Patricia Neal Memorial Double Feature: A FACE IN THE CROWD & HUD September 12, 2010

"Frequently my life has been likened to a Greek tragedy, and the actress in me cannot deny that comparison," wrote Patricia Neal (1926 - 2010) in her autobiography. Indeed, the talented stage-to-screen actress’s life was marked by professional highs, most notably an Oscar win for her complex portrayal of a world-weary housekeep in HUD, and incredible setbacks, including a paralyzing brain aneurysm at age 39. Despite a tumultuous personal life, Patricia Neal was able to radiate a rare charisma on screen, and starred in a number of seminal films, including sci-fi paranoia classic THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and Elia Kazan’s A FACE IN THE CROWD.
Patricia Neal Memorial Double Feature: A FACE IN THE CROWD, 1957, Warner Bros., 125 min. Dir. Elia Kazan. Andy Griffith is mesmerizing as Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes, a wild Arkansas vagrant-turned-television sensation in Kazan’s provocative and poignant masterpiece about fame, fraud, and the media’s transition from radio to television. Equally captivating is Patricia Neal as Marcia Jeffries, the naïve Sarah Lawrence-attendee who is the first to fall under Larry’s fraudulent spell. “Brilliantly cinematic melodrama…paints a luridly entertaining picture of modern show business.” - Leslie Halliwell.
Trailer
HUD, 1963, Paramount, 112 min. Dir. Martin Ritt. Paul Newman delivers one of his finest performances as a modern-day cowboy whose hell-raising, playboy ways put him into direct conflict with father Melvyn Douglas and sharp-tongued housekeeper, Patricia Neal (Winner of Best supporting Actress).