Lifestyle
Opinion: Remembering the star screenwriter Robert Towne
Screenwriter Robert Towne poses at The Regency Hotel in New York on March 7, 2006.
Jim Cooper/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jim Cooper/AP
I’ve heard dozens of jokes about screenwriters that I can’t repeat here. The punchlines suggest that in the hierarchy of Hollywood, screenwriters come last, after producers, directors, stars, and probably the caterer.
But Robert Towne, who died this week at the age of 89, was something rare: a star screenwriter.
“There are no novels or plays I’m itching to write and there never have been,” he wrote for Esquire magazine in 1991.
And Towne’s movie characters said things that stick with you.
In the 1974 film Chinatown, for which he won the Academy Award, an informant calls LA gumshoe Jake Gittes, played by Jack Nicholson, and asks, “Are you alone?” The private eye replies, “Isn’t everyone?”
When someone calls Jake Gittes an innocent man, Towne has him say, “Well, I’ve been accused of a lot of things before … but never that.”
In 1973’s The Last Detail, a career sailor on hard duty, also played by Jack Nicholson, is asked if he’s ever been married. He says, and not wistfully, “Yeah … once … She wanted me to go to trade school and become a TV repair man. Driving all around in all that smog, fixing TVs out of the back of a VW bus. I just couldn’t do it.”
It’s a speech that captures “the last detail” of feared tedium.
Pauline Kael, the New Yorker critic, once wrote that Towne had an “ear for unaffected dialogue,” and “a gift for never forcing a point.”
He reportedly touched up the scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather where Don Corleone and his son, Michael, whom he never wanted to join his crime family, discuss mob hits and treacheries. Then Don looks up to ask, “How’s your boy?” “He’s good,” Michael tells him. “He’s smarter than I am. Three years old and he can read the funny papers.”
The conversation’s shift from murderous to tender feels entirely sincere.
Towne was a professional. He won Oscars, BAFTA awards, and Golden Globes, but many of his scripts never became films. Or, didn’t turn out as he’d hoped. He wrote the screenplay for a Tarzan film, but didn’t like the eventual production, and so put the name of his dog, P.H. Vazak, in the credits. The worldwide Oscars audience later heard the name of Towne’s dog read out as a nominee for 1984’s best adapted screenplay.
As with so much else Towne wrote, that scene couldn’t have been scripted better.
John Davidson attends the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards on February 22, 2026 in London, England.
Dominic Lipinski/Getty Images/Getty Images Europe
hide caption
toggle caption
Dominic Lipinski/Getty Images/Getty Images Europe
The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), which were presented on Sunday evening at London’s Royal Festival Hall, have become embroiled in controversy after one of the guests shouted a racial slur, swear words and insults during the televised awards ceremony. The slur was kept in the BBC broadcast, which began airing two hours after the event, as is usual for these honors.
The source of the shouts was John Davidson, the real-life inspiration behind the film I Swear, which chronicles his life with Tourette syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder. I Swear was nominated for six prizes and won two BAFTA awards on Sunday, including a lead actor award for Robert Aramayo, who plays Davidson.
While Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were onstage presenting the award for visual effects, Davidson yelled out the n-word. The actors did not respond in the moment.
On Monday, BAFTA released a lengthy written apology, saying: “Our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologize to all.”
The statement identified Davidson as the source of the outbursts. BAFTA said: “One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition. Tourette syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics, that the individual has no control over. Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional.
The statement continued: “Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologize unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.
“During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him.”
According to the Tourette Association of America, between 10 and 15% of people living with the disorder have vocal tics that may include disturbing, insulting or inappropriate language, including swear words and slurs.
Davidson also shouted out other insults and profanity during the evening, according to Variety.
Referring to Davidson’s outbursts, host Alan Cumming responded from the podium, “You may have heard some strong and offensive language tonight.” He attributed the shouts to Davidson’s condition, adding: “We apologize if you were offended.”
Aramayo also won BAFTA’s EE Rising Star Award, and addressed some of Davidson’s outbursts in accepting that honor. Aramayo said, “John Davidson is the most remarkable man I’ve ever met. Tonight especially, I just want to say that the people living with Tourette syndrome…they need our support and understanding.”
The BAFTAs are broadcast on a tape delay. But the BBC did not edit the audible slur from its broadcast on the television channel BBC1 and on E! in the U.S. Nor did the BBC edit the archival version available in the U.K. on its BBC iPlayer platform until Monday.
On Monday, the BBC responded to NPR in a written statement: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony, it was not intentional. We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”
Gerry Turner
Scores New $1M Pad With Fiancée Lana Sutton
Published
Gerry Turner is leveling up with fiancée Lana Sutton — the couple just dropped nearly $1 mil on a house together.
The former “Golden Bachelor” and his leading lady showed off the digs on IG, and the new-build stunner in the sought-after Chatham Village does not disappoint — five bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a sprawling 4,455 square feet.
It’s packed with perks, too — a dramatic two-story family room with a tile-surround fireplace, a luxe super shower in the main bath, and a massive game room. In other words, very much worth the seven-figure splurge … even if it took some convincing.
Gerry tells TMZ they toured the place several times but hesitated to make an offer. Plot twist — the builder called them up and asked what the hold-up was. Gerry says once they explained their concerns, the builder nudged them to go for it, which they did — and now they’re both on the deed, splitting it 50/50.
As for the wedding, it’s still happening. Gerry tells us they’re planning to tie the knot — just taking it slow and haven’t locked in a date yet.
NASA likely to delay Artemis II moon mission launch again due to helium flow problem
Colombian nationals allegedly ran fake law firm, impersonated federal judges to defraud migrants out of $100K
The F1 sideshow that went sideways: Peeing, roof-climbing, and a mayor along for the ride
A targeted approach to dredging White Rock Lake
MLS Power Rankings: LAFC No. 1 after win over Miami, Messi
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
House Dem compares Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown to ‘terrorism,’ vows to abolish ICE
Exclusive: European Parliament rejects minute of silence for French nationalist student
In pictures: Winter storm slams the east coast
Video: Why the Supreme Court Struck Down Trump’s Tariffs
Trump envoy rebukes Greenland leader for rejecting hospital ship proposal
-
Montana4 days ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Science1 week agoWhat a Speech Reveals About Trump’s Plans for Nuclear Weapons
-
Oklahoma6 days agoWildfires rage in Oklahoma as thousands urged to evacuate a small city
-
Technology1 week agoThe DJI Romo robovac had security so poor, this man remotely accessed thousands of them
-
Technology3 days agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Education1 week agoVideo: Secret New York City Passage Linked to Underground Railroad
-
Politics1 week agoChicago-area teacher breaks silence after losing job over 2-word Facebook post supporting ICE: ‘Devastating’
-
Technology3 days agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making