Editing Anthony Perkins (section)

===1970s===

==== Shift to supporting roles ====
In the 1970s, Perkins moved into supporting roles in Hollywood-feature films. The first of such motion pictures was 1970's ''[[Catch-22 (film)|Catch-22]]'', playing [[Chaplain Tappman]]. This was followed by a brief appearance in ''[[WUSA (film)|WUSA]]'' (1970), starring [[Paul Newman]] and [[Joanne Woodward]]. [[Off-Broadway]], he appeared in and directed ''[[Steambath (play)|Steambath]]'' (1970).{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=290}}

After that, Perkins shifted his focus away from movies briefly to star on the made-for-television film ''[[How Awful About Allan]]'' (1970), where he once again played a psychotic character, this time opposite the gifted and acclaimed leading ladies [[Julie Harris]] and [[Joan Hackett]]. Although the film was hardly a significant work at the time of its release, it eventually gained a minor cult following over the years, thanks in large part to its ubiquity as a result of its entering into the public domain, making it more and more available and accessible for future audiences.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=294}} He returned to motion pictures soon after, assisting [[Charles Bronson]] in the French crime drama ''[[Someone Behind the Door]]'' (1971), playing yet another mentally disturbed man. This was also an insignificant endeavor.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=298}}

[[File:Anthony Perkins Paul Newman Judge Roy Bean.jpg|thumb|Anthony Perkins (left) with Paul Newman (right) in ''The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean'' (1972)]]
It seemed that Perkins could not escape his murderous image on screen, especially after he starred in Chabrol's murder mystery ''[[Ten Days' Wonder (film)|Ten Days' Wonder]]'' (1971), his third film with Orson Welles. It was also the third film where he fell in love with his step-mother (after 1958's ''Desire Under the Elms'' and 1962's ''Phaedra''). Perkins was reunited with another one of his older costars when he supported Tuesday Weld in ''[[Play It as It Lays (film)|Play It as It Lays]]'' (1972), based on the [[Play It as It Lays|Joan Didion novel]]. It follows Maria (Weld), a washed-up model who pursues a meaning in life beyond her dull marriage. She is friends with B.Z. (Perkins), a closeted producer who is being paid by his mother to also remain in a loveless marriage. For both stars, their roles were almost autobiographical, resulting in stunning performances. The ''Chicago-Sun Times'' praised, "What makes the movie work so well on this difficult ground is, happily, easy to say: It has been well-written and directed, and Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins are perfectly cast as Maria and her friend B.Z. The material is so thin (and has to be) that the actors have to bring the human texture along with them. They do, and they make us care about characters who have given up caring for themselves."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/play-it-as-it-lays-1973|title=Play It as It Lays movie review (1973) &#124; Roger Ebert|first=Roger|last=Ebert|website=rogerebert.com/}}</ref> Weld received a [[Golden Globe]] for her role, and both actors were expected to be nominated for Academy Awards. Neither were. However, Perkins publicly labelled the film as being his best performance.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=304}}

Perkins changed genres for his next film, ''[[The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean]]'' (1972). He played a wandering minister who assists the title character ([[Paul Newman]]), following him as he causes mayhem in the town. This was his second film with Newman and his only film with ex-partner Tab Hunter, whom Hunter later recalled he bumped into at the Tucson location:
<blockquote>"We hadn't seen each other in nearly ten years{{nbsp}}... What I didn't know at the time of our brief union was that Tony's long-running battle with his personal demons had reached a breaking point. He was ending a long relationship with dancer [[Grover Dale]] and had started therapy with Mildred Newman{{nbsp}}... Newman convinced Tony that his personal problems stemmed in large measure from him being gay, and she prescribed a course of action–including electroshock therapy–to turn him straight."{{sfn|Hunter|2006|p=287}}</blockquote>

According to Perkins, he had his first heterosexual experience on the set of the film with costar [[Victoria Principal]].<ref name=People/>

==== Sondheim-Perkins collaborations and unconventional roles ====
[[File:Anthony-Perkins-Stephen-Sondheim.jpg|thumb|left|Perkins (left) with [[Pat Ast]] (center), [[Marisa Berenson]] (right) and Stephen Sondheim (seated), 1973]]
In 1973, Perkins reunited with close friend Stephen Sondheim to co-write ''[[The Last of Sheila]]'', a 1973 American mystery film directed by [[Herbert Ross]]. It was based on the games Perkins and Sondheim made up together and revolved around a movie producer who tries to discover who murdered his unfaithful wife by taking his rich friends on a maze through exotic locations, each with a piece of gossip applying to one of the other people aboard a yacht. The characters were influenced by people Perkins and Sondheim knew in real life:<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XanCQXL6y_M/|title=Last of Sheila (1973) Production Short|date=August 15, 2020 |via=YouTube|access-date=January 10, 2022}}</ref> The film was a commercial success, and led to Perkins and Sondheim sharing the [[Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay]], which led them to try to collaborate again two more times.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} The next project was announced in 1975, titled ''The Chorus Girl Murder Case''. "It's a sort of stew based on all those Bob Hope wartime comedies, plus a little ''[[Lady of Burlesque]]'' and a little [[Orson Welles]] magic show, all cooked into a ''Last of Sheila''-type plot", said Perkins.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Flatley, Guy|date=December 28, 1975|title=It's Been One of Tony Perkins' Better Years: A Good Year for Tony Perkins|page=O27|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> He later said other inspirations were ''[[They Got Me Covered]]'', ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'' and ''[[Cloak and Dagger (1946 film)|Cloak and Dagger]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Flatley, Guy|date=February 19, 1978|title=Perkins: Film 'sickie' turns to reel bigamy|page=E23|work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> They had sold the synopsis in October 1974.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Winer, Linda|date=October 20, 1974|title=Filling blanks in the puzzle of Sondheim", ''Chicago Tribune''|page=E3}}</ref> At one point, [[Michael Bennett (theater)|Michael Bennett]] was to direct, with [[Tommy Tune]] to star.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=327}} In November 1979, Sondheim said they had finished it.<ref>{{cite news|author=Mann, Roderick|date=November 29, 1979|title=Cool Down on 'Rough Cut'|page=G25|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> However, the film was never made.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=327}} In the 1980s, Perkins and Sondheim collaborated on another project, the seven-part ''Crime and Variations'' for Motown Productions. In October 1984 they had submitted a treatment to Motown.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Mann, Roderick|date=October 7, 1984|title=TONY PERKINS: THE 'CRIMES' OF HIS HEART|page=X24|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> It was a 75-page treatment set in the New York socialite world about a crime puzzle. Another writer was to write the script. It, too, was never made.<ref>{{cite book|last=Zadan|first=Craig|title=Sondheim & Co.|publisher=Harper & Row|year=1986|pages=352–53}}</ref>

Perkins was one of the many stars featured in ''[[Murder on the Orient Express (1974 film)|Murder on the Orient Express]]'' (1974), adapted from a popular [[Agatha Christie]] novel. He played the suspicious McQueen, and was reunited with previous costars Ingrid Bergman (1961's ''Goodbye Again'') and Martin Balsam (1960's ''Psycho''), as well as being teamed up with legendary actors such as [[Lauren Bacall]]. The picture was a massive box office smash, the 10th-highest-grossing film of that year, a hit with critics, and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including a third (and final) career win for co-star Bergman.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=342}} Also in 1974, Perkins co-starred with [[Beau Bridges]] and [[Blythe Danner]] in ''[[Lovin' Molly]]'', a drama film directed by [[Sidney Lumet]]. It had a budget of over $1.2&nbsp;million and was relatively well received.<ref>So You Make a Movie-Will the Public Ever See It?: Movies So You Make a Movie -- Will the Public See It? By STEPHEN FARBER. New York Times February 24, 1974: 105.</ref>

He enjoyed success on Broadway in [[Peter Shaffer]]'s 1974 play ''[[Equus (play)|Equus]]'' (where he was a replacement in the leading role originally played by [[Anthony Hopkins]]). In the show, he played a psychiatrist who attempts to rid his patient of their unnatural obsession with horses, shedding his stereotypical performance as a mentally disturbed man. His role was received to rave reviews, perhaps some of the best of his Broadway career.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/17/archives/stage-perkins-in-equus-shaffer-drama-is-still-magnificent-theater.html|title=Stage: Perkins in 'Equus'|last=Barnes|first=Clive|date=July 17, 1975|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 26, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He continued with his stage work and directed the Off-Broadway production ''The Wager'' (1974), which had an insignificant impact.<ref>''Split Image'', 1996</ref>

Perkins returned to film supporting [[Diana Ross]] in ''[[Mahogany (film)|Mahogany]]'' (1975), where he played a photographer bent on making a young model (Ross) into a star. Perkins and Ross were good friends on set, to the point where Perkins's wife joked about their running off together, but this did not result in any strain from production. Perkins's photographer character, Sean, was rewritten shortly before filming began to capitalize on his ''Psycho'' persona. This was made worse by the fact that the once explicitly gay character was now simply queer-coded {{Clarify|date=July 2023}}, as well as being written in a homophobic way.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=352}} It was because of this and other factors that Perkins thought the film was mediocre, but it did well at the box office, setting attendance records shortly after its release.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=353}}

[[File:AnthonyPerkinsSNL.jpg|thumb|Perkins posing for the intro of his ''Saturday Night Live'' episode, 1976]]

Continuing in the vein of comedy appearances, Perkins hosted television's ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' in its first season in 1976. On the show, he poked fun at his serious image, crying out for his "good-luck panties." He briefly addressed the audience during his opening monologue, thanking them for seeing "the real Tony Perkins," before launching into a skit about Norman Bates's School for Motel Management, reprising his infamous role from ''Psycho''. He also played a singing psychiatrist (perhaps influenced by ''Equus'', something also mentioned in his opening monologue) and a victim in numerous pretend horror films. Towards the end of the program, Perkins posed and chatted with [[The Muppets]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://archive.org/details/saturday-night-live-s-01e-16-anthony-perkins-3-13-1976|title=Saturday Night Live S01E16|date=March 13, 1976 |access-date=January 11, 2022}}</ref>

Two years after his ''SNL'' appearance, Perkins co-starred with [[Geraldine Chaplin]] in ''[[Remember My Name (film)|Remember My Name]]'' (1978). Perkins plays the husband of his real-life wife, Berry Berenson. Perkins's character is besieged by his ex-spouse (Chaplin) who has just been released from prison and is bent on getting him back.<ref>{{cite news |last=Flatley |first=Guy |title=At The Movies |page=64 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 16, 1977 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/12/16/archives/at-the-movies-tony-perkins-goes-from-callow-troubles-to-more-mature.html |access-date=July 30, 2011}}</ref> Director-writer [[Alan Rudolph]] described it as "an update of the classic woman's melodramas of the [[Bette Davis]], [[Barbara Stanwyck]], [[Joan Crawford]] era."<ref>Rosenbaum, Jonathan. "Remember My Name". ''Film Quarterly''. Vol. 32, no. 3, Spring, 1979</ref> The motion picture was surprisingly popular and well-received, with the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' giving the film 4 out of 5 stars. They also praised both Perkins's and Chaplin's performances as "extraordinary."<ref>LaSalle, Mick. ''Mr. Perkins and the Vicious Stalker''. ''San Francisco Chronicle''. January 13, 1995.</ref>

After ''Remember My Name'', Perkins had more roles on television, playing [[Mary Tyler Moore]]'s husband in ''[[First, You Cry]]'' (1978),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077555/fullcredits|title=First, You Cry (1978 TV movie): Full Cast and Crew|publisher=IMDb|access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref> a biographical drama film based on the 1976 autobiography of NBC News correspondent [[Betty Rollin]] recounting her battle with breast cancer.<ref>{{cite web|title= Harper Collins|url= http://www.harpercollins.com/browseinside/index.aspx?isbn13=9780060956301|access-date= June 15, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121021031906/http://www.harpercollins.com/browseinside/index.aspx?isbn13=9780060956301|archive-date= October 21, 2012|url-status= dead}}</ref> The film was nominated for numerous awards, including the [[Golden Globe Award]] for Best Motion Picture Made for Television and numerous [[Primetime Emmys]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077555/awards/?ref_=tt_awd|title=First, You Cry (1978 TV Movie): Awards|publisher=IMDb|access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref> In 1979, it was parodied on an episode of ''SNL'' with a sketch titled "First He Cries." It follows a husband ([[Bill Murray]]) who's distraught over his wife's ([[Gilda Radner]]) mastectomy. The sketch was poorly received, resulting in over 200 calls and 300 letters of complaint.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://screenrant.com/snl-skits-aged-poorly/|title=SNL: 10 Skits That Aged Poorly|website=Screenrant|date=April 6, 2020 |access-date=January 24, 2022}}</ref>

After the modest success of ''First, You Cry'', Perkins continued on his television streak when he played Javert in ''[[Les Misérables (1978 film)|Les Misérables]]'' (1978)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077936/fullcredits|title=Les Misérables (1978 TV Movie): Full Cast and Crew|publisher=IMDb|access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref> based on Victor Hugo's 2,000-page novel about the [[June Rebellion]], opposite [[Richard Jordan]] as Jean Valjean. He projected a more kid-friendly light when he was featured in [[Walt Disney]]'s mammoth science fiction epic ''[[The Black Hole (1979 film)|The Black Hole]]'' in 1979, where he reunited with crew members from ''Fear Strikes Out'', whom he hadn't seen in twenty-two years. The film also developed a large cult status with sci-fi fans, and was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, as well as a nod for its complex and groundbreaking visual effects.<ref name="Turner Classic Movies">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/68882/the-black-hole/|title=The Black Hole|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref>

Shortly thereafter, Perkins returned to the boards in 1979 in another Broadway success with the play ''[[Romantic Comedy (play)|Romantic Comedy]]'' by [[Bernard Slade]], the author of ''[[Same Time, Next Year (play)|Same Time, Next Year]]''. He played playwright Jason Carmichael who meets Phoebe Craddock ([[Mia Farrow]]) and falls in love with her, and they decide to work together on a production. The show was a wild success and ran for 396 performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/production/romantic-comedy-ethel-barrymore-theatre-vault-0000004321|title=Romantic Comedy Broadway|website=Playbill|access-date=January 11, 2022}}</ref> The ''New York Post'' wrote: "A darling of a play{{nbsp}}... zesty entertainment of cool wit and warm sentiment."