Neil Simon

‘Biloxi Blues’ now on Blu-ray

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


Neil Simon wrote the play and the screenplay of Biloxi Blues, which is the middle of his semi-autobiographical trilogy. This 1988 comedy is hysterical but also has plenty of drama and thoughtful scenes.

Matthew Broderick stars as Eugene Morris Jerome, a native New Yorker who is about to go going through Army Boot Camp in the south with a bunch of young men from different cultures with different sets of personal references. Jerome is determined to be an author and keeps a detailed diary of his days at boot camp.

The ensemble is wonderful and Neil Simon’s story is filled with many laugh-out-loud moments as well as plenty of insightful and dramatic ones. These men must learn not only how to be soldiers, but also how to survive as a team in this hot, humid, haunting environment that is Biloxi, Mississippi.

The movie was mainly filmed in Fort Smith, Arkansas, a place that leant itself to the environment of the south. Viewers will definitely get a sense of the heat. As Jerome says, “It’s Africa hot.”

The new bonus feature on this Blu-ray is a look back at the film and the characters with Corey Parker who played Epstein with a great determination to capture the character in all his brilliance. Parker was familiar with the play however, as he points out, the movie had a little different take on the story and the ending is different from the play.

Parker goes down the line and discusses each actor’s performance and what he brought to the film. He also talks about Simon as well as director Mike Nichols, and says many of the cast and crew gathered and bonded over a Passover Sedar during the shoot. An interesting fact that he brings out is that Neil Simon was there for the first two weeks then left the production in the hands of the director and actors. Apparently that is how he liked to do things when it came to filming his stories.

Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and Broadway Bound make up the “Eugene” trilogy penned by Simon. Many movies have been made about boot camps, but they don’t have the fun and flair of this one by Simon.

Biloxi Blues is rated PG-13.

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.

‘The Prisoner of Second Avenue’ now on Blu-ray

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


The Prisoner of Second Avenue was written by and taken from the play by Neil Simon. This 1975 film stars Jack Lemmon and Anne Bancroft as a married middle-aged couple living in New York City.

It’s a tough world and the economy is taking a beating. Mel Edison (Lemmon) has been a loyal employee for 22 years but even that couldn’t stay off his dismissal from his job. Edna (Bancroft) goes back to work but her job doesn’t last too long so they find themselves in a financial bind. Not only are they dealing with unemployment, they also must deal with their noisy neighbors and the stench and noise emanating from the ground when they open up their balcony door. Even though they live in a high rise, they still smell the garbage from the street.

When their apartment gets burgled, that’s the last straw.

Mel has a nervous breakdown and must be sedated. This also puts a crimp in their marriage, however Edna remains a loyal and loving wife.

Look for a very young Sylvester Stallone as a young man in Central Park whom Mel thinks stole his wallet. John Ritter also has a small part.

To say that everything goes wrong for this couple is an understatement. The world is closing in on them. But they refuse to give in or give up. Mel insists they will not let the city win!

While there are some humorous scenes, this is not one of Simon’s best stories. It’s a stark look at the realities of life. While it is described as a dark comedy, it is more drama than comedy. But Simon still fills it with great dialogue. And Lemmon was an actor that could play both comedy and drama with equal perfection. It’s a joy to watch him doing either and in this film it is fun to watch him slowly lose his sanity while dealing with the trials and tribulations of life in the big city.

The bonus is a “making of” featurette.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue is rated PG and is now available on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection. It can purchase at their website or online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.

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

‘Brighton Beach Memoirs’ on Blu-ray

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


Neil Simon penned both the play and the screenplay of Brighton Beach Memoirs, which was loosely based on his life. Simon penned many plays/films from his life and this one looks at a teenage Eugene Jerome (Jonathan Silverman) growing up in his Jewish family with his mother (Blythe Danner), father (Bob Dishy), aunt (Judith Ivey), brother (Brian Drillinger), and cousins (Lisa Waltz and Stacey Glick) while they’re all dealing with personal issues and the threat of another World War looming on the horizon.

It’s the late 1930s, innocence of youth was still something to cherish and paying the bills was always on everyone’s mind. Young Eugene aspires to be a writer. His cousin wants to be a Broadway dancer, his widowed aunt is starting to think about dating again, and his brother is well meaning but a bit of a screw-up.

The story is filled with funny situations but through it all is the family. Family looks out for each other – no matter what and no matter what hardships they must endure for each other. The bottom line is family is everything, especially for this Jewish family who is worried about their relatives in Europe while also trying to solve each other’s personal problems at home.

Eugene is also going through puberty, meaning his inquisitiveness about the opposite sex is always on his mind. The only person with whom he can discuss this is his brother.

This film came out in 1986. It was the first in a trio of Eugene Jerome films, which were semi-autobiographical. After Brighton Beach Memoirs came Biloxi Blues (1988) which had Eugene going into the army, then Broadway Bound (1992) in which Eugene and Stanley began in show business. The most comical of the three is undoubtedly the middle one, however all three combine to show the life of a Jewish writer as he stumbles through all the obstacles of life and family.

Although they are not wealthy, the Jerome family is rich with love for each other. They are a family that displays what a family should be.

The Blu-ray edition is available March 26, 2019 from Shout! Factory. You’ll laugh and you’ll shed a tear. But you’ll always remember Eugene Jerome.

Brighton Beach Memoirs is rated PG-13.

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