Award Liz Disses O'Hara Film
Elizabeth Taylor, who died last month, was miscast in the 1960 stinker potboiler rehash BUtterfield 8, the film version of the John O'Hara novel. And she knew it. According to 4 April edition of New York, she 'hated' the picture and referred to it BUtterball 4. Sure sounds like a slam. Meaning what exactly isn't explained.
--RDC
6 comments:
Butterball could mean she felt fat when she was making the film, or the film was a turkey. Or both.
Butterball could mean she felt fat when she was making the movie, or the movie was a turkey. Or both.
Producer Pandro Berman and screenwriters Charles Schnee and John Michael Hayse were the real culprits in the Butterfield 8 film debacle. Blaming O'Hara for their work (as Ms Taylor seemed to do)was at least inaccurate. The screenplay should have been much nearer its source. As it was, not one line of O'Hara's dialogue survived, making the film a travesty of the novel.
A recent review of the novel in light of current U.S. economy:
http://www.slate.com/id/2302344/
The book BUtterfield 8 will be discussed at goodreads.com in the Constant Reader group.
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/650006-next-classic-o-hara
It seems to have been Richard Burton who spoke acidly of Butterfield 8 as a novel. I recall John O'Hara saying this [Collected Letters].The book speaks brilliantly of another time. So does Sermons and Soda Water, one of my favourite O'Hara's. As for Liz Taylor, let's remember her from A Place in the Sun. Her first sight of Montgomery Clift is at a billiards table. 'WOW,' she says. Love at first sight.
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