Ellen Burstyn had been acting in television and films since the late 1950s, but a string of impressive (and nominated) performances in hits such as The Last Picture Show (1971) and The Exorcist (1973) helped make her a force to be reckoned with. She used her newfound clout to help bring Robert Getchell’s original screenplay about a widow making a new life for her son in Arizona to the screen, helping to procure Martin Scorsese to direct what would be his first Hollywood studio production. Burstyn—who, after Lee Strasberg’s passing in 1982, became The Actors Studio Artistic Director and later in 2000 the President, a role she now shares with Al Pacino—won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance. Getchell received a nomination for the film’s original screenplay and Diane Ladd, another Studio member, received a nomination for her tart-tongued performance as the waitress Flo.

DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese. WRITTEN BY: Robert Getchell. CAST: Ellen Burstyn, Kris Kristofferson, Alfred Lutter, Diane Ladd. 1974. 112 min. USA. Color. English. 35mm. New print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.

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