At The Movies---1966

As we continue to get those memory cells working again in advance of our Sing-Out South 45th Reunion March 25-26 at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, we are taking a look back at one of the favorite things many of us did in those days (other than practice and perform shows with Sing Out)...go to the movies!

The Best Picture Oscar in 1966 was won by A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, a epic movie that portrayed the life and martyrdom of Sire Thomas More, the 16th Century Lord Chancellor of England who was executed because he would not support King Henry VIII's divorce and his creation of the Church of England.

The movie made more than $20 million in both the U.S. and the U.K. It won 6 Oscars including Best Actor (Paul Schofield), Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and, of course, Best Picture. Here's a trailer with a few scences from the film...

A Man for All Seasons - Trailer
Tags: A Man for All Seasons - Trailer

One of the movies A MAN FOR SEASONS beat for Best Picture (and Paul Schofield beat Alan Arkin beat for Best Actor)was the comedy, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, a hilarious cold-war slapstick about a Russian sub that crash lands near a small village in New England. THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING did turn the tables in the Golden Globe Awards, winning both Best Motion Picture and Best Actor.

Here's a rather different kind of movie trailer about the film courtesy of You Tube...



There is one other film I want to mention from 1966 (although most of us were probably too young to see it). WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF got more Oscar nominations than any other picture that year. In fact, it was nominated in every category possible (13) and won 5 Oscars including Best Actress (Elizabeth Taylor) and Best Supporting Actress (Sandy Dennis). But its very rough language and subject matter made it a very controversial film (much like the Broadway play it was based on.

When it came to Nashville, a Metro policeman touched off days of protest and controversy by going into the downtown movie theatre (The Paramount) and confiscating the film as "obscene."

Here's a trailer about the film which by today's standards would be quite lame....


Join us for next posting AT THE MOVIES: 1967, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, BONNIE & CLYDE, THE GRADUATE and GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER.