Baxter!

1972 British-American drama film

4 March 1973 (1973-03-04) (New York City)

CountriesUnited Kingdom
United StatesLanguageEnglish

Baxter! is a 1973 British-American drama film directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring Patricia Neal, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Britt Ekland.^[1]^[2] The film follows a young boy called Roger Baxter who struggles to overcome his speech problem (rhotacism) and his strained relationship with his parents. The screenplay was by Reginald Rose, based on the 1968 book by Kin Platt, The Boy Who Could Make Himself Disappear.

The film was made before Jeffries' third film as director, The Amazing Mr Blunden (1972), but released afterwards.^[3]

Plot

Roger Baxter, a young American boy with a speech impediment, goes to live in London with his mother after his parents' divorce. He struggles to pronounce the letter R, and at school he becomes close to his speech therapist. He makes friends with his upstairs neighbour Chris Bentley whom he meets in the lift, and her French husband, Roger Tunnell. He also meets Nemo, a girl who lives across the street from his flat. His parents are extremely self-centred and neglectful, and he feels isolated in a strange city. He eventually slides into an emotional breakdown.

Cast

Scott Jacoby as Roger Baxter
Patricia Neal as Doctor Roberta Clemm
Jean-Pierre Cassel as Roger Tunnell
Britt Ekland as Chris Bentley
Lynn Carlin as Mrs. Baxter
Sally Thomsett as Nora "Nemo" Newman
Paul Eddington as Mr. Rawling
Paul Maxwell as Mr. Baxter
Ian Thompson as Dr. Walsh
Ronald Leigh-Hunt as Mr. Fishie
Frances Bennett as Mrs. Newman
Dorothy Alison as Nurse Kennedy
George Tovey as George
Marianne Stone as woman

Production

The Boy Who Could Make Himself Disappear was published in 1968. One critic called it "unforgettable".^[4]

In November 1971, it was announced the film would be called The Boy and it would be a co production between Anglo-EMI Films and Group W Films.^[5] Hanna-Barbera also produced the film; it is one of the studio's live-action efforts, despite being primarily known as an animation studio.

The film starred Scott Jacoby, who had just played the lead in a TV movie, That Certain Summer.^[6] It was a rare English-language film for Jean-Pierre Cassel.^[7]

References

^ "Baxter!". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
^ "Baxter! (1972)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
^ "BAXTER!" Monthly Film Bulletin London Vol. 40, Iss. 468, (Jan 1, 1973): 48.
^ Coles, Robert. (6 October 1968). "Review 3 -- No Title". Chicago Tribune. p. 20.
^ Aldrich, Lancaster Reunited Murphy, Mary. Los Angeles Times (27 Nov 1971: a9.
^ Haber, Joyce. (13 March 1973). "Would-be Lawyer Tuning Up as Actor". Los Angeles Times. p. e9.
^ Michael Kernan. (10 March 1973). "Cassel on Tour: Of Cassel and 'Baxter!'". The Washington Post. p. B1.