Best Song: I'm Easy, Keith Carradine
Nashville
Oscar Nominations
Best
Picture
Best Director: Robert Altman
Best Supporting Actress: Lily Tomlin, Ronee Blakely
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Michael Murphy is John Triplette, campaign manager for Hal Phillip Walker, looking to drum up support from the Nashville community. |
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Ned Beatty, as Delbert Reese, is helping him. |
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Lily Tomlin is Linnea, Ned's wife, who is considering an affair with Keith Carradine. |
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Keith Carradine plays Tom, of the band, Peter, Tom and Mary. He is sleeping with everyone. |
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| He is also sleeping with band mate, Mary, played by Christina Raines. |
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Timothy Brown plays Charlie Pride-like crooner, Tommy Brown, who is criticized for not being black enough. |
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Keenan Wynn is Mr. Green, who's wife is dying in the hospital. |
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| Shelley Duvall is L.A. Jones, Mr Green's niece, in from California to visit her sick aunt. |
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| Geraldine Chaplin is Opal, from the BBC. |
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Ronee Blakley is Barbara Jean, the Loretta Lynn-like Queen of country, and she is falling apart. |
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Allen Garfield is her husband, Barnett, who's pushy ways are contributing to her breakdown. |
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Barbara Jean hates fellow crooner, Connie White, as played by Karen Black. |
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Henry Gibson is legendary country singer, Haven Hamilton. |
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His wife, Lady Pearl, played by Barbara Baxley, is a hard drinkin', tough talkin' lady, with a soft spot for the Kennedy Boys. |
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Barbara Harris is Albuquerque, and she just wants the chance to sing. |
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David Hayward is Kenny Frasier, a young kid who just moved into town. |
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Gwen Welles is Sueleen Gaye, who would give anything to be a big singer like Barbara Jean. |
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Jeff Goldblum is the guy on the tricycle |
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Cast: Twenty four central characters!Storyline: The town of Nashville, and all its glitzy trappings, are the focal point of this sharp comedy, but don't be fooled into thinking that this is fun jab at the country music scene. Robert Altman pieces together a brilliant satire on American life, and American values in the mid-70's!
Why Didn't It Win? They didn't get it! Nashville isn't understood by many who watch, but watch they do. Nashville can be compared to a car wreck at times. You may not want to look - but it's too compelling not to.
Why Should They Have Won? Robert Altman is truly one of the great directors of all time, with a list of great films under his belt. Nashville is truly his signature piece, far and away above great films like MASH and The Player, if only because it truly uses Altman's personal brand of storytelling to achieve a maximum effect.
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Behind the Scenes: Many of the actors were required to throw themselves into their roles in more ways then one. Keith Carradine, Ronee Blakely, Henry Gibson, and Karen Black were among those who wrote and sang their own music. The soundtrack, which was finally released on CD, is one of the most eclectic pieces of country music out there!
Throughout the film a political campaign is being waged by fictitious candidate, Hal Phillip Walker. Posters and campaigners can be seen throughout the movie. Altman arranged to have a second unit take care of that, advising them to invade his sets whenever possible.
Altman had Joan Tewksbury write the script, but most of the dialogue is ad libbed.
Louise Lasser was originally cast as Barbara Jean, the tragic first lady of country music, but she backed out at the last minute. Altman ended up casting Ronee Blakley, who at the time had no acting experience, but was working with Altman on some of the songs. It was Blakely's idea to work a Loretta Lynn-like spin on the character that eventually earned her an Oscar nomination.
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