Word: jud
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Templeton (Jack Lemmon), is a charming, but irresponsible public relations man with a bad case of leukemia. Scottie's one gift has been his ability to make people happy, and in his last days he tries to reconcile with the one person he has made miserable, his son, Jud (Robert Picardo), whom he abandoned in the divorce settlement. He amuses Jud with jokes and funny costumes, finds him a girl (Catherine Hicks), and smothers him with affection. But Jud, a 20-year-old fogy, refuses to shake the glad hand. "Mom said you once told Sonja Henie...
...each other's jugular, and pieces of their protective covering fleck off after each battle. Scottie begins to understand that by never committing himself to anyone he has hurt those to whom he should be closest. As father and son grow more acquainted, they recognize themselves in each other; Jud's sobriety is a reaction to Scottie's geniality, and each is locked into an extremely isolating mode of behavior...
...type (warmly played by A. Larry Haines), the character who kids in plays always call "Uncle Lou" or "Uncle Irving." The sole function of this fellow is usually to mouth exposition and provide comic relief (kvetch, kvetch, kvetch). But in the second act, out of nowhere, he explains to Jud why he acts so paternal towards Scottie, even though they're the same age. He mentions, and not at great length or for the purpose of generating tears, the loss of his wife several years before and the growing-up of his children, and suddenly you see into every layer...
...well-turned phrase. A few lines don't work, and the play could use some trimming before it settles down in New York. One rude piece of psychological claptrap ought to be immediately excised: one of those Death of a Salesman-type closet skeletons, involving the time when little Jud woke up and saw Daddy making love to a woman who wasn't Mommy. Like the self-indulgent closing scene, Slade doesn't need this gimmick--he has done his work too thoroughly and too well in the earlier scenes...
...flawless cast plays superbly off of Lemmon, especially Robert Picardo as Jud. Unafraid of being charmless or unendearing, Picardo gives a wiry, courageous performance which ultimately wins us over and holds its own against his formidable stage father. Director Arthur Storch provides one of the smoothest, cleanest pieces of staging I have ever seen--he also invokes splendid, precise comic timing from the entire cast. William Ritman's split-level set is sheer genius, both aesthetically and thematically. Like Scottie, it has something for everyone: paneled walls, lots of framed photos, ultra-modern but ultra-comfortable furniture, all in attractive...