Research Catalog

Title

[Ron Vawter on 'Roy Cohn/Jack Smith' (raw footage)] [videorecording]

Publication

New York, 1993.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Vawter, Ron

Description

3 videocassettes (VHS-PAL) (136 min.) : sound, color; 1/2 in.

Summary

Unedited footage, with multiple takes, of actor Ron Vawter as he works on the film version of his one-person stage piece 'Roy Cohn/Jack Smith.' Sitting with an audience watching the film at The Public Theater, Vawter addresses the camera, explains how he came to create the piece, talks about the two men and how each responded to his own homosexuality in radically different ways. Vawter also sits for an interview in the theater's lobby. He talks about his life and career, how he became an actor, his work with the Wooster Group, and his experience with director Jonathan Demme (who is seen briefly) on the film 'Philadelphia.' He examines the impact of AIDS on actors' careers, and reads a statement written by actor Brad Davis, written shortly before his death from AIDS-related causes in 1991. Vawter also reads a passage from T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets, which appeared as an insert in the playbills for his performance piece.

Subjects

• AIDS (Disease)
• Cohn, Roy M
• Documentaries and factual works
• Eliot, T. S (Thomas Stearns), 1888-1965 > Four quartets
• Cohn, Roy M > Drama
• Wooster Group
• Vawter, Ron > Interviews
• Actors > Interviews
• Smith, Jack, 1932-1989 > Drama
• Philadelphia (Motion picture)
• AIDS phobia
• Davis, Brad, 1949-1991
• Interviews
• Homosexuality > Social aspects
• Indiana, Gary > Roy Cohn
• One-person shows (Performing arts)
• Demme, Jonathan, 1944-2017 > Friends and associates
• Theater > New York (State) > New York
• AIDS (Disease) > Social aspects > United States
• Vawter, Ron > Family

Genre/Form

• Documentaries and factual works.
• Interviews.

Note

• No credits on tape. Production information gathered from the files of the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive.

Access (note)

• Restricted to qualified researchers.

Performer (note)

• Featuring Ron Vawter.

Event (note)

• Videotaped at the Joseph Papp Public Theater, New York, N.Y., March 22, 1993.

Biography (note)

• Roy Cohn (1927-1986) was a New York-based attorney who achieved national fame while still in his 20s as chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy. In later years Cohn was active in conservative causes. Jack Smith (1932-1989) remains best known for his controversial film Flaming Creatures, which was seized at its premiere in 1963 and declared obscene by the New York Criminal Court. In addition to his filmmaking Smith wrote and performed solo performance art pieces. Both Cohn and Smith died from AIDS-related causes.

Call Number

NCOX 1833

OCLC

1035420121

Title

[Ron Vawter on 'Roy Cohn/Jack Smith' (raw footage)] [videorecording]

Imprint

New York, 1993.

Access

Restricted to qualified researchers.

Cast

Featuring Ron Vawter.

Event

Videotaped at the Joseph Papp Public Theater, New York, N.Y., March 22, 1993.

Biography

Roy Cohn (1927-1986) was a New York-based attorney who achieved national fame while still in his 20s as chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy. In later years Cohn was active in conservative causes. Jack Smith (1932-1989) remains best known for his controversial film Flaming Creatures, which was seized at its premiere in 1963 and declared obscene by the New York Criminal Court. In addition to his filmmaking Smith wrote and performed solo performance art pieces. Both Cohn and Smith died from AIDS-related causes.

Local Note

Gift of Gregory F. Mehrten.

Connect to:

Request Access to Theatre on Film and Tape Archive Special Collections material

Added Author

Vawter, Ron, commentator.

Vawter, Ron, interviewee.

Mehrten, Greg, donor.

Research Call Number

NCOX 1833