What's your favorite Walter Matthau movie?

[red dog 1]

Walter Matthau was born Walter John Matthow October 1, 1920 in New York City's Lower East Side.
During WW ll he served as a B-24 radioman-gunner in the same 453rd Bombardment Group as Jimmy Stewart.
He participated in the Battle of the Bulge and reached the rank of Staff Sergeant.
He died in Santa Monica on July 1, 2000 - He was 79.

10 votes, 2 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	The Fortune Cookie (1966)
	0 (0%)
	The Odd Couple (1968)
	2 (20%)
	Kotch (1971)
	0 (0%)
	The Sunshine Boys (1975)
	0 (0%)
	Charley Varrick (1973)
	2 (20%)
	The Taking of Pelham One two Three (1974)
	1 (10%)
	Grumpy Old Men (1993)
	0 (0%)
	Hopscotch (1980)
	1 (10%)
	The Bad News Bears (1976)
	3 (30%)
	Charade (1963)
	1 (10%)
	2 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[Sneederbunk]

1. The one where they spelled his name correctly in the credits.

[PJMcK]

2. Damn, you beat me to it! (n/t)

[red dog 1]

4. Sorry about that

(He was born Walter John Matthow)

[Eugene]

3. Other: Hopscotch (1980)

[NRaleighLiberal]

9. my choice as well!

[red dog 1]

11. Two votes for Hopscotch It's now a poll option

(Bye Bye California Suite)

[unc70]

5. Charade

[bagelsforbreakfast]

6. How could you not list CHARADE?!!! Easily the best... n/m

[red dog 1]

8. It's now a poll option

[lkinwi]

7. Hello Dolly as well as Grumpy Old Men.

[longship]

10. Hopscotch!

With Glenda Jackson, Sam Waterston, Ned Beatty, and Herbert Lom. A rather good spy spoof with Matthau and Jackson as love interests. It's quite humorous.

[left-of-center2012]

12. Highly recommend "Charley Varrick"

"Charley Varrick (Walter Matthau) is a former stunt pilot who pretends to operate
a crop-dusting business, which he uses as a cover for small scale robberies."

[red dog 1]

13. i agree!

I loved Charlie Varrick!

(Haven't seen it for a long time; I'm ready to see it again)

[left-of-center2012]

15. Available on Youtube for $2.99

[sl8]

14. A New Leaf

Elaine May wrote and directed (credits May attempted to have removed after the studio made extensive cuts in the film) this dark and funny comedy about marriage, murder, and money. May also stars as Henrietta, a shy and clumsy wallflower, who is also heir to a large pile of money. Indigent playboy Graham (Walter Matthau), who has squandered his inherited trust fund and needs to get a new source of money, begins to ply his affections upon Henrietta. When his butler (George Rose) recommends that Graham should marry Henrietta and gain control of her funds, Graham borrows money from his miserable uncle (James Coco) and wines and dines Henrietta. Graham's dastardly plan is to marry Henrietta, take her off on a trip to the mountains, and murder her. Graham can then return from her funeral and inherit his wealth. But thrown into his path toward the perfect murder are a collection of Henrietta's loyal -- and not so loyal -- retainers and the small dim light of Graham's own conscience.

[rogerballard]

23. I agree...

Elaine May and Walter were brilliant in this, Elaine May is genius comedy!

[Yavin4]

16. The original voice of Homer Simpson was based on a Walter Matthau impression. nt

[TexasProgresive]

17. Much as I like those in the Poll i.e. Odd Couple

I really liked him in IQ and The First Monday in October.

[Generic Brad]

18. I met him once in the Green Room at an event

I witnessed Bea Arthur greet him with a traditional Hollywood hug and smooch. She told him he looked fabulous and moved on. Then he poked me in the arm and said in a low aside as only he could do, "God, I hate that woman!"

It just cracked me up. (And Bea Arthur was also very nice).

[red dog 1]

24. Great story, thanks.

That one cracked me up too!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

20. I saw "The Odd Couple" in a theater when it first came out.

Loved it. Laughed so hard at times I'd miss the next few lines.

A few months ago I got it from Netflix, eagerly anticipating a rewatch.

I couldn't get past the first fifteen minutes. It's so dated and so awful all these years later. Some movies are such an artifact of their time that they should never be looked at again.

[mucifer]

21. It's weird. I like the tv show more than the movie.

I think somehow the chemistry worked better on the tv show.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

22. I think I tried watching the TV show, and it didn't work for me.

But I suspect that all these years later the TV show would likewise feel very dated and not as funny as it originally was.

This is actually an important thing about humor. Often it is topical or strongly rooted in its era. After a while the humor doesn't make sense. You see it quite vividly in such things as the movie "The Odd Couple".