TCM Star of the Month for January: Robert Redford

 

Turner Classic Movies’ January Star of the Month:

Robert Redford

As I’m sure many of our readers know, every month Turner Classic Movies dedicates their Tuesday night primetime line-up to a certain star of the classical era. This month, however, the programmers at TCM decided to shake things up and look past the “classics” for something a bit, well, “newer.” And by newer, I mean “New Hollywood” by choosing New Hollywood darling Robert Redford as their star of the month.

robert-redfordRobert Redford, making women (and some men) wonder how a man can be both so pretty and manly at the same time, since 1960.

Now, to give the man his proper dues, Redford’s acting career did begin in Hollywood’s classical era. He made his (small) screen debut in 1960 with an episode of the now classic comedy western Maverick. He then toiled away mostly on TV for the next few years, building his reputation by appearing on popular shows such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone and Naked City. Although he made his feature film debut in 1962 with a small role in War Hunt, it wasn’t until he starred with fellow new Hollywood Star, Jane Fonda, in The Chase and Barefoot in the Park that Redford proved to movie-going audiences that maybe there was something special about this rugged but pretty actor. And he did just that (prove himself, that is) with the 1969 comical western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The film follows the exploits of famed old west train robbers, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance kid as they rob their way through the old west and to Bolivia. Filmed with a budget of only 6 million, the film would go on to make over 100 million at the box-office and helped usher in a whole new era of Hollywood, aptly named New Hollywood Cinema.  And it is in this new era of filmmaking that Redford flourished.

For the next four decades, Redford would dominate the screen, working not only as an actor but also as a director/producer and would even go on to win the Best Director Academy Award in 1981 for his directing debut Ordinary People. To this day, Redford is hugely respected in the industry and was even declared by Time Magazine as the “Godfather of Indie film.” So, let’s celebrate this living legend and join TCM to watch some of his greatest feats. Don’t know what to watch? Don’t worry, for I have provided you with three great choices listed below. Enjoy!

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Barefoot in the park_robert redford_Jane FondaWatch Robert Redford and Jane Fonda in Barefoot in the Park (1966, Gene Saks director) airing January 13th at 10pm on Turner Classic Movies.

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out-of-africa_robert redford_meryl streepWatch Robert Redford and Meryl Streep in Out of Africa (1985, director Sydney Pollack) airing January 20th at 11pm on Turner Classic Movies.

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the candidate robert refordWatch Robert Redford in The Candidate (1972, director Michael Ritchie) airing January 27th at 8pm on Turner Classic Movies.

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Minoo Allen for Classic Movie Hub

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