New York City in 1971 was dirty, gritty, and felt like the XXX capital of the country. I know because I lived there after graduating from college. I was 22 and thought I knew how to handle myself in any situation. I had a rude awakening. NYC didn’t care who you were or where you came from. Walking the streets in broad daylight or in the evening was dangerous for a New Yorker or a wannabe.
My Uncle Max would caution me not to talk with anyone, keep my head down, make no eye contact, and above all, not smile. I did not believe it could be that scary. It only took one time crossing the Lincoln Tunnel from Jersey to the bustling, garbage-filled streets to change my mind. I spent every weekend in Manhattan by myself for close to six months. I learned how to act like a city gal very quickly. I did not enjoy being followed, harassed, or spoken to with such disrespect simply because I was a young woman. It boggled my brain how quickly I was offered drugs and sex at any time of day or night. The number of shady characters I met could forever fill any actor’s improvisational notebook.
New York was noisy. Sirens, horns, and people screaming were a common occurrence. Car chases happened often. Someone was always chasing another person, whether on foot or in a sedan. No one would bat an eye because, remember, we all walked with our heads down. I saw THE FRENCH CONNECTION literally every moment I roamed those streets or rode the subway. Dark bars blaring loud music, thugs, and cops who had a racist chip on their shoulders were on every street corner. The powerhouse film was authentic and captivated me in my naive youth.
THE FRENCH CONNECTION put Gene Hackman as ‘Popeye’ or Jimmy Doyle on everyone’s radar as the next big Hollywood star. Wearing his porkpie hat, scowling at every person he met, shoving men against the facade while screaming, “Hands on the wall,” and shooting first, thinking later were all a part of who this larger-than-life Police Detective was emulating. He became the undercover narcotics cop Eddie Egan as depicted in Robin Moore’s original novel. Hackman shadowed Egan for a month before filming. Hackman often thought he would be arrested for impersonating an officer. The nickname, Popeye, was real because Egan would ‘pop’ his eyes and flex his arms, much like the cartoon character.
Roy Scheider played the partner, Buddy ‘Cloudy’ Russo. He was the spitting image of Egan’s partner, Sunny Grosso. Together this team made history due to their electrifying chemistry and realistic scenarios. Many of the intense film moments were taken from real cases and how they were solved. The opening scene, wearing Santa Claus suits, is a trademark of the dynamic duo, as is the rough treatment in local bars. (FYI, the Santa Clause scenes took 27 takes to do it right.)
William Friedkin (THE EXORCIST, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, CSI) was the director who filmed THE FRENCH CONNECTION in over fifty NY locations. No set was built for any scenes, nor did Friedkin obtain any working permits, especially for the most famous and dangerous car chase in film history. The bars, the warehouses, the apartments, and the harrowing ride under the elevated subway tracks were the real deal. (Only the child in the baby carriage was a dummy. Thank goodness) Friedkin was known for treating Hackman like shit before and after filming. He intended to make Hackman as angry as possible and keep him in that mood. Friedkin said it was the direct opposite of how he usually liked to direct. It worked amazingly well since THE FRENCH CONNECTION received five Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, (Hackman) Best Screenplay, and Best Editing.
The blatant bigotry shown by Popeye and Cloudy was hard to forget. They did not believe in doing anything by the book. Their words and expressions put the fear of God in everyone around them. They were crude and worked nonstop to solve a crime. Two famous lines from the movie still raise the hairs on most perp’s chests. “I’m gonna nail you for picking your feet in Poughkeepsie,” and “Wanna milkshake?” I guess you have to be there in person to feel the anxiety. Hackman and Scheider knew how to deliver stunning results.
THE FRENCH CONNECTION is a cop-chasing crime drama classic. The chances the actors and crew took shook the industry to its core and have never been duplicated, especially now with CGI. So much could have gone wrong, but didn’t and gave cinema buffs a standard impossible to touch. It was a brilliant film offering a slice of life audiences don’t usually get to witness. It created unlikely heroes and stirred the pot with historical moments we would like to forget. New York City improved with age, as did I.
THE FRENCH CONNECTION is streaming on TCM.
