Good Movies 1973

The Exorcist bed scene

The Exorcist - Directed by William Friedkin from 1971's best selling Peter Blatty novel. Priests give their lives to exorcise a demon in possession of a young girl. Starring Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, Kitty Winn, Lee J. Cobb, Jason Miller, Mercedes McCambridge, and Eileen Dietz. At the time the movie caused a sensation with people fleeing theaters, going back to church the following Sunday and of course that dark crawl into a sleeping friend's room to shake their bed joke. It grossed more than any other horror film to date and moved horror films from the B bench to the money chair. The Exorcist at filmsite.

Bang the Drum Slowly - Directed by John D. Hancock this movie from the 1956 book by Mark Harris tells the tale of misfit New York Yankee catcher Bruce Pearson who is dying from a terminal illness. This movie along with Mean Streets in the same year makes a star of Robert De Niro. It also stars Michael Moriarty as the Yankee pitcher who befriends him and makes him a part of the team. Michael Moriarty went on to become an extreme right-wing nutjob who refuses to live in the United States. 1973 review of Bang the Drum Slowly by Roger Ebert

The Last Detail - Director Hal Ashby was arrested in Canada for marijuana possession during filming causing producers to want pull out but actor Jack Nicholson saved the project by stayed loyal to Ashby. Newcomer Randy Quaid who played the dumb young sailor was nominated for an Oscar. Jack Nicholson played the famously foul mouthed Bad Ass Buddusky who was in charge of the trip to take the errant Randy Quaid to jail. It was Nicholsons's best performance thus far in his career sending him soon to the top. It also starred Otis Young. The Last Detail review

Serpico - Directed by Sidney Lumet this film is the story of real life New York undercover police officer Frank Serpico who ends up shot in the face for uncovering crime and graft within the New York City Police Department. Coming off the success of The Godfather, Al Pacino's critically acclaimed performance as Serpico puts him at the top of the game. Frank Serpico website

Sleeper - Woody Allen robot repair

Sleeper - Woody Allen has another hit comedy full of rapid fire jokes, gags and slapstick. This time with a Science Fiction venue of a man waking up after 200 years. We could not find the video of the classic scene of Woody Robot getting high holding that Get High Ball. Review of Sleeper from 1973.

New Movies 1973

Badlands
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
The Boy Who Cried Werewolf
Carry On Girls
Charley and the Angel
Charley Varrick
Charlotte's Web
Cinderella Liberty
The Day of the Jackal
The Devil in Miss Jones
Dillinger
Don't Look Now
Enter the Dragon, starring Bruce Lee
Fist of Fury (U.S. release)
Godspell
Heavy Traffic
High Plains Drifter
The Hireling, Palme d'Or winner
The Homecoming
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
The Laughing Policeman
The Long Goodbye
Lost Horizon
Magnum Force
Mean Streets
The Paper Chase
Paper Moon
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
Save the Tiger
Scarecrow, Palme d'Or winner
Scenes from a Marriage, by Ingmar Bergman
Scream Blacula Scream
The Seven-Ups

Top Box Office 1973

Papillon Trailer

Papillon - Director Franklin J. Schaffner brings the best selling Henri Charrière novel to the silver screen. Starring Steve McQueen as Papillon and Dustin Hoffman as his prison sidekick Louis Dega. With the theme of a free spirit never giving up on escaping, one could say its a remake of Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke, sans the eggs. Papillon at Prisonflicks

1. The Exorcist
2. The Sting
3. American Graffiti
4. Papillon
5. The Way We Were
6. Magnum Force
7. Robin Hood
8. Last Tango in Paris
9. Paper Moon
10. Live and Let Die

Entertainment News 1973

Enter the Dragon was the first American made Martial Arts Film. Like American Graffiti it was a low budget film that turned out to be one of the top profit ratio films of all time. Six days before the movie was released, the film's star Bruce Lee died of an acute cerebral edema in Hong Kong. Because there were trace amounts of cannabis in his system some tried to blame pot smoking for his death. Adding to the conspiracy Bruce Lee's son, Brandon Lee was killed 20 years later on the set of the The Crow when a stage pistol discharged. Like most such conspiracies, they are driven by nutjobs. Enter the Dragon Review

American Graffiti coolest scenes

American Graffiti - The low budget coming of age movie taking place in Modesto California in 1962 became news for all the newcomers who went on to acclaim. Directed by George Lucas, produced by Francios Ford Coppola (without the Godfather this movie would not have been made) and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips, Harrison Ford and of course Ron Howard breaking out of his child acting rut. It cost $1.5 million to make and made $55 million and critical acclaim. History of American Graffiti.

This Robert DeNiro clip captures the movie Mean Streets

Mean Streets - Newsworthy for not only being the first film Martin Scorsese wrote and directed, but also the coming out part for little known actor Robert De Niro. The film was a bio of Scorseses' experiences growing up in New York's Little Italy. It starred Harvey Keitel as a small New York hood torn between crime and his Catholic faith trying to save his troublesome friend Johnny Boy (De Niro) from being taken out by a Mafia boss played by David Proval. 1973 review of Mean Streets by Roger Ebert

Academy Awards 1973

Paul Newman and Robert Redford, The Sting Trailer

Picture: "THE STING", "American Graffiti", "Cries and Whispers", "The Exorcist", "A Touch of Class"

Actor: JACK LEMMON in "Save the Tiger", Marlon Brando in "Last Tango in Paris", Jack Nicholson in "The Last Detail", Al Pacino in "Serpico", Robert Redford in "The Sting"

Actress: GLENDA JACKSON in "A Touch of Class", Ellen Burstyn in "The Exorcist", Marsha Mason in "Cinderella Liberty", Barbra Streisand in "The Way We Were", Joanne Woodward in "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams"

Supporting Actor: JOHN HOUSEMAN in "The Paper Chase", Vincent Gardenia in "Bang the Drum Slowly", Jack Gilford in "Save the Tiger", Jason Miller in "The Exorcist", Randy Quaid in "The Last Detail"

Ryan and Tatum O'Neil, clips from Paper Moon

Supporting Actress: TATUM O'NEAL in "Paper Moon", Linda Blair in "The Exorcist", Candy Clark in "American Graffiti", Madeline Kahn in "Paper Moon", Sylvia Sidney in "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams"

Director: GEORGE ROY HILL for "The Sting", Ingmar Bergman for "Cries and Whispers", Bernardo Bertolucci for "Last Tango in Paris", William Friedkin for "The Exorcist", George Lucas for "American Graffiti"

B Movies 1973

Soylent Green is made out of...

Soylent Green - Directed by Richard Fleischer this Science Fiction classic is taken from the 1966 Harry Harrison novel Make Room! Make Room! An overpopulated future finds investigator Charlton Heston and his research assistant Edward G. Robertson closing on what the staple food of the future is made from. Also stars Joseph Cotton, Chuck Conners and Leigh Taylor-Young. Soylent Green

Westworld - Written and directed by Michael Crichton this Science Fiction film takes place in the future where amusement parks provide entertaining human like robots who begin to not follow directions. Starring Yul Brynner as the first Terminator. Also starring Richard Benjamin and James Brolin. Westworld Review

Godspell
Godzilla vs. Megalon