Utah-born movie-maker Hal Ashby, who ranked high among the giants of 1970s Hollywood who reveled in their new freedoms to depict sex and nudity, was born on this date in 1929.
Although Ashby died from cancer in 1988, the classic films he helmed have only improved with age, and they live on as each new generation discovers the power of his one-of-a-kind talent.
Over time, Hal Ashby has become most familiar as the director of the cult favorite Harold and Maude, an unflinchingly romantic black comedy about a love affair between a suicidal teen (Bud Cort) and an 80-year-old Holocaust survivor (Ruth Gordon).
However, with the naked star power on display in the Ashby landmarks The Last Detail, Coming Home, and 8 Million Ways to Die, fans can rest assured that the name Hal Ashby will endure for many years to come.
Flesh-Friendly Filmmaker Hal Ashby Born -- September 2, 1929
Tagged in: cult, 1970s, midnight movie, Goldie Hawn, Jane Fonda, Hal Ashby, Shampoo, Julie Christie, Carol Kane
