Ep #64 - Francis Ford Coppola in the 60s
The Rain People (1969)
In many ways, the story of Francis Ford Coppola in the 1960s is a true parallel to the story of the dissolution and subsequent restructuring of Hollywood throughout the decade. Coppola got into the film industry quickly after graduating college, he started in nudie flicks and worked his way up through various low budget Roger Corman pictures. After earning his MFA in film from UCLA in 1967, he graduated to working on blockbusters – only to find himself drawn to a style of independent film later known as New Hollywood.
In this episode, Bart and Jenna pinpoint what it is about Francis Ford Coppola that’s continually inspirational, and debate which of his many masterful films are their favorites - but then remember they’re supposed to be talking about all his ‘60s juvenilia instead. Listen as they brave a handful of lighthearted nudie flicks, mediocre genre cash-ins, a couple of fascinating failures and one genuinely great film.
The following films are discussed:
• Tonight for Sure (1962)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola & Jerry Schafer
Starring Karl Schanzer, Don Kenney, Marli Renfro
• The Bellboy and the Playgirls (1962)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola & Fritz Umgelter
Starring June Wilkinson, Don Kenney, Karin Dor
• Battle Beyond the Sun (1962)
Directed by Mikhail Karyukov and Aleksandr Kozyr & Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Ivan Pereverzev, Aleksandr Shvorin, Konstantin Bartashevich
• The Terror (1963)
Directed by Roger Corman & Monte Hellman & Francis Ford Coppola & Jack Hale & Dennis Jakob & Jack Nicholson & Jack Hill
Starring Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight
• Dementia 13 (1963)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Luana Anders, Bart Patton, Patrick Magee
• You're a Big Boy Now (1966)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Peter Kastner, Elizabeth Hartman, Geraldine Page
• Finian's Rainbow (1968)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Fred Astaire, Petula Clark, Tommy Steele
• The Rain People (1969)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring James Caan, Shirley Knight, Robert Duvall
Other Coppola films mentioned:
• This Property Is Condemned (1966)
Directed by Sydney Pollack
Written by Francis Ford Coppola & Fred Coe, based on a one-act play by Tennessee Williams
Starring Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, Charles Bronson
• Is Paris Burning? (1966)
Paris brûle-t-il?
Directed by René Clément
Written by Francis Ford Coppola & Gore Vidal, based on a book by Larry Collins & Dominique Lapierre
Starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Charles Boyer, Leslie Caron
• Patton (1970)
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Written by Francis Ford Coppola & Edmund H. North
Starring George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young
• The Godfather (1972)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
• The Conversation (1974)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield
• Apocalypse Now (1979)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall
• One from the Heart (1981)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia
• The Outsiders (1983)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio
• Rumble Fish (1983)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane
• Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Kathleen Turner, Nicolas Cage, Barry Miller
• Dracula (1992)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins
