Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (The)
- Director: Paul Newman
- Writer: Paul Zindel; Alvin Sargent
- Producer: John Foreman; Paul Newman
CGiii Comment
From the Pullizer Prize winning play by Paul Zindel, this is the story of Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her daughters, Ruth and Matilda. A middle-aged widowed eccentric, Beatrice is looking for her life in the classified ads while all about her is the rubble of an unkempt house. All she needs is the right opportunity, she says puffing on a cigarette. Poorly equipped to survive the vagaries of modern life, she has nonetheless always managed to muddle through.
Ruth, epileptic and making her way through the rebellious phase of adolescence, seems doomed to make the same mistakes as her mother. Quiet Matilda, on the other hand, seeks refuge in her animals and her schoolwork. 'Jesus, don't you hate the world, Matilda?' Beatrice asks her youngest daughter. The title of the film is also the subject of Matilda's science project at school and serves as a metaphor for the way life affects each of us differently.
Trailer...
Cast & Characters
Joanne Woodward as Beatrice;
Nell Potts as Matilda;
Roberta Wallach as Ruth;
Judith Lowry as Nanny;
David Spielberg as Mr. Goodman;
Richard Venture as Floyd;
Carolyn Coates as Mrs. McKay;
Will Hare as Junk Man;
Estelle Omens as Caroline;
Jess Osuna as Sonny;
Ellen Dano as Janice Vickery;
Lynne Rogers as Miss Hanley;
Roger Serbagi as Charlie;
John Lehne as Apartment Manager;
Michael Kearney as Chris Burns