Rick McKay (August 30, 1955 - January 29, 2018) was an American filmmaker, best known for his 2003 documentary Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There followed by 2021 Broadway: Beyond The Golden Age , and their soon-to-be-released threequel. Originally from Indiana, McKay moved to New York City in the early 1980s, working steadily as a cabaret singer.
101-513: His first foray into documentary filmmaking was Birds of a Feather , which served as inspiration for Mike Nichols during production on The Birdcage . McKay later turned his sights to television, producing several critically acclaimed shows including WNET13's City Arts , PBS 's EGG, the Arts Show , and the Biography series on A&E . McKay began production on Broadway: The Golden Age, by
202-471: A 1980 New Haven stage revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? with Swoosie Kurtz and James Naughton . May scripted Nichols's films The Birdcage (1996) and Primary Colors (1998). In 2010, at the AFI 's "Life Achievement Award" ceremony, May gave a humor-filled tribute to Nichols. Pre-film stage career After the professional split with May, Nichols went to Vancouver , British Columbia, to work in
303-718: A Best Director Tony for Nichols. Nichols followed the success with the Broadway premiere of David Rabe 's Hurlyburly , also in 1984. It was performed just two blocks away from the theater showing The Real Thing . It was nominated for three Tony Awards and won Best Actress for Judith Ivey . In 1983, Nichols had seen comedian Whoopi Goldberg 's one woman show, The Spook Show , at Dance Theater Workshop and wanted to help her expand it. Goldberg's self-titled Broadway show opened in October 1984 and ran for 156 performances. Rosie O'Donnell later said that Nichols had discovered Goldberg while she
404-428: A Grammy after the film was released and became America's number 1 pop song. Nichols selected all the numerous songs for the film and chose which scenes they would be used in. The placement and selection of songs would affect the way audiences understood the film. Even actor William Daniels , who played Hoffman's father, remembers that after first hearing the songs, especially " The Sound of Silence ", he thought, "Oh, wait
505-480: A chance on using Dustin Hoffman , who had no film experience, for the lead, when others had suggested using known star Robert Redford . Hoffman credits Nichols for having taken a great risk in giving him, a relative unknown, the starring role: "I don't know of another instance of a director at the height of his powers who would take a chance and cast someone like me in that part. It took tremendous courage." The quality of
606-454: A date, to Mrs. Robinson's displeasure. Ben attempts to sabotage the date by ignoring Elaine, driving recklessly and taking her to a strip club . She flees the club in tears, but Benjamin chases after her, apologizes and kisses her. They eat at a drive-in restaurant, where they bond over their shared uncertainty about their future plans. After they visit the Taft Hotel for a late-night drink and
707-413: A fee of $ 400,000. The film was critically acclaimed, with critics calling Nichols "the new Orson Welles", and a financial success, the number 1 film of 1966. The film was considered groundbreaking for having a level of profanity and sexual innuendo unheard of at that time. It won five Academy Awards and garnered thirteen nominations (including Nichols's first nomination for Best Director), earning
808-570: A friend from the time I came to this country until I got to the University of Chicago." While in Chicago in 1953, Nichols joined the staff of struggling classical music station WFMT , 98.7 FM, as an announcer. Co-owner Rita Jacobs asked Nichols to create a folk music program on Saturday nights, which he named The Midnight Special . He hosted the program for two years before leaving for New York City. Nichols frequently invited musicians to perform live in
909-499: A function of aging and wisdom. He, along with Gene Siskel , gave the film a positive, if unenthusiastic review on the television program Siskel & Ebert . Furthermore, the film's rating in the American Film Institute list of the greatest American films fell from seventh in 1997 to 17th in the 2007 update. Lang Thompson, however, argued that "it really hasn't dated much". Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives
1010-428: A guy like me in a million years". Ross agreed, believing that Hoffman "looked about 3 feet tall ... so unkempt. This is going to be a disaster." Producer Joseph E. Levine later admitted that he at first believed Hoffman "was one of the messenger boys". Despite – or perhaps because of – Hoffman's awkwardness, Nichols chose him for the film. "As far as I'm concerned, Mike Nichols did a very courageous thing casting me in
1111-578: A hotel bellhop. Kevin Tighe who would later go on to star in the 1970's TV series Emergency! made a brief uncredited appearance as one of the showering fraternity brothers. Getting the film made was difficult for Nichols, who, while noted for being a successful Broadway director, was still an unknown in Hollywood. Producer Lawrence Turman , who wanted only Nichols to direct it, was continually turned down for financing. Turman also said that every studio turned down
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#17328920046181212-520: A leading theorist on anarchism , and author Hedwig Lachmann . Around age four, Nichols had lost his hair following an allergic reaction to an inoculation for whooping cough ; consequently, when he reached adulthood he wore wigs and false eyebrows for the rest of his life. In April 1939, when the Nazis were arresting Jews in Berlin, seven-year-old Mikhail and his three-year-old brother Robert were sent alone to
1313-539: A minute. That changed the whole idea of the picture for me," suddenly realizing the film would not be a typical comedy. Nichols had previously returned to Broadway to direct The Apple Tree , starring Second City alumna, Barbara Harris . After doing The Graduate , he again returned to the Broadway stage with a revival of Lillian Hellman 's The Little Foxes in 1967, which ran for 100 performances. He then directed Neil Simon's Plaza Suite in 1968, earning him another Tony Award for Best Director. He also directed
1414-535: A number of ad-hoc jobs to pay for his education after arriving in America as a seven-year-old Jewish refugee." Producer Ernest Lehman agreed with her choice: "He was the only one who could handle them," he said. "The Burtons were quite intimidating, and we needed a genius like Mike Nichols to combat them." Biographer Kitty Kelley says that neither Taylor nor Burton would ever again reach the heights of acting performance they did in that film. The same style of directing
1515-450: A part that I was not right for, meaning I was Jewish," said Hoffman. "In fact, many of the reviews were very negative. It was kind of veiled anti-Semitism.... I was called 'big-nosed' in the reviews; 'a nasal voice'." Hoffman was paid $ 20,000 for his role in the film, but netted just $ 4,000 after taxes and living expenses. After spending that money, Hoffman filed for New York State unemployment benefits , receiving $ 55 per week while living in
1616-614: A play or a musical, one for Best Play, and one for Best Musical. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? In 1966, Nichols was a star stage director and Time magazine called him "the most in-demand director in the American theatre." Although he had no experience in filmmaking, after befriending Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton , Warner Bros. invited Nichols to direct a screen adaptation of Edward Albee 's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? starring Elizabeth Taylor , Richard Burton , George Segal , and Sandy Dennis for which he received
1717-453: A popular and critical success. Combined with his second film, The Graduate , in 1967, the two films had already earned a total of 20 Oscar nominations, including two for Best Director, and winning it for The Graduate. Nichols was able to get the best out of actors regardless of their acting experience, whether an unknown such as Dustin Hoffman or a major star like Richard Burton. For his first film, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , each of
1818-867: A psychotic episode he experienced after taking the drug Halcion . In the 1990s, Nichols directed several more successful, well-received films including Postcards from the Edge (1990) starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine ; Primary Colors (1998) starring John Travolta and Emma Thompson ; and The Birdcage (1996), an American remake of the 1978 French film La Cage aux Folles starring Robin Williams , Nathan Lane , Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest . Both The Birdcage and Primary Colors were written by Elaine May, Nichols's comedy partner earlier in his career. Other films directed by Nichols include Regarding Henry (1991) starring Harrison Ford and Wolf (1994) starring Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer . When he
1919-593: A reference. The leg-framing scene where Mrs. Robinson seduces Benjamin has been parodied in the Roseanne episode "David and Goliath", which includes a fantasy scene in which Jackie assumes the Bancroft role and attempts to seduce David. This scene is also parodied in The Simpsons episode, " Lisa's Substitute ", when Mrs. Krabappel tries to seduce Mr. Bergstrom, who was voiced by Dustin Hoffman. The car Benjamin drives in
2020-661: A revival of Anton Chekhov 's Uncle Vanya on Broadway starring George C. Scott and with a new translation by himself and Albert Todd. In 1973 Nichols directed the film The Day of the Dolphin starring George C. Scott , based on the French novel Un animal doué de raison (lit. A Sentient Animal ) by Robert Merle and adapted by Buck Henry . The film was not successful financially and received mixed reviews from critics. Nichols next directed The Fortune (1975), starring Warren Beatty , Jack Nicholson and Stockard Channing . Again,
2121-710: A shame – they were halfway to something wonderful when they skidded on a patch of greasy kid stuff." Pauline Kael wondered, "How could you convince them [younger viewers] that a movie that sells innocence is a very commercial piece of work when they're so clearly in the market to buy innocence?" Critics continue to praise the film, if not always with the same ardor. For the film's thirtieth anniversary reissue, Ebert retracted some of his previous praise for it, noting that he felt its time had passed, and that he now had more sympathy for Mrs. Robinson than for Benjamin (who he considered "an insufferable creep"), viewing one's sympathy for Mrs. Robinson and disdainful attitude toward Ben as
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#17328920046182222-484: A stage and film director, Nichols had developed a reputation as an auteur who likes to work intimately with his actors and writers, often using them repeatedly in different films. Writer Peter Applebome noted that "few directors have such a gift for getting performances out of actors." During a half-year period in 1967 he had four hit plays running simultaneously on Broadway, during which time his first Hollywood feature, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , had also become
2323-431: A story in which a woman learns that her mother and grandmother may be the inspiration for The Graduate , and the 1963 novel of the same name it was based on. (500) Days of Summer features a scene in which the protagonist, Tom, watches The Graduate with his then girlfriend Summer. He is said to misinterpret the ending, a fact that serves to characterize his naivety concerning relationships. In 1996, The Graduate
2424-434: A train station where he started a conversation in an assumed accent, pretending to be a spy, and she played along, using another accent. They hit it off immediately, which led to a brief romance. Later in his career, he said "Elaine was very important to me from the moment I saw her." In 1953, Nichols left Chicago for New York City to study method acting under Lee Strasberg , but was unable to find stage work there. He
2525-483: A two-room apartment in the West Village of Manhattan . Before Hoffman was cast, Robert Redford and Charles Grodin were among the top choices. Redford tested for the part of Benjamin (with Candice Bergen as Elaine), but Nichols thought Redford did not possess the underdog quality Benjamin needed. Grodin turned down the part at first because of the low $ 500/week salary offered by producer Lawrence Turman . Grodin
2626-466: A union on 42nd Street, X-raying union members. He later had a successful medical practice in Manhattan , enabling the family to live near Central Park . Before he established his practice, he was a union doctor, and part of his job was X-raying union members. They didn't know about shielding X-ray machines, and he died of leukemia at 44. [in 1944 ] In 1944, Mike Nichols became a naturalized citizen of
2727-507: Is currently (as of the 2007 rankings) ranked by the American Film Institute as the 17th greatest American film of all time , having been ranked 7th in 1997. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films of all time . After earning his bachelor's degree , Benjamin Braddock returns to his parents' home in Pasadena, California . During his graduation party, Mrs. Robinson,
2828-700: Is so upset that she throws Benjamin out of the house and soon returns to school at Berkeley . Benjamin follows her there, hoping to regain her affections. Elaine initially rejects him and briefly dates medical student Carl Smith. When she learns her mother lied about Benjamin raping her, she reconciles with him. Benjamin pushes for an early marriage, but Elaine is uncertain despite her feelings for him. Mr. Robinson arrives at Berkeley and angrily confronts Benjamin. He informs him that he and Mrs. Robinson are getting divorced and threatens to have him jailed if he keeps seeing Elaine. Mr. Robinson forces Elaine to leave college to marry Carl. Benjamin drives to Pasadena and breaks into
2929-479: The Batman television series . Jack Nicholson , Steve McQueen , Anthony Perkins , Warren Beatty , George Peppard , George Hamilton , Keir Dullea , Brandon deWilde and Michael Parks were also considered for the role of Benjamin Braddock. Ronald Reagan was considered for the part of Benjamin's father Mr. Braddock, which eventually went to William Daniels. Nichols cast Gene Hackman as Mr. Robinson, but he
3030-504: The Chicago Sun-Times praised the film, with Murphy describing it as a "delightful satirical comedy drama", and Ebert claiming it was the "funniest American comedy of the year". However, Life critic Richard Schickel felt the film "starts out to satirize the alienated spirit of modern youth, does so with uncommon brilliance for its first half, but ends up selling out to the very spirit its creators intended to make fun of... It's
3131-549: The Directors Guild of America , interviewing fellow film director Bennett Miller on stage in October 2011 after the Guild's screening of Miller's Moneyball . In January 2016, PBS aired Mike Nichols: American Masters , an American Masters documentary about Nichols directed by his former improv partner, Elaine May . On February 22, 2016, HBO aired the documentary Becoming Mike Nichols . After his early successes as
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3232-599: The Ethel Barrymore Theatre , opened on October 27, and closed on January 4, 2014. Among projects that remained uncompleted when he died, in April 2013 it was announced that Nichols was in talks to direct a film adaptation of Jonathan Tropper 's novel One Last Thing Before I Go . The film was to be produced by J. J. Abrams , who previously wrote the Nichols-directed film Regarding Henry (1991). In July 2014, it
3333-710: The Lincoln Center Gala Tribute in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2003 and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2010. His films received a total of 42 Academy Award nominations, and seven wins. Nichols began his career in the 1950s with the comedy improvisational troupe The Compass Players , predecessor of The Second City , in Chicago. He then teamed up with his improv partner, Elaine May , to form
3434-449: The cinematography was also influenced by Nichols, who chose Oscar winner Robert Surtees to do the photography. Surtees, who had photographed major films since the 1920s, including Ben-Hur , said later, "It took everything I had learned over 30 years to be able to do the job. I knew that Mike Nichols was a young director who went in for a lot of camera. We did more things in this picture than I ever did in one film." Nichols also chose
3535-603: The 2000s, Nichols directed the films What Planet Are You From? (2000), Closer (2004) and Charlie Wilson's War (2007), a political drama that was ultimately his final feature film. What Planet Are You From? received mixed reviews from critics, while Closer and Charlie Wilson's War received generally positive reviews and were both nominated for Academy Awards , BAFTA and Golden Globe awards. Nichols also directed widely acclaimed adaptations of Wit (2001) and Angels in America (2003) for television, winning Emmy Awards for both of them. For his direction of
3636-512: The Broadway musical Spamalot , he won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2005. In 2012, Nichols won the Best Direction of a Play Tony Award for a revival of Arthur Miller 's Death of a Salesman . In 2013, he directed Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz in a Broadway revival of Harold Pinter 's Betrayal . The play began previews of its limited run on October 1, 2013 at
3737-421: The Broadway premiere of Tom Stoppard 's The Real Thing . The New York Times critic Frank Rich wrote that "The Broadway version of The Real Thing —a substantial revision of the original London production—is not only Mr. Stoppard's most moving play, but also the most bracing play that anyone has written about love and marriage in years." The play was nominated for seven Tony Awards and won five, including
3838-556: The Dolphin (1973), Silkwood (1983), Working Girl (1988), Postcards from the Edge (1990), The Birdcage (1996), Primary Colors (1998), Closer (2004), and Charlie Wilson's War (2007). Nichols also directed the HBO television film Wit (2001), and miniseries Angels in America (2003), both of which won him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie . Nichols
3939-561: The Legends Who Were There in 1998, interviewing hundreds of theatrical legends and documenting their stories for posterity. A six-year process, the film was finally released in 2004 and has since gone on to win awards at over 15 film festivals around the country. There are two sequels of "Broadway" in production now: Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age, chronicling Broadway from 1959 to 1981 and Broadway: The Next Generation, which brings
4040-517: The Robinson home searching for Elaine. Instead he finds Mrs. Robinson, who tells him that he cannot prevent Elaine's marriage to Carl. Benjamin flees the house and drives back to Berkeley. There he discovers the wedding is in Santa Barbara that very day. He speeds over 300 miles to Santa Barbara, but his car runs out of gas a short distance from the church. Benjamin runs to the church, arriving just as
4141-547: The Tony Award for Best Musical. Later in 1977, Nichols directed D.L. Coburn's The Gin Game . The play ran for 517 performances and won a Tony Award for Best Actress for Jessica Tandy . In 1980, Nichols directed the documentary Gilda Live , a filmed performance of comedian Gilda Radner 's one-woman show Gilda Radner Live on Broadway . It was released at the same time as the album of the show, both of which were successful. Nichols
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4242-615: The United States and attended public elementary school in Manhattan ( PS 87 ). After graduating from the Walden School , a private progressive school on Central Park West, Nichols briefly attended New York University before dropping out. In 1950, he enrolled in the pre-med program at the University of Chicago . He later described this college period as "paradise", recalling how "I never had
4343-414: The United States to join their father, who had fled months earlier. His mother joined the family by escaping through Italy in 1940. The family moved to New York City on April 28, 1939. His father, whose original name was Pavel Nikolaevich Peschkowsky, changed his name to Paul Nichols, Nichols derived from his Russian patronymic . Before Paul Nichols had received his U.S. medical license, he was employed by
4444-549: The age of 62 in January 2018. Mike Nichols Mike Nichols (born Mikhail Igor Peschkowsky ; November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an American film and theatre director and comedian. He worked across a range of genres and had an aptitude for getting the best out of actors regardless of their experience. He is one of 21 people to have won all four of the major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT). His other honors included three BAFTA Awards ,
4545-587: The brick campus of USC in Los Angeles . The church used for the wedding scene is actually the United Methodist Church in La Verne . In an audio commentary released with the 40th anniversary DVD , Hoffman revealed he was uneasy about the scene in which he pounds on the church window, as the minister of the church had been watching the filming disapprovingly. The wedding scene was highly influenced by
4646-460: The bus drives on, their ecstatic smiles slowly change into neutral expressions as they begin to ponder their uncertain future together. Richard Dreyfuss makes an uncredited appearance in his second film role as one of the tenants in Mr. McCleery's building. Ben Murphy also has an uncredited appearance, as the shaving fraternity brother who comes out with a double entendre. Mike Farrell was uncredited as
4747-424: The ceremony is ending. His desperate appearance in the glass church gallery stirs Elaine into defying her mother and fleeing the sanctuary. Benjamin fights off Mr. Robinson and repels the wedding guests by swinging a large cross , which he uses to barricade the church doors, trapping everyone inside. Benjamin and Elaine escape aboard a bus and sit among the startled passengers, with Elaine still in her wedding gown. As
4848-461: The comedy duo Nichols and May . Their live improv act was a hit on Broadway , and each of their three albums was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album ; their second album, An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May , won the award in 1962. After they disbanded, he began directing plays, and quickly became known for his innovative theatre productions. His Broadway directing debut
4949-504: The comic meteors in the sky." Comedy historian Gerald Nachman describes the effect of their break-up on American comedy: Nichols and May are perhaps the most ardently missed of all the satirical comedians of their era. When Nichols and May split up, they left no imitators, no descendants, no blueprints or footprints to follow. No one could touch them. They later reconciled and worked together many times. They appeared together at President Jimmy Carter 's inaugural gala, in 1977, and in
5050-572: The distinctions of being one of only two films nominated in every eligible category at the Oscars (the other being Cimarron ), and the first film to have its entire credited cast nominated for acting Oscars. It also won three BAFTA Awards and was later ranked No. 67 in AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) . The Graduate His next film was The Graduate (1967), starring Dustin Hoffman , Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross for which he
5151-507: The ending of the 1924 comedy film Girl Shy starring Harold Lloyd , who also served as an advisor for the scene in The Graduate . The film boosted the profile of folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel . Originally, Nichols and O'Steen used their existing songs like " The Sound of Silence " merely as a pacing device for the editing, until Nichols decided that substituting original music would not be effective, and decided to include them on
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#17328920046185252-458: The film Heartburn , which received mixed reviews, and starred Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson . In 1988, Nichols completed two feature films. The first was an adaptation of Neil Simon 's autobiographical stage play Biloxi Blues starring Matthew Broderick , also receiving mixed critical reviews. Nichols directed one of his most successful films, Working Girl , which starred Melanie Griffith , Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver . The film
5353-547: The film an approval rating of 86% based on 87 reviews, with an average rating of 8.90/10. The site's consensus reads: "The music, the performances, the precision in capturing the post-college malaise – The Graduate 's coming-of-age story is indeed one for the ages." On the similar website, Metacritic , the film holds a score of 83 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Numerous films, TV shows, music videos, and commercials have referenced The Graduate . The climactic sequence in which Benjamin crashes
5454-519: The film was a financial failure and received mostly negative reviews. In 1975, Nichols began filming Bogart Slept Here , an original screenplay by Neil Simon. The film starred Robert De Niro and Simon's wife, Marsha Mason . After one week of filming, displeased with the results, Nichols and the studio fired De Niro and shut the production down. Simon would retool the script two years later as The Goodbye Girl . Nichols would not direct another narrative feature film for eight years. Nichols returned to
5555-409: The film's 25th anniversary home video release, alternative rock band The Lemonheads recorded a punk -style cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson". The music video includes scenes from the film. The film Kingpin parodied the leg-framed shot, showing Woody Harrelson framed by his landlady's leg, and features an excerpt of "The Sound of Silence" after Harrelson's character has sex with
5656-459: The film's gross is $ 857 million, making it the 22nd highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada , with inflation taken into account. It received seven nominations at the 40th Academy Awards , including for Best Picture and Best Director , the latter being the film's sole win. In 1996, The Graduate was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It
5757-431: The four actors was nominated for an Oscar , with Elizabeth Taylor and Sandy Dennis winning. Burton later said, "I didn't think I could learn anything about comedy—I'd done all of Shakespeare's. But from him I learned," adding, "He conspires with you to get your best." However, it was Taylor who chose Nichols to be their director, because, writes biographer David Bret , "she particularly admired him because he had done
5858-564: The landlady to make up for back rent. Hoffman recreated the church wedding scene for a 2004 Audi commercial, in which he stops his daughter (played by Lake Bell ) from getting married, and tells her "you're just like your mother" as they drive off, implying he is an older Benjamin who has a daughter with Elaine. The plot of the 2005 romantic comedy film Rumor Has It , directed by Rob Reiner and starring Jennifer Aniston , Kevin Costner , Shirley MacLaine and Mark Ruffalo , revolves around
5959-541: The movie is an Alfa Romeo Spider . Based on its iconic role, Alfa Romeo sold a version of the Spider in the United States from 1985 to 1990 under the name "Spider Graduate". In the 1992 film The Player , Robert Altman 's satire of Hollywood , Buck Henry pitches a sequel to The Graduate to producer Griffin Mill (played by Tim Robbins ) during the film's opening sequence. A parody of Hollywood high concept films, Henry describes
6060-437: The music by Simon and Garfunkel . When Paul Simon was taking too long to write new songs for the film, he used existing songs, originally planning to replace them with newly written ones. In the end only one new song was available, and Nichols used the existing previously released songs. At one point, when Nichols heard Paul Simon 's song, "Mrs. Roosevelt", he suggested to Simon that he change it to " Mrs. Robinson ". The song won
6161-769: The music video for " Love Action (I Believe in Love) " by The Human League and " If You Go " by Jon Secada , as well as the song " Crashed the Wedding " by Busted . The scene was also referenced in the 1998 finale of the Papa and Nicole advertising campaign in the United Kingdom for the MK1 Renault Clio , featuring Reeves and Mortimer and tying in with the release of the MK2 Renault Clio. The 1999 film The Other Sister contained
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#17328920046186262-412: The photography. Surtees, who had photographed major films since the 1920s, including Ben-Hur , said later, "It took everything I had learned over 30 years to be able to do the job. I knew that Mike Nichols was a young director who went in for a lot of camera. We did more things in this picture than I ever did in one film." Many of the exterior university campus shots of Berkeley were actually filmed on
6363-537: The plot as Ben and Elaine living in a haunted house in Northern California, with an invalid Mrs. Robinson living in the attic. George Michael 's 1992 song, " Too Funky ," features a clip of the Anne Bancroft lines, "I am not trying to seduce you... Would you like me to seduce you? Is that what you're trying to tell me?", as an intro of the song, and is repeated during the final crescendo. In conjunction with
6464-684: The project, saying "they read the book and hated it, and no one thought it was funny". He then contacted producer Joseph E. Levine , who said he would finance the film because he had associated with Nichols on the play The Knack , and because he heard Elizabeth Taylor specifically wanted Nichols to direct her and Richard Burton in Virginia Woolf . With financing assured, Nichols suggested Buck Henry for screenwriter, although Henry's experience had also been mostly in improvised comedy, and he had no writing background. Nichols said to Henry, "I think you could do it; I think you should do it." Nichols
6565-543: The role of Mrs. Robinson. Dustin Hoffman was cast as Liebkind in the Mel Brooks film The Producers (1967), but before filming began Hoffman begged Brooks to let him go to audition for The Graduate . When Dustin Hoffman auditioned for the role of Benjamin, he was just short of his 30th birthday at the time of filming. He was asked to perform a love scene with Ross, having previously never done one, and believed that, as he said later, "a girl like [Ross] would never go for
6666-456: The same: "What's wonderful about Mike is that he makes you feel like you're the one that's come up with the idea, when it's actually his." The Graduate The Graduate is a 1967 American independent romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham , based on the 1963 novella by Charles Webb , who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College . The film tells
6767-522: The satirical roles in that film: It's Nichols's style—he walks that edge of really going as far as he can without falling over the cliff, into disbelief. It's not caricature. That's the highest compliment for satire. In a similar way, Jeremy Irons , who acted in the play The Real Thing , said that Nichols creates a very "protective environment: he makes you feel he's only there for you," while Ann-Margret , for her role in Carnal Knowledge , felt
6868-539: The short film Teach Me! (1968), which starred actress Sandy Dennis . In 1969 his film production company, Friwaftt, was acquired by Avco Embassy , the distributor of The Graduate , who also appointed him to the board of directors. Friwaftt stood for "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." Nichols's next film was a big-budget adaptation of Joseph Heller 's novel Catch-22 (1970), followed by Carnal Knowledge (1971) starring Jack Nicholson , Ann-Margret , Art Garfunkel and Candice Bergen . Carnal Knowledge
6969-424: The show was a hit and Nichols won a Tony Award (shared with The Odd Couple ). In 1965 he directed another play by Neil Simon , The Odd Couple . The original production starred Art Carney as Felix Ungar and Walter Matthau as Oscar Madison. The play ran for 966 performances and won Tony Awards for Nichols, Simon and Matthau. Overall, Nichols won nine Tony Awards : including six for Best Director of either
7070-429: The show won the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album . Personal idiosyncrasies and tensions, such as on the unsuccessful A Matter of Position , a play written by May and starring Nichols, eventually drove the duo apart to pursue other projects in 1961. About their sudden breakup, director Arthur Penn said, "They set the standard and then they had to move on," while talk show host Dick Cavett said "they were one of
7171-458: The soundtrack, an unusual move at that time. According to a Variety article by Peter Bart in the May 15, 2005, issue, Lawrence Turman , his producer, then made a deal for Simon to write three new songs for the movie. By the time they had nearly finished editing the film, Simon had written only one new song. Nichols begged him for more, but Simon, who was touring constantly, told him he did not have
7272-417: The staff greet Benjamin as "Mr. Gladstone", Elaine deduces that Benjamin is having an affair. Benjamin admits to having an affair with a married woman whom he does not name. He tells Elaine the affair is over and asks to see her again. To prevent Benjamin from dating Elaine, Mrs. Robinson threatens to tell her about their affair. To thwart this, Benjamin tells Elaine that the married woman is her mother. Elaine
7373-489: The stage with two moderately successful productions in 1976; David Rabe 's Streamers opened in April and ran for 478 performances. Trevor Griffiths 's Comedians ran for 145 performances. In 1976 Nichols also worked as Executive Producer to create the television drama Family for ABC . The series ran until 1980. In 1977, Nichols produced the original Broadway production of the hugely successful musical Annie , which ran for 2,377 performances until 1983. Nichols won
7474-506: The story of 21-year-old Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate with no well-defined aim in life who is seduced by an older married woman, Mrs. Robinson, but then falls for her daughter, Elaine. The Graduate was released December 21, 1967, to critical and commercial success, grossing $ 104.9 million in the United States and Canada, making it the highest-grossing film of 1967 in North America. Adjusted for inflation (as of 2021),
7575-477: The story up to the present. Both are planned for theatrical release, followed by national television and DVD release, in 2017 and 2019 respectively. Following the second film in the Broadway series , McKay's production company, Second Act Productions , is also working on a documentary about the life of actress Fay Wray , with whom McKay was personally acquainted. It is also scheduled for release in 2018. McKay died at
7676-436: The studio and eventually created a unique blend of "folk music and farce, showtunes and satire, odds and ends", along with his successor Norm Pellegrini. The program celebrated its 70th anniversary in the same time slot in 2023. Nichols first saw Elaine May when she was sitting in the front row while he was playing the lead in a Chicago production of Miss Julie , and they made eye contact. Weeks later he ran into her in
7777-449: The theater directing a production of Oscar Wilde 's The Importance of Being Earnest and acted in a revival of George Bernard Shaw 's St. Joan . In 1963, Nichols was chosen to direct Neil Simon 's play Barefoot in the Park . He realized at once that he was meant to be a director, saying in a 2003 interview: "On the first day of rehearsal, I thought, 'Well, look at this. Here is what I
7878-663: The time. He did play a few notes of a new song he had been working on: "It's not for the movie... It's a song about times past — about Mrs. Roosevelt and Joe DiMaggio and stuff." Nichols advised Simon, "It's now about Mrs. Robinson , not Mrs. Roosevelt." The Graduate had a dual world premiere in New York City December 20, 1967, at the Coronet Theatre , and at the Lincoln Art Theatre on 57th Street. Its general release began on December 21, 1967. The Graduate
7979-546: The wedding and leaves with Elaine is frequently parodied and referenced. TV show episodes that reference the scene include the Family Guy episode " When You Wish Upon a Weinstein ", The Simpsons episode " Lady Bouvier's Lover ", the Archer episode " Skin Game ", the New Girl episode " Elaine's Big Day ", and The Office episode " Two Weeks ". The scene was referenced in
8080-715: The wife of his father's law partner, asks him to drive her home. Once there, she tries to seduce him. At first he resists her advances but later changes his mind. He invites Mrs. Robinson to the Taft Hotel, where he registers under the surname "Gladstone". Benjamin spends the summer idly floating in his parents' swimming pool and meeting Mrs. Robinson at the hotel. During one of their trysts, Mrs. Robinson reveals that she and her husband married after she accidentally became pregnant with their daughter, Elaine. When Benjamin jokingly suggests that he date Elaine, Mrs. Robinson angrily forbids it. His parents and Mr. Robinson relentlessly pester Benjamin to ask Elaine out. He reluctantly takes her on
8181-429: Was Neil Simon 's Barefoot in the Park in 1963, with Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley . He continued to direct plays on Broadway, including Luv (1964), and The Odd Couple (1965) for each of which he received Tony Awards . He won his sixth Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play with a revival of Arthur Miller 's Death of a Salesman (2012) starring Philip Seymour Hoffman . His final directing credit
8282-604: Was a financial and critical success, with film critic Vincent Canby calling it "the most serious work Mike Nichols has yet done." The film received five Academy Award nominations, including a Best Director nomination for Nichols. That same year, Nichols and Peter Stone helped to fix up and rewrite the musical My One and Only just days before its Boston premiere. The show eventually went to Broadway and ran for 767 performances, winning Tony Awards for Best Actor, Best Choreography (both for Tommy Tune ) and Best Supporting Actor ( Charles "Honi" Coles ). In 1984, Nichols directed
8383-507: Was a huge hit upon its release. It also received mostly positive reviews from critics. It was nominated for six Academy Awards (including Best Director for Nichols) and won the Academy Award for Best Song for Carly Simon 's " Let the River Run ". At one point in the 1980s, Nichols—who was prone to bouts of depression—reported that he had considered suicide, a feeling apparently brought on by
8484-462: Was announced that Nichols and Streep would reunite for an HBO film of Terrence McNally 's 1985 play Master Class , with Nichols directing Streep in the starring role of opera singer Maria Callas . Nichols was a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post . He was also a co-founder of The New Actors Workshop in New York City, where he occasionally taught. In addition, he remained active in
8585-691: Was born Mikhail Igor Peschkowsky on November 6, 1931, in Berlin, Germany . He was a son of Brigitte Claudia (née Landauer) and Pavel Peschkowsky, a physician. His father was born in Vienna , Austria, to a Russian-Jewish immigrant family. Nichols' father's family had been wealthy and lived in Siberia , leaving after the Russian Revolution , and settling in Germany around 1920. Nichols' mother's family were German Jews . His maternal grandparents were Gustav Landauer ,
8686-540: Was highly controversial upon release because of the casual and blunt depiction of sexual intercourse. In Georgia, a theatre manager was convicted in 1972 of violating the state's obscenity statutes by showing the film, a conviction later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in Jenkins v. Georgia . Nichols returned to Broadway to direct Neil Simon 's The Prisoner of Second Avenue in 1971. The play won Nichols another Tony Award for Best Director. In 1973, Nichols directed
8787-443: Was honored by Lincoln Center in 1999 for his life's work, Elaine May—speaking once again as his friend—served up the essence of Nichols with the following: So he's witty, he's brilliant, he's articulate, he's on time, he's prepared and he writes. But is he perfect? He knows you can't really be liked or loved if you're perfect. You have to have just enough flaws. And he does. Just the right, perfect flaws to be absolutely endearing. In
8888-691: Was invited back to join Chicago's Compass Players in 1955, the predecessor to Chicago's Second City , whose members included May, Shelley Berman , Del Close , and Nancy Ponder, directed by Paul Sills . In Chicago, he started doing improvisational routines with May, which eventually led to the formation of the comedy duo Nichols and May in 1958, first performing in New York City. They performed live satirical comedy acts and eventually released three records of their routines, which became best-sellers. They also appeared in nightclubs and were on radio and television. Jack Rollins , who later became Woody Allen 's manager and producer, invited them to audition and
8989-422: Was later fired after a few days of rehearsals; he was replaced by Murray Hamilton. Hackman would later say being fired from the film still hurts him. Despite playing mother and daughter, Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross were only eight years apart in age. Bancroft and Hoffman differed less than six. The quality of the cinematography was influenced by Nichols, who chose Oscar winner Robert Surtees to do
9090-446: Was meant to do.' I knew instantly that I was home". Barefoot in the Park was a big hit, running for 1,530 performances and earning Nichols a Tony Award for his direction. This began a series of highly successful plays on Broadway (often from works by Simon) that would establish his reputation. After directing an off-Broadway production of Ann Jellicoe 's The Knack , Nichols directed Murray Schisgal 's play Luv in 1964. Again
9191-421: Was most impressed: "Their work was so startling, so new, as fresh as could be. I was stunned by how really good they were, actually as impressed by their acting technique as by their comedy ... I thought, My God, these are two people writing hilarious comedy on their feet!" In 1960, Nichols and May opened the Broadway show An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May , directed by Arthur Penn . The LP album of
9292-415: Was offered more money, but declined again because he did not believe he could prepare for a screen test for the film overnight. "If they had given me three days to prepare, I think I would have gotten the role," he said. Harrison Ford also auditioned for the role of Benjamin Braddock but was turned down. Burt Ward was informally offered Hoffman's role, but was already committed to the role of Robin in
9393-399: Was paid $ 150,000, a deal he had made four years earlier with producer Joseph E. Levine . It became the highest-grossing film of 1967 and one of the highest-grossing films in history up to that date, with Nichols receiving 16⅔% of the profits, making him a millionaire. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards , including Best Picture, with Nichols winning as Best Director . In 2007, it
9494-603: Was paid $ 150,000, and was to receive one-sixth of the profits. Nichols' first choice for Mrs. Robinson was French actress Jeanne Moreau . The motivation for this was the cliché that in French culture, "older" women tended to "train" the younger men in sexual matters. Casting for the project was challenging. Doris Day turned down an offer because the nudity required by the role offended her. Shelley Winters , Ingrid Bergman , Eva Marie Saint , Ava Gardner , Patricia Neal , Susan Hayward , Deborah Kerr , Rita Hayworth , Lana Turner and Geraldine Page were also considered for
9595-916: Was ranked #17 in AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) . However, getting the film made was difficult for Nichols, who, while noted for being a successful Broadway director, was still an unknown in Hollywood. Producer Lawrence Turman , who wanted only Nichols to direct it, was continually turned down for financing. He then contacted Levine, who said he would finance the film because he had associated with Nichols on The Knack , and because he heard that Elizabeth Taylor specifically wanted Nichols to direct her and Richard Burton in Virginia Woolf . With financing assured, Nichols suggested Buck Henry for screenwriter, although Henry's experience had also been mostly in improvised comedy, and had no writing background. Nichols said to Henry, "I think you could do it; I think you should do it." Nichols also took
9696-418: Was released on DVD by MGM Home Entertainment in 1999 and 2007. A Blu-ray release was first issued by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in 2009 and later by StudioCanal in 2010. A 4K digital restoration of the film was released by The Criterion Collection in 2016. The Graduate was met with generally positive reviews from critics upon its release. A.D. Murphy of Variety and Roger Ebert of
9797-498: Was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", and placed #22 on the list of highest-grossing films in the United States and Canada , adjusted for inflation. The film is listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die . The film appears on the following American Film Institute lists: Terry Johnson 's adaptation of
9898-441: Was struggling as a downtown artist: "He gave her the entire beginning of her career and recognized her brilliance before anyone else." In 1986 Nichols directed the Broadway premiere of Andrew Bergman 's Social Security and in 1988 directed Waiting for Godot , starring Robin Williams and Steve Martin . Williams cited Nichols and May as among his early influences for performing intelligent comedy. In 1986, Nichols directed
9999-435: Was the revival of Harold Pinter 's Betrayal (2013). Nichols directed and/or produced more than 25 Broadway plays throughout his prolific career. Warner Bros. invited Nichols to direct his first film, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), followed by The Graduate (1967) for which Nichols won the Academy Award for Best Director . Nichols also directed Catch-22 (1970), Carnal Knowledge (1971), The Day of
10100-442: Was then involved with two unsuccessful shows: he produced Billy Bishop Goes to War , which opened in 1980 and closed after only twelve performances, and directed Neil Simon 's Fools , in 1981, which closed after forty performances. Returning to Hollywood, Nichols's career rebounded in 1983 with the film Silkwood , starring Meryl Streep , Cher and Kurt Russell , based on the life of whistleblower Karen Silkwood . The film
10201-405: Was used for The Graduate , where, notes film historian Peter Biskind , Nichols took Dustin Hoffman, with no movie acting experience, along with Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross and others, and managed to get some of their finest acting on screen. This ability to work closely with actors would remain consistent throughout his career. Hoffman credits Nichols for permitting the realistic acting needed for
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