''Cover Me Babe'' is a 1970

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film about a young filmmaker who is hypercritical about everything including his own work. Almost really doesn't care to get a studio contract. The film was directed by

Noel Black Noel Black (June 30, 1937 – July 5, 2014) was an American film and television director, screenwriter, and producer. Black was born in Chicago, Illinois. He won awards at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival for an 18-minute short subject filmed in ...

, and stars

Robert Forster Robert Wallace Foster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019), known professionally as Robert Forster, was an American actor. He made his screen debut as Private L.G. Williams in John Huston's '' Reflections in a Golden Eye'' (1967), followed ...

and

Sondra Locke Sandra Louise Anderson (née Smith; May 28, 1944 – November 3, 2018), professionally known as Sondra Locke, was an American actress and director. An alumna of Middle Tennessee State University, Locke broke into regional show business with ass ...

. The title song was written by Fred Karlin and

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is known for his non-rhotic Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early America ...

, and performed by

Bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

. A second song by Bread (written by Karlin and band members James Griffin and Robb Royer, titled "So You Say") also appeared on the soundtrack.

Plot

Tony Hall is a film-school student who does not care to make conventional films. His first avant-garde effort features Melisse, who becomes Tony's lover and moves in with him. Seeking a grant, Tony is steered to Paul, who's a Hollywood agent, but he continues to reject the notion of making movies that conform to the norm. Tony shoots realistic footage of a couple making love in a car, a derelict, a prostitute, even an argument between Melisse and a young student that nearly turns violent. He alienates all eventually, and becomes alone in the end.

Cast

as Tony *

as Melisse *

Ken Kercheval Kenneth Marine Kercheval (July 15, 1935 – April 21, 2019) was an American actor, best known for his role as Cliff Barnes on the television series ''Dallas'' and its 2012 revival. Early life Kercheval was born on July 15, 1935, in Wolcottvill ...

as Jerry *

Sam Waterston Samuel Atkinson Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is an American actor. Waterston is known for his work in theater, television, and film. He has received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actor ...

as Cameraman *

Jeff Corey Jeff Corey (born Arthur Zwerling; August 10, 1914 – August 16, 2002) was an American stage and screen actor. He was blacklisted in the 1950s and became an acting coach for a period, before returning to film and television work in the 1960s. ...

as Paul * Susanne Benton as Sybil * Robert Fields as Will

Production

It was based on an original script by George Wells.

Michael Sarrazin Michael Sarrazin (May 22, 1940 – April 17, 2011) ...

originally was sought for the lead role. Filming took place in spring 1969 under the working title ''Run Shadow Run''.

Reception

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote that the film displayed "a compulsive need to ridicule itself, to deny its basic intelligence and to fail. It accomplishes all of these things with an idiocy that should warm the neurotic heart." He explained that it was "loaded with its own

cliché A cliché ( or ; ) is a saying, idea, or element of an artistic work that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning, novelty, or literal and figurative language, figurative or artistic power, even to the point of now being b ...

s of dialogue, attitude and style." He also pointed out the

irony Irony, in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what, on the surface, appears to be the case with what is actually or expected to be the case. Originally a rhetorical device and literary technique, in modernity, modern times irony has a ...

of the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

railing against the

studio system A studio system is a method of filmmaking wherein the production and distribution of films is dominated by a small number of large movie studios. It is most often used in reference to Hollywood motion picture studios during the early years of th ...

in a movie financed by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

. In the November 6, 1970 issue of ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'',

Richard Schickel Richard Warren Schickel (February 10, 1933 – February 18, 2017) was an American film historian, journalist, author, documentarian, and film and literary critic. He was a film critic for ''Time'' from 1965–2010, and also wrote for '' ...

called Forster's Tony Hall "a sullen creep" but added that "the writing is so bad and Mr. Black's direction so unpersuasive that he (Hall) deserves more to be pitied than censured, as does everyone else caught up in this foolishness."

Box office

According to Fox records, the film required $3,525,000 in rentals to break even, and by 11 December 1970, it had made $1,050,000, resulting in a loss to the studio.

References

External links

* * 1970 films 1970 drama films 20th Century Fox films American drama films Films about filmmaking Films directed by Noel Black Films scored by Fred Karlin Films set in Los Angeles Films with screenplays by George Wells 1970s English-language films 1970s American films English-language drama films {{1970s-US-film-stub