The Day of the Locust (1975)

An art director in the 1930's falls in love and attempts to make a young woman an actress despite Hollywood who wants nothing to do with her because of her problems with an estranged man and her alcoholic father.

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writers:

Nathanael West (novel), Waldo Salt (screenplay)

Stars:

Donald Sutherland, Karen Black, Burgess Meredith

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Donald Sutherland	...	Homer Simpson
Karen Black	...	Faye Greener
Burgess Meredith	...	Harry Greener
William Atherton	...	Tod Hackett
Geraldine Page	...	Big Sister
Richard Dysart	...	Claude Estee
Bo Hopkins	...	Earle Shoop
Pepe Serna	...	Miguel
Lelia Goldoni	...	Mary Dove
Billy Barty	...	Abe Kusich
Jackie Earle Haley	...	Adore (as Jackie Haley)
Gloria LeRoy	...	Mrs. Loomis (as Gloria Le Roy)
Jane Hoffman	...	Mrs. Odlesh
Norman Leavitt	...	Mr. Odlesh (as Norm Leavitt)
Madge Kennedy	...	Mrs. Johnson

Storyline

Life's flotsam and jetsam turn up at late 1930's Holloywoodland's door, once more, in this insightful tale of wannabes and desperadoes. Tod Hackett, artist, has inspirations to become noticed until he meets Faye Greener, blonde bombshell, and is immediately smitten. She has other ideas. She has Homer Simpson, victim, in her sights and cruelty and loneliness takes new meaning as all three are slowly sucked into the Hollywood system of sycophants, liggers and parasites, sucking the life from others as the life, and soul, is slowly sucked from them.

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Plot Keywords:

1930s | art director | alcoholic | accountant | artist | 

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Taglines:

It happenend in Hollywood. But it could have happened in hell.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 August 1975 (France)

Also Known As:

Como plaga de langosta

Filming Locations:

1240 Cerro Crest Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Long Road

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character Dick Powell in the movie is portrayed by his son Dick Powell Jr.

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Goofs

In the first few minutes of the movie there is a drive up a road to the Hollywoodland sign. The road ends at a sightseeing/tourist spot and parking area at the foot of the "H." In reality the road passes behind the sign and above it on the hill. The hillside at the "H" is too steep for a road/parking area and there are no traces of one ever having been there.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mrs. Odlesh: It isn't as splashy as some other places, but we pride ourselves on being a little classier.
Tod Hackett: [referring to a large crack in the plaster wall] Hmmm, the crack's real.
Mrs. Odlesh: Oh yes. We call this our earthquake cottage. Mrs. Porter had occupancy then. During the big one in '33. Property damage ran into the millions.
Tod Hackett: Will you fix it if I stayed for a while?
Mrs. Odlesh: Oh no! No! This is our showplace. Mrs. Porter wouldn't let us touch that wall. She worked that sampler herself to cover over the hole. ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Penny-Wiseguys (2012)

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Soundtracks

"JUNE IN JANUARY"
Music by Ralph Rainger
Lyrics by Leo Robin

User Reviews

Masterwork of the Cinema - unduly neglected and underrated

Wow...

I've sat here in front of this blank for several minutes now.

I cannot find another word to describe this movie. The building tensions are handled so deftly, the ending, which must rank among the most harrowing scenes in all art, comes both as a surprise and as no surprise.

William Atherton, Karen Black, Donald Sutherland, Burgess Meredith, Richard Dysart - all incomparably perfect in every way in these roles.

Schlesinger is a master, the Barry score is cleverly arranged and the Hall photography and Clark editing, especially in the final sequence is just about the most prodigiously horrendous and horrific in all cinema.

I'm still shaking.