide classic. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? got mixed notices, but had Poitier plus Hepburn and Tracy, and is still Sidney’s greatest film success.

Sidney Poitier as Mark Thackeray, aka "Sir," in "To Sir, With Love."

Then there's To Sir, With Love, which falls in the middle of Poitier’s ’67 film trio. The school drama was criticized as too pat and sentimental. Still, this film connected Sidney Poitier to desired young audiences of the US and world. Poitier carried the film this time, about a school teacher in a rough British neighborhood, and which struck a major chord. So successful was this film, it’s neck and neck with Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? as Poitier’s biggest hit.

"Sir" with his class of unruly students who have been shunted to his school.

To Sir, With Love was released at the very height of the British invasion. The London location shooting, the winning young Brit performers as the students, and Lulu with her signature title tune, all gave the sweet story some oomph. Finally, there’s Sidney Poitier. He brings his star power and subtle talents to “Sir,” aka Mark Thackeray, who has worked upwardly in life the hard way and finds these deadbeat kids exasperating. 

Sidney Poitier does a great slow burn as "Sir" in "To Sir, With Love!"

Thackeray is an interim teacher for the remainder of the school year, waiting for an engineering job application to come through. In the meantime, the rather rigid teacher sees these teens as a challenge. And they love to be-devil teachers. Game on! The kids are defiant; he's not a pushover. Poitier's “Sir” is a force to be reckoned with, showing his stern moral compass, but also compassion, humanity, and humor that balances the character. 

"Sir" finally loses his cool with his class, but has an epiphany while blowing off steam.

Thackeray, after a bad day with the students, finally decides to treat them like adults, with consequences. This works, though there's a learning curve. The problem-solving is more than a bit pat, which critics noted even at the time. This is always an issue with stories about public education on film. The conflicts are often resolved too easily and unrealistically. As someone who’s worked in public schools, I’d say the gloss is easier to take than audiences facing the awful truth! Issues about sex, race, dysfunction, and poverty are touched upon, but very discreetly. To Sir, With Love seems quaint from today's standpoint, but there are a number of memorably touching moments between “Sir” and his students. 

A tender scene when the class shows up for the funeral of a friend's mother. 

The saving grace of To Sir, With Love is that it’s naturally performed by the stellar British cast. And of course by Poitier as “Sir,” who's got one of his best vehicles.What's amazing is that Sidney Poitier was NOT nominated for an Oscar in any of his ’67 films. The field was tough and he may have cancelled himself out. Then again, couldn't Columbia or United Artists have pushed harder with one of their Poitier movies? What's amazing is he got none, and for some reason Lulu's theme song also wasn’t nominated! “To Sir, With Love” was the number 1 hit of the year in the US! And Doctor Dolittle’s “Talk to the Animals” won best song that year. This pretty much sums up Oscars in a nutshell!

Love the scene where "Sir" loosens up and dances before his departure!

My pick would have been to replace Spencer Tracy's sentimental nod, with Poitier nominated for either To Sir with Love or especially In the Heat of the Night. Hell, if the Oscars could tie the best actress category that year, I think Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier would have been a great winning Best Actor duo.

Sidney Poitier nearly made it to 95, when he passed Jan. 6, 2022, but here's a look back at Poitier at 40. He had three huge hits in a single year. This was practically unheard of after the studio system era. That Sidney Poitier was a man of color makes this achievement extra special. Cheers to Mr. Poitier, with love.

"Sir" gets the prize for hanging in there! 

My look at Sidney Poitier’s iconic performance as Virgil Tibbs, In the Heat of the Night:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2020/06/in-heat-of-night-1967.html

FYI: I put the movie overflow on my public FB movie page. 

Check it out & join!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/178488909366865/

Mr. Thackeray has a change of heart in the finale of "To Sir, With Love."

Robert Wagner’s Starry-Eyed Memoirs

No tell-all, but Robert Wagner shares some super star memories.

Robert Wagner turns 92 on Feb. 10, 2022. I recently read his 2008 memoirs, Pieces of My Heart, co-written with Hollywood biographer Scott Eyman. I had mixed feelings about reading RJ’s story, and it had nothing to do with Natalie Wood’s notorious last night. I wasn’t expecting much in that regard, anyway.

I did enjoy Wagner’s memories of old Hollywood, which he embraced as a young man, but also put him out of step with the new wave of stars. I admired Robert’s tribute to the showbiz legends that he considered friends and mentors. For an actor, RJ’s realistic about his place in the Hollywood constellation. However, I believe that he was considered for another Robert’s role, in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, about as much as Joan Collins’ claim that she was on stand-by for ailing Liz Taylor in Cleopatra. 

I had also forgotten that RJ was a major teen idol at Fox back in the ‘50s. And Robert was indeed a looker who had a smooth charm. You got to hand it to Wagner to have kept afloat in the ‘60s, when his style went out, much like George Hamilton. I thought RJ’s calling cards were his great looks, distinctive voice, and flair for light comedy. These gifts came in handy for a second career as a TV star.

Robert Wagner when he was a teen heart throb at 20th Century Fox.

What I didn’t care for in this memoir was the pettiness that creeps into his stories. It felt at times more like score-settling than honesty. Wagner makes a point to show what a ladies’ man he was, with most of recipients of these romantic “reveals” conveniently dead. RJ also makes a big point to mention all the times he’s been hit on by gay men in show biz. Why bring all this up, considering that Wagner’s been long rumored to be bisexual? Sometimes folks say more than they realize, even show biz folks!

As for what happened on Natalie’s last night alive, it’s going to go down in gossip history along with other famous folks’ mysterious demises. All I will say is that Wagner’s more forthcoming about Natalie’s personal flaws than his own—surprise! Yes, film fans will fight about that night for decades to come. The way I see it, either Robert Wagner is the most misunderstood person on earth or he’s right up there with O.J. Simpson as the King of Denial. Either way, somebody will write another book, give another “shocking” interview, or re-open the case yet again—only to further muddy the waters while cashing in. The truth, as Tennessee Williams once wrote, is at the bottom of a bottomless well.

Another Robert Wagner &
Scott Eyman collaboration.

PS: Wagner wrote another book with Scott Eyman, called I Loved Her in the Movies: Memories of Hollywood’s Legendary Actresses. Film historian Eyman most likely did the research and writing and Wagner provided the remembering, though it’s all in RJ’s voice. Still, this is a fun look at what made certain movie divas great. Wagner focuses on the positives of the female film legends discussed, but is also clear-eyed. Whatever RJ’s contributions were, his history with Hollywood greats is amazing. This is because Wagner grew up well-to-do, around showbiz folk. He met Norma Shearer when he was a child, as he was school chums with Irving Thalberg, Jr.! RJ knew Gloria Swanson during his teens, when he dated her daughter. He was a stable boy where Greer Garson kept her horses. Wagner was Marilyn Monroe’s partner in her Fox screen test. And so on… his insights into famous film folks are fascinating, in that respect. I preferred reading Robert Wagner’s memories of other people, quite frankly.

My takes of Robert Wagner on film:

Joanne Woodward & Robert Wagner in "A Kiss Before Dying."

Here’s Robert Wagner as a murderous sociopath in an Ira Levin adaptation, A Kiss Before Dying:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2019/07/robert-wagners-killer-charm-kiss-before.html

Robert Wagner & Natalie Wood in "All The Fine Young Cannibals."

Here’s the only time Robert Wagner & Natalie Wood teamed up for a feature film, in the camp soap opera, All The Fine Young Cannibals:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2020/05/wood-wagner-wallow-in-all-fine-young.html

FYI: I put the movie overflow on my public FB movie page. Check it out!  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/178488909366865/