MovieChat Forums > Wonder Boys (2000) Discussion > Suicide list and a viewing suggestion..

Suicide list and a viewing suggestion..

posted 15 years ago by LaserDoug
9 replies | jump to latest

Ok, first.. I've watched this great little film probably about 40
times, and only just noticed on the last viewing something kinda
odd.. When James is going through his list of actors suicides, in
alphabetical order, he left off Marilyn Monroe! I've always gone
with the assumed theory it was suicide (but not discounting murder),
so, does that seem kinda odd to anyone else, or covered in the book?
Ok, next.. Had a pounding headache one night and had this film cued
up to playback on the PC. Instead of watching it though, I just left
my headphones on and listened to it as a radio play, and it was just
freakin' hilarious, much more funny letting your brain fill in the
blanks, and the narration is excellent! The whole opening scene of
Tripp at the airport to pickup Crabtree, and the first encounter
of Antonia had me laughing out loud, headache and all! I highly
recommend trying this at least once!

lb.

[–] DryToast 15 years ago

covered in the book?

After the subject turns to suicide with the mention of George Sanders, James mentions the following people in the novel:

Pier Angeli

Charles Boyer

Charles Butterworth

Dorothy Dandridge

Albert Dekker

Alan Ladd (originally mentioned in the film also but deleted after Ladd's family objected)

Carole Landis

George Reeves

Jean Seberg

Everett Sloane

Margaret Sullavan

Lupe Valez

Gig Young

Then as an addendum of the more obscure people he left out:

Ross Alexander

Clara Blandick

Maggie McNamara

Gia Scala

Perhaps it would have seemed too contrived for James to bring up Marilyn Monroe, even in this encyclopedic context, just moments before being introduced to an article of clothing of hers that he had no idea was in the house.

I heartily recommend the book to you, since you enjoy the movie as much as you do. The book is like the movie times two and a half, and the long seder sequence with Grady and James at Grady's in-laws (left out of the movie entirely) is a great treat.

"Please! You're not at home!"

[–] johndeckbose 15 years ago

James twice makes a special point of saying how incomplete his list is, how there are "so many" famous actor suicides.

Thus, you might draw some conclusions about James from the names he chooses (the fact that many of them are obscure to the average filmgoer certainly testifies to James' deep knowledge of older films), but never does he imply that the list is complete in any way.

[–] OsamaBenFartin 15 years ago

Marilyn didn't commit suicide.....Everbody knows the Kennedy's had her killed!

[–] o_j_h 15 years ago

hahaha im watching it but not watching it, you know like the radio. its pretty funny. haa every seen with that dog poe is hilarious!

[–] starman_in_the_sky 15 years ago

I don't think it's in the film, but in the book miss sloviak sticks her back in through the door after everyone else has left as says 'didn't you forget someone, wonder boy?' or something like that. Since the action immediatly cuts to marilyn and her jacket I assume that's what miss sloviak is referring to.

[–] Samme7 14 years ago

you've watched this film 40 times? That's a waste of life.

[–] LaserDoug 13 years ago

I worked overseas in very long 90 day stretches where there are
no sources of English language film or tv. So, when you can get
your hands on a good film, you watch it until you wear it out!
I've probably watched "Sneakers" about 200 times! Not proud of
it, but we don't all have the luxury of having a video rental
shop down on the corner, so you make do to keep from going
stir crazy!

[–] johndeckbose 13 years ago

I love Sneakers. And I love Wonder Boys. Probably seen Sneakers 7 times, but Wonder Boys easily 20. I like how it depicts the pleasure of writing, which is lonely and thankless for the most part, and yet the playground many of us retire to every day.

[–] 13 years ago

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