Robert Downey, A Prince Film Festival at Anthology Film Archives
Written by Joe D on October 22nd, 2025
Robert Downey Sr. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage) *** Local Caption ***
How great is it that the Anthology Film Archives ( A place I often went to back in the late 70’s , early 80’s) is showing films by my dear departed friend Robert Downey, Sr. And they have restored some of them to boot! So you can see a newly restored version of Greaser’s Palace, a surreal Western with Alan Arbus, Michael Sullivan, Pablo Ferro, Toni Basil, LuAnna Anders, Herve Villachez and a host of others. Music by the illustrious Jack Nitzsche. A movie I first saw on the Midnight Circuit at the Park Theater in West Caldwell N.J.
Also a restored version of Putney Swope, Bob’s biggest hit, and a restored version of Sticks and Bones, a David Rabe play produced by Joe Papp, maybe the first work critical of America’s involvement in Viet Nam to air on Network TV. Luckily Peter Powell, the cinematographer had a 2″ tape of it. And the almost never seen Pound, restored from the original negative.
Bob told me that the producer put his profit sharing from Putney Swope on the line for the production of this film and when it went over budget he lost all income from his major hit. Also he said the wife of UA Mogul Arthur Krim saw the film at a NY theater and was so outraged she had her husband pull it from theaters. So it played one weekend. And Two Tons Of Turquoise to Taos Tonight, a crazy assemblage of insane vignettes. But Thanks to whoever financed the restorations! Film Fund? Martin Scorsese? Whoever, Bless You! I’m sure Bob is smiling do=wn from wherever he is.