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With
a career in entertainment that spanned
acting, casting, and writing, Keith Edwards
is a walking encyclopedia of film and
theater facts and a cherished member of
the National Board of Review of Motion
Pictures.
Born
and raised in New York, Keith began his
acting career on the stage as “Judas”
in the Passion Play and thereafter
alternated between comedic roles (Hornbeck
in the touring company of Inherit
the Wind ) or psychopath parts (Johnny
in a version of Rope, which garnered
him an Off-Broadway Best Actor Award).
He also spent time in television (Kraft
Theatre, Playhouse 90, Omnibus) and film
(Mankiewicz's Cleopatra ) before
venturing into production, stage management,
and eventually casting.
Working
for David Susskind's Talent Associates
and later with legendary David Merrick
for many years, Keith recalls finding
a very young Barbara Streisand at the
Bon Soir Nightclub in Greenwich Village
and summoning the Diva for her now historic
audition for I Can Get It For You
Wholesale. Some of the most memorable
casting decisions came from going against
type and convincing the powers-that-be
to take a risk. “When Mike Nichols had
us cast The Graduate , the lead
called for a tall lanky Jimmy Stewart
type and we brought in a short, stocky
Jewish Dustin Hoffman,” Keith remembers.
“And we had to convince Bob Fosse that
Ben Vereen should be considered for the
lead player in Pippin, when the
character was to be an elderly Caucasian
man.”
From
being directed on stage by legends like
John Cassavetes and Frank Corsaro to dancing
with Judy Garland in a deserted Sheridan
Square disco, Keith's career has led him
to many fascinating people. “The most
exciting icon that I met was Katharine
Hepburn through her two time Broadway
director Noel Willman,” he recalls.
“I spent many evenings at her home in
Turtle Bay and weekends at her Fenwick
country retreat. One problem with
being at Fenwick, however, was that all
guests were required to join Kate in a
brisk daily morning swim in the cool waters
of the sound – no matter what the
season!”
After
parlaying his theater and film experience
into a challenging career in the world
of celebrity travel, Keith began writing
show reviews for the publication, Off
Broadway. His journalistic
ability as the magazine's sole Broadway
critic lead him to the National Board
of Review in the early 1980's.
It was then that Keith's friend and NBR
member Eliot Jordan brought his reviews
to the attention of Robin Little, who
was the editor-in-chief of Films in
Review, which at the time was the
NBR's official publication. Appointed
to the review staff, Keith enjoyed writing
provocative and sometimes controversial
pieces for the magazine, and often received
letters from readers around the world.
In addition to working on Films
in Review, Keith used his travel
contacts to arrange transportation for
the various stars who were honored each
year at the NBR Gala back when they were
held at the Player's Club in Grammercy
Park. “Attending those galas was an incredible
experience,” he remembers. “The Player's
Club was like a private home with the
stars sitting on the sofas, mixing and
mingling with all the guests. We didn't
have the green rooms or isolation areas
that they have at events today. I remember
Vivian Leigh, sitting next to Leslie Caron,
and then getting her drink and having
to step over Henry Fonda, who was sitting
on the staircase.”
The
NBR has expanded and changed since those
days, with the annual galas now being
held for 600 each January at Tavern on
the Green. Along with the NBR's
greater recognition, Keith is especially
thrilled with the manifold Q&A sessions
that now accompany a majority of the NBR
screenings. “There have been so many incredible
‘afterchats' that it is difficult to select
favorites,” he admits. “But I must include
Confidence and The Cooler
for the splendid humor of Andy Garcia
and Alec Baldwin as well as the Mystic
River ensemble.”
As
each column concludes with our Member
of the Month sharing their top five all-time
favorite films, we knew it would be a
great feat for Keith the narrow the field.
Being a true film enthusiast, he
poured over thousands of titles to come
up with this list of 70 (!) of his favorites.
So, if you are looking for a great movie
to rent, today is your lucky day.
(Listed
alphabetically )
All
About Eve
Apartment
Zero
Brief
Encounter
Casablanca
Comfort
of Strangers
Croupier
The
Decalogues (Poland)
Dodsworth
East
of Eden
Fantasia
A
Foreign Affair
Four
Weddings and a Funeral
The
Fourth Man (Dutch)
Get
Out Your Hankerchiefs (France)
The
Goddess
Gone
with the Wind
The
Grifters
Happiness
Imitation
of Life (1934)
The
Importance of Being Earnest
Interiors
La
Strada (Italy)
Law
of Desire (Spain)
Lawrence
of Arabia
Like
Water for Chocolate (Mexico)
The
Lion in Winter
Lost
Horizon
Jamon
Jamon (Spain)
The
Manchurian Candidate
Mr.
Hulot's Holiday (France)
Nights
of Cabiria (Italy)
Nine
Queens (Argentina)
Now
Voyager
Open
City (Italy)
Paths
of Glory
A
Place in the Sun
Priscilla
Queen of the Desert
Psycho
Pulp
Fiction
Purple
Noon (France)
Queen
Margot (France)
The
Quiet Man
Rocco
and his Brothers (Italy)
Room
at the Top
September
Affair
Seven
Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers
Shampoo
She
Done Him Wrong
Singin'
in the Rain
Some
Like It Hot
A
Star is Born (1954)
A
Streetcar Named Desire
Summer
House
Sunset
Boulevard
Sunshine
The
Stunt Man
Terms
of Endearment
Thief
of Bagdad
Tootsie
The
Trip to Bountiful
Trouble
in Paradise
The
Turning Point
Two
for the Road
Two
Women (Italy)
Uninvited
The
Wizard of Oz
Wonder
Boys
Wuthering
Heights
Young
Frankenstein
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