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Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
21 March 1962 (USA)
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Tagline:
Provocative Adult Entertainment more
Plot:
Drifter Chance Wayne returns to his hometown after many years of trying to make it in the movies. With...
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Awards:
Won Oscar.
Another 2 wins
&
6 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Birthday Suits: Deserve's Got Nothin' To Do With it
(From FilmExperience. 22 November 2009, 10:47 AM, PST)
“The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond” Poster and Trailer
(From Filmofilia. 18 November 2009, 4:17 PM, PST)
(From FilmExperience. 22 November 2009, 10:47 AM, PST)
“The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond” Poster and Trailer
(From Filmofilia. 18 November 2009, 4:17 PM, PST)
User Comments:
The film has a splendid array of impressive performances…
more (28 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Paul Newman | ... | Chance Wayne |
 | Geraldine Page | ... | Alexandra Del Lago |
 | Shirley Knight | ... | Heavenly Finley |
 | Ed Begley | ... | Tom 'Boss' Finley |
 | Rip Torn | ... | Thomas 'Tom' J. Finley, Jr. |
| Mildred Dunnock | ... | Aunt Nonnie |
| Madeleine Sherwood | ... | Miss Lucy |
| Philip Abbott | ... | Dr. George Scudder |
 | Corey Allen | ... | Scotty |
| Barry Cahill | ... | Bud |
| Dub Taylor | ... | Dan Hatcher |
| James B. Douglas | ... | Leroy (as James Douglas) |
| Barry Atwater | ... | Ben Jackson |
| Charles Arnt | ... | Mayor Henricks |
| Dorothy Konrad | ... | Mrs. Maribelle Norris |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
120 min | Australia:106 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
UK:15 (re-rating) (1996) |
UK:X (original rating) |
Australia:PG (TV rating) |
Australia:M |
Finland:K-18 |
Sweden:15
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Goofs:
Errors in geography: The film depicts St. Cloud Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. In reality, St. Cloud is 80 miles inland.
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Quotes:
Chance Wayne:
I had my picture on the cover of Life magazine! Woo-ha!
Chance Wayne: And at the same time I was... employing my other talent, lovemaking.
Alexandra Del Lago: That may be the only talent you were ever truly meant for.
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Chance Wayne: And at the same time I was... employing my other talent, lovemaking.
Alexandra Del Lago: That may be the only talent you were ever truly meant for.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Death Becomes Her (1992)
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Soundtrack:
Ebb Tide
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (28 total)
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Chance Wayne (Newman) has only one talent—sexual prowess—and he's been bumming around for several years, satisfying rich women in the hope that he can find fame in Hollywood…
He picks up a faded screen star, Alexandra Del Lago (magnificently played by Geraldine Page), who takes constant refuge in vodka, hashish, oxygen masks and young studs… She promises to get him a movie contract, and they drive to his Southern hometown, where he plans to find his sweetheart, Heavenly Finley (Shirley Knight), and take her along to Hollywood… He doesn't know that on his last visit he left her pregnant, that she had an abortion, and that her father, the corrupt and vigorous politician Boss Finley (Ed Begley), is out to get him…
Through a strong, powerful performance, Newman managed to be a celebrity—dropping names, giving large tips, arrogantly stating: "Just because a man's successful doesn't mean he has to forget his hometown."
He's also extremely sneaky and gently tolerant, as he charms Alexandra while recording what she's saying for blackmail purposes… But he's finally pathetic: a desperately insecure man, addicted to amphetamines, attending to Alexandra and performing as a lover at her whim… His mask of swaggering bravura really disappears when he tries to see Heavenly… He becomes confused and desperate—walking with regular steps, rubbing his hands together, pleading urgently over the phone…