Thanks for the memories, Ned

 

I was saddened to learn of Ned Beatty's death at age 83 on June 13. 

I was a fan of Ned's and saw nearly every film in which he performed and many of the TV shows in which he appeared as either a regular or guest star. 

There are thousands of memorable character actors, but probably only a few hundred that are widely known. Ned was one the great character actors and appeared in a variety of productions from the early 1970s through 2013. 

He acted with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Dustin Hoffman, Paul Newman, Carol Burnett, Glenn Close, Julia Roberts, Martin Sheen, Jon Voight, and Tom Hanks.

Beatty was of a different era, one that featured many talented character actors. They included Murray Hamilton, Jack Weston, R.G. Armstrong, Agnes Moorehead, Elsa Lanchester, Harry Morgan, and Edna May Oliver (two of my favorites). Many of those gifted actors are no longer with us.

Beatty could play a variety of character types, from a priest or the ordinary guy next door to generals, judges, and politicians. Daily Variety, the entertainment publication, once called Beatty the busiest actor in Hollywood. 

"Deliverance" (1972) was Beatty's first big film role and the movie was mentioned in many of the media stories I read about his passing. It's an intense film and worth watching, but it's not among my favorite Beatty performances, either in film or for TV.

Here's my list of favorite Beatty film roles: 

"The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean" (1972) Paul Newman stars as the legendary Old West justice and Beatty appears in a supporting role. A bit of trivia for you: Beatty would play Judge Roy Bean much later in his career, in a fine TV adaptation of Larry McMurtry's "Streets of Laredo". 

"Nashville" (1975) Beatty is part of a tremendous cast in director Robert Altman's Oscar-nominated (Best Picture, Best Director) tale about a few days in the country music scene.

"All the President's Men" (1976) Beatty plays a busy assistant state's attorney in the film adaptation of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's book about the Nixon administration and the Watergate scandal.

"Network" (1976) Beatty portrays Arthur Jensen, the corporate boss at the controls of the fictional United Broadcasting System (UBS) television network in director Sidney Lumet's Oscar-winning production that features a wonderful cast (William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall and Peter Finch), and Paddy Chayefsky's brilliant screenplay. Beatty's scene with Finch is priceless.

"Superman"  (1978) Beatty plays "Otis", Gene Hackman's bumbling sidekick, in Richard Donner's Oscar-winning (Best Visual Effects) hit. The film starred Christopher Reeves as the "Man of Steel" and Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, but the supporting characters played by Beatty and Valerie Perrine steal the show. 

"Back to School" (1986) Rodney Dangerfield goes to college with his son, and Beatty shows off his comedic skills as the university's Dean Martin. It's all good fun from a time when audiences enjoyed comedy without getting offended. 

"Cookie's Fortune" (1999) Beatty teams with director Robert Altman again and a cast that includes Glenn Close, Lyle Lovett, Julieanne Moore, Liv Tyler, and Donald Moffat. It's a much overlooked piece, but worth a tumble.

"Charlie Wilson's War" (2007) Beatty plays Doc Long, a veteran congressman who proves instrumental in fellow congressman Charlie Wilson's (Tom Hanks) efforts to secure money and weapons for the Afghan resistance to use against Russians in the early 1980s. The cast also includes Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman (Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor), Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, and Denis O'Hare. Directed by Mike Nichols

Beatty also appeared in a number of TV shows, movies, and mini-series. Here are a few of my favorites: 

"The Marcus-Nelson Murders" (1973) This was the pilot film for the popular "Kojak" series starring Telly Savalas. The movie won two Emmys and was nominated for two more. Beatty plays a police detective. 

"The Execution of Private Slovik" (1974) Beatty plays an Army chaplain in this tale of the only U.S. soldier executed for desertion since the Civil War. Martin Sheen starred. Gary Busey and Charles Haid also appear. The movie received seven Emmy nominations and won two.

"The Streets of Laredo" (1995) Beatty portrays Judge Roy Bean in this  adaptation of Larry McMurtry's book. The cast includes Jamer Garner (doing a turn as Captain Woodrow Call), Sam Sheperd, Sissy Spacek, George Carlin, Sonia Braga, Charles Martin Smith, and James Gammon. The production received two Emmy nominations. 

I was in the fourth grade, watching TV with my Dad, when Jack Elam came on the screen and Dad said he was great character actor (he was right). I asked him what that meant. It was a simple explanation.

Character actors are the men and women playing supporting roles in a movie, and if they're good, they can make a mediocre movie entertaining. If they're really good, they can help make an entertaining movie a great film and an Oscar contender. I've watched character actors closely ever since. 

I think Beatty's body of work proves he was an exceptional character actor who contributed to many memorable award-winning productions.

-- Thanks for reading. Please comment here or send a note to kbotterman@gmail.com.

Mr. B looks at the Monday's headlines

Chicago recorded another violent weekend, with 47 shot, including three fatally. Violence is a part of Chicago weekends (and weekdays now, too), but this past weekend was special in that the city saw shootings in 17 of its 22 police districts. In other words, individuals were shot in nearly every area of the city the past weekend. All of this took place less than a week after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the gun violence in the city was moving in the right direction. Her statement was further evidence that she is in so far over her head that she is incapable of telling the truth about the situation around her. 

The Windy City wasn't alone in seeing a wild weekend of violence. Similar shootings were commonplace (but not in same numbers) across the country. In Milwaukee, just about an hour's drive north of Chicago, five people were injured in separate shootings two hours apart. Shootings and homicides are up in the city in 2021, outpacing the numbers for 2020. Cities large and not-so large report surges in gun violence and other major crimes. What's behind the increase in crime? Probably several factors, including mayors who refused to take a hard stance against street crime in 2020. If you accommodate lawlessness, you will get more lawlessness. Can't wait to see what July and August offer us. 

Let's shift gears a bit. One can expect oddities whenever world leaders gather to address perceived challenges and the G-7 Summit conducted over the weekend in England delivered the goods. Here are three of my favorites. President Biden had tea with Queen Elizabeth and later told reporters she reminded him of his mom. And Biden interrupted UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to tell him (incorrectly) that he forgot to introduce South Africa's president. BoJo corrected Biden twice, but Biden wasn't buying it at first. BoJo raised some eyebrows on his own with closing remarks that said the G-7 should be "building back better, building back greener, building back fairer, and building back more equal and in a more gender-neutral and perhaps more feminine way." The guy cracks me up.

And back here at home, a federal judge recently issued a temporary restraining order to Biden's $4 billion debt relief program for farmers of color, stating the program included no provisions to determine the financial status of program participants, only their race. The decision received some media attention, but was lost in the shadow of the G-7 coverage. The decision puts the program on hold until the case is decided. The program was introduced in March and sparked a legal challenge from 12 white farmers and ranchers in nine states. 

-- Thanks for reading. You may comment here or send an email to kbotterman@gmail.com.

Dad offers perspective to high jump disappointment

 

There were many memorable moments at the Class III-A sectional track meet at Batavia High School June 10, and my favorite occurred at the high jump, where I was lending a hand.

Hundreds of athletes and coaches from a dozen area high schools participated in the meet, and the top finishers will compete at the state championship meet June 17-19 at Eastern Illinois University.

Temperatures were in the mid-80s here, and it was a bit hotter on the track. There was no shade, and the winds were calm. The elements were unusual for sectional competitions, which were conducted in early May in pre-Covid-19 days. But things are different this year.

The moment that stood out for me involved an athlete who had narrowly missed qualifying for the state championship. His disappointment was obvious. He sat down on the hot surface near the high jump pit and cried.

Protocols today require fans to be kept at a distance from the competitors, and parents are restricted to a designated viewing area. I noticed one man waving his arms to get my attention and figured he was related to the athlete. I waved him through and learned he was the boy's father. I stood by while Dad consoled his son.

The boy talked about how the loss ended his season and probably his competitive career. "I wanted this so much," I heard him say.

Dad wrapped his arms around his son and said, "Listen to me. I love you. You're my son, and I'm so proud of you. I'm so proud of you."

I felt I was intruding, but was required to stand by. The boy pulled a towel over his head. Dad leaned toward his son and whispered something and then looked at me and nodded me over. I helped Dad get his son on his feet and saw them off.

I know Dad would rather have been congratulating his son on reaching the state championship, but there he was doing what dads do at such moments. He was reassuring his son that disappointment is not the end, but part of life.

And Dad reminded his son he was valued and loved, not for winning ribbons and trophies, but for being a son.

As we approach Father's Day, I thought the episode a valuable reminder that one of the greatest contributions a father makes is to offer his children encouragement, support and perspective during challenging times.

-- Thank you for reading. kbotterman@gmail.com

A few thoughts about the passing parade

The Left, particularly Democrats in Washington, and the Media routinely refer to the Jan. 6 mayhem at the Capitol as an "insurrection". The media frequently uses the word in headlines, but then uses "riot" in the copy of the reports. I think riot is more accurate to the specific incident, but that's me.

National Public Radio did just that in the report I linked to above. The article highlighted the conviction of a man involved in the incident. He took a plea deal and admitted guilt on an obstruction, a far cry from "insurrection." No one charged thus far in the riot has been charged with insurrection, a federal crime, or anything close to it. In fact, the two convictions recorded so far involved obstruction charges and were settled by plea agreement. So why does the Left and the media continue to beat the drum on a narrative that even federal prosecutors don't believe?

* I don't watch much TV and little in the way of TV news. (I read newspapers and listen to radio reports.) However, I do watch some broadcast news. I sometimes catch the "CBS Evening News" and frequently watch "CBS Sunday Morning". I also catch Tucker Carlson now and then. I think he asks some good questions of his guests, and I think he does a good job of presenting a concise point. But I still would not make a habit of watching TV news.

* I spent Memorial Day weekend on a farm in central Wisconsin. From what I saw in the area, patriotism still thrives in rural communities and many observe the traditions of Memorial Day. I was happy to see that, particularly after a year of Covid-19 restrictions.

* The message on a sign I saw today stated, "One day you're not old and the next you have a favorite grocery store." There's truth in that, I think. I sometimes visit as many as four stores for groceries. I frequent two, but consider only one a favorite. I visit that store at least once each week. I suppose that makes me old.

-- Thank you for reading. Feel free to comment or send a note to kbotterman@gmail.com.