Editing Awakenings (section)

==Production==
===Casting===
On September 15, 1989, [[Liz Smith (journalist)|Liz Smith]] reported that those being considered for the role of Leonard Lowe's mother were [[Kaye Ballard]], [[Shelley Winters]] and [[Anne Jackson]].<ref>Smith, Liz (September 15, 1989). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97001379/daily-news/ "Guess What She's Doing for Love"]. ''Daily News'' (New York). p.&nbsp;8. Retrieved March 6, 2022.</ref> Three weeks later, ''[[Newsday]]'' named [[Nancy Marchand]] as the leading contender.<ref>Fleming, Michael; Freifeld, Karen; Stasi, Linda (October 4, 1989). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97275220/newsday/ "Inside New York: Big Wigs at Lunch"]. ''Newsday'' (New York). p.&nbsp;12. Retrieved March 9, 2022.</ref>

In January 1990—more than three quarters of the way through the film's four-month shooting schedule<ref>{{Cite news|title=New Film Starts|author=|date=October 18, 1989|work=Variety|pages=24|quote=Awakenings (Col) 10/11/89.|id={{ProQuest|1286179696}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Film Production (Films Currently in Production)|author=|date=December 5, 1989|work=The Hollywood Reporter|pages=23|quote=Shooting in New York (Start October 16).|id={{ProQuest|2610466570}}}}</ref><ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099077/locations?ref_=ttfc_ql_5#filming_dates Filming & Production; Filming Dates]. [[IMDb]].</ref>— the matter was seemingly resolved when the February 1990 issue of ''[[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]]'' magazine published a widely cited story belatedly informing fans that not only had Winters gotten the role, she had been targeted at De Niro's request and had been cast by displaying her [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] awards (for the benefit of veteran casting director, [[Bonnie Timmermann]]).{{efn|Neither as printed in the following 1990 ''Premiere'' excerpt nor as recounted by Winters herself six years later does this anecdote identify by name the casting director in question. As regards gender, however (and notwithstanding subsequent versions to the contrary), Winters's own account clearly cites a "casting ''lady''",<ref name="SW@TS">[https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxEFMvviAnzBHFHy9aM1gE1_B-z_nmWP57 "SHELLEY WINTERS ~ Interview Tom Snyder Show (1996) pt 1"]. [[YouTube]].</ref> and Bonnie Timmerman is indeed the credited casting director on the finished film.<ref>{{Cite news|title='''Awakenings.''' USA, 1990|author=|date=March 1, 1991|work=Monthly Film Bulletin|pages=72|quote=Cert—12. ''dist''—Columbia TriStar. ''p.c.''—Columbia. ''exec. p''—Penny Marshall, Anne Schmidt, Elliot Abbott. ''p''—Walter F. Parkes, Lawrence Lasker. ''assoc. p''—Amy Lemisch. ''p. office co-ordinator''—Harriette Kanew. ''unit p. manager''—Timothy M. Bourne. ''location manager''—Richard Baratta. ''casting''—Bonnie Timmermann. (addit.) Todd M. Thaler, Judie Fixler.|id={{ProQuest|1305840679}}}}</ref>}}

{{Blockquote|Ms. Winters arrived, sat down across from the casting director and did, well, nothing. After a moment of silence, she reached into her satchel and pulled out an Oscar, which she placed on the desk. After another moment, she reached in and pulled out another, placing it on the desk beside the first.{{efn|At this point, a red flag regarding this story's accuracy should have been raised by any truly well-versed Winters fan, given the fact that roughly fifteen years earlier (as was widely reported, both at the time and subsequently), she had famously donated the first of her two Oscars to the [[Anne Frank Museum]] in [[Amsterdam]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Winters' Oscar Going to Anne Frank Museum|author=Reuter|date=January 11, 1975|work=The Globe and Mail|page=34|quote=Miss Winters is in London to make a comedy, Heaven Save Us From Our Friends, opposite Lee J. Cobb. She surprised the cast of the picture by turning up with the little statuette in her luggage. [...] This weekend the unit moves to Bruges, in Belgium, for more shooting and Miss Winters plans to go to Amsterdam to hand over the coveted trophy. A spokesman for Miss Winters said: 'She plans to do this very quietly. She doesn't want people to think she is cashing in on such a tragic story for publicity for herself.|id={{ProQuest|1239438574}}}}</ref><ref>United Press International (January 16, 1975). [https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SBS19750116.1.3&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22actress+gives+oscar+to+museum%22------- "Actress Gives Oscar to Museum"]. ''San Bernardino Sun''. p.&nbsp;A-3. Retrieved January 13, 2022.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title='Oscarisms' Through the Years|author=Biederman, Danny|date=May 1979|work=American Cinematographer|page=493|quote=Shelley Winters, Best Supporting Actress winner for THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK in 1960[sic], would 16 years later donate her Oscar to the Anne Frank Museum in Amsrerdam—the actual house where the thirteen-year-old Anne, in 1942, wrote her journal. At first, the Museum turned down the trophy because they couldn't decide what to do with it. Eventually they changed their mind and accepted the statuette during a ceremony that was attended by Anne Frank's father, Otto.|id={{ProQuest|2296239796}}}}</ref><ref>McCombs, Don; Worth, Fred L. (1983). ''[https://archive.org/details/worldwariisuperf00mcc_rh6/page/572/mode/2up?q=%22Shelley+Winters%22+%22anne+frank+Museum%22 World War II Super Facts]''. New York: Warner Books. pp.&nbsp;572–573.</ref><ref>Levy, Emanuel (1987). ''[https://archive.org/details/andwinnerishisto0000levy/page/238/mode/2up?q=%22Shelley+Winters%22 And the Winner Is... : The History and Politics of the Oscar Awards]''. New York: Ungar Publishing Company. p.&nbsp;238. {{ISBN|0804425108}}.</ref> Indeed, Winters' own version of events, as recounted to [[Tom Snyder]] in 1996, while failing to inform viewers that she did not in fact land the role in question, is accurate as regards both number of Oscars involved and gender—i.e. female—of both the film's unnamed "casting lady" and director Penny Marshall, towards whom, at least in retrospect, Winters displays a markedly greater degree of deference: "If Penny Marshall, who was the director, was going to ask me to read, that was okay with me."<ref name="SW@TS"/>}} Finally she said: "Some people think I can act. Do you still want me to read for this part?" "No, Miss Winters," came the reply. She got the part.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96999818/the-baltimore-sun/ "Shelley Winters Flaunts Talent"]. ''The Baltimore Sun''. January 25, 1990. p.&nbsp;2F. Retrieved March 6, 2022. See also:<br>
* {{Cite news|title=Personalities|author=Conconi, Chuck|date=January 25, 1990|newspaper=The Washington Post|page=B3|quote=The actress arrived and sat down across from the casting director. After a moment of silence, she reached into her satchel and pulled out an Oscar, which she placed on the desk. Then she reached in and pulled out another, placing it next to the first. Finally she said, 'Some people think I can act. Do you still want me to read for this part?' 'No, Miss Winters,' came the reply. She got the part.|id={{ProQuest|140131176}}}}
* Record News Services (January 25, 1990). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/496185879/?clipping_id=118074407 "Thursday's People: Her Friend, Oscar"]. ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]''. p.&nbsp;2
* Camilli, Doug (January 26, 1990). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/420652000/?clipping_id=118070800 "Hanks Harvests Plum Role as Real McCoy in Bonfire of the Vanities"]. ''The Montreal Gazette''. p.&nbsp;18.
* {{Cite news|title=People: Eastwood Recalls Joy of Filming Series|author=Staff and Wire Reports|date=January 26, 1990|work=The St. Petersburg Times|page=3A|quote=The actress arrived and sat down across from the casting director. After a moment of silence, she reached into her satchel and pulled out an Oscar, which she placed on the desk. Then she reached in and pulled out another, placing it next to the first. Finally she said, 'Some people think I can act. Do you still want me to read for this part?' 'No, Miss Winters,' came the reply. She got the part.|id={{ProQuest|262710756}}}}
* Powell, Lew (January 29, 1990). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/625591553/?clipping_id=118070820 "Statues Speak Louder Than Words"]. ''The Charlotte Observer''. p.&nbsp;6B.
* Berger, Joe; O'Neil, Cindy; eds. (March 13, 1990). [https://books.google.com/books?id=RPQDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA13 "World's Hottest Gossip: Kathleen Turner Goes Nuts for Sexy Leading Men ... and hubby pitches fits!; Prince Dines on Canned Frosting"]. ''Weekly World News''. p.&nbsp;13. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
* [https://www.newspapers.com/image/735812331/?clipping_id=118079080 "Star Gazing: Silence Is Golden"]. ''The Winnipeg Sun''. August 5, 1992. p.&nbsp;16.</ref>}}
Despite Liz Smith's, ''Newsday''<nowiki/>'s and ''Premiere'''s seemingly definitive reports (which, minus any mention of the specific film being discussed, would be periodically reiterated and ultimately embellished in subsequent years),<ref>Ebert, Roger (May 12, 1995). [https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/swimming-with-sharks-1995 "'Sharks' Takes Sardonic Swipe at Hollywood"]. ''Chicago Sun-Times''. p.&nbsp;37. Retrieved—via RogerEbert.com. "When we first meet [Guy], he's having lunch with a table full of other ambitious young would-be executives, at Musso and Frank's. He's telling an anecdote about how Shelley Winters was asked to audition for a producer once, and simply pulled her Oscars out of her handbag and lined them up on his desk. It would be a great story, if the others had heard of Shelley Winters (one of them finally remembers her from 'The Poseidon Adventure'). Retrieved March 6, 2022. See also:<br>
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrR3CVpTCJo&t=30s "SHELLEY WINTERS ~ Interview Tom Snyder Show (1996) pt 1"]. [[YouTube]].
* Bernard, Jami (September 17, 2000). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97034569/daily-news/ "And the Return Envelope, Please... "]. ''New York Daily News''.
* [https://www.newspapers.com/image/745016573/?clipping_id=118092435 "Movies: When Shelley Winters was asked to audition..."]. ''The Sun Herald Marquee''. March 27, 2003. p.4.
* Danziger, Maya (February 2005). [https://books.google.com/books?id=UV8EAAAAMBAJ&dq=shelley+winters&pg=PA75 "The Twilight Zone: The Shelley Winters Moment"]. ''Los Angeles Magazine''. p.&nbsp;75.
* O'Malley, Sheila (January 16, 2006). [https://www.sheilaomalley.com/?p=4196 "R.I.P., Shelley Winters"]. The Sheila Variations.
* [https://dameonline.blogspot.com/2007/11/shelley-winters.html "Shelley Winters; Comments &#91;Comment #4&#93;"]. DAMEonline.net. November 12, 2007.
* O'Malley, Sheila (December 1, 2008). [http://www.sheilaomalley.com/?p=8645 "The Books: “Shelley, Also Known As Shirley” (Shelley Winters)"]. The Sheila Variations.
* Brown, David (March 6, 2014). [https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/albert-pujols-channels-joe-pesci-character-after-being-insulted-mike-trout-comparison-220227246.html "Albert Pujols channels Joe Pesci character after being insulted by Mike Trout comparison"]. Yahoo!Entertainment.</ref><ref>Cronin, Brian (July 6, 2022). [https://www.cbr.com/shelley-winters-oscar-story-true-or-not/ "Is the Famous Shelley Winters Oscar Story Really True?"]. ''[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]]''. Retrieved February 6, 2023.</ref> the film was released in December 1990, featuring neither Winters (whose early dismissal evidently resulted from continuing attempts to pull rank on director Penny Marshall)<ref>Agan, Patrick (1993). [https://www.mediafire.com/view/0reg0i7pzy1jhs6/ ''Robert De Niro: The Man, the Myth and the Movies'']. London: Robert Hale. pp.&nbsp;187–188. {{ISBN|9780709052241}}.</ref><ref>Baxter, John (2003). [https://archive.org/details/denirobiography0000baxt_r5v0/page/288/mode/2up?q=%22penny+marshall%22+awakenings+%22niro+also+got+a+say%22+%22shelley+winters%22 ''De Niro: An Autobiography'']. London: HarperCollinsPublishers. p.&nbsp;289. {{ISBN|0-00-653230-6}}.</ref> nor any of the other previously publicized candidates (nor at least two others, [[Jo Van Fleet]] and [[Teresa Wright]], identified in subsequent accounts),<ref name="HH">Haun, Harry (2000). ''[https://archive.org/details/cinematiccentury00harr/page/n273/mode/2up?q=%22robert+de+niro+and+ruth+nelson+in+awakenings%22 The Cinematic Century: An Intimate Diary of America's Affair with the Movies]''. New York: Applause. {{ISBN|1557834008}}.</ref><ref name=TWreRN>Spoto, Donald (2016). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=5ACkCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT272 A Girl's Got to Breathe: The Life of Teresa Wright]''. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. {{ISBN|9781628460452}}.</ref> but rather the 85-year-old [[Group Theatre (New York)|Group Theater]] alumnus [[Ruth Nelson (actress)|Ruth Nelson]], giving a well-received performance in what would be her final feature film.<ref>{{Cite news|title=De Niro Shines in "Awakenings'|author=Stone, Judy|date=December 20, 1990|work=The San Francisco Chronicle|pages=4|quote=For an all-too-brief time, he's free of the deeply symbiotic relationship with his too-devoted mother (Ruth Nelson, so splendidly shaken by his unexpected 'recovery').|id={{ProQuest|302504282}}}} See also:
* {{Cite news|title=De Niro Shines in "Awakenings'|author=Honeycutt, Kirk|date=December 13, 1990|work=The Hollywood Reporter|pages=9, 18|quote=The film's most tough-minded performance belongs to Ruth Nelson as Leonard's tenacious, white-haired mother. Having tended him for decades, she is overwhelmed by his recovery, yet better prepared to face its consequences than the doctors|id={{ProQuest|2610464859}}}}.
* Carroll, Kathleen (December 20, 1990). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97558527/daily-news/ "De Niro Rises and Shines in 'Awakenings'; Robin Williams and Ruth Nelson also touch the heart in this Tale of medical miracles"]. ''New York Daily News''. p.&nbsp;31, 39. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
* {{Cite news|title=Reviews: Awakenings|author=Svitil, Torene|date=December 21, 1990|work=Screen International|pages=14|quote=Williams and Julie Kavner (who plays his nurse) are sympathetic and Ruth Nelson is flawless as his mother|id={{ProQuest|1014656550}}}}.
* Agan. op. cit., p.&nbsp;[https://archive.org/details/robertdeniromanm0000agan/page/188/mode/2up?q=%22nelson%22 188].</ref><ref name="HH"/> "As Leonard's mother," wrote ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' critic, [[Julie Salamon]], "Nelson achieves a wrenching beauty that stands out even among these exceptional actors doing exceptional things."<ref>{{Cite news|title=Real Rip van Winkles in 'Awakenings'|author=Salamon, Julie|date=December 20, 1990|work=The Wall Street Journal|pages=A14|id={{ProQuest|135423138}}}}.</ref> In her 2012 memoir, Penny Marshall recalled:
{{Blockquote|Ruth was a great lady. She was a New York stage actress in the 1930s who transitioned to movies but was blacklisted in the 1950s when her second husband was among those Senator Joseph McCarthy labeled a Communist. She was victimized by association and didn't work for three decades. When I met her, she was eighty-four and had battled a brain tumor and also had arthritis. I stared at her slender arms and gnarled hands. It looked like she had pushed her kid's arms and legs down for years. I liked her. I couldn't get her insured, but I didn't care. Neither did she. She wanted to do it. To me, that’s what the movie was about.<ref>Marshall, Penny (2012). [https://archive.org/details/mymotherwasnutsm0000mars_f9a2/page/238/mode/2up?q=%22ruth+was+a+great+lady%22+%22i+couldn%27t+get+her+insured%22 ''My Mother Was Nuts: A Memoir'']. Boston: New Harvest/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp.&nbsp;239–240. {{ISBN|978-0-547-89262-7}}.</ref>}}

===Filming===
[[Principal photography]] for ''Awakenings'' began on October 16, 1989, at the Kingsboro Psychiatric Center in [[Brooklyn, New York|Brooklyn]], New York, which was operating, and lasted until February 16, 1990. According to Williams, actual patients were used in the filming of the movie.<ref>{{cite AV media|title=Robin Williams Interview on the Tonight Show, 1991|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqdSagycCWc| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/iqdSagycCWc| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|work=[[Tonight Show]]|publisher=[[NBC]]|access-date=February 17, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In addition to Kingsboro, sequences were filmed at the [[New York Botanical Garden]], [[Julia Richman High School]], the Casa Galicia, and [[Park Slope, Brooklyn|Park Slope]], Brooklyn.<ref>{{cite web|title=Awakenings Details |url=http://www.sonymoviechannel.com/movies/awakenings/details |work=[[Sony Pictures Television]] |publisher=[[Sony Movie Channel (United States)|Sony Movie Channel]] |access-date=February 17, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429161211/http://www.sonymoviechannel.com/movies/awakenings/details |archive-date=April 29, 2014}}</ref>