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38-717: Neenan appeared as a waitress in Funny Farm (1988) serving Chevy Chase lamb fries and as a policewoman in See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) opposite Gene Wilder . In 2006, Neenan had a small role as a bar waitress in Martin Scorsese 's The Departed . In 2008, she appeared in the John Patrick Shanley -directed sexual abuse drama Doubt , starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman . The red-haired Neenan has appeared in numerous TV shows such as Not Necessarily

76-552: A bachelor's degree in literature. Other sources say his thesis was never completed because he became sidetracked by the Irish theater , making his stage debut as a walk-on part in 1947 at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin , with Cyril Cusack 's company in a production of George Bernard Shaw 's The Devil's Disciple . He had a leading role in Raven of Wicklow by Bridget G. MacCarthy in

114-531: A Roaring Lion", "Good Old Charlie Faye", " A Night to Remember ", an adaptation of Walter Lord 's book about the sinking of the Titanic (of which Hill also co-wrote the teleplay). In addition he did "Man on the White Horse", "Carnival", and "A Real Fine Cutting Edge" with George Peppard for The Kaiser Aluminum Hour . Hill's work on "A Night to Remember" earned him two Emmy nominations for writing and directing at

152-536: A comic actor in the 1980s with a handful of box office hits. It was released during a very busy summer movie season. The Tom Hanks comedy Big , now considered a classic comedy, opened the same day and became one of the year's highest grossing films while Crocodile Dundee II was in its second week of release and also became one of the year's biggest hits. Other releases throughout the summer, including Coming to America , Who Framed Roger Rabbit , and Die Hard , all were very high-grossing films, giving Funny Farm

190-501: A farm, and it isn't very funny, either." In a staff review, Variety said, "As pleasant yuppie comedies go, this is about par." However, film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel were strong champions of the film, praising it on The Oprah Winfrey Show , The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson , and At the Movies . Ebert called the film a "small miracle," while Siskel said it was "the best film Chase has made" and compared it to

228-533: A humorous spoof-like tease of Hindemith during the piano concerto scene of Henry Orient ( Peter Sellers ). While at Yale, Hill was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon , the Scroll & Key Society and of The Spizzwinks(?) and The Whiffenpoofs , America's oldest collegiate a cappella singing group. During World War II , Hill served in the United States Marine Corps as a transport pilot with VMR-152 in

266-564: A little cruder, more low-brow humor, rougher and more like the movies Chevy was doing at the time, but George was a classy guy and he wasn’t going to do that. He does what he does. He made the movie classy, and I think a lot of Chevy’s fans were let down because it wasn’t as raucous and vulgar as they might have expected." The movie was filmed between August and November 1987 on location in Vermont, mostly in Townshend, Vermont. The New-York apartment at

304-496: A screenwriter in 1930s Hollywood, but it was never made. Instead, Hill had a huge commercial success with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), based on a script by William Goldman and starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford . The film received seven Academy Award nominations, including ones for Best Picture and Best Director , and won four, including for Best Original Song , " Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head " at

342-522: A short period of time." He was born in Minneapolis , Minnesota, to George Roy and Helen Frances (née Owens) Hill, part of a well-to-do Roman Catholic family with interests in the newspaper business; the family owned the Minneapolis Tribune . Hill was no relation to George W. Hill , director and cinematographer of numerous silent movies and early sound films in the 1920s and early 1930s. He

380-447: A slim chance of high box-office results in comparison. With the success of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation the following year, Funny Farm eventually gained a cult following, and is now regarded by critics and Chevy Chase fans as one of his best films. Then- U.S. President Ronald Reagan viewed this film at Camp David on June 11, 1988. George Roy Hill George Roy Hill (December 20, 1921 – December 27, 2002)

418-431: A time, Hill was the only director in history to have made two of the top 10 money-making films. Hill disliked tardiness on set. Paul Newman said of his time (as Butch Cassidy ) on Butch Cassidy : "If you weren’t on time, he’d take you up in his airplane. Scare the bejesus out of us." The Great Waldo Pepper (1975) was based on a story by Hill, with a script by William Goldman and starring Robert Redford. However, it

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456-647: A writer, one of his scripts included Keep Our Honor Bright . He later directed episodes of Ponds Theater ("Time of the Drought"), and Lux Video Theatre ("The Creaking Gate", "Not All Your Tears", "The Happy Man".) Hill returned to Broadway in 1957 as director of the Pulitzer Prize -winning play Look Homeward, Angel . Starring Jo Van Fleet and Anthony Perkins , this ran for 564 performances. Hill continued to direct television, most notably episodes of Kraft Theatre including "Eleven O'Clock Flight", "The Devil as

494-522: The 42nd Academy Awards . In 1970, he said a common theme of his films was innocence vs evil. Hill followed it with Slaughterhouse-Five (1972). "Most of the characters in my film are not too bright," he said in a 1972 interview. Hill was reunited with Newman and Redford in The Sting (1973), which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director at the 46th Academy Awards . The success of Butch Cassidy and The Sting meant that, for

532-610: The 9th Primetime Emmy Awards . He directed some famous episodes of Playhouse 90 including " The Helen Morgan Story " (1957), " The Last Clear Chance " (1958), " Child of Our Time " (1958), and " Judgment at Nuremberg " (1959). Hill then focused on theatre, directing the Broadway productions of The Gang's All Here (1960) with Melvyn Douglas (132 performances), Greenwillow (1960) with Anthony Perkins (97 performances) and Period of Adjustment (1961) by Tennessee Williams , which ran for 132 performances. He replaced Elia Kazan for

570-968: The South Pacific . The outbreak of the Korean War resulted in his recall to active duty service for 18 months as a night fighter pilot, attaining the rank of major. After the war, he was stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point jet flight-training center in North Carolina . After being discharged, Hill worked as a newspaper reporter in Texas , then took advantage of the GI Bill to do graduate work at Trinity College, Dublin , studying James Joyce 's use of music in Ulysses and Finnegans Wake . Some sources say he graduated in 1949 with

608-453: The 1950s is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Funny Farm (film) Funny Farm is a 1988 American comedy film starring Chevy Chase and Madolyn Smith . The film was adapted from a 1985 comedic novel of the same name by Jay Cronley . It was the final film directed by George Roy Hill before his death in 2002. Andy Farmer (Chase) is a New York City sports writer who moves with his wife, Elizabeth (Smith), to

646-537: The Margaret Webster theatre company, Hill met Louisa Horton , whom he married on April 7, 1951. They later divorced. Hill was survived by Horton, their two sons, including George Roy Hill III and John Hill, two daughters, and 12 grandchildren. After his second return to civilian life, Hill bought an open-cockpit Waco biplane built in 1930, which he retained until about ten years before his death. Hill died from complications of Parkinson's disease at his home on

684-574: The News , Friends , Lois & Clark , Ally McBeal , The Cosby Show , and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson . She is also a noted stage actress and made her Broadway debut opposite Faye Dunaway in William Alfred 's Curse of an Aching Heart , and appeared at The Apollo and the Chicago Shakespeare Festival. This article about a United States film actor born in

722-495: The basis for a TV drama, "My Brother's Keeper", which appeared on Kraft Television Theatre , with Hill himself in the cast. During his military service at Cherry Point, he had had to be 'talked down' by a ground controller at Atlanta airport, an incident that led to his writing the screenplay. The episode was performed and transmitted live in 1953. After his demobilisation , he joined the Kraft Television Theatre as

760-457: The beginning of the movie is located at the Arthrop Building , 2211 Broadway. The house bought by Andy and Elizabeth is on Fire Pond Road, Grafton, Vermont . Funny Farm received mixed reviews at the time of its release. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film has a 64% rating, based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. Vincent Canby , in his review for The New York Times , called

798-467: The book. "It was exactly the kind of movie I always wanted to write,” said Boam. “It needed a lot of work because it wasn’t told in the fashion that could be filmed, but I loved the idea of working with Chevy. He was a comedy hero of mine and still is.” Boam says the tone of the film changed from what he expected when director George Roy Hill signed. "George wanted to do a much classier version than I ever imagined it to be," said Boam. "I imagined it to be

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836-616: The chagrin of the locals, who are now angry that they lost their promised money. Though the mayor does not hold the Farmers liable for the $ 15,000, as the sale of their house did not occur, Andy decides to pay everyone in Redbud their $ 50, which helps improve his standing among the townspeople. The film ends with Andy taking a job as a sportswriter for the Redbud newspaper, and Elizabeth, now pregnant with their first child, having written multiple children's stories. Screenwriter Jeffrey Boam said he "loved"

874-501: The complete filmmaker. He can put a blank piece of paper in the typewriter and make a movie out of it up to and including the music." Hill made Slap Shot (1977), a popular sports comedy with Paul Newman. His next film was A Little Romance (1979), and The World According to Garp (1982), with Robin Williams and Glenn Close , in her film debut. He also directed The Little Drummer Girl (1984) with Diane Keaton . His last film

912-460: The film "good-natured even when it's not funny," and went on to say that its best jokes are recycled from other, better, films. In a negative review for the Los Angeles Times , Michael Wilmington said " Funny Farm – a weak-fish-out-of-water comedy about a New York City couple who see their rural paradise turned into a rustic hell–is a movie with a doubly deceptive title. This movie isn't about

950-426: The films of Preston Sturges . Siskel and Ebert collectively praised the script's numerous laugh-out-loud moments, the strong direction, the beautiful cinematography, and editing which consistently ends scenes at just the right moment. The film grossed $ 25 million on a $ 19 million budget, making it a modest box office success, but was seen as an overall disappointment especially considering Chevy Chase's popularity as

988-469: The latter. Hill's success as a theatre director led to his first feature as director – the film version of Period of Adjustment (1962). Starring Jane Fonda and Jim Hutton , it was a box office success. He was meant to follow with an adaptation of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer at MGM for producer John Houseman but it was not made. In light of that his next project

1026-419: The manuscript of the novel after letters informing him of his deadline go unanswered. To avoid having to return the advance that the publisher gave him, Andy takes one of Elizabeth's manuscripts and passes it off as his own. After Elizabeth receives a call from Andy's publisher praising the work on "his children's book", she leaves Andy out of anger. They soon decide to divorce and sell their home. To expedite

1064-460: The producers attempted to replace Hill with Arthur Hiller , but abandoned the idea after hundreds of native Polynesians in the cast went on strike, declaring: "We can and will perform only for our friend, Monsieur Hill." The movie was a huge commercial success. Hill rebuilt his Hollywood reputation with the Julie Andrews musical Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) produced by Ross Hunter . Hill

1102-494: The sale, the Farmers offer the town's residents a $ 15,000 donation to Redbud and $ 50 cash each if they help make a good impression on their prospective home buyers. To that end, the citizens remake Redbud into a perfect Norman Rockwell -style town. Their charade dazzles a pair of prospective buyers, who make the Farmers an offer on the house; however, Andy declines to sell, realizing that he genuinely enjoys small-town living. He and Elizabeth decide to stay together in Redbud, much to

1140-1005: The same theater in February 1948. On his return to the U.S., Hill studied theatre at HB Studio in New York City . He acted Off Broadway and toured with Margaret Webster 's Shakespeare Repertory Company. He appeared on Broadway in Richard II , The Taming of the Shrew , and August Strindberg 's Creditors (with Bea Arthur ). In 1952 he featured in a supporting role in the Hollywood movie Walk East on Beacon , and appeared in episodes of Lux Video Theatre including "The Doctor's Wife", "Man at Bay" and "Masquerade". He also acted in episodes of Kraft Theatre such as "The Golden Slate". He also acted on radio, including portraying Ned on The Doctor's Wife . Hill used his Korean War experience as

1178-505: The seemingly charming town of Redbud, Vermont , so he can write a novel. They do not get along well with the residents, and other quirks arise such as being given exorbitant funeral bills for a long-dead man buried on their land years before they acquired the house. Marital troubles soon arise from the quirkiness of Redbud as well as the fact that Elizabeth was critical of Andy's manuscript , while writing her own manuscripts for children's books. Andy's publisher comes to town to personally see

Audrie J. Neenan - Misplaced Pages Continue

1216-677: The spectators at state fairs flying past the grandstand upside down." Hill obtained his pilot's license at the age of sixteen. Airplanes featured prominently in his later films and are frequently crashed as well — in Slaughterhouse-Five , The World According to Garp and especially The Great Waldo Pepper which showed the influence on Hill of pilots like Speed Holman. Hill loved classical music, especially Johann Sebastian Bach , and as an undergraduate at Yale University studied music under notable composer Paul Hindemith , graduating in 1943. His film The World of Henry Orient contains

1254-509: Was Funny Farm (1988) with Chevy Chase . Screenwriter Jeffrey Boam said, "George wanted to do a much classier version than I ever imagined it to be. I imagined it to be a little cruder, more low-brow humor, rougher and more like the movies Chevy was doing at the time, but George was a classy guy and he wasn’t going to do that ... I think a lot of Chevy’s fans were let down because it wasn’t as raucous and vulgar as they might have expected." During his later years he taught drama at Yale. In

1292-576: Was a commercial disappointment. Around that time he said in an interview: "Just as I play nothing but Bach for pleasure, so do I read nothing but history for pleasure. I like to be able to sit back and pick out the most fascinating facets of an era. You have a better perspective. In the present, you get too caught up in the heat of the emotions of the moment." In August 1974, Hill signed an exclusive five-year contract with Universal to make projects following Pepper . "Why shouldn't we give George that kind of deal?" said studio executive Jennings Lang . "He's

1330-775: Was an American actor and film director. His films include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Sting (1973), both starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford ; both films also earned him nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director , winning for the latter. Hill also directed The World of Henry Orient (1964), Hawaii (1966), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Slaughterhouse-Five (1972), The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), Slap Shot (1977), A Little Romance (1979), The World According to Garp (1982) and his final film Funny Farm (1988). According to one obituary "few directors achieved such fame and success... even fewer enjoyed such eminence for such

1368-536: Was an adaptation of Lillian Hellman 's Toys in the Attic (1963) starring Dean Martin. Hill's next step was a movie based on the novel The World of Henry Orient (1964). Hill and producer Jerome Hellman bought the rights for their own Pan Arts Company. The movie was critically acclaimed but was a commercial disappointment. Hill was hired to direct the blockbuster Hawaii (1966) after Fred Zinnemann pulled out. Reportedly, when budget estimates reached $ 14 million,

1406-486: Was educated at The Blake School , one of Minnesota's most prestigious private schools, and graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Music in 1943. He received his master's degree in literature and music from Trinity College Dublin . He had a love of flying. After school he liked to visit the airport, and his hobby was to memorize the records of World War I flying aces. He idolized pilot Speed Holman , who, Hill once explained, "used to make his approach to

1444-417: Was fired during the editing process because he wanted to make the film shorter, whereas Universal wanted to turn it into a roadshow production . However it was a solid box office hit. He returned to Broadway to direct Henry, Sweet Henry (1967), a musical version of The World of Henry Orient , but it only lasted for 80 performances. He was meant to follow that with a film called Hamburger Dreams , about

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