#robertbradnitz

[thejewofkansas]

#MovieoftheDay: Part 2, Sounder (1976) Movies I Want to See: 49/50 In 1972, Robert B. Radnitz had his greatest success with Sounder, the story of a black sharecropping family in the 30s; it garnered four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. And deservedly so, as it's a beautiful film (and unfairly overlooked today). Four years later, Radnitz produced a sequel, with an all-new cast and director (it did retain screenwriter Lonne Elder III, however, and Taj Mahal returned to supply the score). Predictably, the sequel met with less success than the original; Ebert in particular bemoaned its lack of dramatic power and contrived plot. To the best of my knowledge, it came and went without leaving much of an impression, and has never been released to home video. But my appreciation of the original Sounder, my affinity for the obscure, and the good reviews it received from some quarters (like Leonard Maltin) secure its place on this list. The story involves the further adventures of the Morgan family, as son David Lee (Darryl Young) helps his father (Harold Sylvester) build a new schoolhouse. Ebony Wright replaced Cicely Tyson as David's mother Rebecca. (NOTE: There appears to be conflicting evidence as to whether the title is properly "Part 2, Sounder" or "Sounder, Part 2". As I find the former more interesting and as it appears on the film's poster, I refer to it this.) #Part2Sounder #RobertBRadnitz #WilliamAGraham #LonneElderIII #TajMahal #DarrylYoung #HaroldSylvester #EbonyWright #70sfilms #Sounder

[thejewofkansas]

#MovieoftheDay: And Now Miguel (1966) Movies I Want to See: 36/50 My mother had pleasant memories of seeing this film on a date when it was in theaters. Since then, it's been forgotten, even among the output of producer Robert B. Radnitz, who seems never to have met a Newbery-winning novel he didn't like. The few reviews are on the mixed side, some calling it pleasant but uneventful, and others claiming the titular protagonist (Pat Cardi) is fairly tiresome. It's about a boy, the youngest boy in a family of shepherds, who dreams of joining the men as they travel into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. When his brother is drafted, he gets his chance. First his father made the journey, then his brother..."and now Miguel". From the novel by Joseph Krumgold. #AndNowMiguel #RobertBRadnitz #JosephKrumgold #JamesBClark #PatCardi #MichaelAnsara #GuyStockwell #CluGulager

[thejewofkansas]

#MovieoftheDay: Birch Interval (1976) Movies I Want to See: 9/50 For a time, Robert B. Radnitz was a sizable force in family film production, even earning a Best Picture nomination for the wonderful Sounder (which is shamefully overlooked in its own right). This is a later production of his, which seems to have made far less impact at the time, and is correspondingly almost totally forgotten today. But what I have heard of it tends to be quite positive. The story is that of a young girl (Susan McClung) who is sent to live with her mother's Amish family: Rip Torn is her uncle, Eddie Albert her great-uncle, and the cast also includes Ann Wedgworth and Oscar-winner Anne Revere in what was apparently her final film. Not too bad of a cast. And it was directed by Delbert Mann 20 years after he won an Oscar for Marty. And apparently it's good, too: Leonard Maltin calls it "beautiful" and "sensitive" and FilmFanatic, while a touch more reserved, speaks highly of the acting and the depiction of Amish life. And that's pretty much all I could find; the trailer is online, but the film itself has only been put out on VHS. I won't say this is as desperately fascinating to me as some of the films I've mentioned, but between the good cast, the premise, and the positive reviews I've read, it seems like it has a decent chance at being a hidden treasure. Based on the novel by Joanna Crawford. #BirchInterval #DelbertMann #JoannaCrawford #RipTorn #EddieAlbert #AnnWedgworth #AnneRevere #SusanMcClung #RobertBRadnitz