Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #152 :: June 21•27

Paramount Pictures

It was a big week for the official start of seasonal Summer (movie Summer has started as early as the first week of May) with many well-known, popular and award-winning films making their debuts this week. Unfortunately, 1923’s films seem mostly lost, but 1933 had one Oscar nominee, and a film that was remade twice within six years. 1943’s biggest film is a cult classic in the vein of Cat People, but also had an Oscar winning short starring a famous cat and mouse team. A few films in 1953 cashed in on the 3D craze, while 1963 produced a Best Picture Oscar winner. 1973 gave us the first Bond film with Roger Moore, while 1983 produced an ill-fated film based upon a classic anthology TV series. 1993 gave us love stories at the opposite ends of the spectrum, one very dramatic and one that leaned on comedy (but was intended to be a drama), and 2003 gave us one of the most notoriously bad movies of all time. 2013 brought Pixar’s Monsters back to the big screen, and saw Brad Pitt battle a horde of very different monsters. Read more about these films and others celebrating anniversaries this week and tell us if your are on the list!

1923

June 23 – Martha (USA, short)

Director: Walt Disney
Production Company: Laugh-O-Gram Studios
Trivia: The only film in the Laugh-O-Gram series that is presumed lost.

June 23 – The Dingo (AUS)

Cast: George Edwards, Phyllis Coughlan, William Coulter, Sybil Shirley, Godfrey Cass, Gordon Collingridge
Director: Kenneth Brampton
Production Company: British-Australasian Photoplays, distributed by Duncan and Jones
Trivia: The film is considered lost.

June 24 – The Woman with Four Faces (USA)

Cast: Betty Compson, Richard Dix, George Fawcett, Theodore von Eltz, Joseph Kilgour, James Farley, Guy Oliver, Charles A. Stevenson, Gladden James, Eulalie Jensen
Director: Herbert Brenon
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: The film is lost.

June 25 – Sawdust (USA)

Cast: Gladys Walton, Niles Welch, Edith Yorke, Herbert Standing, Matthew Betz, Frank Brownlee, William Robert Daly, Mattie Peters, Mike the Dog
Director: Jack Conway
Production Company: Universal Pictures

1933

June 21 – Her Resale Value (USA)

Cast: June Clyde, George J. Lewis, Noel Francis, Ralf Harolde, Gladys Hulette, Crauford Kent, Richard Tucker, Franklin Parker
Director: B. Reeves Eason
Production Company: Fanchon Royer Pictures, distributed by Mayfair Pictures

June 23 – Best of Enemies (USA)

Cast: Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers, Marian Nixon, Frank Morgan, Greta Nissen, Joseph Cawthorn, Arno Frey, W. E. Lawrence, Anders Van Haden
Director: Rian James
Production Company: Fox Film Corporation
Trivia: Several directors, including Frank Craven, Raoul Walsh, David Butler and James Cruze, worked on the film before Rian James, who was also working on the script, was selected to complete it. A print of this film survives in the UCLA Film and Television Archives.

June 23 – Gambling Ship (USA)

Cast: Cary Grant, Benita Hume, Jack La Rue, Glenda Farrell, Roscoe Karns, Arthur Vinton, Charles Williams, Edwin Maxwell, Spencer Charters
Director: Louis J. Gasnier, Max Marcin
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Based on Paul Cain’s short stories: ‘Fast One’, ‘Lead Party’, ‘Velvet’ and ‘The Heat’, which were published in Black Mask magazine.

June 23 – Melody Cruise (USA)

Cast: June Brewster, Shirley Chambers, Chick Chandler, Marjorie Gateson, Phil Harris, Helen Mack, Greta Nissen, Florence Roberts, Charles Ruggles
Director: Mark Sandrich
Production Company: RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: Director Mark Sandrich’s first feature film with sound. Betty Grable appears in an uncredited role as a stewardess.

June 23 – Sensation Hunters (UK)

Cast: Arline Judge, Preston Foster, Marion Burns, Kenneth MacKenna, Juanita Hansen, Creighton Hale, Cyril Chadwick, Nella Walker
Director: Charles Vidor
Production Company: Monogram Pictures, distributed by Pathé Pictures Ltd. (UK), Monogram Pictures (USA)
Trivia: Opened in the US on January 3, 1934. Walter Brennan appears briefly as a stuttering waiter.

June 23 – When Ladies Meet (USA)

Cast: Ann Harding, Robert Montgomery, Myrna Loy, Alice Brady, Frank Morgan, Martin Burton, Luis Alberni
Director: Harry Beaumont
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Loew’s Inc.
Trivia: First adaptation of the 1932 Rachel Crothers play of the same name. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction by Cedric Gibbons. The film was remade in 1941.

June 24 – It’s a King (AUS)

Cast: Sydney Howard, Joan Maude, Cecil Humphreys, George De Warfaz, Arthur Goullet, Franklyn Bellamy, Bela Berkes, Lew Stone
Director: Jack Raymond
Production Company: British and Dominions, distributed by Woolf & Freedman Film Service

June 24 – The Mayor of Hell (USA)

Cast: James Cagney, Madge Evans, Arthur Byron, Allen Jenkins, Dudley Digges, Frankie Darro, Sheila Terry, Robert Barrat, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Harold Huber
Director: Archie Mayo
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Remade in 1938 as Crime School with Humphrey Bogart in the James Cagney role, and again in 1939 as Hell’s Kitchen with Ronald Reagan. The film’s original title was Reform School.

June 24 – What Price Innocence? (USA)

Cast: Jean Parker, Minna Gombell, Willard Mack, Betty Grable, Bryant Washburn, Ben Alexander, Louise Beaver
Director: Willard Mack
Production Company: Bryan Foy Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Willard Mack’s roles as actor, director and writer was unusual at the time, but not uncommon in low-budget filmmaking.

June 25 – The Banker’s Daughter (USA, short)

Production Company: Terrytoons, distributed by Fox Film Corporation

1943

June 21 – Get Going (USA)

Cast: Robert Paige, Grace McDonald, Barbara Jo Allen, Walter Catlett, Maureen Cannon, Lois Collier, Milburn Stone, Frank Faylen, Jennifer Holt, Nana Bryant, Claire Whitney
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Production Company: Universal Pictures

June 21 – Three Hearts for Julia (USA)

Cast: Ann Sothern, Melvyn Douglas, Lee Bowman, Richard Ainley, Felix Bressart, Marta Linden, Reginald Owen, Marietta Canty
Director: Richard Thorpe
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Joan Crawford turned down the lead role.

June 21 – Wolves of the Range (USA)

Cast: Robert Livingston, Al St. John, Frances Gladwin, I. Stanford Jolley, Karl Hackett, Ed Cassidy, Jack Ingram, Kenne Duncan, Budd Buster, Robert F. Hill
Director: Sam Newfield
Production Company: Sigmund Neufeld Productions, distributed by Producers Releasing Corporation
Trivia: Fifteenth movie in the ‘Lone Rider’ series, and the fourth starring Robert Livingston.

June 22 – Crime Doctor (USA)

Cast: Warner Baxter, Margaret Lindsay, John Litel, Ray Collins, Harold Huber, Don Costello, Leon Ames, Constance Worth, Dorothy Tree
Director: Michael Gordon
Production Company: Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Adapted from the radio series of the same name. The film was followed by nine low-budget sequels through 1949, all with Warner Baxter as the Crime Doctor. Baxter finished his career with the series before suffering a nervous breakdown and severe arthritis. He died in 1951 at the age of 62.

June 23 – Dixie (USA)

Cast: Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Billy De Wolfe, Marjorie Reynolds, Lynne Overman, Eddie Foy, Jr., Raymond Walburn, Grant Mitchell, Clara Blandick, Tom Herbert, Olin Howlin, Robert Warwick
Director: A. Edward Sutherland
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: The movie was filmed in Technicolor. Contrary to rumor, the film has not been withdrawn from circulation due to Bing Crosby appearing in blackface, it is just one of hundreds of Paramount films now owned by Universal Pictures and not actively marketed.

June 23 – Henry Aldrich Swings It (USA)

Cast: Jimmy Lydon, Charles Smith, John Litel, Olive Blakeney, Vaughan Glaser, Marian Hall, Beverly Hudson, Fritz Feld, Charles Arnt
Director: Hugh Bennett
Production Company: Paramount Pictures

June 23 – The Constant Nymph (USA)

Cast: Charles Boyer, Joan Fontaine, Alexis Smith, Brenda Marshall, Charles Coburn, May Whitty, Peter Lorre, Joyce Reynolds, Jean Muir, Montagu Love, Eduardo Ciannelli
Director: Edmund Goulding
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Adapted from the 1924 novel of the same name by Margaret Kennedy and the 1926 play by Kennedy and Basil Dean.

June 24 – Alaska Highway (USA)

Cast: Richard Arlen, Jean Parker, Ralph Sanford, William Henry, Joe Sawyer, Eddie Quillan, Jack Wegman, Harry Shannon, Edward Earle, Keith Richards
Director: Frank McDonald
Production Company: Pine-Thomas Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures

June 24 – Frontier Fury (USA)

Cast: Charles Starrett, Roma Aldrich, Arthur ‘Arkansas’ Hunnicutt, Jimmie Davis, Jimmie Davis and His Singing Buckaroos
Director: William Berke
Production Company: Columbia Pictures
Trivia: While set in the 1800s, the costume design and hairstyling is pure 1940s, including knee-length skirts worn by Roma Aldrich, which would not have been permitted in the depicted era.

June 24 – Pilot #5 (USA)

Cast: Franchot Tone, Marsha Hunt, Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Alan Baxter, Dick Simmons, Steve Geray, Howard Freeman, Frank Puglia, Sara Haden, William Tannen
Director: George Sidney
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Also known as Destination Tokyo, Skyway to Glory, and The Story of Number Five. Gene Kelly’s dramatic debut. Ava Gardner appears in an uncredited role. Many MGM contract players were used in the film, but their scenes seem to have not made the final edit.

June 25 – The Leopard Man (USA)

RKO Radio Pictures

Cast: Dennis O’Keefe, Margo, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Marguerite Sylva, Margaret Landry, Abner Biberman, James Bell, Tuulikki Paananen, Fely Franquelli, Ariel Heath
Director: Jacques Tourneur
Production Company: RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: Based on the book Black Alibi by Cornell Woolrich. It is one of the first American films to attempt an even remotely realistic portrayal of a serial killer (although that term was yet to be used). Though it received mixed reviews upon its release, modern critical response has been mostly positive and the film has become a cult classic.

June 26 – Follies Girl (USA)

Cast: Wendy Barrie, Doris Nolan, Gordon Oliver, Anne Barrett, Arthur Pierson, J.C. Nugent, Cora Witherspoon, William Harrigan
Director: William Rowland
Production Company: William Rowland Productions, distributed by Producers Releasing Corporation
Trivia: The final film appearance of Wendy Barrie apart from a cameo in It Should Happen to You (1954).

June 26 – The Yankee Doodle Mouse (USA, short)

Director: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera
Production Company: MGM cartoon studio, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: The eleventh Tom & Jerry short. The first of seven Tom & Jerry shorts to win the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. A 1950 reissue removed a gag involving rationing stamps.

1953

June 21 – Safari Drums (USA)

Cast: Johnny Sheffield, Douglas Kennedy, Barbara Bestar, Emory Parnell, Paul Marion, Leonard Mudie, Smoki Whitfield, Russ Conway
Director: Ford Beebe
Production Company: Monogram Pictures, distributed by Allied Artists
Trivia: The ninth of twelve Bomba the Jungle Boy films.

June 23 – Malta Story (UK)

Cast: Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Steel, Muriel Pavlow, Renée Asherson, Hugh Burden, Nigel Stock, Reginald Tate, Ralph Truman, Flora Robson
Director: Brian Desmond Hurst
Production Company: Theta Film Productions, distributed by GFD (UK), United Artists (USA)
Trivia: Opened in the US on August 5, 1954. The film includes actual footage from locations of the Siege of Malta.

June 23 – The Broken Horseshoe (UK)

Cast: Robert Beatty, Elizabeth Sellars, Peter Coke, Hugh Kelly, Janet Butler, Vida Hope, Ferdy Mayne, James Raglan
Director: Martyn C. Webster
Production Company: Nettlefold Films, distributed by Butcher’s Film Service
Trivia: Based on a six-part television series of the same title. Premiered on TV in the US on January 9, 1954.

June 24 – Arena (USA)

Cast: Gig Young, Jean Hagen, Polly Bergen, Harry Morgan, Barbara Lawrence, Robert Horton
Director: Richard Fleischer
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Loew’s, Inc.
Trivia: Promoted as the first 3D Western of the era.

June 25 – Robot Monster (USA)

Cast: George Nader, Claudia Barrett, Selena Royale, John Mylong, Gregory Moffett, Pamela Paulson, George Barrows, John Brown
Director: Phil Tucker
Production Company: Three Dimension Pictures, Inc., distributed by Astor Pictures
Trivia: Also known as Monster from Mars. The film was shot in four days. With no budget for a robot costume as planned, Phil Tucker hired his friend George Barrows, who had made his own gorilla suit. Tucker added the space helmet similar to those used in Republic Pictures serials. Despite the low budget and inexperienced crew, the film’s 3D cinematography was praised for its high quality. The film’s special effects included stock footage from One Million B.C., Lost Continent, Flight to Mars, Rocketship X-M and Captive Women.

June 25 – Son of Belle Starr (USA)

Cast: Keith Larsen, Dona Drake, Peggie Castle, Regis Toomey, James Seay, Myron Healey, Frank Puglia, Robert Keys, I. Stanford Jolley
Director: Frank McDonald
Production Company: Allied Artists Pictures
Trivia: The film was shot in Cinecolor, a two-color process.

June 26 – The Lone Hand (USA)

Cast: Joel McCrea, Barbara Hale, Alex Nicol, Jim Arness, Charles Drake, Jimmy Hunt , Roy Roberts, Frank Ferguson
Director: George Sherman
Production Company: Universal International Pictures, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Denver Pyle appears in an uncredited role.

June 26 – The Marshal’s Daughter (USA)

Cast: Laurie Anders, Hoot Gibson, Ken Murray, Preston Foster, Johnny Mack Brown, Jimmy Wakely, Buddy Baer, Harry Lauter, Robert Bray, Tex Ritter
Director: William Berke
Production Company: Harris/Murray, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: Final film of Francis Ford.

June 27 – Hannah Lee (USA)

Cast: Joanne Dru, Macdonald Carey, John Ireland, Frank Ferguson, Tom Powers
Director: Lee Garmes, John Ireland
Production Company: Jack Broder Productions, distributed by Realart Pictures
Trivia: Based on the novel ‘Wicked Water’ by MacKinlay Kantor. Also known as Outlaw Territory and Hannah Lee: An American Primitive. Filmed in stereoscopic 3-D Pathécolor using the twin-Camerette 3-D system by Stereo-Cine Corp.

June 27 – South Sea Woman (USA)

Cast: Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo, Chuck Connors, Arthur Shields, Barry Kelley, Leon Askin, Hayden Rorke
Director: Arthur Lubin
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Based on the play General Court Martial by William M. Rankin. The film’s working title was Sulu Sea, with South Sea Paradise and The Marines Have a Word for It as other options. Since Burt Lancaster was contracted to Warner Bros., filming on Columbia’s From Here to Eternity had to be pushed back until he completed South Sea Woman.

1963

June 21 – A Gathering of Eagles (USA)

Cast: Rock Hudson, Rod Taylor, Mary Peach, Barry Sullivan, Kevin McCarthy, Nelson Leigh, Henry Silva, Leora Dana, Robert Lansing, Richard Anderson, Leif Erickson, Louise Fletcher
Director: Delbert Mann
Production Company: Universal Pictures, distributed by Universal International Pictures
Trivia: Filming took place at Beale Air Force Base, California. John Gavin was originally announced as Rock Hudson’s co-star. The film was Oscar nominated for Best Sound Effects.

June 23 – The Doughnuts (USA, short)

Cast: Michael Burnham Jr., Robert Landsman, James Warner, Beth Sanford, Eleanor Chapin, Richard Forsyth, William Maeck, Cecilia Cavalier, Owen Jordan
Director: Edward English, Beth Sanford
Production Company: Weston Woods Studios
Trivia: Robert McCloskey, author of the original Homer Price stories, cameos as a customer.

June 24 – Murder at the Gallop (USA)

Cast: Margaret Rutherford, Stringer Davis, Robert Morley, Flora Robson, Charles Tingwell, Gordon Harris, Robert Urquhart
Director: George Pollock
Production Company: George H. Brown Productions, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: The second of four Miss Marple films made by MGM. Based on the 1953 novel After the Funeral by Agatha Christie, which featured Hercule Poirot instead of Miss Marple.

June 26 – Tarzan’s Three Challenges (USA)

Cast: Jock Mahoney, Woody Strode, Tsu Kobayashi, Earl Cameron, Jimmy Jamal, Salah Jamal, Anthony Chinn
Director: Robert Day
Production Company: Banner Productions, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Follow-up to 1962’s Tarzan Goes to India. Jock Mahoney’s second and final appearance as Tarzan. It was the first film granted permission to shoot at the Temple of Buddha’s Footprint, with cast and crew barefoot, shooting in near silence. Mahoney contracted dysentery, dengue fever and finally pneumonia, dropping from 220 to 175 pounds during production, which was very noticeable on screen.

June 27 – Tom Jones (UK)

Cast: Albert Finney, Susannah York, Hugh Griffith, Edith Evans, Joan Greenwood, Diane Cilento, George Devine, David Tomlinson, David Warner, Angela Baddeley, Lynn Redgrave, Julian Glover
Director: Tony Richardson
Production Company: Woodfall Film Productions, distributed by United Artists (UK), Lopert Pictures Corporation (USA)
Trivia: Opened in the US on October 6, 1963. Lynn Redgrave’s film debut. Adaptation of Henry Fielding’s classic 1749 novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. Nominated for ten Oscars, winning four: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Winner of two Golden Globes including Best Picture – Musical or Comedy, and three BAFTAs including Best Film and Best British Film. Cinematographer Walter Lassally felt that director Tony Richardson spent too much time in post-production trying to fix something that wasn’t really broken. The film was reissued in 1989 for which Richardson trimmed seven minutes. Both versions of the film have been available from the Criterion Collection.

1973

June 21 – Jeremy (France)

Cast: Robby Benson, Glynnis O’Connor, Len Bari, Leonardo Cimino, Ned Wilson, Chris Bohn, Pat Wheel, Ted Sorel, Bruce Friedman, Eunice Anderson
Director: Arthur Barron
Production Company: Kenesset Film Productions, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: Opened in the US on August 1, 1973. Dennis Boutsikaris appears in an uncredited role. Robby Benson was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance. Professional acting and film debut of Glynnis O’Connor.

June 22 – Penny Gold (UK)

Cast: James Booth, Francesca Annis, Nicky Henson, Joss Ackland, Richard Heffer, Sue Lloyd, Joseph O’Conor, Una Stubbs, George Murcell, Marianne Stone, John Rhys-Davies
Director: Jack Cardiff
Production Company: Fanfare Films Ltd., distributed by Scotia-Barber (UK), The Big Pieces Company (USA)
Trivia: John Rhys-Davies’ film debut.

June 22 – Terminal Island (USA)

Cast: Phyllis Davis, Ena Hartman, Don Marshall, Marta Kristen, Barbara Leigh, Randy Boone, Sean Kenney, Tom Selleck, Roger E. Mosley, Geoffrey Deuel
Director: Stephanie Rothman
Production Company: Dimension Pictures
Trivia: Released in the U.K. as Knuckle Men. Features early screen roles for Tom Selleck and Roger E. Mosely, who would both go on to star in Magnum, P.I. The film is regarded as a cult classic.

June 26 – The Neptune Factor (Canada)

Cast: Ben Gazzara, Yvette Mimieux, Walter Pidgeon, Ernest Borgnine, Donnelly Rhodes, Chris Wiggins, Michael J. Reynolds, Leslie Carlson, Stuart Gillard, David Yorston
Director: Daniel Petrie
Production Company: Sandy Howard Productions, Conquest of the Deeps Limited and Company, Quadrant Films, Bellevue Pathé (Qué) Ltée, distributed by Twentieth Century Fox
Trivia: Opened in the US on August 3, 1973. Also known as The Neptune Disaster.

June 27 – Live and Let Die (USA/Canada)

Eon Productions

Cast: Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Seymour, Clifton James, Julius W. Harris, Geoffrey Holder, David Hedison, Gloria Hendry, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell
Director: Guy Hamilton
Production Company: Eon Productions, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: Eighth film in the James Bond franchise, and the first to star Roger Moore. Based on Ian Fleming’s 1954 novel of the same name. The film was produced at the height of the ‘blaxploitation era’ in the US, and many blaxploitation archetypes and clichés are depicted in the film including derogatory racial epithets. It was the first Bond film to feature an African-American Bond girl romantically involved with 007. The theme song by Paul McCartney and Wings was Oscar nominated. Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and Burt Reynolds were considered for the role of Bond following Sean Connery’s departure, but Reynolds felt the role should be taken by a British actor. Actors who tested for the role include Julian Glover (who would play Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only), John Gavin and Jeremy Brett. An early frontrunner was Michael Billington. Anthony Hopkins was also considered but he felt he was not right for the role. While the studio wanted an American actor, the producers pushed for Roger Moore, who had actually been up for the role in Dr. No, and again in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. After he was cast, Billington remained at the top of the list should Moore opt not to return for the next film. Billington appeared in the pre-credits sequence of The Spy Who Loved Me. Diana Ross was the first choice to play Solitaire, but the producers opted to stick with Fleming’s original characterization of a white woman with Jane Seymour cast after Catherine Deneuve was considered. The character of Rosie Carver was then changed to a Black woman. The character of Sheriff J.W. Pepper was created for the film for comic relief. Clifton James played the role in this and the following Bond film, The Man With the Golden Gun. This was the first of two films featuring David Hedison as Felix Leiter, the other being 1989’s Licence to Kill. This was the only Bond film until 2006’s Casino Royale to not feature the character Q. Bernard Lee almost did not return as M due to the death of his wife Gladys Merredew, with the role nearly recast with Kenneth More. Lois Maxwell only appeared in Diamonds are Forever at the last minute after asking for a pay increase. She received the same pay for her one day of work on Live and Let Die, but shooting extended to two days, which cost more than the increase she had requested. Moore said she celebrated the bonus payday by purchasing a fur coat. 26 boats were built for the boat chase scene with 17 destroyed in rehearsals. The speedboat jump over the bayou accidentally set a Guiness World Record at the time with 110 feet cleared. The waves caused by the impact flipped over the follow boat.

June 27 – Scream Blacula Scream (USA)

Cast: William H. Marshall, Don Mitchell, Pam Grier, Michael Conrad, Janee Michelle, Lynn Moody, Barbara Rhoades, Bernie Hamilton, Richard Lawson, Craig T. Nelson
Director: Bob Kelljan
Production Company: Power Productions, distributed by American International Pictures
Trivia: Acting debut of Richard Lawson.

June 27 – The Friends of Eddie Coyle (USA)

Cast: Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Steven Keats, Alex Rocco, Joe Santos, Mitchell Ryan, Helena Carroll, Jack Kehoe, Margaret Ladd, James Tolkan
Director: Peter Yates
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Adapted from the 1970 novel The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins. The title is purely ironic as Eddie has no friends.

June 27 – The Wednesday Children (USA)

Cast: Carol Cary, Marji Dodril, Tom Kelly, Al Miskell, Donald E. Murray, Robert D. West
Director: Robert D. West
Production Company: Venture Film Production Co.

1983

June 22 – The Survivors (USA)

Cast: Walter Matthau, Robin Williams, Jerry Reed, Kristen Vigard, James Wainwright, Skipp Lynch, Annie McEnroe, John Goodman, Marian Hailey
Director: Michael Ritchie
Production Company: Rastar Films, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Walter Matthau replaced Joseph Bologna, who left production after two weeks due to ‘creative differences’, in the role of Sonny Paluso.

June 23 – Buddies (AUS)

Cast: Colin Friels, Harold Hopkins, Kris McQuade, Simon Chilvers, Norman Kaye, Lisa Peers, Bruce Spence, Andrew Sharp, Dinah Shearing
Director: Arch Nicholson
Production Company: JD Productions, Queensland Film Corporation, distributed by Hoyts Distribution (AUS), Paramount Pictures (USA)
Trivia: Released in the US on July 15, 1983. Producer John Dingwall could not find a distributor for the film, so he took it around Australia himself where it was well-received by audiences.

June 24 – Porky’s II: The Next Day (USA/Canada)

Cast: Dan Monahan, Wyatt Knight, Mark Herrier, Tony Ganios, Scott Colomby, Cyril O’Reilly, Kaki Hunter, Eric Christmas, Nancy Parsons, Art Hindle, Bill Hindman, Edward Winter
Director: Bob Clark
Production Company: Astral Films, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Despite the film’s title, the character of Porky does not appear in the film.

June 24 – Twilight Zone: The Movie (USA/Canada)

Cast: (Prologue) Albert Brooks, Dan Aykroyd; (‘Time Out’) Vic Morrow, Doug McGrath, Charles Hallahan, Rainer Peets, Kai Wulff, Steven Williams, Joseph Hieu, Al Leong, Stephen Bishop, John Larroquette; (‘Kick the Can’) Scatman Crothers, Bill Quinn, Martin Garner, Selma Diamond, Helen Shaw, Murray Matheson, Peter Brocco, Priscilla Pointer; (‘It’s a Good Life’) Kathleen Quinlan, Jeremy Licht, Kevin McCarthy, Patricia Barry, William Schallert, Nancy Cartwright, Dick Miller, Cherie Currie, Bill Mumy; (‘Nightmare at 20,000 Feet’) John Lithgow, Abbe Lane, Donna Dixon, John Dennis Johnston, Larry Cedar
Director: John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, George Miller
Production Company: Amblin Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Based on Rod Serling’s 1959–1964 television series of the same name. The segment directed by John Landis was an original story, while the others from Joe Dante, Steven Spielberg and George Miller were remakes of TV episodes.

June 24 – Yellowbeard (USA)

Cast: Graham Chapman, Peter Boyle, Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Peter Cook, Marty Feldman, Martin Hewitt, Michael Hordern, Eric Idle, Madeline Kahn, James Mason, John Cleese, Kenneth Mars, Spike Milligan, Stacey Nelkin, Susannah York, Beryl Reid, Ferdy Mayne, Peter Bull, Bernard Fox
Director: Mel Damski
Production Company: Hemdale Film Corporation, distributed by Orion Pictures
Trivia: David Bowie appears uncredited as The Shark. Final film appearances of Marty Feldman, Spike Milligan, and Peter Bull. Feldman died of a heart attack while filming in December 1982. His work was nearly complete except for his character’s death scene which was completed a few days later with a stunt double. The role of the romantic lead went from Adam Ant, who quit due to lengthy production delays, to Sting to Martin Hewitt because producer Carter De Haven felt the film was becoming ‘too British’. Aside from a couple of weeks in England, the majority of the film was shot in Mexico.

1993

June 21 – Warlock: The Armageddon (Russia)

Cast: Julian Sands, Chris Young, Paula Marshall, Joanna Pacula, Steve Kahan, R. G. Armstrong, Charles Hallahan, Bruce Glover, Davis Gaines, Dawn Ann Billings, Zach Galligan
Director: Anthony Hickox
Production Company: Trimark Pictures, Tapestry Films, distributed by Trimark Pictures
Trivia: Released in the US on September 24, 1993. The film is a sequel in title only to 1989’s Warlock, with Julian Sands reprising the role of the warlock.

June 23 – The Skateboard Kid (USA)

Cast: Timothy Busfield, Bess Armstrong, Cliff De Young, Rick Dean, Dom DeLuise, Trevor Lissauer, Shanelle Workman, Kai Lennox
Director: Larry Swerdlove
Production Company: Concorde-New Horizons
Trivia: Despite the artwork featuring the kid riding a skateboard with a dog, there is no dog in the movie.

June 24 – Dennis the Menace (AUS)

Cast: Mason Gamble, Walter Matthau, Joan Plowright, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Robert Stanton, Paul Winfield, Natasha Lyonne, Devin Ratray, Billie Bird, Bill Erwin, Arnold Stang
Director: Nick Castle
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures, Hughes Entertainment, Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Opened in the US on June 25, 1993. Based on the Hank Ketcham comic strip of the same name. Released in the UK as Dennis to avoid confusion with an identically named comic strip character from the British children’s comic The Beano. Jeannie Russell, who played Margaret on the original 1959 TV series, makes a cameo appearance.

June 25 – Chain of Desire (USA)

Cast: Holly Marie Combs, Mickey Cottrell, Malcolm McDowell, Linda Fiorentino, Elias Koteas, Angel Aviles, Patrick Bauchau, Grace Zabriskie, Jamie Harrold, Tim Guinee, Seymour Cassel, Kevin Conroy, Sabrina Lloyd
Director: Temístocles López
Production Company: Distant Horizon, distributed by Mad Dog Pictures
Trivia: The film was screened at the Montréal World Film Festival on August 27, 1992, the Chicago International Film Festival in October, and the Torino Film Festival in November. It opened in the UK on July 30, 1993. Modern American remake of the film La Ronde.

June 25 – House of Cards (USA)

Cast: Kathleen Turner, Tommy Lee Jones, Asha Menina, Shiloh Strong, Esther Rolle, Park Overall, Michael Horse
Director: Michael Lessac
Production Company: A&M Films, Penta Pictures, distributed by Miramax Films
Trivia: The film was completed in 1991 but the release was delayed until it premiered at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, where it was acquired by Miramax for distribution. The story was originally conceived as a father-daughter relationship, but writer/director Michael Lessac changed it to a mother-daughter relationship for his friend Kathleen Turner.

June 25 – Sleepless in Seattle (USA/Canada)

Cast: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rob Reiner, Rosie O’Donnell, Gaby Hoffmann, Victor Garber, Rita Wilson, David Hyde Pierce, Dana Ivey, Frances Conroy
Director: Nora Ephron
Production Company: TriStar Pictures
Trivia: Inspired by the romance film An Affair to Remember. Many studios rejected the original dramatic script, displeased that the main characters don’t meet until nearly the end of the movie. Original director Nick Castle departed over the comedic elements injected into the script by Nora Ephron, and she was promoted to director. Most of the film was shot in Seattle, including a re-creation of the Empire State Building’s observation deck which was unavailable at the time of production. Oscar nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Song.

June 25 – What’s Love Got to Do with It (USA/Canada)

Cast: Angela Bassett, Rae’Ven Larrymore Kelly, Cora Lee Day, Khandi Alexander, Laurence Fishburne, Jenifer Lewis, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Penny Johnson Jerald, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Chi McBride
Director: Brian Gibson
Production Company: Touchstone Pictures, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Trivia: Based on Tina Turner’s 1986 autobiography I, Tina. Halle Berry, Robin Givens, Pam Grier, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and Vanessa L. Williams were all considered for the lead role. Houston was actually offered the role but had to turn it down because she was pregnant. Jenifer Lewis auditioned to play Tina, but was cast as her mother even though she is just a year older than Angela Bassett. Bassett was cast a month before production was to begin, learning how to talk, dance and move like Tina in that short time. She considered doing her own singing as well but not in the time allotted. Turner recorded new versions of all the songs used in the film. Laurence Fishburne did his own singing. Bassett worked with Tina ‘a little bit’ but Tina did help with re-creations of her famous dance routines. Fishburne turned down the role of Ike Turner five times because he felt the story was too one-sided, with no explanation for his behavior. Changes were made to the script, but Bassett’s casting as Tina was the real selling point for Fishburne. Tina was unhappy with certain fictionalized aspects of the film, and wished the film had not portrayed her as a victim. Ike Turner claimed the film damaged his reputation. Bassett and Fishburne received Oscar nominations for their performances. Bassett won the Golden Globe and the NAACP Award for Best Actress.

2003

June 27 – Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (USA/Canada)

Cast: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Demi Moore, Bernie Mac, Justin Theroux, Crispin Glover, Rodrigo Santoro, Robert Patrick, John Forsythe, Matt LeBlanc, Luke Wilson, John Cleese, Shia LaBeouf, Ja’net DuBois
Director: McG
Production Company: Columbia Pictures, Leonard Goldberg Productions, Flower Films, Tall Trees Productions, Wonderland Sound and Vision, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Trivia: Cameos include Jaclyn Smith, Bruce Willis, Carrie Fisher, Robert Forster, Pink, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Eve, Melissa McCarthy, Big Boy, Anthony Griffith, Eric Bogosian, Chris Pontius, Tommy Flanagan, and The Pussycat Dolls. John Forsythe’s final film before retiring in 2006. He died in 2010. The Seamus O’Grady prison introduction scene is a direct reference to Robert De Niro’s prison-set introduction in Cape Fear. Whenever O’Grady (Justin Theroux) appears, he is accompanied by Bernard Hermann’s theme from Cape Fear. The Thin Man character perhaps pays homage to the Thin Man in 1927 German expressionist film Metropolis.

June 27 – The Room (USA)

Cast: Tommy Wiseau, Juliette Danielle, Greg Sestero, Philip Haldiman, Carolyn Minnott, Robyn Paris, Scott Holmes, Dan Janjigian, Kyle Vogt, Greg Ellery
Director: Tommy Wiseau
Production Company: Wiseau-Films, distributed by Chloe Productions, TPW Films
Trivia: The film has been described as ‘the Citizen Kane of bad movies’, and has become a cult favorite. Tommy Wiseau originally wrote the story as a play, and then adapted it into a book which he could not get published. He adapted the play into a film and produced it himself to retain control. Unbelievably, the film cost $6 million mainly due to poor production decisions on Wiseau’s part, like building sets for scenes that could have been shot on location, buying instead of renting equipment, and filming scenes multiple times on different sets. Wiseau would forget lines and his place on camera resulting in a minutes-long dialogue scene taking days to shoot. Wiseau bought a ‘complete Beginning Director package’ that included two film and HD cameras. He was confused by the difference in formats but wanted to be the first director to shoot simultaneously in both formats, which required a custom built rig and two crews. In the end, only the 35mm footage was used in the final edit. Most of the cast was selected from head shots and had no real film experience. Greg Sestero agreed to work as part of the crew because he had been friends with Wiseau, and stepped into the role of Mark after Wiseau fired the original actor on the first day of filming. Sestero was uncomfortable filming his sex scenes and was allowed to keep his jeans on. Kyle Vogt had a limited schedule to play Peter, and when he had to leave production before a pivotal scene was filmed, his lines were given to Greg Ellery, whose character is never introduced, explained, or addressed by name.

2013

June 21 – As Cool as I Am (USA, limited)

Cast: James Marsden, Claire Danes, Jon Tenney, Sarah Bolger, Peter Fonda, Jeremy Sisto, Anika Noni Rose, Alanis Morissette, Rhys Coiro, Thomas Mann
Director: Max Mayer
Production Company: Identity Films, Wind Dancer Productions, distributed by IFC Films
Trivia: Based on the novel of the same name by Pete Fromm.

June 21 – Bert and Arnie’s Guide to Friendship (USA, limited)

Cast: Matt Oberg, Stephen Schneider, Anna Chlumsky, Adrian Martinez, Cristin Milioti, Debargo Sanyal, Bree Sharp, Emily Ackerman
Director: Jeff Kaplan
Production Company: Justified Ends Entertainment, distributed by FilmBuff
Trivia: Jeff Kaplan’s directorial debut.

June 21 – Between Us (USA, limited)

Cast: Taye Diggs, Melissa George, David Harbour, Julia Stiles, Mara New, Julia Cho, Claudio Dabed
Director: Dan Mirvish
Production Company: Bugeater Films, Votiv Films, Greyshack Films, Union Entertainment Group, Skyscraper Films, distributed by Monterey Media
Trivia: Based on the play by Joe Hortua.

June 21 – Compulsion (USA, limited)

Cast: Heather Graham, Carrie-Anne Moss, Kevin Dillon, Joe Mantegna, James McGowan, Natalie Brown, Jean Yoon
Director: Egidio Coccimiglio
Production Company: Phase 4 Films, distributed by Dimension Films
Trivia: Remake of the South Korean film 301, 302 directed by Park Chul-soo. Although the film takes place in New York City, principal photography took place in Sault Ste. Marie and Toronto.

June 21 – Downloaded (USA, documentary, limited)

Cast: Henry Rollins, Cindy Margolis, Billy Corgan, Noel Gallagher, Mike D, Shawn Fanning, Sean Parker, Chris Blackwell, John Perry Barlow, Lawrence Lessig, Seymour Stein
Director: Alex Winter
Production Company: VH1 Rock Docs, Trouper Productions, distributed by VH1 Television
Trivia: VH1 partnered with AOL to distribute the film widely. The film was released digitally on July 1, 2013.

June 21 – Made in Cleveland (USA, limited)

Cast: Busy Philipps, Gillian Jacobs, Patrick Antone, Jessy Leigh, Robbie Barnes, Leon Bibb, Jackson Biesecker, Michael Goulis, Jeffrey Grover
Director: Jamie Babbit, Robert C. Banks, Tony Hartman, Sage O’Bryant, Cigdem Slankard, Eric Swinderman, Amy Tankersley Swinderman
Production Company: 1031 Films, LLC, distributed by Striped Entertainment
Trivia: Originally titled Cleveland, I Love You.

June 21 – Maniac (USA)

Cast: Elijah Wood, Nora Arnezeder, Jan Broberg, Liane Balaban, America Olivo
Director: Franck Khalfoun
Production Company: Canal+, Ciné+, La Petite Reine, Studio 37, Blue Underground, distributed by IFC Midnight
Trivia: Originally opened in Germany on December 27, 2012. Remake of the 1980 film of the same name. Nearly the entire film is shot from the murderer’s point of view, with his face being shown only in reflections and occasionally in the third person, which required Elijah Wood to be on set nearly every day behind the camera, although a body double was used at times to be be Wood’s left or right hand when he couldn’t use both in a natural way depending on the camera’s position. Most of Wood’s dialogue was recorded in post-production.

June 21 – Monsters University (USA/Canada)

Pixar Animation Studios

Voice Cast: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Peter Sohn, Joel Murray, Sean P. Hayes, Dave Foley, Charlie Day, Helen Mirren, Alfred Molina, Tyler Labine, Nathan Fillion, Aubrey Plaza, Bobby Moynihan, Julia Sweeney, Bonnie Hunt, John Krasinski, Bill Hader, Bob Peterson, John Ratzenberger, Marcia Wallace
Director: Dan Scanlon
Production Company: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, distributed by Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
Trivia: Dan Scanlon’s feature directing debut. This was Randy Newman’s seventh musical collaboration with Pixar. To date this is Pixar’s only prequel film. Disney held the rights to the characters and planned a sequel to Monsters Inc. since 2005, but after a disagreement with Pixar the animation duties were handed over to its Circle 7 Animation unit. After Disney’s purchase of Pixar, the studio cancelled Circle 7’s version of the film. Kelsey Grammer replaced James Coburn, who died in 2002, as the voice of Henry J. Waternoose III, but the character was eventually cut from the film. This is the first film in which Pixar used global illumination, a new lighting system introduced as part of the overhaul of the rendering system used since the first Toy Story film. Prior to the new system, artists had to manually build reflections and shadows.

June 21 – Raanjhanaa (UK/France/India)

Cast: Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Swara Bhaskar, Ishwak Singh, Shilpi Marwaha, Suraj Singh, Kumud Mishra
Director: Aanand L. Rai
Production Company: Colour Yellow Productions, distributed by Eros International
Trivia: Hindi film debut for Dhanush.

June 21 – Rushlights (USA, limited)

Cast: Beau Bridges, Haley Webb, Josh Henderson, Aidan Quinn, Jordan Bridges, Lorna Raver, Joel McKinnon Miller
Director: Antoni Stutz
Production Company: Rushlights, distributed by Vertical Entertainment
Trivia: An extended director’s cut of the film was released in 2016.

June 21 – Shun Li and the Poet (UK)

Cast: Zhao Tao, Rade Šerbedžija, Marco Paolini, Roberto Citran, Giuseppe Battiston
Director: Andrea Segre
Production Company: Jolefilm, Aeternam Films, Rai Cinema, ARTE, arte Cinéma, Eurimages, Regione del Veneto, Roma Lazio Film Commission, Marfin, Tasci, Bencom, Nordesteuropa Editore, Comune di Chioggia, Consorzio di Promozione Turistica ConChioggiaSì, Fabbrica dei Progetti, Cannes Film Festival, ZaLab, Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, distributed by Artificial Eye (UK)
Trivia: Originally opened in Italy on September 23, 2011, and was released in the US to Video on Demand on January 22, 2013.

June 21 – Somm (Canada/USA, documentary, limited)

Cast: Ian Cauble, Brian McClintic, Dustin Wilson, DLynn Proctor
Director: Jason Wise
Production Company: Forgotten Man Films, distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films

June 21 – Spud 2: The Madness Continues (South Africa)

Cast: Troye Sivan, John Cleese, Jason Cope, Jeremy Crutchley
Director: Donovan Marsh
Production Company: Rogue Star Films, distributed by Nu Metro Cinemas

June 21 – The Haunting of Helena (USA, limited)

Cast: Harriet MacMasters-Green, Sabrina Jolie Perez, Jarreth J. Merz, Matt Patresi, Paolo Paoloni, Giuliano Montaldo
Director: Christian Bisceglia
Production Company: One More Pictures, Rai Cinema, distributed by Salient Media
Trivia: Originally opened in Turkey on August 24, 2012. Also known as Fairytale in other countries.

June 21 – The Seasoning House (UK)

Cast: Rosie Day, Sean Pertwee, Kevin Howarth, Anna Walton, Jemma Powell, David Lemberg, Amanda Wass, Sean Cronin, Tomi May
Director: Paul Hyett
Production Company: Sterling Pictures, distributed by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution
Trivia: Premiered in the US on DVD on December 10, 2013. Paul Hyett’s directorial debut.

June 21 – World War Z (USA/Canada/UK)

Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, James Badge Dale, Ludi Boeken, Matthew Fox, Fana Mokoena, David Morse, Peter Capaldi, Ruth Negga, David Andrews, Michiel Huisman
Director: Marc Forster
Production Company: Skydance Productions, Hemisphere Media Capital, GK Films, Plan B Entertainment, 2DUX, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Based on the title of the 2006 novel of the same name by Max Brooks. Bryan Cranston was in talks for a ‘small but flashy’ role but ultimately had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. As the film’s budget ballooned to $190 million, alarming Paramount execs, major scenes shot in Budpest, like a large-scale zombie battle set in Moscow, were cut to water down the political undertones.

June 26 – How to Make Money Selling Drugs (USA, documentary, limited)

Director: Matthew Cooke
Production Company: Bert Marcus Productions, Reckless Productions, distributed by Tribeca Film

June 27 – Independence Daysaster (USA, limited)

Cast: Ryan Merriman, Andrea Brooks, Emily Holmes, Keenan Tracey, Garwin Sanford, Michael Kopsa, Jill Teed, Tom Everett Scott
Director: W.D. Hogan
Production Company: Cinetel Films, Independence Day Productions, Reel One Pictures, distributed by Cinetel Films
Trivia: The Canadian TV movie had previously been released on DVD in the US in 2021.

June 27 – Killer Toon (South Korea)

Cast: Lee Si-young, Um Ki-joon, Hyun Woo, Moon Ga-young, Kwon Hae-hyo
Director: Kim Yong-gyun
Production Company: Filma Pictures, Line Film, CJ Entertainment, distributed by CJ Entertainment
Trivia: The first South Korean horror film to sell more than one million cinema tickets since Death Bell in 2008.

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