Thursday, February 01, 2018

What to do about Woody?

I've been a huge Woody Allen fan since about '64 when I saw his hilarious stand up routine on Carson. He's right there with Robin, Rodney and Buddy Hackett as the only stand ups who could make me fall down laughing. He's a terrific jazz clarinetist...just check out the documentary 'Wild Man Blues' to see why. And the movies, 64 with 'A Rainy Day in New York' in process, represent among the greatest of directorial life works ever. Some are duds, but others, like 'Match Point', 'Zelig' and 'Bullets Over Broadway' are among my all time favorites. At 82, Allen is likely near the end of an amazing career. Now, some actors and movie folks are bailing on Woody, who, 25 years after the alleged events, is facing 'Me Too' backlash for adopted daughter Dylan's 1992 charge he sexually molested her during his messy breakup with Mia Farrow. Whether true or not (a Connecticut hospital's month long investigation determined Dylan wasn't abused), the episode is the one such blip on Allen's nine decade life, and he was never criminally charged. At this late stage we'll never know the truth unless Woody or Dylan recants their story. Some men forced off the public stage deserve their fate. Some don't and are victims themselves, a sad fate not only for them, but for those entertained or enlightened by their artistry. I, for one, plan to see 'A Rainy Day In New York', hoping it's a keeper...and not one of Woody's duds.


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