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I loved Ned Beatty.
For me, three very diverse roles in the 70s cemented his incredible versatility.
1) He stands out in a cast of 24 in Nashville, as a lawyer to the country stars, frustrated husband to to Lily Tomlin, and father who never learned sign language to communicate with his deaf child. His handful of scenes are incredible.
2) In Network he plays the God-like figure who controls the quagmire of companies that include the TV network. His fiery speech to Howard Biele got him an Oscar nomination.
3) Otis in Superman.
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Good in so many things.
Yes its true he earned his paycheck 4 times over in Deliverance but he was also good in Silver Streak, playing a Senator in Shooter or when i think i first saw him in White Lightning.
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Posted: |
Jun 21, 2021 - 11:33 AM
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By: |
jackfu
(Member)
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Very talented man, RIP.
My vote goes for his role as the corrupt, wisecracking, redneck Sheriff Connors in White Lightning – not just another Burt Reynolds’ “Buddy” films, really.
Most memorable for me was when he decided to “Get mean” going after Gator McKlusky (Reynolds). He went to “visit” old man Skeeter and he put the fellow’s fingers in the screen door jamb, crushing them until Skeeter talked. After getting the info he wanted, he calmly told Skeeter, “Get some ice water for them fingers, now.”
I was with a friend of mine in the theater, and my friend was so furious he punched his seat.
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Ned Beatty made his film debut in 1972's DELIVERANCE. In the film, four Atlanta businessmen—"Ed Gentry" (Jon Voight), "Lewis Medlock" (Burt Reynolds), "Bobby Trippe" (Ned Beatty), and "Drew Ballinger" (Ronny Cox)—embark on a canoeing trip through a river in deep Georgia. The reason for their trip is that the local power company is planning to dam the river, making it into a giant lake. Knowing that this will be the last time they will get to see the river, the group decides to take that last opportunity.
Warner Bros. initially told director John Boorman he could only make the film if he found two name stars to headline. He did just that (Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando), at which point WB said the movie was now going to cost too much because of those stars. They then decided to produce the film on a tight budget with four lesser-knowns, so Boorman scoured the country's theater scene and found Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox. Jon Voight’s (“Ed's”) wife was portrayed by Belinda Beatty, who was married to Ned.
Even though his character was very clumsy and uncoordinated, Ned Beatty was the only one of the four main actors with any experience in a canoe prior to shooting. Nevertheless, while filming the white-water canoeing scene, Beatty was thrown overboard and was sucked under by a whirlpool. A production assistant dove in to save him, but he didn't surface for thirty seconds. John Boorman asked Beatty, "How did you feel?", and Beatty responded, "I thought I was going to drown, and the first thought was, ‘how will John finish the film without me?’ And my second thought was, ‘I bet the bastard will find a way!’"
Bill McKinney (who played the hillbilly rapist) sought advice from his friend Bruce Dern about his performance, as it was his first significant film role. Dern told him he needed to make Ned Beatty as scared and nervous of him as possible. Consequently, McKinney kept his distance from Beatty on set, and during meal breaks would sit a couple of tables away from Beatty, and stare at him relentlessly.
The infamous "squeal like a pig" rape scene was somewhat improvised. The novel and original screenplay detailed the rape with no porcine lines. Ned Beatty later claimed credit for the pig idea. However, Christopher Dickey, son of source novel author James Dickey, stated in his book "Summer of Deliverance" that a crewman suggested the line. Regardless of its origin, Beatty spent the rest of his career hearing fans and passersby yell the infamous squeal line to him. His response varied, but he did pen an opinion piece in The New York Times on the subject.
Ned Beatty and Lewis Crone in DELIVERANCE
DELIVERANCE received Academy Award nominations in the categories of Best Picture, Director (John Boorman) and Film Editor (Tom Priestley), and was included in numerous "top ten" lists. Burt Reynolds later called this "the best film I've ever been in," but believed that his nude centerfold in Cosmopolitan magazine cost the film a Best Picture Oscar. DELIVERANCE was the #4 film at the box office, with a $68.5 million domestic gross.
The film contains very little background music, and none is heard until the "Duelling Banjos" duet. After that, there are infrequent strains of the melody heard on the soundtrack, and a few short bursts of uncredited music at dramatic points within the action.
"Duelling Banjos," the melody arranged and played by Eric Weissberg with Steve Mandel, became a hit record. Weissberg, who was one of the country's leading banjo players, won a Grammy and two gold records for "Duelling Banjos" and the sporadic bluegrass score for the picture. A 15 March 1973 Rolling Stone news item erroneously reported that Weissberg played the guitar and Marshall Brickman played the banjo during the duet. Despite the song's title, within the film, the "duel" is actually between a guitar and a banjo.
Billy Redden, the boy with the banjo, liked Ronny Cox and hated Ned Beatty. At the end of the dueling banjos scene, the script called for Billy to harden his expression towards Cox's character, but Billy couldn't pretend to hate Cox. To solve the problem, they got Beatty to step towards Billy at the close of the shot. As Beatty approached, Billy hardened his expression and looked away.
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Posted: |
Oct 1, 2021 - 11:23 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Ned Beatty appeared with Paul Newman in the 1972 western THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN. Set in Vinegaroon, Texas, the film finds former outlaw Roy Bean (Newman) appointing himself the judge for the region and dispensing his brand of justice as he sees fit.
The film used onscreen and offscreen narration, often to bridge time gaps in the story, by the characters “Reverend LaSalle” (Anthony Perkins), “Sam Dodd” (Tab Hunter), “Frank Gass” (Roddy McDowall), and Judge Bean’s saloonkeeper “Tector Crites” (Ned Beatty). Often, the narrations are spoken directly into the camera addressing the audience and occasionally reporting information from beyond the grave.
John Huston directed the film, and was one of the actors as well. Maurice Jarre's score was released on a Columbia LP. An expanded CD was issued by Film Score Monthly in 2006. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN was the #15 film at the box office, with a $24.5 million gross.
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Posted: |
Oct 2, 2021 - 11:31 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In 1973's THE THIEF WHO CAME TO DINNER, frustrated by his stagnant, unchallenging, mid-level job as a computer programmer, “Webster McGee” (Ryan O’Neal) decides to quit the Houston Control Data Corporation and live the more exciting life of a jewel thief. After arranging a partnership with fences “Deams” (Ned Beatty) and former prizefighter “Dynamite Hector” (Gregory Sierra), Webster uses his inside information of wealthy businessman “Gene Henderling” (Charles Cioffi) and applies his computer knowledge to break through the high security system at the Henderling mansion while they are on vacation.
Ryan O’Neal, Ned Beatty, and Gregory Sierra in THE THIEF WHO CAME TO DINNER
The Bud Yorkin-directed film is curiously missing on Region 1 DVD. Henry Mancini's score was released on a Warner LP, which was expanded on CD by Film Score Monthly in 2009. The film had only an average take at the box office, with a $5.3 million U.S. gross.
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THE LAST AMERICAN HERO was loosely based on the life of Robert Glenn Johnson Jr. (1931 – 2019), better known as “Junior Johnson,” who was an American NASCAR driver of the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966. In the 1970s and 1980s, he became a NASCAR racing team owner, winning the NASCAR championship with Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip. He was nicknamed "The Last American Hero," and his autobiography is of the same name. Junior Johnson acted as a consultant and technical advisor on the film.
Jeff Bridges played “Elroy ‘Junior’ Jackson” in the film. The character of “Marge Dennison,” played by Valerie Perrine, was a composite character based on the many female track followers. Ned Beatty played a racing promoter named “Hackel.”
Lamont Johnson directed the July 1973 release, which was filmed primarily in North Carolina. Charles Fox provided the unreleased score. The film had below average grosses of $3.8 million. Jim Croce’s song “I Got a Name,” which was written by Charles Fox & Norman Gimbel and recorded for the film, was a hit continuing after Croce’s death in September 1973. It prompted 20th Century-Fox to consider re-releasing the film under the song title; however, no contemporary sources confirm that this happened.
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