Drawing on interviews he conducted with legendary, pioneering directors like Allan Dwan, Raoul Walsh, and John Ford, Bogdanovich was inspired to make this episodic comedy set in the turbulent early days of the movie industry, 1910-1915. O’Neal plays a nerdy lawyer turned top director and Reynolds is a con man who becomes a movie star. The supporting cast includes Brian Keith, Stella Stevens, and John Ritter. Originally released in color, this Director’s Cut of Nickelodeon is presented in Bogdanovich’s preferred black and white, and restores five minutes deleted from the theatrical release.
