RAYETTE [interrupting a conversation that's boring everyone in the room]: Is there a TV in the house?
[...dead silence]
SAMIA: [resuming her preaching] I remarked to John that rationality is not a device to alter facts. Morever I think of it as an extranneous tool or gadget somewhat like [with disdain] ...the television.
To look at it any other way is ridiculous.
RAYETTE: There's some good things on it, tho'.
SAMIA: I beg your pardon?
RAYETTE: The TV. There's some good things on it sometime.
SAMIA: I have strong doubts.
Nevertheless, I am not discussing... media.
That hand shoo and dismissive faux-smile. LOL, what a mega bitch. Irene Dailey is so good in this scene as the pontificating dinner guest who thinks Rayette (Karen Black) is an absolute dolt. Dailey only ever made five movies and mostly worked on the stage with some TV thrown in.
I feel like we didn't give Five Easy Pieces (1970) enough chatter in the Smackdown just past but it's such a fun time capsule of famous people of the 1970s and such a feast of an actor's movie. Every scene is -- as Denise suggested on the podcast -- like a study for an acting class. Please know that if the Film Bitch Awards had existed back in 1971 this movie could have easily hogged slots in "Best Actress in a Limited or Cameo Role" and "Supporting Actress" categories. I didn't equally love every performance but there are so many of them to...
CONSIDER...
Lois Smith's authentic deep feeling as a mediator of a sibling
Susan Anspach's cooly practical carnality (the fact that she recalls Toni Collette to modern eyes is quite a bonus)
Helena Kallianiotes's novelty act "filth" monologuing. (Helena was a belly dancer in North Hollywood at the time and has been a friend of Jack Nicholson's for decades)
Famous lesbian Fannie Flagg, who is a total multi-hyphenate talent as a writer/actress/gameshow personality/comedienne, plays Rayette's friend "Stoney" (Flagg was later Oscar nominated for writing Fried Green Tomatoes and here's a fun trivia note: Her birth name is actually Patricia Neal but obviously she couldn't use that name in her career since it was already taken by an Oscar winner.)
and finally we'd be remiss not to mention Sally Struther's endearing cleft-chin monologue.
...
Jack Nicholson's character is loathsome in it but he's also quite terrific.