R.I.P. Arnold Schulman

[Reza]

This Craig guy actually shares a birthday with me (though NOT the year).

"This Craig guy" is now at the rather precarious age of 94. Although he was nominated for a screenplay Oscar it was as an actor that he was most memorable in many British films of the late 1950s-early 1960s.

[Mister Tee]

What a fascinating list of credits he had. Indignation reminded me that you could adapt Roth to the screen successfully after American Pastoral suggested otherwise (I didn't even dislike it, to be honest). Curious about Goodbye, Columbus (though of the three, it's the one I haven't read)

It's half a century since I saw Goodbye, Columbus, and it wasn't viewed as great, even at the time. But it was that now-extinct species: reasonably intelligent box-office hit.

Speaking of half-century-old Roth, I just watched (for the first time) the film version of Portnoy's Complaint. It was absolutely slaughtered by critics in its time, but I didn't think it was particularly bad. It was, in fact, remarkably faithful to the novel: all the scenes I remember from my one-and-only (1970) read turned up in the movie. I was honestly shocked how much I remembered of it: the "diarrhea" scene, the hand-job from the girl down the street, "I couldn't get it up in the homeland" were things that have apparently never left my memory, despite it not being a particular favorite Roth novel.

Somebody can look it up, but I'd have to guess there weren't any other Oscar-nominated screenwriters from 1963 or earlier still alive as of yesterday.

As if I could let my wikipedia skills go to waste. Serge Bourguignon (Sundays and Cybele, 1963) and Michael Craig (The Angry Silence, 1960) are both still with us.

Thanks for the deep-dive. This Craig guy actually shares a birthday with me (though NOT the year).

Synchronicity alert: there are now two guys who've died this week who were nominated at the 1969 Oscars.

[Okri]

What a fascinating list of credits he had. Indignation reminded me that you could adapt Roth to the screen successfully after American Pastoral suggested otherwise (I didn't even dislike it, to be honest). Curious about Goodbye, Columbus (though of the three, it's the one I haven't read)

Somebody can look it up, but I'd have to guess there weren't any other Oscar-nominated screenwriters from 1963 or earlier still alive as of yesterday.

As if I could let my wikipedia skills go to waste. Serge Bourguignon (Sundays and Cybele, 1963) and Michael Craig (The Angry Silence, 1960) are both still with us.

[Sabin]

I've been meaning to read or watch Goodbye, Columbus for a few years.

Nice little article on him that I just found: https://www.amny.com/news/arnold-schulm ... eback-kid/

[Mister Tee]

Got to admit, when I saw this, I had two thoughts: 1) never would have guessed he was still alive and 2) he must have been 100. Close enough.

Somebody can look it up, but I'd have to guess there weren't any other Oscar-nominated screenwriters from 1963 or earlier still alive as of yesterday.

Not exactly a stellar career, but not nothing, either. If you read this obit, he seems to disown/disclaim credit for the worst items on his resume (Players and the legendary Won Ton Ton). He worked best in a limited genre that was more common in my youth: working class ethnics. A Hole in the Head and Goodbye, Columbus were quite successful in their day. Honestly, I was surprised to see how many movies I've seen with his name on it.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 235318174/