Otto Preminger 1960-1979 (The Old Man is Still Alive, Part 7)

Long an antagonist to Hollywood’s norms (not to mention its actresses), Preminger began the 1960s by directing a massive blockbuster (Exodus) and earning his second Oscar nomination (for directing The Cardinal). But towards the end of the decade, with 1967’s Hurry, Sundown, he began a run of six films which attempted to respond to changing times, all of which flopped. We’ll focus primarily on two of these: the much-maligned Skidoo, an indictment of both hippies and the true American establishment which Preminger prepared for by dropping acid with Timothy Leary; and the unfairly forgotten Such Good Friends, the rare sex comedy of the era to understand the extent to which the sexual revolution did little to liberate women from the expectations of men. (00:00) Otto Preminger: “Always kind of weird” (07:16) From Batman to Bunny Lake (19:13) Otto Goes Gonzo: Hurry, Sundown & Skidoo (34:18) Generational Clash: Nilsson vs. Preminger (45:19) Junie Moon and Such Good Friends (57:28) The Final Years and Films