Nothing in Common.
When this movie came out, I made a beeline for the theater. We are talking two comedic geniuses … OK, one Tom Hanks that was emerging and have already given us great stuff like Bachelor Party and The Money Pit and in the other hand the amazing Jackie Gleason who needed no introduction.
I was expecting non-stop laughs from beginning to end and I got some great initial chuckles, and then real acting began. I knew Gleason had the chops for serious stuff but I was amazed by Tom Hanks’s doing a serious role of a clown having to mature in a matter of very few months.
At the tender age of 25 and recently married, it struck me hard because I came to realize one day I would have to take care of my parents since I was an only child and still maintain my obligations to my marriage. If anything else, it prepared me to accept what was to come.
It is streaming in a couple of services out there. You should watch it if you haven’t.
Yep, I enjoyed it, too. I have read "How Sweet It Is,' Gleason's story. Good book.
I am almost finished with "I Love Her, That's Why!" George Burns' autobiography. Written just way he spoke on stage. Same phraseology, same humor, and same pacing. Excellent read, I've been smiling all the way through..