My Favorite Jason Robards Performances

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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
3.

Max Dugan, Max Dugan Returns



Seriously toyed with making this one #1 on the list but cooler heads prevailed...Robards is perfection as an ex-con and absentee father who tries to make amends with his daughter (Marsha Mason) and his grandson (Matthew Broderick, his film debut) by showing up at their house in the middle of the night...with a suitcase containing $687,000 dollars that he stole. Robards has some really lovely moments in this one, masterful performance which could have easily been phoned in by a lesser actor, but not by this guy.

I haven't seen many movies with Jason Robards, but of his movies that I've seen, Max Dugan Returns would have been #1 on my list.
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My favorite is A Thousand Clowns as Murray Burns who writes for a kiddie show and is father to a precocious boy.
He reprises the part he played on Broadway. It's a light and humorous play.
I saw this film back in 1965. I was 13 at the time. (Double feature with "Zorba The Greek". Remember double features?)
It has remained one of my ultra-faves ever since. A film I wish everyone could see.
Years ago a friend told me that back in 1965 he had been actively dating, and on each first date he would take the lady in question to see "A Thousand Clowns". If she loved the film he would continue seeing her. If not... OUT!



I'll admit I haven't seen a lot of the films on this list. Those I have I've put a "like" on. I really like him in Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983). He played Charles Halloway, the older father of a much younger boy, who feels like he has nothing in common with his young son and can't contribute much to his son's life. But, he's his small town's local librarian and his knowledge of the past helps him save his son and the town when an evil carnival comes looking for souls. He was outstanding even if the movie was just okay. One of my favorite books and I hope they film a remake one day but I can't see anybody but Robards as the Dad.

@Gideon58, I totally agree with your pick for #1. Robards was truly great as Cable Hogue and its one of, if not his greatest role.
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