William Inge's "Picnic" for Labor Day Weekend 1955

Here's a 1080p copy of "Picnic" to enjoy or nitpick over!

Is it a talkie dear?

Hopeless romantic that I am, I love the dance scene between Holden and Novak. And when she catches that bus to follow the freight train he's on to Tulsa-I just hope those two crazy kids can make it work!

The cinematography, the mise en scene, the supporting performances, and the general story overcome Kim Novak's mannequin-esque acting and Holden being 15 years too old for his part.

Holden may have been old but he was always a good actor. He and Audrey Hepburn were a thing at one time but she wouldn't marry him because he didn't want children.

Roz beat out Helen Lawson for the schoolteacher role.

"Same old Hal", Alan says, at first with amused admiration then, after Madge falls for Hal and Hal screws up again, he says it again, only that time with anger.

But those three words clue you in that Hal never will be anything other than a loser, he'll never change, and he'll drag Madge down with him.

"Picnic" is one of the saddest, most poignant stories ever.

Madge is the pretty one.

I hear the musical version of "Picnic," with Lucille Ball singing her spleen out as schoolmarm Rosemary, is a guilty pleasure!

I watched the first episode of Ethan Hawke’s Joanne Woodward/Paul Newman series this week.

I wish Ralph Meeker had played the William Holden role in the film.

You can watch it on youtube.

Inge wrote another version called Summer Brave. Alexis Smith played Rosemary on Broadway. Madge doesn't go away with Hal at the end.

Gregory Harrison and mumbly Jennifer Jason Leigh.

[quote]I hear the musical version of "Picnic," with Lucille Ball singing her spleen out as schoolmarm Rosemary, is a guilty pleasure!

I believe that was Lovelady Powell, r9.

Ralph Meeker was hot as hell. Loved Kiss Me Deadly. He got the lead in Picnic on Broadway because he was more “crotch” than understudy Paul Newman.

My mother told me she and her sister saw “Picnic” on Broadway; they loved Ralph Meeker but they kept staring at the young actor in a smaller role who had incredible blue eyes—it was Paul Newman (his Broadway debut) I think she told me they got his autograph afterwards (I wish I had her autograph book—-lost a long time ago, before she married my father.)