I don’t know anything about John David Carson, but I certainly remember this movie. It is very unusual and very interesting from a '70s “how did they come up with this?” sense.
I also saw “Stay Hungry,” another “different” film from that era. Interesting insights into the body-building culture and good performances by Field, Bridges and the governor.
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who remembers this stuff.
I LOVE Stay Hungry. That might be my favorite movie of all time. A brilliant, ingenious, quirky, heartwarming comedy that is wonderful in every way. I also read the original novel by Charles Gaines - GREAT book.
John David Carson is in Stay Hungry - he plays a character called “Halsey” who torments Arnold Schwarzenegger’s kind-hearted bodybuilder/fiddler. He can be seen in this brief clip (on Youtube) of Arnold playing the fiddle (and he is actually playing, for real) in that movie. Carson is the obnoxious guy in the tuxedo who yells “Let’s hear it for MUSCLE BEACH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA!” The other tuxedoed troublemaker, in the blue jacket, is Mayf Nutter, a well-regarded country singer.
(Hilarious line in that clip too - “Let’s give him a standing ovulation!”
Argent Towers said:
What IS a “weekly hotel” anyway? Is it somewhere in between a hotel and an apartment? If he is in fact staying there, at least he’s not homeless, which is a good thing. And yeah I will include a SASE.
I think it’s what used to be known as “flop house,” where people of limited resources can stay at a low, weekly rate. They’re usually old hotels. They have no amenities – no private bathrooms, you have to pay for towels, etc.
Also, since you seem to like these types of quirky '70s movies, did you ever see “Rancho Deluxe” with Bridges, Sam Waterston and a special guest appearance by Jimmy Buffett?
Or “They Only Kill Their Masters” with James Garner and “Isn’t it Shocking” with Alan Alda?
Well it was directed by Roger Vadim. I saw it when it came out. I have seen it once since. It is not my kind of movie except for lots of pretty women.
To tell you the truth, when I run across stories like this, I think, "Well, a lot of people who AREN’T in Hollywood have ruined their lives via drugs/gambling/etc. or had their lives ruined by mental or physical illness. What makes people from Hollywood so different?
Nothing, I guess…in this particular case it’s just that Carson, in Pretty Maids All in a Row, was such an epitome of youthful innocence, that it’s a little shocking (to someone who’s a big fan of that movie and has seen it many times) to find out what ultimately happened to him.
Rock Hudson, for that matter, has so many scenes that in hindsight appear to be blatant homoerotic innuendoes in that movie, it’s almost impossible to ignore. At one point, he raises a glass filled with a milky-white, thick, creamy concoction made from “apples, milk, honey and brewer’s yeast” to his lips, and the camera lingers on his face in close-up as he drinks the whole glass down.