Picnic | Was William Holden too old to play Hal Carter?

During the casting period of the film William Holden, at 37, was wary of playing Hal (Novak was about half his age). He shaved his chest for the shirtless shots and was reportedly nervous about his dancing for the "Moonglow" scene. Logan took him to Kansas roadhouses where he practiced steps in front of jukeboxes with choreographer Miriam Nelson. Heavy thunderstorms with tornado warnings repeatedly interrupted shooting of the scene on location and it was completed on a backlot in Burbank, where Holden (according to some sources) was "dead drunk" to calm his nerves. "Bomber" the paperboy was played by Nick Adams, who dated Natalie Wood and was a friend of both James Dean and Elvis Presley.

Was William Holden too old to play Hal Carter? Give me your comments...

2NewCats Posted at 1:36am from Web in reply to TCManiacs

@TCManiacs Yeah a bit. But there is something about an older man... How could Novak not fall for that handsome face, neve rmind his teen act

missmccrocodile@TCManiacs You're joking right? Did you know Paul Newman was turned down for "Hal" on stage because "he wasn't dangerous" enough! Jeezzzz!about 5 hours ago from web

Lucas_MG@anamariecox Very belated nominee for dullest movie title: "Picnic."about 6 hours ago from web

RightGirlWatching "Picnic" with William Holden. I swear I know those grain elevators in Kansas... they're all rusted out now.about 7 hours ago from TweetDeck

2NewCats@TCManiacs Picnic is my all time favorite....that dance scene w/Novak and Holden. Hmmmmmmmmmmabout 9 hours ago from web

Beau Brummel more sympathetic than The Madness of King George

The film, "The Madness of King George", compared to"Beau Brummel" portrays characters of the Regency Crisis that are much less sympathetic.

Besides the King's personal struggle with mental illness, the film also depicts the relative powerlessness of the British monarch in a time when Parliament has become supreme. The scene where the King is told what to do by a doctor for the first time (in breach of established protocol) and is restrained in a seat shows the King finally accepting his diminished role despite his protestations that he is the "King of England" and can do as he pleases. After his recovery, he is seen at the end of the film explaining to the Prince of Wales that the role of the royal family is to be seen to be happy, to wave to the crowd, and to be a model to the people of how to behave and conduct oneself. Thus the film also documents the shift in the British government from a monarchy with limited political power to a purely symbolic monarchy.

Blame Beau Brummell for Men's Suits & Ties

1805 caricature
of Brummell
by Richard Dighton.

Beau Brummell, né George Bryan Brummell (7 June 1778, London, England – 30 March 1840, Caen, France), was the arbiter of men's fashion in Regency England and a friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV. He established the mode of men wearing understated, but fitted, beautifully cut clothes including dark suits and full length trousers, adorned with an elaborately-knotted cravat.

Beau Brummell is credited with introducing and establishing as fashion the modern man's suit, worn with a tie. He claimed to take five hours to dress, and recommended that boots be polished with champagne. His style of dress was known as dandyism

Brummell's life is dramatised in a 1954 movie, Beau Brummell, with Stewart Granger playing the title role. The character of Lady Patricia Belham was invented for this film in order to present Brummell as unambiguously heterosexual, in accordance with the PCA's strictures.

The Private Life of Charles Laughton & Elsa Lanchester

The Private Life of Henry VIII 1933 film about the English king. Charles Laughton won the 1933 Academy Award as Best Actor for his performance as Henry. Anne of Cleves (played by Laughton's real-life wife Elsa Lanchester).

He had a long and resilient marriage to actress Elsa Lanchester, although, in her autobiography, Lanchester revealed that Laughton was gay. According to her own account, she was shocked to learn about this, but eventually decided to remain married to him. However, she claims as a result of this, she decided not to have children with him. The decision caused him great grief, as he longed to become a father.

Elsa Lanchester appeared opposite him in several films, including Rembrandt (1936) and The Big Clock (1948). She and Laughton played husband and wife (their characters were named Charles and Elsa Smith) in Tales of Manhattan (1942) and they both appeared again in the all-star mostly British cast of Forever and a Day (1943). They both received Academy Award nominations for their performances in Witness for the Prosecution (1957) - Laughton for Best Actor, and Lanchester for Best Supporting Actress - but neither won. However, Lanchester did win the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for the film.

Portrait of Henry VIII vs. Charles Laughton