The Eclipse Viewer – Episode 27- Up All Night with Robert Downey Sr.

This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this episode, David and Trevor discuss Eclipse Series 33: Up All Night with Robert Downey Sr.

About the films:

Rarely do landmark works of cinema seem so . . . wrong. Robert Downey Sr. emerged as one of the most irreverent filmmakers of the New York underground of the sixties, taking no prisoners in his rough-and-tumble treatises on politics, race, and consumer culture. In his midnight-movie mainstay Putney Swope, an advertising agency is turned on its head when a militant black man takes over. Like Swope, Downey held nothing sacred. Presented here are five of his most raucous and outlandish films, dating from 1964 to 1975, each a unique mix of the hilariously crude and the fiercely experimental.

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Timeline for the podcast:

Introduction/Background (00:00:01 – 00:27:50)

Babo 73 (00:27:51 – 00:50:31)

Chafed Elbows (00:50:32 – 01:04:14)

No More Excuses (01:04:15 – 01:15:09)

Putney Swope (01:15:10 – 01:38:17)

Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight (01:38:18 – 01:47:22)

Conclusion (01:47:23 – 01:55:38)

Buy The Box Set On Amazon:

Episode Links:

Director Overview:

• Wkipedia


• IMDb


• 2008 New York Times article by Stuart Klawans


• The Last Exit capsule reviews by Zev Toledano

Late 2014 Media Blitz Sampler:

• CineFamily “Truth and Soul” Retrospective


• Daily Beast by Marlow Stern


• Daily Mail by Hanna Flint


• Los Angeles Times by Mark Olsen


• IndieWire by Shipra Harbola Gupta


• Interview by Kaleem Aftab

Box Set Reviews:

• David’s Journey Through the Eclipse Series review


• Slant review by Bill Weber


• A.V. Club review by Nathan Rabin


• DVD Talk review by Ian Jane


• Filmmaker review by Eddie Mullins


• DVD Verdict review by Gordon Sullivan


• Mondo Digital review by Nathaniel Thompson

Babo 73:

• Robert Downey Sr. and Paul Thomas Anderson in conversation (video)


• Ozu’s World review by Dennis Schwarz

Chafed Elbows:

• New York Times review (1967) by Bosley Crowther


• Village Voice review by J. Hoberman


• Ozu’s World review by Dennis Schwarz

No More Excuses:

• Robert Downey Sr. and Paul Thomas Anderson in conversation (video)


• New York Times review (1968) by Vincent Canby


• Shock Cinema review by Steven Puchalski

Putney Swope: 

• Robert Downey Sr. and Paul Thomas Anderson in conversation (video)


• Vice review by Mike Pearl


• Cinepassion review by Fernando F. Croce


• Film Guinea Pig review by Michael Rajnovic


• Film Monthly review by Jon Bastian


• Hammer to Nail review by Nelson Kim


• Ozu’s World review by Dennis Schwarz


• Clayholio Watches Movies review by Clayton Hollifield

Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight:

• Robert Downey Sr. and Paul Thomas Anderson in conversation (video)


• IFC capsule review by Aaron Hillis


• Dangerous Minds capsule review (uncredited)


• Next Projection review by Matthew Blevins

Next time on the podcast: Eclipse Series 42: Silent Ozu – Three Crime Dramas

Contact us:

• Twitter


• Email: theeclipseviewer (at) gmail.com


• David Blakeslee ( Twitter / Website )


• Trevor Berrett ( Twitter / Website )