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Quint’s Watching PUTNEY SWOPE (1969)Deny a young boy the right to own a toy gun and he’ll turn out to be a homosexual
Ahoy, squirts! Quint, the birthday boy, here. As you probably know last month I had to put a stop to my A Movie A Day column. If I could make that column my only responsibility for AICN I could have kept it going, but the time commitment involved was crazy stressful.
But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever done for the site. Submerging myself in vintage film, some forgotten, some not, not only expanded my own personal horizons, but it opened up a very crucial dialogue with you guys, the readers.
Most sites can’t afford the space or time to cover anything but the current and up and coming releases. Understandably, of course. That’s where the main focus should always be for a news site… looking forward, not backward. However I think you can do both and benefit from it.
What I love about AICN is the focus on film, not just what’s new, but on all film. I remember loving it when Harry used to review the midnight movies that ran at the original downtown Alamo every weekend. So he’d be reviewing the newest studio movie… PEACEMAKER or FIGHT CLUB or something… and then he’d throw up a review of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK or GREMLINS and treat it just like what was hitting theaters next weekend.
All this is to say that while AMAD may have been put to rest I’m still committed to covering vintage films here. It’ll very much be like AMAD, but I can’t call it that… I can’t even call it AMAW (A Movie A Week) because I don’t want to force these columns, put them on a rigid timeline. There might be 4 or 5 of these articles to hit some weeks and maybe none on others.
I’m going to free myself up a bit on what I choose to watch. I won’t be forcing these movies to have connecting tissues, but I will say that I do lean towards double and triple features a lot, so expect some runs (like I have the Thin Man box set here and I’ve never seen one Thin Man movie and I’d love to just hit them all in a row like I did with the Pink Panther series).
Also, I want to take suggestions on what is next from you guys. Take a look at the bottom of this review to see what I mean.
On this first one, I figured throwing it up on my Birthday was a good way to start. Today we look at a bizarre late ‘60s counter-culture commentary on advertising called PUTNEY SWOPE, directed by Robert Downey Sr.
I’ve been meaning to seek this one out for years, ever since I first saw the trailer play at the Alamo, leaving most in the audience scratching their heads… and, if they were anything like me, saying “I don’t know what the hell that is, but I like it.” I won’t give it away here because I found it on Youtube and will include that embed a little later in the review, but it’s a helluva hook.
The film is about an advertising agency that is in a downward spiral and is grasping at straws. The board members spend more time bickering than being productive. Case in point:
The token black guy on the board, Putney Swope, tries to act as a voice of reason, with little support. With his gravely voice, Putney says he’s not comfortable with selling tobacco, alcohol and gun toys and feels the company should put themselves on a higher moral level.
Of course, everybody (save the chairman’s son) on the board is the evil, greedy monster that Bill Hicks tried to warn us about and Putney is overlooked, the bickering turning into the clip above. That is only interrupted when it’s time to kiss ass and the head chairman comes in.
He’s in a fury, having seen the numbers and is tired of the white noise that comes whenever the board gathers together. Right in the middle of his big rant, though, he keels over and dies. While his body is still on the table, the board members all start to vie for his seat. But the rulebook states that all must democratically vote for the new chairman, but nobody is allowed to vote for themselves.
Surprisingly, Swope gets the votes. Turns out everybody voted for him because they each thought no one else would.
The movie is basically Swope shaking things up in the agency, firing all the kiss-ass greedy pieces of shit and promising a radical new type of advertising.
Swope essentially replaces all the old white men with young brothers and sisters, turning the agency into something very valuable to those trying to market to the black community. But what starts off as a movement of morality and honesty starts to fall into the same trappings as the old, corrupt men who previously ran the company.
The film is shot in black and white, with the commercials produced in color, although it’s not like they needed to make these segments stand out from the rest of the movie any more than they already did. The commercials and the opening boardroom scene are what take this movie from interesting to extremely memorable.
Here’s the commercial that forms the trailer I told you about… wait out the bouncy girls and it’ll start up:
Isn’t that great?
CRAZY PEOPLE owes a whole helluva lot to this film and I’d wager that John Landis might have used this film as a jumping off point for KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE. I could be completely off with that assessment, but the way the story detours into this series of one-off, often vulgar, jokes reminded me of KFM.
The comedy works amazingly well, even now, some 40 years after its initial release. Like I said above, the opening 15 minutes and all the commercials are good enough for the movie to float on if there was nothing else to it. Thankfully there is, but I will say that I don’t think the main story ever gets any better than the back and forth we see in that opening board room.
Instead, Downey focuses on the commentary. He opens skewering the older, stuck-up generation, but as the movie continues on Downey has a lot to say about the activist mentality as Swope and his band of revolutionaries prove to be just as corrupt, maybe even more so, than those who came before.
By the end of the movie there’s a case you can make that Swope never lost his moral compass, but throughout the movie he’s stealing every good idea he can find and firing the one who originally came up with it, cheating on his fiancée, fucking over his friends and treating everybody around him like they’re bags of shit.
Sure, it’s funny, but it also makes for a fascinating protagonist. The credit is split two ways here. Way number one goes to Arnold Johnson who played Putney and way number two goes to Robert Downey Sr. himself, who provided the memorable Swope voice (according to Downey, he had to come in and ADR all of Johnson’s lines because he was a good, but very forgetful actor and was always misspeaking his lines).
Also of note is Pepi Hermine and his sister, Ruth. Pepi is a little person (as is his sister) and to make things even more fucked up Pepi and Ruth play husband and wife. Pepi plays President Mimeo, one of the many colorful characters that populate this insane world. I don’t know why these two stuck with me so strongly, but I loved that Downey essentially was making the point that those in the highest offices of the country are essentially children.
I’m not just talking about the size of the actors, but the way they act is full of laughter and immediate satisfaction. His attention span is that of a child, going so far as to have a previous board-member who does nothing but tell bad jokes one after the other on his staff to just spew out jokes for minutes at a time, distracting him from whatever is more pressing around him.
Final Thoughts: PUTNEY SWOPE is my first real exposure to the work of Robert Downey Sr. and I have to say that I’m curious to see his other output. SWOPE is sharp and, more importantly, very funny. If his following work has the same edge and dark satire I’m sure I’ll be a big fan.
I mentioned above that I will be trying something new. I’ve picked out 10 titles that I’m really looking forward to getting to. These films span decades and genres. Instead of picking the next one myself, I was contemplating a new approach, so we’ll test it out and see if it works.
What I want is for you guys to look over the ten films below and I’ll let you guys and gals guide me to the next film, via email and talkback. Whatever title gets the most support from you, I’ll cover next. If there’s no clear preference, I’ll pick the next. If this system works well, then when we run through these 10 titles, I’ll pick another 10 and we’ll knock those out.
Here’s what’s on the docket:
I CONFESS (1953)
THE ILLUSTRATED MAN (1969)
PEEPING TOM (1962)
HUSH… HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE (1965)
HI, MOM! (1970)
THE BEGUILED (1970)
KOTCH (1971)
THE LOVED ONE (1965)
RABID (1977)
THE ADVENTURE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES’ SMARTER BROTHER (1975)
So, let me know what you want me to watch and write-up next! I’m off to make myself all presentable-like and celebrate my 28th year! Be back soon!
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
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Just a few hours ago I thought about how much I miss AMAD.
And Happy Birthday. -
Peeping Tom is simply extraordinary. Even if you don't actually review it next, watch it as soon as possible. If I may pick two, I'd also be interested to read your thoughts on Hi, Mom, which is flawed but intriguing.
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Although AMAD is greatly missed these columns will do very nicely to fill the void!!!
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That's such an easy choice.
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Great film.
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Maybe the actual film is decent, but a trailer where an interracial couple sings to each other about how much they enjoy dry-humping each other and how the guy's pimples have cleared up a lot is pretty much GARBAGE and wouldn't inspire me to rush out to see the movie. Next time, leave the crappy promo trailers out, Quint.
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I missed ya!
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The whole movie's a joke. It's just a question of whether it's a GOOD one...
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That would get my vote. It is vintage Cronenberg that is intriguing and disturbing.
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Although in this day and age of instant access to voyeuristic technology it seems more of a nostalgic look back at a time when, in order to be a peeping tom, one had to work hard at it.
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The whole film is about fucking with the mind of Bette Davis' Charlotte. Psychological terror at its absolute best.
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FTW super creepy and psychoesque. DO IT.
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Get it? Chum? Because of, you know, in Jaws, when...
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While it is flawed, I can't help loving that goddamn picture. I didn't even know it was on DVD.
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Eh. The funniest bit is the title. It's not bad but it's not much more than "just okay," either.
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"I saw your beaver flash, I'll never be the saaame" Thank my heathen gods that Quint does these kinds of things.
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Feb 15, 2009 2:14:00 PM CST
Putney Swope was one the main influences for there Will Be blood
by lovecraftfan
i remember hearing PTA mention it several times in interviews. I wonder what the paralells are.
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http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=25054
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It's the only one that I have here on DVD ready to watch....
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Gosh, I love this movie. I sought it out after we saw those clips at BNAT a few years back, and it is absolutely hysterical. It's on my list of dream vintage screenings on every year's BNAT application. I would love to see how that audience responds to it.
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Peeping Tom. However, I think you should watch Rabid. Classic Cronenberg back when he was in his full freakout about the human body!
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Peeping Tom. Creepy disturbing, the movie Hitchcock probably wanted Psycho to be, but the studio had no balls and said "No". A close second would be Rabid. Prime early Cronenberg, and Chambers STILL gives me a woody to this day.
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As for this film, unfortunately I can't comment on it, but that trailer was hilarious. The only Downey Sr. film I've ever seen is Hugo Pool, which is highly underrated.
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Peeping Tom is in the lead so far. Can't wait to give it a spin. Keep the votes coming.IamJacksUserID, JoBlo made a bit of an assumption there and fixed the article to "cutting back" instead of "leaving." These next couple of weeks will let me know what my schedule is going to look like, but no matter what, I expect to be here in the same capacity for at least a couple more months, maybe longer. I know that sounds kind of vague, but that's what I know at the moment.
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...hope you're not jumping ship Quint, with you and Mori gone there'd really be no reason to check out AICN anymore.
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I would argue it's one of the best films of all time, let alone best investigations of cinema and horror. Seriously, man, you gotta see it ASAP.
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Watched it again recently and the book is obviously a classic but aside from a good Stieger performance the movie is pretty flacid. The movie poster is easily the best part.
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Mostly because the star Karlheinz (Carl) Böhm was at that time mostly known and loved for the harmless "Sissi"-movies, where Romy Schneider played the Austrian princess. And when it came out, people couldn't believe what kind of "filth" he did. (Of course that's only what I've heard. I'm too young to have witnessed the scandal with my own eyes.)
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Those 2 films will surprise ya.
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Seriously, how can you go wrong with a blood-thirsty vagina growing from a woman's armpit directed by Cronenberg?
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28?!?! Great hog, man, you have the interests of a much more mature individual. I speak from the perspective of running a media division at an academic library for almost a decade, and the lack of interest in vintage titles from the 20-somethings is downright soul-sucking. If it ain't in color, they won't even consider it. Heck, there are some who consider STAR WARS too creaky to watch, let alone anything on Quint's ballot.I really admire Quint's passion for older titles and found the AMAD columns insightful and astute - you could literally see the knowledge forming over the keyboard as he drew analogies and references to other works he'd seen. This is the essence of film criticism over the mechanical act of reviewing - drawing on a larger base of knowledge to gain insights that others might not recognize and to convey those observations and analogies into a cogent & engaging prose styling.I understand the crushing pressure of the AMAD schedule, but I think you'd have ended up as one helluva great writer/critic if you kept up that pace a bit longer. Good luck on your other pursuits, though, and happy birthday.As for my vote, I'm leaning towards the one on the list that I haven't see, which would be THE ILLUSTRATED MAN. Better to learn about something I haven't viewed than all the other titles which I already know about.
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Seriously. AMAD turned out to be the only reason to come to the site on a lot of days and, to be frank, I don't frequent it nearly as much since you stopped.
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I hate to point this out but Robert Downey Senior probably shouldn't have satirized anyone's notion of "good parenting," given the hell that Junior went through until recenlty in his adolescent and adult life including, as I recall, flirtations with both gun use and bisexuality.
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Its a classic.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLE7OnaTVcM
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Get the weakest titles out of the way first, or at least jumble them up enough so you end on a high note like Peeping Tom.
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I want to wish you a happy birthday. I agree that Peeping Tom is probably the best film here. I haven't seen them all. I'm curious about The Loved One. Hi, Mom! is a sort of sequel, companion piece to "Greetings". I love those early De Palma movies.
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I mean, I'm still stuck with my werewolf movie book at the review for The Wolfman and the only movie I really reviewed over the last weeks was Pirates 2 (The porn. Not the Johnny Depp one.)
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You HAVE to see The Loved One. Amazing film.
Peeping Tom is interesting for how it fits into Michael Powell's career, but it's one of those supposedly shocking films that have lost most of their power over the years. If you watch Peeping Tom, you better be ready with context on Powell, i.e. The Red Shoes, Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus, etc. -
with humans replacing the animals.
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That is all.
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Another hilariously awesome classic "cult" flick.
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It really is totally friggin awesome / hilarious.
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...this week. So, you know, that would be nice. Rabid is awesome, though, and everyone knows Peeping Tom a classic, but I ain't seen that. That is all.
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shit.
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there really won't be a reason to frequent this site. The only other feature on here that I routinely look for has been absent these past two weeks (ie. Harry's DVD reviews).
Quint, did you ask for a raise? -
I work in advertising so I'm an easy target for anything that handles the industry well (mad men) and this is one of my favorite movies. It's bizarre but that takes a back seat to how hilarious it is. The ads themselves are some of the funniest skewers of the advertising industry I've ever seen. It's a classic and highly recommended.
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that movie sounds really prophetic and I'm already lovin' this article! btw Quint one day could you perhaps review Flight Of The Navigator.....for me? ;)
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don't make any sense out of context as the movie goes in a lot of odd directions. They're a lot funnier if you know what else is going on. Don't let the clips discourage you from watching the movie.
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Feb 15, 2009 6:34:24 PM CST
Glad to see you back, Quint (with the classic film reviews)!
by pilotgrl
I really miss your AMADs. I'd say Peeping Tom (heard about it, not yet seen it) and I Confess(have not heard about this one).
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As long as you are back. Very professional.
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Quint's collection.
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My vote is for Node 39976
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Frankly, it's a daft question. Now go and watch PEEPING TOM right now.
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Pretty offensive that you wrote up this whole article without mentioning him once, Quint
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My good Lord, Quint, if you have never seen, "The Loved One', then please do so. I have the feeling you like your comedy black and this baby is as black as a comedy can get. It's also wildly funny and Rod Steiger has got to be seen to believed as Mr Joyboy.
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fucking friday the 13th made 43 mil this weekend...REMAKE EVERYTHING...FUCK IT ALL TO HELL
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POUND. Totally forgotten minor classic.
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Welcome back Quint - really missed your column - practically the only thing that keeps Ain't It Cool respectable. Can I throw another movie in there? There's a little known Scottish film called Orphans, directed by Cannes Best Actor winner Peter Mullan, funded by Film Four who buried it, and without the director's knowledge, deliberately destroyed footage, setting fire to 40minutes of additional scenes. The film was eventually released to no fanfare and FilmFour expected it to crawl away and die quietly but it was a bona fide sleeper hit and big cult movie. It's about 4 people on the night of their mother's funeral, each having their own dark night of the soul. It's one of the darkest, sickest, funniest, life-affirming black comedies out there. Worth a look.
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Get right to it. The best of the bunch.
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I love Powell & Pressburger-- Black Narcissus, I Know Where I'm Going, etc.-- but Peeping Tom is just not that fantastic. Frankly I don't think this is all that interesting a bunch of movies, but The Illustrated Man is pretty good, and The Loved One is great, like a John Waters movie made in the real old Hollywood. Anyway, glad to see you back at it, I liked AMAD a lot.
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Peeping Tom is pretty cool and I would also recommend Elevator to the Gallows if you haven't already seen it. That film feels like a French Hitchcock story.
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Sure Tom is nuts, but Rabid is really nuts, and Beguiled is really really really nuts
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A Movie Every Once In A While.
My encouragement is for Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother.
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Welcome back!
Take your time... it'll be a nice surprise when future entries pop up on here.
Cool titles... including the great Thin Man series. I'd go for Beguiled. Young Clint in one of his weirdest movies. But I'm in Eastwood mode after seeing Gran Torino recently. Enjoy! & Thanx... seeking Swope now! -
Downey's movie after Putney Swope was Pound, which looks at a bunch of dogs in a cell at the pound. From the inside, they are all played by humans, many of whom are also in Swope. Downey Jr plays a puppy. I've weanted to see it again for the last 30 years , but it has never been available on tape or DVD. The one after that, Greaser's Palace, stars Alan Arbus as Jesus wearing a zoot suit in the old west. Recommended.
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Rabid is unavailable on Netflix :(
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YOU WILL THANK ME LATER.
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Watch this and then watch Boogie Nights. Then say "Boy, some of the coolest little stuff in Boogie Nights was lifted directly from Putney Swope." Most obviously the Chinese kid throwing the firecrackers. It makes me like PT Anderson a lot more, actually...a few of his films pay tribute to Putney.
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Pigmentation doesn't matter. Dishonesty, greed, hubris, immorality and corruption can and will exist within any human. This includes Presidents.
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Weird movie! Feels like early De Palma's - oh wait, Hi Mom is on the list. Ok then!
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Main reason for watching Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother is the blatant abuses of writer/lead/director position by Wilder, such as the scene where Madeleine Khan has to (essentially) orgasm on screen without physical contact due to a bizarre and improbable character tick
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Holy Shit. That is epic.
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See look at that - AMAD comes back (in some form) and I automatically have a new movie to add to the queue. Swope seems quite fantastic! My vote for the next one is Cronenberg. You can't go wrong with vintage Cronenberg.
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I worked for an indie film company in NYC from 1997-2003, and had the distinct pleasure of working with Downey Sr. (Tried to help him get a lovely script called "Forest Hills Bob" into production.) Bob Downey is one of the nicest, sweetest mensches in the film biz. Just a great guy. He was on the front lines of the independent film waaaay before it started to really take off in the 80s. I've seen "Putney" and "Greaser's Palace", and they are pretty out there, but worth watching. NPR did a really nice interview with Downey this fall, along with the announcement that Scorsese and another film foundation is preserving his earlier, even more obscure works. Here's the link:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94926945 -
I watched I Confess for the first time about a week ago . It introduced me to Montgomery Clift.
Of course I'd heard of him before but never saw him in a movie .
He was SERIOUSLY good , in that movie anyway . Looks like he had a fucked up run of things though from what I've read . I must check out the other few films he did before it went tits up for him .
I'm surprised he is not thought of in the same "Tragic Beauty" light as the likes on James Dean and Marilyn Monroe -
If I could only figure out what it is. The New Guy comes in and becomes everything despicable about the Old Guy.
I got nothin'. -
jesus christ man.
how old are you again?
you write for a "movie blog," you should really catch up on some movie watching.
maybe then you'll stop sucking some of these contemporary film director's dicks.
if the best thing that happened as a result of Downey Jr getting off drugs was for a nation of 20 year old movie geeks to discover Downey Sr, then I'd be an advocate of NA and wave the Iron Man flag. otherwise comic book heroes can blow me.
watch Greaser's Palace and talk about that with Steven Spielberg next time you see him. -
The Loved One is packed with more stars than any other movie (with perhaps What A Way to Go as the exception). There's an interesting book about the film that says that even MORE stars (eg. Jayne Mansfield) ended up on the cutting room floor. Jonathan Winters' role is one of his best. Anjanette Comer is perfect. I bought a laserdisc player and the laserdisc long before the DVD came out just to watch it again.
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I've already seen the Gene Wilder movie, so just about anything on this list would be a pleasure. I'm a big Walter Matthau fan, but I've never seen "Kotch". Time to throw it on the ol' queue.
Happy birthday, Quint! -
Someone coming into power promising change and turning into the same exect asshole as everyone else?
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Clint Eastwood is a Civil War pedophile. Back then it was cool to bed 13-year-old girls.
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Spoofs peaked in the 70s. This is a funny movie. Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder were the absolute best at these.
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PT Anderson named Don Cheadle's character Buck Swope in appreciation for Putney Swope.
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In fact, it sort of reminds me of the entire "The Who Sell Out" album. Which is, of course, a compliment
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who says it isn't today! ho ho ho ho ho hooooo.....ho.....oh dear, I guess I better "have a seat over there"
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quint, those movies kick ASS. i hope you watch and review at least the first 3. they are aces.
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Great creepyness
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I have burned copies from TCM so I'd be up for those. Weird, I saw I,Confess two and a half weeks ago; Plus, I saw Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte last night! Of what I've seen on the list, go with Rabid. It's vintage early Cronenberg. I, Confess is only okay albeit with virtues. Peeping Tom is overrated. Maybe it was edgy at the time but I felt it played ham-handed and obvious. Hush...Hush is very good--drags in the middle and Davis is too shrill at times, but it's a solid story with good ending twists and excellent performances. It's much better than Whatever Happened To Baby Jane which I saw recently and was very dissapointed. Happy Birthday!
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And for the record Quint, my favourite pre year of my birth film of all time is A Matter Of Life And Death. If you've not seen it, you'll forever thank me if you put it in your to watch list.
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Considering the fact that I seen all the movies you listed, I will have to caste my vote for Peeping Tom. Maybe not as suspenseful as Psycho or William Wyler's The Collector (which came out five years later) it still is a very interesting film. I always saw it as closer to Rear Window than to Psycho, both being the study on the nature of voyeurism and an allegory to being an audience member watching horror movies and thrillers - morbid voyeurs of the death of others.
Ca -
Feb 17, 2009 7:45:05 AM CST
Even in abbreviated form it's great to see AMAD
by grammaton cleric binks
back in action. The Beguiled is good. I've always wanted to see a few of these on the list so I'll be looking forward to the reviews.
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