Robert Evans, Chinatown Producer Paramount Chief, Dies at 89

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Robert Evans, Chinatown Producer Paramount Chief, Dies at 89

Postby stillrobertpaulsen » Mon Oct 28, 2019 3:38 pm

Robert Evans, ‘Chinatown’ Producer and Paramount Chief, Dies at 89

Robert Evans, the Paramount executive who produced “Chinatown” and “Urban Cowboy” and whose life became as melodramatic and jaw-dropping as any of his films, died on Saturday night. He was 89.

Even though Hollywood history is filled with colorful characters, few can match the tale of Evans, whose life would seem far-fetched if it were fiction. With his matinee-idol looks but little acting talent, Evans was given starring roles in a few movies and then, with no studio experience, was handed the production reins at Paramount in the 1960s. When he left the exec ranks, his first film as a producer was the classic “Chinatown,” and he followed with other hits, like “Marathon Man” and “Urban Cowboy.” Eventually, his distinctive look and speaking style turned him into a cult figure, and he had the distinction of being the only film executive who starred in his own animated TV series.

His life was a continuous roller-coaster. Amid the successes, Ali MacGraw left him for Steve McQueen, her costar in the 1972 “The Getaway,” a love triangle that got huge media attention. (MacGraw was the third of Evans’ seven wives.) In 1980, Evans was arrested for cocaine possession and a few years later, was involved in an even bigger scandal: the murder of would-be Hollywood player Roy Radin during the production of “The Cotton Club.” Due to his association with Radin, Evans became a material witness in the execution-style slaying, though no proof of Evans’ knowledge of or connection to the murder was ever established.

Drug dependency and the studios’ changing corporate culture plagued Evans’ later career. When he eventually resurfaced at Paramount in the ’90s, his production track record was mostly undistinguished (“The Saint,” “Sliver”). But by then his larger-than-life persona was already the stuff of Hollywood legend. Evans parodied himself in the film “Burn, Hollywood, Burn” (1998), and Dustin Hoffman, a longtime friend, borrowed liberally from Evans in creating the character of an outrageous producer in the 1997 satire “Wag the Dog,” earning an Oscar nomination in the process.


Wasn't there more controversy with Evans besides cocaine and Cotton Club? Like prostitution?
"Huey Long once said, “Fascism will come to America in the name of anti-fascism.” I'm afraid, based on my own experience, that fascism will come to America in the name of national security."
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Re: Robert Evans, Chinatown Producer Paramount Chief, Dies a

Postby American Dream » Mon Oct 28, 2019 3:48 pm

Cocaine, contract killers, drug syndicates, shady money, satanic crime networks, etc.

This should provide some linkages: search.php?keywords=%22robert+evans%22
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Re: Robert Evans, Chinatown Producer Paramount Chief, Dies a

Postby stillrobertpaulsen » Mon Oct 28, 2019 4:25 pm

American Dream » Mon Oct 28, 2019 2:48 pm wrote:Cocaine, contract killers, drug syndicates, shady money, satanic crime networks, etc.

This should provide some linkages: search.php?keywords=%22robert+evans%22


Ah, visupview! Thanks for sharing, AD. I'll check it out.

The article I linked mentioned Evans as a prostitution customer, but I thought I had read something years ago about him being involved with an underage prostitution ring, not Epstein, but similar predating Epstein. I'll see if visupview has any details on that.
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Re: Robert Evans, Chinatown Producer Paramount Chief, Dies a

Postby American Dream » Mon Oct 28, 2019 4:32 pm

Heidi Fleiss was one association- not sure beyond that..
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Re: Robert Evans, Chinatown Producer Paramount Chief, Dies a

Postby Jerky » Mon Oct 28, 2019 9:38 pm

He was a character, that's for sure. A first-rate raconteur, too. "The Kid Stays in the Picture" is an absolutely addicting read.

The drug abuse, of course, was notorious. Underage prostitutes? Never heard anything about THAT kind of stuff.

I haven't read the Cotton Club Murders thread in a while. Does it touch on the fact that there's a rumored connection between that event, the Son of Sam slayings, and the Manson Family?

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Re: Robert Evans, Chinatown Producer Paramount Chief, Dies a

Postby American Dream » Mon Oct 28, 2019 9:46 pm

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