A New Leaf -- Lobby Cards

So, in 1971 there was this movie called A New Leaf. It's one of the best comedies of all time, but almost nobody has seen it, because... well, I'm not sure. It is insanely hilarious. 

It's the story of a rich guy played by Walter Matthau who runs through his entire inheritance and decides to go against his better judgement (and perhaps attraction) and find a rich woman to marry... and kill. He eventually finds and marries the extremely annoying (but insanely rich) Henrietta, who's played by the writer and director Elaine May. 

This is by far, Walter Matthau's greatest role. He plays the stuck up rich snob role perfectly. His total annoyance with everything, but mostly with Elaine May's hilariously annoying character, is brilliantly performed.

To me, this is a perfect film.

Unfortunately, almost nobody knows about this classic. The film was taken away from Elaine May during post-production and more than an hour of the film was cut, including an entire subplot with a blackmailer. And just like Elaine May's other films, The Heartbreak Kid and Ishtar (yes, really), it's been sadly under-seen and underrated by the majority. But, hopefully that'll change soon, when it's finally released on DVD and Blu-Ray... thanks again to the gods at Olive Films.

Since it's finally being released on a digital format, I hereby present to you the awesome original lobby cards from this amazing movie. Enjoy!

Record #72 ½ - Sleuth/The Heartbreak Kid (Radio Spots)

Last week, I shared with you the soundtrack for Elaine May's excellent film, The Heartbreak Kid. The day after that, my awesome co-worker and super cool filmmaker Dean saw today's item on eBay, and I immediately bought it. 

And, well, here you go.

Today's item is a one-sided 7" record of two (although it says there are three cuts) Radio Spots for a double feature of the 1972 films Sleuth and The Heartbreak Kid.

Back in the 1960s and 70s, most films were shown on a double bill. To promote showings of the films, they would send movie theaters these records, as well as pressbooks. Unlike the way films are promoted now, it would be completely up to the theater owners to purchase radio air time and newspaper ads to promote the showings.

I've already explained the greatness of The Heartbreak Kid to you, but unlike that film, I have never seen and have no idea what Sleuth is about.

Let's find out together!

Oh. So, it's a Michael Caine murder-mystery thingamajig. Huh. Watching this with The Heartbreak Kid seems like an odd double feature, but hey... what do I know? I guess I'll have to rent this one out from work and try it out as a double feature.

I'll get back to you on that...

In the meantime, check out the two Radio Spots for Sleuth and The Heartbreak Kid!

Download the Radio Spots HERE.

Enjoy!

Record #72 - The Heartbreak Kid - Soundtrack

Today's record is the soundtrack from the classic 1972 film The Heartbreak Kid, starring Charles Grodin, written by Neil Simon, and directed by comedy genius Elaine May.

Unlike the terrible remake that shall not be discussed, Elaine May's The Heartbreak Kid is a really great film. It's one of my favorite comedies of all time. If I had to describe it with one phrase, I'd call it "the anti-romantic comedy".

The Heartbreak Kid is the story of Lenny, a young guy who, while on his honeymoon in Miami Beach, meets a new woman named Kelly. While his wife Lila is stuck in the hotel room with an insane sunburn, he spends all his time hanging out with Kelly, realizing he wants to be with her. He eventually decides to break it off with Lila and follow Kelly back to her home, and all the while, her no-nonsense father does everything in his power to destroy the ill-fated relationship.

One thing that makes The Heartbreak Kid so great is the fact that Elaine May is a master of directing awkward situations, and this film is chock full of awkwardtoscity. Every single moment in the film is great, but by far the best parts are the insanely uncomfortable interactions between Charles Grodin and Eddie Albert's characters -- just check out the trailer!

The soundtrack for the film is a prime example of classic 70s (and 60s) background music. It's very lounge-y and definitely blends into the background of any cocktail party.

So here's what you should do -- you should gather a bunch of friends, grow some super groovy Grodin sideburns, get a bunch of martinis, and put this soundtrack on in the background while asking each other intense Trivial Pursuit questions about Russian Communist propaganda films.

That'll be fun!

Download the soundtrack to The Heartbreak Kid HERE!