Update: Transcriptions

As I just wasn't getting off my duff and transcribing any of the interviews that I'd done since start of this project (going on five years!), I decided to hire some transcribers via Craigslist. Fortunately, when I sent out the ad to some of my friends, one of them volunteered. That said, I've gotten back about half or more of the transcriptions and I'm excited to see them coming in and remembering the conversations.

Oddly, I seem to have the most interviews around Matilda and may start there with writing.

Great Articles

I'm not the only person doing scholarship on Mr. Gould's work these days. Check out these articles by Sam Wiesberg:

The Lesser Known (or Less Celebrated) Films of Elliott Gould (Part 1)

Elliott Gould Discusses His Lesser-Known Films, Part 2: The 1980s

The Little Movie That Couldn’t: An Oral History of Elliott Gould’s Never-Completed “A Glimpse of Tiger”

Project Gould

Way back in December, 2010, I posted about the filmography of Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould in the 1970s with the idea of doing a book about these two actors' careers during my favorite decade of cinema.

It's over three years later and that project has yet to come to fruition. One of my first stumbling blocks was Donald Sutherland's publicist who has acted like a successful roadblock. I was taken aback by his publicist's first question to me; "Why would you talk about them [Gould and Sutherland] together since they were only in one movie together?" Apparently, she'd remembered M*A*S*H but forgotten S*P*Y*S, Little Murders, and the friendship that the two men shared in the early 1970s. This exclusion of Sutherland may have been a blessing in disguise, however, Gould's filmography from 1969 to 1981 includes an astounding 28 feature films, not to mention his numerous appearances on television specials.

Since 2010, I've been working to track down people involved with these films and interviewing them. I've had a lot of luck with some films (California Split, Little Murders, etc) and horrid luck with others (Harry & Walter Go to New York, The Lady Vanishes, I Will... I Will... For Now, etc). I've been working for a few years to try and get a response from James Caan, Malcolm Marmorstein, Claudia Cardinale, Steven Paul, and Kim Darby (to name a few). I've gotten turned down by Diane Keaton, Mark Rydell, and Cybill Shepherd.

I'm very sad to say that during my research Ted Post (Whiffs) and Charles Jarrott (The Last Flight of Noah's Ark) have passed away. However, I was very fortunate to have talked to Mel Stuart (I Love My Wife) just a few weeks prior to his passing. He died owing me $108.00 (a story I hope to include in the book).

Even without input from some of the aforementioned folks, I'm still planning on finally getting my ass in gear and going ahead with the project in 2014.

And what about the man himself? What about Elliott Gould? He may be interested in participating and, of course, that would be invaluable. I need to show him that I can do more than just write blog posts and proposals about a book. After I wrap up a few things for BearManor Media, I'm going to buckle down and write a chapter on California Split and Getting Straight. Of course, I'm going to go beyond the films themselves and talk about their sources, what other films compare with them, the times in which they were made, and their influences on other films/culture.

Why am I posting this? I'm hoping that it will help hold my feet to the fire as well as maybe shake some fruit from the trees. I can hope.

Interviews in the Can
Joseph Walsh (California Split)
Jules Feiffer (Little Murders)
Peter Hyams (Busting + Capricorn One)
Brenda Vaccaro (I Love My Wife + Capricorn One)
Mel Stuart (I Love My Wife)
Richard Rush (Getting Straight)
Albert Ruddy (Matilda)
Timothy Galfas (Matilda)
Gary Morgan (Matilda)
Fred Williamson (M*A*S*H + Mean Johnny Barrows)
Jack Gold (Who?)
Joss Ackland (S*P*Y*S)
Paula Prentiss (MOVE)
Sandy Glass (The Last Flight of Noah's Ark)

Interviews I hope to get
Alan Arkin (Little Murders)
Albert E. Lewin (I Will... I Will... For Now)
Allen Garfield (Busting)
Alvin Rakoff (Dirty Tricks)
Anthony Page (The Lady Vanishes)
Bill Cosby (The Devil & Max Devilin)
Christopher Plummer (The Silent Partner)
Curtis Hanson (The Silent Partner)
Cybill Shepherd (The Lady Vanishes)
Diane Keaton (Harry & Walter Go To New York + I Will... I Will... For Now)
Donald Sutherland (MASH, SPYS, Little Murders)
Geneviève Bujold (The Last Flight of Noah's Ark)
Geneviève Waïte (Move)
James Caan (Harry & Walter Go To New York)
Malcolm Marmorstein (SPYS + Whiffs)
Mark Rydell (The Long Goodbye + Harry & Walter Go to New York)
Mary Rodgers (The Devil & Max Devlin)
Max von Sydow (The Touch)
Nina Van Pallandt (The Long Goodbye)
Robert Blake (Busting)
Steven Hilliard Stern (The Devil & Max Devlin)
Steven Paul (Falling in Love Again)

Gould and Sutherland

This is one of my latest obsessions... going through the filmographies of Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould in the '70s and seeing what an amazing body of work these two guys had. I smell a future article...

Year	Title	Role
1970	Start the Revolution Without Me
1970	M*A*S*H	Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce
1970	Kelly's Heroes	Sergeant "Oddball"
1970	Alex in Wonderland	Alex Morrison
1970	The Act of the Heart	Father Michael Ferrier
1970	Move	Hiram Jaffe
1970	Airport	(uncredited) - Voice
1970	I Love My Wife	Richard Burrows
1970	Getting Straight	Harry Bailey
1970	M*A*S*H	Trapper John
1971	Little Murders
1971	Klute	John Klute
1971	Johnny Got His Gun	Christ
1971	The Touch	David Kovac
1971	Little Murders	Alfred Chamberlain
1972	F.T.A.
1972	The Special London Bridge Special	The Villain
1973	Steelyard Blues	Jesse Veldini
1973	Lady Ice	Andy Hammon
1973	Don't Look Now	John Baxter
1973	Alien Thunder	Sergeant Dan Candy
1973	Who?	Sean Rogers
1973	The Long Goodbye	Philip Marlowe
1974	S*P*Y*S	Bruland
1974	California Split	Charlie Waters
1974	Busting	Vice Detective Michael Keneely
1974	S*P*Y*S	Griff
1975	The Day of the Locust	Homer Simpson
1975	Mean Johnny Barrows	The Professor
1975	Nashville	Himself
1975	Whiffs	Dudley Frapper
1976	End of the Game
1976	The Eagle Has Landed	Liam Devlin
1976	Il Casanova di Federico Fellini	Giacomo Casanova
1976	1900	Attila Mellanchini
1976	I Will, I Will for Now	Les Bingham
1976	Harry And Walter Go To New York	Walter Hill
1977	Blood Relatives	Steve Carella
1977	The Kentucky Fried Movie	The Clumsy Waiter
1977	The Disappearance	Jay Mallory
1977	Bethune
1977	A Bridge Too Far	Col. Bobby Stout
1978	National Lampoon's Animal House	Professor Dave Jennings
1978	Invasion of the Body Snatchers	Matthew Bennell
1978	Matilda	Bernie Bonnelli
1978	The Silent Partner	Miles Cullen
1978	Capricorn One	Robert Caulfield
1979	Murder by Decree	Robert Lees
1979	A Man, a Woman and a Bank	Reese Halperin
1979	The Great Train Robbery
1979	Bear Island	Frank Lansing
1979	Escape to Athena	Charlie Dane
1979	The Lady Vanishes	Robert Condon
1979	The Muppet Movie	Beauty Contest Compere