Nickelodeon (1976)

Nickelodeon is best to be for fans enjoyed . Enjoyed, and it will do. fortunes do! as it is about the early days of the movies. It's not a chronicle of one or two movie people, but all of them. It was a time in "the states" it was exploration, excitement and graphic art...bold bright flickering crazy strokes...they were madness, genius, fear, boldness. And truth .And lies. (Nickelodeon 1976) " What you're doing is giving them tiny pieces of time that they never forget"

This has to be one of the most aggravating movies ever made. With the possible exception of Marty Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich has the knowledge of the era. Unfortunately, the setting (1910-15) is the only thing that Bogdanovich gets right. Why slapstick? Nearly everyone is miscast (Reynolds, Ritter, who seems oblivious to the period), vapid (the beautiful Jane Hitchcock) or wasted (Stevens) and everyone is embroiled in a disjointed script (which seems oddly like a first draft) that abruptly jumps from slapstick to melodrama to comedy. I'd imagine that anyone interested in seeing the film would have some interest in embryonic filmmaking, but Nickelodeon is a total mess. The best scenes come at the very end; I'll disagree with another reviewer on one point: I felt that Ryan O'Neal's emotion while watching "The Clansman" (AKA Birth of a Nation") was the sad realization that he'd never make a film of that caliber, not that he was capable of better things. In some ways, Nickelodeon seems to be the culmination of so many period Hollywood films released in the mid 70's that went horribly wrong (W.C. Fields and Me, Gable and Lombard, Won Ton Ton, the Dog that Saved Hollywood)--- the two best (Day of the Locust, and the almost unseen Hearts of the West were also flawed); Nickelodeon is, considering the director and the budget, the worst offender, since it should've been so much better. It's a train wreck.

Much of Nickelodeon was shot in the foothills outside of Modesto CA where I lived. Everyone connected with the film stayed at the Holiday Inn which was where I hung out. Modesto is a small town and there wasn't much to do except to go to the Inn and swim and play chess. I meet a few people and the next thing I know I was on set everyday. Most people think of filming as long and tedious but I loved watching it all. The first person I met was Ryan but because he was dressed in costume I didn't recognize him immediate but I must say he was charming. John Ritter was very nice. Mr.Bogdonovitch was very impressive, as was Polly Platt! The one person who impressed me above all others was Tatum. She was a very caring and sweet girl. It didn't take long to learn enough about her history to help me understand the problems she is having in her later years. I wish she could let go of the past pain and really enjoy life in a healthy way. In all, I had a wonderful time and enjoyed the movie probably more than some people just because of the experience I had while it was being made. Just today I found out that Lazlo Kovacs passed away last year, on my birthday, and that I had not heard about it. How sad, he was a great talent and a wonderful person. Meeting him was an honor. When he looked at you it was if he was seeing who you for who you really are, through and through. What a life you have lived, Mr. Lazlo. Thank you for sharing your visions of beauty with us all.

A lot is wrong with Peter Bogdanovich's NICKELODEON, which is particularly disheartening since it surely had a good deal of potential. What could have been --- and should have been --- an affectionate tribute to the silent movie masters Bogdanovich clearly idolizes is botched in every way imaginable: The pacing is sluggish, the casting is mostly bad and the acting ranges from the smarminess of Burt Reynolds to the lifelessness of Ryan O'Neal. Reliable actors like Stella Stevens and John Ritter barely register. In a role meant for Orson Welles, Brian Keith overacts to an embarrassing degree. A one time model named Jane Hitchcock has a pivotal role and although extremely fetching, she has the acting range of a young Cybill Shepherd, a distinction that should not be worn as a badge of honor. One major ASSET is the presence of Tatum O'Neal, whose caustic wit is matched by her really great driving! After directing one great movie and a few really good ones, Bogdanovich's ride to obscurity was propelled by this wreck and AT LONG LAST LOVE released a year earlier. He has yet to fully recover.