When I was 10 years old, back in 1973, my mom and I went to the movies. Not that eventful, right? Right, if that's all there was to it, but it was a very special outing for me. It was just me and my mom. We went to Ridge Cinema, a movie house where I would eventually spend most of my Friday nights all through my teen years. The other special thing, for me, was that this was my first ever PG movie (there was no PG-13 back in those days-G, PG, R or X). The movie was The Sting starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. My mom was a fan, particularly of Paul Newman. As she would say, "He can leave his slippers under my bed anytime." I'd have to agree with her on that one for either one of these 2 gentlemen, but I think she had also, like most of the world, become a big fan of the duo of Newman and Redford after seeing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a film I didn't see until years later as an adult. I loved everything about the The Sting. At 10, I'm not sure I followed everything, it's a pretty intricate plot because of discerning everything that's a con and what's really true, but Newman and Redford, what chemistry, and pretty easy on the eyes. Why am I telling you all of this? Because yesterday Robert Redford passed away, and as I get older, I lose more and more movie and television stars I grew up with. Newman passed away in 2008. Robert Redford was a true legend in Hollywood. He was of the generation of actors who did more than act. It seemed like he wasn't just in it for the fame and the money. He really cared about his craft and using his position, power and wealth to try to make the world a better place. His body of work, alone, is staggering. I saw many Robert Redford films after I saw The Sting. The Way We Were, The Electric Horseman, The Natural, The Horse Whisperer, and Indecent Proposal. There are so many more that I need to watch, in particular, especially now, I want to watch All the President's Men. I also want to see Ordinary People, he directed that film and won the Oscar. I am so glad we have film that great talents like Robert Redford are not lost when we lose them. They live on for generations, and his is a work that will transcend the ages. Millions of people have and will continue to benefit from The Sundance Film Festival continuing to speak through art in film. He's also about the only man, in my humble opinion, that wore that 70s moustache (nowadays called the Porn Stache) and it was sexy as hell.
Rest in peace, sir. Butch and Sundance are together again.
