The Big Picture — “The Robert Redford Hall of Fame”

Date: November 28, 2025
Host: Sean Fennessey
Co-Hosts: Amanda Dobbins, Tracy Letts
Theme: Celebrating the filmography and enduring legacy of Robert Redford by constructing his Hall of Fame: the ten most essential films of his career as actor and director. The hosts revisit his hits, debate significant films, and highlight overlooked gems, all with characteristic wit, warmth, and cinephile rigor.

Episode Overview

In this extended, lively episode, Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, and playwright/actor Tracy Letts go deep on Hollywood icon Robert Redford: his movie-star aura, acting nuances, directorial ambitions, and multifaceted impact on the film industry through Sundance and beyond. Their mission: build the definitive Robert Redford Hall of Fame—just ten films, from a run no less than legendary, with “blue” personal favorites set aside for good measure.

The conversation sweeps through Redford’s TV origins, iconic collaborations, romantic heat, mythmaking, critical and box office reception, and the tension between popular/cultural consensus and personal taste.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Redford’s Place in Hollywood (01:23–04:21)

• Redford as generational icon:
  Tracy: “When I was growing up, he was a movie star. …The breakout was really Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in ‘69. So when I was growing up, he was a movie star, maybe the biggest movie star, certainly one of the biggest movie stars.” (03:07)
• Beyond acting: Redford’s roles as filmmaker, activist, and Sundance founder.
• “Mount Rushmore” status—top 10 or 20 all-time movie star without factoring in his activist/producer impact. (16:18)

2. What Makes Redford Special as Actor and Star (07:11–14:38)

• Range and self-awareness:
  Letts calls Redford “underrated” and “deeply skilled,” noting his careful approach and reluctance on-screen: “He often appears to be the smartest person on screen, and yet he is often silent, thoughtful, taciturn. … He probably had more range than he showed us, but he wasn’t going to step outside that range.” (07:23)
• Amanda describes his rare, inborn confidence: “Robert Redford is just very clearly, I’m good. Like, I know where I am, I know myself.” (08:39)
• Mythmaking and name-in-title roles—“The Sundance Kid, The Natural, The Candidate, Jeremiah Johnson…”— as a career strategy and playing into Old Hollywood grandeur.
• Story of Mike Nichols and The Graduate: Redford’s lack of experience with rejection, illustrating his aura and confidence. (11:21)
• Redford’s “withholding nature” and comfort being both object of desire and mythic figure.

3. Redford’s Early Career: TV & Theatre Roots (21:01–26:33)

• Short mini-history of Redford’s theater debut (“Tall Story” on Broadway), TV work (notably The Twilight Zone: “Nothing in the Dark” [24:39], praised for his “serpentine charm”), and early unremarkable films.
• Letts: “The stuff he’s doing on TV is real stuff.” (24:02)

4. Redford on Film: The ‘Run’ and Crafting Star Persona (44:01–47:59)

• 1969–1976: 13 films in 8 years, the “run that starts with Butch and Sundance in 1969 and ends with All the President’s Men in 1976…” (06:45)
• Sean: “You could select the best ten movies from that 13 and have a Hall of Fame.” (06:52)
• Redford’s partnership fluency (male vs. female co-stars), myth-driven roles, and his ability to shift from comedy to serious drama.

5. Decade-by-Decade Redford: Hits, Misfires, Evolutions (46:22–110:20⁺)

• Measuring “hall of fame” via critical, commercial, and mythic resonance, not just awards.
• Noteworthy periods:
  • Late 1960s–1970s: Unmatched run: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Downhill Racer, Jeremiah Johnson, The Candidate, The Sting, All the President’s Men, Three Days of the Condor, The Way We Were—all in 7 years.
    • Amanda: “Who ever had a two year run like this? …There’s nobody else ever.” (66:56)
  • 1980: Directorial debut with Ordinary People: “I think it’s genuinely affecting, and I think it genuinely speaks to the American family.” (94:15)
  • 80s–90s: “Dull Redford” era interrupted by Out of Africa and The Natural—important culturally, less beloved by hosts.
  • 90s onwards: From the hit Sneakers to Quiz Show (director), Indecent Proposal (box office juggernaut, trash or treasure?), and late-period resurgence with All Is Lost and The Old Man & the Gun.
• Films debated for inclusion: how to balance essential, iconic hits (The Natural, The Way We Were, The Sting) and critical favorites (Quiz Show, All Is Lost) with personal picks (“blue” choices: Hot Rock, Indecent Proposal).

6. Cultural Impact—Sundance, Activism, Myth

Briefly debated: does Redford’s work as an institution builder, activist, and Sundance guiding force make the “hall of fame”?
Sean: “Sundance alone would put him right at the… Really at the top of his craft.” (16:18)
But they decide to focus on films.

7. The Final List: Hall-of-Fame Selection Process (144:16–151:41)

After in-depth debate, the hosts settle on their ten “green” canonical films and personal “blue” picks (for sharing with a select few behind the door of Sean’s “alley”/janitor’s closet).
The “Greens” (Final List):

1. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
2. Downhill Racer
3. Jeremiah Johnson
4. The Candidate
5. The Sting
6. The Way We Were
7. Three Days of the Condor
8. All the President’s Men
9. Ordinary People
10. The Old Man & the Gun

“Blue” (Personal) Picks:

• Tracy: Quiz Show
• Sean: The Hot Rock
• Amanda: Indecent Proposal

Tough Omissions: Sneakers, The Natural, the Hot Rock (for main list); All Is Lost vs. Old Man & the Gun (went with the latter for late-period Redford magic).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Redford’s confidence:

“Robert Redford is just very clearly, I’m good. Like, I know where I am, I know myself. Whatever’s going on is locked away in me.”
— Amanda Dobbins (08:39)

On rival star Paul Newman:

“You would think…Paul Newman … would be tremendously confident and was in some ways, but was also deeply insecure as a star and angry and struggled with addiction and had a lot of demons. And Redford…didn’t talk about those sorts of things very much.”
— Sean Fennessey (12:12)

On the ‘70s Redford run:

“1972, Jeremiah Johnson, the Candidate, the Hot Rock, 1973, the Way we Were, and the Sting. Who ever had a two year run like this?”
— Tracy Letts (66:44)

On mythmaking and name-in-title roles:

“He is the Sundance Kid. He is the natural. He is The Candidate, he is Jeremiah Johnson. … Not only is my name above the title, but I’m the reason to go. … That is like, … really smart idea of myth making that he’s interested in, where, like, he understands old Hollywood and he understands what he’s capable of.”
— Sean Fennessey (10:21)

On including The Way We Were:

“I think that there is no better movie ever made about just like the really handsome, kind of perfect guy who’s just out of reach and you can’t and it’s never gonna work.”
— Amanda (67:23)

On Quiz Show:

“It’s just superb. …it’s just really fucking good.”
— Tracy (115:31)

On trying to pick just ten:

“If we’re putting Downhill Racer in, this is going to be hard.”
— Sean (53:08)

On All the President’s Men and male archetypes:

“All those guys, not only veterans … and Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman represent the first real generation that did not come from that tradition … It is interesting. … We’re in a different realm of human experience.” — Tracy (83:01)

On Redford’s late-career roles:

“I think he got to a point in his life and in his career when part of his mission became, here’s a person aging, here’s a way to age. He aged on screen in a way that was very believable and real. … He didn’t fuck with his face. He aged.” — Tracy (129:34)

On Indecent Proposal:

“Who wouldn’t fuck Robert Redford for a million dollars? Who is that person? That is true. You’re 100% [right].”
— Tracy/Amanda (111:24)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Origins, Redford’s Aura & Influence: 01:23–16:15
• Acting Approach, Range, Management: 07:11–14:38
• TV and Stage Work: 21:01–26:33
• The Legend Begins – Butch Cassidy to the Hall-of-Fame Era: 44:01–79:13
• 1970s all-timers: 46:22–79:13
• Debating essential picks: 90:00–110:14
• 80s/90s, Director Redford, and Dull Hits: 96:28–120:18
• Late-period, Blue Picks: 134:21–151:05
• Final Selection, Hall of Fame Roster + Blues: 144:16–151:41

Tone & Notable Dynamics

• Deeply knowledgeable but playful, skewering both “consensus” and their own biases.
• Tracy Letts as a third chair is dry, self-effacing, and quietly authoritative—a physical media collector with plenty of stories, but quick to admit, “I have nobody to blame but myself. I just didn’t get to it.” (141:33)
• Amanda brings pop and romantic cultural memory (“I was 12!”), Sean always triangulates personal, critical, and historical viewpoints.
• Frequent ribbing about physical media and “Sean’s alley” for neglected picks.
• Running in-jokes about memeable moments, e.g., the Jeremiah Johnson nod.
• Each host is allowed a “blue” pick, personal to them, even if it wouldn't make a public-facing top 10.

Episode Structure

• Quick establishing of Hall of Fame criteria, Redford’s multi-pronged stardom
• Move chronologically through career, pausing for signature performances or directorial achievements
• Deliberate over film-by-film inclusion—“green” for the Hall, “yellow” for further discussion, “red” for out; each host gets a personal “blue”
• Conclude with collective Hall of Fame, “blue” personal picks, and meta-reflection on the exercise
• Wit, warmth, and cinephile depth throughout

The Robert Redford Hall of Fame (Final Ten “Greens”)

1. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
2. Downhill Racer (1969)
3. Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
4. The Candidate (1972)
5. The Sting (1973)
6. The Way We Were (1973)
7. Three Days of the Condor (1975)
8. All the President’s Men (1976)
9. Ordinary People (1980)
10. The Old Man & the Gun (2018)

Personal “Blue” Picks:

• Tracy: Quiz Show (1994)
• Sean: The Hot Rock (1972)
• Amanda: Indecent Proposal (1993)

For Listeners Who Haven’t Heard the Episode

This episode is both a crash course and an advanced seminar in Redford appreciation, traversing iconic turns, underseen gems, and how stars construct and reckon with their own myth. The hosts’ chemistry, knowledge, and affection for movies shine throughout, offering debate, humor, and insight. If you want to know why Redford mattered—on screen and off—look no further than this detailed, passionate tour through his Hall of Fame.