Jim Bouton...decent actor
Former Phillies pitcher and author of the groundbreaking tell-all Ball Four did a decent job acting the part of Terry Lennox. I wonder why his acting career was cut short?
shareThe TV Guide reviewer was not impressed with his performance.
As for Bouton, he had offended the baseball establishment with his bawdy biography Ball Four, and his brief appearance here showed his acting abilities were decidedly slim, which explains why this was his only film appearance.
http://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-long-goodbye/review/289814/ share
Other sources, including some with a little more gravitas than the TV Guide, thought otherwise.
Vincent Canby in The NY Times:
There are also references in the appreciation of California decor, luxurious as well as tacky, and in the throwaway lines and uniformly excellent characterizations, including two by actors who will surprise you, Nina van Pallandt and Jim Bouton.
108 193 23 8114 246* 47.73 22 42
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Bouton was perfect in this role.
shareHe's good...but not good enough.
Its funny...movie acting turns out to be a lot harder than you'd think. Boutin reads his lines OK, but the tone of his voice is a bit "false" -- you can sense him trying to remember his lines, there's some strain and he can't quite "sell" the character. Ultimately though, the falsity of the performance works for the character.
Word is that Stacy Keach -- a true professional -- had this role, but got ill.
I think Elliot Gould knew Boutin and recruited him. With Nina Van Pallandt and Jim Boutin in roles, "The Long Goodbye" ended up with connections to modern-day newsmakers.