In May 1970, the Albion College Players had the privilege of staging the very first authorized dramatization of "Catch-22" permitted by the novel's author, Joseph Heller.
Adapted and directed by Sam Grossman, our play version was a three-hour extravaganza of dark comedy and even darker drama. My friend Paul Wolf played Yossarian, and the rest of us had multiple roles. I got to play Poppinjay, Capt. Black and - my favorite - the insecure and ineffective Dobbs.
Under our deal with Heller, all the scripts had to be turned in, but I still have its poster on my wall. The Mike Nichols/Alan Arkin/Buck Henry film came out just a few months later and I was crushed to see Martin Sheen play an entirely rewritten version of Dobbs, although I thought the movie managed about 65 percent of the novel's tone and intent.
Just now, I finished watching a new version of the story, a miniseries offered on Hulu, and have to say that it managed a completely different 65 percent. I also was crushed to see no version of Dobbs or Capt. Black appear whatsoever, although poor Poppinjay popped up (I still say "Read me back the last line" was the funniest line in the book and our play).
The review you'll find at https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-ent-catch-22-hulu-clooney-tv-review-0517-story.html closely matches my thoughts about the miniseries, especially in regard to its excess of nostalgia and entirely unHelleresque ending. I was unsatisfied by much but impressed by much - particularly the aerial combat sequences.
The 1970 movie has its merits, especially its brevity, but it creaks a lot despite Arkin's wonderful performance. The miniseries sets aside much of the comedy to dwell on mopery, which Christopher Abbott apparently has mastered. So ... why not read the book? It's crazy and brilliant, and gets its own ending right.
So ... why not read the book? It's crazy and brilliant, and gets its own ending right.
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