News

“Why did Rock Hudson star in this movie?” I kept asking myself while watching Seconds for the third or fourth time this past week. By many accounts, the shoot wasn’t a particularly pleasant one, with at least two scenes – the infamous “stomp those grapes!” near-orgy and the drunken party – pushing the star wildly out of his comfort zone. He was slightly past his prime, but still commanding starring roles in mainstream hits. His success with Doris Day meant he was mostly doing comedies, but he still got some dramatic work in here and there (though 1963’s A Gathering of Eagles, the last drama he did before Seconds, was not well-received critically or commercially). And if he did want to push himself dramatically, why a science fiction film about mortality? Hudson not only accepted the part, but actively lobbied for it, winning over director John Frankenheimer, who preferred the more...