The late Norman Lear’s life and legacy took center stage tonight at the 2023 Sentinel Awards at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills.
The awards, which celebrate the storytellers behind some of the year’s most impactful stories, heard a statement from Lyn Lear read at the start of the show by Marty Kaplan, founding director of the Norman Lear Center.
“I would have been there tonight if not for the passing of our beloved Norman. He was so proud of the work of The Lear Center and Hollywood Health and Society. And he would not have wanted all of us to mourn. He would want us to celebrate the important shows you are honoring tonight, and most of all… he would want us to laugh.”
The night celebrated Lear’s lasting impact on television and the world, underlining his strong advocacy that television and storytelling makes a difference.
The awards, which celebrate the storytellers behind some of the year’s most impactful stories, heard a statement from Lyn Lear read at the start of the show by Marty Kaplan, founding director of the Norman Lear Center.
“I would have been there tonight if not for the passing of our beloved Norman. He was so proud of the work of The Lear Center and Hollywood Health and Society. And he would not have wanted all of us to mourn. He would want us to celebrate the important shows you are honoring tonight, and most of all… he would want us to laugh.”
The night celebrated Lear’s lasting impact on television and the world, underlining his strong advocacy that television and storytelling makes a difference.
- 12/7/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
In a sad bit of coincidence, the Hollywood, Health & Society at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center honored its 2023 Sentinel Awards winners on Wednesday night, just hours after the passing of its namesake and inspiration, the legendary Norman Lear.
Emmy-winning comedian and writer Larry Wilmore hosted the event and introduced this year’s 11 winners, including writers behind the series “Mrs. Davis,” “Fleishman is in Trouble” and “Tiny Beautiful Things.” But before the awards were handed out, Wilmore took a moment to pay tribute to Lear. And remarks from Lear’s wife, Lyn, were shared with the audience.
“Well you got to say this about Norman – the man knew how to make an exit,” Wilmore joked. “He knew his audience. And wanted us to make sure we were all listening.
“A giant has left us and we’re going to do him proud,” he added. “This evening meant a lot...
Emmy-winning comedian and writer Larry Wilmore hosted the event and introduced this year’s 11 winners, including writers behind the series “Mrs. Davis,” “Fleishman is in Trouble” and “Tiny Beautiful Things.” But before the awards were handed out, Wilmore took a moment to pay tribute to Lear. And remarks from Lear’s wife, Lyn, were shared with the audience.
“Well you got to say this about Norman – the man knew how to make an exit,” Wilmore joked. “He knew his audience. And wanted us to make sure we were all listening.
“A giant has left us and we’re going to do him proud,” he added. “This evening meant a lot...
- 12/7/2023
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
The 2023 Sentinel Awards were handed out tonight Awards at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, and winners included writers for such TV series as Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, Superman & Lois, The Diplomat and Tiny Beautiful Things. See the full list below.
Presented by Hollywood, Health & Society at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, the Sentinel Awards recognize writers for meaningful and accurate portrayals onscreen on such timely topics as abortion, systemic racism, climate change and mental health. Larry Wilmore hosted the ceremony, which came the night that Lear died at 101.
Attendees heard a statement from Lyn Lear read at the start of the show by Marty Kaplan, founding director of the Norman Lear Center.
“I would have been there tonight if not for the passing of our beloved Norman,” she wrote. “He was so proud of the work of The Lear Center and Hollywood Health and Society.
Presented by Hollywood, Health & Society at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, the Sentinel Awards recognize writers for meaningful and accurate portrayals onscreen on such timely topics as abortion, systemic racism, climate change and mental health. Larry Wilmore hosted the ceremony, which came the night that Lear died at 101.
Attendees heard a statement from Lyn Lear read at the start of the show by Marty Kaplan, founding director of the Norman Lear Center.
“I would have been there tonight if not for the passing of our beloved Norman,” she wrote. “He was so proud of the work of The Lear Center and Hollywood Health and Society.
- 12/7/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Hollywood, Health and Society at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center toasted its 2023 Sentinel Awards winners on Wednesday at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, where Lear’s life took center stage after his passing was announced earlier in the day at the age of 101.
Lear’s wife Lyn sent a statement to be read aloud to Sentinel attendees at the beginning of the show by founding director of the Norman Lear Center Marty Kaplan, as she wrote, “I would have been there tonight if not for the passing of our beloved Norman. He was so proud of the work of The Lear Center and Hollywood, Health and Society. And he would not have wanted all of us to mourn. He would want us to celebrate the important shows you are honoring tonight, and most of all, he would have want us to laugh.”
Larry Wilmore served as host of the evening,...
Lear’s wife Lyn sent a statement to be read aloud to Sentinel attendees at the beginning of the show by founding director of the Norman Lear Center Marty Kaplan, as she wrote, “I would have been there tonight if not for the passing of our beloved Norman. He was so proud of the work of The Lear Center and Hollywood, Health and Society. And he would not have wanted all of us to mourn. He would want us to celebrate the important shows you are honoring tonight, and most of all, he would have want us to laugh.”
Larry Wilmore served as host of the evening,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Norman Lear changed television. That, we know, is an absolute fact, and I’ll get to it in a moment. But what really saddens me at the news of Norman Lear’s death, at 101, is he won’t be here anymore to serve as a voice of reason as the United States continues to lose its mind.
Lear was a World War II hero who spent much of his life defending democracy via what he put on our television screens and also in his high-profile advocacy work. He often talked of what inspired him to be politically active: At 9 years old, Lear was tinkering with his radio when he discovered the bile spewing from anti-Semitic broadcaster Father Charles Coughlin over the airwaves.
“I think about it all the time,” Lear told me in 2019, when I spoke with him multiple times for a Variety cover (among the several times I had...
Lear was a World War II hero who spent much of his life defending democracy via what he put on our television screens and also in his high-profile advocacy work. He often talked of what inspired him to be politically active: At 9 years old, Lear was tinkering with his radio when he discovered the bile spewing from anti-Semitic broadcaster Father Charles Coughlin over the airwaves.
“I think about it all the time,” Lear told me in 2019, when I spoke with him multiple times for a Variety cover (among the several times I had...
- 12/6/2023
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for Jersey Shore Family Vacation and Project Angel Food’s ground breaking ceremony.
God’s Love We Deliver’s Midsummer Night Drinks event
God’s Love We Deliver, the NYC metropolitan area’s only provider of medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling for individuals living with severe and chronic illness, held its 22nd annual Midsummer Night Drinks event on Saturday, held at the East Hampton home of David Burtka and Neil Patrick Harris.
Neil Patrick Harris, David Ludwigson and David Burtka
Jill Zarin’s Luxury Luncheon
Jill Zarin’s Luxury Luncheon by Ticket2Events returned to the Hamptons on Saturday to benefit the Bobby Zarin Memorial Trust, with support from Housewives LuAnn de Lesseps, Margaret Josephs, Braunwyn Windham-Burke, Cynthia Bailey, Kristen Taekman and Jennifer Fessler.
Cynthia Bailey, Margaret Josephs,...
God’s Love We Deliver’s Midsummer Night Drinks event
God’s Love We Deliver, the NYC metropolitan area’s only provider of medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling for individuals living with severe and chronic illness, held its 22nd annual Midsummer Night Drinks event on Saturday, held at the East Hampton home of David Burtka and Neil Patrick Harris.
Neil Patrick Harris, David Ludwigson and David Burtka
Jill Zarin’s Luxury Luncheon
Jill Zarin’s Luxury Luncheon by Ticket2Events returned to the Hamptons on Saturday to benefit the Bobby Zarin Memorial Trust, with support from Housewives LuAnn de Lesseps, Margaret Josephs, Braunwyn Windham-Burke, Cynthia Bailey, Kristen Taekman and Jennifer Fessler.
Cynthia Bailey, Margaret Josephs,...
- 8/4/2023
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A new report from USC Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center makes the case that the depiction of gun violence in the media is fueling gun violence in real life, while the “on-screen representation of characters using guns desensitizes children to the consequences of guns but increases their interest in them.”
“I couldn’t be prouder that the Center which bears my name is releasing this report about gun safety and the entertainment industry,” Lear said in a statement. “How guns are portrayed on screen should reflect the public health crisis we are in and help portray responsible gun ownership.”
Issued on the eve of the first anniversary of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two adults were murdered by an assault rifle-wielding 18-year-old, the report says “America has more guns than people; more homicides, suicides, and unintentional deaths by firearm than any of...
“I couldn’t be prouder that the Center which bears my name is releasing this report about gun safety and the entertainment industry,” Lear said in a statement. “How guns are portrayed on screen should reflect the public health crisis we are in and help portray responsible gun ownership.”
Issued on the eve of the first anniversary of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two adults were murdered by an assault rifle-wielding 18-year-old, the report says “America has more guns than people; more homicides, suicides, and unintentional deaths by firearm than any of...
- 5/23/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
One in three episodes of popular television shows depict at least one character discharging a firearm, according to a new study released Tuesday by the Hollywood, Health & Society program at USC Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center.
The study was released ahead of the one year anniversary of the Uvalde, Texas shooting that claimed 21 lives on May 24, 2022.
The study on gun violence and its representation in the media, titled “Trigger Warning: Gun Guidelines For The Media,” doesn’t mention any current TV series, but, not surprisingly, it found that most instances of gunfire occurred on police shows.
Also Read:
‘The Wire’ Creator David Simon Defends Show Against ‘Conservative Art’ Label
The study also suggests guidelines for depictions of gun usage, such as “avoid portraying law enforcement use-of-force as heroic,” and “consider law enforcement characters facing consequences, or at least scrutiny for their actions, which are rarely depicted.”
“I couldn’t...
The study was released ahead of the one year anniversary of the Uvalde, Texas shooting that claimed 21 lives on May 24, 2022.
The study on gun violence and its representation in the media, titled “Trigger Warning: Gun Guidelines For The Media,” doesn’t mention any current TV series, but, not surprisingly, it found that most instances of gunfire occurred on police shows.
Also Read:
‘The Wire’ Creator David Simon Defends Show Against ‘Conservative Art’ Label
The study also suggests guidelines for depictions of gun usage, such as “avoid portraying law enforcement use-of-force as heroic,” and “consider law enforcement characters facing consequences, or at least scrutiny for their actions, which are rarely depicted.”
“I couldn’t...
- 5/23/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
Reservation Dogs, Abbott Elementary, Dopesick and Hacks are among the television series set to be honored at the 2022 Sentinel Awards.
The gala event will celebrate 12 series from broadcast, cable and streaming that tackled powerful and timely topics including racism, mental health and abortion. Hollywood, Health & Society (Hh&s), a program from the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, will present the awards live and in-person on Oct. 25.
FX’s Reservation Dogs, co-created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, will be honored with the Culture of Health Award for its first season. The Culture of Health Award recognizes TV’s transformative power to impact audiences with visionary storytelling that addresses critical and complex issues of health, well-being and equity across a diverse society. The first season featured humorous storylines about subjects including health care, economic disparities, aging, caregiving, mental health and racism.
Resident Alien,...
Reservation Dogs, Abbott Elementary, Dopesick and Hacks are among the television series set to be honored at the 2022 Sentinel Awards.
The gala event will celebrate 12 series from broadcast, cable and streaming that tackled powerful and timely topics including racism, mental health and abortion. Hollywood, Health & Society (Hh&s), a program from the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, will present the awards live and in-person on Oct. 25.
FX’s Reservation Dogs, co-created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, will be honored with the Culture of Health Award for its first season. The Culture of Health Award recognizes TV’s transformative power to impact audiences with visionary storytelling that addresses critical and complex issues of health, well-being and equity across a diverse society. The first season featured humorous storylines about subjects including health care, economic disparities, aging, caregiving, mental health and racism.
Resident Alien,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Lexy Perez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
President Donald Trump regularly brands journalists as “enemies of the people.” The #MeToo phenomenon has taken a heavy toll on the news divisions of Fox, NBC and CBS. Public trust in the veracity of established media outlets has plunged, particularly for those who identify as Republicans. And the scrutiny of TV news reporting has never been higher or harsher, now that virtually everyone can be a critic through the megaphone of social media.
Veteran journalists describe the climate as being in the eye of a hurricane. And it’s hardly conducive to producing what would qualify as the traditional definition of strong, objective news coverage.
“On an average day, when things are up and running, there are four or five big stories coming out of this White House,” says John Roberts, chief White House correspondent for Fox News. “In previous White Houses that I have covered, if we had four or five [stories] a week,...
Veteran journalists describe the climate as being in the eye of a hurricane. And it’s hardly conducive to producing what would qualify as the traditional definition of strong, objective news coverage.
“On an average day, when things are up and running, there are four or five big stories coming out of this White House,” says John Roberts, chief White House correspondent for Fox News. “In previous White Houses that I have covered, if we had four or five [stories] a week,...
- 9/4/2018
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Will Obamacare become plot fodder for CBS’ Hostages and Under The Dome? A $500,000 grant awarded this week to USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Hollywood Health & Society program certainly suggests it’s a possibility. In the latest push to get Tinseltown to promote President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, the decade-old program has received the money from the private California Endowment to give Hollywood producers, writers and execs details about the newly launched health insurance initiative. “Our experience has shown that the public gets just as much, if not more, information about current events and important issues from their favorite television shows and characters as they do from the news media and online resources,” said Hollywood Health & Society’s Martin Kaplan in a statement today. “This grant will allow us to ensure that industry practitioners have up-to-date, relevant facts on health care reform to integrate into their storylines and projects.
- 10/9/2013
- by DOMINIC PATTEN
- Deadline TV
New York -- Well aware that the television audience may be particularly sensitive, the Showtime network aired a disclaimer warning audiences of violent content in the season finales of its dramas "Homeland" and "Dexter" last weekend. It was two days after a gunman killed 26 people in a Newtown, Conn., elementary school.
The political thriller "Homeland" that night featured the burial of a bullet-ridden body at sea and a car bomb that killed scores of people. "Dexter," about a serial killer, had a couple of murders.
Viewer sensitivity, it seems, was not an issue: Sunday's "Homeland" was the highest-rated episode in the two years the series has been on the air. "Dexter" was the top-rated episode of any series in Showtime history.
That's just one illustration of how violence and gunplay are baked into the popular culture of television, movies and video games. While gun control and problems with the mental...
The political thriller "Homeland" that night featured the burial of a bullet-ridden body at sea and a car bomb that killed scores of people. "Dexter," about a serial killer, had a couple of murders.
Viewer sensitivity, it seems, was not an issue: Sunday's "Homeland" was the highest-rated episode in the two years the series has been on the air. "Dexter" was the top-rated episode of any series in Showtime history.
That's just one illustration of how violence and gunplay are baked into the popular culture of television, movies and video games. While gun control and problems with the mental...
- 12/21/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
New York -- Well aware that the television audience may be particularly sensitive, the Showtime network aired a disclaimer warning audiences of violent content in the season finales of its dramas "Homeland" and "Dexter" last weekend. It was two days after a gunman killed 26 people in a Newtown, Conn., elementary school.
The political thriller "Homeland" that night featured the burial of a bullet-ridden body at sea and a car bomb that killed scores of people. "Dexter," about a serial killer, had a couple of murders.
Viewer sensitivity, it seems, was not an issue: Sunday's "Homeland" was the highest-rated episode in the two years the series has been on the air. "Dexter" was the top-rated episode of any series in Showtime history.
That's just one illustration of how violence and gunplay are baked into the popular culture of television, movies and video games. While gun control and problems with the mental...
The political thriller "Homeland" that night featured the burial of a bullet-ridden body at sea and a car bomb that killed scores of people. "Dexter," about a serial killer, had a couple of murders.
Viewer sensitivity, it seems, was not an issue: Sunday's "Homeland" was the highest-rated episode in the two years the series has been on the air. "Dexter" was the top-rated episode of any series in Showtime history.
That's just one illustration of how violence and gunplay are baked into the popular culture of television, movies and video games. While gun control and problems with the mental...
- 12/21/2012
- by AP
- Aol TV.
Following the massacre of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. on Dec. 14, Hollywood has responded with sensitivity.
Premieres for "Jack Reacher" and "Django Unchained" -- two violent films out this month -- were canceled. Fox Television pulled episodes of "Family Guy" and "American Dad," and rescheduled them for a later date. Radio stations across the country stopped playing the Ke$ha single "Die Young" because of its title and lyrics, and even Ke$ha herself backed away from the song. (She tweeted -- and quickly deleted -- that she never wanted to sing "Die Young" and was "forced" to record it for her album.) Yet the question remains: Will Hollywood ever stop using violence in its product?
“Violence is both a moneymaker -- audiences love it -- and an artist’s tool," Martin Kaplan, director of the Norman Lear Center for the study of...
Premieres for "Jack Reacher" and "Django Unchained" -- two violent films out this month -- were canceled. Fox Television pulled episodes of "Family Guy" and "American Dad," and rescheduled them for a later date. Radio stations across the country stopped playing the Ke$ha single "Die Young" because of its title and lyrics, and even Ke$ha herself backed away from the song. (She tweeted -- and quickly deleted -- that she never wanted to sing "Die Young" and was "forced" to record it for her album.) Yet the question remains: Will Hollywood ever stop using violence in its product?
“Violence is both a moneymaker -- audiences love it -- and an artist’s tool," Martin Kaplan, director of the Norman Lear Center for the study of...
- 12/19/2012
- by Christopher Rosen
- Huffington Post
As the MPAA's new chairman, the ex-senator is partying his way toward buffing Hollywood's image in Washington-but it may be too late for the movie business. Dodd tells Lois Romano about his new mission.
A more cautious fellow would have never risked throwing himself a coming-out party on the weekend of Washington's hottest annual press and political dinner. But Christopher Dodd, former senator and expansive Irish-American pol, was undaunted by the social competition. He picked up the phone and called his buddy, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels, who delivered comedian Seth Meyers as the star attraction for Dodd's party-a coup since Meyers was also headlining the big White House Correspondents' Dinner the next night. The move ensured Dodd a crowd packed with high-level players.
Related story on The Daily Beast: From Spielberg to Abrams, Super 8's Hidden Hollywood Legacy
"I want to bring some zip back into this place,...
A more cautious fellow would have never risked throwing himself a coming-out party on the weekend of Washington's hottest annual press and political dinner. But Christopher Dodd, former senator and expansive Irish-American pol, was undaunted by the social competition. He picked up the phone and called his buddy, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels, who delivered comedian Seth Meyers as the star attraction for Dodd's party-a coup since Meyers was also headlining the big White House Correspondents' Dinner the next night. The move ensured Dodd a crowd packed with high-level players.
Related story on The Daily Beast: From Spielberg to Abrams, Super 8's Hidden Hollywood Legacy
"I want to bring some zip back into this place,...
- 5/25/2011
- by Lois Romano
- The Daily Beast
New York -- Diane Sawyer is changing the landscape of American broadcast television news and is likely hoping history won't repeat itself when she becomes the second woman to solo anchor a major evening news program.
After more than 10 years co-anchoring "Good Morning America," Sawyer left on Friday to become anchor of ABC's "World News "on Dec. 21, replacing Charles Gibson, who is retiring.
In the hotly contested time slot, she will go up against "CBS Evening News" with Katie Couric and Brian Williams at "NBC Nightly News," who becomes the lone male anchor.
Skeptics wondered if Couric's history on a morning talk show and her bubbly personality would be a hindrance as she ventured into hard news. She initially received good ratings but the program has since been consistently marred by low ratings.
Sawyer, a pioneer among women in U.S. broadcast television news with a history of serious reporting,...
After more than 10 years co-anchoring "Good Morning America," Sawyer left on Friday to become anchor of ABC's "World News "on Dec. 21, replacing Charles Gibson, who is retiring.
In the hotly contested time slot, she will go up against "CBS Evening News" with Katie Couric and Brian Williams at "NBC Nightly News," who becomes the lone male anchor.
Skeptics wondered if Couric's history on a morning talk show and her bubbly personality would be a hindrance as she ventured into hard news. She initially received good ratings but the program has since been consistently marred by low ratings.
Sawyer, a pioneer among women in U.S. broadcast television news with a history of serious reporting,...
- 12/11/2009
- by By Bernard Orr, Reuters
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By Dylan Stableford
Isabel Kaplan, the 19-year-old daughter of USC Norman Lear Center head Marty Kaplan and attorney/political whiz Susan Estrich, just finished her freshman year at Harvard.
Her debut novel, "Hancock Park" -- a sort of "Gossip Girl L.A." -- was published on June 30 by HarperCollins’ teen imprint and is already an L.A. Times bestseller.
It's being shopped by her reps at Wme (“Gossip Girl...
Isabel Kaplan, the 19-year-old daughter of USC Norman Lear Center head Marty Kaplan and attorney/political whiz Susan Estrich, just finished her freshman year at Harvard.
Her debut novel, "Hancock Park" -- a sort of "Gossip Girl L.A." -- was published on June 30 by HarperCollins’ teen imprint and is already an L.A. Times bestseller.
It's being shopped by her reps at Wme (“Gossip Girl...
- 7/28/2009
- by Dylan Stableford
- The Wrap
USC Annenberg School for Communications' Marty Kaplan weighs in on the L.A. Times' controversial creation of ads posing as news.
By Sharon Waxman
Marty Kaplan, director of the Norman Lear Center at USC Annenberg School For Communications, talked about the controversy roiling the Los Angeles Times over Hollywood ads designed to resemble news articles.
What do you think of “The Soloist” advertising supplement in the L.A. Times?
It’s more of the same of the more recent advertorial. It&rsq...
By Sharon Waxman
Marty Kaplan, director of the Norman Lear Center at USC Annenberg School For Communications, talked about the controversy roiling the Los Angeles Times over Hollywood ads designed to resemble news articles.
What do you think of “The Soloist” advertising supplement in the L.A. Times?
It’s more of the same of the more recent advertorial. It&rsq...
- 4/13/2009
- by Sharon Waxman
- The Wrap
Reflecting on his more than 40 years in Washington, recently retired MPAA president and CEO Jack Valenti told an audience Tuesday that above all he cherishes his days as a special assistant to President Lyndon Johnson. "I've had a wonderful life in the movie business, but the summertime of my life was the three years in the White House because it was the only time in my life when I was barren of personal ambition," Valenti told about 150 people at the Museum of Television & Radio in Beverly Hills. "All I wanted to do was serve the president who, in turn, was lifting the quality of life in this country and I felt that was substantive -- the right thing to do." Of course, the 83-year-old Valenti then went on to lead the MPAA for 38 years as Hollywood's ambassador-at-large. He retired Sept. 1 and might return soon as a political commentator on cable TV, but Tuesday's discussion, moderated by Marty Kaplan, associate dean of USC's Annenberg School for Communication, was supposed to be about politics. And it mostly was.
- 10/14/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Eddie Murphy plays shakedown artist Thomas Jefferson Johnson, who wins a Congressional seat solely because his name is similar to that of the district's longtime, recently deceased representative.
Similarly, name recognition -- Murphy's name on the marquee -- should help Buena Vista with a big early turnout for ''The Distinguished Gentleman.'' Yet this Christmas candidate should pick up ample returns later on, based on its winningly broad comic program. Call it a boxoffice landslide for the Buena Vista party.
In this light reversal of ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, '' Mr. Jefferson is no idealistic, corn-fed do-gooder. He's not even a greedy pork barreler with his district's interests in mind -- he's just plain eager to slurp from the public trough.
The only Jeffersonian principle he holds near and dear is the ''pursuit of happiness.'' Washington, D.C., to him is just one big smorgasbord of under-the-table opportunity. When Mr. Jefferson goes to Washington, along with his team of homeys, he's more than eager to use his office to fullest advantage, to partake of the perks, the PACs, the payoffs, the honoraria and, although he's never studied under Henry Kissinger at Harvard, the aphrodisiac of power.
Unencumbered by an agenda and not indebted to any interest groups for his election -- save for a geriatric Jewish rest home -- the street-smart Jefferson is ready to wheel and deal. He cons his way onto the most powerful and corrupt Congressional committee, greasing its chairman (Lane Smith) and lining his pockets with fat-cat cash.
With a fractured, Preston Sturges-like slant on institutional largess and human greed, screenwriter Marty Kaplan has served up a hilarious satire on Congressional malfeasance through the not-so-innocent eyes of a small-time con man learning the ropes of big-time pocket-lining.
Although the narrative dips to a manipulatively melodramatic crisis point, director Jonathan Lynn nimbly keeps it from dripping into corn syrup.
And under Lynn's light and firm direction, Murphy's performance is both distinguished and disciplined. His comic brilliance is at the service of the story and he positively shines with a number of diverse and zany impersonations, most enjoyably a Jesse Jackson takeoff.
The supporting players are a terrific, oddball ensemble, recalling Sturges' crazy-character caravans. Sheryl Lee Ralph, as Jefferson's curvy cousin, properly oozes misdirected drive, while Grant Shaud, as Jefferson's wonky-honky aide, epitomizes the nerdish element of corruption. With his deep and croaky, Eugene Pallette-ish voice, Sonny Jim Gaines is a crusty delight as a homey staffer.
Tech contributions are distinguished by their apt, broad strokes.
THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN
Buena Vista
Producers Leonard Goldberg, Michael Peyser
Director Jonathan Lynn
Screenwriter Marty Kaplan
Story Marty Kaplan, Jonathan Reynolds
Executive producer Marty Kaplan
Director of photography Gabriel Beristain
Production designer Leslie Dilley
Editors Tony Lombardo, Barry B. Leirer
Costume designer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck
Music Randy Edelman
Casting Mary Goldberg
Sound mixer Russell Williams
Color/Stereo
Thomas Jefferson Johnson Eddie Murphy
Dick Dodge Lane Smith
Miss Loretta Sheryl Lee Ralph
Olaf Anderson Joe Don Baker
Celia Kirby Victoria Rowell
Arthur Reinhardt Grant Shaud
Terry Corrigan Kevin McCarthy
Elijah Hawkins Charles S. Dutton
Armando Victor Rivers
Homer Chi
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
Similarly, name recognition -- Murphy's name on the marquee -- should help Buena Vista with a big early turnout for ''The Distinguished Gentleman.'' Yet this Christmas candidate should pick up ample returns later on, based on its winningly broad comic program. Call it a boxoffice landslide for the Buena Vista party.
In this light reversal of ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, '' Mr. Jefferson is no idealistic, corn-fed do-gooder. He's not even a greedy pork barreler with his district's interests in mind -- he's just plain eager to slurp from the public trough.
The only Jeffersonian principle he holds near and dear is the ''pursuit of happiness.'' Washington, D.C., to him is just one big smorgasbord of under-the-table opportunity. When Mr. Jefferson goes to Washington, along with his team of homeys, he's more than eager to use his office to fullest advantage, to partake of the perks, the PACs, the payoffs, the honoraria and, although he's never studied under Henry Kissinger at Harvard, the aphrodisiac of power.
Unencumbered by an agenda and not indebted to any interest groups for his election -- save for a geriatric Jewish rest home -- the street-smart Jefferson is ready to wheel and deal. He cons his way onto the most powerful and corrupt Congressional committee, greasing its chairman (Lane Smith) and lining his pockets with fat-cat cash.
With a fractured, Preston Sturges-like slant on institutional largess and human greed, screenwriter Marty Kaplan has served up a hilarious satire on Congressional malfeasance through the not-so-innocent eyes of a small-time con man learning the ropes of big-time pocket-lining.
Although the narrative dips to a manipulatively melodramatic crisis point, director Jonathan Lynn nimbly keeps it from dripping into corn syrup.
And under Lynn's light and firm direction, Murphy's performance is both distinguished and disciplined. His comic brilliance is at the service of the story and he positively shines with a number of diverse and zany impersonations, most enjoyably a Jesse Jackson takeoff.
The supporting players are a terrific, oddball ensemble, recalling Sturges' crazy-character caravans. Sheryl Lee Ralph, as Jefferson's curvy cousin, properly oozes misdirected drive, while Grant Shaud, as Jefferson's wonky-honky aide, epitomizes the nerdish element of corruption. With his deep and croaky, Eugene Pallette-ish voice, Sonny Jim Gaines is a crusty delight as a homey staffer.
Tech contributions are distinguished by their apt, broad strokes.
THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN
Buena Vista
Producers Leonard Goldberg, Michael Peyser
Director Jonathan Lynn
Screenwriter Marty Kaplan
Story Marty Kaplan, Jonathan Reynolds
Executive producer Marty Kaplan
Director of photography Gabriel Beristain
Production designer Leslie Dilley
Editors Tony Lombardo, Barry B. Leirer
Costume designer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck
Music Randy Edelman
Casting Mary Goldberg
Sound mixer Russell Williams
Color/Stereo
Thomas Jefferson Johnson Eddie Murphy
Dick Dodge Lane Smith
Miss Loretta Sheryl Lee Ralph
Olaf Anderson Joe Don Baker
Celia Kirby Victoria Rowell
Arthur Reinhardt Grant Shaud
Terry Corrigan Kevin McCarthy
Elijah Hawkins Charles S. Dutton
Armando Victor Rivers
Homer Chi
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 12/4/1992
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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