Celebrating Laughter, The Life and Films of Colin Higgins
Hollywood Central completes it’s current documentary
“Celebrating Laughter, The Life and Films of Colin Higgins”
This is a story of a shy Australian boy who came to America as a teenager and rose to the pinnacle of success in Hollywood as a comedy screenwriter/director. With clips from Colin’s hit films Harold and Maude, Silver Streak, Foul Play, 9 to 5 and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the documentary also features interviews with Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, Lily Tomin, Charles Durning and Jean Claude Carriere. Shirley MacLaine tells of co-writing with Colin the TV mini-series adaptation of her book, Out on a Limb. Hal Ashby provides rare commentary on directing Colin’s script for Harold and Maude. Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam talks about his music for the film, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. An in-depth on camera interview with Colin reveals his life’s purpose, which centers on laughter.
The documentary shows how the turbulent Vietnam War era of the 60s and 70s as well as the rise of Gay Rights in the 80s transformed Colin’s life and how his search for spirituality influenced his films. In spite of Colin’s untimely death from AIDS in 1988, the documentary ends on a positive note, reminding us of how inspirational Colin’s films are to on-going generations of film lovers.