The Horse's Head

#235) To Be or Not To Be (1942)

OR “Spying is Easy, Comedy is Hard”

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch

Written by Edwin Justus Mayer. Story by Melchior Lengyel.

Class of 1996

The Plot: It’s 1939 Warsaw and Joseph and Maria Tura (Jack Benny & Carole Lombard) are the most famous couple in Polish theater. Joseph is a bit of a ham and is devastated when an audience member (Robert Stack) walks out on his “Hamlet” two nights in a row. The man is Lt. Sobinski, a pilot who uses the “To be or not to be” soliloquy to head backstage and have a dalliance with Maria. All of this is pushed aside when the Nazis invade Poland, and the theater is closed down. When Sobinski discovers that resistance ally Siletsky (Stanley Ridges) is actually a Nazi spy, Joseph and Anna do their part to save their troupe from the Third Reich. Despite the above plot synopsis, the whole thing is actually hilarious.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film “a complex and timely satire that delicately balances humor and ethics.” There’s also an essay by author/professor/Hoosier David L. Smith.

But Does It Really?: You might need a little historical background to fully enjoy it, but “To Be or Not To Be” is still a thoroughly funny movie. Lubitsch somehow manages to make a movie that is both a satirical farce and a dark reportage of a country caught in war. Lombard and Benny are both excellent, but the whole cast is flawless. “To Be or Not To Be” tends to get lost in the shuffle of great comedies, but its sharp comedy and bold storytelling have helped it persevere over the years, and it is a welcome addition to the Registry.

Everybody Gets One: A successful vaudevillian and radio star, Jack Benny wasn’t quite able to jumpstart his film career. Benny was surprised when Ernst Lubitsch approached him with not only the lead role in his next film, but a lead role written specifically for him. His film career may have peaked with “To Be or Not To Be”, but Benny stated years later it’s the only one of his films he truly loves.

Wow, That’s Dated: The wartime setting is your first clue. Of the other dated parts, offering cigarettes in a formal setting is my favorite.

Seriously, Oscars?: Released shortly after the death of Carole Lombard (and America’s entry into WWII), critics and audiences weren’t quite ready to laugh at Lubitsch’s dark comedy. The film did, however, manage to snag one Oscar nomination: Best Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. It helps that “To Be or Not to Be” was one of 18 films nominated in that category. No offense to Werner Heymann, but the score for this film isn’t too memorable, and lost to fellow NFR entry “Now, Voyager”. [UPDATE: Further research reveals that in the early ’40s – the last era of studio system monopolies – each studio was allowed to submit one movie for the Best Score categories, with a guaranteed nomination for their submission. “To Be or Not To Be” made the list because Romaine Film Corp./United Artists submitted it. Seriously, Oscars?]

Other notes

• As previously mentioned, Carole Lombard was killed in a plane crash along with her mother in January 1942, one month before this film’s release. Only one line was deleted from the film in response to her death: Maria’s unfortunately ironic “What can happen in a plane?”
• So a few things: The whole plot stems from Maria having her rendezvous with Sobinski while Joseph is performing the “To be or not to be” monologue from “Hamlet”. But the very next scene in Hamlet features Ophelia (“Get thee to a nunnery”). On the assumption that Maria is playing Ophelia (they never say who she is, but playing Gertrude would be…one interpretation) wouldn’t Maria have to be onstage immediately following the monologue? How long does Joseph take to deliver it? And why does she make Sobinksi wait until the third act to see her? Of course if you’re looking for logistics, “O, That This Too Too Solid Flesh Would Melt/Thaw and Resolve Itself Into a Dew!” is a terrible title for a movie.
• Maria’s maid is either Shirley Booth or Marie Dressler. Ask your great-grandparents.
• The thing about this movie that’s fascinating is how dark it is. We were still in the middle of WWII and not sure what the outcome would be. There’s a lot of this movie that focuses on the grim uncertainty of being this close to Nazis.
• Obviously no one knew this would be Lombard’s final performance, but her Maria is as great as any of her other performances. In an interesting way it’s her most subtle performance. And while Benny never quite equals Lombard’s screen presence, his comic timing is, unsurprisingly, perfection.
• At one point Sobinski tells Joseph that this is his “zero hour”. Not yet, Stack.
• Shoutout to Sig Ruman as what may be filmdom’s first great cartoon Nazi (“Great Dictator” aside).

• The jokes-per-minute ratio in this film isn’t as high as other comedies, but when the jokes do show up, they more than make up for lost time.
• About 80 minutes into the film, Erhardt directs Joseph to his living room, and a weird figure appears in the right corner of the screen. Was it a crew member? What the hell was that?
• One of my notes reads “just the best timing”. I’m pretty sure that was about Jack Benny, but really it could be about anyone.

Legacy

• “To Be or Not To Be” was remade in 1983 as a vehicle for real-life couple Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft. It can’t beat the timing of the original, but the 1983 version holds its own as a lighter variation of the same story. It’s also Mel Brooks’ best film performance.

• Speaking of Mel, the line “Heil Myself” was lifted from this film and used by Mel in the musical version of “The Producers”.

• Mickey Dolenz of “The Monkees” was inspired by “To Be or Not To Be” to write the song… “To Be or Not To Be”.

• A comedy about a theater troupe seems an obvious choice for a play. A stage adaptation of “To Be or Not To Be” finally made it to Broadway in 2008, and quickly closed after being lambasted for departing too far from the film.

Listen to This: Jack Benny rose to fame with his long-running radio show, where he perfected his miserly persona. The National Recording Registry has preserved the episode that aired March 28^th, 1948, featuring the pause heard ‘round the world.

#234) Manhatta (1921)

OR “Pre-Empire State of Mind”

Directed by Paul Strand and Charles Sheeler

Text adapted from the poem “Mannahatta” by Walt Whitman

Class of 1995

The Plot: Photographers Paul Strand and Charles Sheeler use their artistic viewpoints to highlight the sights of 1921 Manhattan. Using 65 camera set-ups and the words of Walt Whitman, the two filmmakers showcase the many facets of this “proud and passionate city” in this unique short.

Why It Matters: The NFR praises the film’s cinematography and states that the film’s artistry “helped to bring it to a broader audience than most avant-garde productions of the time.”

But Does It Really?: Sure, I’ll give it a pass. As longtime readers know, I will support any film that either a) encapsulates a specific time in American history, b) highlights artists not primarily known for filmmaking or c) is short. “Manhatta” is all of the above, and worth at least one viewing.

Everybody Gets One: Paul Strand was a photographer/activist who used his art to bring awareness to social issues. Among those influenced by Strand’s early work was Edward Hopper, so he’s got that going for him. Charles Sheeler was a fellow New York photographer whose work focused on buildings and machinery rather than nature and people (not unlike this film). His later career as a painter also followed this aesthetic with precisionism, an art movement known for its linear and structured format. And there’s no way I can cover all of Walt Whitman’s accomplishments in this post, so I’m just gonna leave you this link to a more thorough overview from the Library of Congress, as well as this photo. Look at that Rip Van Winkle with the come-hither stare.

Wow, That’s Dated: Practically everything, from horse-drawn carriages to straw boaters as formal wear. It’s also a treat to see the Manhattan skyline before any of the buildings I associate with their skyline were constructed.

Other notes

• The name “Manhatta” is derived from the Whitman poem “Mannahatta”, which is a Lenape word meaning “land of many hills”. Is Manhattan known for its hills?
• Apparently only one 35mm print of this film survives. All restored versions are derived from this print. Nice save, Library of Congress!
• Strand & Sheeler, the team so nice they’re credited twice!
• Be on the lookout for a shot that closely resembles Paul Strand’s 1915 photograph “Wall Street”.
• You can’t see a ‘20s construction site and not think of “Lunch atop a Skyscraper” (even though that photo wasn’t taken until 1932).
• Anyone know what that Aztec looking building is?
• There are some liberties taken with the original poem “Mannahatta” within the intertitles. Good thing that poem isn’t copyrighted or these two would be in a heap of trouble.
• I’m pretty sure I can see Fannie Brice on the front of one of those tugboats.
• Speaking of, ocean liners still need tugboats to get them out of dock? Surely that technology has advanced in the last 97 years.
• In true Sheeler fashion, the only shots of people are crowd shots from overhead. No emphasis on specific people, just large masses.
• Yeah, sunsets are not that impressive when it’s in black and white.

Legacy

• Charles Sheeler pivoted more towards painting after “Manhatta”, but he kept at it for the next 40 years, with most of his work still being displayed in art museums around the world.
• We’ll see more of Paul Strand’s cinematography in another NFR entry: 1936’s “The Plow That Broke the Plains”.

• As for Walt Whitman, well…he had already been dead for 29 years when this came out, so not much changed for him.

#233) The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

OR “Everybody Loathes Raymond”

Directed by John Frankenheimer

Written by George Axelrod. Based on the novel by Richard Condon.

Class of 1994

The Plot: After being captured during the Korean War, a U.S. platoon returns home and Staff Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) is given the Medal of Honor for saving his team. A few years later, the platoon’s commander Captain Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra) has a recurring nightmare where he and the other soldiers are brainwashed by leaders of Communist China. He soon discovers that those dreams were real, and that Raymond is a sleeper agent programmed to assassinate any political figures that get in the way of his stepfather Senator Johnny Iselin (James Gregory) and domineering mother Eleanor (Angela Lansbury). Marco must stop Raymond before this plot destroys American democracy. And if political thrillers aren’t your thing, why don’t you pass the time by playing a little solitaire?

Why It Matters: The NFR cites the work of Frankenheimer, Axelrod and Sinatra, praises Harvey and Lansbury in particular, and quotes Pauline Kael’s description of the film as “the most sophisticated political satire ever made in Hollywood.”

But Does It Really?: Damn it, why are there so many prescient political movies on this list? The film has always been praised for its realism, but “The Manchurian Candidate” may be more relevant now than ever before. Axelrod and  Frankenheimer expertly deliver a story about the trances (literal and otherwise) that politics can cast. Add in a perfect ensemble, with a central performance by a never-better Sinatra, and you’ve got a film with some staying power. No argument here for NFR inclusion.

Shout Outs: At one point a driving shot features a theater marquee for “Pinocchio”, which may or may not be an anachronism (the 1940 film was re-released in both 1954 and 1962).

Everybody Gets One: Laurence Harvey, TV actor James Gregory, and Leslie Parrish, who was a few years away from her major political activism opposing the Vietnam War.

Wow, That’s Dated: Oh you know, just the usual casual racism and sexism that I have come to expect from movies of this era. [Sigh]

Seriously, Oscars?: Receiving good-to-mixed critical reviews and moderate box-office success, “The Manchurian Candidate” garnered two Oscar nominations. Ferris Webster lost Best Editing to Anne V. Coates’ legendary work in “Lawrence of Arabia”, while Angela Lansbury, the presumed frontrunner for Best Supporting Actress, lost to Patty Duke in “The Miracle Worker”. Duke is that film’s co-lead, but you can’t have a 16-year-old compete with Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis, so category fraud it is! Even more appalling, John Frankenheimer was never nominated for an Oscar.

Other notes

• These guys weren’t the only ones brainwashed during the Korean War: two subjects nicknamed “Hawkeye” and “Trapper” were conditioned to pull elaborate pranks, chase skirts, and mumble overlapping dialogue.
• Laurence Harvey was born in Lithuania, raised in South Africa, and studied acting in London. I bring all of this up for one reason: is he making any effort to hide his accent? At least Angela Lansbury is trying to flatten hers to sound more American. Laurence Harvey went to the Leslie Howard School of Invisible Accents.
• The initial revolving shot of the garden club is great. In fact that whole sequence has a great disorienting quality to it. A+ everyone.

• Kudos to Frankenheimer for casting African-American actors like Joe Adams and James Edwards in roles where their race is not an issue. Unfortunately this is balanced out with non-Chinese actors playing Chinese characters with several racial slurs thrown at them.
• Shoutout to Janet Leigh, who gets nothing to do in this film. Her character has no connection to the plot, any hint of dimension in the novel was eliminated from the screenplay, and to add insult to injury, Tony Curtis served her their divorce papers on the set of this film! That all being said, Leigh spoke highly of her experience on this film, praising Frankenheimer and Sinatra for helping her get the character.
• I greatly enjoyed the movie’s one joke (“57”).
• “The Manchurian Candidate” is the last movie I expected to see on my “Die Hard” not-Christmas list.
• Today in Production Code censorship: Raymond calls his stepfather a “son of a numbskull”. Really takes the bite out of that scene.
• So even back then politicians responded to gun violence with “thoughts and prayers”? [Deep Exhale]
• Speaking of, “The Manchurian Candidate” made the NFR the same year as the Zapruder film. Did the 1994 NFR committee need a hug?
• Sinatra knew that his first take was always his best, so he typically only did one take of a scene. When a camera gaffe made Marco out of focus for his big scene with Raymond in the hotel room, a second take was shot, but was deemed inferior to take one. So the first take, and Sinatra’s blurred face, made the final cut. Most film scholars justify the choice as Raymond’s blurred vision, which doesn’t make a lick of sense. For starters, the camera’s not even from his POV.

• Almost every iconic moment from this movie happens in the final 20 minutes. Angela Lansbury in particular doesn’t really get to grandstand until then. She is, of course, perfection in her best film role.

• Why isn’t that kiss in the “Cinema Paradiso” montage?
• No spoilers, but my jaw dropped at that ending. Which is amazing considering I know I had it spoiled for me at some point, but I was so enthralled with the film in the moment I completely forgot.

Legacy

• The film was successful, but contrary to rumors, it was not removed from circulation following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The film’s copyright reverted to Frank Sinatra in 1972, and it appeared sporadically on television for the next few years. A 25^th anniversary reissue led to the film being rediscovered and reappraised by a new generation of filmgoers.

• Everyone has spoofed the main plot of this film, because political assassinations are hilarious! See “Zoolander”, “Naked Gun”, and “The Simpsons” for just a few examples.

• Don’t worry; they remade the film in 2004. It had the pedigree, critics liked it (especially Streep), and it did okay for a political thriller, but we’re still talking about the original 56 years later.

Bonus Clip: While performing in “Blithe Spirit” on Broadway in 2009, Angela Lansbury dropped by “Theater Talk” to discuss the show and her career. The conversation turns to “The Manchurian Candidate” at about 15:30, and features her concise response to seeing the 2004 version.

#232) Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

OR “Winchell While You Work”

Directed by Alexander Mackendrick

Written by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman. Based on the novelette “Tell Me About It Tomorrow!” by Lehman.

Class of 1993

The Plot: Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) is an unscrupulous publicity agent in the seedy Manhattan of the late ‘50s. Sidney’s clients keep dropping him because he can’t get them a mention in the newspaper column of J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster), a nationally syndicated columnist and TV personality who can make or break careers. Hunsecker is blacklisting Falco and his clients because Falco has failed to break up the relationship between Hunsecker’s kid sister Susan (Susan Harrison) and young jazz musician Steve Dallas (Martin Milner). Falco knows that Hunsecker is the connection he needs to be a successful press agent and will bribe or betray anyone to get there, no matter the price.

Why It Matters: Weirdly enough, the only people who get specific praise for this film are Alexander Mackendrick and cinematographer James Wong Howe. They mention Lancaster, Curtis, and the screenwriters, but Mackendrick and Howe are the ones who “capture[d] the pre-Beat Generation era”. There’s also a loving (albeit brief) essay by UCLA Archive programmer Andrea Alsberg.

But Does It Really?: I really wanted to like “Sweet Smell of Success”. I like these actors, and I like the world this film inhabits, but I just couldn’t get into it. Lancaster and Curtis are both clearly enjoying playing against-type as two very despicable characters, and the writing is filled with some terrific dialogue (“You’re a cookie full of arsenic.”). Even Marty Milner’s good in this! I enjoyed each of the individual elements of “Sweet Smell of Success”, but for me they didn’t come together to make a successful whole. Perhaps the film’s less-than-ideal production hindered things from the start (see “Other notes”). Regardless, this film has enough pros for me to label it a “minor classic” and still recommend it to you, the random internet masses.

Everybody Gets One: Susan Harrison was a Broadway actress making her film debut in “Sweet Smell” as J.J.’s sister Susan. She only made one other film (1960’s “Key Witness”) before leaving acting entirely to raise a family. One of her children married a “multi-millionaire” on a FOX reality show. Also making their sole NFR appearance are Broadway’s original Nathan Detroit Sam Levene and future “Route 66”/“Adam-12” star Martin Milner.

Wow, That’s Dated: A newspaper columnist with that kind of clout? Not anymore! Also dated are the occupations of cigarette girl and jazz flutist.

Seriously, Oscars?: Despite critical praise, audiences didn’t warm up to Lancaster and Curtis playing such lowlifes, and “Sweet Smell” was more or less forgotten. The BAFTAs acknowledged Tony Curtis with a Best Foreign Actor nomination, but that’s about it.

Other notes

• Ernest Lehman based his original novelette on his experience with Hollywood Reporter columnist Irving Hoffman. Hoffman didn’t care for the depiction, but did give Lehman a shoutout in his column, saying he would make a great screenwriter (and he was on to something!). There’s also a story that Hunsecker is based on Walter Winchell, easily the most influential columnist of the time. There’s some debate over which man is the real inspiration, but I don’t see why Hunsecker can’t be a little from Columnist A and a little from Columnist B. Thank you!
• Production for “Sweet Smell” was by all accounts an unpleasant one. Alexander Mackendrick was only assigned to direct because his previous project fell through and he couldn’t get out of his contract with Hecht-Hill-Lancaster. Lehman left the project right before shooting started (illness, potentially caused by production stress), and his replacement, playwright Clifford Odets, took so long with rewrites some scenes were filmed only hours after being written. On top of all this, producer/star Burt Lancaster was an intimidating presence both on and off-screen. The only person who seemed to enjoy himself was Tony Curtis, who vehemently lobbied for the role of Sidney to go against his pretty-boy persona.
• Shoutout to Chico Hamilton and Fred Katz, more or less playing themselves as Dallas’ bandmates. The two wrote the original score for the film, but it was rejected for being “too esoteric”, and replaced by a more orchestral score by Elmer Bernstein.
• “Match me, Sidney.” may be the most loaded line in the entire screenplay. It’s one of those “classic film quotes” that really only works in its proper context.

• That’s David White (aka Larry Tate) as Hunsecker’s rival Otis Elwell. By the way, “My friends call me Otis.” may be the worst pick-up line I’ve ever heard.
• A jazz musician who uses recreational marijuana? Quel Scandale! That being said, “flyer” is my new favorite euphemism for being a drug addict.
• I know it’s a movie, but in what universe are Burt Lancaster and Susan Harrison siblings?
• Also noteworthy is how much of Lancaster’s face is obscured by his glasses and the shadows they create. It’s as if Lancaster is saying “Don’t look at my face, focus on the performance.” It works, for the most part.
• This is the first of two movies I’m covering this week with implied incest (see my next entry for the other one). It’s a good thing psychoanalysis came along around this time. All screenwriters on the couch, please!
• I severely underestimated Susan Harrison. She seems one-note for most of the movie, but really gets to show her colors in the final few scenes. It’s a shame we never got more of her work.

Legacy

• A musical stage version of “Sweet Smell of Success” by Marvin Hamlisch & Craig Carnelia came and went on Broadway in the spring of 2002. It expands the plot greatly (the film’s story doesn’t start until Act II) and garnered John Lithgow a Tony for his performance as Hunsecker. Among the Broadway producers were Ernest Lehman and Harvey Weinstein, and the parallels between Weinstein and Hunsecker just write themselves.

• Barry Levinson pays tribute to “Sweet Smell” in two of his films: “Diner” and “Rain Man”.

• The teleplay “The Comedian” is also based on a short story by Lehman, centers on a dangerously influential TV personality, and features the character of columnist Otis Elwell, this time played by Whit Bissell.

• “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan has cited the film as one of his favorites and named two episodes of “Breaking” after a line from the film: “Cat’s in the Bag” “And the Bag’s In the River”.

#231) Salesman (1969)

OR “Jesus Shlept”

Directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin

Class of 1992

The Plot: Hi, my name is Tony. How are you today? Have you ever heard the word of the Maysles Brothers? They’ve made this wonderful documentary about door-to-door bible salesmen. You don’t seem interested, but what if I told you that the film’s direct cinema approach provides you with new insight to a thankless profession? And wait until you see these salesmen; there’s Paul “The Badger” Brennan, who’s having a bit of a slump. But he’s aided by Charles “The Gipper” McDevitt, Jamie “The Rabbit” Baker, and Raymond “The Bull” Martos. Their stories of struggle and survival are truly inspirational, especially in times like these. You still seem on the fence, is it okay if I leave some literature with you?

Why It Matters: The NFR quotes Vincent Canby, who wrote in his review “the Maysles Brothers transcend superficiality with compassion by showing that ‘the salesmen are no less vulnerable than their customers.’”

But Does It Really?: Perhaps “Grey Gardens” set the bar too high for me in terms of Maysles documentaries, but I just couldn’t get into this one. The subject matter is fascinating, the business tactics are interesting to watch, and like a lot of direct cinema, it’s an important time capsule of a specific era, but there was a barrier between me and the movie that I just couldn’t break. Direct cinema is known for letting the viewer fill in their own blanks, so perhaps what I brought to the viewing prevented me from connecting with it. Regardless, I still respect the film for what it brings and the time it represents, so let’s label “Salesman” as “historically significant” and move on.

Shout Outs: McDevitt gets his nickname “The Gipper” from “Knute Rockne, All American”. The Badger sees the “Casablanca” hotel in Miami and references the movie and “Humphrey Bogie”, which coincidentally is my favorite Bowie album.

Everybody Gets One: We get more of the Maysles with their follow-up film “Grey Gardens”, and co-director Charlotte Zwerin with the recently inducted “Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser”. This is, not surprisingly, the only NFR appearance for the four salesmen. Despite what Pauline Kael claimed, these were actual salesmen, not actors.

Wow, That’s Dated: Door-to-Door salesmen: is there anything else to say?

Seriously, Oscars?: Definitely no Oscar nod for a documentary that couldn’t even get a proper distribution deal (the Maysles had to pay for it themselves). The 1969 Best Documentary winner was “Arthur Rubinstein – The Love of Life”. I’m sure he’s a great guy, but a documentary about a concert pianist? Yawn. (NOTE: If “Rubinstein” makes the Registry I will immediately retract this disdain). The Maysles’ only Oscar nomination came in 1974 with their short subject “Christo’s Valley Curtain”.

Other notes

• The Maysles were the ones doing the actual filming, sending footage back to Charlotte Zwerin, who would edit and offer feedback. Zwerin’s contributions in forming “Salesman” in the cutting room led to her receiving a directing credit.
• If $50 sounds steep for a bible, remember that that’s in 1967 money. Today that would be over $350.
• Did having a camera crew standing there pressure any of the customers to buy a bible?
• Paul looks like a cross between Burgess Meredith and Sterling Hayden.
• The salesman’s boss Kennie Turner pops up throughout the film to encourage sales. He’s no Alec Baldwin.
• Lots of jabs at the Irish and Italians in this one, especially from Paul Brennan. If I were closer to my roots I’d be offended.
• There are a lot of thick New England accents in this movie. I may need subtitles for this one.
• Melbourne I. Feltman, the bible consultant featured in the film, may have the greatest name of anyone in a movie ever.
• What I wouldn’t give for these guys to try a peddle a bible at “Grey Gardens”. The first connective tissue in the Maysles Cinematic Universe.
• There’s a painting of the Immaculate Conception? Ewwww….
• Watching unpolished improv always gives me second-hand embarrassment. Can we please get a suggestion for a profession other than salesman?
• My favorite scene is the movie is when The Badger ends up in a “Muslim district” by mistake. In reality, he was driving through Opa-locka, Florida, which, despite its Arabic-inspired aesthetic, has a more diverse population than Brennan would assume. He couldn’t find his leads, but The Badger did find out how to get, how to get to Sesame Street.
• The film’s greatest irony is when the salesmen blaspheme in frustration. Thanks for keeping that footage in the final cut!
• The Badger says that all of their nicknames are derived from animals. Who can tell me what kind of animal is a Gipper?
• The Rabbit’s the young one? Man, that generation was built tough.
• I cannot get over that we as a society used to let door-to-door salesmen into our homes. We were so trusting back then.
• There’s something about this movie that almost feels like they’re in a different time period. For something filmed in 1967 the movie feels very late ‘50s. Perhaps hippies hadn’t made it to New England.
• “That’s where I sign my John Henry.” So close.
• Don’t play a Beatles song! We can’t afford that, especially not “Yesterday”!
• This may be the only movie where the end credits are narrative text. It reads like something Orson Welles would recite.

Legacy

• The Maysles followed up with legendary Rolling Stones documentary “Gimme Shelter”. The brothers continued working together until David’s death in 1987. Charlotte Zwerin stopped working with the Maysles when they wouldn’t let her produce their films. Zwerin went on to direct noted documentaries about Thelonious Monk and Ella Fitzgerald.

• “Salesman” was spoofed in the “Documentary Now!” episode “Globesman”. Written by Seth Meyers, the episode captures the film’s aesthetic perfectly.

• “Glengarry Glen Ross” would eventually eclipse “Salesman” in the “Desperate Salesman” subgenre. If only The Badger used more colorful profanity.