Re: RARA-AVIS: Re:The Long Goodbye

From: Patrick King ( abrasax93@yahoo.com)
Date: 03 Feb 2007


The reference in the last 2 lines of my quoted post are from a poem by Robert Burns. After making The Long Goodbye, Gould recorded audio books of all of Chandler's novels. If he was not trying to cast himself as the modern Marlow, he certainly did an awful lot of work in that direction.

Patrick King
--- Terrill Lankford < lankford2000@earthlink.net> wrote:

>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> >From: Patrick King < abrasax93@yahoo.com>
> >Sent: Feb 2, 2007 5:13 PM
> >To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
> >Subject: Re: RARA-AVIS: Re:The Long Goodbye
> >
> >Elliot Gould was on the edge of the A list at the
> time
> >that movie was made. He's had a great success in
> MASH.
> >He wanted to be a leading man and he is a big fan
> of
> >Chandler. I'm sure he was in on the decision to
> make
> >this movie. This is a very common reason for making
> >movies in Hollywood and very few are successful.
> "The
> >greatest gift that God could gee us..." applys
> here, I
> >think.
> >
> >Patrick King
>
>
> I don't even understand what the last couple lines
> in your post mean, but, "It's okay with me."
>
> Gould had nothing to do with developing this movie
> (until he was cast, of course). Elliot Kastner and
> Jerry Bick had the rights and were producing the
> film. They wanted Peter Bogdonavich to direct. He
> passed and suggested Altman. Altman had to convince
> the producers that Gould could do the work. Gould
> was currently in hot water for erratic behavior on a
> number of recent jobs (he had punched out Anthony
> Harvey on one flick and even inspired Ingmar Bergman
> (!) to say he was "difficult" on another). He was
> unhirable at the time, not someone people were going
> to for advice on multi-million dollar decisions.
> Like what movies he'd like to make to bolster his
> career.
>
> The producers made Gould go through physical and
> psychological testing before they would hire him.
> Elliot Gould's desires for "leading man" status, if
> he had any, played no role in the producers decision
> to make this movie. They would have made it without
> him. And they would have made it without Altman.
> They owned the property and they were in the power
> position until Altman was hired. From that point on,
> everthing is a negotiation. It was Altman's belief
> in Gould that got him the job. Not the other way
> around.
>
> Yes, producers often cater to big star's egos to get
> them on board their projects, but if a star is
> behind the initial development of a movie, you will
> find his name in the producer's credits. Often they
> will have their name there even if they were merely
> a gun for hire.
>
> Gould is not one of the producers of The Long
> Goodbye. Merely the star.
>
>
> TL
>
>
>

 
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