HealtH (1980)

Director:

Robert Altman

Writers:

Robert Altman (written by) &
Frank Barhydt (written by) ...

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Convention | Health Food | Political Satire | Florida

Cast

Carol Burnett	...	Gloria Burbank
Glenda Jackson	...	Isabella Garnell
James Garner	...	Harry Wolff
Lauren Bacall	...	Esther Brill
Paul Dooley	...	Dr. Gil Gainey
Donald Moffat	...	Colonel Cody
Henry Gibson	...	Bobby Hammer
Diane Stilwell	...	Willow Wertz
MacIntyre Dixon	...	Fred Munson
Alfre Woodard	...	Sally Benbow
Ann Ryerson	...	Dr. Ruth Ann Jackie
Margery Bond	...	Daisy Bell
Georgann Johnson	...	Lily Bell
Mina Kolb	...	Iris Bell
Allan F. Nicholls	...	Jake Jacobs (as Allan Nicholls)

Also Known As:

H.E.A.L.T.H. (USA) (alternative spelling)
Health (USA) (alternative spelling)
Health! (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

105 min | 100 min (FMC Library Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Don Cesar Hotel - 3400 Gulf Boulevard, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

Lary Crews, 'Robert Altman''s personal assistant on the film, was injured in a hit and run accident in the parking lot of the Don CeSar Resort Hotel (the film's location.) during production and spent two weeks in Palms of Pasadena hospital. Years later, Crews wrote a novel, "Extreme Close-Up", based on his experiences working on pre-production of the film.

Quotes:

Bobby Hammer: The breast that feeds the baby rules the world.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Directors: The Films of Robert Altman (#2.9)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Chick and Thin

A healthful dose of classic Altman humors

In the classic sense of the four humors (which are not specific to the concept of funny or even entertainment), Altman's "H.E.A.L.T.H." treats all of the humors, and actually in very funny, entertaining ways. There's the Phlegm, as personified by Lauren Bacall's very slow, guarded, and protective character Esther Brill, who's mission in life appears to be all about appearance, protecting the secrets of her age and beauty more than her well-being. There's Paul Dooley's Choleric Dr. Gil Gainey, who like a fish out of water (perhaps more like a seal) flops around frenetically, barking and exhorting the crowds to subscribe to his aquatic madness. The Melancholy of Glenda Jackson's Isabella Garnell smacks of Shakespeare's troubled and self-righteous Hamlet -- even proffering a soliloquy or two. And let's not forget Henry Gibson's Bile character, Bobby Hammer ("The breast that feeds the baby rules the world"). Then there's the characters Harry Wolff and Gloria Burbank (James Garner and Carol Burnett, respectively), relatively sane characters striving to find some kind of balance amongst all the companion and extreme humors who have convened for H.E.A.L.T.H. -- a kind of world trade organization specializing in H.E.A.L.T.H., which is to say anything but health. This is Altman at his classic best.