Comedy

Crime

Drama

Paper Moon

The Directors Company

Saticoy Productions

Paramount Pictures

United States of America

English

Tatum O'Neal

Ryan O'Neal

Madeline Kahn

John Hillerman

Jessie Lee Fulton

Noble Willingham

Randy Quaid

P.J. Johnson

James N. Harrell

Burton Gilliam

Hugh Gillin

Desmond Dhooge

Art Ellison

Lila Waters

Bob Young

Jack Saunders

Jody Wilbur

Liz Ross

Yvonne Harrison

Ed Reed

Dorothy Price

Eleanor Bogart

Dorothy Forster

Lana Daniel

Herschel Morris

Dejah Moore

Ralph Coder

Harriet Ketchum

Kenneth Hughes

George Lillie

Floyd Mahaney

Gilbert Milton

Tandy Arnold

Dennis Beden

Vernon Schwanke

Rose-Mary Rumbley

Peter Bogdanovich

Joe David Brown

Alvin Sargent

László Kovács

Verna Fields

Gary Chason

Rolf Miller

Mark Wade

Frank Marshall

Polly Platt

John P. Austin

Dorothy Byrne

Ray Gosnell Jr.

Gary Daigler

James H. Spencer

Les Fresholtz

Richard Portman

Kay Rose

Frank E. Warner

William C. Carruth

Richmond L. Aguilar

Bobby Byrne

George Hill

Paul Caven

Dick Colean

Rick Fields

Karen Hale Wookey

Ralph M. Leo

Jack Benny

Bing Crosby

Jim Jordan

Marian Jordan

Frank Luther

Dick Powell

Larry Stewart

Don Wilson

Ed Shanley

Francis Ford Coppola

William Friedkin

Utterly delightful.

Father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O'Neal, under Peter Bogdanovich's superlative direction, produce one of the most affectingly warm and cunningly sly movies of the 1970s. Set in depression era America and beautifully photographed in pristine monochrome by Laszlo Kovacs, it's a period piece that refuses to get old, such is the deft imagery and sharpness of the screenplay.

Story essentially comes down to conman Moses Pray (R. O'Neal) hooking up with orphan Addie Loggins (T. O'Neal), who may or may not be his actual daughter. Addie proves to be a precocious live wire, not easily fooled and she smokes, cusses and is more than capable of pulling a con herself. After initial indignation, Moses comes to court Addie's strengths and they form a dynamic partnership as they travel through Kansas, pulling cons left right and centre and piling the money up. But can it last forever?

The chemistry between father and daughter is obviously set in stone, with young Tatum an absolute revelation. The screenplay gives them both ample opportunities to enchant and amuse the viewer as they get up to all sorts of tricks and scrapes. Yet there's always that feeling hanging in the dusty air that something has to give, that we are treading firmly in bittersweet territory, the crafty couple having earned our complete investment in their well being keeping us concerned even as we laugh out loud.

Delightful. 9/10

***Ryan O’Neal and his kid daughter Tatum in 1930’s Kansas***

In Depression-era Kansas, a conman who sells Bibles (Ryan O’Neal) is coerced into allowing a precocious 9 year-old (Tatum O’Neal) to ride with him as they travel to St. Joseph, Missouri, where her aunt lives. Madeline Kahn plays a carnival “dancer” with P.J. Johnson as her teen aide. John Hillerman appears in a double role as a bootlegger and police officer.

"Paper Moon" (1973) is a B&W drama with amusing moments. Imagine “The Highwaymen” (2019) and “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967), but with a lighter tone and much less severe criminality, mixed with father/quasi-daughter antics. The movie’s entertaining throughout, but the ending’s too low-key for my tastes (How about some good ol’ fashioned emotion?). But that’s a minor quibble.

The film runs 1 hour, 42 minutes and was shot in Kansas, Nebraska & Missouri (with one part done in Pasadena).

GRADE: B

Paper Moon (1973) Original Trailer

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Paper Moon

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

Tatum O'Neal

Ryan O'Neal

Madeline Kahn

John Hillerman

Jessie Lee Fulton

Noble Willingham

Randy Quaid

P.J. Johnson

James N. Harrell

Burton Gilliam

Box office

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