The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds **** (1972, Joanne Woodward, Nell Potts, Roberta Wallach) – Classic Movie Review 6182

Director Paul Newman provides a whacking great role for his wife Joanne Woodward in his 1972 film of Paul Zindel’s Pulitzer-prize play, adapted for the screen by writer Alvin Sargent. It is a little known and under-valued movie, valuable for Woodward ‘s acting alone. For her performance as Beatrice Hunsdorfer, Woodward won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973 and was Golden Globe nominated too.

As her Cannes award suggests, Woodward amply justifies Newman’s piece of casting nepotism in a tremendous performance. Talking of which, the Newmans’ daughter Nell Potts also appears, as does Eli Wallach’s and Anne Jackson’s daughter, Roberta Wallach.

It is a carefully crafted little gem of a piece about a sluttish, loud-mouthed, middle-aged eccentric widowed mother who desperately wants the opportunity of better things for herself and her two odd daughters, quiet, introverted Matilda (Nell Potts) and rebellious, epileptic Ruth (Roberta Wallach).

The daft title (in an era of silly titles) is the name of Matilda’s science project at school and unfortunately also a glibly obscure metaphor for how we cope with life.

Also in the cast are Judith Lowry, Richard Venture, Estelle Omens, Carolyn Coates, Will Hare, Jess Osuna, David Spielberg and Lynn Rogers.

Nell Potts has appeared in only two films, this and Newman’s Rachel, Rachel.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6182

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