ARTHUR!

Good Evening! But no, not in the creepy sense that the late Alfred Hitchcock used to deliver that ostentatious greeting to us through the television. Rather, as in "I'm damn late with this post because life is what it is...

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Having cleared that up, I've been receiving requests about featuring ARTHUR on "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" for some time. So, not only do I say "Sure, why the hell not?" But I must add that I am very proud to feature the above movie poster as a departure from the bath tub photo we all know. HA! Pretty swank, huh? I have a minor societal situation to bring up since this movie deals with a forced decision the main character must make as a single guy. Girls: "Are you influenced by money in a man?" I ask this because it just seems (as a general observation) that the Maxim magazine looking woman in my part of town appear to have their compass' set for emotionally abusive guys and a leased exotic sports car. Now then, onto Naturally Attractive and Down to Earth Girls who have us at "Hello": "Just out of curiosity, what is it with this fad of dating guys who look as if they have watched one too many news reels of NASA's 1960's Mercury space program?" Now, I am no prude nor a "stick in the mud" by any means. But trying to make sense of the dating choices I see "from the outside looking in" throughout my travels makes about as much sense to me as Kevin Federline announcing that he is lending his name to a new line of condoms! Do tell. All of which takes us to our movie of the week with Dudley Moore in ARTHUR! Oh, by the way...Can you believe Bud Cort was considered for this role? Scary kids. Scary...

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Arthur Bach (Dudley Moore) is an alcoholic who is hysterically funny and an heir to a $750 million dollar fortune. He has no resume for reasons that are soon obvious, but he does have two servants, Hobson and Bitterman! Bach's father finally throws down the gauntlet: either Arthur marries boring and idiotic Susan Johnson (Jill Eikenberry--yes, yes of "L.A. Law", but that was later), or he'll be cut off and put out on the street! For the very first time in his storied life, he falls in love with a short-order waitress named Linda (Liza Minnelli). Now then, as I've alluded to above (in an admittedly jaundiced fashion), the question is: will Arthur choose the money or the girl?

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The film is so much about Moore's maniacal and uncontrollable laugh, his demands, embarrassing himself in public and the exceptional chemistry we see between he and Liza Minelli. Mention must be made of Sir John Gielgud, who is equal to Sir Lawrence Olivier (in this authors opinion and others) as among the greatest Shakespearean actors of his generation. This is drunken laughing, knock down-drag out slapstick comedy and I must say, a great escape from ANY bar scene or observation on "the human condition" and the singles scene; it is a charming Joy! Writer and Director Steve Gordon tragically died young in his early 40's after this film wrapped. Sir John Gielgud WON an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for this film in 1982. The Oscar for Best Music, Original Song went to Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen for the song "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" performed by Christopher Cross. The Cast: Dudley Moore is Arthur Bach; Liza Minnelli is Linda Marolla; Sir John Gielgud is Hobson; Geraldine Fitzgerald is the tough Grandmother, Martha Bach; Jill Eikenberry is Susan Johnson; Stephen Elliott is Susan's father Burt Johnson; Ted Ross is Bitterman; Barney Martin is Linda's father Ralph Marolla; Thomas Barbour is Arthur's father Stanford Bach; and I must add that Anne De Salvo is Gloria the hooker! :D The film was Produced by Robert Greenhut and Charles H. Joffe.

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Now...
ENJOY!