The Missouri Breaks by Thomas McGuane

 

(pb; 1976: screenplay)

From the back cover

“Marlon Brando is a hired gun.

“Jack Nicholson is a horse thief.

“One of them is out to kill─and the other is not about to die.”

 

Review

McGuane’s screenplay is simple, offbeat, character- and genre-resonant, one that is true to the spirit of iconic Westerns, paced by its familiar-but-memorable character’s actions and personalities, especially its two leads (Tom Logan and Robert Lee Clayton).  While there’s a dark thread running through it, there is little onscreen violence, and its dialogue is often sly (especially between Logan, Clayton, and Lloyd). This is a great script for a movie that was mostly faithful to its written scenes. Worth reading and seeing, this.

#

The PG-rated film was released stateside on May 19, 1976. Arthur Penn directed it from, as indicated above, a screenplay by Thomas McGuane and, according to IMDb, an uncredited Robert Towne (who may’ve edited the screenplay during shooting).

Jack Nicholson played Tom Logan. Marlon Brando played Robert Lee Clayton. Kathleen Lloyd, in her theatrical film debut, played Jane Braxton. John McLiam played David Braxton.

Harry Dean Stanton played Calvin. John P. Ryan, billed as John Ryan, played Si. Randy Quaid played Tod La Frambois (a.k.a. “Little Tod”). Frederic Forrest played Cary.

Sam Gilman played Hank Rate. Richard Bradford played Pete Marker. Hunter von Leer played Sandy. Virgil Frye played Woody. R.L. Armstrong played Bob.

The Last Detail by Darryl Ponicsan

(hb; 1970)

Review

In Norfolk, Virginia, two “lifer” Naval Petty Officers─Billy James Buddusky (a.k.a. “Billy Bad-Ass”), a book- and street-smart Polack with a temper, and Richard Mulhall (a.k.a. Mule), a black mostly level-headed man─pull “chaser” duty (escorting a fellow Navy man to the brig), a job considered to be choice work. Their prisoner, Lawrence Meadows, an eighteen-year-old, kind-hearted kleptomaniac, has stolen forty dollars from a charity box in commissary store. Because that charity box is favored a high-ranking officer’s wife, Meadows has been sentenced to a eight-year sentence in a Portsmouth, New Hampshire brig.

A fatalistic aura hangs heavy over this sometimes-hilarious, often heartbreaking story about three men who, for all their differences, become friends. It’s not just another detail for any of them─for Meadows, who’s inexperienced in worldly matters (“booze and broads”), it’s his first and (for a while) his last chance to enjoy relative freedom. For Buddusky and Mulhall it’s a disruption of their comfortable routine.

Unpredictable, full of wild behavior and sharp/raw dialogue, this is an exhilarating blast of a read. The ending is not Hollywood happy but it does not need to be because the heart of this novel is its memorable characters and their life-changing interactions. Great stuff, this. Followed by a sequel penned by Ponicsan, Last Flag Flying.

#

The Last Detail was released stateside on December 12, 1973. Hal Ashby directed it, from Robert Towne’s screenplay.

Jack Nicholson played “SM1 Billy ‘Bad Ass’ Buddusky.” Otis Young played “GM1 ‘Mule’ Mulhall.” Randy Quaid played Seaman Larry Meadows.

Clifton James played “M.A.A.” Carol Kane played a “Young Whore.” Michael Moriarty played a “Marine O.D.” Nancy Allen played Nancy. Gilda Radner played "Nichiren Shoshu Member." Director Hal Ashby played "Bearded Man at Bar in Darts Scene" (an uncredited role).

Ask The Dust, by John Fante

(pb; 1939)


Review:

An impulsive, profligate, impoverished twenty-year old writer (Arturo Bandini) falls for a waitress (Camilla Lopez) in a local L.A. diner, and embarks on a stormy love-hate affair with her. Camilla’s crazy, in love with a bartender named Sammy, and is a major pothead (or “hophead,” as Arturo calls her).

The Depression Era story is told from the first-person perspective of Arturo, whose stream-of-consciousness writing is initially charming, with semi-quirky details fleshing out the flow. About the middle of the 165-page novel, the charm wears thin (Arturo is often foolish), but the immediacy of the writing never flags. Arturo, like Camilla, is an aimless soul in a big world.

Other lost souls populate Ask The Dust, as well: Sammy, the object of Camilla’s affection, abandons bartending for writing in the desert; Mr. Hellfrick, Arturo’s neighbor, has a fondness for gin and meat that compels him to commit a strange murder; Vera Rivken, a scarred lonely madwoman briefly finds succor in Arturo’s company.

Despair and uncertainty dominates Arturo’s story (largely because of his poverty and inexperience), but there’s joy, too. Arturo is a roller-coaster of emotions ranging from wild highs to hateful lows, much of it aimed at Camilla who, initially, seems smarter than him.

This is a good read, if you can get past Arturo’s crazy-quilt behavior. Arturo’s not always likeable, but he’s always lively, like the other characters seen here.

#

Ask The Dust, the film, was released stateside on March 17, 2006. Colin Farrell played Arturo Bandini. Salma Hayek played Camilla Lopez. Donald Sutherland played Mr. Hellfrick. Idina Menzel played Vera Rivken.

The film was written and directed by Robert Towne.