Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

Sucks they did not get a proper goodbye and one last visit for the whole family to meet and see each other.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

Are we past the mudroom controversy yet, or should I come back later?

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

Watched Eureka for the first time. It's long been on my "to watch" list. It's kind of a weird movie, but given that director (Nicholas Roeg) and cast (Rutger Hauer, 1983 Mickey Rourke, Joe Pesci, Teresa Russell, et al) it should have been a slam dunk, but I found it frequently inert.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

Seems kind of weird that as rich as they were, they didn't have any housekeepers cleaning that big mansion or personal assistants who were running errands for them daily, let alone a caregiver for Gene.

I know that his wife was only sixty-four, but it seems strange that, in the financial position they were in, she was taking care of the house, the dogs, and a husband with advanced Alzheimer's disease all on her own. He must have been in really bad shape if he didn't realize his wife was dead, or if he did, was unable to get in contact with anyone on the outside.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

From what I understand, they lived a very quiet and reclusive life away from the public. That's why Hackman left Hollywood 20 years ago. Not everyone wants to spend money (even if they were very wealthy) on extras like housekeepers, personal assistants and such. And there was always a risk of them leaking personal information about the Hackman's to the press.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

When my mother was hospitalized, and my father was left alone in the house, my sister and sister-in-law would take over prepared meals for him, but he wouldn't eat them. Nobody knew how bad he had Alzheimers because my mom was taking care of him and covering it. When he was alone, he didn't even understand to look in the refrigerator for food when he was hungry. He didn't remember that my mom was in the hospital; he always just thought she was at the store. I imagine Hackman must have been so far gone that he was just living in a perpetual mental fog where he could barely understand anything happening around him.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

Hackman just elevates an otherwise ordinary disaster film in The Poseidon Aventure and makes it so credible. His performance was so tough, yet tender. Just always takes it to another level. the picture was made 100% better because of him.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

Another factor, maybe not in Hackman's case, but possibly the wife. Embarrassment. It's common for people to feel embarrassed asking for help. I'm sure it's worse for celebrities because of the publicity. If the wife had called 911 for herself, "Ambulances outside of Gene Hackman's home" would be all over the nightly news. His condition may become public. William Holden was drunk, tripped over a rug, hit his head on bedside table. He was conscious for 30 min. before bleeding to death. It's believed that he was ashamed of the fact that he'd fallen while drunk and didn't want it in the press. So he died.
Old lady across the street. I look out front window and she's sitting on the sidewalk between her front door and driveway. She tries to get up but can't. I yell across the street, "You need some help?". She says "No". I go over to help her. She's embarrassed. I try to get her up and she pulls me down with her. I get up and go get another neighbor. We get her up and into the house. Hate to think how long she would have sat there before someone saw her.
Couple years ago my left leg started to buckle and give out with no warning. I called my brother to take me to emergency room to see what the deal is. When I started to go down the steps of the porch, boom, landed on my ass. Couldn't get down steps without the leg giving out. My brother is freaking out. He wants me to call 911 for a ride. No emergency. I call 911, tell them it's not an emergency, just need help getting down two steps and a ride. Ambulance shows up, they get me on stretcher, put me in ambulance. As ambulance drives off, I look out back windows and all the neighbors are coming out of their houses, standing around talking about it. I found it funny. I was the talk of the neighborhood for a day or two.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

I saw this while my ex wife's family dealt with her Father when he had his stroke. He was paralyzed on one side and couldn't talk and my Ex, her brother and her Mom all tried to do everything on their own and it took it's toll. I don't think they really asked for help until many years into his care. Both my Ex and Betsy Arakawa are of Japanese/Hawaiian decent and I remember my wife ex explaining why asking for help was very complicated and difficult in their culture.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

I wonder if there will ever be a movie made about this.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

Prime Cut was a good call. Sissy Spacek was gorgeous. That sheer dress she wore was perfection.

Chase in the field against the combine harvester and the shoot-out in the sunflower field were dramatic.

Gene played a good baddie.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

I’ll get around to his older work. Watching Royal Tenembaums and Enemy of the State. He was so good at it.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

I watched Hackman playing a commie on an episode of THE FBI. Season 2 "The Courier".

The FBI, investigating the theft of plans for a new cobalt bomb, comes across a Communist spy ring. One of its members is Juliet Sinclair (Ruth Roman), who runs an Asian orphanage and also an operative for Red China. She is flying to Los Angeles to take a girl from the orphanage to a couple, the Kenyons (Gene Hackman and Phyllis Love). The girl, however, the night before the trip, discovers Juliet Sinclair's secret. What the girl doesn't know is the Kenyons are part of the same spy ring. Erskine and Rhodes must not only recover the missing information but also are in a race to prevent the girl from being liquidated by the Kenyons.

Opening Credit.

You Tube

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

Probably never since it was not a murder case.

i wonder how the paparazzi feel about taking those photos of him last year or the year before when he was walking around a cane and posted them online without his permission?

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

Paparazzi don’t have feelings, Jeff.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

True

He did not like going out and when he does he gets blindsided by them.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

I've been watching a lot of Hackman's films again since he passed. "The Firm", "The French Connection", "Mississippi Burning", 'Runaway Journey", "No Way Out", "Hoosiers", "Postcards from the Edge". And saw "French Connection II" for the very first time. Which I thought was pretty bad. It just felt like a subpar pale comparison to the original. Completely void of any excitement. But as always, Gene was the best thing about it.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

Man. Not Gene Hackman. But I noticed this revisiting his movies. Why did they stop shooting movies so good? Like, remember how we used to criticize Kevin Smith for his unpretentious compositions, shot with flat walk around lenses? That’s what’s normal now.

I have gotta revisit good movies more often. I sorta lost my love of film, though it stays my main interest.

Mississippi Burning and Enemy of the State btw.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

Yeah it's sad comparing films especially from 70s into 80s or even 90s into early 2000s to output today. It's such a stark contrast. Just the look, and level of visual interest is off these days.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

I think that was one of the main things I loved about The Holdovers, cool old school shots throughout.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

Looked like he and wife did not allow maids or people to come inside and clean the house and a lot of clutter inside and garbage collected in the house.

Maybe it could have been prevented.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/poli...135543281.html

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

It’s one thing to not want maids or people coming in to clean but then to not do it yourself? Geez. Seems petty to me.

His best performance IMO is still Lex Luthor in the first two Reeve Superman films. Just perfection. Thought he was great in Extreme Mesures too which is an under-rated thriller.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

It just goes to show that being rich and famous and talented does not mean you are not a human being who can suffer from mental problems.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

As any photos of him were rare, I bet they felt good getting top dollar. Human scum from what I have read and seen.

Re: Gene Hackman Appreciation Thread (1930-2025)
 

It should probably be a lesson to at least one member here that just because you have a larger house, doesn’t mean hoarding mentality just goes away.