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This week on «Film Friday» I am celebrating Warren Beatty's 80th birthday, which is next Thursday, by telling you a little bit about the film that made him a star. Incidentally, 2017 also marks the 50th anniversary of this film's original release.   Directed by Arthur Penn, Bonnie and Clyde (1967) begins in the middle of the Depression with a meeting between Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway), whose car he tries to steal. Bonnie, who is bored by her job as a waitress, is deeply intrigued by Clyde and decides to take up with him by becoming his partner in crime. At first, the duo's amateur efforts are not very lucrative, but their crime spree shifts into high gear once they partner up with a dim-witted gas station attendant named C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard), Clyde's older brother Buck (Gene Hackman) and his shrill wife Blanche (Estelle Parsons), a preacher's daughter.   Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty as Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow....

Th is week has been so incredibly hectic that I did not have time to post my usual "Film Friday" article on schedule . As a result, we are having instead a "Film Su nday," in which I am celebrat ing Robert Redford's 80th birthday, which was on Th ursday , by telling you a little bit abo ut one of the films that he is mostly associated with.   Theatrical release poster Directed by George Roy Hill, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) tells the story of notorious bank robber Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman), the leader of the Hole in the Wall Gang, and his loyal companion, the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford). As they return to they hideout in Hole-in-the-Wall, Wyoming, they discover that the rest of the gang, annoyed at Butch's long absences, have selected Harvey Logan (Ted Cassidy) as their new leader. Butch contests this decision, leading Harvey to challenge him to a fight, which Butch quickly wins by distracting his opponent. Still, Butch embra...

Directed by Sam Wood, The Stratton Story (1949) begins in the early 1930s when Barney Wile (Frank Morgan), a retired catcher who is now a baseball scout, spots young Texas farmer Monty Stratton (James Stewart) pitching for $3 a game with a team called the Wagner Wildcats. Impressed by Monty's raw skill, Barney trains the boy throughout the winter and then takes him to California for a try-out with the Chicago White Sox. Manager Jimmy Dykes (as himself) is convinced to take Monty on, with Barney retained as pitching coach. Meanwhile, Monty marries a sophisticated young woman named Ethel Milberger (June Allyson), whom he met on a blind date arranged by teammate Eddie Dibson (Bill Williams).     James Stewart, Frank Morgan and June Allyson in The Stratton Story . After sitting on the bench for most of his first season with the White Sox, Monty is finally asked to pitch against the New York Yankees and scores a win for his team. When the season ends, he brings Ethel, who is expe...