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California Split
California Split is a 1974 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Altman and starring Elliott Gould and George Segal as a pair of gamblers. It was the first non-Cinerama film to use eight-track stereo sound.
In Los Angeles, a friendship blossoms between Bill Denny and Charlie Waters, fueled by their shared passion for gambling. The connection solidifies after a card player, whose winnings they have acquired, subjects them to a violent assault and robbery. Charlie, a wisecracking joker residing with two prostitutes, emerges as a seasoned gambler perpetually seeking the next big score. His wagers span poker, horse racing, boxing, and any opportunity offering odds.
Initially, Bill is not as deeply entrenched in the gambling world. By day, he dabbles in work at a magazine, sidestepping his boss. Nevertheless, he is well on his way to succumbing to a full-fledged gaming addiction. As the two men traverse Charlie's home, Bill's office, seedy bars, card rooms, and various sports venues, Bill succumbs to the allure of the gambling lifestyle. To fuel his burgeoning habit, he plunges into debt with Sparkie, his bookie, and resorts to pawning possessions, including his car, to finance a bus trip to Reno.
During their journey, Charlie identifies the assailant who mugged them at the film's outset. Seizing the opportunity for retribution, he confronts and robs the offender. On the road to Reno, Bill and Charlie pool their resources to stake Bill in a high-stakes poker game, featuring former world champion Amarillo Slim as one of the players, portraying himself. Bill emerges victorious, pocketing $18,000, and is convinced of his hot streak.
Emboldened, he transitions to blackjack, roulette, and finally craps, accumulating more wealth with each game. However, a significant loss at the craps table leaves Bill emotionally drained and indifferent. Despite Charlie's enthusiasm to continue gambling at other casinos, Bill, after splitting their winnings ($82,000), declares his intention to quit and return home. Although Charlie struggles to comprehend Bill's decision, he recognizes his friend's sincerity, and they part ways.
Joseph Walsh had been an actor for over 20 years. Frustrated with the progress of his career and the sorts of roles he had been playing, he wrote a screenplay about his own gambling addiction in 1971. "I knew so much about gambling," he said. "And nobody writes gambling well... I was writing for all the gamblers of the world, people who are going to turn out and watch the movie and say, 'Oh, God, this man is in our heart and soul'," said Walsh later.
Walsh was friends with then up-and-coming filmmaker Steven Spielberg and they worked on the script for nine months. Spielberg was fascinated by the characters and would react to Walsh's script, offering suggestions. At the time the screenplay was called Slide and the two men had a deal to make it at MGM with Walsh as producer and Steve McQueen in the starring role. However, the studio began making unrealistic demands, like having the script be an exact number of pages (in a movie script, 1 page = 1 minute), and wanting the whole story to be set at the Circus Circus casino in Las Vegas because MGM owned it.
A month away from filming, the studio experienced a shake-up at the executive level and with it came a new set of changes. MGM wanted the story to be a mafia-related “sting” concept with Dean Martin as one of the two main characters. Walsh would no longer be the producer. He and Spielberg left MGM and took the script to Universal Pictures where they had an agreement with Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown. Zanuck and Brown then hired Spielberg to direct The Sugarland Express, leaving Walsh and his film stranded.
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California Split
California Split is a 1974 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Altman and starring Elliott Gould and George Segal as a pair of gamblers. It was the first non-Cinerama film to use eight-track stereo sound.
In Los Angeles, a friendship blossoms between Bill Denny and Charlie Waters, fueled by their shared passion for gambling. The connection solidifies after a card player, whose winnings they have acquired, subjects them to a violent assault and robbery. Charlie, a wisecracking joker residing with two prostitutes, emerges as a seasoned gambler perpetually seeking the next big score. His wagers span poker, horse racing, boxing, and any opportunity offering odds.
Initially, Bill is not as deeply entrenched in the gambling world. By day, he dabbles in work at a magazine, sidestepping his boss. Nevertheless, he is well on his way to succumbing to a full-fledged gaming addiction. As the two men traverse Charlie's home, Bill's office, seedy bars, card rooms, and various sports venues, Bill succumbs to the allure of the gambling lifestyle. To fuel his burgeoning habit, he plunges into debt with Sparkie, his bookie, and resorts to pawning possessions, including his car, to finance a bus trip to Reno.
During their journey, Charlie identifies the assailant who mugged them at the film's outset. Seizing the opportunity for retribution, he confronts and robs the offender. On the road to Reno, Bill and Charlie pool their resources to stake Bill in a high-stakes poker game, featuring former world champion Amarillo Slim as one of the players, portraying himself. Bill emerges victorious, pocketing $18,000, and is convinced of his hot streak.
Emboldened, he transitions to blackjack, roulette, and finally craps, accumulating more wealth with each game. However, a significant loss at the craps table leaves Bill emotionally drained and indifferent. Despite Charlie's enthusiasm to continue gambling at other casinos, Bill, after splitting their winnings ($82,000), declares his intention to quit and return home. Although Charlie struggles to comprehend Bill's decision, he recognizes his friend's sincerity, and they part ways.
Joseph Walsh had been an actor for over 20 years. Frustrated with the progress of his career and the sorts of roles he had been playing, he wrote a screenplay about his own gambling addiction in 1971. "I knew so much about gambling," he said. "And nobody writes gambling well... I was writing for all the gamblers of the world, people who are going to turn out and watch the movie and say, 'Oh, God, this man is in our heart and soul'," said Walsh later.
Walsh was friends with then up-and-coming filmmaker Steven Spielberg and they worked on the script for nine months. Spielberg was fascinated by the characters and would react to Walsh's script, offering suggestions. At the time the screenplay was called Slide and the two men had a deal to make it at MGM with Walsh as producer and Steve McQueen in the starring role. However, the studio began making unrealistic demands, like having the script be an exact number of pages (in a movie script, 1 page = 1 minute), and wanting the whole story to be set at the Circus Circus casino in Las Vegas because MGM owned it.
A month away from filming, the studio experienced a shake-up at the executive level and with it came a new set of changes. MGM wanted the story to be a mafia-related “sting” concept with Dean Martin as one of the two main characters. Walsh would no longer be the producer. He and Spielberg left MGM and took the script to Universal Pictures where they had an agreement with Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown. Zanuck and Brown then hired Spielberg to direct The Sugarland Express, leaving Walsh and his film stranded.