"Reads Books..."
Commenting on Jon Voight's 7.28 anti-Obama article in the Washington Times, Variety editor/blogger Peter Bart wrote yesterday that while he may "appreciate Voight's fervor," he worries "about his intellectual equipment."
Then comes the anecdote, dating back some 38 years: "I remember that moment in the early '70s when Paramount offered Voight the lead role in Love Story, opposite Ali McGraw. Voight had just achieved stardom thanks to Midnight Cowboy and suddenly had his choice of roles.
"As a young production executive at the studio, I was trying to push Love Story forward and joined colleagues in trying to interest Voight in the part. However the more we prodded, the more reluctant he became.
"He finally blurted: 'The character in this movie is a Harvard student. He's bright. He reads books. I could never be believable as that smart young guy."
"Reading Voight's op-ed piece these many years later, I realize how right he was."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 1, 2008 at 2:47 PM
comment #1
George Prager says ...
"All I've ever been good for is lovin'!"
Posted by George Prager at August 1, 2008 3:39 PM
comment #2
George Prager says ...
He did make THE REVOLUTIONARY around the same time though:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066296/
Although his character was a kind of a clueless naive schmegege. They used to show this movie on A&E a lot back in the day. From allmovie.com:
In this symbolic drama of social and political turmoil, Jon Voight plays an aspiring revolutionary (who is only known as "A") working in a print shop. He lives with his bohemian girlfriend (Collin Wilcox-Horne) and studies philosophy at the local university. Despard (Robert Duvall) is his alleged communist boss who spurns him on to political activity. When a strike turns violent, "A" the print-shop worker is pegged as the one who passed out the leaflets that encouraged the strike. He returns home where he receives his draft notice. His first Army assignment is to forcibly break up the striking workers and he goes AWOL. When Despard denies involvement in the unrest, the disillusioned "A" aligns himself with the radical bomb-maker Leonard II (Seymour Cassel), who is constructing two bombs for a judge who sentenced the striking workers to jail time.
Posted by George Prager at August 1, 2008 3:45 PM
comment #3
nemo says ...
"He finally blurted: 'The character in this movie is a Harvard student. He's bright. He reads books. I could never be believable as that smart young guy.'"
Yeah, like Ryan O'Neal was so believable as that smart young guy.
Posted by nemo at August 1, 2008 4:19 PM
comment #4
nemo says ...
Hmm, Voight plays a revolutionary, Duvall plays a communist, Cassel plays a radical bomb-maker . . . So has Seymour Cassel also become a conservative activist nowadays?
Posted by nemo at August 1, 2008 4:24 PM
comment #5
Jake Gittes says ...
I won't pick on Voight because of his politics, I'm socially liberal but politically conservative. I will chime in and state that I believe Voight is a screwball. Over twenty tears ago I watched with utter fascination as Voight, Liz Taylor, and Tyne Daly held a press conference with a Shaman who was days away from revealing the secrets of life. Never saw a followup but put his appearnce before the press and his perfomance in "Anaconda" together and you have a guy who his one blow to the head away from becoming Gary Busey.
Posted by Jake Gittes at August 1, 2008 6:30 PM
comment #6
D.Z. says ...
From what I heard, people at Harvard watch the movie on some special occasion, specifically to make fun of it.
Posted by D.Z. at August 1, 2008 7:14 PM
comment #7
huisache says ...
considering some of the political flotsam that comes from Harvard way I don't think they should be making fun of anybody.
Bush, Gore, Kerry.............how stupid do you have to be to flunk out of that dump?
Posted by huisache at August 1, 2008 8:18 PM
comment #8
Mgmax says ...
I'm prepared to believe that Voight is dumb as a post but recognizing that a role doesn't fit his image does not exactly strike me as evidence for that proposition.
Posted by Mgmax at August 1, 2008 10:45 PM
comment #9
BurmaShave says ...
Wait, so you've heard... D.Z. you didn't go to Harvard?
Posted by BurmaShave at August 1, 2008 11:24 PM
comment #10
Nicanor says ...
Mgmax says ...
I'm prepared to believe that Voight is dumb as a post but recognizing that a role doesn't fit his image does not exactly strike me as evidence for that proposition.
You're too cool Mgmax. Your contrarian comments always give me pause for thought. Your pointing out the obvious always make it so much more obvious. Your missing of most points remind me of a sort of reverse William Tell. You are too cool for school.
Posted by Nicanor at August 2, 2008 1:25 AM
comment #11
Josh Massey says ...
I think MENSA member Geena Davis would have been perfect casting for Out of Africa. She could have done it right after Fletch wrapped.
Posted by Josh Massey at August 2, 2008 5:44 AM
comment #12
Mgmax says ...
Nicanor:
Nihilist!
Posted by Mgmax at August 2, 2008 6:20 AM
comment #13
Nicanor says ...
Mgmax:
You have all the greatness about you like pre-season football.
Posted by Nicanor at August 2, 2008 2:25 PM