This is the tragic story of a long ago Canadian film actor who tragically descended into oblivion. It didn’t start out that way.
Peter Kastner (top photo), born 1943, starred in the great Canadian
Don Owen 1960s acclaimed hit,
Nobody Waved Good-bye (1964), an anti-establishment film of the era. But, in one of
Francis Ford Coppola’s earliest films, he stars in
You’re a Big Boy Now (1966), a delightful coming-of-age film. Bordering on corny and implausibility it’s still enticing as Kastner’s Bernard Chanticleer rebels again, this time moving out of his parents Long Island home and setting himself up in a Manhattan flat. To the recurring tune of, well, Robert Prince’s bubble gummy “You’re a Big Boy Now,” Bernard tries to shake his adolescence, essentially a virgin literally and figuratively though he seems relatively old for that. Nevertheless, we follow his escapades as he tries to live independently and enmesh himself in the “cool” world of adult bohemia, even though he’s a dork all along. Coppola’s bouncy cinematography may show signs of a novice but there are some sophisticated cuts and innovative shots, perky dialogue, and most important, he always holds the audience (a great cineaste he will one
day become!). Besides Kastner there is a stellar cast of Julie Harris, Karen Black (so young!), Rip Torn and Geraldine Page. And the streets of mid-Sixties New York City shine (or don’t). But what about Kastner’s tragic end? He went on to an ill-fated TV career, including the badly reviewed sitcom
The Ugliest Girl in Town, really the death knell. He ended up as a high school teacher and carried out a vendetta against his family, including allegedly embezzling money. Poor guy – he seemed so innocent and fresh in
Big Boy!
Another Canadian who actually did well in Hollywood was Joseph Wiseman (bottom photo) (born 1918), who stars in Sydney Lumet’s 1968 Bye Bye Braverman. Wiseman had many film roles including in the first Bond film as Dr. No (Terence Young 1962) and in the Crime Story TV series. In Braverman he captivates as the elderly wise Jew, sardonically mocking his (Jewish) pals for their faith inconsistencies.
These films are part of Criterion Channel’s current Fun City series, focusing on films made in NYC late 60s-early 70s, giving a raw view of Gotham’s considerably grittier streetscapes than exists today.
Photos: Wikipedia
