An Evening with Blake Edwards
Including a screening of his Hollywood satire “S.O.B.”
Presented as an installment of the Jack Oakie Celebration of Comedy in Film
Despite a very diverse and lengthy career, Blake Edwards can’t escape the fact that he made some of the funniest comedies ever. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” may be romantic, “The Pink Panther’s” Inspector Clouseau may be bumbling, “The Great Race” may be madcap, “The Party” may be mod, “10” may be sexy and “Victor/Victoria” may be musical, but they are all hilarious with a unique Blake Edwards sensibility.
Edwards, the recipient of an Honorary Oscar in 2003, participated in an onstage conversation on his comedic philosophy and career followed by a well-deserved poke in the eye to Hollywood with a screening of his 1981 film “S.O.B.,” starring Julie Andrews, William Holden, Marisa Berenson, Larry Hagman, Robert Loggia, Stuart Margolin, Richard Mulligan and Robert Preston.
The Jack Oakie Celebration of Comedy in Film provides an opportunity for established filmmakers and historians to share their experiences and to discuss the specific challenges and delights of the comedy film genre. The series is named in memory of character actor Jack Oakie, whose career included vaudeville, Broadway musicals and 87 pictures, most of them comedies or musical comedies. His career included such notable films as “Once in a Lifetime,” “Million Dollar Legs” and “It Happened Tomorrow,” and was crowned by his portrayal of a Mussolini-like head of state in “The Great Dictator,” for which Oakie received an Academy Award nomination.
