美国国家公共电台 NPR The Kid Bows Out: Movie Producer Robert Evans Dies At 89

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Even for Hollywood, Robert Evans was over the top. The flamboyant¹ movie producer bridged the golden age of Hollywood with the rebellious² spirit of the '60s and '70s. Evans died this weekend at the age of 89 with dozens of movies behind him, some probably among your favorites. NPR's Neda Ulaby has this appreciation³, which does include some strong language.

NEDA ULABY, BYLINE⁴: He created mythologies⁵, most especially about himself. Here's Robert Evans boasting about his heyday⁶ in a 2002 documentary.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE")

ROBERT EVANS: I was working 18 hours a day, seven days a week, with no plans to slow down. With six pictures in development and two in production, I felt invincible⁷.

ULABY: Robert Evans was already a wealthy businessman when his looks landed him a role in a movie. Soon he was in a 1957 adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises" as a bullfighter. But Hemingway hated him, as did most of the cast. Still, the mogul behind the movie supported Evans, at one point yelling...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE")

EVANS: The kid stays in the picture, and anybody who doesn't like it can quit.

ULABY: At that moment, Evans knew he did not want to be an actor; he wanted to be a producer, and for a while, he was an amazing one. From 1966 to 1974, when Evans worked at Paramount⁸ Pictures, he produced some of the era's most definitive⁹ movies - "Rosemary's Baby," "Chinatown," "The Godfather," "Love Story" and many more. Evans basically saved the studio by taking huge risks. He hired an obscure Polish director, Roman Polanski, for "Rosemary's Baby," about a woman pregnant with the devil's child.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ROSEMARY'S BABY")

MIA FARROW: (As Rosemary Woodhouse) What have you done to its eyes?

ULABY: Star Mia Farrow was then in the throes of divorcing Frank Sinatra. In the Evans documentary, he imitated her distress¹⁰.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE")

EVANS: I love him, Bob. I love him so...

ULABY: But Evans sat her down, showed her the footage and said...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE")

EVANS: Mia, you're brilliant. You're a shoo-in to win the Academy Award.

ULABY: She did not, but Robert Evans' movies racked up nominations¹¹. He made stars of Jack¹² Nicholson and Ryan O'Neal and hired the unknown Francis Ford¹³ Coppola to make "The Godfather." When Coppola turned in a version Evans found too short, the producer says he said...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE")

EVANS: The pictures stinks¹⁴, Francis. Got it? You shot a great film. Where the [expletive] is it, in your kitchen with your spaghetti? It sure ain't on the screen.

ULABY: Evans continued...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE")

EVANS: Now go back and give me a movie.

ULABY: At the time, Robert Evans was a bigger star than some of his stars. He was a flagrant womanizer who married seven times, says film critic Carrie Rickey.

CARRIE RICKEY: First of all, he was very good-looking.

ULABY: With a signature style.

RICKEY: Big tinted¹⁵ glasses, bolo tie.

ULABY: He wore bathrobes and turtlenecks and a decadently¹⁶ dark tan.

RICKEY: I mean, he just looked like he was on the griddle a little too long.

ULABY: Evans' world crumbled¹⁷ in the mid-1970s. He lost his wife Ali MacGraw to her co-star Steve McQueen. He tumbled into debt. And as he said in the documentary, he became acquainted with cocaine¹⁸.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE")

EVANS: It was my first experience into the world of white.

ULABY: Evans was busted¹⁹ for drugs, and the seamy side of Hollywood engulfed²⁰ him. When one of his business associates was murdered, Evans fell briefly²¹ under suspicion. He became a pariah²². But his 1994 memoir²³ "The Kid Stays In The Picture" became a bestseller, and his audiobook became catnip for comedic imitations. Here's Patton Oswalt in a YouTube clip.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PATTON OSWALT: You know, back in the early '70s when I was producing "The Godfather" films, I had a whirlpool bath installed in my trailer that I would fill with apple juice...

ULABY: But something about that voice transcended²⁴ parody²⁵.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE")

EVANS: Bet your house, it ain't been dull. I've either done it or gotten it. You name him, I've met him. Well, almost. I've either worked with him, fought with him, hired him, fired him, laughed with him, cried with him

ULABY: And probably told him all about the mythology²⁶ of Robert Evans.

Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

1 flamboyant   

adj.火焰般的，华丽的，炫耀的

参考例句：

• His clothes were rather flamboyant for such a serious occasion.他的衣着在这种严肃场合太浮夸了。
• The King's flamboyant lifestyle is well known.国王的奢华生活方式是人尽皆知的。

2 rebellious   

adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的

参考例句：

• They will be in danger if they are rebellious.如果他们造反，他们就要发生危险。
• Her reply was mild enough,but her thoughts were rebellious.她的回答虽然很温和，但她的心里十分反感。

3 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 mythologies   

神话学( mythology的名词复数 )； 神话（总称）； 虚构的事实； 错误的观点

参考例句：

• a study of the religions and mythologies of ancient Rome 关于古罗马的宗教和神话的研究
• This realization is enshrined in "Mythologies." 这一看法见诸于他的《神话集》一书。

6 heyday   

n.全盛时期，青春期

参考例句：

• The 19th century was the heyday of steam railways.19世纪是蒸汽机车鼎盛的时代。
• She was a great singer in her heyday.她在自己的黄金时代是个了不起的歌唱家。

7 invincible   

adj.不可征服的，难以制服的

参考例句：

• This football team was once reputed to be invincible.这支足球队曾被誉为无敌的劲旅。
• The workers are invincible as long as they hold together.只要工人团结一致，他们就是不可战胜的。

8 paramount   

a.最重要的，最高权力的

参考例句：

• My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
• Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

9 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

10 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

11 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

12 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

13 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

14 stinks   

v.散发出恶臭( stink的第三人称单数 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透

参考例句：

• The whole scheme stinks to high heaven—don't get involved in it. 整件事十分卑鄙龌龊——可别陷了进去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soup stinks of garlic. 这汤有大蒜气味。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 tinted   

adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• a pair of glasses with tinted lenses 一副有色镜片眼镜
• a rose-tinted vision of the world 对世界的理想化看法

16 decadently   

堕落的，颓废的； 文艺颓废期的，颓废派的； 衰微的

参考例句：

• Don't let decadent ideas eat into yourselves. 别让颓废的思想侵蚀你们。
• Bullfighting was left with the new decadent method, the almost impossible technique. 他们留给斗牛事业的遗产是：堕落的新方法令人生厌的技艺。

17 crumbled   

（把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏

参考例句：

• He crumbled the bread in his fingers. 他用手指把面包捻碎。
• Our hopes crumbled when the business went bankrupt. 商行破产了，我们的希望也破灭了。

18 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

19 busted   

adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You are so busted! 你被当场逮住了！
• It was money troubles that busted up their marriage. 是金钱纠纷使他们的婚姻破裂了。

20 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

22 pariah   

n.被社会抛弃者

参考例句：

• Shortly Tom came upon the juvenile pariah of the village.不一会儿，汤姆碰上了村里的少年弃儿。
• His landlady had treated him like a dangerous criminal,a pariah.房东太太对待他就像对待危险的罪犯、对待社会弃儿一样。

23 memoir   

n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录

参考例句：

• He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
• In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。

24 transcended   

超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的过去式和过去分词 )； 优于或胜过…

参考例句：

• He wanted assurance that he had transcended what was inherently ambiguous. 他要证明，他已经超越了本来就是混淆不清的事情。
• It transcended site to speak to universal human concerns. 它超越了场所的局限，表达了人类共同的心声。

25 parody   

n.打油诗文，诙谐的改编诗文，拙劣的模仿；v.拙劣模仿，作模仿诗文

参考例句：

• The parody was just a form of teasing.那个拙劣的模仿只是一种揶揄。
• North Korea looks like a grotesque parody of Mao's centrally controlled China,precisely the sort of system that Beijing has left behind.朝鲜看上去像是毛时代中央集权的中国的怪诞模仿，其体制恰恰是北京方面已经抛弃的。

26 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。