Robert Altmanwas a filmmaker who could’ve only made his big break in the 1970s. His expansive works likeNashvilleandMcCabe & Mrs. Miller, fixated on expansive ensemble casts and biting social commentary on modern life (even when they’re set in the distant past), would’ve been unthinkable in the Hays Code era of American cinema. In the 1970s, though, an age where auteurs got to run Hollywood and directors likeMartin Scorseseredefined the rules of what mainstream films looked like, Altman was a king. Of course, even with this glorious reputation from one of Hollywood’s most cherished eras, not every project Altman tried to get made would become a reality. Just askLily Tomlin.
In a 2015 interview withOvation, Lily Tomlin recalled how she once optioned the film rights to the 1972Cynthia BuchanannovelMaiden. Robert Altman and Tomlin developed a close working relationship after their collaborations onNashville, with the two reuniting for subsequent movies likeThe PlayerandA Prairie Home Companionin the years that followed. It’s no wonder that he was also going to be producingMaiden.However, his involvement and a fistfight that Altman got into ensured that the production would never see the light of day.
Lily Tomlin Has a Personal Connection to ‘Maiden’
Maidenisn’t exactly a super famous book.As of this writing, it only has four reviewson its Amazonpage while Buchanan’s other works haven’t been regularly adapted into movies. Even ifMaidenisn’t a household name as a piece of literature, though, its central story about a woman who engages in a realm of fantasy to find the perfect man is an intriguing one. The central concept, if executed with real visual panache, could be something quite humorous and insightful. It’s no wonder Tomlin was attracted to the property, especially given the dearth of major book adaptations in the mid-1970s headlined by women.
Returning to that Ovation interview, Tomlin’s personal connection to this proposed adaptation was made extra special by the fact thatJane Wagner(Tomlin’s partner) had penned the script for this adaptation. Thanks to Tomlin’s agent giving Altman Wagner’s script forMaiden, theNashvilledirector signed on to produce, though he wouldn’t be directing the movie. That honor would go toJoan Tewkesbury, an artist who’d been a regular actor inearly Altman movieslikeNashvilleandMcCabe & Mrs. Miller.
Robert Altman Didn’t Want to Edit ‘California Splits’
Tewkesbury getting this opportunity to helmMaidenwas extra special because of the lack of major opportunities for women filmmakers in the 1970s American cinema scene. Though the 1970s were supposedly about breaking down barriers and norms in cinema, it was still typically white men directing narrative American films.Only the occasionalElaine MayorJoan Micklin Silvergot to helm narrative titles in this country in the 1970s, with most of the biggest female filmmakers of the decade (Barbara Loden,Chantal Akerman,Sara Gómez) hailing from countries and territories outside of the U.S.This frustrating upholding of the gender status quo for major American filmmaking opportunities meant thatMaidencould’ve been a welcome oasis in a male-dominated cinema scene.
Robert Altman Only Needed One Actor To Make a Perfect Richard Nixon Movie
A fascinating Robert Altman outlier.
Per Tomlin’s interview, though, Altman capsizedMaidenthanks to his behavior when Columbia Pictures executives requested further edits on his 1974 filmCalifornia Split. Frustrated with already having to previously trim down a feature he cared deeply about,Altman responded to this request by punching the executives in the face. Altman got to make his negative view of these creative intrusions clear, but it also killed Maiden before it could start shooting. Anything attached to Altman’s name was temporarily radioactive and that included projects he was producing, includingMaiden.
Robert Altman’s Depictions of Women Spark Criticism
The director ofNashvillesending a project likeMaideninto the trash by engaging in a fistfight with studio executives really seems like the only thing that could happen in the 1970s. This was an era where filmmakers likeFrancis Ford CoppolaandGeorge Lucasexpressed such understandable contempt for the corporations controlling movie studios that they started up their own independent outfits just to get away from these entities. Productions likeHeaven’s Gatewere marked with lengthy anecdotes about filmmakers ignoring the concerns of executives in favor of following their creative gusto. Today,big-budget projects likeDolittleandBorderlandsjust switch out directors willy-nilly for extensive reshoots to appease the whims of studio executives.
Maidenwas set to be a rare women-directed American movie in an era that desperately needed a greater array of creative voices in American cinema. That entire production was shot down by the actions of the most high-profile man involved in the project. Constant controversies claimingAltman’s movies feature retrograde depictions of womenadd an extra layer of frustration to Altman’s behavior here.Rather than just striking a blow for artists, Altman thwarted a creative opportunity for folks who’d worked so hard on his own movies. He couldn’t exert that same effort towards Tomlin and company by just not burning all bridges with major studio executives.
The man behindCalifornia Splitwould revive his career in a profound fashion withNashvillein 1975, a project that helped put any memories of him knocking out Columbia Pictures executives onCalifornia Splitway out of people’s minds. Tomlin would go on to have an esteemed career as an actor, while Tewkesbury made her sole foray into theatrical film directing in 1979 with the featureOld Boyfriends. As forMaiden, it’s never been adapted into a fully finished film or TV adaptation. Given its relative obscurity in the modern world,it’s doubtful such an adaptation is inevitably coming up on the horizon any day now.Altman’s distinctly 1970s behavior ensured thatMaidenwould stay on people’s shelves exclusively as a book rather than also coming to life as a cinematic Lily Tomlin passion project.
