Mitchell and I can recite My Favorite Year almost word for word, and “I AM NOT AN ACTOR! I’M A MOVIE STAR!!” is the best of the bunch (although “I only wore it once” is a close second).
I know with a career as lengthy and varied as O’Toole’s it may be strange to think of My Favorite Year first, but that’s the way it goes. Some things just stick. We watched it in college, when we were studying acting, and it had this loopy screwball ridiculousness that seemed to reflect exactly what was going on for us in our own productions, with mishaps and wig changes and props going missing, and all of it super-silly and 100% serious. We LOVED My Favorite Year.
And then of course there’s good old Lawrence of Arabia, which I saw recently in its re-release. I discuss O’Toole’s performance at great length at that link, which was sheer overwhelming genius on the gigantic Ziegfeld screen. Seriously. It is even more mysterious seen large. Even after so many viewings, that performance hasn’t even begun to reveal all its secrets.
Rest in peace. You were an actor AND a movie star.
I was so sad to hear of his passing this morning. My Favorite Year is wonderful, but Lion in Winter has to be the Peter O’Toole movie I love the best. His performance in that movie is riveting and at times, heartbreaking.
His voice is so wonderful, I feel I could listen to it forever. I adored seeing him interviewed, he is the kind of actor I love, funny, self-deprecating-just a joy to watch and listen to. He will be sorely missed.
So much missed. Yes, Lion in Winter – so many other roles. He always had a touch of strange-ness about him – something almost otherworldly. Definitely not a regular guy – perfect for playing Kings and Debauched Movie Stars. And Sand-Mad Brits.
What an amazing talent. Three legends lost this week. Eleanor Parker, O’Toole and Joan Fontaine. Heartbreaking all three.
I know!!
Oh, my god, the body language in that video!! The way he slumps on the wall at “Live?” is hilarious, too good to be true.
Have you seen the film? Hilarious!!
I haven’t. Now I’m tempted to. First, I have to see “Lawrence of Arabia” to completion. I’ve only seen parts of it on TMC every now and then.
I loved loved loved *My Favorite Year* and made my mom take all my little friends to see it with me for my 12th birthday. We went ice skating, got hot chocolate at Peppermint Park on 66th Street, and then we saw *My Favorite Year*. I was an odd child.
That is the best birthday ever!!
I was eleven and my friends and I had somehow read that it was good. I guess we read reviews at that age (or we just had an instinct) so we all went, the five of us. It was an instant classic, it expanded how we thought of comedy and it introduced me to Peter O’Toole, imprinting this performance on me as first among equals. Every line is perfect and the climactic on-air battle and triumph brings me to tears every time. “This is how I like to remember him.”
“I had ONE LINE. I forgot it.”
Alan Swan, My Favorite Year
One of my all-time faves.
RIP, Peter.
ONE LINE.
so so funny.
He just tore the roof off of that movie.
He really did.