Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #10 :: September 30 to October 6

Universal Pictures

The first week of October over the last 100 years has given us some cinematic gems and stinkers. Over the decades, Hollywood delivered an early Technicolor film, Boris Karloff and an ape, a remake of the Bogart and Bacall classic To Have and Have Not, a Stanley Kubrick epic, the beginning of a Hammer vampire trilogy, a time traveling romantic classic, a third Jamie Lee Curtis slasher film, the first NC-17 film, a Coen Brothers classic, a Stallone flop, De Niro doing comedy, and a look into the beginning of the world’s biggest social media platform. There are many more this week that earned Oscar nominations and wins, and some that are best forgotten … and a few that sadly don’t exist anymore. So let’s take a stroll down memory lane to see if you remember the movies released this week through the decades. And be sure to click on any of the highlighted links to get more information about a film or to make a purchase which helps support our work here at Hotchka.

1920

October 3 – The Riddle: Woman

Cast: Geraldine Farrar, Montagu Love, Adele Blood, William P. Carleton, Frank Losee, Madge Bellamy, Louis Stern, Philippe De Lacy
Director: Edward José
Studio: Associated Exhibitors, distributed by Pathé Exchange
Trivia: This was Farrar’s last film and Bellamy’s first. The film’s preservation status is unknown indicating it may be lost.

October 3 – The Stealers

Cast: William H. Tooker, Robert Kenyon, Myrtle Morse, Norma Shearer, Ruth Dwyer, Eugene Borden, Jack Crosby, Matthew Betz, John B. O’Brien, Downing Clarke, Walter Miller
Director: Christy Cabanne
Studio: Robertson-Cole Pictures Corporation

October 4 – Blackmail

Cast: Viola Dana, Alfred Allen, Wyndham Standing, Edward Cecil, Florence Turner, Jack Roi, Lydia Knott, Fred Kelsey
Director: Dallas M. Fitzgerald
Studio: Screen Classics, distributed by Metro Pictures

October 4 – The Branded Woman

Cast: Norma Talmadge, Percy Marmont, Vincent Serrano, George Fawcett, Grace Studdiford, Gaston Glass, Jean Armour, Edna Murphy, Henry Carvill, Charles Lane, Sidney Herbert, Edouard Durand, Henrietta Floyd
Director: Albert Parker
Studio: First National Pictures
Trivia: The film was produced by Talmadge and her husband Joseph Schenck through their company Norma Talmadge Productions. Based on the 1917 Broadway play Branded by Oliver D. Bailey. The film is preserved in the Library of Congress.

October 4 – Everybody’s Sweetheart

Cast: Olive Thomas, William Collier Jr., Joseph Dowling, Aileen Manning, Martha Mattox, Hal Wilson, Bob Hick
Director: Laurence Trimble, Alan Crosland
Studio: Selznick Pictures Corporation, distributed by Select Pictures Corporation
Trivia: This was Thomas’ final film which was released nearly a month after her death from accidental ingestion of mercury bichloride. The film is preserved in the George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection.

October 4 – Madame Peacock

Cast: Alla Nazimova, George Probert, John Steppling, William Orlamond, Rex Cherryman, Albert R. Cody, Gertrude Claire, Georgia Woodthorpe
Director: Ray C. Smallwood
Studio: Nazimova Productions, distributed by Metro Pictures
Trivia: Nazimova wrote and produced the film, which was based on Madame Peacock by Rita Weiman. Copies of the film exist in several collections including the Cinematheque Royale de Belgique, Brussels.

1930

September 30 – Whoopee

Cast: Eddie Cantor, Ethel Shutta, Paul Gregory, Eleanor Hunt, Jack Rutherford, Walter Law, Spencer Charters, Albert Hackett, Marian Marsh
Director: Thornton Freeland
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Productions, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: The film was shot in two-color Technicolor. Based on the 1928 stage show produced by Florenz Ziegfeld. The film made a star of Cantor who was already a leading star on Broadway. Pre-stardom Betty Grable, Paulette Goddard, Ann Sothern, Virginia Bruce, and Claire Dodd appeared uncredited as ‘Goldwyn Girls’. The film also launched the Hollywood career of Busby Berkeley. This was Alfred Newman’s first job composing a film score. Cinematographer Gregg Toland went on to fame with Orson Welles. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Art Direction.

1940

September 30 – The Ape

Cast: Boris Karloff, Maris Wrixon, Gene O’Donnell, Dorothy Vaughan, Gertrude W. Hoffmann, Henry Hall, Selmer Jackson, Ray ‘Crash’ Corrigan
Director: William Nigh
Studio: Monogram Pictures
Trivia: This was the last film in Karloff’s six-picture deal with Monogram. The film took one week to shoot. Karloff returned to Monogram only once for 1958’s Frankenstein 1970. Based on the 1924 play by Adam Hull Shirk. Monogram purchased the rights to the play and filmed it in 1934 as The House of Mystery.

October 1 – Junior G-Men (serial)

Cast: Billy Halop, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Bernard Punsly, Ken Lundy, Kenneth Howell, Roger Daniels, Phillip Terry, Russell Hicks, Cy Kendall, Ben Taggart, Victor Zimmerman, Edgar Edwards, Gene Rizzi, Florence Halop
Director: Ford Beebe, John Rawlins
Studio: Universal Pictures
Trivia: This was Universal’s 116th serial (out of 137), the 48th with sound. One of three serials starring The Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys. The Dead End Kids went on to become The Bowery Boys.

October 2 – Angels Over Broadway

Cast: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Rita Hayworth, Thomas Mitchell, John Qualen, George Watts, Ralph Theodore, Eddie Foster, Jack Roper, Constance Worth
Director: Ben Hecht, Lee Garmes
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Also known as Before I Die. The film was Oscar nominated for Best Original Screenplay by Ben Hecht. Fairbanks persuaded Harry Cohn of Columbia to finance the film, and he also gave them Hayworth in her first lead role in an ‘A’ picture.

1950

September 30 – The Breaking Point

Cast: John Garfield, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter, Juano Hernández, Wallace Ford, Edmon Ryan, Ralph Dumke, Guy Thomajan, William Campbell, Sherry Jackson, Donna Jo Boyce, Victor Sen Yung
Director: Michael Curtiz
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

October 2 – I’ll Get By

Cast: June Haver, William Lundigan, Gloria DeHaven, Dennis Day, Thelma Ritter, Harry James, Jeanne Crain, Steve Allen, Harry Antrim, Danny Davenport, Dan Dailey
Director: Richard Sale
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Lionel Newman received an Oscar nomination for his film score.

October 4 – Union Station

Cast: William Holden, Nancy Olson, Barry Fitzgerald, Lyle Bettger, Jan Sterling, Allene Roberts, Herbert Heyes, Fred Graff, James Seay, Parley Baer, Ralph Sanford
Director: Rudolph Maté
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Based on the novel Nightmare in Manhattan by Thomas Walsh. The story’s location was changed from the novel’s Grand Central Station in New York to Chicago’s Union Station. Union Station in Los Angeles was the actual filming location. The kidnapping victim was also changed from a little boy to a blind, teenaged girl. Holden and Olsen also appeared in Sunset Boulevard the same year.

1960

September 30 – Hell to Eternity

Cast: Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, Vic Damone, Patricia Owens, Richard Eyer, John Larch, Bill Williams, Michi Kobi, George Shibata, Reiko Sato, Richard Gardner, Bob Okazaki, George Matsui, Nicky Blair, George Takei, Miiko Taka, Tsuru Aoki, Sessue Hayakawa, Frank Gerstle
Director: Phil Karlson
Studio: Allied Artists
Trivia: The film was based on the true experiences of Pfc. Guy Gabaldon, whose story was featured on an episode of This Is Your Life. The film was shot on location in Okinawa. A novelization of the screenplay was written by Edward S. Aarons and published in 1960, although it appears to be unauthorized as there is no credit given to the screenplay or its authors, and the cover artwork depicts two soldiers, one of which only vaguely resembles Hunter.

October 1 – Never on Sunday

Cast: Melina Mercouri, Jules Dassin, Giorgos Fountas, Titos Vandis, Mitsos Ligizos, Despo Diamantidou, Dimos Starenios, Dimitris Papamichael, Alexis Solomos, Thanassis Veggos, Phaedon Georgitsis, Nikos Fermas
Director: Jules Dassin
Studio: Distributed by Lopert Pictures Corporation (United States)
Trivia: The theme song, ‘Never on Sunday’, became a major hit of the 1960s, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The film was also nominated for Best Actress (Mercouri), Best Costume Design – Black and White, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. Mercouri won the 1960 Cannes Film Festival Best Actress award.

October 6 – Spartacus

Cast: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, Tony Curtis, John Gavin, John Dall, Nina Foch, John Ireland, Herbert Lom, Joanna Barnes, Harold J. Stone, Woody Strode
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Studio: Bryna Productions, distributed by Universal International
Trivia: Based on the 1951 novel by Howard Fast. Ustinov won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film also won Oscars for Best Art Direction — Color, Best Cinematography — Color, and Best Costume Design — Color. The film was not nominated as Best Picture, but it did win the Golden Globe for Best Picture — Drama. Director Anthony Mann was fired after a week of production, replaced by Kubrick. This was the only time Kubrick did not have complete control over a film. Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo had been blacklisted at the time, and President Kennedy crossed American Legion picket lines to view the film, helping to end blacklisting (Douglas also insisted Trumbo receive credit for his work). Trumbo originally planned to use the pseudonym Sam Jackson. The film was the biggest hit in Universal’s history until 1970’s Airport. The film was selected for preservation in 2017 by the National Film Registry. The film was developed by star Douglas after he lost the title role of Ben-Hur to Charlton Heston. Universal agreed to finance the film after Douglas secured Olivier, Laughton and Ustinov. Yul Brynner was attempting to get a Spartacus film made at United Artists but Trumbo’s screenplay was completed first and Universal won the race. David Lean turned down an offer to direct the film. The film was budgeted at $12 million, equivalent to about $105 million today. Kubrick wanted to film in Italy with cheap extras but Universal’s president wanted to use the film as an example that epics could be made in Hollywood. A compromise was reached in which the interiors were filmed in Hollywood, and the battle scenes were filmed in Spain with 8,000 trained soldiers used to portray the Roman army. Kubrick had to cut all but one of the gory battle scenes due to negative test audience reactions. Cinematographer Russell Metty clashed with Kubrick’s precise style and use of light and threatened to quit, but he muted his criticism after winning the Oscar. Kubrick wanted to shoot a leisurely two set-ups a day while the studio wanted 32. They compromised at eight. Kubrick and Trumbo fought over the screenplay with Kubrick complaining that Spartacus had no faults. Kubrick eventually distanced himself from the finished film due to his lack of creative control. Over the years, the film’s negative had been cut twice and the colors had faded so Steven Spielberg backed a restoration in 1991, with Kubrick’s blessing and participation by long-distance communication from London. The restoration cost about $1 million. Several violent battle scenes were restored, as well as a notorious bath scene in which Crassus (Olivier) attempts to seduce Antoninus (Curtis). The sound for the scene was missing, but Curtis was able to rerecord his dialog. Olivier had died two years earlier so his voice was provided by Anthony Hopkins at the suggestion of Olivier’s widow Joan Plowright.

1970

October – Cannon for Cordoba

Cast: George Peppard, Pete Duel, Giovanna Ralli, Don Gordon, Raf Vallone, Nico Minardos, Gabriele Tinti, John Larch, Francine York, John Russell, Lionel Murton, Hans Meyer
Director: Paul Wendkos
Studio: Mirisch Company, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: The Mexican-set Western was filmed in Spain.

October 1 – The Baby Maker

Cast: Barbara Hershey, Collin Wilcox Paxton, Sam Groom, Scott Glenn, Jeannie Berlin, Lili Valenty, Helena Kallianiotes, Jeff Siggins, Phyllis Coates, Madge Kennedy, Ray Hemphill, Paul Linke, Bobby Pickett, Samuel Francis, Alan Keesling
Director: James Bridges
Studio: Robert Wise Productions, distributed by National General Pictures
Trivia: Critic John Simon called the film ‘insufferable’.

October 1 – How Do I Love Thee

Cast: Jackie Gleason, Maureen O’Hara, Shelley Winters, Rosemary Forsyth, Rick Lenz
Director: Michael Gordon
Studio: ABC Pictures, Freeman-Enders, distributed by Cinerama Releasing Corporation
Trivia: Based on the 1965 novel Let Me Count the Ways by Peter De Vries. This was O’Hara’s first film in five years and she later regretted the decision because the script was so bad and there were numerous problems on set.

October 1 – The Traveling Executioner

Cast: Stacy Keach, Marianna Hill, Bud Cort, Graham Jarvis, James Sloyan, M. Emmet Walsh, John Bottoms, Ford Rainey, James Greene, Sam Reese, Stefan Gierasch, Logan Ramsey, Charles Tyner, William Mims, Val Avery, Walt Barnes, Charlie Briggs, Paul Gauntt
Director: Jack Smight
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: The 1993 stage musical The Fields of Ambrosia is based on the film.

October 4 – The Vampire Lovers

Cast: Ingrid Pitt, Peter Cushing, George Cole, Kate O’Mara, Dawn Addams, Madeline Smith, Douglas Wilmer, Jon Finch, Ferdy Mayne, Pippa Steel, Kirsten Lindholm, John Forbes-Robertson, Shelagh Wilcocks, Janet Key, Harvey Hall, Charles Farrell
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Studio: Hammer Film Productions, Fantale Films, distributed by MGM-EMI Distributors (U.K.), American International Pictures (U.S.)
Trivia: Based on the 1872 Sheridan Le Fanu novella Carmilla. It is the first film in the Karnstein Trilogy. The film was risky for the studio due to the story’s lesbian themes, and UK’s chief censor warned Hammer that another film, The Killing of Sister George, had five minutes cut by his office. Hammer argued the lesbianism was inherent in the original story and the censor backed down. The film was a co-production with American International and was the last Hammer film backed with American money. During an attack scene, Pitt’s fangs kept falling out of her mouth and into O’Mara’s cleavage causing both of them to laugh uncontrollably. Pitt took chewing gum from the mouth of a crew member and used it to stick the fangs to her teeth.

October 5 – Trash

Cast: Joe Dallesandro, Holly Woodlawn, Jane Forth, Michael Sklar, Geri Miller, Andrea Feldman, Johnny Putnam, Bruce Pecheur, Diane Podlewski
Director: Paul Morrissey
Studio: Filmfactory, distributed by Cinema 5 Distributing
Trivia: The film was produced by Andy Warhol and is also known as Andy Warhol’s Trash. Dallesandro had appeared in several previous Warhol/Morrissey films and was Morrissey’s preferred leading man. This marked the screen debut of Woodlawn. Director George Cukor famously instigated a write-in campaign to get Woodlawn nominated for an Academy Award. 17-year-old model Jane Forth also makes her screen debut, and would appear on the cover of Look magazine a short time later. Sissy Spacek had a small, uncredited role but was cut out of the film.

1980

October 1 – Gloria

Cast: Gena Rowlands, Julie Carmen, Buck Henry, John Adames, Lupe Garnica, John Finnegan, Tom Noonan, J.C. Quinn, Sonny Landham, Lawrence Tierney
Director: John Cassavetes
Studio: Columbia Pictures

October 3 – Coast to Coast

Cast: Dyan Cannon, Robert Blake, Quinn Redeker, Michael Lerner, Maxine Stuart, William Lucking, Rozelle Gayle, George P. Wilbur, Darwin Joston, Dick Durock, Cassandra Peterson, Karen Montgomery, Vicki Frederick, John Roselius
Director: Joseph Sargent
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: This was Blake’s first film in six years, and he found himself nominated at the very first Golden Raspberry Awards in the Worst Actor category.

October 3 – The First Deadly Sin

Cast: Frank Sinatra, Faye Dunaway, David Dukes, James Whitmore, Brenda Vaccaro, Martin Gabel, Anthony Zerbe, George Coe, Joe Spinell, Jeffrey DeMunn
Director: Brian G. Hutton
Studio: Filmways Pictures, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: This was Martin Gabel’s last film. Based on the 1973 novel by Lawrence Sanders. The film was set to be directed by Roman Polanski, but was dropped by the studio after statutory rape charges were brought against him, causing him to flee to France. This was the last of nine films Sinatra produced and his final starring role. Bruce Willis makes his screen debut as an uncredited extra. Dunaway was nominated as Worst Actress at the Golden Raspberry Awards.

October 3 – The Man with Bogart’s Face

Cast: Robert Sacchi, Franco Nero, Michelle Phillips, Olivia Hussey, Herbert Lom, Misty Rowe, Victor Buono, Sybil Danning, Richard Bakalyan, Gregg Palmer, Jay Robinson, George Raft, Yvonne De Carlo, Mike Mazurki, Henry Wilcoxon, Victor Sen Yung
Director: Robert Day
Studio: Melvin Simon Productions, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Based on the novel of the same name by Andrew J. Fenady. The film is also known as Sam Marlowe, Private Eye. Sacchi had made a career of playing Bogart in various roles and commercials. He also appeared in the Broadway production of Play It Again, Sam, and toured North America in the one-man show Bogie’s Back. Another actor had been cast in the role but the producers ‘went into shock’ when Sacchi walked in for an audition, his physical resemblance impactful enough to earn him the job. The film had its debut at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival. It was George Raft’s last movie.

October 3 – Oh God! Book II

Cast: George Burns, Suzanne Pleshette, David Birney, Louanne Sirota, John Louie, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Conrad Janis, Hans Conried
Director: Gilbert Cates
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Dr. Joyce Brothers and Hugh Downs made cameo appearances in the film. The film was the second of three Oh, God! movies. The last was Oh, God! You Devil! in 1984. George Burns was the only cast member to appear in all three films.

October 3 – One Trick Pony

Cast: Paul Simon, Blair Brown, Rip Torn, Joan Hackett, Allen Garfield, Mare Winningham, Michael Pearlman, Lou Reed, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Tony Levin, Richard Tee, Harry Shearer, Daniel Stern
Director: Robert M. Young
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Paul Simon also wrote the film. Garfield appears under his birth name, Allen Goorwitz. The song ‘Late in the Evening’ peaked at Number 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. The title track reached #40. The film is not autobiographical but does draw on Simon’s experiences in the music business. The film featured one of the last appearances by the original members of The Lovin’ Spoonful. Other musicians in the film include Sam & Dave, Tiny Tim, The B-52s, and David Sanborn.

Universal Pictures

October 3 – Somewhere in Time

Cast: Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, Christopher Plummer, Teresa Wright, Bill Erwin, George Voskovec, Susan French, John Alvin, Eddra Gale
Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Studio: Rastar, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Adapted from the 1975 novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the screenplay. Matheson also has a cameo as a 1912 hotel guest. Tim Kazurinsky appears as a photographer in 1912. An unknown William H. Macy has a role as a critic in a 1972 scene. George Wendt receives a screen credit but his part was edited out of the film. The movie was shot on location on Mackinac Island, Michigan with many residents appearing as extras. Motorized vehicles are prohibited on the island so special permission from the city was required to bring cars for use in the film. Szwarc had issues directing scenes in which Reeve and Plummer appeared, both answering when he would say ‘Chris’. His solution was to address Plummer as ‘Mr. Plummer’ and Reeve as ‘Bigfoot’. The day Reeve filmed his final scene with Seymour was the same day he learned his girlfriend was pregnant with their first child, making filming difficult for him as his mind was elsewhere. The character of Dr. Finney is named for author Jack Finney, author of the time travel novel Time and Again, which was published five years before Bid Time Return. The film inspired the formation of the International Network of Somewhere In Time Enthusiasts (I.N.S.I.T.E.) in 1990, who still meet regularly. The Grand Hotel hosts an annual Somewhere in Time Weekend in the month of Octoberober where the group meets for a convention.

October 3 – Terror Train

Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson, Hart Bochner, Sandee Currie, Timothy Webber, Derek MacKinnon, Anthony Sherwood, Joy Boushel, Vanity, David Copperfield
Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Studio: Astral Bellevue Pathé, Sandy Howard Productions, Triple T Productions, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: This was Spottiswoode’s directorial debut. The idea for the film was to be ‘like Halloween on a train’. Producer Daniel Grodnik was friends with John Carpenter and Debra Hill, both of whom gave him their blessing when he told them of his idea. The film was shot in Montreal shortly after Curtis completed Prom Night in Toronto. The film was picked up for release by 20th Century Fox, a major studio which had yet to release a slasher film. It was the studio’s only slasher film during that peak era. There was no magician in the original script. Production leased a Canadian Pacific Railways locomotive No. 1293 for the film, which was renumbered 1881 and repainted black with silver stripes. Afterward, the engine was reverted back to its original number and paint scheme and is still in use today. Actor Derek MacKinnon appears in 11 scenes wearing a different costume or masked disguise, including his real character of Kenny.

1990

October 3 – Shipwrecked

Cast: Stian Smestad, Gabriel Byrne, Trond Peter Stamsø Munch, Louisa Milwood-Haigh, Knut Walle, Harald Brenna
Director: Nils Gaup
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, AB Svensk Filmindustri, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
Trivia: The film opened on Octoberober 3, 1990 in Norway before its March 1, 1991 release in the US. Based on the 1873 Norwegian novel Haakon Haakonsen: En Norsk Robinson (Haakon Haakonsen: A Norwegian Robinson) by Oluf Falck-Ytter, which was inspired by Daniel Defoe’s 1917 classic Robinson Crusoe. The film was shot on location in Fiji, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom.

October 5 – Avalon

Cast: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Aidan Quinn, Elizabeth Perkins, Joan Plowright, Leo Fuchs, Lou Jacobi, Eve Gordon, Kevin Pollak, Elijah Wood
Director: Barry Levinson
Studio: Baltimore Pictures, distributed by TriStar Pictures (United States), Columbia Pictures (United Kingdom)

October 5 – Desperate Hours

Cast: Mickey Rourke, Anthony Hopkins, Mimi Rogers, Kelly Lynch, Lindsay Crouse, Elias Koteas, David Morse, Shawnee Smith, Danny Gerard, Matt McGrath, Gerry Bamman
Director: Michael Cimino
Studio: Dino De Laurentiis Communications, Cannon Films, Film and Television Company, distributed by MGM/UA Distribution Co.
Trivia: The film is a remake of the 1955 William Wyler film of the same name. Both films are based on the 1954 novel by Joseph Hayes, who also co-wrote the script for the 1990 version. Rourke had previously worked with Cimino on Heaven’s Gate and Year of the Dragon. Rourke was nominated for a Worst Actor Razzie. Cimino claims his cut of the film was mutilated by the producers but there has been no proof of any deleted scenes except for a few stills.

October 5 – Henry & June

Cast: Fred Ward, Uma Thurman, Maria de Medeiros, Richard E. Grant, Kevin Spacey, Jean-Philippe Écoffey, Maurice Escargot (Gary Oldman), Artus de Penguern, Liz Hasse, Brigitte Lahaie, Féodor Atkine
Director: Philip Kaufman
Studio: Walrus & Associates, distrbuted by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Loosely based on the 1986 book by Anaïs Nin which was published posthumously. This was the first film to receive the newly created NC-17 rating, replacing the X rating the MPAA failed to copyright, meant to signify serious, non-pornographic films that included more violence or sexual content that would qualify for an R rating. Despite the explanation, many newspapers and TV stations would not carry ads for films with the NC-17 rating because the public assumed it meant the same thing as the X rating. The film is one of three NC-17 films to receive an Oscar nomination, this one for Best Cinematography.

October 5 – Marked for Death

Cast: Steven Seagal, Keith David, Joanna Pacuła, Basil Wallace, Tom Wright, Kevin Dunn, Elizabeth Gracen, Bette Ford, Danielle Harris, Al Israel, Arlen Dean Snyder, Victor Romero Evans, Michael Ralph, Danny Trejo, Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter, Peter Jason, Jimmy Cliff
Director: Dwight H. Little
Studio: Steamroller Productions, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: The film opened at Number 1 at the box office and remained in the top spot for three weeks. It was Segal’s second straight film to open at Number 1.

October 5 – Miller’s Crossing

Cast: Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, Albert Finney, John Turturro, Jon Polito, J. E. Freeman, Steve Buscemi, John McConnell, Mike Starr, Al Mancini, Olek Krupa
Director: Joel Coen
Studio: 20th Century Fox

October 5 – Shakma

Cast: Christopher Atkins, Amanda Wyss, Ari Meyers, Roddy McDowall
Director: Hugh Parks, Tom Logan
Studio: Castle Hill Productions, Quest Entertainment
Trivia: Also known as Panic in the Tower. The movie was filmed at Universal Studios Florida.

2000

October 6 – Bootmen

Cast: Adam Garcia, Sophie Lee, Sam Worthington, Richard Carter, Andrew Kaluski, Christopher Horsey, Lee McDonald, Matt Lee, William Zappa, Susie Porter, Anthony Hayes, Justine Clarke
Director: Dein Perry
Studio: Distributed by 20th Century Fox Distribution (Australia), Fox Searchlight Pictures (USA)
Trivia: The film opened in Australia on Octoberober 5, 2000. The film is known as Tap Dogs in Japan.

October 6 – Digimon: The Movie

Cast: Joshua Seth, Michael Reisz, Mona Marshall, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Michael Lindsay, Philece Sampler
Director: Mamoru Hosoda, Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Studio: Fox Kids, Saban Entertainment, Toei Animation, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: The Digimon films Digimon Adventure (1999), Digimon Adventure: Our War Game! (2000), and Digimon Adventure 02: Part I: Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!!/Part II: Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals (2000), were edited and combined to create an 85 minute single film with enough changes to the stories, including newly written elements, to have it considered an original work.

October 6 – Get Carter

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Miranda Richardson, Rachael Leigh Cook, Alan Cumming, Mickey Rourke, John C. McGinley, Michael Caine, Rhona Mitra, Johnny Strong, John Cassini, Mark Boone Junior
Director: Stephen Kay
Studio: Morgan Creek Productions, Franchise Pictures, Turner Entertainment Co., distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: A remake of the 1971 film of the same name starring Michael Caine. The film was a box office flop, earning about $19 million against a $64 million budget. The film was nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Actor (Stallone) and Worst Remake or Sequel.

October 6 – Meet the Parents

Cast: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, Owen Wilson, James Rebhorn, Phyllis George
Director: Jay Roach
Studio: TriBeCa Productions, Nancy Tenenbaum Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures (North America), DreamWorks Pictures (International)
Trivia: A remake of the 1992 film of the same name in which Emo Philips had a role. Universal purchased the rights to remake the film with Steven Soderbergh expressing interest in directing. He dropped out and focused on Out of Sight. Steven Spielberg was then interested in directing — the studio originally turned down Jay Roach after he expressed interest — with Jim Carrey starring. Once that pair exited the project, Universal made Roach an offer. Universal suggested De Niro, who was looking for more comedic roles after Analyze This but was reluctant to take on Meet the Parents. His producing partner basically pushed him to take the role, and it was he who conceived the film’s famous polygraph test scene. Stiller’s role, written for Carrey, contained more physical comedy but Stiller did not feel that fit with his style which resulted in several scenes being cut with the addition of a scene Stiller completely improvised. Naomi Watts was cast as Stiller’s girlfriend but lost the role to Teri Polo because the filmmakers didn’t think Watts ‘was sexy enough.’ The name ‘Focker’ was suggested by Carrey before he left the project, which caused problems with the MPAA ratings board who felt the repetitive use of the name in the film could be considered an expletive, putting the film in danger of receiving an R rating. The filmmakers were asked if the name was made up or real, and they submitted a list of real people with the name Focker, ensuring the film received a PG-13 rating. The film earned back its $55 million budget in 11 days, becoming one of the highest grossing films of 2000. The movie inspired the reality TV series Meet My Folks and the sitcom In-Laws, both debuting on NBC in 2002.

October 6 – Requiem for a Dream

Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Christopher McDonald, Mark Margolis, Louise Lasser, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Sean Gullette, Keith David, Dylan Baker, Ajay Naidu, Ben Shenkman, Hubert Selby, Jr.
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Studio: Thousand Words, Protozoa Pictures, distributed by Artisan Entertainment
Trivia: The film premiered on May 14, 2000 at the Cannes Film Festival. It opened in Canada on November 3, 2000. Based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Hubert Selby Jr., who co-wrote the screenplay with Aronofsky. Selby had written a script years earlier which was 80% similar to Aronofsky’s, but the director wanted to cast younger actors to enhance the impact of drug addiction. Producers felt that would be too unsettling for audiences and Aronofsky reluctantly agreed. Faye Dunaway turned down the role in which Burstyn was cast … after she initially rejected the role as well. Burstyn’s manager convinced her to see Aronofsky’s previous work and impressed, she took the role which earned her Oscar, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Actress (she lost all three to Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich). Giovanni Ribisi, Neve Campbell and Dave Chappelle were considered for roles that went to Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans. To prep for the film, Leto lived on the streets of New York and starved himself for months to lose 28 pounds. Aronofsky asked Leto and Wayans to refrain from sex and sugar so their cravings on screen would seem genuine. Connelly rented a room in the apartment building where her character lived, isolating herself, and attended Narcotics Anonymous meetings with a friend who was in recovery. To simulate her character’s weight loss, Burstyn wore two fat suits of an additional 40 and 20 pounds, then dieted to lose 10 pounds during a two-week break in filming. She also had nine wigs and four different neck prosthetics. Connelly’s wardrobe consisted of pieces she made during her time in isolation. Burstyn said the role was even more challenging for her than The Exorcist. The film initially received an NC-17 rating but Aronofsky said any cuts would dilute the film’s message. Artisan Entertainment opted to release the film unrated. An R-rated version was released to home video with the sex scenes edited.

October 6 – Tigerland

Cast: Colin Farrell, Matthew Davis, Clifton Collins Jr., Tom Guiry, Shea Whigham, Russell Richardson, Cole Hauser, Neil Brown Jr., Tory Kittles, Nick Searcy, Afemo Omilami, Matt Gerald, Michael Shannon
Director: Joel Schumacher
Studio: Regency Enterprises, New Regency, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2000.

2010

October 1 – Barry Munday

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Judy Greer, Chloë Sevigny, Jean Smart, Malcolm McDowell, Billy Dee Williams, Cybill Shepherd, Shea Whigham, Barret Swatek, Missi Pyle, Mae Whitman, Christopher McDonald, Emily PrOctoberer, Sam Pancake
Director: Chris D’Arienzo
Studio: Stick ‘N’ Stone Productions, Prospect Pictures
Trivia: The film premiered March 13, 2010 at SXSW. Also known as Family Jewels. Based on the novel Life is a Strange Place by Frank Turner Hollon.

October 1 – Case 39

Cast: Renée Zellweger, Jodelle Ferland, Ian McShane, Bradley Cooper, Callum Keith Rennie, Kerry O’Malley, Adrian Lester, Georgia Craig, Cynthia Stevenson, Alexander Conti
Director: Christian Alvart
Studio: Paramount Vantage, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: The film first opened in New Zealand, the UK and other European countries and Latin America on August 13, 2009. The film was originally scheduled to open in the US in August 2008. During production, a fire broke out on the film’s set in Vancouver on Halloween 2006. None of the cast were on set at the time and there were no serious injuries but the set and studio were destroyed.

October 1 – Fair Game

Cast: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Noah Emmerich, Ty Burrell, Sam Shepard, Bruce McGill, Brooke Smith, Michael Kelly
Director: Doug Liman
Studio: River Road Entertainment, distributed by Summit Entertainment
Trivia: The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2010. The film is based on Valerie Plame’s 2007 memoir Fair Game and Joseph C. Wilson’s 2004 memoir The Politics of Truth. This was Watts’ and Penn’s third film together. Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe were originally cast. A director’s cut of the film running six minutes longer appeared on Netflix in 2018.

October 1 – Let Me In

Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloë Grace Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Cara Buono, Elias Koteas, Sasha Barrese, Dylan Minnette, Ritchie Coster, Jimmy Jax Pinchak
Director: Matt Reeves
Studio: EFTI, Hammer Films, Exclusive Media Group, distributed by Overture Films, Relativity Media (United States), Paramount Pictures, Icon Film Distribution (United Kingdom)

October 1 – The Social Network

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Brenda Song, Rashida Jones, John Getz, David Selby, Denise Grayson, Douglas Urbanski, Rooney Mara, Joseph Mazzello, Dustin Fitzsimons, Wallace Langham, Patrick Mapel, Dakota Johnson, Malese Jow, Trevor Wright, Shelby Young, Aaron Sorkin, Steve Sires, Caleb Landry Jones
Director: David Fincher
Studio: Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Scott Rudin Productions, Michael De Luca Productions, Trigger Street Productions, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing

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