Raybert 's next project , '' Easy Rider '' , directed by Dennis Hopper , premiered at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival and was released in July 1969 , quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon . The film 's success gave Raybert enough funds and clout to pursue more ambitious projects . Rafelson and Schneider soon added Schneider 's childhood friend Stephen Blauner to their company and its name became BBS Productions ( Bert , Bob and Steve ) . BBS 's first project , '' Five Easy Pieces '' , was Rafelson 's second feature film , shot in 1969 . In an interview with Tonguette in '' Sight & Sound '' , Rafelson explained the idea behind BBS : " My thought was : there is so much talent here in the US but little talent for recognizing it . I thought together we could do this but that Bert should manage it . " '' New York Times '' critic Manohla Dargis recently highlighted Rafelson and Schneider for founding " the groovy 1960s company Raybert ( later known as BBS Productions ) -- and gave us '' Easy Rider '' , '' Five Easy Pieces '' , '' The Last Picture Show '' and '' Hearts and Minds '' , and lamenting the absence of such risk-taking companies today . " '' Five Easy Pieces '' was written by Rafelson and Carole Eastman ( under the alias Adrien Joyce ) and starred Jack Nicholson , Karen Black , and Susan Anspach . Nicholson plays Bobby Dupea , a gifted classical piano player who works on an oil rig in California and spends most of his time drinking beer and bowling with his put-upon girlfriend Rayette ( Black ) . Bobby is constantly dissatisfied and a non-conformist , stating : " I move around a lot . Not because I 'm looking for anything really , but to get away from things that go bad if I stay . " Bobby learns from his sister that his father has had a stroke and decides to travel back to his family home in the San Juan Islands in Washington State . He and Rayette go on a road trip to Washington , picking up two hippie hitch-hikers along the way and ( in the film 's most famous scene ) unsuccessfully battle a waitress in a diner for an omelet with wheat toast . Rafelson described Bobby as " a guy who is out of touch with his emotions . " The film was a financial hit , earning $ 18 million , and was nominated for four Academy Awards : Best Picture , Best Actor ( Jack Nicholson ) , Best Supporting Actress ( Karen Black ) and Best Original Screenplay . It also received the New York Film Critics Award for Best Director and for Best Film of 1970 . Film critic David Robinson called Rafelson " a new director who uses film with the subtlety of a novelist , but without losing any of the concentration and economy potential in the cinema 's unique mixture of image and sound . " Rafelson 's next film was '' The King of Marvin Gardens '' , released in 1972 through BBS . The film was written by Jacob Brackman , from a story by Rafelson and Brackman , and starred Jack Nicholson , Bruce Dern , Ellen Burstyn , Julia Anne Robinson , Scatman Crothers and Charles Lavine . The title refers to the original Atlantic City version of the Monopoly game board , where the misspelled and misplaced " Marvin Gardens " was one of the Yellow squares in the children 's game of capitalistic success
1969 Cannes Film Festival
1969 Cannes Film Festival
Bob Rafelson