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Rosemary’s Baby released June 12, 1968

Horror, Mystery, Thriller, drama No Responses »

Jun 122010

Rosemary’s Baby is a 1968 American horror/thriller/drama film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on the bestselling 1967 novel of the same name by Ira Levin. The film received mostly positive reviews and earned numerous nominations and awards. The film has led to numerous references in film, television, music and other media. The American Film Institute ranked the film 9th in their 100 Years…100 Thrills list.

Trivia:

The Dakota Building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side was renamed The Bramford for the film.

It was on the set of this film that Mia Farrow received divorce papers from then-husband Frank Sinatra.

There was a popular belief that Alfred Hitchcock was originally offered the chance to direct this movie. This has been deemed false. The director was never approached.

There is a popular rumor that Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey gave technical advice and portrayed Satan in the impregnation scene. This is false – LaVey had no involvement with the film.

Oscar-nominated editor Sam O’Steen would later direct the sequel, Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby (1976) (TV).

Directed by Roman Polanski, whose pregnant wife actress Sharon Tate was murdered in 1969 by Charles Manson and his followers, who titled their death spree “Helter Skelter” after the 1968 song by The Beatles, one of whose members, John Lennon, would one day live (and in 1980 be murdered) in the Manhattan apartment building called The Dakota – where Rosemary’s Baby had been filmed.

There is a heatedly disputed rumor that Sharon Tate appears unbilled at the party Rosemary gives for her “young” friends.

Mia Farrow does the vocals on the title-sequence lullaby.

This was Roman Polanski’s very first adaptation, and it is very faithful to the novel. Pieces of dialog, color schemes and clothes are taken verbatim.

William Castle acquired the movie rights to the novel. Robert Evans of Paramount agreed to green-light the project if Castle did not direct. This was due to Castle’s fame and reputation as a director of low budget horror films. Castle was allowed to make a prominent cameo appearance.

According to Mia Farrow, the scenes where Rosemary walks in front of traffic were spontaneous and genuine. Roman Polanski is reported to have told her that “nobody will hit a pregnant woman.”

This film, along with Repulsion (1965) and Le locataire (1976), forms a loose trilogy by Roman Polanski about the horrors of apartment/city dwelling.

This was Roman Polanski’s first American film. His first American film was going to be Downhill Racer (1969), but Robert Evans of Paramount decided that “Rosemary’s Baby” would be more suited to Polanski.

Casting for this film presented its own problems: Polanski at first saw Rosemary as an “All-American Girl” and sought Tuesday Weld for the lead, but she passed on the role. Jane Fonda was then approached, but turned down the offer so she could make Barbarella (1968) in Europe with then- husband Roger Vadim. According to his memoirs, Polanski for a while had the idea of having his future wife Sharon Tate on the part of Rosemary, yet he desisted, thinking it would have been unethical. Other actresses considered for the part were Julie Christie, Elizabeth Hartman and Joanna Pettet. Robert Evans suggested Mia Farrow based on her TV work and her media appeal (at the time she was Mrs. Frank Sinatra). Both men wanted Robert Redford for the role of Guy Woodhouse, but negotiations broke down when Paramount’s lawyers blundered by serving the actor with a subpoena over a contractual dispute regarding his pulling out of Silvio Narizzano’s film Blue (1968). Other actors considered were Richard Chamberlain, Jack Nicholson and James Fox. Laurence Harvey begged to do it, Warren Beatty turned it down claiming “Hey! Can’t I play Rosemary?”, before the part was offered to John Cassavetes. For Minnie and Roman Castevet, William Castle suggested Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, the famous Broadway acting duo. He even tried to convince Polanski to let him play the part of Dr. Sapirstein, a role eventually filled by Ralph Bellamy.

According to John Parker’s recent biography of Jack Nicholson, Robert Evans suggested Nicholson to Polanski but, after their meeting, the director stated that “for all his talent, his slightly sinister appearance ruled him out”.

Mia Farrow actually ate raw liver for a scene in the movie.

Roman Polanski was so faithful to the novel that he asked Ira Levin the date of the issue of the New Yorker in which Guy Woodhouse sees a shirt he wants. Levin confessed that he had made up the detail.

The last movie of special effects creator Farciot Edouart.

The devil costume that Anton LaVey was falsely rumored to have worn in the impregnation scene was later re-used in the film Asylum of Satan (1975). A small woman had difficulty fitting into the tiny suit.

Cameo: [William Castle] man near phone booth.

Cameo: [Tony Curtis] voice on phone of the actor who is struck blind by a witch’s curse so that Rosemary’s husband can get an acting job.

Rosemary (Mia Farrow) says to Terry Gionoffrio (Angela Dorian), “I thought you were Victoria Vetri, the actress,” to which Terry responds, “Everyone says that, but I don’t see the resemblance.” Victoria Vetri is Angela Dorian’s real name.

A scene was shot, but not used, of the characters attending an off-Broadway play. Mia Farrow’s and Emmaline Henry’s attend a performance of “The Fantasticks” and meet Joan Crawford and Van Johnson as themselves. Along with several other insignificant scenes, this was deleted to reduce the film’s running time.

Production chief Robert Evans has admitted that he simply used an offer to direct Downhill Racer (1969) to lure Roman Polanski from Europe. It was his intention to have Polanski direct this film all along.

The script called for Rosemary (Mia Farrow) to explain to Guy (John Cassavetes), that she’d “been to Vidal Sassoon” for her dramatic new haircut. Thus, Vidal Sassoon was in fact flown to the set to arrange Mia Farrow’s hair into the now iconic pixie cut she sports during the second half of the film. For the first part, she wears a blonde wig designed by famed stylist Sydney Guilaroff.

Entertainment Weekly voted this the tenth scariest film of all time.

The book that Rosemary reads in the cab is the Book of Ceremonial Magic, by A.E. Waite, Chapter IV: The Rituals Of Black Magic: Section 4: The Grimoire of Honorius. The italic section has been entered into the natural flow of the text; the previous paragraph has been shortened to make space for it.

The movie’s poster was as #21 of “The 25 Best Movie Posters Ever” by Premiere.

When Rosemary receives the book “All of Them Witches,” she is told that ‘the name is an anagram.’ At first she tries to rearrange the letters of the book’s title, but then realizes that the clue referred to a name within the book. However, the title actually is an anagram for ‘Hell a Cometh Swift.’

In a scene where Rosemary is getting her blood drawn, Rosemary tells the doctor that she just saw the off- Broadway show “The Fantasticks.” In that play, the parental figures arrange a “rape” of the ingenue, by a dark devilish character (named El Gallo), so a young man can save her, hoping that the young girl fall in love with the young man, marry him and procreate.

Rosemary’s baby was born in June 1966 (6/66).

Before the filming of the scene of Rosemary calling Donald Baumgart (the actor in the story who mysteriously goes blind), Mia Farrow did not know who would be speaking the lines. It was Tony Curtis, and in the scene Farrow shows slight confusion, finding the voice familiar but not able to place it. This confusion was exactly the effect director Roman Polanski hoped to capture by having Curtis read the lines.

Ira Levin felt Rosemary’s Baby is “the single most faithful adaptation of a novel ever to come out of Hollywood.” William Castle speculated the reasons for this were because it was the first time Roman Polanski had ever adapted another writer’s work. Unaware he had the freedom to improvise on the book.

Predator released June 12, 1987

Action, Adventure, Sci-fi, Science Fiction, Thriller No Responses »

Jun 122010

Predator is a 1987 science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. The story follows an elite team on a mission to rescue hostages from a guerrilla group in Central America. Unknowingly, the group is hunted by an extraterrestrial life form. Reaction to the film was generally favorable, and the film grossed $60 million in the United States. The film also generated a sequel, Predator 2 (1990) with another, titled Predators in development, and two crossover films with the Alien franchise: Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007).

Trivia:

According to an interview with director John McTiernan, the “hole in the jungle” appearance of the Predator was played by Jean-Claude Van Damme in a “blue screen” (actually red) suit. Van Damme quit after two days, unhappy with being cast as an uncredited special effect, but can be seen as the Predator in If It Bleeds We Can Kill It: The Making of ‘Predator’ (2001) (V). The alien was scrapped, redesigned and was eventually played by Kevin Peter Hall who was 7’2″ tall.

An attempt was made to get shots of the Predator swinging from tree to tree using a monkey in a red special-effects suit. However, the monkey kept removing the suit and the idea was abandoned.

The mandibles of the predator were the idea of James Cameron.

Most of film was shot under the original title “Hunter”, it was only later when the creature design was changed that the movie became “Predator”. The clapperboards showing the original title can be seen in the outtakes on the special edition DVD.

The original “Hunter” model was a large creature with a long neck, a head shaped like a dog and one big eye in the middle. This can be seen on the camouflage demo’s on the DVD. It was only when Stan Winston moved in that the complete design of the now “Predator” changed, along with the title.

Two waterfalls are used in the climax of the movie, both near Palenque in Mexico. The first is Misol Ha, just outside the village (beginning and end of the sequence), and the other is Agua Azul about an hour’s drive away (the middle part of the sequence).

The original concept for this film originated as a joke. Someone said that the only person Rocky Balboa of the Rocky (1976) series of films had yet to fight was E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982).

Two of the actors portraying commandos besieged by the Predator have been elected to state governorships: Jesse Ventura (Independent) was elected Governor of Minnesota in 1998, and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Republican) was elected Governor of California in a hotly-contested recall election in 2003. In addition, Sonny Landham (Republican) ran an unsuccessful campaign for Governor of Kentucky in 2003.

The weapon that Blain (Jesse Ventura) is using is a minigun. This is a weapon most commonly mounted on the side of a helicopter (or an aircraft carrier) and many, many modifications had to be made to make it usable in the film. It was powered via an electrical cable hidden down the front of Blain’s trousers. The firing rate was slowed down to approximately 1/3rd the normal rate of fire, both to reduce consumption of blanks, and to make the spinning of the barrels visible on film. It is rumored that Ventura had to wear a bulletproof vest because of the forceful ejection of spent cartridges, but this is false. Unmodified miniguns eject out of the bottom, with the cases essentially falling out due to the force of gravity. Close examination of the film (especially the scene in which Mac fires the minigun at the fleeing predator, along with the other commandos) show that the ejection of the minigun was not changed.

The studio would not allow John McTiernan to shoot this film in anamorphic widescreen due to the complexities of the optical effects. As a sly sort of retaliation, the director added an anamorphic version of the film’s opening 20th Century Fox logo, which looks noticeably stretched on screen.

Sonny Landham was hired to work on this film, but on one condition: the insurance company insisted on a round-the-clock bodyguard for Landham, not to protect the actor, but to protect everyone else from the actor (who was prone to bar fights, etc.).

Shane Black, who plays commando Hawkins, is actually a writer. The producer wanted Black, who was writing Lethal Weapon (1987), close to him to review the script.

John McTiernan broke his wrist while on location, but kept working.

John McTiernan admitted that actor R.G. Armstrong was too old for his part, but kept Armstrong simply because he liked him. Added to this, the actor wore “too much” tanning makeup to hide his age somewhat.

The predator’s blood – a goopy substance with the color of Mountain Dew – was made on-set using a mixture of the liquid from inside glow sticks, and KY jelly.

Due to health and safety regulations, Arnold Schwarzenegger was not allowed to light his cigar inside the helicopter near the beginning of the film. As a result the glow was added optically in post-production.

Jesse Ventura was delighted to find out from the wardrobe department that his arms were 1″ bigger than Arnold Schwarzenegger’s. He suggested to Schwarzenegger that they measure arms, with the winner getting a bottle of champagne. Ventura lost because Schwarzenegger had told the wardrobe department to tell Ventura that his arms were bigger.

During the closing credits, Shane Black is seen prominently displaying a copy of Sgt. Rock #408 (Feb. 1986). In the DVD commentary, John McTiernan notes that at the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger had an adaptation of Sgt. Rock in production, and that’s why the comics were on set, so he could read them. He described the scene where Dutch (Schwarzenegger) walks up to Billy (Sonny Landham), who senses the Predator’s presence out in the bush, as a “Sgt. Rock moment”.

Shane Black spent his free time on the set writing the screenplay for The Last Boy Scout (1991).

Arnold Schwarzenegger lost over 25 pounds before filming began in order to better fit the role of a special warfare operative, who would be lean as well as muscular.

All of the actors are wearing Vietnam surplus canvas load bearing gear, not the more modern (i.e. post 1967) nylon gear.

The sidearms carried by the troopers are Desert Eagle handguns.

Cameo: [Sven-Ole Thorsen] Arnold Schwarzenegger’s friend and frequent collaborator appears as the Russian Officer.

Acting debut for both Jesse Ventura and Shane Black.

Third film in which Arnold Schwarzenegger wears a Seiko model H558-5009 diver’s watch. Since nicknamed “The Arnold”, it is highly sought-after by collectors and regularly trades for values in excess of its original retail cost. Its distinctive black collar and stainless steel fittings suitably complements Schwarzenegger’s exaggerated arm muscles in his early films.

Supposedly, Jerry Goldsmith was originally approached to score the film, but was unavailable.

The map General Phillips uses to brief Dutch is a map of Brazil. The map show a geographic feature called Chapada das Mangabeiras.

The sound editors called the Predator’s shoulder gun the ‘Parrot Gun’, because when it moved independent of the Predator while aiming, it reminded them of “Peter Sellers with a rubber parrot on his shoulder.”

One of the elements in the sound of the ‘snap’ to Predator-vision is a whip crack.

Orgy of the Dead released June 1, 1965

Fantasy, Horror No Responses »

Jun 012010

Orgy of the Dead is an unrated 1965 film directed by Stephen C. Apostolof under the alias A. C. Stephens and written by Ed Wood. It is a combination of horror and erotica, and is something of a transition for Wood, who began as a horror writer and later began writing pornography. Wood also wrote the novel of the same name.

Trivia:

The film based on the novel by Edward D. Wood Jr. has no werewolf character, like in the film. Wood received $600 for the novel.

Most prints of the film have someone’s fingerprint on the negative during the opening credits. It’s visible for only a frame, so, when the credits play, it is only seen long enough to register that something went by, but not what. Frame by frame slow down and then still reveals it’s, most likely, a print from a thumb.

The cape worn by Criswell as The Emperor is the same cape worn by Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula in Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

This film is listed among The 100 Most Amusingly Bad Movies Ever Made in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson’s book THE OFFICIAL RAZZIE® MOVIE GUIDE.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes released May 21, 1971

Action, Sci-fi, Science Fiction, Thriller No Responses »

May 212010

Escape from the Planet of the Apes is a 1971 science fiction film starring Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, and Bradford Dillman. It is the second sequel to the Planet of the Apes movie of 1968, the first sequel being Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970). Its plot centers around many social issues of the day including race, social status, scientific experimentation on animals, nuclear war and government intrusion as well as women’s rights.

In this film, actor Roddy McDowall returns to recreate the character of Cornelius which he created but did not portray in its entirety in the previous film. A new character of Dr. Milo is introduced played by actor Sal Mineo, who hoped his career would gain from the new project much as McDowall’s career had from participating in the first film. Charlton Heston, star of the first film and supporting actor in the second, appears in this third installment only in two brief flashback sequences.

Trivia:

The film’s villain, Dr. Hasslein, had been briefly mentioned at the beginnings of Planet of the Apes (1968) and Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970).
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Sal Mineo found the make-up uncomfortable, so the script was re-written to kill his character off earlier than planned. This was Mineo’s final theatrical film.
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The third of five Planet of the Apes movies starring Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter.
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Roddy McDowall and Natalie Trundy are the only cast members to appear in 4 of the 5 original “Planet of the Apes” movies. Roddy McDowall appeared all except the first sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970). Natalie Trundy did not appear in the original Planet of the Apes (1968) movie, but appeared in all 4 sequels.

Tim Curry Birthday April 19

Birthdays No Responses »

Apr 192010

Tim Curry

Timothy James “Tim” Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Curry first became known to audiences with his breakthrough role as Dr. Frank N. Furter in the 1975 cult movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show, then later for his roles as Rooster in the film adaption of Annie, Lord of Darkness in the film Legend (1985), Wadsworth in the movie Clue, and as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the horror film Stephen King’s It. He played Nigel, the father in the Nickelodeon children’s TV show The Wild Thornberrys. He has performed the role of King Arthur in the Broadway hit Monty Python’s Spamalot.

Trivia:

Provided the voice of “Sir” who welcomed visitors to the Alien Encounter attraction in Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World. The Alien Encounter ride was replaced after a few years.

Tim Curry in Legend

Has read several times for “The Great Writers Series” in Los Angeles

Performed in Roger Waters’ historic production of “The Wall: Live in Berlin” in July, 1990

Appears as both subject and author in the photography book “Double Exposure, Take Four” by Roddy McDowall.

Was Tim Burton’s second choice for the role of the Joker on Batman (1989). He did go on to playing a crazed “clown” in Stephen King’s It (1990) (TV).

Tim Curry in It

A close friend of Carly Simon and sang backing vocals on her 1979 album “Spy”.

Turned down the role of Mitzi in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

Studied Drama & English at Cambridge and at Birmingham University, from which he graduated with Combined Honors.

Tim Curry in The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Has earned three Tony Award nominations, the first in 1981 as Best Actor (Play) for portraying the title character Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in “Amadeus” – the second in 1993 as Best Actor (Musical) for “My Favorite Year” – and the third in 2005 for Best Actor (Musical) for his role of King Arthur in “Spamalot”.

Personally paid for his cousin, Keighley Twocker frontman Michael Loftus to have cosmetic surgery

Already an accomplished singer, he performed a cover of the theme song to Disney’s “Davey Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier”.

In a Fresh Air interview in 2005, he reported meeting Princess Diana. It turned out she was such a fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), she told him, “Thank you for completing my education.”.

Not only was he Tim Burton’s second choice for the role of The Joker, he was the producers’ first choice for the role in the animated television series, until Mark Hamill was cast. Tom Hulce succeeded him in the role of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Amadeus.

Don’t Look Now (1973) is one of his favorite films.

He was presented with an honorary citizenship of New Orleans and key to the City of New Orleans by Angela Baham, Administrative Assistant to the Chief Administrator Officer Reynard J. Rochon to Mayor Ernest Morial on October 8, 1979 following a concert in New Orleans.

Was working on an album project with Lou Adler in 1976. However only four songs were completed. The best is a cover of The Supremes’ “Baby Love.” Also recorded three albums for A&M Records. “Ready My Lips” (1978), “Fearless” (1979), and “Simplicity” (1981). Though only one charting song, “I Do the Rock,” both it at “Paradise Garage” [from "Fearless"] have become cult hits, having two music videos made for MTV which were often played before showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). His best album is often praised “Fearless,” and his best songs are “Birds of a Feather,” “Alan,” “Sloe Gin,” “I Do the Rock,” “S.O.S.,” “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire,” “Paradise Garage,” “No Love on the Street,” “Something Short of Paradise,” “Working on My Tan,” “Simplicity,” “On a Roll,” “Take Me I’m Yours,” “Out of Pawn,” and “I Put a Spell on You.”.

Was on the 1980 Clash album “Sandinista!” On track 18, “The Sound of the Sinners”, he spoke as a priest mid-song.

Has voiced two royal cats, voicing Prince in “Garfield: A Tail Of Two Kitties” and The Cat King in “The Cat Returns”.

Has a dog named Frank.

King Kong released April 7, 1933

Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Sci-fi, Science Fiction No Responses »

Apr 072010

King Kong is a film co-directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, and written by Ruth Rose and James Ashmore Creelman after a story by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. The film tells of a gigantic island-dwelling gorilla-like creature called Kong who dies in an attempt to possess a beautiful young woman. The film stars Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot, and opened in New York City on March 2, 1933 to good reviews. Kong is distinguished for its stop-motion animation and its musical score. The film has been released to video and DVD, and has been computer colorized. In 1991, the film was deemed “culturally, historically and aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

Trivia:

The models of King Kong built for the island scenes were only 18 inches high. When producer/director Merian C. Cooper decided Kong needed to look bigger while in New York, a new 24-inch armature was constructed, thus changing Kong’s film height from 18 feet on the island to 24 feet while in New York.
Body count: 40.
Special effects genius Willis H. O’Brien, who earlier used stop-motion animation of dinosaur models in The Lost World (1925), had created several dinosaur models for his unfinished production Creation (1931). Producer Merian C. Cooper sold the idea for King Kong (1933) to RKO executives in New York by showing them a test sequence using O’Brien’s models. The executives were stunned, never having seen anything like it, and green-lighted production of King Kong (1933) . O’Brien also used many of his “Creation” models in King Kong (1933) , including the T-Rex and the pteranodon (giant bird).
The project went through numerous title changes during production, including “The Beast” (original title of draft by Edgar Wallace in RKO files), “The Eighth Wonder”, “The Ape”, “King Ape” and “Kong”.
Both Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack had been wrestlers, and they acted out the fighting moves for the battle between the T-Rex and Kong in the effects studio, before the animators shot the scene.
This film was successfully reissued worldwide numerous times. In the 1938 reissue, several scenes of excessive violence and sex were cut to comply with the Production Code enforced in 1934. Though many of the censored scenes were restored by Janus Films in 1971 (including the censored sequence in which Kong peels off Fay Wray’s clothes), one deleted scene has never been found, shown publicly only once during a preview screening in San Bernardino, California in January 1933. It was a graphic scene following Kong shaking four sailors off the log bridge, causing them to fall into a ravine where they were eaten alive by giant spiders. At the preview screening, audience members screamed and either left the theatre or talked about the grisly sequence throughout the subsequent scenes, disrupting the film. Said the film’s producer, Merian C. Cooper, “It stopped the picture cold, so the next day back at the studio, I took it out myself.”
Originally, there was supposed to be an overhead shot of Kong falling from the Empire State Building. This was accomplished by adding Kong in post-production, falling towards the ground. Real footage of the building was used, but when the producers watched the scene they realized that viewers could see through Kong, especially as he passed the darker ledges, so it was cut. This clip has made its way into documentaries on the film but, more commonly, can be found in stills of the scene.
The trees and plants in the background on the stop-motion animation sets were a combination of metal models and real plants. One day during filming, a flower on the miniature set bloomed without anyone noticing. The error in continuity was not noticed until the film was developed and shown. While Kong moved, a time-lapse effect showed the flower coming into full bloom, and an entire day of animation was lost.
King Kong’s roar was a lion’s and a tiger’s roar combined and run backwards.
Close-ups of the pilots and gunners of the planes that attack Kong were shot in the studio with mock-up planes. The flight commander is director Merian C. Cooper and his observer is producer Ernest B. Schoedsack. They decided to play the parts after Cooper said that “we should kill the sonofabitch ourselves”.
Scenes cut over the years of release and re-release: Kong chewing on the natives of Skull Island; two scenes with Kong squashing one native each with his giant foot; the brontosaurus biting and throwing the men in the water; Kong putting a New Yorker in his mouth then throwing him down to the ground; a scene where Kong climbs a building, pulls out a sleeping woman with his giant hand, examines her, and when he finds it’s not Ann Darrow, tosses her down to the sidewalk below; and, of course, Fay Wray’s clothing being peeled off. The censor committee once stated that this was at least six minutes of editing. These scenes were all restored to the actual film in 1971. Of course, we still have yet to see the famous spider pit sequence, although in the 2005 remake, we get an idea of what it was like. Also, the 2005 DVD release of the 1933 film has Peter Jackson’s recreation of that scene.
Grossed $90,000 its opening weekend, the biggest opening ever at the time.
For the shots of the airplanes taking off from the strip, the pilots were paid US$10 each.
The native village huts were left over from RKO’s Bird of Paradise (1932). The Great Wall was part of the Temple of Jerusalem set for Cecil B. DeMille’s Biblical epic The King of Kings (1927). The Great Wall set was later reused in Selznick’s The Garden of Allah (1936) and finally redressed with Civil War era building fronts, burned and pulled down by a tractor to film the burning of Atlanta munitions warehouses in Gone with the Wind (1939).
The success of this film is often credited for saving RKO from bankruptcy.
Kong’s “official” height (from the posters) is 50 feet. He was closer to 19 feet tall in the jungle and close to 25 feet when in New York City.
The whole idea allegedly originated when co-director/co-producer Merian C. Cooper had a dream about a massive gorilla attacking New York City.
Was voted the 47th Greatest Film of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Edgar Wallace died in Hollywood in February 1932 while working on the story for this film.
There was more than one model of Kong used in the film. There are considerable differences between the Kong on Skull Island and the Kong in New York. For instance, the Skull Island Kong has a longer face, which the filmmakers thought made the ape look “too human”.
In his review in The New York Times (3 March 1933), film critic Mordaunt Hall incorrectly refers to Fay Wray’s character as “Ann Redman”.
Jean Harlow refused the lead part.
The laserdisc edition of the film includes the first ever audio commentary.
Merian C. Cooper was partially inspired by W. Douglas Burden, who brought the world’s first captive Komodo dragons to the Bronx Zoo in 1926. Cooper was intrigued how the once mythic, massive predators quickly perished once caged and displayed for the public.
As a child, Merian C. Cooper lived close to an elevated train which kept him awake at night when it clattered across the tracks. This was the inspiration for the scene where Kong destroys an elevated train.
The two-legged lizard that attacks Jack Driscoll was actually meant to be an aetosaur, a reptile from the Triassic Period. However, because of the high price of armatures (the metal skeletons for the puppets), RKO cut costs by not having hind legs made for it. As a result, the aetosaur has two forearms, no hind legs and a snakelike appearance.
Fay Wray claimed that she personally insisted that her character be a blond, and personally chose her wig at the Max Factor shop in Los Angeles.
Sensing a huge hit from industry buzz, MGM offered to buy the film outright from RKO for $1.072m (some $400,000 over its negative cost), figuring the little studio was reeling from losing $10+m in 1932. RKO was smart to decline the offer. The film smashed attendance records nationwide and ended up grossing $1.761m during its initial release. RKO would periodically, and extremely profitably, re-release the movie through the 1950s.
Jungle scenes were filmed on the same set as the jungle scenes in The Most Dangerous Game (1932), which also happened to star Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong.
Art drawn for the press book associated for the original release of the film was contributed to by actor Keye Luke, who was a highly regarded illustrator before he became an actor and whose works have appeared in films themselves, such as The Shanghai Gesture (1941).
The 2005 DVD restoration further details the risqué liberties of a 1933 pre-code film release in two scenes. The first is when Ann is on the ship’s deck while Charlie is peeling potatoes, and the second is where Denham is shooting some test footage of Ann (“Scream for your life, Ann, Scream!”). The thin material used for Ann’s dress and gown in both scenes makes it obvious that Fay Wray is not wearing a bra; a wardrobe decision that may not have made it past the Breen Code the following year.
Executive Producer David O. Selznick left RKO midway through production of this film. But Selznick’s last act of business at RKO – and probably his biggest contribution to the film – was to write a memo changing the name of the production from ‘Kong’ to King Kong (1933).
According to the book “David O. Selznick’s Hollywood” by Ron Haver, costume designer Walter Plunkett (later noteworthy for Gone with the Wind (1939)) worked uncredited on this film. Specifically, he designed the “Beauty and the Beast” costume that Ann Darrow wears while Carl Denham is filming her screen test.
Ranked #4 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 10 greatest films in the genre “Fantasy” in June 2008.
To keep in line with the use of most of the cast from The Most Dangerous Game (1932) the role of Jack Driscoll was intended for Joel McCrea. According to Fay Wray however, McCrea’s agents demanded more money so the role was given to Bruce Cabot.
It has been said that King Kong (1933) was the first Hollywood film to use a fully symphonic musical score. As memorable and effective as the musical score was, some have made the same claim about RKO’s Bird of Paradise (1932), released earlier. (Perhaps that claim should be revised to “the first memorable film…”) Regardless, Max Steiner, composer for both films (and many later classics, including Gone with the Wind (1939) and Casablanca (1942)) was a visionary, forward thinking man.
The character of Carl Denham was inspired by the film’s director, Merian C. Cooper. They both died on the same day.
When describing Kong to Fay Wray, Merian C. Cooper said “you’ll have the tallest darkest leading man in Hollywood”. She thought it was Cary Grant.
Premiered at the famed Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
The 56-cm-high model of King Kong used in the film sold at auction in 2009 for about $203,000 (US). It was originally covered in cotton, rubber, liquid latex, and rabbit fur, but most of the covering has decomposed over the decades.
Film debut (uncredited) of Bill Williams.

Alec Baldwin Birthday April 3

Birthdays No Responses »

Apr 032010

Alec Baldwin

Alexander Rae “Alec” Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage and television.

Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing, which aired on CBS from 1984 to 1986. He has since played both leading and supporting roles in films such as Beetlejuice (1988), The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Aviator (2004) and The Departed (2006). His performance in the 2003 film The Cooler garnered him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination.

He currently stars as Jack Donaghy on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He has received two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He is the oldest of the Baldwin brothers working in Hollywood.

Trivia:

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#80). [1995]

Daughter, Ireland Eliesse (aka Addie Baldwin), born on October 23, 1995.

He and his wife Kim Basinger owned a total of eleven dogs, seven cats and a wolf.

Education: George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (majored in political science), New York University, New York, New York (majored in drama; BA, 1993).

As part of his preparation for The Hunt for Red October (1990), he was trained to drive a Los Angeles-class attack submarine at the New London Submarine Base in Connecticut.

Brother of William Baldwin, Stephen Baldwin, Daniel Baldwin, Jane Sasso, and Elizabeth Keuchler.

Cousin of Charles H. Baldwin

Dated Michelle Pfeiffer, Janine Turner and Ally Sheedy.

Brother-in-law of singer Chynna Phillips and Kennya Baldwin.

Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world. [1990]

Cousin of actor Joseph Baldwin.

Originally wanted to be a lawyer.

His father was not only a social studies teacher in Massapequa, but also the football coach. It was his father who coined the nickname for Massapequa: Matzoh-Pizza.

Alec’s daughter is often called “Addie” by family members.

During the Bill Clinton impeachment trial went on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” (1993) and said to a cheering audience that the head of the trial, Henry Hyde and his family, should be stoned to death. He later apologized and said it was just a joke.

A fan of novelist James Lee Burke, he owns the rights to a number of books featuring his character Dave Robiceaux. One of these, Heaven’s Prisoners (1996), was released in 1996.

Wrote “Tabloid,” an episode of “Law & Order” (1990), based on his own experiences with tabloid reporters.

Turned down the chance to reprise the role of Jack Ryan in Patriot Games (1992) in order to play Stanley Kowalski in a revival of Tennessee Williams’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” on Broadway.

Told brother Stephen Baldwin that doing Bio-Dome (1996) could be the single most career ending decision he could possibly make.

Loves Cuban cigars.

At George Washington University, Baldwin ran for president but lost by two votes.

Taught “Master Theater Workshop” in summer 2002 at Southampton College, New York where friend James LaRocca is Dean.

Is only the third person in history to be nominated for both Best Supporting Actor from the Oscars, for The Cooler (2003), and Worst Supporting Actor from the Razzies, for The Cat in the Hat (2003), in the same year.

Jokes that he “stole” his performance in The Cooler (2003) from Ben Kingsley’s in Sexy Beast (2000).

Replaced Alan Rickman as the voice of Leonardo Leonardo in the 2000 cartoon based on Kevin Smith’s film Clerks. (1994).

Received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Montclair State University at their 2004 Graduation.

Like ex-wife Kim Basinger, he is also a vegetarian. He claims she was the one who convinced him. Since their divorce he has continued to be an advocate for animal rights.

In 1995, he played the role of Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (1995) (TV), a role originated by Marlon Brando, who went on to play Vito Corleone. On “Saturday Night Live” (1975), he has played Robert De Niro, who played the young Vito Corleone to Brando’s older Don Corleone, in The Godfather: Part II (1974).

His A Streetcar Named Desire (1995) (TV) castmate, John Goodman, played Marlon Brando on “Saturday Night Live” (1975).

Has done voice-over work in television ads for both General Electric and Subaru.

Was nominated for Broadway’s 1992 Tony Award as Best Actor (Play) for playing Stanley Kowalski in a revival of Tennessee Williams’s “A Streetcar Named Desire,” a performance he recreated in a television version of the same title, A Streetcar Named Desire (1995) (TV).

Is of Irish and French descent.

Is one of only two people with a standing invitation to host “Saturday Night Live” (1975) every year (schedules allowing). The other is Christopher Walken.

Has impersonated Robert De Niro on “Saturday Night Live” (1975) a few times, and now he will be in The Good Shepherd (2006), which is directed by De Niro.

He was willing to voice his own puppet in Team America: World Police (2004) (despite the movie’s unflattering portrait of him and other film stars, but was turned down by producers Matt Stone and Trey Parker, because all of the other celebrities were voiced by impressionists in the film. The role went to impressionist Maurice LaMarche.

In 1979, he auditioned for the New York University Undergraduate Drama Program on a dare (and was accepted).

No relation to actor Adam Baldwin.

Son of Carol M. Baldwin.

Was considered for the role of Dr. Curtis McCabe in Vanilla Sky (2001).

Has declined two roles that later went to Harrison Ford. First, he declined to reprise the role of Jack Ryan in Patriot Games (1992), then he turned down the lead role in The Fugitive (1993).

Was considered for the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman (1989).

Did a skit on “Saturday Night Live” (1975) in December of 2005 in which he spoofed himself delivering the same speech he did in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) to a couple of Santa’s elves. Only some of the words were changed to apply to the elves rather than salesmen. He slipped though when saying the line, “Always Be Cobbling” instead he said the original line, “Always Be Closing”. This made the other cast members break out in laughter on the live show.

He is frequently referred to as Irish-American and, although both of his parents have Irish heritage, he is not entirely Irish. His father was half-English and his mother’s side is primarily French (only one-quarter Irish).

Caused a scandal by leaving an expletive filled voice mail for his daughter Ireland, calling her a “thoughtless little pig”, which later was revealed to the media (11 April 2007).

Revealed during an appearance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” (1993) that he suffers from OCD.

Wrote “Tabloid” episode for the television show “Law & Order” (1990) which was part of the 1998 season because of his own experience with tabloid reporters.

Caused a major uproar in the Philippines when he made a joke that he was interested in buying a Filipina wife. As a result, Philippine senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr., (also an actor) blasted Baldwin and even swore to personally beat him up if he ever visits the Philippines. Despite apologizing for the joke, Baldwin was effectively banned from visiting the Philippines.

He has tied long-time reigning champion, Steve Martin, for hosting “Saturday Night Live” (1975) the most times. Both have hosted 14 episodes to date. They were chosen to co-host The 82nd Annual Academy Awards (2010) (TV) together.

Teaches a theater class at The Ross School in New York, which actress Aimee Muschamp attended.

Has announced plans to retire from acting and pursue other interests when his contract for “30 Rock” (2006) expires in 2012.

Good friends with actress Meryl Streep.

Is five years younger than his ex-wife, Kim Basinger.

The Hound of the Baskervilles released March 31, 1939

Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller, drama No Responses »

Mar 312010

The Hound of the Baskervilles 1939 mystery film based on the novel of the same name by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and is directed by Sidney Lanfield and produced by 20th Century Fox.

It is the most well-known cinematic adaptation of the book, and is often regarded as one of the better, though very inaccurate, films.

The film stars Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson and Richard Greene as Henry Baskerville. Because the studio apparently had no idea that the film would be such a hit, and that Rathbone and Bruce would make many more Sherlock Holmes films and be forever linked with Holmes and Watson, top billing went to Richard Greene, who was the film’s romantic lead. Rathbone was billed second. Wendy Barrie, who played Beryl Stapleton, the woman with whom Greene falls in love, received third billing, and Nigel Bruce, the film’s Dr. Watson, was billed fourth. In all other Holmes films, Rathbone and Bruce would receive first and second billing.

The Hound of the Baskervilles also marks the first of the fourteen Sherlock Holmes movies starring Rathbone and Bruce as the detective duo.

Trivia:

In the original novel, and in all later film versions, the butler is named Barrymore. In the 1939 version, this had to be changed to Barryman because the famous Barrymore family was still acting in films.
Publicity materials referred to the dog who played the title character as “Chief”. The dog’s actual name was “Blitzen” but this was thought to sound too German.
The original title “The Hound of the Baskervilles” refers to a dog that terrorizes a family called “Baskerville”. The German title “Der Hund Von Baskerville”, a mistranslation, refers to a hound, which just lives in “Baskerville”, a town, that does not play a role in the story.
After being out of circulation for many years, partly because of the 1959 Hammer remake in Technicolor starring Peter Cushing, this film was restored and re-released to theaters in 1975 with great fanfare, to the point of having the national evening news do a story on it. The film was shown at its full 80-minute length, and newspaper and magazine articles commented on the fact that the line “Oh, Watson, the needle!”, referring to Holmes’ cocaine habit (and usually misquoted as “Quick, Watson, the needle!”) was put back in after having been cut by the censors. As an added attraction, the studio added a rare sound film featurette which showed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes books, talking about his creation.
The first Sherlock Holmes film of Basil Rathbone.
The first of fourteen films based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional consulting detective Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson.
Beryl Mercer, who played the medium Jennifer Mortimer in the film, died less than three months after the film’s domestic release and before its international release.

Beetlejuice released March 30, 1988

Uncategorized No Responses »

Mar 302010

Beetlejuice is a 1988 American comedy horror fantasy film directed by Tim Burton, produced by The Geffen Film Company and distributed by Warner Bros. The plot revolves around a recently dead young couple who become ghosts haunting their former home, a quaint and quiet house on a hill overlooking the fictional town of Winter Rivers located in Connecticut. When a family of metropolitan yuppies from New York City move into the house, the ghosts seek the help of an obnoxious, devious and mischievous “bio-exorcist” named Betelgeuse from the underworld in order to scare the new living inhabitants away permanently. Beetlejuice stars Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Jones, Sylvia Sidney and Michael Keaton as the titular Betelgeuse (the film’s title being a phonetic spelling of the character’s name).

After the success of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Burton was sent several scripts and became disheartened by their lack of imagination and originality. When he was sent Michael McDowell’s original script for Beetlejuice, Burton agreed to direct, although Larry Wilson and Warren Skaaren were hired to rewrite it. Beetlejuice was both a financial and critical success, grossing $73.33 million from a budget of $13 million. The film spawned an animated television series that Burton produced, and the unproduced Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian sequel.

Trivia:

The receptionist in the waiting room is Miss Argentina.
Tim Burton originally wanted Sammy Davis Jr., a favorite star of his since childhood, to play the role of Betelgeuse but studio executives didn’t like that idea at all.
Director Trademark: [Tim Burton] [music] music by Danny Elfman
In the wedding scene, Lydia’s dress is a bright red. According to the old rhyme about wedding dress colors, it’s “Married in red, better off dead.”
During the sequence where Adam and Barbara enter Juno’s office and see her speaking to a recently deceased football team, a movie theater full of ghosts can be seen through Juno’s office window. When the film was first released in theaters, the scene created the illusion that the audience were themselves being watched by the ghosts. Among the ghosts in the audience are a red skeleton and a green skeleton (identical to the ones seen in Tim Burton’s later movie, Mars Attacks! (1996)), a woman with red hair, and two men in suits and Ray-Ban style sunglasses.
Director Trademark: [Tim Burton] [dogs] The Maitland’s deaths are caused by a stray dog wandering around the bridge their car topples over.
Michael Keaton spent only two weeks filming his part in the film, which lasts 17.5 minutes out of the 92-minute running time. It is Keaton’s favorite film of his own.
Director Trademark: [Tim Burton] [TV commercials] Betelgeuse’s TV commercial.
Director Trademark: [Tim Burton] [stop-motion animation] The sculptures, sandworms, and various effects.
The original script was a horror film, and featured Beetlejuice as a winged, reptilian demon who transformed into a small Middle Eastern man to interact with the Maitlands and the Deetzes. Lydia was a minor character, with her six year old sister Cathy being the Deetz child able to see the Maitlands. Beetlejuice’s goal was to kill the Maitlands, rather than frighten them away, and included sequences where he mauled Cathy in the form of a rabid squirrel and tried to rape Lydia. Subsequent script rewrites turned the film into a comedy and toned down Beetlejuice’s character into the ghost of an Ebonics-speaking con-artist rather than a demon.
As the Geffen logo rolls during the intro, soundtrack composer Danny Elfman is heard singing “Day-o, he say day-ay-ay-o.” This was added during post-production and is heard on the released soundtrack.
The title character of Beetle Juice (1988) is named for a bright red star in the constellation of Orion, Betelgeuse. The studio disliked the title and wanted to call the film “House Ghosts”. As a joke, Tim Burton suggested the name “Scared Sheetless” and was horrified when the studio actually considered using it.
The only cast member who would initially commit to the project was Geena Davis. Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Sylvia Sidney all said no at least once. Producer David Geffen convinced Michael Keaton’s manager to convince Michael to meet with director Tim Burton. Once Michael said yes, Tim Burton personally called Sylvia Sidney and begged her to do the movie, and he flew out to meet with Catherine O’Hara to convince her as well.
Catherine O’Hara was a replacement for an ill Anjelica Huston as Delia. On the set she met her future husband, production designer Bo Welch.
The original plan for the dinner party was to have the guests dance to “a song by The Ink Spots,” but Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O’Hara suggested the music be calypso.
When Adam and Barbra are in the office, a voice on the PA systems announces the arrival of Flight 409 (“Flight 409 is arriving at Gate 3″). On October 6, 1955 United Airlines Flight 409 crashed into a mountain over Wyoming killing all passengers and crew aboard. It was the worst crash in history to that point. To this day, no one knows why it crashed.
Director Trademark: [Tim Burton] [Claymation] The Priest, Fireplace and decomposing versions of Adam and Barbra are all Claymation.
A toy line was released in conjunction with the film, featuring action figures of most of Beetlejuice’s incarnations, Otho, Adam (whose figure featured him wearing a red baseball cap), and the Shrunken Head Man from the waiting room, whose figure was named “Harry the Haunted Hunter” and came with a detachable head showing what he looked like before death.
Adam and Barbara are the only spirits that look “normal”, compared to the other deceased in the Netherworld.
Juliette Lewis auditioned for the role of Lydia. Lori Loughlin, Diane Lane, Sarah Jessica Parker, Brooke Shields, Justine Bateman, Molly Ringwald and Jennifer Connelly all turned down the same role.
The snake scene had been filmed before Michael Keaton was cast as Betelgeuse, and the animatronic snake used bore no resemblance to the actor. After Keaton had been cast, some additional film was shot for the scene, using a stop-motion snake that looked more like Betelgeuse. This was suggested by the studio to make sure the audience knows the the snake is actually Betelgeuse and not some random monster from the afterlife.
The number 3 is used ’3′ times: The number of times to say commands (“Betelgeuse”, “home”), the number of times to knock on the door to get to the other side, and the number of first class intersessions allotted.
Producer Jon Peters thought of casting controversial comedian Sam Kinison as Beetlegeuse, but Kinison’s agent never told him about it.

Long Weekend released March 29, 1979

Horror, Mystery, Thriller No Responses »

Mar 292010

Long Weekend is a Australian Mystery-Thriller film shot in 1978 and released in 1979. The film is directed by Colin Eggleston and stars John Hargreaves and Briony Behets.

Trivia:

Director Colin Eggleston cameos as the voice of Marcia’s lover on the phone.
Actor George Mallaby was originally wanted for the role of Peter, but executive producer Richard Brennen pushed to have John Hargreaves cast in the role having worked with him previously on The Removalists (1975).
Even though star Briony Behets was married to director Eggleston at the time, she wasn’t his first choice to play the role of Marcia. She only got the role later after another actress fell through.
The decision to have rainy weather in the early driving scenes was an effort to hide the fact that the interior scenes in Peter’s jeep were filmed inside a darkened garage. During the shooting grips would run past carrying flashlights to make it appear like they were lights from passing cars.
Shot in four and a half weeks.
Mike McEwen was cast as the truck driver (who appears at the gas station, then plays an important role in the finale) because he bore a resemblance to star John Hargreaves.
Cinematographer Vincent Monton said that the weather conditions while shooting the film were eerily co-operative. He said when the script would call for a scene with sunny skies the weather would be beautiful, but as the intensity and strangeness of the script grew the weather conditions would change to match the moody atmosphere of the scenes being filmed. Throughout the shoot the weather always seemed to change to suit the scene that was being made!
The mysterious shadow near Peter in the ocean was actually made by a crude structure of trash bags that was being pushed along through the water by Richard Brennen, who was submerged just beneath it.
Despite winning numerous awards and being a success overseas, the film was a flop both critically and commercially in its home country of Australia.
The possum that bites Peter had to be heavily tranquilized just so it would move slow enough to be seen attacking on film.
The tree that the harpoon gets impaled into, then later dies and decays throughout the climax, wasn’t actually part of the forest at the filming location. It was cut and transported to the location for the shoot so that it could gradually be destroyed during the film.
The last 20 minutes of the film has practically no dialog at all.
When the film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, producer Richard Brennen noticed a man get up and leave the screening after only 10 minutes of the film. He followed the man out to ask him why he was leaving. It turned out the gentleman was a film distributor for South America and was going to buy the rights to the film after seeing only minutes of it. In total four foreign distributors bought rights to release the picture during the screening.

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