Film: Continental Divide (1981) Rated: PG Written by: Lawrence Kasdan Directed by: Michael Apted Starring: John Belushi as Ernie Souchek Blair Brown as Nell Porter Allen Garfield as Howard McDermott Carlin Glynn as Sylvia
By Efferdent Johnson
Pre-screening memories: There were many reasons I was excited to see Continental Divide many years ago. And while it may seem strange those same reasons applied when given the opportunity to view it again.
Growing up in Colorado, just an hour or so west of the continental divide, I was hoping some of my extended backyard would be in the movie. As my friends and I watched the flick for the first time we argued about locations. “Oh, that’s just above Wagon Wheel Gap,” Scott said. “No, that’s just off Slumgullion Pass near Lake City,” was my ill-informed retort. We looked for landmarks throughout the film and not one of us had a clue.
Now with the advantage of IMDB I found that we were all off by a few hundred miles. We all picked the wrong mountain range. Any of you familiar with the Sangre De Cristo range in southern Colorado might recognize some vistas. I sure didn’t.
Familiar landscapes aside, I would have set patiently for a chance to watch any flick that included John Belushi. He was a hero for my friends and I. We all imitated his Samurai Tailor from Saturday Night Liveor Blutarsky from Animal House. In fact, Dave Wilson did such a spot-on impression of Blutarsky running deceptively to avoid detection on the Faber Campus that we all would do spit takes just recalling it. After 25 years, I still grin when I recollect Wilson’s impersonation.
Most people choose predictable role models. Men like John Elway, Han Solo or John Lennon are obvious choices. Me, I chose guys like Belushi, Bill Murray and John Bonham. Have you ever heard the quote “Fat dumb and stupid is no way to go through life”? Well, my role models seemed to do a pretty good job of it if only for a short time for two of them. Me, I haven’t done as well. Don’t get me wrong though, fat, dumb and stupid are not an issue for me.
I was the only one in our group not disappointed by the movie so many years ago. My friends wanted debauchery and drunken profanity laced with pratfalls and catch lines. I was satisfied with, “It’s so quiet up here you could hear a mouse get a hard-on.” To this day it is my favorite movie quote and usually the only one I can remember. I watched the film any time it came on HBO and each time found something new to latch onto.
New memories: Ernie Souchak was a window into just how much charisma resided within Belushi’s body. A body obviously built by ingesting copious amounts of “Little Chocolate Donuts”. He was a man of the people, approachable, funny and sarcastic. A model I wish to emulate to this day. In this window you can glance of what might have been Belushi’s future if not for a tragic end.
Now, as I live on the East Coast I will watch Continental Divide for the same reasons as I did in the 1980’s. I’ll watch hoping to rekindle fond memories of the Rocky Mountains and of my long gone hero. I also look forward to seeing Blair Brown’s very pretty smile.
Download Natsukashi’s ‘Continental Divide podcast with Richard Walden here
Or you can hike a little further down the screen and listen to it online:
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Our featured guest: Cinematographer Richard Walden
Now in his third decade behind the lens, Richard has been a part of some seminal films in our memory’s library, including: Heaven Can Wait, The Bad News Bears Go to Japan, 1941, American Gigolo, Xanadu, Cat People, 48 Hrs., War Games, Top Gun, Lethal Weapon, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and many, many more.
Walden got his start on the 1972 TV movie Fair Play as a painter, and his worked steadily in the business since. His extensive resume (and memories) has been a wonderful advantage to us here at Natsukashi, and we thank Richard for sharing them with us.
He has also worked on TV, serrving as cinematographer on the popular HBO series, Dream On.
Pre-screening memories: When I was a kid, I think I felt obligated to like The ‘Burbs. One of my favorite movies as a young lad was definitely Big, although that was mostly for the sweet apartment he had in Manhattan with the basketball hoop, soda machine, and huge trampoline. But Tom Hanks still served as that movie’s icon and got to live out every young boy’s fantasy by trying out toys for a living, getting to have a Pepsi whenever he wanted, and feeling a boob with the lights on.
This was a dark movie. And having grown up in the suburbs, I had a decidedly rosier perception of life in a seemingly idyllic hamlet on the outskirts of town, but here was Rick Ducommon talking about the local ice cream man losing his mind due to suburban monotony-turned-madness and butchering his entire family. As a third grader, what the hell am I supposed to do with that? This was supposed to be a Tom Hanks movie, dammit!
New memories: This movie is still dark, but compared to some of the really dark comedies I’ve seen and enjoyed since (the borderline-evil Death to Smoochy comes to mind), The ‘Burbs comes off as mostly tame. It strikes me more as a live action satirical comic book than anything else. The plot moves along briskly, macabre situations contrast against the bright, picturesque background and perfect weather of suburban tranquility, and we’re treated to some genuine laugh out loud moments along the way.
At the tender age of 17, while most kids are contemplating colleges, struggling to find out just what the hell they want to do with the rest of their lives, Peter (pictured far left, next to that robot guy) decided he would kick it with some new friends on a little movie “made from the guy who made American Graffiti. ”
Pre-screening memories: If this site has taught me anything, it is that I witnessed far too many age-inappropriate movies as a child. I bore witness to more acts of violence, mayhem and destruction before I was even able to remove the training wheels from my bike.
There was something more under the surface of Craven’s brand of horror, commenting on our culture, or state of society. And even though my brain was barely beyond what was on the Saturday morning cartoon showcase, it still seemed to pick up the impulses of Craven’s transmitted messages.
New memories: Time may not have been kind to its already-limited special effects budget, and there are certainly more than one moments that illicit an eye roll, but I still find myself connecting with the film’s message and its gritty charms.
Camille Cooper has worked professionally in film and television for a number of years, starring in five films, including Meet the Applegates and Like Father, Like Son, and television series including General Hospital and Knots Landing. She has been featured in numerous commercials and print ads (for Coke, Milky Way and Campbell’s Soup, among others). She has been interviewed and photographed for such publications as Premiere Interview, Egg, and The New York Times, and has appeared on the cover of Working Mother. Recently she was a guest on a little program called 
Pre-screening memories: I think Gung Ho might be one of the most poorly chosen titles for a movie ever. Whenever I ask one of my friends about it, no one knows what the hell I’m talking about. Yet, when I start describing the plot and listing off the stars, you can see the light slowly go on as they remember it piece by piece no thanks to the title.
New memories: I’d like to say I was compelled to revisit Gung Ho because the scope of the current collapse of the United States auto industry weighs heavily on the collective consciousness of Americans everywhere and this movie provides a prescient yet humorous look into our current situation nearly 25 years previous chronicling the plight of America’s eroding manufacturing base and de-unionization. I’d sure like to say that.
I enjoyed Gung Ho a great deal when I re-watched it recently. The movie hits all the right notes in capturing small-town, American working class psychology. The movie is loaded with familiar faces from the 80s in George Wendt, John Turturro, Mimi Rogers, and Michael Keaton who was a very hot property at the time. Wendt and Keaton in particular give excellent performances. Wendt is your typical overweight, obnoxious, bloviating meathead whom you hated in high school, and were you to see him again now, would hate even more. Keaton plays the guy who was popular in high school and tries to coast on that type of easy charm the rest of his life.
Rodney started his career on stage in San Francisco as a founder of the Asian American Theater Company, the first of its kind in the area. While in theater, he earned multiple awards as an actor, designer and director of his many performances.
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