The New York Underground invaded the mainstream with Robert Downey Sr.’s completely irreverent Madison Avenue satire, in which a token black executive takes over an Ad agency, renames it ‘Truth and Soul’ and goes on a mad reign of creative terror. Arnold Johnson, Stan Gottlieb, Allen Garfield, and Antonio Fargas star in a farce that some critics found intolerably crude — but an independent distributor gave it a national release. 1969 was the year that the Production Code took a tumble — and Downey’s picture proved that freedom of expression was alive and well in the U.S. of A..
Putney Swope
Region Free Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1969 / B&w + Color / 1:37 Academy / 85 min. / Street Date July 25, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Arnold Johnson, Stan Gottlieb, Allen Garfield, Archie Russell, Ching Yeh, Norman Schreiber, Wendy Appel, Antonio Fargas, Laura Greene, Allan Arbus, Pepi Hermine, Larry Wolf, Ronnie Dyson, Shelley Plimpton, Marlene Clark,...
Putney Swope
Region Free Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1969 / B&w + Color / 1:37 Academy / 85 min. / Street Date July 25, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Arnold Johnson, Stan Gottlieb, Allen Garfield, Archie Russell, Ching Yeh, Norman Schreiber, Wendy Appel, Antonio Fargas, Laura Greene, Allan Arbus, Pepi Hermine, Larry Wolf, Ronnie Dyson, Shelley Plimpton, Marlene Clark,...
- 11/19/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Richard Roundtree’s two-fisted detective tale burst on the scene announcing that a craze called Blaxploitation was on the way. No matter that the movie is somewhat slow and drab — John Shaft was the identification figure denied black audiences for 60 years, a hero who takes no guff from nobody and consistently tells The Man where to head in. Even bigger was the music theme by Isaac Hayes, which transforms Shaft’s casual stroll through Times Square into an iconic image of the 1970s. Criterion’s presentation of Gordon Parks’ smash hit has the original feature in 4K Uhd and in Blu-ray with the first sequel Shaft’s Big Score! in Blu-ray only.
Shaft
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1130
1971 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 100 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 21, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John, Gwenn Mitchell, Lawrence Pressman, Victor Arnold, Sherri Brewer,...
Shaft
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1130
1971 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 100 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 21, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John, Gwenn Mitchell, Lawrence Pressman, Victor Arnold, Sherri Brewer,...
- 6/18/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Robert Downey Sr., the director of the innovative underground film “Putney Swope,” an actor and the father of actor Robert Downey Jr., has died. He was 85.
Robert Downey Jr. announced on his Instagram that “dad passed peacefully in his sleep after years of enduring the ravages of Parkinson’s” on Tuesday night.
“He was a true maverick filmmaker, and remained remarkably optimistic throughout..According to my stepmom’s calculations, they were happily married for just over 2000 years,” his son said.
Downey Sr. made his mark on the world of underground film in the ’60s with counterculture movies that were made on shoestring budgets and embraced the Absurdist movement of the day, with films like “Balls Bluff,” “Babo 73,” “Chafed Elbows” and “No More Excuses.” All of his films slowly gained a cult, underground following and were heralded for their take-no-prisoners mentality and daring challenges of censor codes.
But his 1969 film “Putney Swope...
Robert Downey Jr. announced on his Instagram that “dad passed peacefully in his sleep after years of enduring the ravages of Parkinson’s” on Tuesday night.
“He was a true maverick filmmaker, and remained remarkably optimistic throughout..According to my stepmom’s calculations, they were happily married for just over 2000 years,” his son said.
Downey Sr. made his mark on the world of underground film in the ’60s with counterculture movies that were made on shoestring budgets and embraced the Absurdist movement of the day, with films like “Balls Bluff,” “Babo 73,” “Chafed Elbows” and “No More Excuses.” All of his films slowly gained a cult, underground following and were heralded for their take-no-prisoners mentality and daring challenges of censor codes.
But his 1969 film “Putney Swope...
- 7/7/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Robert Downey Sr., the director of the anti-establishment satirical classic Putney Swope and the father of actor Robert Downey Jr., died early today in his sleep at home in New York City. He was 85.
His death was announced by wife and author Rosemary Rogers to the New York Daily News. Rogers told the publication that Downey Sr. had suffered from Parkinson’s for more five years. Robert Downey Jr. confirmed the death on Instagram today, writing that his father was “a true maverick filmmaker” who “remained remarkably optimistic” throughout “the ravages of Parkinson’s.”
See Downey Jr.’s Instagram tribute below.
Born in New York City, Downey Sr. became a significant force in the city’s underground film movement in the 1960s, writing and directing the 1961 short fantasy film Ball’s Bluff in which a Civil War soldier wakes up to find himself in 20th Century Central Park.
Other offbeat indie films followed,...
His death was announced by wife and author Rosemary Rogers to the New York Daily News. Rogers told the publication that Downey Sr. had suffered from Parkinson’s for more five years. Robert Downey Jr. confirmed the death on Instagram today, writing that his father was “a true maverick filmmaker” who “remained remarkably optimistic” throughout “the ravages of Parkinson’s.”
See Downey Jr.’s Instagram tribute below.
Born in New York City, Downey Sr. became a significant force in the city’s underground film movement in the 1960s, writing and directing the 1961 short fantasy film Ball’s Bluff in which a Civil War soldier wakes up to find himself in 20th Century Central Park.
Other offbeat indie films followed,...
- 7/7/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s a good chance you haven’t heard of the movie Louis Ck cites as “the first film that inspired me as a filmmaker.” Not only can folks in the Los Angeles area watch the film this weekend at an event hosted by the comedian himself, but you can also listen to a talkback with its esteemed writer/director, Robert Downey Sr. (billed in the credits as Robert Downey ‘A Prince’). Released in 1969, “Putney Swope” is a satirical look at the New York ad world, a milieu familiar to modern audiences as Don Draper’s stomping ground. Swope (played by Arnold Johnson, though Downey dubbed the vocals) is the token black executive on a massive ad agency’s board. Through a mix-up, he’s voted in as new CEO, then promptly dismisses all members of the board but one token white and renames the company Truth & Soul, Inc. The...
- 12/3/2014
- by Zach Hollwedel
- The Playlist
If there’s one movie I’d like to see referenced on Mad Men before it’s all over and done with, it’s Putney Swope. The cult classic, about an advertising agency run by an increasingly militant black man, opened in New York City on this day in 1969. That puts its initial release as just before the events of the most recent episode of AMC’s TV drama (the last before the season 7 hiatus), aired back in May. But the movie continued its remarkable success through the fall, giving Don Draper plenty of time to go see it. If he can take a few months to catch up with I Am Curious (Yellow), and if both the show and the character are hip enough to that art film’s existence, they’d have to be to Robert Downey Sr.‘s record-breaking hit, especially when it’s a satire of his very industry. Whether...
- 7/10/2014
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Putney Swope
Directed by Robert Downey
United States, 1969
Don’t you wish there were more films like Putney Swope? It’s . It’s William Klein meets Melvin van Peebles. It’s satire that’s garnered nods from the likes of Bamboozled, How to Get Ahead in Advertising and Network.
When the executive at a major advertising firm dies unexpectedly the lone black employee, Putney Swope (Arnold Johnson), is accidentally voted into power. Putney wastes no time: he renames the firm “Truth and Soul, Inc”, fires much of the white staff and takes the marketing world by storm with his unique and absurd ads.
It’s easy to write Putney Swope off as another manic brainchild of director Robert Downey Sr., but unlike his earlier, less successful films – Sweet Smell of Sex, Chafed Elbows – this one has real direction. It’s an out-and-out takedown of Madison Ave-style politics, including a complete...
Directed by Robert Downey
United States, 1969
Don’t you wish there were more films like Putney Swope? It’s . It’s William Klein meets Melvin van Peebles. It’s satire that’s garnered nods from the likes of Bamboozled, How to Get Ahead in Advertising and Network.
When the executive at a major advertising firm dies unexpectedly the lone black employee, Putney Swope (Arnold Johnson), is accidentally voted into power. Putney wastes no time: he renames the firm “Truth and Soul, Inc”, fires much of the white staff and takes the marketing world by storm with his unique and absurd ads.
It’s easy to write Putney Swope off as another manic brainchild of director Robert Downey Sr., but unlike his earlier, less successful films – Sweet Smell of Sex, Chafed Elbows – this one has real direction. It’s an out-and-out takedown of Madison Ave-style politics, including a complete...
- 6/30/2011
- by Neal Dhand
- SoundOnSight
Varese Sarabande has announced the newest titles in their CD Club series. Among the new releases is a deluxe edition of Marco Beltrami‘s score for Wes Craven’s original Scream film. Only about 12 minutes of music from the horror movie has previously been released on a compilation with the sequel’s score. The new album features more than an hour of music from the film, which introduced Beltrami to a wider audience. One track on the CD is credited to Christophe Beck, who also was just starting out at the time of the film’s release. The album is limited to 2000 copies and is now available to pre-order on Varese’s website, where you can see the full track list and listen to audio clips from the soundtrack. Scream was released in 1996 and it’s cast included Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy and Drew Barrymore.
- 5/23/2011
- by filmmusicreporter
- Film Music Reporter
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