The Manchurian Candidate (1962) In Korea in 1952, a US Army patrol is ambushed by Communist soldiers. A year later the squad, having escaped, returns to the US, where Staff Sergeant Raymond Shaw is to receive the Medal of Honour for single-handedly saving the lives of the squad. Shaw is the son of Elanor Iselin, wife of US Senator John Yerkes Iselin, and Mrs. Iselin turns the return of Raymond into a political rally that brings out building hostility between son and mother over the ambitions of Johnny Iselin. But there is more involved, for the actions of Raymond Shaw are not what everyone believes they are, and the nightmares of a US Army officer, Bennett Marco, leads to investigation of Raymond that unlocks a stunning political conspiracy that sweeps up Johnny and Elanor Iselin, and which only Bennett Marco can possibly stop.
Director
John Frankenheimer
Writers
Richard Condon (novel)
George Axelrod (screenplay)
Cast
Frank Sinatra-... -Maj. Bennett Marco
Laurence Harvey-... -Raymond Shaw
Janet Leigh-... -Eugenie Rose Chaney
Angela Lansbury-... -Mrs. Iselin
Henry Silva-... -Chunjin
James Gregory-... -Sen. John Yerkes Iselin
Leslie Parrish-... -Jocelyn Jordan
John McGiver-... -Sen. Thomas Jordan
Khigh Dhiegh-... -Dr. Yen Lo
James Edwards-... -Cpl. Allen Melvin
Douglas Henderson-... -Col. Milt
Albert Paulsen-... -Zilkov
Barry Kelley-... -Secretary of Defence
Lloyd Corrigan-... -Holborn Gaines
Madame Spivy-... -Female Berezovo
Trivia
- In the scene where Frank Sinatra gives the all-queens deck of cards to Laurence Harvey, Sinatra is out of focus. He had trouble recreating his performance, so director John Frankenheimer left the footage as is. Audiences weren't bothered; they interpreted it as Harvey's blurred perspective.
Midnight Cowboy (1969) Texas greenhorn Joe Buck (John Voight) arrives in New York for the first time. Preening himself as a real 'hustler', he finds that he is the one getting 'hustled' until he teams up with a down-and-out but resilient outcast named Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman). The initial 'country cousin meets city cousin' relationship deepens. In their efforts to bilk a hostile world rebuffing them at every turn, this unlikely pair progress from partners in shady business to comrades. Each has found his first real friend.
Director
John Schlesinger
Writers
Waldo Salt (screenplay)
James Leo Herlihy (novel)
Cast
Dustin Hoffman-... Enrico Salvatore 'Ratso' Rizzo
Jon Voight-... Joe Buck
Sylvia Miles-... Cass
John McGiver-... Mr. O'Daniel
Brenda Vaccaro-... Shirley
Barnard Hughes-... Towny
Ruth White-... Sally Buck - Texas
Jennifer Salt-... Annie - Texas
Gilman Rankin-... Woodsy Niles - Texas (as Gil Rankin)
Gary Owens-... Little Joe - Texas
T. Tom Marlow-... Little Joe - Texas
George Eppersen-... Ralph - Texas
Al Scott-... Cafeteria Manager - Texas
Linda Davis-... Mother on the Bus - Texas
J.T. Masters-... Old Cow-hand - Texas
Trivia
- Bette Davis appears in this film via a clip from Dark Victory (1939) seen in a television montage sequence.
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