Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

Tennessee Williams
Richard Brooks (written for the screen by)

Release Date:

29 May 1962 (Portugal)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Provocative Adult Entertainment

Plot:

Drifter Chance Wayne returns to his hometown after many years of trying to make it in the movies. Arriving...

Plot Keywords:

Film Star | Actress | Florida | Drifter | Hypocrisy

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Chance Wayne
Geraldine Page	...	Alexandra Del Lago
Shirley Knight	...	Heavenly Finley
Ed Begley	...	'Boss' Finley
Rip Torn	...	Thomas 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 Douglas	...	Leroy
Barry Atwater	...	Ben Jackson
Charles Arnt	...	Mayor Henricks
Dorothy Konrad	...	Mrs. Maribelle Norris
James Chandler	...	Professor Brutus Haven Smith
Mike Steen	...	Deputy
Kelly Thordsen	...	Sheriff Clark
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Edith Atwater	...	Undetermined Minor Role (uncredited)
Robert Burton	...	Director (uncredited)
William Forrest	...	Bennie Taubman (uncredited)
Roy Glenn	...	Charles (uncredited)
Sydney Guilaroff	...	Hairdresser (uncredited)
Jim Jacobs	...	Young Politician (uncredited)
Regis Parton	...	Man in Car (uncredited)
Davis Roberts	...	Fly (uncredited)
Eddy Samuels	...	Jackie (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Man at Political Rally (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	...	Dissenter in Car (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Brooks

Writing credits
Tennessee Williams		(as Tennessee Williams' "Sweet Bird of Youth")
Richard Brooks		(written for the screen by)

Produced by
Pandro S. Berman	....	producer
Kathryn Hereford	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Milton R. Krasner		(director of photography) (as Milton Krasner)

Film Editing by
Henry Berman		(film editor)

Art Direction by
George W. Davis
Urie McCleary

Set Decoration by
Henry Grace
Hugh Hunt

Costume Design by
Orry-Kelly		(costumes)

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
William Tuttle	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hank Moonjean	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Franklin Milton	....	recording supervisor

Visual Effects by
Lee LeBlanc	....	special visual effects

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Charles K. Hagedon	....	color consultant

Music Department
Robert Armbruster	....	conductor
Harold Gelman	....	music supervisor
Jeff Alexander	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Robert Armbruster	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Bronislau Kaper	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
André Previn	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Albert Woodbury	....	composer: title music (uncredited)

Other crew
Cheryl Crawford	....	presented on the stage by

Production Companies

• Roxbury Productions Inc. (as A Roxbury Production)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1962) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1978) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1962) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Panavision  photographic lenses by

Also Known As:

Runtime:

120 min | Australia:106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (re-rating) (1996) | UK:X (original rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Canada:14A (video rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #20023) | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Malibu, California, USA

Company:

Roxbury Productions Inc.

Trivia:

The unusual four-door convertible is a Chrysler Imperial Parade Phaeton. There were three made, and according to a Wikipedia entry, the color scheme matches at what the time was the Los Angeles car.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Just after the opening scene in which he and the Ms. Page character are leaving Florida, the Paul Newman character pulls their Cadillac off the road and parks it in front of a liquor store, where he goes in to get Ms. Page's character a bottle of Smirnoff vodka. Look carefully at the neon signs in the liquor store display window. One of them clearly advertises Coors beer. But this is supposed to be the eastern United States (presumably a Gulf Coast state), and Coors was only sold in Colorado and western states at that time.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "DuckTales: Sweet Duck of Youth (#1.19)" (1987)

Soundtrack:

(I Wish I Was in) Dixie's Land

Memorable 1960's.........

Paul Newman is outstanding as the ultimate gigolo gold-digger. This movie also features the quintessential "Heavenly" daughter/ big bad daddy performances by Knight and by Begley, who is frighteningly effective.

Geraldine Page is perfectly imperfect and unattractive- remember she is this way for dramatic effect. You aren't supposed to like her. Anti-heroes and character studies were really featured in that era's plays and films. Such characters don't have to be likable and seldom are. Wonderful 1960's actresses Mildred Dunnock and Madeleine Sherwood also give their usual gem-like performances.

If you want to see what 1960's-style movie-making was really all about, view this one. Sure it is uneven and maybe a little old-fashioned by today's standards, but you can get an idea of why some of us are nostalgic for a decade that is known for big changes in movies, but otherwise somewhat forgotten. Here you get a good dose of the cynicism and fine acting of the 60's but without the annoying pretentiousness that was so prevalent in films of the era.

Also, you don't have to be familiar with the stage play or Tennessee Williams in order to appreciate this movie-making effort by Richard Brooks.