University of Virginia Library

Serious Swope

Where was your sense of humor,
Mr. Erickson, when you saw Putney
Swope?

You're right about the fact that
most of the laughs were to be had
in the first half-hour - and wisely
so!

If the whole movie had been
that way, we might as well have
stayed home and watched Laughin.
But Putney Swope was so much
more.

As for the movie being a
cop-out, and the blacks not being
true "soul brothers" - that's what
it was all about. Robert Downey
wasn't trying to say whites are
phony - blacks are real. He was
saying people are, and can become
cop-outs! And he said it beautifully,
if heavy handed at times.

Putney Swope isn't a movie to
get uptight about. You go there to
relax, and enjoy the comedy. And
while you're doing that, its message
will probably seep into your senses.