The Paper Chase (film)

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The Paper Chase
Directed by	James Bridges
Written by	James Bridges
Starring	Timothy Bottoms, Lindsay Wagner, John Houseman
Music by	John Williams
Cinematography	Gordon Willis
Editing by	Walter Thompson
Distributed by	Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Release date(s)	16 October 1973
Running time	111 min.
Country	USA
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Paper Chase is a 1973 film starring Timothy Bottoms, Lindsay Wagner, and John Houseman and directed by James Bridges. Based on the John Jay Osborn, Jr.'s 1970 novel, The Paper Chase, the film tells the story of Hart, a first-year law student at Harvard Law School, and his experiences with Professor Charles Kingsfield (played by John Houseman), the brilliant, demanding contracts instructor whom he both idolizes and finds incredibly intimidating.

1 Cast
2 Plot
3 Casting
4 Locations
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Cast

Timothy Bottoms as James T. Hart
Lindsay Wagner as Susan Kingsfield
John Houseman as Charles W. Kingsfield Jr.
Graham Beckel as Franklin Ford III
James Naughton as Kevin Brooks
Edward Herrmann as Thomas Craig Anderson
Craig Richard Nelson as Willis Bell
Robert Lydiard as O'Connor (as Bob Lydiard)
Lenny Baker as William Moss, Tutor
David Clennon as Toombs
Regina Baff as Asheley Brooks
Irma Hurley as Mrs. Weasal
Bill Moher as Philip
Blair Brown as Miss Farranti
Richard Whelan as Pruit

[edit] Plot

Expecting only the basic pressures of attending Harvard Law School, a serious, hard-working student (Timothy Bottoms) finds himself the fearful adversary of the school's most imperious, sarcastic professor (John Houseman). Their relationship grows even more complex when the boy discovers that the girl he's in love with is the professor's daughter (Lindsay Wagner). Edward Herrmann and James Naughton co-star.

[edit] Casting

John Houseman was cast as Professor Kingsfield only after director James Bridges tried and failed to interest James Mason, Edward G. Robinson, Melvyn Douglas, Sir John Gielgud, and Paul Scofield. Although Houseman had appeared in a small but important role in Seven Days in May, he had previously been known primarily as a radio (The Mercury Theatre of the Air; 1938's 'The War of the Worlds'), stage (Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre) and film ('Julius Caesar') producer, and this was his first major film role. It won him the 1973 Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor.^[1]