The kid is out of the picture

October 28, 2019 3:44 PM

Robert Evans has died at 89. LA Times / NYT / CNN.

Producer of The Godfather and Chinatown, associate of such problematic notables as Roman Polansky and Henry Kissinger, ex-husband of Ali MacGraw (who he claimed was "stolen" from him by Steve McQueen), Evans had an outsized affect on the American film industry of the 1970s, and was a larger-than-life presence in Hollywood for decades.

posted by aspersioncast (21 comments total)

I saw The Kid Stays in the Picture. He blamed himself for losing Ali MacGraw. Yeah, bigger than life. He shaped the Hollywood image of the monster as producer: cocaine, womanizer, demands for loyalty. And sometimes competence.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 4:23 PM on October 28, 2019 [3 favorites]

Am I dead? Yes. Do I wish I was still alive? Sure I do. But you know, all in all, I don’t have much to complain about. Thanks for the ride!
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:35 PM on October 28, 2019 [12 favorites]

I read "The Kid Stays in the Picture" after hearing a Patton Oswalt stand-up bit where he referred to Evans as a (IIRC) "giant vampire bat cocaine nostril."

The audiobook is amazing.
posted by aspersioncast at 5:02 PM on October 28, 2019 [4 favorites]

Patton Oswalt tweeted his classic bit about Evans today. I still smile at the beauty of "Cokey McSnortFuck".
posted by bruceo at 5:09 PM on October 28, 2019 [9 favorites]

a quote I saw recently from Evans:

"There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each differently. "

Thanks for the movies, sir.


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posted by philip-random at 5:19 PM on October 28, 2019 [3 favorites]

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posted by condour75 at 5:35 PM on October 28, 2019

I've always wondered if he saw this. You know, I don't ever remember how I first heard of him. I also thought he was dead already. Whoops!


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posted by droplet at 5:40 PM on October 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

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posted by detachd at 5:41 PM on October 28, 2019

Odenkirk also based Saul Goodman on Evans, to some extent. Other homages: Dustin Hoffman in Wag the Dog, Evans parodying himself in Kid Notorious.

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posted by Halloween Jack at 5:48 PM on October 28, 2019 [2 favorites]

Interviewed him for DVD extras. Great, goofy hilarious man.
posted by Ideefixe at 6:32 PM on October 28, 2019 [5 favorites]

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posted by ...possums at 7:08 PM on October 28, 2019

Shot an interview with him once at his house. Had to call out to the workers setting up for a party, that they were in the shot. Got yelled at by Evans for raising my voice in his house. We finished. Then he invited me to come to the party. Straight up guy.
posted by schmattakid at 7:27 PM on October 28, 2019 [13 favorites]

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posted by MythMaker at 8:42 PM on October 28, 2019

We've got at least two MeFites who interviewed Evans? Whoa, awesome.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:48 PM on October 28, 2019 [5 favorites]

Those of you who use Audible, note that the service claims the audiobook version they have is unabridged. That's a lie. There is an unabridged version in the world but it's a hell of a lot longer than 6 hours.

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posted by dobbs at 8:49 PM on October 28, 2019

Drew Magary is no doubt devastated.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:51 PM on October 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

I had not heard of the guy before I saw the (amazing) Royal Court production of the Kid Stays in the Picture (review) which impressed me enough to be sad at his passing.
posted by bookbook at 9:53 PM on October 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

I have long assumed that Bill Hader's "The President of Hollywood" character was Evans based.

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posted by bartleby at 1:49 AM on October 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

Further proof that we are living at the endpoint of history. There's no way Bob Evans goes out before the last reel.

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posted by Etrigan at 8:03 AM on October 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

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posted by davelog at 12:53 PM on October 29, 2019

My introduction to him was with Mr. Show where Odenkirk does an impression of him as God narrating God's autobiography...
posted by symbioid at 6:37 PM on October 29, 2019 [2 favorites]