Leading by the Nose, Hollywood Style

What's in a nose?

My two nieces always tease me, saying I like men with big noses. Curiously, my husband of fifty years doesn't fall into that category. Ralph Fiennes, whom I was obsessed with for decades, falls into that category. All the hoopla about Bradley Cooper's nose reminded me that, growing up, I found Leonard Bernstein attractive. 

When people think of Jewish men in films, they think of Woody Allen. Even pre-scandal, I couldn't understand how any woman found him attractive. George Segal and Richard Benjamin are the two Jewish actors who tick the right boxes for me. Not only are they adorable, they're funny in a charmingly neurotic way I find appealing. They possess an appealing boyish-ness vs an obnoxious boyish-ness. Both actors can play obnoxious, but there's always something else going on beneath the surface. It is hard to find a character more obnoxious than Richard Benjamin in Diary of a Mad Housewife. Whenever Jim is sick, we use a line from that movie. It never gets old. We laugh as hard as we did the first time we heard it come out of Richard Benjamin’s mouth. It’s not even a line. A word.

Film historians Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell said, "Diary of a Mad Housewife” may have done more to change the public image of the American woman than any other film in history."

RICHARD BENJAMIN

When Diary of a Mad Housewife came out, I was an unsophisticated twenty-one year old fresh out of college and living with my parents in the suburbs of Detroit. Most of my friends were getting married. I didn't have a boyfriend or a clue what to do with my life. The only thing I was sure of was that I didn't want to do something boring! That ruled out 99.9% of all jobs. I also lacked employable skills. I graduated from university with a teaching degree but had no intention of doing that.

The first time I saw Diary of a Mad Housewife, I didn't know what to make of it. It was unlike any film I'd ever seen depicting marriage. I grew up on a diet of "happily ever after" ala Breakfast at Tiffany's, Barefoot in the Park, and Two for the Road (in my top ten of all time). Diary of a Mad Housewife was a dystopian nightmare. Yet, I knew it was grounded in reality!

It did something else significant. It introduced me to black comedy, which may be my favorite genre. 

I saw the movie again because I couldn't stop thinking about it. It's still unlike any other another film I've seen about marriage because it captures the "household" power dynamic between men and their “wives.” Even with enlightened feminist men like my husband. I'd never heard the word "feminist" until Jim talked about feminism. But there's a little Richard Benjamin in EVERY man. I'm generalizing again. Let's put it this way. I've yet to meet a man who doesn't have a bit of Richard in him.

I can't wait to rewatch the film now that I've been married longer than most people have been alive. 

Carrie Snodgrass, in her first feature, and Benjamin, perpetually horny, in Diary of a Mad Housewife.

My favorite Richard Benjamin role was in Goodbye, Colombus, based on the novel by Philip Roth. It was Benjamin and Ali McGraw's first film. His depictions of Jews earned him the label of a "self-hating Jew." (I gave a shout-out to the film's soundtrack in a previous Substack.

Goodbye, Colombus is about class, something highly unusual in American films, let alone (films) about Jews. Benjamin encounters McGraw when he's a guest at his cousin's country club. Naturally, there were many Jews offended by the film, but it was in the pre-woke era, so nobody got shot or fired from their job. People agreed to disagree.

Benjamin has many film credits but became even better known as a director. My Favorite Year, one of eleven feature films he directed, is timeless. I highly recommend it. I promise you will love it. Peter O'Toole will blow your mind. 

Side note: Benjamin has been married to actress Paula Prentiss for SIXTY-TWO YEARS!

GEORGE SEGAL

George Segal had a long and storied career. He began as a jazz musician playing banjo in a Dixieland band. I heard him play on a late-night chat show. He was brilliant. Sadly, he died recently during a medical procedure. He was still working up until that then.

The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw in his obit on Segal called him,“a defining face of 1970s Hollywood with a late-career resurgence.” Peter Bradshaw

Segal and Elizabeth Taylor in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.”

I consider Segal more of a romantic lead than Richard Benjamin. Segal had a lot of sex appeal. He’s classically handsome and had a deliciously naughty edge.Success came early and quickly including an Academy Award nomination for Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff. His performance is astonishing and shouldn’t be missed. I’ve never seen Taylor deliver such a brilliant performance before or after. Burton and Taylor acting opposite each other in Edward Albee’s play/film directed by Mike Nichols. Obviously, it’s a must see!

One of my favorite role’s of Segal’s is Fun with Dick and Jane. The movie's been remade, of course, and badly. The original is charming and hilarious, with great chemistry between Jane Fonda and Segal. He also had a successful stage and television career before movies. 

The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw said in Segal’s obit, “a defining face of 1970s Hollywood with a late-career resurgence.

Toward the end of his life, Segal was known for comedy. But it's his dramatic cred that put him on the map. He was cast in Katherine Anne Porter's novel Ship of Fools, based on the true story of Jews aboard a German passenger ship on a trans-Atlantic crossing in the 1930s. Put it on your list! Acclaimed director Sidney Kramer, who cast Segal in the role, said, "He looks real." In an interview with Life magazine in 1965, Mr. Kramer said, "he has what John Garfield had. He can draw appeal from an unsympathetic role." After I read this quote, it dawned on me of who Segal reminded me! John Garfield. It's true. Even in films where I disliked Segal's character, I still found something in him appealing.

Segal had a string of successful romantic comedies, including A Touch of Class, opposite the indomitable Glenda Jackson in her prime. It's worth revisiting. It's one of the few comedies ever nominated for a Best Film Oscar, one of four nomination it garnered. 1973 was a time when audiences still embraced romantic comedies, once the bread and butter of cinema. A Touch of Class was billed as a comedy for "grown-ups." The film has it all: witty dialogue, clever story, chemistry between the actors, and charm. Segal received a Golden Globe award for his performance. He was on a roll, hit after hit, playing diverse characters. Then came a spiral of self-doubt, insecurity, drugs and alcohol. He became a Hollywood cautionary tale.

"I have a dread being considered bland, but I've had to reconcile myself to the fact that that's what I am." George Segal

Fortunately, Segal made a MAJOR comeback. While cruising pics and info on George Segal, I remembered he had a hugely successful sitcom, Just Shoot Me, that ran for seven seasons (1997-2003). I never watch networks sitcoms (Seinfeld being the exception) so I passed it by. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 90%!!! Who knew? Fortunately, it lives in streaming heaven and I’ll definitely check it out.

Personally, he was peak George Segal in Flirting with Disaster. It has a fabulous ensemble cast. I don’t know why this film wasn’t a bigger hit. Segal plays Mary Tyler Moore's husband and Ben Stiller’s--before he was a household name--father. Stiller's portrayal of a frazzled new father searching for his birth parents is perfect. This movie flew under the radar but is hilarious and irreverent. The scenes with Lily Tomlin and Alan Alda are fantastic. Especially their last scene. Thinking about it makes me laugh. LOVE this movie.

When I was growing up, I had several friends who had what my mother called a “hooked nose” and what kids meanly called a “honker.” As adults, they got nose jobs. In each case, their noses were “perfect.” But it changed what was unique and beautiful about them. Perfection is boring.