RKO Radio Pictures
This was a big week in many of the decades with several films that have gone on to be regarded as classics. 1933 gave us the debut of a great ape let loose in the Big Apple, making cinematic history in the process for its groundbreaking visual effects. 1943 produced a milestone film in Black cinema, gave a director who would go on to great acclaim his big break, and gave an MGM contract player her first and only starring role. 1953 blasted Abbott & Costello into outer space … at least they thought so, and produced one of the first 3D films from a major Hollywood studio. 1973 saw the filmmaking debut of a man who would go on to make many classic comedies, and gave an actor known for ‘Spaghetti Westerns’ a chance to star in and direct his own Western. 1983 paired up two ‘unknown’ actors who would go on to greater acclaim in film and television, while 1993 introduced the phrase ‘You’re killing me, Smalls’ into the vernacular. 2003 paired up Sandler and Nicholson, and unleashed Captain Spaulding into the world. 2013 saw the return of the Deadites, and sent Tom Cruise far into the future. Want to know more about these and other films celebrating anniversaries this week? Read on and tell us if your favorites are on the list!
1923
April 7 – The Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous (USA, short)
- Cast: Bessie Love, Little Arthur Trimble, William Butts, Roy Coulson, Frederick Peterson, “Boots” Fabing, Monte Collins, Doreen Turner, Charles Belcher
- Director: Frederick G. Becker
- Production Company: Arthur Trimble Productions, distributed by Anchor Film Distributors
- Trivia: Also known as The Adventures of Prince Courageous. Planned to be a 12-part series but only three films were made. Two of the three are known to exist but the status of this film is unknown.
April 8 – Alice Adams (USA)
- Cast: Florence Vidor, Claude Gillingwater, Harold Goodwin, Margaret McWade, Tom Ricketts, Margaret Landis, Gertrude Astor, Vernon Steele
- Director: Rowland V. Lee
- Production Company: Encore Pictures, distributed by Associated Exhibitors
- Trivia: Based on the 1921 novel Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington. Only a fragment of the film is preserved in the BFI National Film & Television Archive.
April 8 – Boys to Board (USA, short)
- Cast: Joe Cobb, Jackie Condon, Mickey Daniels, Jack Davis, Allen Hoskins, Ernie Morrison, Andy Samuel
- Director: Tom McNamara
- Production Company: Hal Roach Studios, distributed by Pathé Exchange
- Trivia: The 11th Our Gang short subject. Shown on TV as Boarding School, with all of the original inter-titles cut.
April 8 – Madness of Youth (USA)
- Cast: John Gilbert, Billie Dove, D.R.O. Hatswell, George K. Arthur, Wilton Taylor, Ruth Boyd, Luke Lucas, Julanne Johnston
- Director: Jerome Storm
- Production Company: Madness of Youth
- Trivia: The film is lost.
April 8 – The Go-Getter (USA)
- Cast: T. Roy Barnes, Seena Owen, William Norris, Tom Lewis, Louis Wolheim, Fred Huntley, John Carr, Frank Currier
- Director: Edward H. Griffith
- Production Company: Cosmopolitan Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: Based upon the short story ‘The Go-Getter’ by Peter B. Kyne. Fragments of the film are held in a private collection.
April 8 – The Smile Wins (USA, short)
- Cast: Paul Parrott, Ena Gregory, Eddie Baker, Sammy Brooks, Wallace Howe, marvin Loback, George Rowe, Lincoln Stedman
- Director: George Jeske
- Production Company: Hal Roach Studios, distributed by Pathé Exchange
April 9 – Capital Stirred by Biggest Hooch Raid (USA, short)
- Trivia: Preserved by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, Los Angeles.
April 9 – Her Fatal Millions (USA)
- Cast: Viola Dana, Huntley Gordon, Allan Forrest, Peggy Browne, Edward Connelly, Kate Price, Joy Winthrop
- Director: William Beaudine
- Production Company: Metro Pictures Corporation
- Trivia: The film is presumed lost.
April 9 – Trimmed in Scarlet (USA)
- Cast: Kathlyn Williams, Roy Stewart, Lucille Rickson, Robert Agnew, David Torrence, Phillips Smalley, Eve Southern, Bert Sprotte, Grace Carlyle
- Director: Jack Conway
- Production Company: Universal Pictures
- Trivia: Based on the 1920 Broadway play, Trimmed in Scarlet, by William Hurlbut. All prints of the film are believed lost.
April 10 – Blood Test (USA)
- Cast: Dick Hatton, Nelson McDowell, William F. Moran, Lafe McKee, Florence Lee, Billie Bennett, Les Bates, Frank Rice
- Director: Don Marquis
- Production Company: Adventure Productions, distributed by Aywon Film Corporation
1933
April 6 – Born Lucky (UK)
- Cast: Rene Ray, John Longden, Talbot O’Farrell, Ben Welden, Barbara Gott
- Director: Michael Powell
- Production Company: Westminster Films, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- Trivia: Adapted from the 1928 novel Mops by Marguerite Florence Barclay. No prints or stills are known to exist.
April 7 – King Kong (USA)
- Cast: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Frank Reicher, Sam Hardy, Noble Johnson, Steve Clemente, Victor Wong
- Director: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
- Production Company: RKO Radio Pictures
- Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on March 2, 1933 but was not put into general release until April 7. Selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1991. Long before the digital age, the film was a pioneer in special effects, employing many methods including matte paintings, stop-motion animation, and rear screen projection in both live action and miniature shots. Produced in the pre-Code era, the film endured censoring in the intervening years including attacks on human characters and Kong undressing Ann Darrow and sniffing his finger. A scene with giant insects, a reptile-like predator and a tentacled creature was deemed too gruesome even by then current standards and was self-censored by the studio. The footage is considered lost save for a few stills and drawings. RKO did not preserve the film’s negative, and the cut scenes were thought lost for many years. A 16mm print with the censored footage was found in Philadelphia in 1969 and the cut scenes were added to the original film, restoring its original run time to 100 minutes. A 1937 print was discovered with the cut scenes which had heavy vertical scratches, but a UK release print was located in the 1980s with the footage in better shape. After a six-year search for the best elements, Warner Bros. produced a fully digital restoration in 2005.
April 7 – Under the Tonto Rim (USA)
- Cast: Stuart Erwin, Fred Kohler, Raymond Hatton, Verna Hillie, John Lodge , George Barbier
- Director: Henry Hathaway
- Production Company: Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: A remake of a 1928 silent film of the same title. Both are based on the Zane Grey 1926 novel of the same name. A print is held in the Library of Congress.
April 8 – Infernal Machine (USA)
- Cast: Chester Morris, Genevieve Tobin, Victor Jory, Elizabeth Patterson, Edward Van Sloan, Josephine Whittell, James Bell, Arthur Hohl
- Director: Marcel Varnel, Martin Santell
- Production Company: Fox Film Corporation
- Trivia: Based on a novel by Karl Sloboda.
April 8 – Out All Night (USA)
- Cast: Slim Summerville, ZaSu Pitts, Laura Hope Crews, Shirley Grey, Alexander Carr, Rollo Lloyd, Billy Barty, Edward Peil Jr., Shirley Temple
- Director: Sam Taylor
- Production Company: Universal Pictures
- Trivia: Shirley Temple replaced Cora Sue Collins.
April 10 – The Circus Queen Murder (USA)
- Cast: Adolphe Menjou, Ruthelma Stevens, Greta Nissen, Donald Cook, Dwight Frye, Harry Holman, George Rosener, Helene Chadwick, Eddy Chandler, Clay Clement
- Director: Roy William Neill
- Production Company: Columbia Pictures
- Trivia: Sequel to 1932’s The Night Club Lady.
April 11 – Found Alive (USA)
- Cast: Barbara Bedford, Maurice Murphy, Robert Frazer, Edwin Cross, Ernie Adams, Audrey Telley, Cy Ceeder, Gordon De Main
- Director: Charles Hutchison
- Production Company: Ideal Pictures, distributed by Olympic Pictures
- Trivia: A print of the film is held in the Library of Congress.
1943
April 5 – My Son, the Hero (USA)
- Cast: Patsy Kelly, Roscoe Karns, Joan Blair, Carol Hughes, Maxie Rosenbloom, Luis Alberni, Joseph Allen Jr., Lois Collier, Jenny Le Gon, Nicodemus Stewart
- Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
- Production Company: Atlantis Pictures, distributed by Producers Releasing Corporation
- Trivia: The film was shot in six days.
April 6 – Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (USA, serial)
- Cast: Don Terry, Walter Sande, Elyse Knox, Philip Ahn, June Duprez, Edgar Dearing, Lionel Royce, Henry Victor, Charles Wagenheim, Nestor Paiva
- Director: Lewis D. Collins, Ray Taylor
- Production Company: Universal Pictures
- Trivia: Based on the comic strip Don Winslow of the Navy by Frank V. Martinbek, which was approved by the US Navy.
April 6 – Tahiti Honey (USA)
- Cast: Simone Simon, Dennis O’Keefe, Michael Whalen, Lionel Stander, Wally Vernon, Tom Seidel, Dan Seymour, Edward Gargan
- Director: John H. Auer
- Production Company: Republic Pictures
April 9 – Cabin in the Sky (USA)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- Cast: Ethel Waters, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Rex Ingram, Kenneth Spencer, “Bubbles” John W. Sublett, Oscar Polk, Mantan Moreland, Willie Best, Butterfly McQueen
- Director: Vincente Minnelli
- Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Loew’s, Inc.
- Trivia: Busby Berkeley directed the ‘Shine’ sequence uncredited. Duke Ellington appears uncredited as himself. Based on the 1940 Broadway musical of the same name. Vincente Minnelli’s first feature film. Ethel Waters and Rex Ingram reprise their roles from the Broadway production. This was Lena Horne’s first and only leading role in an MGM musical. Selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2020. Stock footage of The Wizard of Oz’s muslin sock tornado was reused in this film for the scene where the cyclone destroys the nightclub.
April 9 – It Comes Up Love (USA)
- Cast: Gloria Jean, Ian Hunter, Donald O’Connor, Frieda Inescort, Louise Allbritton, Mary Lou Harrington, Raymond Roe, Charles Coleman, Leon Belasco, Beatrice Roberts
- Director: Charles Lamont
- Production Company: Universal Pictures
- Trivia: It is the only film starring Gloria Jean and Donald O’Connor that doesn’t also star Peggy Ryan, another one of the talented teenagers at Universal Studios.
April 9 – King of the Cowboys (USA)
- Cast: Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette, Bob Nolan, Sons of the Pioneers, Peggy Moran, Gerald Mohr, Dorothea Kent, Lloyd Corrigan, James Bush, Russell Hicks, Irving Bacon
- Director: Joseph Kane
- Production Company: Republic Pictures
April 9 – Ladies’ Day (USA)
- Cast: Lupe Vélez, Eddie Albert, Patsy Kelly, Max Baer, Jerome Cowan, Iris Adrian, Joan Barclay, Cliff Clark
- Director: Leslie Goodwins
- Production Company: RKO Pictures
- Trivia: Adapted from the play of the same name.
1953
April 5 – A Perilous Journey (USA)
- Cast: Vera Ralston, David Brian, Scott Brady, Charles Winninger, Hope Emerson, Eileen Christy, Leif Erickson, Veda Ann Borg, Ian MacDonald, Virginia Grey
- Director: R. G. Springsteen
- Production Company: Republic Pictures
April 6 – Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (USA)
- Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Mari Blanchard, Robert Paige, Horace McMahon, Martha Hyer, Jack Kruschen, Joe Kirk, Jean Willes, Anita Ekberg
- Director: Charles Lamont
- Production Company: Universal International Pictures, distributed by Universal Pictures
- Trivia: Despite the film’s title, no character in the film actually travels to the planet Mars. Science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein wrote a film treatment in 1950 called Abbott and Costello Move to the Moon that may have inspired the film’s screenplay. The Venusian cars featured in the film were later used in the science fiction feature This Island Earth. Harry Shearer, at age 9, appears as a kid at the orphanage.
April 6 – One Girl’s Confession (USA)
- Cast: Cleo Moore, Hugo Haas, Burt Mustin, Russ Conway, Gayne Whitman, Martha Wentworth, Glenn Langan
- Director: Hugo Haas
- Production Company: Hugo Haas Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
- Trivia: The film has been preserved in the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
April 7 – Problem Girls (USA)
- Cast: Helen Walker, Ross Elliott, Susan Morrow, Anthony Jochim, James Seay, Marjorie Stapp, Roy Regnier, Eileen Stevens, Tom Charlesworth, Beverly Garland
- Director: E. A. Dupont
- Production Company: Columbia Pictures
April 9 – Man in the Dark (USA)
- Cast: Edmond O’Brien, Audrey Totter, Ted de Corsia, Horace McMahon, Nick Dennis, Dayton Lummis, Dan Riss
- Director: Lew Landers
- Production Company: Columbia Pictures
- Trivia: Remake of the 1936 Ralph Bellamy film The Man Who Lived Twice. The first Columbia Pictures film released in 3D, and premiered two days before House of Wax, touted by Warner Bros. as the first 3D feature produced by a major studio. The amusement park setting was filmed at Ocean Park in Santa Monica.
April 10 – Botany Bay (AUS)
- Cast: Alan Ladd, James Mason, Patricia Medina, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Jonathan Harris, Malcolm Lee Beggs, Murray Matheson, Anita Bolster, Noel Drayton, Ben Wright, Skelton Knaggs
- Director: John Farrow
- Production Company: Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: Released in the US on October 7, 1953. Based on a novel of the same name by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. The project originated in 1941 as a vehicle for Joel McCrea, then in 1946 for Ray Milland, but that was delayed by Paramount due to costs. The project was revived in 1951. Four koalas and two kangaroos were flown from Australia to appear in the film. The only Australian-born members of the cast were Murray Matheson and Brandon Toomey. Aboriginal characters were played by African-American actors.
April 10 – Port Sinister (USA)
- Cast: James Warre, Lynne Robert, Paul Cavanag, William Schaller, House Peters, Jr.
- Director: Harold Daniels
- Production Company: American Pictures Company, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
- Trivia: Known as Beast of Paradise Isle in the UK. Working titles included Port Royal – Ghost City Beneath the Sea, Sunken City and City Beneath the Sea.
April 10 – Small Town Girl (USA)
- Cast: Jane Powell, Farley Granger, Ann Miller, S. Z. Sakall, Robert Keith, Bobby Van, Billie Burke, Fay Wray, Chill Wills, Nat King Cole
- Director: László Kardos
- Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Loew’s Inc.
- Trivia: Busby Berkeley choreographed several dance numbers. Academy Award nominated for Best Original Song. Hank Williams was offered the role of the sheriff but turned it down. Williams did meet with MGM’s president for other film roles but was disrespectful and refused to remove his hat, putting an end to his film aspirations. Williams died three months before the film was released.
April 10 – Bad Blonde (USA)
- Cast: Barbara Payton, Frederick Valk, John Slater, Sid James, Tony Wright, Marie Burke, Selma Vaz Dias
- Director: Reginald Le Borg
- Production Company: Hammer Films, Lippert Films, distributed by Lippert Pictures
- Trivia: Released in the UK as The Flanagan Boy, and based on the 1949 novel of the same name by Max Catto.
1963
April 8 – The Punch and Judy Man (UK)
- Cast: Tony Hancock, Sylvia Syms, Ronald Fraser, Barbara Murray, John Le Mesurier, Hugh Lloyd, Norman Bird, Kevin Brennan, Eddie Byrne, Mario Fabrizi
- Director: Jeremy Summers
- Production Company: Associated British Picture Corporation, distributed by Warner-Pathé Distributors
- Trivia: Tony Hancock’s second and last starring role in a film.
1973
April 6- Libido (AUS)
- Cast: Elke Neidhardt, Jill Forster, Judy Morris, Bruce Barry, Robyn Nevin, Arthur Dignam, Penne Hackforth-Jones, Jack Thompson, Max Gillies
- Director: John B. Murray, Tim Burstall, Fred Schepisi, David Baker
- Production Company: British Empire Films Australia, Producers’ & Directors’ Guild of Australia, distributed by British Empire Films Australia
April 6 – Schlock (USA)
- Cast: John Landis, Eliza Garrett, Saul Kahan, Joseph Piantadosi, Richard Gillis, Tom Alvich, Walter Levine, Eric Allison, Ralph Baker, Gene Fox
- Director: John Landis
- Production Company: Gazotskie Productions, distributed by Jack H. Harris Enterprises
- Trivia: John Landis’ directorial debut, and he played the title role. Also one of the first makeup jobs for Rick Baker. Shot in the Summer of 1971. Landis could not find distribution for the film until Johnny Carson saw it and booked Landis as a guest on The Tonight Show, gaining distribution through Jack H. Harris Enterprises.
April 7 – High Plains Drifter (USA)
- Cast: Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Mariana Hill, Billy Curtis, Mitch Ryan, Jack Ging, Stefan Gierasch, Ted Hartley, Geoffrey Lewis, Richard Bull, Robert Donner. John Hillerman
- Director: Clint Eastwood
- Production Company: The Malpaso Company, distributed by Universal Pictures
- Trivia: The film was shot on location on the shores of Mono Lake, California despite Universal wanting the film to be shot on the backlot. Complete buildings were constructed instead of façades so Eastwood could shoot interiors on location. The first Western that Eastwood both directed and starred in. It was completed two days ahead of schedule and under budget.
April 10 – Class of ’44 (USA)
- Cast: Gary Grimes, Jerry Houser, Oliver Conant, Deborah Winters, William Atherton, Sam Bottoms
- Director: Paul Bogart
- Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: Structured as a sequel to the 1971 film Summer of ’42. John Candy appears in the uncredited role of Paulie.
April 11 – Book of Numbers (USA)
- Cast: Raymond St. Jacques, Philip Michael Thomas, Freda Payne, Hope Clarke, Willie Washington Jr., Doug Finell, Sterling St. Jacques, C.L. Williams, D’Urville Martin
- Director: Raymond St. Jacques
- Production Company: Brut Productions, distributed by AVCO Embassy Pictures
- Trivia: Based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Robert Deane Pharr, and is the only film directed by actor Raymond St. Jacques.
April 11 – Scarecrow (USA)
- Cast: Gene Hackman, Al Pacino, Eileen Brennan, Dorothy Tristan, Ann Wedgeworth, Richard Lynch, Penelope Allen, Richard Hackman, Al Cingolani, Rutanya Alda
- Director: Jerry Schatzberg
- Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: At the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, the film tied for the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film, the highest honor.
April 11 – Scorpio (France)
- Cast: Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, Paul Scofield, John Colicos, Gayle Hunnicutt, J.D. Cannon, Joanne Linville, Mel Stewart, Vladek Sheybal, Mary Maude, Jack Colvin, James Sikking
- Director: Michael Winner
- Production Company: The Mirisch Corporation, Scimitar Productions, distributed by United Artists
- Trivia: Opened in the US on April 19, 1973. Filming took place in various locations including the Watergate Hotel in Washington DC. Cast and crew were staying at the hotel the night of the infamous break in. It was the first movie shot on location at CIA headquarters.
1983
April 8 – Losin’ It (USA/Canada)
- Cast: Tom Cruise, Shelley Long, Jackie Earle Haley, John Stockwell, John P. Navin, Jr., Henry Darrow, Rick Rossovich, Joe Spinell
- Director: Curtis Hanson
- Production Company: Tiberius Film Productions, Tijuana Productions, distributed by Embassy Pictures Corporation
- Trivia: Though set in Tijuana, Mexico it was filmed in Calexico, California.
1993
April 7 – Indecent Proposal (USA/Canada)
- Cast: Robert Redford, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, Seymour Cassel, Oliver Platt, Billy Bob Thornton, Rip Taylor, Billy Connolly
- Director: Adrian Lyne
- Production Company: Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: Based on the 1988 novel by Jack Engelhard.
April 7 – The Sandlot (USA/Canada)
20th Century Fox
- Cast: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi, Marty York, Brandon Quintin Adams, Karen Allen, Denis Leary, James Earl Jones, Marlee Shelton, Art LaFleur
- Director: David Mickey Evans
- Production Company: Island World, distributed by 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: Released in some countries as The Sandlot Kids.
April 8 – Reckless Kelly (AUS)
- Cast: Yahoo Serious, Melora Hardin, Alexei Sayle, Hugo Weaving, Kathleen Freeman, John Pinette, Bob Maza, Martin Ferrero, Anthony Ackroyd, Max Walker
- Director: Yahoo Serious
- Production Company: Serious Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, distributed by Roadshow Films (AUS), Warner Bros. Pictures (USA)
- Trivia: Released in the US on May 6, 1994.
April 9 – Bodies, Rest & Motion (USA)
- Cast: Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, Alicia Witt, Peter Fonda
- Director: Michael Steinberg
- Production Company: Fine Line Features, August Entertainment, Mindel-Shaw Productions, distributed by Fine Line Features
- Trivia: Based on the play by Roger Hedden, who also wrote the screenplay.
April 9 – Three Tickets to Hollywood (Yugoslavia)
- Cast: Branislav Lečić, Bogdan Diklić, Ljubiša Samardžić, Neda Arnerić, Bata Živojinović, Branislav Jerinić
- Director: Božidar Nikolić
- Production Company: Centar Film
2003
April 9 – Flywheel (USA)
- Cast: Alex Kendrick, Janet Lee Dapper, Roger Breland, Richie Hunnewell, Lisa Arnold, Walter Burnett, Tracy Goode, Rutha Harris, Treavor Lokey, Steve Moore
- Director: Alex Kendrick
- Production Company: Carmel Entertainment, Provident Films, Sherwood Pictures, distributed by Affirm Films
- Trivia: The first full-length feature film by Sherwood Pictures. The film was shot digitally to avoid film processing charges.
April 9 – Johnny English (Belgium)
- Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Natalie Imbruglia, Ben Miller, John Malkovich, Oliver Ford Davies, Tim Pigott-Smith, Kevin McNally, Douglas McFerran
- Director: Peter Howitt
- Production Company: Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Working Title Films, Kanzaman S.A.M., distributed by Mars Distribution (Belgium), United International Pictures (UK), Universal Pictures (USA)
- Trivia: Opened in the UK on April 11, 2003, and in the US and Canada on July 18.
April 11 – Anger Management (USA/Canada)
- Cast: Adam Sandler, Jonathan Osser, Jack Nicholson, Marisa Tomei, Luis Guzmán, Jonathan Loughran, Kurt Fuller, Krista Allen, January Jones, Clint Black, John Turturro, Lynne Thigpen, Woody Harrelson, Kevin Nealon
- Director: Peter Segal
- Production Company: Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios, Happy Madison Productions, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
- Trivia: This was Lynne Thigpen’s final film. She died a month before it was released, and it was dedicated to her memory. John C. Reilly, Heather Graham and Harry Dean Stanton appeared uncredited. John McEnroe, Derek Jeter, Robert Merrill, Bob Sheppard, Judith Nathan, Bob Knight, and Roger Clemens appeared as themselves. The film was adapted into a TV series starring Charlie Sheen, in the Jack Nicholson role, which premiered on June 28, 2012.
April 11 – House of 1000 Corpses (USA)
- Cast: Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, Karen Black, Chris Hardwick, Erin Daniels, Jennifer Jostyn, Rainn Wilson, Walton Goggins, Michael J. Pollard
- Director: Rob Zombie
- Production Company: Goodrights, distributed by Lions Gate Films
- Trivia: Dennis Fimple’s final role. The film was originally produced for Universal, which shelved it fearing an NC-17 rating. Rob Zombie reacquired the rights and sold them to Lions Gate. The idea for the film came from a haunted house attraction Zombie was designing for Universal Studios with the same name, but after the studio shelved the film the attraction’s name was changed to ‘American Nightmare’, but it still featured references to the film. The house is the same house used in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas on the Universal backlot. The names of the Firefly family were taken from Groucho Marx characters. The film was one of Rainn Wilson’s first.
April 11 – Seeing Double (UK/Ireland)
- Cast: Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O’Meara, Hannah Spearritt, Rachel Stevens, David Gant
- Director: Nigel Dick
- Production Company: 19 Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Double Vision Film, Media Pro, distributed by Columbia Pictures Corporation
- Trivia: Did not receive a US theatrical release, but was released on DVD on October 7, 2003. S Club member Jo O’Meara was suffering intense back pain during filming and either sat out dance numbers or used a body double.
2013
April 5 – 6 Souls (USA, limited)
- Cast: Julianne Moore, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jeffrey DeMunn, Frances Conroy, Nathan Corddry, Brooklynn Proulx, Brian Anthony Wilson
- Director: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein
- Production Company: NALA Films, Macari/Edelstein, IM Global, Shelter Productions, distributed by Broadmedia Studios (Japan), The Weinstein Company (USA)
- Trivia: Originally opened in Japan on March 27, 2010 as Shelter.
April 5 – Baadshah (USA)
- Cast: N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Kajal Aggarwal, Navdeep, Brahmanandam, Kelly Dorji, Ashish Vidyarthi, Pradeep Rawat, Sayaji Shinde, Nagendra Babu, Nassar
- Director: Sreenu Vaitla
- Production Company: Goldmines Telefilms, ODU Movies, Parameswara Arts, distributed by Great India Films
- Trivia: The film’s working title was Mafia. Principal photography took place in Milan, with additional filming in Bangkok.
April 5 – Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal (USA)
- Cast: Thure Lindhardt, Georgina Reilly, Dylan Scott Smith, Alain Goulem, Paul Braunstein, Stephen McHattie, Peter Michael Dillon, Alex Maitland
- Director: Boris Rodriguez
- Production Company: Quiet Revolution Pictures, Fridthjof Film, Téléfilm Canada, Det Danske Filminstitut, Majika Pictures, distributed by Capital Motion Picture Group (Worldwide), Doppelganger Releasing (USA)
- Trivia: Originally opened in Denmark on July 12, 2012 as Eddie. The only artwork made by the characters that can be clearly and fully seen belong to Eddie. The artwork from the other characters is only shown partially or not at all.
April 5 – Evil Dead (USA)
- Cast: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore
- Director: Fede Álvarez
- Production Company: TriStar Pictures, FilmDistrict, Ghost House Pictures, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
- Trivia: Fede Álvarez’s feature directorial debut. Bruce Campbell appears uncredited in the post-credits scene as Ash Williams. Lily Collins was originally cast as the female lead but dropped out, replaced by Jane Levy. Álvarez stated there was no CGI used for the special effects, only minor touch ups, which resulted in a gruelling 70 day night shoot.
April 5 – Huff (USA, limited)
- Cast: Charlie O’Connell, Natasha Alam, Marie Bollinger, Mayra Leal, Clint Howard, Elina Madison, Jenna Stone, Rance Howard
- Director: Paul Morrell
- Production Company: Windchaser Pictures
- Trivia: Also known as Big Bad Wolf.
April 5 – Lotus Eaters (USA)
- Cast: Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Johnny Flynn, Benn Northover, Liam Browne, Amber Anderson, Jay Choi, Gina Bramhill, Daisy Lewis
- Director: Alexandra McGuinness
- Production Company: McGuinnessLee, Fastnet Films, Irish Film Board, distributed by Meneret Productions
- Trivia: Alexandra McGuinness’ directorial debut.
April 5 – No Place On Earth (USA, documentary, limited)
- Cast: Chris Nicola, Saul Stermer, Sam Stermer, Sonia Dodyk, Sima Dodyk, Yetta Stermer, Sol Wexler
- Director: Janet Tobias
- Production Company: A List Films, Delirio Films, PPM Film Productions, Sierra Tango Productions, distributed by Magnolia Pictures
- Trivia: Based on Esther Stermer’s memoir We Fight to Survive.
April 5 – Settai (USA)
- Cast: Arya, Hansika, Anjali, Santhanam, Premji, Nassar, Manobala, Subbu Panchu, Chitra Lakshmanan
- Director: R. Kannan
- Production Company: UTV Motion Pictures
- Trivia: English title is Mischief. Remake of the 2011 Bollywood English-language film, Delhi Belly.
April 5 – Simon Killer (Canada/USA, limited)
- Cast: Brady Corbet, Mati Diop, Nicolas Ronchi, Constance Rousseau, Lila Salet, Michaël Abiteboul, Alexandra Neil
- Director: Antonio Campos
- Production Company: FilmHaven Entertainment, Borderline Films, distributed by IFC Films
- Trivia: Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
April 5 – Thale (USA, limited)
- Cast: Silje Reinåmo, Erlend Nervold, Jon Sigve Skard, Morten Andresen, Sunniva Lien
- Director: Aleksander L. Nordaas
- Production Company: Film Fund FUZZ, Yesbox Productions, distributed by Alameda Entertainment
- Trivia: Originally opened in Norway on February 13, 2012. Aleksander L. Nordaas served as the film’s writer, director, co-producer, cinematographer, editor, and the set designer. He built the sets and shot most of the film in his father’s basement.
April 5 – Układ zamknięty (Poland)
- Cast: Janusz Gajos, Kazimierz Kaczor, Wojciech Zoladkowicz, Robert Olech, Przemysław Sadowski, Magdalena Kumorek
- Director: Ryszard Bugajski
- Production Company: Filmicon, Kino Swiat, distributed by Kino Swiat (Poland)
- Trivia: Released in the USA in July 2013 as The Closed Circuit.
April 5 – The Company You Keep (USA, limited)
- Cast: Robert Redford, Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Jackie Evancho, Brendan Gleeson, Brit Marling, Anna Kendrick, Terrence Howard, Richard Jenkins, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Sam Elliott, Stephen Root, Stanley Tucci
- Director: Robert Redford
- Production Company: Voltage Pictures, Wildwood Enterprises, Brightlight Pictures, Kingsgate Films, TCYK North Productions, distributed by 01 Distribution (Italy), Sony Pictures Classics (USA)
- Trivia: Originally released in Italy on December 2, 2012. Based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Neil Gordon.
April 5 – The Story of Luke (USA)
- Cast: Lou Taylor Pucci, Seth Green, Cary Elwes, Kristin Bauer, Kenneth Welsh, Art Hindle
- Director: Alonso Mayo
- Production Company: DViant Films, Fluid Film, distributed by Gravitas Ventures
- Trivia: Alonso Mayo’s first full-length feature film.
April 5 – Upstream Color (USA)
- Cast: Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth, Andrew Sensenig, Thiago Martins
- Director: Shane Carruth
- Production Company: ERBP, distributed by VHX
- Trivia: Shane Carruth wrote, directed, produced, composed music and starred in the film. It was his second feature. Received the Special Jury Award for Sound Design at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
April 9 – Paranormal Movie (USA)
- Cast: Kevin Farley, Carly Craig, Nicky Whelan, Eric Roberts, William Katt, Tom Sizemore, Maria Menounos, John P. Farley, Deep Roy
- Director: Kevin Farley
- Production Company: Paranormal Movie, distributed by Image Entertainment
April 10 – Jeonseolui joomeok (South Korea)
- Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Yoo Jun-sang, Yoon Je-moon, Lee Yo-won, Jung Woong-in, Sung Ji-ru, Ji Woo, Kang Shin-il
- Director: Kang Woo-suk
- Production Company: CJ Entertainment, Cinema Service, InfinityOne Comics Entertainment, InfinityOne Films, distributed by CJ Entertainment
- Trivia: Based on the popular webtoon of the same title written by Lee Jong-gyu and illustrated by Lee Yoon-gyun. Opened in the US on April 12, 2013 as Fists of Legend.
April 10 – Oblivion (UK)
Universal Pictures
- Cast: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo, Zoë Bell
- Director: Joseph Kosinski
- Production Company: Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Chernin Entertainment, Monolith Pictures, Radical Studios, distributed by Universal Pictures
- Trivia: Released in the US and Canada on April 19, 2013. Based on Joseph Kosinski’s unpublished graphic novel of the same name. Disney originally acquired the rights to the story but realized there would need to be too many changes made to the script for the PG-rated film they envisioned and released the rights back to Kosinski. Universal bought the rights and a PG-13 film was authorized.
April 11 – Scary Movie 5 (AUS)
- Cast: Ashley Tisdale, Simon Rex, Erica Ash, Gracie Whitton, Ava Kolker, Lidia Porto, Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Terry Crews, Jasmine Guy, Darrell Hammond, Heather Locklear, J. P. Manoux, Mac Miller, Sarah Hyland, Tyler Posey, Shad “Bow Wow” Moss, Katrina Bowden, Jerry O’Connell, Molly Shannon, Snoop Dogg, Mike Tyson, Usher, Kate Walsh, Katt Williams, Lil Duval, Angie Stone, Big Ang, Shereé Whitfield
- Director: Malcolm D. Lee
- Production Company: Brad Grey Pictures, DZE, distributed by Dimension Films
- Trivia: Released in the US, Canada and the UK on April 12, 2013. The title has also been stylized as Scary MoVie. The only installment of the series to not feature Anna Faris or Regina Hall. Charlie Sheen, Simon Rex, Molly Shannon and Darrell Hammond have appeared in previous films but they do not reprise their characters in this film.
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