Goodbye, Columbus (film)
Encyclopedia
Goodbye, Columbus is a 1969 American romantic
comedy drama film starring Richard Benjamin
and Ali MacGraw
, directed by Larry Peerce
and based on the novella of the same name by Philip Roth
. The screenplay was written by Arnold Schulman
who was awarded the Writers Guild of America Award
.
) is a highly intelligent, working class army veteran and graduate of Rutgers University
who earns a living as a library clerk. He falls in love with Brenda Patimkin (Ali MacGraw
), a wealthy student at Radcliffe College
who is at home for the summer. They face obstacles from Brenda's family (particularly her mother), due to differences in class and assimilation into the American mainstream. More imposing conflicts include morality and propriety differences related to the premarital sex and the possibilities of ill-timed pregnancies.
magazine lauded the film, writing, "This adaptation of Philip Roth's National Book Award
-winning novella is sometimes a joy in striking a boisterous mood, and otherwise handling action. Castwise the feature excels. Richard Benjamin as the boy, a librarian after serving in the army, and Ali MacGraw, making her screen bow as the daughter of wealthy and socially-conscious parents, offer fresh portrayals seasoned with rich humor. Their romance develops swiftly after their meeting at a country-club pool."
The New York Times
film critic, Vincent Canby
, liked the film but was annoyed that it strayed from Roth's original work, "Thus, at its center, Goodbye, Columbus is sharp and honest. However, the further they are removed from the main situation, the more the subsidiary characters, lightly sketched in the novella, become overstuffed, blintz-shaped caricatures. Jack Klugman and Nan Martin, as Brenda's parents, are very nice, but Michael Meyers, as her huge, empty-headed brother ('so exceedingly polite,' Mr. Roth observed in the novella, 'that it seemed to be some affliction of those over six foot three') borders on a cartoon figure. Also, I somehow resent the really vulgar manners that Mr. Peerce allows his middle-class Jews—especially at an elaborate wedding reception—not because of any particular bias, but because it is gross moviemaking. These reservations, however, become academic. Goodbye, Columbus is so rich with understanding in more important ways that it is a thing of real and unusual pleasure.
More recently film critic Dennis Schwartz has praised the film as well, writing, "Philip Roth's prize-winning novella, a scathing satire of a nouveau riche
Jewish family, has been brilliantly adapted for the screen by Arnold Schulman (received an Academy nomination) and directed by Larry Peerce (his father is the great opera singer Jan Peerce
). Somehow it slipped under the radar and as far as I'm concerned is both funnier and more perceptive than even The Graduate
, an earlier drama about young adults."
of the film's score was released in 1969 by Warner Bros. Records
and a compact disc
was released in 2006 by Collector's Choice Music.
Three of the songs in the soundtrack were written and performed by members of The Association
: "Goodbye, Columbus" (Jerry Yester), "It's Gotta Be Real" (Larry Ramos), and "So Kind To Me" (Terry Kirkman
).
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
comedy drama film starring Richard Benjamin
Richard Benjamin
Richard Benjamin is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of productions, including Goodbye, Columbus , based on the novella by Philip Roth, and Westworld .-Life and career:...
and Ali MacGraw
Ali MacGraw
Elizabeth Alice "Ali" MacGraw is an American actress. She is known for her role in Love Story, for which she won a Golden Globe and received an Academy Award nomination.-Early life:...
, directed by Larry Peerce
Larry Peerce
Larry Peerce is an American film and TV director whose work includes the theatrical feature Goodbye, Columbus, the early rock and roll concert film The Big T.N.T. Show, and One Potato, Two Potato , the first U.S...
and based on the novella of the same name by Philip Roth
Philip Roth
Philip Milton Roth is an American novelist. He gained fame with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus, an irreverent and humorous portrait of Jewish-American life that earned him a National Book Award...
. The screenplay was written by Arnold Schulman
Arnold Schulman
Arnold Schulman is an American playwright, screenwriter, producer, a songwriter and novelist. He was a stage actor long associated with the American Theatre Wing and the Actors Studio....
who was awarded the Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
.
Plot
Neil Klugman (Richard BenjaminRichard Benjamin
Richard Benjamin is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of productions, including Goodbye, Columbus , based on the novella by Philip Roth, and Westworld .-Life and career:...
) is a highly intelligent, working class army veteran and graduate of Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
who earns a living as a library clerk. He falls in love with Brenda Patimkin (Ali MacGraw
Ali MacGraw
Elizabeth Alice "Ali" MacGraw is an American actress. She is known for her role in Love Story, for which she won a Golden Globe and received an Academy Award nomination.-Early life:...
), a wealthy student at Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
who is at home for the summer. They face obstacles from Brenda's family (particularly her mother), due to differences in class and assimilation into the American mainstream. More imposing conflicts include morality and propriety differences related to the premarital sex and the possibilities of ill-timed pregnancies.
Cast
- Richard BenjaminRichard BenjaminRichard Benjamin is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of productions, including Goodbye, Columbus , based on the novella by Philip Roth, and Westworld .-Life and career:...
as Neil Klugman - Ali MacGrawAli MacGrawElizabeth Alice "Ali" MacGraw is an American actress. She is known for her role in Love Story, for which she won a Golden Globe and received an Academy Award nomination.-Early life:...
as Brenda Patimkin - Jack KlugmanJack KlugmanJacob Joachim "Jack" Klugman is an American stage, film and television actor known for his roles in sitcoms, movies, and television and on Broadway...
as Ben Patimkin - Nan MartinNan MartinNan Martin was an American actress who starred in movies and on television.Born in Decatur, Illinois and raised in Santa Monica, California, her first film role was The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit...
as Mrs. Ben Patimkin - Michael Meyers as Ron Patimkin
- Lori Shelle as Julie Patimkin
- Monroe Arnold as Uncle Leo
- Kay Cummings as Doris Klugman
- Sylvie Strause as Aunt Gladys
Critical response
When the film was first released VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
magazine lauded the film, writing, "This adaptation of Philip Roth's National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
-winning novella is sometimes a joy in striking a boisterous mood, and otherwise handling action. Castwise the feature excels. Richard Benjamin as the boy, a librarian after serving in the army, and Ali MacGraw, making her screen bow as the daughter of wealthy and socially-conscious parents, offer fresh portrayals seasoned with rich humor. Their romance develops swiftly after their meeting at a country-club pool."
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
film critic, Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby was an American film critic who became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there.-Life and career:...
, liked the film but was annoyed that it strayed from Roth's original work, "Thus, at its center, Goodbye, Columbus is sharp and honest. However, the further they are removed from the main situation, the more the subsidiary characters, lightly sketched in the novella, become overstuffed, blintz-shaped caricatures. Jack Klugman and Nan Martin, as Brenda's parents, are very nice, but Michael Meyers, as her huge, empty-headed brother ('so exceedingly polite,' Mr. Roth observed in the novella, 'that it seemed to be some affliction of those over six foot three') borders on a cartoon figure. Also, I somehow resent the really vulgar manners that Mr. Peerce allows his middle-class Jews—especially at an elaborate wedding reception—not because of any particular bias, but because it is gross moviemaking. These reservations, however, become academic. Goodbye, Columbus is so rich with understanding in more important ways that it is a thing of real and unusual pleasure.
More recently film critic Dennis Schwartz has praised the film as well, writing, "Philip Roth's prize-winning novella, a scathing satire of a nouveau riche
Nouveau riche
The nouveau riche , or new money, comprise those who have acquired considerable wealth within their own generation...
Jewish family, has been brilliantly adapted for the screen by Arnold Schulman (received an Academy nomination) and directed by Larry Peerce (his father is the great opera singer Jan Peerce
Jan Peerce
Jan Peerce was an American operatic tenor. Peerce was an accomplished performer on the operatic and Broadway concert stages, in solo recitals, and as a recording artist. He is the father of film director Larry Peerce....
). Somehow it slipped under the radar and as far as I'm concerned is both funnier and more perceptive than even The Graduate
The Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
, an earlier drama about young adults."
Awards and honors
Wins- 1970: Writers Guild of America AwardWriters Guild of America AwardThe Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
: Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium, Arnold Schulman. - 1970: Laurel AwardsLaurel AwardsThe Laurel Awards were cinema awards to honor pictures, actors, actresses, directors and composers. This award was created by Motion Picture Exhibitor magazine, and ran from 1958 to 1968, then 1970 and 1971....
: Golden Laurel, Comedy, Female New Face, Ali MacGraw. - 1970: Golden Globe AwardGolden Globe AwardThe Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
: Most Promising Newcomer - Female, Ali MacGraw.
Soundtrack
A vinyl LP recordLP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
of the film's score was released in 1969 by Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and a compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
was released in 2006 by Collector's Choice Music.
Three of the songs in the soundtrack were written and performed by members of The Association
The Association
The Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival...
: "Goodbye, Columbus" (Jerry Yester), "It's Gotta Be Real" (Larry Ramos), and "So Kind To Me" (Terry Kirkman
Terry Kirkman
Terry Kirkman, in Salina, Kansas, U.S., is a musician and writer of the hit songs "Cherish", "Everything That Touches You", and "Six Man Band". He left the band Men in 1962 to become a founding member and sometime leader of the musical group The Association. Kirkman co-wrote some material with...
).
Track listing
- 1. Goodbye, Columbus [Vocal Version]
- 2. How Will I Know You?
- 3. Dartmouth? Dartmouth!
- 4. Goodbye, Columbus [Instrumental]
- 5. Ron's Reverie: Across the Field/Carmen Ohio
- 6. It's Gotta Be Real
- 7. A Moment to Share
- 8. Love Has a Way
- 9. A Time for Love
- 10. So Kind to Me (Brenda's Theme)
- 11. Goodbye, Columbus
External links
- Goodbye, Columbus at the Jewish Heritage Video Collection
- Goodbye, Columbus film clips
- Goodbye, Columbus Pdf essay on film ("More Than Chemistry: The Romantic Choices of American Jews") at the Jewish Heritage Video Collection