Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #51 :: July 14•20

Universal Pictures

There are eight decades worth of new films to spotlight this week, but it wasn’t until 1971 that any real notable films were released, including one of the most — if not the most controversial film ever made (to this day it’s never been seen in its original form). 1981 gave us a cult classic, an Oscar-winning comedy, a film of teen romance with a theme song that may be more loved than the movie, and a questionable George Hamilton comedy. 1991 reunited Bill & Ted, 2001 took viewers back to Jurassic Park, and 2011 saw the end of a popular film adaptation of a literary franchise.

1921

• No new movies were released this week in 1921.

1931

• No new movies were released this week in 1931.

1941

July 18 – The Shepherd of the Hills

• Cast: John Wayne, Betty Field, Harry Carey, Beulah Bondi, James Barton, Samuel S. Hinds, Marjorie Main, Ward Bond, Marc Lawrence, John Qualen, Fuzzy Knight, Tom Fadden, Olin Howland, Dorothy Adams, Virita Campbell
• Director: Henry Hathaway
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the novel of the same name by Harold Bell Wright. The story was previously filmed in 1919 and 1928, and remade again in 1964. John Wayne’s first Technicolor film.

1951

July 14 – Fort Worth

• Cast: Randolph Scott, David Brian, Phyllis Thaxter, Helena Carter, Dickie Jones, Ray Teal, Michael Tolan, Emerson Treacy, Bob Steele, Walter Sande, Chubby Johnson
• Director: Edwin L. Marin
• Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on July 14, 1951. Edwin L. Marin’s final film. He died two months before the film’s release. Three train scenes in the film were lifted from another film, 1939’s Dodge City.

1961

July 19 – By Love Possessed

• Cast: Lana Turner, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Jason Robards, George Hamilton, Susan Kohner, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara Bel Geddes, Everett Sloane, Yvonne Craig, Gilbert Green, Frank Maxwell, Carroll O’Connor, Jean Willes
• Director: John Sturges
• Studio: United Artists
• Trivia: The film premiere in Los Angeles on June 13, 1961. Based on the novel by James Gould Cozzens. The theme song is performed by Vic Damone. Charlton Heston turned down the lead role. On July 19, 1961, this was the first in-flight movie to be shown to First Class passengers on regular TWA flights. George Hamilton and Susan Kohner, who were romantically involved during production, are the only major cast members still living.

1971

July 15 – Vampyros Lesbos

• Cast: Ewa Strömberg, Soledad Miranda, Andrea Montchal, Dennis Price, Paul Müller, Heidrun Kussin, Michael Berling
• Director: Jesús Franco
• Studio: Fénix Films, CCC Telecine Film[
• Trivia: The film opened in West Germany on July 15, 1971, and played in Austin, Texas on June 28, 1974, and El Paso, Texas on May 14, 1976. The film was not seen by the general public in the US until its video debut on January 4, 2000. Director Jesús Franco appears in an uncredited role. The film’s score became popular in the mid-1990s when it was included on the compilation Vampyros Lesbos: Sexadelic Dance Party. Franco was one of the composers, credited as David Khune. The film had several working titles including Das Mal des Vampirs (Evil of the Vampires) and Im Zeichen der Vampire (Mark of the Vampire).

July 16 – The Devils

• Cast: Oliver Reed, Vanessa Redgrave, Dudley Sutton, Max Adrian, Gemma Jones, Murray Melvin, Michael Gothard, Georgina Hale, Brian Murphy, John Woodvine, Christopher Logue, Kenneth Colley, Graham Armitage, Andrew Faulds, Judith Paris, Catherine Willmer
• Director: Ken Russell
• Studio: Russo Productions, distributed by Warner Bros.
• Trivia: Partly adapted from the 1952 non-fiction book The Devils of Loudun by Aldous Huxley, and partly from the 1960 play The Devils by John Whiting, also based on Huxley’s book. United Artists originally pitched the idea to Ken Russell, but dropped the project after reading his screenplay, which the studio felt was too controversial. The film received an X-rating, was banned in several countries, and heavily edited in others. In many countries, the film has never been released in its uncut form. Numerous publications have recognized the film as one of the most controversial of all time. It was banned in Finland until 2001. Derek Jarman constructed the film’s sets, basing them on the sets of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. Oliver Reed agreed to do the film in exchange for a percentage of the film’s profits. Glenda Jackson turned down the role played by Vanessa Redgrave. Reed and Russell clashed often during filming, and by the end of production were barely on speaking terms.

July 16 – The Hunting Party

• Cast: Oliver Reed, Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, Simon Oakland, L. Q. Jones, Mitchell Ryan, Ronald Howard, William Watson, G.D. Spradlin, Rayford Barnes, Bernard Kay, Richard Adams, Dean Selmier, Sarah Atkinson, Francesca Tu
• Director: Don Medford
• Studio: Levy-Gardner-Laven, distributed by United Artists
• Trivia: The first of three films Gene Hackman and Candice Bergen made together. The film had been announced in 1969 with husband and wife Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom set to star. Anthony Quinn was later announced as the film’s lead.

July 16 – The Light at the Edge of the World

• Cast: Kirk Douglas, Yul Brynner, Samantha Eggar, Jean-Claude Drouot, Fernando Rey, Renato Salvatori, Massimo Ranieri, Aldo Sambrell, Tito García, Víctor Israel
• Director: Kevin Billington
• Studio: The Bryna Company, distributed by National General Pictures
• Trivia: Adapted from Jules Verne’s classic 1905 adventure novel The Lighthouse at the End of the World. The film was first announced by Columbia Pictures in 1962 with Hardy Kruger and Jean Marais to star. Kirk Douglas’ Bryna Company resurrected the project in the late 1960s. James Mason, Alan Bates and Virna Lisi were originally announced as Douglas’ co-stars.

1981

HandMade Films

July 16 – Time Bandits

• Cast: Craig Warnock, David Rappaport, Kenny Baker, Malcolm Dixon, Mike Edmonds, Jack Purvis, Tiny Ross, Sean Connery, David Warner, Shelley Duvall, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, Ralph Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Katherine Helmond, John Cleese, Derek Deadman, Jerold Wells, David Daker, Sheila Fearn, Jim Broadbent, Tony Jay, Terence Bayler, Preston Lockwood, Derrick O’Connor, Neil McCarthy, Ian Muir, Myrtle Devenish, John Young
• Director: Time Bandits
• Studio: HandMade Films, Janus Films, distributed by Avco Embassy
• Trivia: The film opened in the UK on July 16, 1981, followed by the US on November 6. The film’s five dwarfs are said to represent the five members of the Monty Python troupe. Terry Gilliam said the film came about because he was unable to start production on Brazil. The role of King Agamemnon was written for Sean Connery or ‘an actor of equal but cheaper stature’, according to the script’s description of the character. The script ended up in Connery’s hands and his agent approached the producers for the role. It was Connery’s idea to do magic tricks for Kevin. Connery also suggested he appear as one of the firefighters at the end of the film. Ruth Gordon was set to play Mrs. Ogre but was injured before production. Katherine Helmond came on and was to play the role in heavy makeup, to look like her husband, but a decision was made that it would be funnier if she was just a regular person. The studio did not want Helmond because they felt she was not a big enough name. Gilda Radner was considered. Jonathan Pryce was offered the role of Evil Genius but did the film Loophole instead because it paid twice as much. Pryce then got the lead in Gilliam’s Brazil, and any time he had to do something difficult in the film Gilliam would say it was his payback for saying no to Time Bandits. John Cleese filmed his part in two days. The Minotaur head prop was re-used in Gladiator. Art Carney, Burt Reynolds and Peter Sellers were suggested for the Supreme Being.

July 17 – Arthur

• Cast: Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Jill Eikenberry, Stephen Elliott, Thomas Barbour, Ted Ross, Barney Martin, Paul Gleason, Phyllis Somerville, Lou Jacobi, Justine Johnston, Irving Metzman, Anne De Salvo, Lawrence Tierney, Mark Margolis, Gordon Press
• Director: Steve Gordon
• Studio: Orion Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: This was the only film directed by Steve Gordon, who died in 1982 of a heart attack. The title song ‘Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)’ won the Oscar for Best Original Song. John Gielgud also won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and the film was nominated for two other awards including Best Actor. Gordon had written the role of Arthur with an American in mind, considering Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, Richard Dreyfuss, John Belushi and James Caan for the role. Alec Guinness and David Niven were considered for the role of Hobson. Gielgud had turned down the role several times but finally accepted a monetary deal that was too good to pass up. Mia Farrow, Farrah Fawcett, Goldie Hawn, Barbara Hershey, Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange, Bette Midler, Gilda Radner, Susan Sarandon, Cybill Shepherd, and Meryl Streep were all considered for the role of Linda; Debra Winger, Tuesday Weld and Carrie Fisher turned down the role, and Kim Basinger read for the part. Gordon wanted Dudley Moore to perform with an American accent, but he had difficulty doing so and convinced Gordon to let him speak in his natural accent. The film was originally set up at Paramount, but it was dropped and Orion Pictures stepped in. Six ad campaigns were discarded before a final one was settled on. At one point, Liza Minnelli is supposed to board a bus, but did not realize she had boarded an actual bus until they were halfway down the block. Four different endings were filmed as Gordon wasn’t sure which one to use. Bud Cort was actually cast as Arthur but withdrew before production started. This was Phyllis Somerville’s debut.

July 17 – Endless Love

• Cast: Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt, Shirley Knight, Don Murray, Richard Kiley, Penelope Milford, Beatrice Straight, James Spader, Tom Cruise, Ian Ziering, Jami Gertz, Jeff Marcus, Walt Gorney
• Director: Franco Zeffirelli
• Studio: PolyGram Pictures, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the 1979 Scott Spencer novel. This marked the film debuts of Martin Hewitt, Tom Cruise, Jami Gertz and Ian Ziering. The film’s theme song earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Song, as well as five Grammy nominations. The film originally received an X-rating from the MPAA. Cuts were made to the loves scenes and the film was resubmitted five times before it got an R. Brooke Shields’ ‘momager’ Teri nearly turned down the role for her daughter saying the part lacked any substance. Shirley Knight suggested Franco Zeffirelli cast Rosanna Arquette, Linda Blair, Bo Derek, Carrie Fisher, Jodie Foster, Melanie Griffith, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kristy McNichol, Michelle Pfeiffer or Debra Winger in the role of Jade because she felt Shields didn’t have the talent for the role. Meg Ryan auditioned before Shields was cast. Robby Benson auditioned for the role of David before Hewitt was cast.

July 17 – Zorro, The Gay Blade

• Cast: George Hamilton, Lauren Hutton, Brenda Vaccaro, Ron Leibman, Donovan Scott, James Booth, Helen Burns, Clive Revill, Carolyn Seymour, Eduardo Noriega, Pilar Pellicer, Jorge Russek, Eduardo Alcaraz, Carlos Bravo y Fernández, Roberto Dumont, Jorge Bolio, Frank Welker
• Director: Peter Medak
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: The film is established as a tongue-in-cheek sequel to 1940’s The Mark of Zorro. George Hamilton received a Golden Globe nomination for his dual roles. The film’s score was nominated for a Razzie for Worst Musical Score. The film’s original title was Zorro, the Comedy Adventure. In some countries, the title was changed to Zorro Swings Again. In Batman lore, the Wayne family had come from seeing the 1940 film when they were murdered. The title of the 1981 film is seen on a marquee in 2019’s Joker.

1991

Orion Pictures

July 19 – Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey

• Cast: Keanu Reeves, Brendan Ryan, Alex Winter, William Throne, William Sadler, Joss Ackland, George Carlin, Chelcie Ross, Pam Grier, Annette Azcuy, Sarah Trigger, Hal Landon Jr., J. Patrick McNamara, Amy Stock-Poynton, Ed Gale, Arturo Gil, Tom Allard, Michael ‘Shrimp’ Chambers, Bruno ‘Taco’ Falcon, Taj Mahal, Frank Welker, Tony Cox
• Director: Pete Hewitt
• Studio: Nelson Entertainment, Interscope Communications, distributed by Orion Pictures
• Trivia: Feature directorial debut of Pete Hewitt. The film’s working title was Bill & Ted Go To Hell. The name of the evil charter from the future, De Nomolos, is just writer Ed Solomon’s name backwards. Solomon and co-writer Chris Matheson can be seen in the séance scene where they say ‘ed and chris rule the world’ backwards. Orion Pictures was nearly bankrupt months before the film’s release and almost sold it to Columbia Pictures, but kept it because they had faith in it. The mall with the Building Emporium is the same mall in Back to the Future. The two statues at the base of the staircase when Bill & Ted are addressing God are Michael Powell and David Niven, an homage to the film Stairway to Heaven. The staircase is the same staircase from that film. The Tillman Water Reclamation Plant, which was used for Bill & Ted University in 2691 was also used as Starfleet Academy in episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager. The mountain Bill & Ted are brought to be killed by the evil robots is the same mountain from the Star Trek episode ‘Arena’, which the boys watched in their apartment. The ceiling in the future classroom was left over from Mom & Dad Save the World, also written by Solomon and Matheson. William Sadler also plays an English gentleman in the film alongside his real life wife and daughter. Hewitt has a cameo appearance billed as Max Magenta.

July 19 – Dutch

• Cast: Ed O’Neill, Ethan Embry, JoBeth Williams, Christopher McDonald, E.G. Daily, Ari Meyers, L. Scott Caldwell, Kathleen Freeman, Arnold Palmer
• Director: Peter Faiman
• Studio: Hughes Entertainment, distributed by 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: The film was released in the UK as Driving Me Crazy. This was the second and last film directed by Peter Fairman, who turned his attention to television after the box office failure of the film. The film was mentioned in passing on an episode of Married… with Children during an in-flight to London, joking about the film’s failure. The film was referenced again in an episode where Al and Peg were at a video store where a poster for the film was seen with a sign covering O’Neill’s face that said ‘Free Video’. O’Neill said producer John Hughes would call him every day during production, invited him to his house for dinner, and planned more films together. Once Dutch tanked, Hughes never spoke to O’Neill or Faiman again. Hughes had considered directing the film but decided not to because of similarities to Planes, Trains and Automobiles. The film takes place in the same universe as Hughes’ Career Opportunities, Curly Sue, and Home Alone. John Candy was the first choice to play Dutch. Mel Gibson turned down the role. Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Jim Belushi, Robin Williams, John Goodman and Bill Murray were also considered. Ed O’Neill & Ethan Embry would reunite in 2003 for a short-lived revival of the classic TV series Dragnet.

2001

July 18 – Jurassic Park III

• Cast: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter, John Diehl, Bruce A. Young, Laura Dern, Taylor Nichols, Mark Harelik, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Blake Bryan
• Director: Joe Johnston
• Studio: Amblin Entertainment, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on July 16, 2001. The first film in the franchise not directed by Steven Spielberg, or based on Michael Crichton’s novels although it does include characters and ideas from the original novel. A final script was not completed during production and Joe Johnston considered quitting the project several times due to the uncertainty of how it would turn out. Johnston had been asking Spielberg about directing a Jurassic Park film since the first was released, but Spielberg knew he would be directing the first sequel. He did not want to do the third film because the first two were so difficult to make. The aquatic Kronosaurus was in the original script but was not featured in the film. Sam Neill was happy to reprise his role as Dr. Alan Grant because he felt his work in the first film could have been better. William H. Macy had initially turned down his role due to scheduling conflicts, so production was delayed a month to accommodate him. He had been working on the 2001 film Focus with Laura Dern and she urged him to accept the role. In July 2000, Spielberg and Johnston rejected the script five weeks ahead of production, after $18 million had already been spent on the film storyboarding and constructing sets. Elements from the rejected script and the original draft were incorporated into a new script to salvage some of the work already done. Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor were hired to rewrite the script based on their work rewriting Meet the Parents. Payne had worked with Dern on Citizen Ruth, and although her character from the first film was not in the script, he wrote a small part for her. Dern filmed her part in one day. Much of the humor Payne and Taylor added to the script was not used in the final film. Macy said Spielberg was never on set even though a chair with his name always was, prompting Macy to quip, ‘You didn’t know if it was a promise or a threat.’ The film was physically demanding on the actors with Téa Leoni saying most of her makeup was to cover real bruises instead of creating fake ones. During the T. rex fight with the Spinosaurus, the Spinosaurus animatronic was so powerful it ripped the head off the T. rex.

July 20 – America’s Sweethearts

• Cast: Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cusack, Hank Azaria, Stanley Tucci, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Seth Green, Scot Zeller, Larry King, Steve Pink, Rainn Wilson, Eric Balfour, Marty Belafsky, Keri Lynn Pratt, Maria Canals, Byron Allen, Max Charles
• Director: Joe Roth
• Studio: Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios, Face Productions, Roth-Arnold Productions, Shoelace Productions, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on July 17, 2001. Emma Roberts has an uncredited cameo. Billy Crystal had written the role of Eddie for himself years earlier but Joe Roth convinced him to take the role of Lee because he felt Crystal was too old to play Eddie by the time the film went into production. Robert Downey Jr. was originally to play Eddie but John Cusack was cast instead as Downey’s then legal problems may have made him unavailable. Cusack’s sister Anne appears in an uncredited cameo. The character of director Hal Weidmann is based on director Hal Ashby. The film originally received an R-rating for language and sexual innuendo. Small cuts were made to get a PG-13.

July 20 – Spirited Away

• Japanese Voice Cast: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Bunta Sugawara, Yoomi Tamai, Tsunehiko Kamijō, Takehiko Ono, Akio Nakamura, Tatsuya Gashūint, Yō Ōizumi, Ryūnosuke Kamiki, Takashi Naitō, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Koba Hayashi, Ken Yasuda
• American Voice Cast: Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Suzanne Pleshette, David Ogden Stiers, Susan Egan, Paul Eiding, John Ratzenberger, Bob Bergen, Rodger Bumpass, Tara Strong, Michael Chiklis, Lauren Holly, Jim Ward, Jack Angel
• Director: Hayao Miyazaki
• Studio: Studio Ghibli, distributed by Toho
• Trivia: The film opened in Japan on July 20, 2001 but did not get a wide US release until March 28, 2003 following a limited release on September 20, 2002. Pixar’s John Lasseter convinced Disney to pick up the film’s North American distribution rights. Lasseter served as the executive producer of the English-language dubbed version. The film won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. As with Hayao Miyazaki’s previous films, Spirited Away had no script. Miyazaki develops the story as he begins the storyboarding process. This was the first film to earn $200 million before opening in the US. This was Suzanne Pleshette’s last film.

2011

Warner Bros. Pictures

July 15 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

• Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Julie Walters
• Director: David Yates
• Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures, Heyday Films, distributed Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s London premiere was held on July 7, 2011, followed by the US premiere on July 11, before the general release in both countries on July 15. Sean Biggerstaff, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Miriam Margolyes, and Emma Thompson returned to reprise their roles from earlier films for the final battle scene. When images of the three leads in makeup to make them appear older, fans complained that Radcliffe and Grint looked too old and Watson didn’t look significantly different. Director David Yates examined the footage and found it could not be corrected with special effects and had to re-shoot the scene. The awkward hug between Voldemort and Draco was improvised by Ralph Fiennes. Tom Felton’s stunned reaction is genuine. This is the only movie in which Snape refers to Harry by his first name, where he’d always called him ‘Mr. Potter’ in previous films. This was the only Harry Potter film to gross over $1 billion worldwide. The only Harry Potter film to be released theatrically in 3D. ‘Order of the Phoenix’ and ‘Half-Blood Prince’ had select scenes in 3D but only in IMAX. This is the only film in which Hermione actually rides a broom.