Mister Buddwing is a 1966 American film drama directed by Delbert Mann and starring James Garner.
The film depicts a well-dressed man who finds himself on a bench in Central Park with no idea who he is. He proceeds to wander around Manhattan meeting women (Jean Simmons, Suzanne Pleshette, Katharine Ross, Angela Lansbury) as he desperately tries to figure out his own identity.
Based on the 1964 novel Buddwing by Evan Hunter, the evocatively shot black-and-white drama with a lively jazz musical score was written by Kenyon Hopkins.
Video Mister Buddwing
Plot
A man wakes up on a New York park bench to find that his mind is a total blank. He has no identification on him, just a slip of paper in his pocket with a phone number on it.
The number leads to Gloria, who doesn't recognize him but gives him money out of pity. For the purpose of identifying himself to people he meets, he invents a name, spotting a Budweiser beer truck go by just as a jet plane wings by overhead.
On the street, Buddwing spots a woman he thinks he knows and calls out "Grace!". Her name is Janet, but a flashback of a romance with her from college days goes through Buddwing's mind. He experiences similar flashbacks after meeting Fiddle Corwin, who is an actress. They share a romantic fling, but images of her contemplating suicide flash through his mind.
The Blonde, a socialite, is on a scavenger hunt, just for kicks. Buddwing accompanies her to Harlem, where her goal is to get into a dice game. While there, a passing remark jogs Buddwing's memory. He recovers from the shock of an incident involving his wife and a pregnancy, ultimately remembering who and where he was before his blackout.
Maps Mister Buddwing
Cast
- James Garner as Mr. Buddwing
- Jean Simmons as The Blonde
- Suzanne Pleshette as Fiddle Corwin
- Katharine Ross as Janet
- Angela Lansbury as Gloria
- Jack Gilford as Mr. Schwartz
- Billy Halop as the 2nd cab driver
Awards and honors
The film was nominated for two Academy Awards; for Best Costume Design, Black and White (Helen Rose) and Best Art Direction, Black and White (George Davis, Paul Groesse, Henry Grace, Hugh Hunt).
See also
- List of American films of 1966
Notes
External links
- Mister Buddwing on IMDb
- Mister Buddwing at AllMovie
- Mister Buddwing at the TCM Movie Database
- James Garner Interview on the Charlie Rose Show
- James Garner interview at Archive of American Television
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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