Time for more Saturday Night Beatty Fever
His fantastic debut movie, Splendor In The Grass, opposite Natalie Wood. They were 23 and 24 when the movie finished shooting. In it they played two highschool sweethearts. In real life, Natalie was married for the first time to Robert Wagner - their marriage went downhill during the filming. Rumor had it Wagner was frustrated his young wife's career took off more than his. Warren was engaged to Joan Collins. By the end of the movie, Wood and Wagner were separated, Collins was abroad filming, and Beatty and Wood fell in love during a promotional tour for Splendor.
Splendor is one of my fave Beatty movies, because he's soooooo young (well, at least young looking
) and plays the confused, vulnerable Bud Stamper so well. His Method Acting got on Wood's nerves big time, reason why they weren't exactly best of friends during the making of the movie.
The ages of the actors playing parents and kids were kinda off, too (like in another Beatty movie "All Fall Down"). Pat Hingle, who played his dad, was only 13 years older than him, and only 8 years older than Barbara Loden who played his sister. The actress who played his mom was 60.
If you haven't seen this movie yet, go rent it. It's a sweet love story playing in the late 1920's. Two teenagers in love, getting confused by their domineering parents (him by his dad, she by her mom).
