Our Reel Classic for today is set during the midst of the Depression in the 1930s in Kansas. There we meet a wily man named Moses. No, this is not the man who parted the Red Sea, but it is a man who parts unsuspecting victims from their money. Moses Pray is a con man traveling about as a Bible salesman. When attending a funeral for a woman, he meets a young nine-year-old girl by the name of Addie Loggins. Folks in the community believe Moses is Addie’s father, but he adamantly denies this. He does agree, however, to get the orphaned Addie to her aunt’s home in Missouri.
Moses then visits the brother of the man responsible for the death of Addie’s mom and convinces the man to give him $200 on behalf of Addie. Addie overhears this conversation and later demands he give her the money. He has already spent most of it on fixing up his car and buying her a train ticket to Missouri. She is adamant in her demands, and he agrees to keep her with him until he can get the money back from his “work.” Addie becomes his adorable assistant.
The ploy is that he visits recently widowed women and presents himself as delivering the expensive and personalized Bible that her husband had ordered. Addie joins right in on the scam, pretending to be Moses’ daughter. They quickly become quite the con artist team.
One evening, while on the road, they come across a carnival and decide to stop. Moze (as Addie calls him) leaves Addie at a photo booth while he visits the performance of an exotic dancer, Miss Trixie Delight. Addie has her picture taken sitting on a crescent moon and writes on the picture, “To Moze from Addie.” She has obviously begun to develop a fondness for Moze. To Addie’s dismay, she learns that Moze has invited Miss Trixie and her young maid, Imogene, to join them. Addie becomes jealous of Trixie but develops a friendship with Imogene. Imogene shares with Addie some of Miss Trixie’s less-than-acceptable behaviors, and the two devise a plan to sabotage the budding relationship.
As the story progresses, we find Addie and Moze traveling toward Missouri and, on the way, become involved with bootleggers, local sheriffs, and car chases. They eventually make their way to St. Joseph, Missouri, and Addie’s aunt’s house, but parting is not always easy. The relationship Addie has built with Moze is very strong, and she holds her own in dealing with him.
Here’s a quote from an exchange between the two.
Moze: “I got scruples too, you know. You know what that is? Scruples?”
Addie: “No, I don’t know what it is, but if you got ’em, it’s a sure bet they belong to somebody else!”
The roles of Moze and Addie were played by real life father and daughter Ryan O’Neal and Tatum O’Neal. This was the first film performance for Tatum, and she definitely made the most of it. Most would say she “stole the show.” The cast also included Madeline Kahn as Trixie Delight, P.J. Johnson as Imogene, and John Hillerman as twin brothers Deputy Sheriff Hardin and bootlegger Jess Hardin. The film was directed by Peter Bogdanovich and adapted from a novel by Joe David Brown entitled Addie Pray. The novel was published in 1971, just two years prior to the making of the film.
Interestingly, when presented with the novel, Bogdanovich did not like the title. He came up with the idea of “Paper Moon” and pitched it to his friend and mentor, Orson Welles. Welles responded, “That title is so good, you shouldn’t even make the picture, just release the title!” Bogdanovich convinced the studio to go with it. After the successful release of the film, the title of the book was changed to “Paper Moon.”
In her very first film appearance Tatum O’Neal’s efforts got her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. One of her competitors was her co-star, Madeline Kahn. Tatum O’Neal won the Oscar for her performance, and Madeline Kahn said, “(Tatum’s) not the Best Supporting Actress; she’s the Best Actress! I’m the Best Supporting Actress in that movie.” Many shared the belief that she was the leading actress in the film. She was the youngest person (10 years old at the time) ever to win a competitive Oscar, and as it turns out, it was her only Oscar-nominated performance. She has appeared in multiple films and TV shows since, including The Bad News Bears (1976).
There is an interesting story about P.J. Johnson’s audition for the role of the teen-aged Imogene. Reportedly, right before the audition, she walked up to director Peter Bogdanovich and said, “Ooo-WEE! You good-lookin!” Impressed with her audacity, Bogdanovich said, “You just got the part.”
The film was originally slated to be directed by John Huston and star Paul Newman and his daughter. However, Huston decided not to proceed with it, and Paul Newman also gave it up. Bogdanovich had just had two well-received films, The Last Picture Show and What’s Up, Doc? He loved period films and liked the story. He wanted to take it on.
As mentioned above, Tatum O’Neal won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. The film also received three other nominations, including Best Supporting Actress (Madeline Kahn), Best Screenplay, and Best Sound.
Paper Moon also received positive reviews from the critics. Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and said, “The movie is about two con artists, but not really about their con, and that’s a relief.... No, Bogdanovich takes the con games only as the experience which has two lead characters share and which draws them together in a way that’s funny sometimes, but also very poignant and finally deeply touching.”
Gene Siskel described Tatum O’Neal as “more than cute. Her role is something special in the tradition of children on film.” The Variety critic described Tatum O’Neal as “outstanding,” and the Los Angeles Times critic wrote she was “just plain marvelous and Paper Moon is a tough, funny, beautifully calculated diversion.”
A more recent review found on Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus that states “Expertly balancing tones, Paper Moon is a deft blend of film nostalgia and finely tuned performances—especially from Tatum O’Neal, who won an Oscar for her debut.”
Paper Moon was listed as one of the films nominated by the American Film Institute for the Top 100 Funniest American Movies.
The success of the film spawned a TV series in 1974 called Paper Moon. It appeared on the ABC TV network and starred Jodie Foster as Addie. The ratings did not support the renewal and it only lasted 13 episodes.
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I find Paper Moon to be a delightful and entertaining film. It utilizes the setting of the depression era and black-and-white filming to set the mood. It may be about cons but the focus, in my opinion, is on the power of relationships and the bond between two people. Tatum O’Neal is the real star here. And don’t think for a minute you are going to see a “Shirley Temple” in Addie. In fact, she is just the opposite. It truly is an Oscar-worthy performance.
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) rates Paper Moon at 8.1 of 10. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a critics score of 90% and an audience score of 94%.
In searching my Roku device, I found it available for free streaming on Kanopy (available with your library card). Unfortunately, the Clark County Public Library does not have a copy of the DVD on the shelf, but I am certain they will obtain a copy if you ask.
Information for this Reel Classic review was gathered from Internet Movie Data Base (IMDb), Rotten Tomatoes, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and Wikipedia.
I’ll be back soon with the next Reel Classic, but before I leave you with the trailer below let me remind you that if you enjoy these classic movies, please join me on the second Tuesday of each month at 6 PM at the Clark County Public Library for “Ron Kibbey’s Comedy Classics.” I present a classic comedy film, usually accompanied by a vintage cartoon. Popcorn and drinks are provided. More information about the next film is available on the library’s website and Facebook page, as well as the WinCity Voices Facebook page.
