Movies of the 80s: Playing 'Hopscotch' with Director Ronald Neame

Hopscotch

Directed by Ronald Neame

Written by Bryan Forbes and Brian Garfield

Starring Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Sam Waterston, Ned Beatty,

Released September 26th, 1980

When CIA operative Miles Kendig (Walter Matthau) deliberately lets KGB agent Yaskov (Herbert Lom) get away, his boss (Ned Beatty) threatens to retire him. Kendig beats him to it, however, destroying his own records and traveling to Austria where he begins work on a memoir that will expose all his former agency's covert practices. The CIA catches wind of the book and sends other agents after him, initiating a frenetic game of cat and mouse that spans the globe.

Behind the Scenes

Warren Beatty and Jane Fonda were the first casting choices for Hopscotch. At that time, the script, based on the book by Brian Garfield, was intended to be a dramatic thriller. The film only became a comedy after Beatty and Fonda dropped out, Ronald Neame agreed to direct, Walter Matthau came in and Neame teamed with the author to rewrite the script that Brian Forbes had initally conceived from Garfield's book.

The film was shot on location in Germany, in part, and star Walter Matthau really didn't want to film in Germany due to having lost family in the holocaust. He was finally persuaded via a compromise in which his son, David Matthau, and his step-daughter, Lucy Saroyan, were cast in the film.

Speaking to famed New York columnist Marilyn Beck, in October of 1980, following the release of Hopscotch, director Ronald Neame says that he turned down the chance to direct Hopscotch three times before he was finally, In his words, "Badgered into it." Neame finally agreed to direct the film after his agent accepted the project on his behalf and Walter Matthau agreed to star with Neame finally relenting and telling the producers "Alright, I'll direct the wretched thing."

Director Ronald Neame, though an industry veteran at the time, was still nervous about the reception of Hopscotch. Speaking to Marilyn Beck from the previously mentioned interview, Neame said of the critics reaction to Hopscotch "One reads reviews with trepidation. (But)... I must say some of the things I have read about Hopscotch, make me less suicidal than usual -- I'm taking that as a good sign."

What did critics in 1980 say?

Critic Richard Freedman wrote of the chemistry of Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson comparing them to famous.movie couples like Tracy and Hepburn and Myrna Loy and William Powell, stating "They're not only funny separately, but spark real comic sparks from each other."

Critic Joe Baltake writes "I had a very pleasurable time at Ronald Neame's Hopscotch, an old fashioned and handsome comedy of mayhem and merriment."

Critic Tim Sacco of the Des Moines Register was not a fan of Hopscotch writing "Hopscotch, No Charm, No Wit, No Originality."

Critic Desmond Ryan praised Hopscotch as "A game send up of the C.I.A"

Critics and Audiences Today

Today, Hopscotch holds an 81% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and users on IMDB rate the film 7.1 out of 10.

More Ronald Neame

In researching Hopscotch I was delighted by the honesty and humor of director Ronald Neame. From admitting he didn't want to make the movie to only agreeing to get everyone off his back, to his nervous reaction to critics takes on the movie, the man emerges as a true Hollywood character. You can't imagine a modern director being as honest and forthright as Neame comes off when talking to reporters about a movie. It's so refreshing, I wanted to throw in one more Ronald Neame anecdote.

For those that don't know, Ronald Neame was the director of The Poseidon Adventure, the 1972 all star blockbuster aboard a sinkining ship. It was another that Neame didn't want. Speaking to Marilyn Beck, Neame said "It was most definitely a picture I didn't want to do but, it ended up making me financially independent for life. It made so much money so fast that the studio couldn't adjust the bookkeeping to prevent it from showing profits."

Ronald Neame is a legend and should be celebrated.