#89: Cactus Flower and manic pixie dream girls with Jordan Schildcrout

Why is a conversation with Jordan Schildcrout always a good time? Because in the course of just 30 minutes chatting about the relatively obscure play “Cactus Flower,” you’ll hear about additionally fascinating plays like “Two for the Seesaw” and “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.” Jordan and I dig into both the weird and wonderful aspects of “Cactus Flower,” the show that brought Lauren Bacall back to Broadway. The movie version would win Goldie Hawn her only Oscar and feature a decent comic turn by the legendary Ingrid Bergman and a befuddling romantic lead performance by Walter Matthau.

Jordan wrote an essential book of Broadway history, “In the Long Run: A Cultural History of Broadway’s Hit Plays,” so not only knows about specific shows, but has a broader perspective on where “Cactus Flower” fits in among the pantheon of long-running plays. We touch on the history of the manic pixie dream girl stereotype, the resonance of Bacall and Vaccaro’s voices, and do our due diligence in talking about “Just Go With It,” the Adam Sandler / Jennifer Aniston modern-day retelling of the “Cactus Flower” story.

Why does a seemingly outdated show like “Boeing Boeing” succeed but something like “Cactus Flower” seems relegated to the dust bin of history? Find out in this episode!

As always, check out ChasingPhantom.net for some great video clips related to the show and to listen to past episodes.