I moved to Ventura, California in 1981 and made a living for several years as a musician. For a movie lover, it was a great lifestyle. Work until 2AM. Go to sleep at 4AM. Wake up at noon. Go catch a double or even triple-header of movies. Then play music at night. I saw thousands of movies that way, basically every release from Hollywood studios and almost every independent film.
One movie I caught during that time was They All Laughed (1981). Written by Blaine Novak and Peter Bogdanovich, who also directed it, the movie came and went in a heartbeat — not surprising to me because when I saw it, I was the only person in the theater. In fact per BoxOfficeMojo, the B.O. numbers are N/A. It’s a shame because as I recall, it’s an entertaining little madcap rom-com with quite a cast including Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara, John Ritter, and Colleen Camp. But if anybody remembers the film, it’s likely because it also starred Dorothy Stratten, the former Playboy model who was murdered by her estranged husband, the story of which became the basis of two movies: Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, and Star 80, starring Mariel Hemingway.
With that as background, you can imagine my surprise and delight when I stumbled across these three video clips: Peter Bogdanovich in conversation about They All Laughed with writer-director Wes Anderson.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Has anybody else seen They All Laughed?
I haven't seen it, but I remember reading about it in EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULL, in that Bogdanovich couldn't get the movie distributed, once it was finished, as that no one wanted it, and put all of his own money into releasing it himself.
And lost everything, because no one went to see it, and ended up sleeping over at Henry Jaglom's apartment … broke and nearly destitute.