With Atlantic City as an analogue for Hollywood, The King of Marvin Gardens inadvertently predicted the eventual demise of The New Hollywood. Of course Bob Rafelson had no clue he was doing so at the time. Like all the sad characters in his film, he was just trying to take advantage of a once glorious city/industry which had fallen on hard times. The world was his for the taking and he intended to get while the getting was good.
Could anyone have know that by decade's end both Atlantic City and Hollywood would end up being restored to something resembling their glory days? Of course! Anyone could and should have seen that coming. Both conclusions were inevitable. The system always finds a way to correct itself. And heaven help anyone standing in the way. To think that things won't course correct is delusion. But that's the American Dream, isn't it? 100% pure delusion.
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