Midnight Cowboy, 51 Years Later

In recent months I've been catching up on films, good and bad, that I missed when they were released but that influenced culture in a variety of ways. Although I never saw Midnight Cowboy until tonight - I was six when it was released - I grew up with an appreciation of its impact on cinema, and with a vague awareness of its plot. I'd forgotten - or maybe I never knew? - it was X-rated on release. I knew   critics applauded Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman for their gritty, pathos-bathed performances. I knew they portrayed hustlers in the flophouse districts of Manhattan, although I'd always thought they were explicitly and solely gay hustlers.

I didn't know how very stark I'd find the film. Having recently watched Joker I can say Cowboy makes Joker seem uplifting. They share themes of lonely misfits trying to forge a humble path in an uncaring and insensitive world, where alienation and survival override abiding by laws and social mores. Unlike Arthur Fleck, Enrico "Ratzo" Rizzo and Joe Buck find friendship and solidarity in each other's company. Their humanity is a jarring contrast to the absence of it in Joker. They're losers, but they're losers who care and sacrifice for each other.

John Schlesinger glamorizes nothing about the film. The marvel of it is how little the characters have to offer in the way of redeeming qualities. Joe Buck isn't a savant; he's a barely-literate mentally-slow dishwasher. There's no hidden genius or talent behind his faux-cowboy visage. He sees the "Mutual of New York" neon sign, the first letters of each word emphasized, and believes it spells "Mony." He writes the letter "e" backwards. He struggles to understand, and he's fool enough to think he's going to make it big in the city.

Ratzo, a tubercular who lives not on the kindness of others but on their turned backs, vacillates between fearfulness and longing. He's neither witty nor charming. Yet despite Rizzo and Buck's character flaws and sleaziness, they're sympathetic beings. They invoke compassion and sadness and an overwhelming urge to wash one's hands in hot water.

Today, such a film would hardly shock, much less be considered for an X rating. The performances hold up after so many years, but seem "stagey" and more theatrical than cinematic. This isn't a criticism; it's refreshing. Perhaps my greatest surprise was the understated homoerotic themes, having grown up hearing references to the film's homosexual story line. Instead, Ratzo and Joe share a loving relationship based on friendship and caring. Of the many sex scenes in the film, the only two characters who truly care for each other do not participate at all.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: Favorite Allusions and References

This past year found me more at a disconnect with less-vintage generations than I've felt before. It manifested in the expected, time-worn ways: opposing politics and values; a difference in technological choices and abilities; and generational rivalries. It was the first year, though, that I noticed vast differences of opinions regarding films. Never one to hold critics and reviewers in contempt as a default mode, I've long appreciated thoughtful and well-written reviews. In recent months I noticed two patterns: One, that every film has to be judged now on wokeness as well as film-making quality; and second, that today's writers on the film beat just do not appreciate the movies I love.

As soon as I saw the trailers for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, I was instantly smitten. It wasn't the all-star leading lineup that took hold of me, nor even the fact it was a Tarantino film (whom I unabashedly adore). I was hooked on the wistful, joyful nostalgia that shone through. Here was a film that clearly paid tribute to the series, movies, and events I grew up watching. Here, among all the all-female reboots and tenth-generation sequels that Hollywood has spawned in recent years, was a jewel of an original. For the first time in years, I eagerly awaited a movie release date. 

Once did not disappoint. Every minute offered an exuberant take on Hollywood characters and industry, overlaid on a tapestry of the culture and personalities of 1969. I fail to understand the reviewers who felt it lacked plot or depth; I found both. DiCaprio and Pitt turned out stellar performances of men struggling with their midlife career challenges, and ever-watchable Margot Robbie delighted with each sunny scene she graced. But best of all, for boomers such as myself, were the wondrous allusions and references to past events and films buried within the script and set design. 

As I gathered the subtler references that delighted me so, I realized here may be why the film didn't thrill the younger reviewers as much as it did me: Perhaps, not having grown up watching dusty reruns of western series in the 70s, or having missed reading the horrors of the Manson murders as they were reported the days immediately after, the reviewers simply didn't "get" many of the allusions. Perhaps they did, and simply found the boomer-oriented, unfashionably white film relevant.  For those who enjoyed it as I did, here's a retrospective of my favorite such allusions and buried gems within the film. For those who didn't enjoy it (and if so, why the heck are you reading this?) here are some of the interesting details you might have missed.

The Title

The very name Once Upon a Time in Hollywood hearkens back to the spaghetti-westerns made in the 1960s, specifically referring to Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West. DiCaprio's character, of course, was a fading star of Bounty Law, a Rifleman-like series who revives his stardom and financial standing by traveling to Rome to make spaghetti westerns. Leone, by the way, also made Once Upon a Time in America. The choice of "Once Upon a Time" is, of course, a reference to a fairy tale - and with Tarantino's version of events in Once, a fairy tale happy ending can be had after all. That's the thing about Tarantino: He thinks on several levels, and analyzing his films always brings some symbolic or metaphoric surprises.

The Series within the Film ... and the Starring Motorcyclist 

While we are captivated by the decline of Rick Dalton, DiCaprio's character, we also find ourselves enjoying the plot of an episode of Lancer, a western in which Dalton guest stars as a villain. Lancer was (in real life) a popular series running from 1968 to 1970, one of many family-legacy types of westerns. Starring James Stacy as the gunslinger brother, Johnny Madrid, Lancer (like so many westerns of the time) featured the usual heavy-handed patriarch; diametrically-opposed brothers; and a headstrong, lovable sister. 

Within Once, we see the Johnny Madrid character as acted by the latest flavor-of-the-month popular hunky star, James Stacy (played by Timothy Olyphant). Dalton is now aware he's being put up against Stacy so Stacy can benefit from being seen as "killing off" the star of the past, Dalton. After cutting away from the episode Dalton guest stars, Tarantino briefly shows the James Stacy character leaving the set, putting on his helmet, and climbing onto his motorcycle. The scene is so subtle and inconsequential, it almost seems out of place ... but true movie buffs will revel in that moment, for real-life James Stacy, on September 28, 1973, climbed on his motorcycle for one last time. With his girlfriend, Clair Cox, behind him on the bike, Stacy's bike was struck head-on by a motorist who'd been drinking at a bar called "The Chopping Block." Cox was killed instantly, and James Stacy nearly died. As a result of the gruesome wreck, he lost his left leg and his left arm. 

Prior to the wreck, James Stacy had been a Hollywood favorite. From 1968 - 1969 he'd been married to Kim Darby, who starred in one of my favorite westerns from childhood - the original True Grit. Before that, from 1963 - 1966, he'd been married to actress Connie Stevens. Suddenly, with the wreck, his leading-man status was gone. Although he did return to acting despite his amputations, he would never again be the star he was. Shortly after the wreck, Connie Stevens (who remained a good friend to him) was among the celebrities who organized a fundraiser for him. Later, Stacy sued the Chopping Block Bar for damages for over-serving the drunk driver who hit him; he received $1.9 million. 

The real James Stacy in 1968, before tragedy struck. 

Connie Stevens is also portrayed in Once, played by Dreama Walker. Tarantino, who credits his audience with being able to draw lines between the dots in his films, doesn't dwell on any of these connections, but they're neatly present nonetheless.

In another sad sidenote to the James Stacy story, Stacy served six years in prison later in his life for molesting an eleven-year-old child (and stalking others). Knowing he was facing prison time, he flung himself off a cliff in a suicide attempt in Hawaii. The ultimate survivor, the double-amputee survived the fall and lived until 2016, when he died at age 79.

Paul Revere and the Raiders

Several references were made to the music of Paul Revere and the Raiders in the scenes showing Sharon Tate (played deftly by Margot Robbie) in the house at 10050 Cielo Drive. That house, where the Manson murders of Sharon Tate and friends occurred in real life, had been previously occupied by record producer Terry Melcher. Terry is referenced several times in the film, as Charles Manson visits the neighborhood trying to track him down. Terry's roommates in the home were his girlfriend, Candice Bergen, and his friend Mark Lindsay. Mark Lindsay was the lead singer for the band Paul Revere and the Raiders. In Once, Sharon Tate and company play and dance to records by the band; Brad Pitt's character, Clifford Booth, listens to them from the rooftop of the house next door. Four of the band's songs are featured in the film.

A little more trivia: Terry Melcher was also the son of Doris Day.

Red Apple Tobacco

One of the great product placements of filmdom, Red Apple Tobacco shows up in several of Tarantino's films. He doesn't reap the rewards of advertising money for highlighting it, though - it only exists in Tarantino's world. The cigarettes, distinctively packaged in a pack with a seedy-looking worm protruding from an apple, appear in Once's commercials-within-the-film, promoted by Rick Dalton. The full commercial is a bonus feature on the DVD version. Don't look for Red Apple Tobacco at your favorite vendors - but look for it on Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, The Hateful Eight, and Inglourious Basterds, among other QT films.

The Narrator 

Midway through Once, the format of the film shifts and a narrator takes over, verbally time-stamping events of the film and describing the action. (That narrator, Kurt Russell, also plays a casting director in the film.) The narrative device occurs as the film shifts to the events of the night of August 8, 1969 - the night of the Manson Family murders of Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Steven Parent, and Wojtek Frykowski at 10050 Cielo Drive. The change to a narrator-driven format provides a sense of urgency to the events at hand, and builds suspense. It's also familiar to cinema buffs, for it was used to great effect in Goodfellas. Tarantino employs it as yet another tribute to great films. 

The Wilhelm Scream

Movie buffs immediately recognize the famous Wilhelm Scream - that stock "aaaaaargghhhh" scream used originally in a 1951 film, and inserted routinely in films since. At first used because it was a terrifically hideous male scream, it later became a tradition for filmmakers to include it in their films. Listen for it in Once.

The Flame Thrower

The infamous flame thrower from Rick Dalton's appearance in "The 14 Fists of McCluskey" makes a grand entrance at the film's climax. Look for it earlier leaning against the wall in Dalton's backyard cabana / shed when Cliff Booth is rustling up supplies to fix the antenna on the roof.

The Rolling Stones "Out of Time"

As we watch Margot Robbie's Sharon Tate approaching the film's climax, the Rolling Stones' sing the words, "Baby, baby, baby, you're out of time," in a haunting warning. It's almost heartbreakingly poignant. It's one of my favorite accompaniments on the soundtrack, so perfectly incorporated into the film's foray between real life and historical revision.

Another Clu

One of the standbys of 1960s TV western series was rugged, good-looking Clu Gulager. He shows up as a bookstore proprietor in Once, talking literature with Sharon Tate. His brief appearance is dignified and avuncular, unlike the wonderfully crude George Spahn played by my favorite villain, Bruce Dern. Although Burt Reynolds was Tarantino's original choice for Spahn, he died before filming. Dern steals the show in typical gritty Dern style, an irascible old man untroubled by etiquette (or polite society),

The Manson Family

Volumes have been written on the background of Charlie and his murderous family, and much could be written regarding the characters they inspired in the film. Highlights in Once include "Squeaky," played chillingly by Dakota Fanning. Squeaky is inspired by Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, the family member who served decades in prison for her attempt on the life of President Gerald Ford. Squeaky, the first member of Charlie's family, engaged in multiple offenses outside the Manson cult as well. "Tex" Watson is another of the film's well-portrayed cult members. The member of the clan who runs away and leaves Cielo Drive in the car when the situation became all too real appears to be an interpretation of Linda Kasabian, the member who testified against them when the murders went to trial. In real life, Linda did not run away, although she testified that she would have, had her small child not been back at Spahn Ranch. Tarantino's composite had either the moral fiber or the self-interest to do so. 

One of the real-life Manson victims was a 6'4" stunt man by name of Donald "Shorty" Shea, a ranch hand at Spahn Ranch. Clifford Booth's suspenseful visit to the ranch alludes to the man's presence at Spahn Ranch. Like Booth's character, Shea's career was dwindling, but the fictional Booth fared better. Shea was tortured and brutally killed, his corpse remaining concealed and unrecovered for nearly a decade afterwards.

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