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"American Playhouse" Who Am I This Time? (1982)
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showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips"American Playhouse" Who Am I This Time? (1982)
Overview
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Original Air Date:
2 February 1982
Plot:
From a short story by Kurt Vonnegut. Christopher Walken is a shy hardware store employee. But whenever...
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how to act and love, by Demme and Vonnegut, starring Walken and Sarandon, what more could you want?
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Cast
(Episode Credited cast) | Susan Sarandon | ... | Helene Shaw |
 | Christopher Walken | ... | Harry Nash |
 | Robert Ridgely | ... | George Johnson |
| Dorothy Patterson | ... | Doris |
| Caitlin Hart | ... | Lydia |
| Les Podewell | ... | Les |
| Aaron Freeman | ... | Andrew |
| Jerry Vile | ... | Albert |
| Paula Frances | ... | Minnie |
 | Mike Bacarella | ... | Stage Manager |
| Ron Parady | ... | Vern |
| Debbi Hopkins | ... | Christie |
| Maria Todd | ... | Heather |
| Sandy McLeod | ... | Flirt #1 |
| Edie Vonnegut | ... | Flirt #2 |
Additional Details
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Runtime:
55 min | Argentina:95 min
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Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
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Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The quotations recited by the actors in the various plays, from "Cyrano" to "A Streetcar named Desire" to "The Importance of Being Earnest", are often paraphrased. In the opening act, we watch Harry Nash deliver the final lines of "Cyrano," which were taken not from the well-known translations of the standard texts, but from the film adaptation Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) with translation by Brian Hooker. Edmond Rostand's final two words in the original French were "My panache!" which is usually used in translations. Hooker's version changes it to "My white plume!" Another slight variation occurs in the final lines, when Helene accepts Harry's proposal of marriage and says, "I hope that after we marry, you'll always look at me just like this... especially in front of other people!" In the original play by Oscar Wilde, the line is "I hope you will always look at me just like that, especially when there are other people present."
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Quotes:
[after Harry and Helene have just given a dynamic performance of a scene at the audition, Harry has returned to his dorky clothes and leans over to whisper to Harry]
Harry Nash: Was that all right?
[George pretends that he hasn't already determined that Harry will play the part of Stanley Kowalski]
Harry Nash: Oh, uh, for a first reading, that, that wasn't too bad, Harry, yeah.
Harry Nash: Is there a chance I'll get the part?
George Johnson: Uh, I think we can safely say that we, we're leaning powerfully in your direction, Harry.
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Harry Nash: Was that all right?
[George pretends that he hasn't already determined that Harry will play the part of Stanley Kowalski]
Harry Nash: Oh, uh, for a first reading, that, that wasn't too bad, Harry, yeah.
Harry Nash: Is there a chance I'll get the part?
George Johnson: Uh, I think we can safely say that we, we're leaning powerfully in your direction, Harry.
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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for "American Playhouse" (1982)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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To answer that question: that it was longer. Then again to counter that own point, maybe this was a film that was very close to Vonnegut's original story, thus not extending it to feature length or making it an actual theatrical release. As it is it should be just a trifle, but it's more than that. Director Jonathan Demme adds a light air of circumstance to the proceedings, and plants some of his trademarks (notably the precise positioning of the camera on faces, as we all know from most of his films) while letting the actors have at it. And it's quite an amazing piece for those who love theater, and how an actor's mind meets with heart. At the same time it's not sentimental; this story of a woman (Sarandon) who keeps moving from town to town and never settling anywhere or meeting anyone, and a man (Walken) who is an introvert who lets himself out through incredible community theatre productions, who meet on the set of Streetcar Named Desire and fall for each other in the oddest way is about as charming as one could imagine.
Aside from the power of seeing Walken take on iconic parts (i.e. Cyrano, Stanley Kowalski), he's fantastic at being incredibly subtle and at underplaying his meek clerk-turned-star. If you want to see him outside of being the Continental or giving gold watch speeches, come here. And Sarandon is excellent too, in a role that requires her to be compassionate and kind and understanding and blah blah and she does it without flinching in a step. It's short, and sadly not longer (though I'd love to see the 95 minute cut from Argentina!), but it's one of Demme's better efforts of the 90s, a true small-town chamber piece of love.