Harry and Tonto   

By Marshall Fine

In 1974, the Oscar nominees for Best Actor included Jack Nicholson (Chinatown), Al Pacino (Godfather Part II), and Dustin Hoffman (Lenny). And the winner? Art Carney for this Paul Mazursky comedy about a retired schoolteacher evicted from his apartment to make way for urban redevelopment. So he takes his cat, Tonto, and heads cross-country to live with one of his children. But the trip is an eventful one, involving encounters with an assortment of friends and strangers. Carney is a game and canny old pro and he helps this film rise above its occasionally sentimental excesses; the result is consistently entertaining. But honestly--the Oscar over Nicholson, Pacino, and Hoffman? You be the judge.

Academy Awards

Harry and Tonto received an Academy Award for Actor (Art Carney). Harry and Tonto also received an Academy Awards nomination for Writing (Best Original Screenplay; Paul Mazursky & Josh Greenfeld).

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