TROUPERS: A Delightful if Undemanding Foray Into Working Actors Over 80

It was just the end of last year when CBS reported a story on two young filmmakers who had the idea to re-envision a classic film with a fresh batch of stars. The catch? Their leads were senior citizens. The film they wound up choosing was Woody Allen‘s Annie Hall, with Alvy Singer now portrayed by 94-year-old Harry Miller and the titular Annie played by 74-year old Shula Chernick.

Conceived by a pair of millennials, Matt Star and Ellie Sachs, the project was envisioned as a tangible way to use the power of cinema to bridge the gap between people young and old. It was a warm reminder of how movies can bring generations together over a shared affection for the arts. Age need not be a barrier.

The same message is being championed in the charming documentary project, Troupers. In an era where we often bemoan the dearth of decent roles for anyone over the age of 60, Troupers is an homage to those who stuck it out doing what they loved for an entire lifetime. As quickly becomes evident, it wasn’t always an easy road — they weren’t often in the primetime lights — but their affection and tenacity for the business were so infectious they just kept going, no matter what.

The film’s undemanding and unadorned aesthetic is all the better for the real stars to take center stage and shine. There’s modest ambition and no grand statement trying to be teased out in Troupers. It’s simply an enjoyable documentary filled with anecdotes and lifelong entertainers sharing their recollections and shards of wisdom from careers forged to their absolute fullest.

The pace loosely weaves around basic topics to elicit a kind of self-directed biography through various memories provided by each subject. It is a lingering reminder of how rich with information our elders are and how much the world has evolved and changed even when we consider the entertainment spheres of Hollywood and Broadway.

The Stars

With quite a few names on the lobby card, the best I can manage is to acknowledge those who have left a meaningful impact on my own life through films, TV reruns, and the like. Who else to begin with but Carl Ballantine (1917-2009)? In fact, it was his daughter, Saratoga Ballantine, in collaboration with Dea Lawrence, bringing the project to fruition.

While not a household name, he is a beloved figure in some circles for his antic-filled performance as the wheeler-dealer Gruber on the zany WWII comedy McHale’s Navy (1962-1966). He also spends plenty of time reminiscing about his illustrious career as a comedic magician, beginning with his boyhood fascination thanks, in part, to his local barber.

Betty Garrett (1919-2011) is another notable name being interviewed. I first became aware of her through classic MGM musicals like On The Town and Take Me Out to The Ballgame (both from 1949). She was paired with a crooning heartthrob named Frank Sinatra and in the former film, she plays an uproarious lady cabby out on the prowl for a man. Garrett had a later career resurgence in television with such hit shows like All in The Family (1973-75) and Laverne & Shirley (1976-81),  keeping her in the public eye.

Harold Gould (1923-2010) was an unusual case in that he resolved to pursue acting later in life but his consistency led him to become a true mainstay of film and television into the 21st century. Between a combination of Rhoda (1974-78) and The Sting (1973), it’s hard not to have him on your radar. He also guest-starred on The Golden Girls (1989-92) for several years.

Marvin Kaplan (1927-2016) is a name familiar to many as the voice of Choo Choo on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Top Cat (1965). Bruce Kirby (1928 -), the father of the late Bruno Kirby, likewise, turns up in any number of my childhood favorites from Hogan’s Heroes to MASH. Slightly more recently he had a more high profile spot in the movie Crash (2004).

However, the ultimate definition of a “Trouper” might be the multi-talented Connie Sawyer (1912-2018) who easily became the oldest member of the Screen Actor’s Guild after a lifetime in entertainment having seen it all. Her longevity is a mindboggling testament to a sound body and a healthy mind. It takes a sense of humor too.

If you haven’t noticed already many of the actors being profiled have since passed. In fact, Ballantine has been gone for a decade now. Rather than making this documentation feel less relevant, it makes every conversation feel all the more valuable as a historical record of people and places. However, it is, above all, an ode to each career being remembered.

Big Dreams, Big Breaks

Any of these stories could be easily attributed to the adolescent dreams of a little boy or girl who wanted to be on the big screen as a Hollywood icon. Maybe it was the simple pleasure of hamming it up or performing in front of an audience day in and day out. For some, it became their lifeblood — to feel the adulation and the energy of a crowd every night. Of course, as the old story goes, some were met with familial support or lack thereof — told instead to get a real job — because the image of a starving actor isn’t completely false. It’s not always a bed of roses in the profession. In the end, passion is what won out.

Between the grind and the determination, they all found success in their own way whether it was a big break, a resurgence in their career, or a part they felt really proud of. In just one unique example, Marvin Kaplan was discovered in a play by Katharine Hepburn before being given a bit part in Adam’s Rib (1949) as a monotone courtroom stenographer.

Allan Rich (1926-) made a triumphant comeback to acting after a nearly 20-year absence with Serpico (1973), a part he truly fought for. Pat Carroll (1927-) managed to revive her own stalling career with a one-woman show on the life of Gertrude Stein. Jane Kean (1923-2013) and Kaye Ballard (1925-2019) found extended success in television in The Jackie Gleason Show (1966-70) and The Mothers-in-Law (1967-69) respectively. These are just a few indicative snapshots of what all these careers entailed.

Another element of their individual stories is actually talking shop about the acting trade. As a result, numerous names get bandied about with varying philosophies. There’s the always relevant conversation about the method versus instinctual actor. Some found Lee Strasberg‘s techniques absolutely ludicrous, while Stella Adler was considered a fine coach but also the self-absorbed narcissist. Other teachers of great stature for both the stage and screen were Bobby Lewis, Sandy Meisner, and Michael Chekhov, who all get a shout-out. If anything is hammered home, it’s the very fact no two actors are the same and the approaches for each person can vary drastically. What matters most is resilience and dedication to the business.

Rejection and Hardship

This wouldn’t be an honest documentation of actors if it didn’t take a dip into the hardships too.  Even A-listers have been rejected and so you can imagine the stories lifelong character actors have to tell. The most abhorred question to hear in a casting call is “What have you done?” especially from young upstarts who have no knowledge of anything aside from last year’s blockbuster.

There’s a general consensus that many of the people trying to find talent don’t have the foggiest idea of what they’re doing. Simultaneously, the sheer number of people who turn up for a casting call has grown so much, it makes it all the more difficult to make an informed decision. In this way alone, the industry has changed.

Another one of the most unfortunate blights on the careers of some were the Hollywood Blacklists, which all but labeled certain people as “ng” or “no good” if they had any, even momentary, affiliation with the communist party. It was Hollywood’s fearful attempt at self-regulation during the ridiculous hysteria instigated by the McCarthy witch hunts.

Two casualties were Betty Garrett and her husband Larry Parks. He went from being a star nationwide for portraying Al Jolson to virtually unemployable when he admitted his former membership in the communist party in front of the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities. Garrett was likewise unofficially banned from all television and radio work making a living on the stage before Danny Thomas gave her a second chance on his show in 1956.

The Personal Anecdotes

With the meandering nature of the conversations, there is space for delectable nuggets here and there. While there’s little rhyme or reason to any of it, they are delightful nonetheless for giving color to some of the great stars of yesteryear.

For example, Ballard recalls being with Lucille Ball when she turned down a dramatic part in Sweet Birth of Youth. She was a comedienne first and last. Lucy couldn’t see her public accepting her in such a role. Jane Kean‘s career on the Las Vegas nightclub circuit saw her mingling with the Rat Pack until the most ungodly hours of the morning, feeling grungy, and loving every minute of it.

Kaplan reminisces about how Thelma Ritter always told him she couldn’t watch herself in rushes. It made her deeply uncomfortable. There was another time he accidentally wandered into the dressing room of his boyhood idol only to find the one and only Clark Gable putting in his false teeth. He couldn’t help but chortle a bit and thereafter received Gable‘s immense disdain.

Allan Rich got the privilege of performing alongside the eminent Claude Rains and found himself moved every time the veteran actor entered into one his most heartfelt monologues. Then, in one of her earliest performances, a flustered Pat Carroll was fed her line by Gloria Swanson on stage. The following day, dressed in red, white, and blue, the glamorous former silent star asked the stagehand to kindly relay to Ms. Carroll to be more professional the following night.

Meanwhile, in another excerpt, Carl Ballantine glibly notes how he waited over 20 years to get a suit from Jerry Lewis as recompense for an opening he did for Lewis during a downpour. The other comic said he would repay the service with a new set of threads. Sadly, the favor was never carried out. I’m no doubt in the minority but I’d take Ballantine over Lewis any day. I suppose I simply have a soft spot for supporting actors. Especially those over 80. God bless ’em.

Are you aware of many actors over the age of 80 in Hollywood or on the stage? Do you have any personal favorites you try and stay up-to-date with?

Troupers originally aired on PBS in 2013. The documentary was made available on Google Play and Amazon Prime by Global Digital Releasing on May 3rd, 2019.