January 8 movie: My Favorite Year. I wasn't planning to watch this, but it happened to be coming on when I sat down, and it turned out to be great. Peter O'Toole plays a washed-up, alcoholic former movie star who's obviously based on Errol Flynn. In fact, I looked it up and the movie is based on a real-life incident when Flynn showed up drunk for a guest spot on the Sid Ceaser "Show of Shows" TV series. The movie was funny and nostalgic. Also featured lots of good performances including Mark Linn-Baker ("Perfect Strangers"), Jessica Harper, Bill Macy, and the marvelous Selma Diamond. Blink and you'll miss it, but there's even a walk-on part for a very young Cady McClain (Dixie Cooney Chandler Martin Bodine Martin Martin from All My Children). But the movie is carried by Peter O'Toole.
my favorite year
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i *love* this movie. and not only because one of the stars has the same last name as i do (or at least, part of his last name is the same).
Oh yeah, that's a big favorite of mine. The character of King Kaiser is terrific, too -- a jerk, but you have to admire his guts. And, hey, that Boss Hijack's got so-o-ome temper! It's a movie I can watch whenever I happen upon it. (Did I recently recommend Westward The Women? I was talking about it somewhere. I can watch it to the end no matter where I come in on it.)
I almost glanced at this movie today -- dang that I didn't linger! (Instead I watched parts of The Green Beret). This month's housesitting gig is at my folks' place in Hillsborough. They have monster cable. Yikes.
this is my dad's all-time favorite movie--i grew up watching it! it's awesome.
There does seem to be a public perception that Errol Flynn was drunk for his "Show of Shows" appearance, but Mel Brooks (Executive Producer for My Favorite Year, and part of the basis for the character of Benji Stone) has said that this actually wasn't the case and that the rehearsals and the show were essentially uneventful. The character of Alan Swann is, of course, based on Flynn, and Flynn certainly was known as quite an imbimber...