Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #134 :: February 15•21

Embassy International Pictures

This third week of February across the last one hundred years gave us many, many new films, some of note for reasons both good and bad, some that carry a bit of history with them, and many more that are easily forgotten … but we’re not going to forget them, even if they have been lost to time. Of note, 1922 gave us a film so notorious no studio would touch it and it ended the producing career of its star. 1933 had the last film produced in two-strip Technicolor and was nearly lost because of it. 1943 saw Tarzan return to fight Fascism, while 1953 introduced Richard Carlson to the sci-fi genre. 1983 saw Dudley Moore inherit a role from Peter Sellers, made us consider what would happen if Travis Bickle had become a fan of TV talk shows, and brought a Broadway musical to the big and little screen at the same time. 2003 gave Will Ferrell a signature role, while another film took us back to the Civil War. 2013 had ten films that are largely forgotten, and were barely a blip just ten years ago. Want to learn more? Read on and tell us if your favorite films are celebrating this week!

1923

February 15 – Riders of the Range (USA)

Cast: Edmund Cobb, Frank Gallagher, Clare Hatton, Roy Langdon, Harry Ascher, E. Glendower, B. Bonaventure
Director: Otis B. Thayer
Production Company: Art-O-Graf, distributed by Truart Film
Trivia: The film does exist and had been released on VHS at one point.

February 15 – Salomé (USA)

Cast: Alla Nazimova, Mitchell Lewis, Rose Dione, Earl Schenck, Arthur Jasmine, Nigel De Brulier, Frederick Peters, Louis Dumar
Director: Alla Nazimova, Charles Bryant
Production Company: Nazimova Productions, distributed by Allied Producers & Distributors Corporation
Trivia: First opened in Turkey on March 29, 1922, and premiered in New York City on December 31, 1922. Adaptation of the 1891 Oscar Wilde play of the same name. The film was released years after it was completed as no major studio would be associated with the film. It was a massive flop and ended Nazimova’s producing career. Several of the female courtiers are men in drag.

February 15 – Suzanna (USA)

Cast: Mabel Normand, George Nichols, Walter McGrail, Evelyn Sherman, Léon Bary, Eric Mayne, Winifred Bryson
Director: F. Richard Jones
Production Company: Mack Sennett Comedies, distributed by Allied Producers & Distributors Corporation
Trivia: Minnie Devereaux appeared as herself.

February 15 – The Girl I Loved (USA)

Cast: Charles Ray, Patsy Ruth Miller, Ramsey Wallace, Edythe Chapman, William Courtright, Charlotte Woods, Gus Leonard
Director: Joe De Grasse
Production Company: Charles Ray Productions, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: The film survives in complete at the property of Cinematheque Royale de Belgique and Gosfilmofond.

February 15 – The Spider and the Rose (USA)

Cast: Alice Lake, Richard Headrick, Gaston Glass, Joseph J. Dowling, Robert McKim, Noah Beery, Otis Harlan, Frank Campeau, Andrew Arbuckle, Alec B. Francis, Edwin Stevens, Louise Fazenda
Director: John McDermott
Production Company: B.F. Zeidman Productions, distributed by Principal Distributing

February 17 – Lost and Found on a South Sea Island (USA)

Cast: House Peters, Pauline Starke, Antonio Moreno, Mary Jane Irving, Rosemary Theby, George Siegmann, William V. Mong, Carl Harbaugh, William Haines
Director: Raoul Walsh
Production Company: Goldwyn Pictures Corporation
Trivia: Filmed on location in Tahiti, and includes a nude scene involving s young woman bathing. One reel is known to survive, but the Cineteca Del Friuli archive in Gemona, Italy is said to have a complete print.
February 18 – A Clouded Name (USA)
Cast: Norma Shearer, Gladden James, Yvonne Logan, Richard Neill, Charles Miller, Frederick Eckhart, Marion Bradley, Martha Langford
Director: Austin O. Huhn
Production Company: Logan Productions, distributed by Playgoers Pictures
Trivia: Norma Shearer’s mother plays her companion in the story, Miss Benedict.

February 18 – A Hula Honeymoon (USA, short)

Cast: Henry Murdock, Babe London, Lucille King, Earle Rodney
Director: Al Christie
Production Company: Christie Film Company, distributed by Educational Film Exchanges

February 18 – Look Your Best (USA)

Cast: Colleen Moore, Antonio Moreno, William Orlamond, Orpha Alba, Earl Metcalfe, Martha Mattox, Francis McDonald
Director: Rupert Hughes
Production Company: Goldwyn Pictures Corporation, distributed by Goldwyn Distributing Company
Trivia: Also known as The Bitterness of Sweets. This film is considered lost.

February 18 – Nobody’s Money (USA)

Cast: Jack Holt, Wanda Hawley, Harry Depp, Robert Schable, Walter McGrail, Josephine Crowell, Julia Faye, Charles Clary, Will Walling, Clarence Burton, Aileen Manning, James Neill
Director: Wallace Worsley
Production Company: Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Considered a lost film. Wallace Reid initially began production in the lead role but collapsed on set due to his increasing morphine addiction and was hospitalized. He did not live to complete the film, and this was the last production on which he worked. All of his footage was destroyed by Paramount.

February 18 – Stormswept (USA)

Cast: Wallace Beery, Noah Beery, Virginia Browne Faire, Arline Pretty, Jack Carlyle
Director: Robert Thornby
Production Company: Robert Thornby Productions, distributed by Film Booking Offices of America
Trivia: A print of the film is known to survive at London’s BFI National Archive.

February 18 – The Buster (USA)

Cast: Dustin Farnum, Doris Pawn, Francis McDonald, Gilbert Holmes, Lucille Hutton
Director: Colin Campbell
Production Company: Fox Film Corporation
Trivia: Based on the 1920 novel The Buster by William Patterson White.

February 18 – The Cobbler (USA, short)

Cast: Jackie Condon, Mickey Daniels, Jack Davis, Allen Hoskins, Ernie Morrison, Mary Kornman, Richard Daniels, Dick Gilbert, Katherine Grant
Director: Tom McNamara
Production Company: Hal Roach Studios, distributed by Pathé Exchange
Trivia: The eighth Our Gang short. This film was released into TV syndication as Mischief Makers in 1960 under the title ‘The Lucky Shoemaker’. Approximately two-thirds of the original film was included.

February 18 – The Grub Stake (USA)

Cast: Nell Shipman, Alfred Allen, Walt Whitman, Lillian Leighton, George Berrell, Hugh Thompson
Director: Bert Van Tuyle
Production Company: Sierra Pictures, distributed by American Releasing Corporation
Trivia: The film is considered an independent production, and a copy is preserved at the BFI National Archive.

February 18 – Truxton King (USA)

Cast: John Gilbert, Ruth Clifford, Frank Leigh, Michael D. Moore, Otis Harlan, Henry Miller Jr., Richard Wayne, Willis Marks, Winifred Bryson, Mark Fenton
Director: Jerome Storm
Production Company: Fox Film Corporation
Trivia: The film is considered lost. Based upon the novel Graustark by George Barr McCutcheon.

February 19 – The Famous Mrs. Fair (USA)

Cast: Myrtle Stedman, Huntley Gordon, Marguerite De La Motte, Cullen Landis, Ward Crane, Carmel Myers, Helen Ferguson, Lydia Yeamans Titus, Dorcas Matthews
Director: Fred Niblo
Production Company: Louis B. Mayer Productions
Trivia: Based on the Broadway play of the same name by James Forbes. A copy of the film is held by the George Eastman House, donated by MGM for preservation. Brief behind-the-scenes production footage is extant in the recently restored Souls for Sale.

February 19 – The Gentleman from America (USA)

Cast: Hoot Gibson, Tom O’Brien, Louise Lorraine, Carmen Phillips, Frank Leigh, Jack Crane, Robert McKenzie, Albert Prisco, Rosa Rosanova
Director: Edward Sedgwick
Production Company: Universal Pictures
Trivia: A young Boris Karloff appears in an uncredited role. The film is considered lost.

1933

February 15 – Forgotten (USA)

Cast: Lee Kohlmar, June Clyde, William Collier Jr., Leon Ames, Selmer Jackson, Natalie Moorhead, Natalie Kingston, Otto Lederer, Tom Ricketts
Director: Richard Thorpe
Production Company: Invincible Pictures Corp., distributed by Chesterfield Motion Pictures Corporation
Trivia: Director Richard Thorpe’s name is written in cursive in the opening credits, an honor usually afforded big name directors like Erich von Stroheim.

February 17 – Hello, Everybody! (USA)

Cast: Kate Smith, Randolph Scott, Sally Blane, Charley Grapewin, George Barbier, Wade Boteler, Julia Swayne Gordon, Erville Alderson, William B. Davidson
Director: William A. Seiter
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: At $2 million, this was the most expensive movie musical produced up to its time. It marked the final film of Julia Swayne Gordon, and the debut of Marguerite Campbell.

February 17 – Is My Palm Read (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Billy Murray, Mae Questel
Director: Dave Fleischer, Dave Tendlar
Production Company: Fleischer Studios, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Betty Boop is scantily clad in this short, but after the Production Code went into effect the following year her attire became more subdued and modest.

February 17 – Men Must Fight (USA)

Cast: Diana Wynyard, Lewis Stone, Phillips Holmes, May Robson, Ruth Selwyn, Robert Young, Robert Greig, Hedda Hopper, Donald Dilloway, Mary Carlisle, Luis Alberni
Director: Edgar Selwyn
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Based on the 1932 Broadway play of the same name by Reginald Lawrence and S. K. Lauren. What Women Give was the film’s working title.

February 17 – Smoke Lightning (USA)

Cast: George O’Brien, Nell O’Day, Betsy King Ross, Frank Atkinson, Clarence Wilson, Morgan Wallace, Virginia Sale, E. Alyn Warren, Douglass Dumbrille, Richard Carle
Director: David Howard
Production Company: Fox Film Corporation
Trivia: Based on the story Canyon Walls by Zane Grey.

February 17 – The Woman Accused (USA)

Cast: Nancy Carroll, Cary Grant, John Halliday, Irving Pichel, Louis Calhern, Norma Mitchell, Jack La Rue, Frank Sheridan, John Lodge
Director: Paul Sloane
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Final film of Helene Lambert.

February 18 – Mickey’s Pal Pluto (USA), short)

Voice Cast: Don Brodie, Pinto Colvig, Walt Disney, Marcellite Garner, Lee Millar
Director: Burt Gillett
Production Company: Walt Disney Productions, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: The film marks the first appearances of Pluto’s angel and devil.

February 18 – Mystery of the Wax Museum (USA)

Cast: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh, Allen Vincent, Gavin Gordon, Edwin Maxwell, Holmes Herbert, Claude King, Arthur Edmund Carewe
Director: Michael Curtiz
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Based on an unpublished short story, ‘The Wax Works’, by Charles S. Belden. The film was a follow up to 1932’s Doctor X, with many of the same cast and crew, plus director Michael Curtiz, working on the film. The last dramatic film to utilize the Technicolor two-strip process. Because of the extremely bright lights needed for the color photography, the heat would have melted the wax figures in the museum so they were often portrayed by actors (some say this was always meant to be to add more realism to the ‘sculptures’). Though the two-strip process offered a limited color spectrum causing audiences and critics to grow hostile toward color film, this one was met with great approval, with the color and eerie atmosphere created by the limited spectrum being called ‘beautiful’ and ‘the best color ever seen’. The film was never reissued domestically and was considered lost for a time after Technicolor stopped processing two-strip films after converting to a three-strip process, and Warner Bros. junked all of their ‘obsolete’ two-color films since they would not be able to make any further prints. A reference print was found in 1970 in Jack Warner’s personal collection, but the new negative struck from it was so dismal director of photography Ray Rennahan walked out of the screening room where it was shown to him. A virtually colorless print was made for television broadcast. Turner Entertainment became the film’s new owner and in 1988 a new negative was struck that was more faithful to the original presentation but suffered some damage, visible splices and missing footage. In 2019 the UCLA Film & Television Archive, with funding from the George Lucas Family Foundation gave the film a full 4K restoration which revealed subtle degrees of color that were latent in the nitrate print but were not seen due to cross-contamination of the color dyes. The restored print was released on Blu-ray by Warner Archive in 2020, following a woeful blue/pink standard definition version that had been included as a bonus on the Blu-ray release of House of Wax.

February 18 – The Crime of the Century (USA)

Cast: Jean Hersholt, Wynne Gibson, Stuart Erwin, Frances Dee, Gordon Westcott, Robert Elliott, David Landau, William Janney, Bodil Rosing, Torben Meyer, Samuel S. Hinds
Director: William Beaudine
Production Company: Paramount Pictures

February 18 – Wreckety Wrecks (USA, short)

Cast: Ben Blue, Billy Gilbert, James C. Morton, Nora Cecil
Director: Del Lord
Production Company: Hal Roach Studios, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Sixth of ten ‘Taxi Boys’ shorts from Hal Roach Studios.

February 20 – Mickey’s Ape Man (USA)

Cast: Mickey Rooney, Billy Barty, Delia Bogard, Douglas Fox, Jimmy Robinson, Marvin Stephens, Jack Leonard
Director: Jesse Duffy
Production Company: Larry Darmour Productions, Standard Photoplay Company, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures

February 20 – The 42nd Street Special (USA, documentary short)

Cast: Darryl F. Zanuck, Leo Carrillo, Bette Davis, Claire Dodd, Bette Durkee, Preston Foster, Eleanor Holm, Laura La Plante, John C. Porter, Lyle Talbot, Jack Warner Jr., Jack L. Warner
Director: Unknown
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures, General Electric, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Dorothy Layton’s and Eleanor Holm’s debuts.

February 20 – Whisperin’ Bill (USA, short)

Cast: Charles Sale
Director: Ben Holmes
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

1943

February 15 – Riders of the Northwest Mounted (USA)

Cast: Russell Hayden, Dub Taylor, Bob Wills, Adele Mara, Dick Curtis, Richard Bailey, Jack Ingram, Leon McAuliffe, Vernon Steele
Director: William Berke
Production Company: Columbia Pictures

February 15 – The Screwball (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Mel Blanc, Kent Rogers
Director: Alex Lovy
Production Company: Walter Lantz Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: A Woody Woodpecker cartoon.

February 18 – A Night for Crime (USA)

Cast: Glenda Farrell, Lyle Talbot, Ralph Sanford, Lina Basquette, Lynn Starr, Donald Kirke, Forrest Taylor, Rick Vallin
Director: Alexis Thurn-Taxis
Production Company: Producers Releasing Corporation, distributed by Pathé Pictures Ltd. (UK), Producers Releasing Corporation (USA)
Trivia: First opened in the UK on January 27, 1943. A poster for the film The Panther’s Claw, released a year earlier by PRC, is visible in one scene.

February 19 – Haunted Ranch (USA)

Cast: John ‘Dusty’ King, Dave Sharpe, Max Terhune, Elmer, Julie Duncan, Glenn Strange, Charles King, Bud Osborne, Rex Lease, Fred ‘Snowflake’ Toones, Budd Buster, Tex Palmer, Steve Clark
Director: Robert Emmett Tansey
Production Company: Range Busters, distributed by Monogram Pictures
Trivia: The last appearance of John ‘Dusty’ King as a member of the Range Busters.

February 19 – Pluto and the Armadillo (USA, short)

Cast: Fred Shields, Pinto Colvig, Walt Disney
Director: Clyde Geronimi
Production Company: Walt Disney Productions, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: Was originally produced as a segment of Saludos Amigos, but was released separately. This marked the last appearance of Mickey Mouse in his red two-button shorts until 1988’s Mickey’s 60th Birthday TV special.

February 19 – Seein’ Red, White ‘n’ Blue (USA, short)

Cast: Dave Barry, Jack Mercer
Director: Dan Gordon, Jim Tyer
Production Company: Famous Studios, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: A Popeye cartoon.

February 19 – Socks Appeal (USA, short)

Cast: William Henry, Gwen Kenyon, Sidney Miller, Joe Brown Jr., Rick Vallin, Dorothy Vaughan, Adele Mara
Director: Harry Edwards
Production Company: Columbia Pictures

February 19 – Tarzan Triumphs (USA)

Cast: Johnny Weissmuller, Johnny Sheffield, Frances Gifford, Stanley Ridges, Sig Ruman, Philip Van Zandt, Rex Williams, Pedro de Cordoba, Sven Hugo Borg
Director: Wilhelm Thiele
Production Company: Sol Lesser Productions, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: Because of the franchise switch from MGM to RKO, Maureen O’Hara was unable to return to the role of Jane as she was an MGM contract player. The idea of Tarzan fighting Nazis was suggested by the US State Department as a way to spread the message of democracy’s battle against Fascism to the American public.

February 19 – The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (USA)

Cast: Deanna Durbin, Edmond O’Brien, Barry Fitzgerald, Arthur Treacher, Harry Davenport, Grant Mitchell, Frieda Inescort, Elisabeth Risdon, Jonathan Hale, Esther Dale, Gus Schilling
Director: Bruce Manning
Production Company: Universal Pictures
Trivia: The film was intended to be Deanna Durbin’s dramatic debut but Universal insisted on including songs. Jean Renoir was the film’s original director and most of his footage was retained in the final edit, but credit was given to Bruce Manning, the film’s producer. Renoir was fired for reportedly being ten weeks behind schedule. Renoir claimed he left the film due to recurring pain from a World War I leg injury that was aggravated while shooting a battle sequence. Durbin claimed filming lasted for six months due to daily script changes. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Score. The film was announced as They Lived Alone, which was changed to Divine Young Lady, and changed again to Forever Yours before settling on its final release title.

February 19 – The Mummy Strikes (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Joan Alexander, Jackson Beck, Julian Noa, Sam Parker, Lee Royce
Director: Izzy Sparber
Production Company: Famous Studios, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: A Superman cartoon.

February 20 – The Hard Way (USA)

Cast: Ida Lupino, Joan Leslie, Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, Gladys George, Faye Emerson, Paul Cavanagh
Director: Vincent Sherman
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Originally opened in Mexico on January 13, 1943. The story was reportedly based on Ginger Rogers’ relationship with her husband, Jack Pepper, and her mother. Rogers and Bette Davis both declined the lead role. Ida Lupino and Joan Leslie wore no makeup in scenes that took place in the mining town Green Hill to make the scenes feel more authentic. Jack L. Warner insisted on adding the film’s first and last scenes so that Lupino would appear more glamorous.

February 20 – Tortoise Wins by a Hare (USA, short)

Cast: Kent Rogers, Mel Blanc, Michael Maltese, Tedd Pierce
Director: Robert Clampett, Tex Avery
Production Company: Leon Schlesinger Studios, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: The newspaper announcing the race is an altered version of the Chicago Sunday Tribune’s front page for November 1, 1942, with the main headline changed to ‘Hare Races Tortoise Today’ and pictures of Cecil and Bugs inserted.

1953

February 15 – Jalopy (USA)

Cast: Leo Gorcey, The Bowery Boys, Bernard Gorcey, Robert Lowery, Jane Easton, Leon Belasco
Director: William Beaudine
Production Company: Allied Artists Pictures
Trivia: 29th film in the Bowery Boys series, and the first to be released by Allied Artists, the new name for Monogram Pictures which released the previous Bowery Boys films. The race scenes were mainly unused footage from The Roar of the Crowd.

February 15 – San Antone (USA)

Cast: Rod Cameron, Arleen Whelan, Forrest Tucker, Katy Jurado, Rodolfo Acosta, Roy Roberts, Bob Steele, Harry Carey Jr., James O’Hara
Director: Joseph Kane
Production Company: Republic Pictures
Trivia: The mansion seen at the beginning of the film is the same building used for exterior shots of the Barkleys’ home in TV series The Big Valley.

February 15 – The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (Sweden)

Cast: Robert Morley, Maurice Evans, Eileen Herlie, Martyn Green, Peter Finch, Dinah Sheridan, Isabel Dean, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Muriel Aked, Michael Ripper, Bernadette O’Farrell
Director: Sidney Gilliat
Production Company: London Films, distributed by British Lion Films
Trivia: Also known as Gilbert & Sullivan and The Great Gilbert and Sullivan. Based on Leslie Baily’s The Gilbert and Sullivan Book. The film was made to mark both the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (her ancestor Victoria appears in several scenes) and the 21st birthday of London Films.

February 17 – Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe (USA, serial)

Cast: Judd Holdren, Aline Towne, William Schallert, Richard Crane, Gregory Gaye, Craig Kelly, Peter Brocco, Lyle Talbot, Mauritz Hugo, Joanne Jordan, Gloria Pall
Director: Harry Keller, Franklin Adreon, Fred C. Brannon
Production Company: Republic Pictures
Trivia: The serial was originally produced as a Syndicated television series, but union contracts forced Republic to release it theatrically first. It eventually aired on NBC in 1955. Each episode built on the last with a lack of traditional cliffhangers usually associated with movie serials. There was a substantial break after filming the third episode, which ended with the death of The Ruler, suggesting Republic may have considered abandoning the serial and releasing what they had as a feature film instead. When filming resumed, William Schallert had left the project, replaced with Richard Crane. Commando Cody wears a domino mask to conceal his identity, but the real reason may have been in case Judd Holdren left the film if demands for a higher salary weren’t met.

February 18 – The Alaskan Eskimo (USA, documentary short)

Narrator: Winston Hibler
Director: James Algar
Production Company: Walt Disney Productions, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: The initial film in Disney’s ‘People & Places’ series. Winner of the Oscar for Documentary Short Subject.

February 18 – The Magnetic Monster (USA)

Cast: Richard Carlson, King Donovan, Jean Byron, Harry Ellerbe, Leo Britt, Leonard Mudie, Byron Foulger, Michael Fox, John Zaremba, Michael Granger, Lee Phelps, Strother Martin
Director: Curt Siodmak
Production Company: Ivan Tors Films, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: The first of Ivan Tors’ ‘Office of Scientific Investigation’ trilogy, followed by Riders to the Stars (1954) and Gog (1954). Richard Carlson’s first science fiction film. For the Deltatron, the film used ten minutes of footage of the atom smasher from the German science fiction thriller Gold (1934).

February 20 – Dance Hall Racket (USA)

Cast: Timothy Farrell, Lenny Bruce, Bernie Jones, Honey Harlow, Sally Marr, Bunny Parker, Joie Abrams
Director: Phil Tucker
Production Company: Screen Classics

February 20 – Ivanhoe (USA)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Cast: Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Emlyn Williams, Robert Douglas, Finlay Currie, Felix Aylmer, Francis De Wolff, Norman Wooland
Director: Richard Thorpe
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Originally released in the UK on June 13, 1952. Based on the 1819 historical novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. Screenwriter Marguerite Roberts was blacklisted in 1951 and MGM received permission from the Screen Writers Guild to remove her name from the credits. It was nine years before she would work again. It has since been restored.

February 20 – Of Mice and Magic (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Jack Mercer, Mae Questel, Sid Raymond, Arnold Stang
Director: Izzy Sparber, Dave Tendlar
Production Company: Famous Studios, distributed by Paramount Pictures

February 20 – Sword of Venus (USA)

Cast: Robert Clarke, Catherine McLeod, Dan O’Herlihy, William Schallert, Marjorie Stapp
Director: Harold Daniels
Production Company: American Pictures, distributed by RKO Pictures
Trivia: Released in the U.K. as The Island of Monte Cristo.

February 21 – Jerry and Jumbo (USA, short)

Voice Cast: William Hanna, Jack Sabel
Director: Joseph Barbera, William Hanna
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Made in 1951 but not released until 1953.

February 21 – Kiss Me Cat (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet
Director: Chuck Jones
Production Company: Warner Bros. Animation, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: The house shown has the very latest furnishings and decor, including Danish Modern styled chairs, and Pussyfoot’s wagon contains the mid-century essential — cocktail olives for the perfect martini.

1963

February 15 – Summer Holiday (UK)

Cast: Cliff Richard, Lauri Peters, David Kossoff, Ron Moody, The Shadows, Melvyn Hayes, Teddy Green, Jeremy Bulloch, Una Stubbs
Director: Peter Yates
Production Company: Ivy Films, distributed by Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK), American International Pictures (USA)
Trivia: Released in the US on March 12, 1964. Peter Yates’ directorial debut. The original director was Sidney Furie but he was hung up with The Boys. He was replaced with John Krish, who was replaced with Yates. The opening ten minutes were filmed at the Aldenham Works in Elstree with actual employees as extras. The film was adapted into a stage musical in 1996. It was revived in 2003, 2018 and 2022.

February 15 – The Hook (USA)

Cast: Kirk Douglas, Nick Adams, Robert Walker, Enrique G. Magalona Jr., Nehemiah Persoff, William Challee, Mark Miller
Director: George Seaton
Production Company: Perlberg-Seaton Productions, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Based on the 1957 novel L’Hameçon by Vahé Katcha. The film’s title comes from the translation of the title of the original novel rather than the Battle of the Hook.

February 15 – We Shall Return (USA)

Cast: Cesar Romero, Anthony Ray, Miguel O’Brien, Linda Libera, Paul Daniel, Karl Karlsson
Director: Phillip S. Goodman
Production Company: Carl-Phil Productions, distributed by Cari Releasing Corporation
Trivia: The only feature film written directly for the screen by novelist Pat Frank.

February 19 – The Quare Fellow (USA)

Cast: Patrick McGoohan, Sylvia Syms, Walter Macken, Dermot Kelly, Jack Cunningham, Hilton Edwards, Philip O’Flynn, Leo McCabe, Norman Rodway, Marie Kean
Director: Arthur Dreifuss
Production Company: Liger Films, distributed by Bryanston Distributing (UK), Astor Pictures Corporation (USA)
Trivia: Released in the UK on October 2, 1962. Based on the play by Brendan Behan. The title is taken from a Hiberno-English pronunciation of ‘queer’.

February 21 – Nine Hours to Rama (UK)

Cast: J. S. Casshyap, Horst Buchholz, Jose Ferrer, Valerie Gearon, Don Borisenko, Robert Morley, Diane Baker, Harry Andrews, Basdeo Panday, P. Jairaj
Director: Mark Robson
Production Company: Red Lion, Twentieth Century-Fox Productions, distributed by Twentieth Century Fox
Trivia: Opened in the US on April 3, 1963. Based on a 1962 novel of the same name by Stanley Wolpert. Nominated for the BAFTA for Best Colour Cinematography.

1973

February 18 – Wham and Eggs (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Larry D. Mann, Bob Holt
Director: Arthur Davis
Production Company: DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, The Mirisch Corporation, distributed by United Artists

February 20 – Soul Hustler (USA)

Cast: Fabian Forte, Nai Bonet, Tony Russel, Casey Kasem, Larry Bishop
Director: Burt Topper
Production Company: Burt Topper Productions, distributed by American Films Ltd
Trivia: Also known as The Day the Lord Got Busted. The film was also known as That Lovin’ Man Jesus (working title), The Love-In Man and Matthew. Fabian filmed part of the movie at an Osmonds concert. It was his first public singing performance in ten years.

February 21 – Milano rovente (Italy)

Cast: Antonio Sabàto, Philippe Leroy, Marisa Mell, Antonio Casagrande, Carla Romanelli, Tano Cimarosa
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Production Company: Lombard Film, distributed by Variety Film
Trivia: English title is Gang War in Milan. The Italian title translates to Scorching Hot Milan.

February 21 – Lolly-Madonna XXX (USA)

Cast: Rod Steiger, Robert Ryan, Jeff Bridges, Gary Busey, Katherine Squire, Season Hubley, Ed Lauter, Paul Koslo, Scott Wilson, Kiel Martin
Director: Richard C. Sarafian
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Also known as The Lolly-Madonna War. Based on the 1969 novel The Lolly-Madonna War by Sue Grafton. Filmed in Union County, Tennessee.

1983

February 17 – Local Hero (USA)

Cast: Peter Riegert, Burt Lancaster, Fulton Mackay, Denis Lawson, Norman Chancer, Peter Capaldi, Rikki Fulton, Alex Norton, Jenny Seagrove, Jennifer Black
Director: Bill Forsyth
Production Company: Goldcrest Films, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Bill Forsyth won the BAFTA for Best Direction. The film was adapted into a stage musical in 2019. Producer David Puttnam was turned down by his usual backers Warner Bros. and Goldcrest until he won the Best Picture Oscar for Chariots of Fire. Goldcrest then agreed to fund the entire film, with WB adding $1.5 million for the US rights. Puttnam wanted Burt Lancaster for the role of Happer, but his $2 million fee was a third of the film’s entire budget. When Warners became aware of Lancaster’s potential involvement, they offered Puttnam a US distribution deal and provided additional funding to secure Lancaster, with Puttnam getting an additional $200,000 for the budget. Michael Douglas and Henry Winkler were pursued for the role of MacIntyre, but it went to Peter Riegert.

February 17 – Midnite Spares (AUS)

Cast: James Laurie, Max Cullen, David Argue, Bruce Spence, Gia Carides, Jonathan Coleman, John Clayton, Terry Camilleri, Graeme Blundell
Director: Quentin Masters
Production Company: Filmco Limited, Wednesday Investments, distributed by Roadshow Films
Trivia: During shooting, camera operator David Brostoff was killed in an accident at the Parramatta City Raceway.

February 18 – Lovesick (USA)

Cast: Dudley Moore, Elizabeth McGovern, Alec Guinness, Wallace Shawn, Ron Silver, John Huston, Alan King, Selma Diamond, Larry Rivers, David Strathairn, Christine Baranski, Renée Taylor, Fred Melamed
Director: Marshall Brickman
Production Company: The Ladd Company, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: The film was one of two early 1980s films intended to star Peter Sellers, but his death in July 1980 meant his roles in this film and Unfaithfully Yours went to Dudley Moore.

February 18 – Silent Death (USA)

Cast: David Arts, Natalie Carter, Freddy James, Doyle Taylor
Director: Vaughn Christion
Production Company: Reina Productions
Trivia: The film had a limited VHS release for New Jersey rental stores, but the its survival status is unknown as no copies have been seen since the 1980s.

February 18 – Table for Five (USA)

Cast: Jon Voight, Richard Crenna, Marie-Christine Barrault, Millie Perkins, Roxana Zal, Kevin Costner
Director: Robert Lieberman
Production Company: CBS Theatrical Films, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Cruise scenes were filmed on the MS Vistafjord (now with the Saga Cruise Lines), regarded then as the most luxurious cruise ship in the Western Hemisphere, during an actual cruise.

February 18 – The King of Comedy (USA, limited)

Cast: Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Sandra Bernhard, Diahnne Abbott, Shelley Hack, Margo Winkler, Kim Chan, Frederick De Cordova, Edgar Scherick, Senator Bobby
Director: Martin Scorsese
Production Company: Embassy International Pictures, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Ed Herlihy, Tony Randall, Victor Borge, and Joyce Brothers appear as themselves. Martin, Catherine, Cathy and Charles Scorsese have cameos. Members of The Clash, their manager Kosmo Vinyl, and musicians Ellen Foley and Don Letts appear as ‘Street Scum’. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is an uncredited extra.

February 18 – The Lords of Discipline (USA)

Cast: David Keith, Robert Prosky, G. D. Spradlin, Sarah Brackett, Barbara Babcock, Michael Biehn, Rick Rossovich, John Lavachielli, Mitchell Lichtenstein, Mark Breland, Malcolm Danare, Judge Reinhold, Bill Paxton, Ed Bishop, Stuart Milligan, Jason Connery, Michael Horton, Richard Oldfield, Matt Frewer, William Hope, Mary Ellen Ray
Director: Franc Roddam
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Bill Paxton is credited as ‘Wild Bill’ Paxton

February 18 – The Pirates of Penzance (USA)

Universal Pictures

Cast: Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, Linda Ronstadt, George Rose, Rex Smith, Tony Azito, David Hatton,
Louise Gold, Teresa Codling, Tilly Vosburgh
Director: Wilford Leach
Production Company: St. Michael Finance Limited, Timothy Burrill Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Based on Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1879 comic opera of the same name. The film is an adaptation of the 1980 stage production, with the Broadway cast reprising their roles except for Estelle Parsons, who was replaced by Angela Lansbury. Theater owners boycotted the film because Universal released it to SelecTV and ONTV simultaneously. It only opened in 91 venues, earning a total of $694,497, making it a box office bomb. The film did, however, receive generally positive reviews.

February 18 – The Sting II (USA)

Cast: Jackie Gleason, Mac Davis, Teri Garr, Karl Malden, Oliver Reed, Ron Rifkin, Jose Perez, Val Avery, Michael Alldredge, John Hancock, Larry Hankin, Bert Remsen, Tim Rossovich, Harry James
Director: Jeremy Paul Kagan
Production Company: Universal Studios
Trivia: While the lead characters’ first names were changed, the film is meant to be a sequel to the original as references to events in the original film are made.

February 20 – Betrayal (USA)

Cast: Jeremy Irons, Ben Kingsley, Patricia Hodge, Avril Elgar
Director: David Jones
Production Company: Horizon Pictures, distributed by 20th Century Fox International Classics
Trivia: Screenwriter Harold Pinter based the drama on his seven-year (1962–69) clandestine affair with television presenter Joan Bakewell, who was married to producer-director Michael Bakewell. At the time, Pinter was married to actress Vivien Merchant.

February 21 – Better Late Than Never (Spain)

Cast: David Niven, Art Carney, Maggie Smith, Catherine Hicks, Lionel Jeffries, Melissa Prophet, Kimberley Partridge, Jean-Pierre Castaldi
Director: Bryan Forbes
Production Company: Golden Harvest Company, Paragon Films Ltd., distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Released in the US on April 15, 1983. The soundtrack features songs by Henry Mancini and Noël Coward. Art Carney’s role was originally offered to William Holden, who turned it down because the fee was too small.

1993

February 19 – The Judas Project (USA)

Cast: John O’Banion, Ramy Zada, Richard Herd, Jeff Corey
Director: James H. Barden
Production Company: Judas Project, distributed by R.S. Entertainment
Trivia: The film was completed in 1990 but not released until 1993.

February 19 – The Last Days of Chez Nous (UK)

Cast: Lisa Harrow, Bruno Ganz, Kerry Fox, Miranda Otto, Kiri Paramore, Bill Hunter, Lex Marinos
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Production Company: Jan Chapman Productions, The Australian Film Commission, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australian Film Finance Corporation
Trivia: Originally released in Australia on October 8, 1992. Released in the US on February 26, 1993.

2003

February 17 – Old School (Romania)

The Montecito Picture Company

Cast: Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Jeremy Piven, Ellen Pompeo, Juliette Lewis, Leah Remini, Allen Haff, Perrey Reeves, Craig Kilborn, Simon Helberg, Seann William Scott, Elisha Cuthbert, Patrick J. Adams, Matt Walsh, Artie Lange, Rob Corddry, Todd Phillips, Harve Presnell, Snoop Dogg, James Carville, Warren G
Director: Todd Phillips
Production Company: The Montecito Picture Company, distributed by DreamWorks Pictures
Trivia: Opened in the US and Canada on February 21. Terry O’Quinn and Andy Dick have uncredited roles. A sequel was written placing the Wilson and Ferrell characters at Spring Break, but they both turned it down as just more of the same from the first film.

February 19 – Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony (USA, documentary)

Director: Lee Hirsch
Production Company: ATO Pictures, distributed by Artisan Entertainment
Trivia: The film takes its name from the Zulu and Xhosa word ‘amandla’, which means power.

February 20 – Gods and Generals (Chile)

Cast: Robert Duvall, Stephen Lang, Bruce Boxleitner, W. Morgan Sheppard, William Sanderson, Billy Campbell, Andrew Prine, Ted Turner, Jeremy London, Alex Hyde-White, Jeff Daniels, Kevin Conway, C. Thomas Howell, Cooper Huckabee, Mira Sorvino, Frankie Faison
Director: Ronald F. Maxwell
Production Company: Ted Turner Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Opened in the US and Canada on February 21, 2003. Adaptation of the 1996 novel of the same name by Jeffrey Shaara and prequel to Maxwell’s 1993 film Gettysburg. Most of the film was financed by Ted Turner. The original cut ran over five hours but was cut by 90 minutes for its theatrical release. The full version was released in 2011. The film’s poor box office performance forced the cancellation of a proposed sequel, an adaptation of Shaara’s final Civil War novel The Last Full Measure.

February 21 – Dark Blue (USA)

Cast: Kurt Russell, Scott Speedman, Michael Michele, Brendan Gleeson, Ving Rhames, Master P, Kurupt, Dash Mihok, Jonathan Banks, Lolita Davidovich, Khandi Alexander
Director: Ron Shelton
Production Company: United Artists, distributed by MGM Distribution Co.
Trivia: Originally opened in Italy on January 10, 2003.

February 21 – The Life of David Gale (USA/Canada)

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Gabriel Mann, Rhona Mitra, Leon Rippy, Matt Craven, Jim Beaver, Melissa McCarthy
Director: Alan Parker
Production Company: Intermedia Films, Dirty Hands, Saturn Films, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Alan Parker’s final film before his retirement.

February 21 – Till Human Voices Wake Us (USA, limited)

Cast: Guy Pearce, Helena Bonham Carter, Frank Gallacher, Lindley Joyner, Brooke Harman, Peter Curtin, Margot Knight, Anthony Martin, Dawn Klingberg
Director: Michael Petroni
Production Company: Instinct Entertainment, Key Entertainment, distributed by Becker Entertainment (AUS), Paramount Classics (USA)
Trivia: Originally opened in Australia on September 12, 2002.

2013

February 15 – Almost in Love (USA)

Cast: Alex Karpovsky, Marjan Neshat, Gary Wilmes, Alan Cumming
Director: Sam Neave
Production Company: Almost in Love, distributed by Argot Pictures

February 15 – The Berlin File (USA)

Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Han Suk-kyu, Ryoo Seung-bum, Jun Ji-hyun, Lee Geung-young, John Keogh, Numan Açar
Director: Ryoo Seung-wan
Production Company: Film Base Berlin, Filmmaker R&K, Sun & Moon Pictures Intl, distributed by CJ Entertainment
Trivia: Originally opened in South Korea on January 31, 2013.

February 15 – The Hospital (USA, limited)

Cast: Jim O’Rear, Daniel Emery Taylor, John Dugan, April Monique Burril, Jason Crowe, Scott Tepperman, Robyn Shute, Alicia M. Clark, Lauryn MacGregor
Director: Tommy Golden, Daniel Emery Taylor
Production Company: Deviant Pictures, distributed by ITN Distribution
Trivia: Filmed at an abandoned hospital in South Pittsburg, Tennessee to play off the popularity of ‘paranormal reality’ shows and give the viewer hope they may see actual ghosts caught on camera.

February 15 – The Power of Few (USA)

Cast: Christopher Walken, Christian Slater, Q’orianka Kilcher, Anthony Anderson, Jesse Bradford, Moon Bloodgood, Nicky Whelan, Devon Gearhart, Juvenile, Navid Negahban, Jordan Prentice, Derek Richardson
Director: Leone Marucci
Production Company: Steelyard Pictures, iQ Films, distributed by Steelyard Pictures
Trivia: Production used the film’s website to disclose details of the production and solicit audience feedback. An online editing system was also provided for the global audience to help create the finished film.

February 17 – Julie’s Smile (USA)

Cast: Stacie Barra, Becky Crawford, Jimmy Shay, Derek Braasch, Mike Tragedy, Raven Hodge
Director: Eric Mattson
Production Company: Cheevies Film Productions, EZ’s Plan Productions
Trivia: 27 women auditioned for the lead role. Production was completed in 15 days. Feature directorial debut of Eric Mattson. Stacie Barra appears in every scene of the film. Because of the low budget, the actors wore their own clothes.

February 19 – Demon Exorcism: The Devil Inside Maxwell Bastas (USA)

Cast: Michael Mili, Jamie Wheatley, Penny Gibbs, Richard Goteri, Jeff Priskorn, John Anton
Director: Richard G. James
Production Company: Alpha Wolf Produtions, distributed by World Wide Multi Media

February 20 – The Patience Stone (France)

Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Hamid Djavadan, Hassina Burgan, Massi Mrowat, Mohamed Al Maghraoui, Malak Djaham Khazal, Malik Akhlaqi, Marwa Safa Frotan, Sofia Frotan, Yesna Frotan
Director: Atiq Rahimi
Production Company: The Film, Razor Film Produktion GmbH, Corniche Media, Studio 37, Arte France Cinéma, Jahan-e-Honar Productions, Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, Filmförderungsanstalt, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, ARTE, Fonds Sud Cinéma, distributed by Le Pacte (France), Sony Pictures Classics (USA)
Trivia: Released in the US on August 14, 2013. The film was selected as the Afghan entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, although it was not nominated.

February 21 – Cal (UK, limited)

Cast: Wayne Virgo, Tom Payne, Emily Corcoran, Lucy Russell, Daniel Brocklebank, Bernie Hodges, Richard Cambridge
Director: Christian Martin
Production Company: Bonne idée Productions, distributed by Parasol Pictures Releasing (Worldwide), Artsploitation Films (USA)
Trivia: Opened in limited release in the US on May 24, 2013. The day before filming the director was arrested by a SWAT team for mistakenly handling guns and firearms.

February 21 – Dark Skies (Russia)

Cast: Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo, Kadan Rockett J. K. Simmons, L. J. Benet, Rich Hutchman, Myndy Crist, Annie Thurman
Director: Scott Stewart
Production Company: Alliance Films, Automatik Entertainment, Blumhouse Productions, Cinema Vehicles
Trivia: Opened in the US on February 22, 2013. Keri Russell was the first and only choice for the lead role.

February 21 – Reverse Runner (AUS)

Cast: Dan Cannon, Dave Callan, Steve Moneghetti, Rosco Brauer, Bianca Linton, Julian Shaw
Director: Lachlan Ryan, Jarrod Theodore
Production Company: Theory Pictures
Trivia: Dan Cannon ran about 12 miles backwards for the duration of the shoot.

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