BROADWAY DANNY ROSE (1984)

After the boredom of ZELIG Woody Allen got right back on track with BROADWAY DANNY ROSE.

Danny Rose (Woody Allen) is a character.  He's is a talent agent that specializes in odd and/or washed up acts that nobody else wants.  He has a skating penguin that dresses up like a rabbi, piano playing birds, a woman who plays musical cups, balloon folders and so on.  Whenever one of his acts starts to get a little bit of fame, they leave him.  Only the losers stay with him.  Danny is a tragic figure, but despite this he works his ass off and dedicates himself completely to his clients.  One such client is has-been lounge singer Lou Canova (played by real life singer Nick Apollo Forte).  Recently, things have been looking up for Canova and Rose is spending all of his energy promoting him.  One lucky day Rose lands a potentially huge gig trying out for Milton Berle, but right before the big day Canova tells Rose that he's cheating on his wife.  Even worse, he wants Rose to bring his mistress to the show and act like she's his date.  Rose reluctantly agrees, but when he arrives to pick her up she's in the middle of a screaming match with Canova on the phone.  She refuses to go to the show and Rose has to somehow get her there come Hell or high water.

Quick pace, entertaining story, hilarious lines and body gestures by Allen, beautiful B&W photography by Gordon Willis (I especially loved the shot starting at 8:15 and the one starting at 1:07:22), NYC street scenes, great singing by Forte, strong performance by Mia Farrow.  Excellent 80's output by Allen.  Highly recommended.

 Despite the flashback taking place in 1969, there's a theater marquee advertising HALLOWEEN III.  Could that be a nod to Stacey Nelkin?

 Ricky Schroder.

ZELIG (1983)

Woody Allen had one hell of a directorial run from 1977 to 1982 with ANNIE HALL, INTERIORS, MANHATTAN, STARDUST MEMORIES and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SEX COMEDY.  He only won a single Best Picture Award (in 1977 for ANNIE HALL), but in my opinion he should have won more.  INTERIORS was especially deserving in 1978, it wasn't even nominated and lost to THE DEER HUNTER.  MANHATTAN could have also won in 1979 although I think ALIEN was more deserving, neither were nominated and the award ended up going home with KRAMER VS. KRAMER.  Allen's home run streak came to an end though in 1983 with ZELIG.

Set in the 1920's (and told with fake newsreel stories, archival footage, etc.) the story is about a guy, Leonard Zelig (Woody Allen), who takes on the physical and personality traits of those around him.  Put him with a Native Indian and he turns into a Native Indian, put him with some Frenchmen and he grows a mustache and starts speaking French and so on.  This "human chameleon" soon becomes the most famous man in the world.  He's placed in a psychiatric hospital under the care of Dr. Mia Farrow.  She studies Zelig and of course falls in love with him.

For about 15 minutes or so ZELIG is mildly amusing, but after awhile the single joke just wears thin.  Alright, we get it, he can change the way he looks.  Hardy-har-har.  As a short film ZELIG would have been fine, but as a full-length film it seemed like they were just padding the runtime for a theatrical release.  At only 79 minutes it's definitely one of Allen's shortest films if not the shortest.  Worth watching, for Allen fans, but if you skip it you're not gonna miss much.  I did chuckle at the Dreyfus Affair joke.  You don't see a lot of humor about that.