Walter Matthau stars in Kotch, a 1971 comedy drama about an aging man who just wants to do something useful with his life.  Matthau’s friend Jack Lemmon directed the film.

Joe Kotcher is currently living with his son (Charles Aidman), daughter-in-law (Felicia Farr), and toddler grandson Duncan. He delights in spending time with the little boy. They do all kinds of fun things together, however his way of handling the kid differs from his daughter-in-law’s views. She is frustrated with having him around all the time. So off he goes to a retirement community.

But Kotch doesn’t stay there. Instead, he leaves and hunts down Erica (Deborah Winters), the babysitter that worked for the family for a while. He discovers she is in a family way and sets out to be her friend and take care of her. This leads him up and down the coast, finally ending up in Palm Springs.

Erica and Kotch are a good pair. She needs him for support and he needs to be needed. Otherwise he would be a lonely man with nothing to do with his life.

The story is mostly a drama with some fun scenes sprinkled in. It’s impossible not to feel empathy for this man. He definitely has a lot to give, but his family won’t let him give it to them. So Erica becomes the recipient of all his knowledge and support.

Matthau was nominated for an Academy Award for “Best Actor in a Leading Role” and the film’s song, “Life is What You Make It” was also nominated. In those days songs were composed specifically for films, and in this case Marvin Hamlisch and Johnny Mercer penned a lovely song that still touches hearts today. This song did win the Golden Globe that year.

If you haven’t seen this film, it’s time to catch up with Kotch, now available on Blu-ray. It shows that no matter how old you are, you can still be a contributing and caring person.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County.

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An outstanding cast recreates Mary McCarthy’s novel The Group, about eight best friends from college who go on with their lives but still remain very close. Candice Bergen (Lakey), Joan Hackett (Dottie), Elizabeth Hartman (Priss), Shirley Knight (Polly), Joanna Pettet (Kay). Mary-Robin Redd (Pokey), Jessica Walter (Libby), and Kathleen Widdoes (Helena) graduated together in 1933 from an all-girls college. Now they are living their lives, getting married, and having children.

James Broderick, Larry Hagman, Hal Holbrook, and Richard Mulligan are some of the men in their lives. But through it all, it is the women’s friendship that is the heart of the story.

At this time in history women were expected to get married, have kids, and basically make that their lives. However many of these women are not conventional. As they each maintain their individual lives, they remain connected as one group. As one of their husband’s remarks, he didn’t just marry one woman, he got seven others in the bargain.

Bergen was nominated for a Golden Globe for “Most Promising Newcomer – Female.” This was her first film. This was only the second film for Hartman. It’s fun to see all of these established actors when they were starting out.

On a personal note, I remember reading this novel when I was in college. Mary McCarthy wrote about relationships between women and men. This film is all about those relationships, and the special relationship between these eight women who bonded in college and whose ties bound them together for the rest of their lives.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County.

Follow her on Twitter

Faye Dunaway, John Mills, and George C. Scott star in this 1973 movie set in 1913 Oklahoma. Oklahoma Crude is a story about the ruthlessness and greed by the oil companies at the beginning of the big oil discovery in the state.

Dunaway is Lena, a strong-willed woman who owns a tiny plot of land with a small house and a single oil derrick. She is a tough cookie and is determined to fight off the big companies who are also determined to obtain her derrick, either lawfully or unlawfully.

Lena’s estranged father Cleon (Mills) comes to town to help his daughter, even though she refutes any advancement from him. Nevertheless, he hires a drifter named Mase (Scott) who, along with her one employee, work to keep the derrick working with the hopes of hitting oil.

Jack Palance is Hellman, a greedy employee of one of the biggest oil companies. He has no morals and does not think beating and killing people to get what he wants is a bad thing. On the contrary, he relishes in the fact that people are being hurt and even killed. That includes Lena, who is beaten for not signing an agreement with the company. But she keeps coming back for more! She won’t give up or give in!

Soon it is Lena, Cleon, and Mase fighting the big oil companies alone, with all the firepower they can get their hands on. But is Lena’s well going to come in? Will they actually hit oil?

The music is by Henry Mancini and the film was directed by notable director Stanley Kramer, who also produced the movie.  To say the stars are A-list is an understatement.

This film is about the strength and determination of one woman who takes a stand against the big companies. She only has one well, but they want it – at any cost.

Oklahoma Crude is rated PG. There is violence throughout.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County.

Follow her on Twitter

Twilight Time has just released the Blu-ray edition of the 1962 movie Satan Never Sleeps. The movie stars William Holden as a priest caught in the Chinese Communist revolution.

Father O’Banion (Holden) has just arrived at his new post, a mission in China. He is to take over for the aging Father Bovard (Clifton Webb), but due to the revolution, they are both refused clearance to leave. So, the two priests try their best to keep their flock together even when a former Christian, Ho San (Weaver Lee), takes over the communist leadership in the village.

With the backdrop of the communist atrocities, there is another story unfolding. On his way to the mission, O’Banion caught the attention of a young Chinese woman, Siu Lan (France Nuyen), who is in love with him and follows him to the mission. She is unaware that Catholic priests cannot marry. Nevertheless, she is determined to win his affections, to the chagrin of Father Bovard.

The comedy, if there could be any comedy in this violent and horrific story, is the sweetness Siu Lan feels toward her precious priest. He is, in turn, agonizing over the situation. And Bovard has the idea that O’Banion is leading her on and might succumb to her charms, unaware of another situation unfolding. Ho San is intent on getting Siu Lan, with or without her consent, and O’Banion tries to hide her from his evil intentions. The worst happens.

With the two priests caught in the middle of this dramatic unfolding of the communist takeover, they fear all their hard work will be destroyed. And they are nearly correct.

This is a deep, dark, drama with a wonderful cast. Holden is at his best as the younger priest struggling with what life is throwing at them but doing it in a calm manner and relying on God to see them through. He starred in another movie, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, in 1955 that also took place during the communist revolution.

Satan Never Sleeps is from the Pearl S. Buck novel of the same name. If you are in the mood for a deep, dark, drama, this is the film for you. It is not rated however it is definitely for adults only, due to the story and the violence.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County.

Follow her on Twitter