Walter Matthau

DVD Tuesday: Subway Nightmares — The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

• Sep 25, 2007 06:45 PM ET
• by Maitland McDonagh
• 1 Comment

So Denzel Washington is starring in a remake of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 1974 for director Tony Scott with a new screenplay by David Koepp Now Washington and Koepp are very talented and Scott can get a movie made but among movies in no need of remaking The Taking of Pelham One Two Three ranks high on the list So this weeks DVD Tuesday is dedicated to the original in all its grimy gloryHow do you steal a New York City subway train Former movie publicist Morton Freedgood figured out a way and his 1973 novel written under the pseudonym John Godey was snapped up before publication and immediately put into production under director Joseph Sargent and screenwriter Peter Stone Needless to say city officials and representatives of the Metropolitan Transit Authority werent wild about the story of four identically dressed hijackers hiding behind color-coded nicknames whats betting this is where Quentin Tarantino connoisseur of all things down and dirty got read more

It seems like every other ...

• Jan 12, 2006 03:00 AM ET
• by Maitland McDonagh

Question: It seems like every other movie I see advertised is based on a TV show, like The Dukes of Hazzard. But what about the other way around? I know there was a series based on My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but what other TV series have been based on a movie, and were any of them good?

Answer: There have been a handful of top-notch TV shows based on movies. The flop Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) was revived as Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003); Robert Altman's acerbic M*A*S*H* (1970) became the long-running M*A*S*H (1972-1983); Neil Simon read more

Question: Just out of ...

• Apr 19, 2005 04:00 AM ET
• by TV Guide News

Question: Just out of curiosity, were Jack Klugman and Tony Randall anything like their Odd Couple characters? I mean, was Klugman that big a slob and was Randall that fussy? Thanks for answering this. — Robbie R., Charlotte, N.C. Televisionary: I can't say if Klugman was as much of a slob as sportswriter Oscar Madison, who he played on the hit ABC comedy from September 1970 to July 1975, but I can say that at the time, at least, he shared the character's deeply rumpled look. In fact, he said he couldn't shake it if he tried — and try he did. Take the time he met with the Odd Couple producers to sign his first contract and showed up in a sports coat and slacks. "That's great," they said when they saw him. "We've been looking all over for this kind of sloppy stuff. It's classic. We'll buy it from you." Which would've been fine, except the coat was new and Klugman considered the pants t read more