the hudsucker proxy

the year: 1994

the genre: quirky Coen Brothers comedy


the cast: Tim Robbins (Norville Barnes); Paul Newman (Sidney J. Mussburger); Jennifer Jason Leigh (Amy Archer); Charles Durning (Waring Hudsucker)

the plot: When Waring Hudsucker, head of hugely successful Hudsucker Industries, commits suicide, his board of directors, led by Sidney Mussberger, comes up with a brilliant plan to make a lot of money. They decide to appoint a moron to run the company so that when the stock falls low enough they can buy it up for pennies on the dollar, take over the company and restore its fortunes. They choose idealistic Norville Barnes, who just started in the mail room and is wacky enough to drive any company to ruin. But soon, tough reporter Amy Archer smells a rat and begins an undercover investigation of Hudsucker Industries.



don't miss: this scene:




did you know: based on the time it took the secretary to read War and Peace and Anna Karenina (based on the calculation of 4 minutes per page, 8 hours a day) it took at least 18 days for those in the Creative Bullpen to come up with a name for Norville's invention.



extra bonus points: if you know they play on words in the movie title. (Hint: It has to do with another Paul Newman movie.)


listen for: "You know - for kids!"

butch cassidy and the sundance kid

the year: 1969

the genre: western


the cast: Paul Newman (Butch Cassidy); Robert Redford (Sundance Kid); Katherine Ross (Etta Place)


the plot: Butch and Sundance are the two leaders of the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Butch is all ideas, and Sundance is all action and skill. The west is becoming civilized and when Butch and Sundance rob a train once too often, a special posse begins trailing them no matter where they run. Over rock, through towns, across rivers, the group is always just behind them. When they finally escape through sheer luck, Butch has another idea, "Let's go to Bolivia".


don't miss: the friendly banter between Butch and Sundance.


listen for: "Is that what you call giving cover?" "Is that what you call running? If I knew you were going to stroll..."


did you know: this movie was filmed on the sound stage next to Hello, Dolly! Director George Roy Hill believed that the studio would allow him to film the New York scenes on "Dolly's" sets, since the two films' daily shooting schedules were totally different. After production started, though, the studio informed him that it wanted to keep the sets for "Dolly" a secret and refused him permission. To work around this, Hill had Robert Redford, Paul Newman and Katharine Ross simply pose on the sets as photos were taken of them. He then inserted images of the three stars into a series of 300 actual period photos and spliced the two different sets (real and posed) together to form the New York montage.


extra bonus points: if you know why Sundance doesn't want to jump off the cliff.



disclaimer for Erika: the ending is bittersweet.

the sting

the year: 1973

the genre: dramedy


the cast: Paul Newman (Henry Gondorff); Robert Redford (Johnny Hooker); Robert Shaw (Doyle Lonnegan); Charles Dunning (Lt. Snyder); Ray Walston (J.J. Singleton); Eileen Crennan (Billie); Harold Gould (Kid Twist); Dana Elcar (FBI Agent Polk)


the plot: Johnny Hooker, a small time grifter, unknowingly steals from Doyle Lonnegan, a big time crime boss, when he pulls a standard street con. Lonnegan demands satisfaction for the insult. After his partner, Luther, is killed, Hooker flees, and seeks the help of Henry Gondorff, one of Luther's contacts, who is a master of the long con.



listen for: "What was I supposed to do - call him for cheating better than me, in front of the others?"


don't miss: the sting.




did you know: Robert Shaw injured his ankle and incorporated the resulting limp into his performance.



extra bonus points: if you know when Robert Redford finally saw this movie.


also listen for: "Sit down and shut up, will ya? Try not to live up to all my expectations."



did you also know: if you listen when Lonnegan (Shaw) first walks into "The Operation", you can hear over the P.A. that one of the horses running is called Steve McQueen.