Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #157 :: July 26 to August 1

Marvel Entertainment

A huge collection of films made their debuts this week (or this month where no release date is known) with many a novel and stage adaptation among them. 1923 does have one notable novel adaptation that saw several remakes, while 1933 was notorious for one of the ‘actors’ depicted on screen. 1943 saw The East Side Kids tackle some ghosts, while 1953 saw Abbott and Costello meet a doctor with a split personality, had two 3D films, and an iconic Marilyn Monroe performance. 1963 had a film that broke new ground for a Hollywood film, while 1973 tried to cash in on the horror blaxploitation genre. 1983 was a notable year for a fantasy film that has developed a cult following, for sending the Griswold family across the country for the first time, and for a film that did what Forrest Gump did, but ten years earlier. 1993 saw Mel Brooks do a comedic take on another classic character, and 2003 gave us one of the worst films ever made. 2013 produced a questionable documentary, gave Cate Blanchett an award winning role, saw Ryan Coogler make his directorial debut, brought Wolverine back to the big screen, and had a sequel that failed to match the original’s success. Read on to learn more about these and other films and tell us if your favorites are on the list!

1923

July 29 – Broadway Gold (USA)

Cast: Elaine Hammerstein, Elliott Dexter, Kathlyn Williams, Eloise Goodale, Richard Wayne, Harold Goodwin, Henry A. Barrows, Marshall Neilan
Director: Edward Dillon
Production Company: Edward Dillon Productions, distributed by Truart Film Corporation
Trivia: A print of Broadway Gold has been recently located in a film archive.

July 29 – Homeward Bound (USA)

Cast: Thomas Meighan, Lila Lee, Charles S. Abbe, William P. Carleton, Hugh Cameron, Gus Weinberg, Maude Turner Gordon, Cyril Ring, Katherine Spencer
Director: Ralph Ince
Production Company: Famous Players–Lasky Corporation, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: No prints have been located in any film archives so it is considered lost.

July 29 – The Flying Dutchman (USA)

Cast: Lawson Butt, Nola Luxford, Ella Hall, Edward Coxen, Walter Law
Director: Lloyd B. Carleton
Production Company: Robertson-Cole Pictures Corporation, distributed by Film Booking Offices of America

July 29 – Trilby (USA)

Cast: Andrée Lafayette, Creighton Hale, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Philo McCullough, Wilfred Lucas, Maurice de Canonge, Gordon Mullen, Martha Franklin
Director: James Young
Production Company: Richard Walton Tully Productions, distributed by First National Pictures
Trivia: Adaptation of the 1894 novel Trilby by George du Maurier. French actress Andrée Lafayette traveled to Hollywood for her first major role in the film. She returned to France in the mid-1930s and retired. Two endings were filmed with Trilby dying, as in the novel, and living but it was decided to keep the original ending as audiences were already familiar with it (a 1915 version of the film lets her live). The film was remade as Svengali in Germany in 1927. The first sound version of the story was made in the US in 1931, also titled Svengali, and is considered to be the definitive adaptation.

July 30 – Legally Dead (USA)

Cast: Milton Sills, Margaret Campbell, Claire Adams, Eddie Sturgis, Faye O’Neill, Charles A. Stevenson
Director: William Parke
Production Company: Universal Pictures
Trivia: This film is considered lost.

August – His Last Race (USA)

Cast: Rex (Snowy) Baker, Gladys Brockwell, William Scott, Harry Depp, Pauline Starke, Robert McKim, Noah Beery, Boomerang, Tully Marshall, King Baggot
Director: Reeves Eason, Howard Mitchell
Production Company: Phil Goldstone Productions, distributed by International Cinema

August – The Scarlet Lily (USA)

Cast: Katherine MacDonald, Orville Caldwell, Stuart Holmes, Edith Lyle, Adele Farrington
Director: Victor Schertzinger
Production Company: Preferred Pictures, distributed by First National Pictures
Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on July 9, 1923. This is a lost film.

August – Hutch Stirs ’em Up (UK)

Cast: Charles Hutchison, Joan Barry, Malcolm Tod, Gibson Gowland, Sunday Wilshin, Aubrey Fitzgerald
Director: Frank Hall Crane
Production Company: Ideal Film Company
Trivia: Based on the novel The Hawk of Rede by Harry Harding.

August – I Pagliacci (UK)

Cast: Adelqui Migliar, Lillian Hall-Davis, Campbell Gullan, Frank Dane, Alexander Butler, G. Longoborde
Director: G. B. Samuelson, S. W. Smith
Production Company: Napoleon Films
Trivia: Based on the 1892 opera Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo.

August – Out to Win (UK)

Cast: Catherine Calvert, Clive Brook, Irene Norman, Cameron Carr, A. B. Imeson, Ivo Dawson, Olaf Hytten, Norman Page, Robert English, Ernest A. Douglas
Director: Denison Clift
Production Company: Ideal Film Company
Trivia: Released in the US on June 9, 1924. Based on the 1921 play Out to Win by Dion Clayton Calthrop and Roland Pertwee.

August – Strangling Threads (UK)

Cast: Alma Taylor, Campbell Gullan, James Carew, Mary Dibley, Eileen Dennes, Gwynne Herbert, John MacAndrews, Maud Cressall
Director: Cecil M. Hepworth
Production Company: Hepworth Picture Plays, distributed by
Ideal Films
Trivia: Released in the US in September 1924.

August – The Little Door Into the World (UK)

Cast: Lawford Davidson, Nancy Beard, Olaf Hytten, Peggy Patterson, Victor Tandy, Arthur Mayhew, Bob Williamson
Director: George Dewhurst
Production Company: Dewhurst-Thompson, distributed by Astra-National

August – The White Shadow (UK)

Cast: Betty Compson, Clive Brook, Henry Victor, A. B. Imeson, Olaf Hytten, Daisy Campbell
Director: Graham Cutts
Production Company: Balcon, Freedman and Saville, distributed by Woolf & Freedman Film Service (UK), Lewis J. Selznick Enterprises (USA)
Trivia: Released in the US as White Shadows on October 13, 1924. Based on the unpublished novel Children of Chance by Michael Morton. Alfred Hitchcock was an uncredited co-director of the film. The film was made quickly so the directors could use Betty Compson, who appeared in their hit film Woman to Woman, before she returned to the US. The film was long thought lost but mislabeled reels of the film were discovered in an archive in New Zealand, and were preserved in 2012 by Park Road Post Production with support from the New Zealand Film Archive and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

1933

July 26 – Riot Squad (USA)

Cast: Madge Bellamy, Pat O’Malley, James Flavin, Addison Richards, Harrison Greene, Ralph Lewis
Director: Harry S. Webb
Production Company: Merit Pictures, distributed by Mayfair Pictures
Trivia: Second feature distributed by Mayfair Pictures.

July 28 – Another Language (USA)

Cast: Robert Montgomery, Helen Hayes, Louise Closser Hale, John Beal, Henry Travers, Margaret Hamilton, Willard Robertson, Minor Watson, Hal K. Dawson
Director: Edward H. Griffith
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Norma Shearer was to star but stayed at home with her husband Irving Thalberg, who was recovering from a heart attack. First credited role for Margaret Hamilton. Last film for Louise Closser Hale who died two days before the film’s release.

July 28 – Headline Shooter (USA)

Cast: William Gargan, Frances Dee, Ralph Bellamy, Jack LaRue, Gregory Ratoff, Wallace Ford, Robert Benchley, Betty Furness, Hobart Cavanaugh, June Brewster
Director: Otto Brower
Production Company: RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: The film was originally titled News Reel. The film incorporated newsreel footage of natural and man-made disasters.

July 28 – The Stranger’s Return (USA)

Cast: Miriam Hopkins, Lionel Barrymore, Franchot Tone, Stuart Erwin, Irene Hervey, Beulah Bondi, Grant Mitchell
Director: King Vidor
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Miriam Hopkins was loaned to MGM by Paramount, where she was under contract.

July 29 – Midnight Club (USA)

Cast: Clive Brook, George Raft, Helen Vinson, Alison Skipworth, Sir Guy Standing, Alan Mowbray, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Forrester Harvey, Ethel Griffies, Teru Shimada
Director: Alexander Hall, George Somnes
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Based on the 1931 short story Gangster’s Glory by E. Phillips Oppenheim.

August – A Royal Demand (UK)

Cast: Cyril McLaglen, Marjorie Hume, Fred Rains, Vi Kaley
Director: Gustav A. Mindzenti
Production Company: Moorland Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: The film was made as a quota quickie.

August – Head of the Family (UK)

Cast: Irene Vanbrugh, Arthur Maude, John Stuart, Pat Paterson, D. A. Clarke-Smith, Alexander Field, Roland Culver, Glen Alyn, Annie Esmond
Director: John Daumery
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: The film was made as a quota quickie.

August – Meet My Sister (UK)

Cast: Clifford Mollison, Constance Shotter, Enid Stamp-Taylor, Fred Duprez, Frances Drake, Jimmy Godden, Patrick Barr, Helen Ferrers, Syd Crossley
Director: John Daumery
Production Company: British International Pictures, distributed by Pathé Pictures
Trivia: The film was made as a quota quickie.

August – Narcotic (USA)

Cast: Harry Cording, Joan Dix, Patricia Farley, Jean Lacy, J. Stuart Blackton Jr., Paul Panzer, Miami Alvarez, Charles Bennett, Josef Swickard
Director: Dwain Esper, Vival Sodar’t
Production Company: Unknown
Trivia: The film includes an appearance of Elmer McCurdy, a would-be bank robber killed in 1911 and whose embalmed body circulated through various sideshows, fun houses and amusement parks for over 60 years. McCurdy’s body was not only used as that of a “drug addict” in the film but was put on display by Dwain Esper at screenings of the movie. The body was eventually discovered in a Long Beach funhouse in 1977 by a film crew for The Six Million Dollar Man, and was returned to Oklahoma for proper burial.

August – The Lure (UK)

Cast: Anne Grey, Cyril Raymond, Alec Fraser, William Hartnell
Director: Arthur Maude
Production Company: Arthur Maude Productions, distributed by Paramount British Pictures
Trivia: The film was produced as a quota quickie.

August – The Pride of the Force (UK)

Cast: Leslie Fuller, Patrick Aherne, Nancy Bates, Faith Bennett, King Curtis, Alf Goddard, Hal Gordon, Frank Perfitt, Ben Welden
Director: Norman Lee
Production Company: British International Pictures, distributed by Wardour Films
Trivia: The film was one of a series of vehicles for music hall star Leslie Fuller.

August – The Road Is Open Again (USA, short)

Cast: Dick Powell, Alan Dinehart, Chas. Middleton, Samuel S. Hinds
Director: Alfred E. Green
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures

August – Up to the Neck (UK)

Cast: Ralph Lynn, Winifred Shotter, Francis Lister, Reginald Purdell, Mary Brough, Marjorie Hume
Director: Jack Raymond
Production Company: British and Dominions, distributed by United Artists

August 1 – Moonlight and Pretzels (USA)

Cast: Leo Carillo, Mary Brian, Roger Pryor, Herbert Rawlinson, Lillian Miles, Bobby Watson, William Frawley, Jack Denny and His Orchestra
Director: Karl Freund
Production Company: Universal Studios
Trivia: The film’s director Karl Freund would work with William Frawley 20 years later as the cinematographer for I Love Lucy, where Frawley would play Fred Mertz. The film was shot at Astoria Studios in New York City.

August 1 – The Lucky Number (UK)

Cast: Clifford Mollison, Gordon Harker, Joan Wyndham, Frank Pettingell
Director: Anthony Asquith
Production Company: Gainsborough Pictures, distributed by Ideal Films
Trivia: The football (soccer) scenes were filmed in and around Highbury Stadium in North London.

1943

July 28 – Law of the Saddle (USA)

Cast: Robert Livingston, Al St. John, Betty Miles, Lane Chandler, John Elliott, Reed Howes, Curley Dresden, Al Ferguson, Frank Ellis
Director: Melville De Lay
Production Company: Sigmund Neufeld Productions, distributed by Producers Releasing Corporation
Trivia: Sixteenth movie in the ‘Lone Rider’ series, and the fifth starring Robert Livingston.

July 29 – First Comes Courage (USA)

Cast: Merle Oberon, Brian Aherne, Carl Esmond, Isobel Elsom, Fritz Leiber, Erville Alderson
Director: Dorothy Arzner
Production Company: Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Final film directed by Dorothy Arzner, one of the few female directors in Hollywood at the time. She suffered an attack pf pleurisy while filming and was replaced by an uncredited Charles Vidor. The film’s working title was Attack by Night, and was to have been set in France but was changed to Norway because of the public’s interest at the time in the occupation of that country.

July 29 – Robin Hood of the Range (USA)

Cast: Charles Starrett, Arthur Hunnicutt, Kay Harris, Kenneth MacDonald, Johnny Mitchell, Hal Price, Edward Peil Sr.
Director: William Berke
Production Company: Columbia Pictures

July 29 – The Saint Meets the Tiger (USA)

Cast: Hugh Sinclair, Jean Gillie, Gordon McLeod, Clifford Evans, Wylie Watson, Dennis Arundell, Charles Victor, Louise Hampton, John Salew, Arthur Hambling, Amy Veness, Claude Bailey
Director: Paul L. Stein
Production Company: RKO Radio British Productions, distributed by Republic Pictures
Trivia: Originally opened in the UK on December 8, 1941. The last of eight of RKO’s The Saint film series. Adapted from the first Saint novel Meet the Tiger. The film was completed in 1941 but distribution was held up as The Saint‘s creator Leslie Charteris felt that RKO’s new The Falcon series — starring former Saint actor George Sanders — was nothing but a copy of his character.

July 30 – Ghosts on the Loose (USA)

Cast: The East Side Kids, Bela Lugosi, Ava Gardner, Rick Vallin, Minerva Urecal, Wheeler Oakman, Peter Seal, Frank Moran, Jack Mulhall
Director: William Beaudine
Production Company: Monogram Pictures
Trivia: Fourteenth of the East Side Kids films. The film features one of Ava Gardner’s earliest roles. She was borrowed from MGM. Released in the UK as Ghosts in the Night, which was the film’s working title as well as the working title for Spooks Run Wild. It was the first time Bela Lugosi worked with the East Side Kids.

July 30 – Higher Than a Kite (USA, short)

Cast: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Duke York, Dick Curtis, Johnny Kascier, Vernon Dent
Director: Del Lord
Production Company: Columbia Pictures
Trivia: The 72nd of 190 Three Stooges films released by Columbia Pictures. It was the only Stooges film to feature Duke York in a non-monster role.

July 30 – Report from the Aleutians (USA, documentary)

Narrators: John Huston, Walter Huston
Director: John Huston
Production Company: Army Pictorial Service, distributed by War Activities Committee of the Motion Pictures Industry
Trivia: Propaganda film produced by the U.S. Army Signal Corps about the Aleutian Islands Campaign during World War II.

July 30 – The Masked Marvel (Mexico, serial)

Cast: William Forrest, Louise Currie, Johnny Arthur, Rod Bacon, Richard Clarke, Anthony Warde, David Bacon, Bill Healy, Howard C. Hickman, Tom Steele
Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet
Production Company: Republic Pictures Corporation, distributed by Dada-Dada & Company (Mexico), Republic Pictures (USA)
Trivia: Opened in the US on November 6, 1943. Republic’s 31st of 66 serials, and the studio’s third most expensive. The Masked Marvel is played by stuntman Tom Steele until his mask, which was molded directly from Steele’s face, is removed in the final chapter. The voice was dubbed by radio actor Gayne Whitman because Steel’s voice was not menacing enough for the studio. Steele also has a role as an assassin, and he disguises his natural voice because he believed it was going to be used for the Masked Marvel. David Bacon got the ‘jinxed’ role of Bob Barton after four previous actors had been injured and unable to work. Bacon joked after filming that he’d probably be hurt in his car going home. Two weeks after production Bacon was murdered moments after exiting his car. The film was George Plympton’s only work for Republic. The serial was reedited into a 100-minute movie for television in 1966 and retitled Sakima and the Masked Marvel.

August – The Battle of Britain (UK, documentary)

Narrator: Walter Huston
Director: Frank Capra, Anthony Veiller
Production Company: Office of War Information, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, War Activities Committee of the Motion Pictures Industry
Trivia: The fourth of seven propaganda films in Frank Capra’s Why We Fight series.

August – Tornado (USA)

Cast: Chester Morris, Nancy Kelly, William Henry, Gwen Kenyon, Joe Sawyer, Marie McDonald, Morgan Conway, Nestor Paiva
Director: William A. Berke
Production Company: Pine-Thomas Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Based on the unpublished novel Black Tornado by John Guedel. The film’s working title was Cyclone, and was changed to Black Tornado.

August – The Adventures of a Rookie (USA)

Cast: Wally Brown, Alan Carney, Richard Martin, Erford Gage, Margaret Landry, Patti Brill, Rita Corday
Director: Leslie Goodwins
Production Company: RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: Debut of RKO’s comedy duo Carney and Brown.

August 1 – Behind the Rising Sun (USA)

Cast: Margo, Tom Neal, J. Carrol Naish, Robert Ryan, Gloria Holden, Donald Douglas, George Givot, Adeline De Walt Reynolds, Leonard Strong
Director: Edward Dmytryk
Production Company: RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: Based on the 1941 book Behind the Rising Sun written by James R. Young.

1953

July 26 – The Maze (USA)

Cast: Richard Carlson, Veronica Hurst, Katherine Emery, Michael Pate, John Dodsworth, Hillary Brooke, Stanley Fraser, Lillian Bond, Owen McGiveney, Robin Hughes
Director: William Cameron Menzies
Production Company: Allied Artists Pictures Corporation
Trivia: The second 3D film directed by William Cameron Menzies, known for his very ‘dimensional’ style. It was his final film as director and production designer.

July 29 – Valley of the Head Hunters (USA)

Cast: Johnny Weissmuller, Christine Larson, Robert Foulk, Steven Ritch, Nelson Leigh, Joseph Allen, George Eldredge
Director: William Berke
Production Company: The Katzman Corporation, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Based on the Jungle Jim comic strip. Johnny Weissmuller’s eleventh appearance as Jungle Jim.

July 30 – The Stranger Wore a Gun (USA)

Cast: Randolph Scott, Claire Trevor, Joan Weldon, George Macready, Alfonso Bedoya, Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Pierre Watkin
Director: André DeToth
Production Company: Scott-Brown Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Based on the short story ‘Yankee Gold’ by John W. Cunningham. One of the first 3D Westerns.

July 31 – No Escape (USA)

Cast: Lew Ayres, Sonny Tufts, Marjorie Steele, Lewis Martin, Gertrude Michael
Director: Charles Bennett
Production Company: Matthugh Productions, distributed by
United Artists
Trivia: Director Charles Bennett called the film dreadful due to a ten day shooting schedule.

July 31 – Vice Squad (USA)

Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Paulette Goddard, K.T. Stevens, Porter Hall, Adam Williams, Edward Binns, Barry Kelley, Jay Adler, Mary Ellen Kay, Joan Vohs
Director: Arnold Laven
Production Company: Sequoia Pictures, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: Also known as The Girl in Room 17.

August – Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (USA)

Cast: Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Coburn , Elliott Reid, Tommy Noonan, George Winslow, Marcel Dalio, Taylor Holmes, Norma Varden , Howard Wendell
Director: Howard Hawks
Production Company: Twentieth Century Fox
Trivia: Based on the 1949 stage musical of the same name. Despite the film’s title, Marilyn Monroe was paid her usual contract salary of $500 per week while Jane Russell, the better known of the two at the time, earned $200,000. Russell and assistant choreographer Gwen Verdon had stated choreographer Jack Cole actually directed Monroe’s iconic ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’ number. Hawks later confirmed as much stating he had no desire to direct the production numbers.

August – Glad Tidings (UK)

Cast: Barbara Kelly, Raymond Huntley, Ronald Howard, Jean Lodge, Terence Alexander, Diana Calderwood, Laurence Payne, Arthur Howard
Director: Wolf Rilla
Production Company: Insignia Films, distributed by Eros Films
Trivia: Based on the play of the same title by R. F. Delderfield.

August – Mission Over Korea (USA)

Cast: John Hodiak, John Derek, Audrey Totter , Maureen O’Sullivan, Harvey Lembeck, Richard Erdman, William Chun, Rex Reason, Todd Karns
Director: Fred F. Sears
Production Company: Robert Cohn Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Actual combat footage from the Korean War was incorporated into the film. Dabbs Greer appears in an uncredited role.

August – Recoil (UK)

Cast: Kieron Moore, Elizabeth Sellars, Edward Underdown, John Horsley, Robert Raglan, Ethel O’Shea, Martin Benson
Director: John Gilling
Production Company: Tempean Films, distributed by Eros Films

August – The House of the Arrow (UK)

Cast: Oskar Homolka, Robert Urquhart, Yvonne Furneaux, Josephine Griffin, Harold Kasket
Director: Michael Anderson
Production Company: ABPC, distributed by Associated British-Pathé
Trivia: Fourth film version of the 1924 novel The House of the Arrow by A. E. W. Mason.

August 1 – Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (USA)

Universal Pictures

Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Boris Karloff, Craig Stevens, Helen Westcott, Reginald Denny, John Dierkes
Director: Charles Lamont
Production Company: Universal-International, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Inspired by the 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Though Boris Karloff is often credited as Mr. Hyde, the part was actually played by an uncredited Eddie Parker. The same applied to Lou Costello when his Tubby character transformed and was played by stunt double Vic Parks. The film received an ‘X’ rating in the UK because of the scenes with Mr. Hyde.

August 1 – Counterspy (UK)

Cast: Dermot Walsh, Hazel Court, Hermione Baddeley, Alexander Gauge, Bill Travers, Archie Duncan
Director: Vernon Sewell
Production Company: Abtcon Pictures, distributed by Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors
Trivia: Also known as Undercover Agent in some regions.

1963

July 26 – Nurse on Wheels (Ireland)

Cast: Juliet Mills, Ronald Lewis, Joan Sims, Noel Purcell, Esma Cannon, Raymond Huntley, Athene Seyler, Norman Rossington, Ronald Howard, Joan Hickson
Director: Gerald Thomas
Production Company: Peter Rogers Productions, distributed by Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors
Trivia: Opened in the US in January 1964. Originally opened in the UK in January 1963. Based on the story ‘Nurse is my Neighbour’ by Joanna Jones, pseudonym of John Burke. The cast and production team is shared with the Carry On films, but is not an official member of the series.

July 30 – Tamahine (UK)

Cast: Nancy Kwan, John Fraser, Dennis Price, Coral Browne, Dick Bentley, Derek Nimmo, Justine Lord, James Fox, Michael Gough
Director: Philip Leacock
Production Company: ABPC, distributed by Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (USA)
Trivia: Opened in the US on May 3, 1964.

July 30 – The Cracksman (UK)

Cast: Charlie Drake, Nyree Dawn Porter, George Sanders, Dennis Price, Percy Herbert, Eddie Byrne, Finlay Currie, Geoffrey Keen, George A. Cooper
Director: Peter Graham Scott
Production Company: Associated British Picture Corporation, distributed by Warner-Pathé Distributors
Trivia: George Sanders only has about 20 minutes of screen time.

July 31 – Toys in the Attic (USA)

Cast: Dean Martin, Geraldine Page, Yvette Mimieux, Gene Tierney, Wendy Hiller, Nan Martin, Larry Gates, Frank Silvera
Director: George Roy Hill
Production Company: Meadway-Claude Productions Company, The Mirisch Corporation, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: Based on a Tony Award-winning play of the same name by Lillian Hellman.

August – Hootenanny Hoot (USA)

Cast: Peter Breck, Ruta Lee, Joby Baker, Pamela Austin, Bobo Lewis
Director: Gene Nelson
Production Company: Four Leaf Productions, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: The film was shot in nine days. Producer Sam Katzman was so pleased with the results, he gave Gene Nelson the directing job on Kissin’ Cousins starring Elvis Presley.

August – It’s All Happening (UK)

Cast: Tommy Steele, Michael Medwin, Angela Douglas, Jean Harvey, Bernard Bresslaw, Walter Hudd, John Tate, Janet Henfrey, Richard Goolden, Keith Faulkner, Edward Cast
Director: Don Sharp
Production Company: K.N.P. Productions, distributed by British Lion Film Corporation (UK), Universal Pictures (USA)
Trivia: Released in the US on April 22, 1964 as The Dream Maker. The film was shot and ready for release in six weeks.

August – Promises! Promises! (USA)

Cast: Jayne Mansfield, Marie McDonald, Tommy Noonan, Mickey Hargitay, Fritz Feld, T. C. Jones
Director: King Donovan
Production Company: Noonan-Taylor Productions, distributed by NTD
Trivia: Billed on screen as Promises… Promises! The first Hollywood film of the sound era to feature nudity by a mainstream star (Jayne Mansfield, who was said to drink champagne before filming to feel relaxed). That distinction would have gone to Marilyn Monroe in Something’s Got to Give, but the film went unfinished after Monroe’s death. The film was banned in Chicago and several other major US cities. Marie McDonald took the role of Claire after Mamie Van Doren declined. It was her last film.

August – The Scarlet Blade (UK)

Cast: Lionel Jeffries, Oliver Reed, Jack Hedley, June Thorburn, Michael Ripper, Harold Goldblatt, Duncan Lamont, Clifford Elkin, Suzan Farmer, John Harvey
Director: John Gilling
Production Company: ABPC, Hammer Films, distributed by Columbia Pictures Corporation (UK), Columbia Pictures (USA)
Trivia: Released in the US as The Crimson Blade on March 22, 1964.

August – The Young and the Brave (USA)

Cast: Rory Calhoun, William Bendix, Richard Jaeckel, Manuel Padilla, Jr., Richard Arlen, John Agar, Robert Ivers, Weaver Levy
Director: Francis D. Lyon
Production Company: A.C. Lyles Productions, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: The film’s working title was Attong. The film has been recognized by Turner Classic Movies as a historical representation of the war film genre, and is preserved in their archives.

1973

July 27 – The Blockhouse (UK)

Cast: Peter Sellers, Charles Aznavour, Jeremy Kemp , Per Oscarsson, Peter Vaughan, Nicholas Jones, Leon Lissek, Alfred Lynch
Director: Clive Rees
Production Company: Galactacus, Audley Associates, Hemdale, Reel World Productions, distributed by Cannon Film Distributors
Trivia: Opened in the US in January 1974. Based on a 1955 novel by Jean-Paul Clébert, which may have been inspired by a true story.

July 27 – The Last American Hero (USA)

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Valerie Perrine, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ned Beatty, Gary Busey, Art Lund, Ed Lauter, William Smith II, Gregory Walcott, Tom Ligon
Director: Lamont Johnson
Production Company: Rojo Productions, Twentieth Century Fox, distributed by Twentieth Century Fox
Trivia: Also known as Hard Driver. Based on the true story of NASCAR driver Junior Johnson, and on Tom Wolfe’s essay ‘The Last American Hero Is Junior Johnson. Yes!’, which was first published in Esquire magazine in March 1965. The film’s theme song, ‘I Got a Name’ by Jim Croce, peaked at Number 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

August – Blackenstein (USA)

Cast: John Hart, Ivory Stone, Joe De Sue, Roosevelt Jackson, Andrea King, Nick Bolin, Karin Lind, Yvonne Robinson, Liz Renay, Don Brodie
Director: William A. Levey
Production Company: Frisco Productions Limited, distributed by Prestige Pictures
Trivia: Loosely based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Though known simply as Blackenstein, the film’s theatrical poster is titled Black Frankenstein, and the on-screen title is Blackenstein the Black Frankenstein. The film was made as an attempt to cash in on the success of Blacula, but it was derided as a ‘totally inept mixture of the worst horror and blaxploitation films’. Non-actor Joe De Sue was cast because he was a client of criminal lawyer turned writer/producer Frank R. Saletri. Liz Renay was also a client. Saletri also wrote, produced and directed the never released Black the Ripper, and wrote two unmade screenplays, Sherlock Holmes in the Adventures of the Werewolf of the Baskervilles and Sherlock Holmes in the Adventures of the Golden Vampire, which was to star Alice Cooper as Dracula. Saletri was found murdered in his home, a mansion formerly owned by Bela Lugosi, ‘gangland style’ in 1982.

August – Detroit 9000 (USA)

Cast: Hari Rhodes, Alex Rocco, Vonetta McGee, Ella Edwards, Scatman Crothers, Herbert Jefferson Jr., Robert Phillips, Rudy Challenger, Council Cargle
Director: Arthur Marks
Production Company: Holly Hill Productions, distributed by General Film Corporation
Trivia: The film was marketed as a blaxploitation film, and experienced a resurgence on home video 25 years after its release. Alex Rocco was cast after working with Arthur Marks on 1972’s Bonnie’s Kids. The film was shot on location in Detroit and surrounding neighborhoods. Many now-demolished landmark buildings can be seen in the film. The Book Cadillac Hotel used for the reception scenes closed in 1983 and sat vacant for 20 years until it was restored and reopened by the Westin Hotel chain in 2009. Fan of the film Quentin Tarantino gave the film a limited re-release in 1998 through his Rolling Thunder Pictures distriibution company.

August – Your Three Minutes Are Up (USA)

Cast: Beau Bridges, Ron Leibman, Janet Margolin, Kathleen Freeman, David Ketchum, Stu Nisbet, Read Morgan
Director: Douglas Schwartz
Production Company: Permut Presentations, Minutes Company, distributed by Cinerama Releasing Corporation
Trivia: Theatrical feature debut of Jennifer Ashley.

August 1 – Dillinger (USA)

Cast: Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Michelle Phillips, Cloris Leachman, Harry Dean Stanton, Geoffrey Lewis, John Ryan, Richard Dreyfuss, Steve Kanaly
Director: John Milius
Production Company: American International Pictures, F. P. Productions, distributed by American International Pictures
Trivia: First film performance of Michelle Phillips. The film chronicles the last few years of Dillinger’s life depicted as a matter of months. Retired FBI Agent Clarence Hurt, one of the agents involved in the final shootout with Dillinger, was the film’s technical advisor. The film was followed by two made-for-TV films, Melvin Purvis: G-Man (1974) and The Kansas City Massacre (1975), directed by Dan Curtis and starring Dale Robertson.

August 1 – Maurie (USA)

Cast: Bernie Casey, Bo Svenson, Bill Walker, Maidie Norman, Ji-Tu Cumbuka
Director: Daniel Mann
Production Company: Ausable Films, distributed by National General Pictures
Trivia: Also known as Big Mo.

August 1 – The Naked Ape (USA)

Cast: Johnny Crawford, Victoria Principal, Dennis Olivieri, Diana Darrin, Norman Grabowski, John Hillerman
Director: Donald Driver
Production Company: Playboy Enterprises, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Loosely adapted from the non-fiction book of the same name by Desmond Morris. Victoria Principal said her career momentum at the time was hurt by the film’s failure.

1983

July 29 – Krull (USA)

Cast: Ken Marshall, Lysette Anthony, Freddie Jones, Alun Armstrong, David Battley, Bernard Bresslaw, Liam Neeson, Dicken Ashworth, Todd Carty, Robbie Coltrane
Director: Peter Yates
Production Company: Barclays Mercantile Industrial Finance, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Lysette Anthony’s voice was redubbed by Lindsay Crouse so the character would sound more mature. Bernard Bresslaw could not see out of his Cyclops prosthetics and during the swamp scene other actors had to protect him from falling in. Robbie Coltrane’s voice was redubbed by Michael Elphick. The film was meant to be a medieval-style story and filmed on several locations, but script changes made it entirely fantasy and the bulk was shot on 23 massive sets across ten Pinewood sound stages. The famous 007 stage was used for the swamp scene. Peter Yates hated working on the film so much that he took a vacation to the Caribbean in the middle of production, leading the special effects artists to take a three week break from the project. James Horner’s score, reminiscent of his earlier scores for Battle Beyond the Stars and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, has been commended as a highlight of the film, and one of his best early works. Parts of the score were reused for Aliens and The Rocketeer.

July 29 – National Lampoon’s Vacation (USA/Canada)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Cast: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, Christie Brinkley, Eddie Bracken, Brian Doyle-Murray, Miriam Flynn, James Keach, Eugene Levy, Jane Krakowski
Director: Harold Ramis
Production Company: National Lampoon, Warner Bros. Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Based on John Hughes’ short story ‘Vacation ’58’, which appeared in National Lampoon. Harold Ramis provides the voice of Marty the Moose. The film’s story was originally rejected by Paramount and Warner Bros. for being too episodic, which was the point of a road trip. Warner exec Mark Canton did see the potential and got the film made. In the original story, the amusement park destination was Disneyland, but the name of the park and rides were changed to sound-alikes to avoid legal issues. Exterior park scenes were filmed at Santa Anita Park with interiors filmed at Magic Mountain.

July 29 – Zelig (USA)

Cast: Woody Allen , Mia Farrow, Patrick Horgan, Stephanie Farrow, Mary Louise Wilson, Sol Lomita, John Rothman, Deborah Rush, Will Holt, Peter McRobbie, Mae Questel
Director: Woody Allen
Production Company: Orion Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Oscar-nominated for Cinematography and Costume Design. Susan Sontag, Irving Howe, Saul Bellow, Bricktop, Dr. Bruno Bettelheim and Professor John Morton Blum appear as themselves. Woody Allen and Gordon Willis combined actors with actual archival footage using bluescreen technology, antique cameras and lenses, and simulated film effects to make the new footage look vintage. The seamless blending was accomplished almost ten years before digital technology did the same thing for Forrest Gump. In the time it took to complete the film’s special effects, Allen filmed A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy and Broadway Danny Rose. It is the last Orion Pictures film released through Warner Bros.

August – Escape from El Diablo (USA)

Cast: Jimmy McNichol, Timothy Van Patten, John Ethan Wayne, Patrick Mower, Suzanne Danielle, Penelope Horner, Patricia Quinn, Luis Barboo
Director: Gordon Hessler
Production Company:
Trivia: Also known as California Cowboys.

August – Funny Money (UK)

Cast: Gregg Henry, Elizabeth Daily, Gareth Hunt, Derren Nesbitt, Annie Ross, Joe Praml , Rose Alba, Stephen Yardley, Nigel Lambert
Director: James Kenelm Clarke
Production Company: Norfolk International Pictures, distributed by Cannon Film Distributors
Trivia: Final film of Rose Alba.

August – Runners (UK)

Cast: Kate Hardie, James Fox, Jane Asher, Eileen O’Brien, Bernard Hill
Director: Charles Sturridge
Production Company: Goldcrest Films, distributed by Cinegate
Trivia: Kate Hardie’s film debut.

1993

July 28 – Robin Hood: Men in Tights (USA/Canada)

Cast: Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, Roger Rees, Amy Yasbeck , Dave Chappelle, Mark Blankfield, Eric Allan Kramer, Matthew Porretta, Isaac Hayes, Tracey Ullman, Patrick Stewart, Dom DeLuise, Dick Van Patten, Mel Brooks, Avery Schreiber, Chuck McCann
Director: Mel Brooks
Production Company: Brooksfilms, Gaumont, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Dave Chappelle’s film debut. Brooks regulars Rudy De Luca and Gene Wilder appear in cameos as party guests, with Wilder appearing uncredited.

July 29 – Gross Misconduct (AUS)

Cast: Jimmy Smits, Naomi Watts, Sarah Chadwick, Adrian Wright
Director: George T. Miller
Production Company: David Hannay Productions, Pro Filmworks, distributed by Becker Entertainment (AUS), Polygram Filmed Entertainment (USA)
Trivia: Opened in the US on August 6, 1993. Based on the 1969 play Assault With a Deadly Weapon by Lance Peters.

July 30 – Rising Sun (USA/Canada)

Cast: Sean Connery, Wesley Snipes, Harvey Keitel, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Kevin Anderson, Mako, Ray Wise, Tia Carrere, Steve Buscemi, Daniel Von Bargen, Clyde Kusatsu
Director: Philip Kaufman
Production Company: Twentieth Century Fox, Walrus & Associates, distributed by Twentieth Century Fox
Trivia: Based on Michael Crichton’s 1992 novel of the same name. Crichton received $1 million for the rights to the novel, and was attached as a co-writer on the screenplay. Crichton had disputed with director Philip Kaufman over the number of rewrites requested, and for casting Wesley Snipes as the protagonist in a movie about US-Japan relations, saying changing the character’s race introduced another aspect to the story because of tensions between Blacks and Japanese. Kaufman took on the writing duties and tried to get a sole credit, but the WGA concluded his contributions were not enough to deny Crichton and Michael Backes a credit. Kaufman was known for deliverying lengthy movies, so Fox contractually obliged him to turn in a film no longer than two hours, causing editing delays to push the film’s release date.

July 30 – So I Married an Axe Murderer (USA)

Cast: Mike Myers, Nancy Travis, Anthony LaPaglia, Amanda Plummer, Michael Richards, Brenda Fricker, Matt Doherty, Charles Grodin, Phil Hartman, Debi Mazar, Steven Wright, Alan Arkin, Greg Germann, Patrick Bristow, Luenell
Director: Thomas Schlamme
Production Company: TriStar Pictures, Fried/Woods Films, distributed by TriStar Pictures
Trivia: The Netflix limited series The Pentaverate, created by Mike Myers, was based on the in-universe conspiracy theories mentioned in the film. The film was the first from Fried/Woods Films. The original screenplay was more about paranoia than commitment, but Myers asked for changes that would allow him both serious acting and SNL-style comedy. He and Neil Mullarkey extensively rewrote the script, and original writer Robbie Fox was asked to consider a new set of credits that would give him a ‘story by’ and co-screenplay credit. He refused and the WGA decided Fox would receive a sole screenwriting credit. Producer Robert Fried and Myers were upset that Mullarkey’s work received no credit. Chevy Chase, Albert Brooks, and Martin Short considered the Myers role but did not like the character. Woody Allen also considered it. Sharon Stone was the original choice to play Harriet and Rose, but Sony execs did not like the idea of her playing two roles so she withdrew from the project. In the end, Nancy Travis took the role of Harriet and Amanda Plummer played Rose. Myers was only to play Charlie, but during the first read-through the role of Stuart had not yet been cast and Myers read the lines, prompting the filmmakers to assign both roles to the actor. Charles Grodin, Phil Hartman, Michael Richards, Mike Hagerty, Debi Mazar, Steven Wright, and Alan Arkin make cameo appearances, agreeing for the opportunity to work with Myers. During a scene in a butcher shop, Travis was so distracted by Myers’ antics that she severed a fingertip while chopping vegetables (it was successfully re-attached). She later said Myers taught her more about comedy and how to be relaxed and spontaneous on the set.

July 30 – Surf Ninjas (Portugal)

Cast: Ernie Reyes Sr., Ernie Reyes Jr., Nicolas Cowan, John Karlen, Rob Schneider, Leslie Nielsen, Kelly Hu, Tone Loc, Nathan Jung
Director: Neal Israel
Production Company: New Line Cinema
Trivia: Released in the US on August 20, 1993. Filming locations for the movie included Thailand and Hawaii, with the second half of the film shot first before the crew located to Los Angeles to film the first half. The film was released in Evansville, IN and Lubbock, TX two weeks before its national release as part of a test of regional markets.

2003

July 31 – Danny Deckchair (AUS)

Cast: Rhys Ifans, Miranda Otto, Justine Clarke, Rhys Muldoon
Director: Jeff Balsmeyer
Production Company: Crusader Entertainment, Macquarie Film Corporation, Cobalt Media Group, City Productions Pty. Ltd., Danny the Film, Baldwin Entertainment Group, distributed by Twentieth Century Fox (AUS), Lions Gate Films (USA)
Trivia: Opened in the US in limited release on August 11, 2004. Inspired by the story of the Lawnchair Larry flight.

August 1 – American Wedding (USA/Canada)

Cast: Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Thomas Ian Nicholas, January Jones, Eugene Levy, Molly Cheek, Deborah Rush, Fred Willard, Angela Paton, Eric Allan Kramer, Amanda Swisten, Nikki Schieler Ziering, Lawrence Pressman, John Cho, Jennifer Coolidge, Willam Belli
Director: Jesse Dylan
Production Company: LivePlanet, Zide/Perry Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Known as American Pie 3: The Wedding or American Pie: The Wedding, in some countries. Last film of the series written by Adam Herz, and the only theatrical film in the series that does not include Chris Klein, Chris Owen, Mena Suvari, Tara Reid, Shannon Elizabeth and Natasha Lyonne.

August 1 – Gigli (USA)

Cast: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bartha, Lainie Kazan, Al Pacino, Lenny Venito, Christopher Walken
Director: Martin Brest
Production Company: Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios, Casey Silver Productions, City Light Films, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Trivia: The film is considered one of the worst of all time, and is one of the most expensive box office bombs in history, grossing $7.2 million against a $75.6 million budget. To date, it is the last film Martin Brest has directed. Halle Berry was to play the Jennifer Lopez role but had to back out due to conflicts with X2. The original ending had Ben Affleck’s character being killed, but after negative reactions at test screenings, the ending was re-shot.

2013

July 26 – 20 Feet from Stardom (USA, documentary)

Cast: Lou Adler, Patti Austin, Chris Botti, Merry Clayton, Sheryl Crow, Lisa Fischer, Mick Jagger, Darlene Love, Bette Midler, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Martha Wash, Stevie Wonder
Director: Morgan Neville
Production Company: Tremolo Productions, Gil Friesen Productions, distributed by RADiUS-TWC
Trivia: 2014 Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature. It also won a Grammy for Best Music Film.

July 26 – Bajatey Raho (UK/India)

Cast: Tusshar Kapoor, Dolly Ahluwalia, Ranvir Shorey, Vinay Pathak, Vishakha Singh, Ravi Kishan
Director: Shashant Shah
Production Company: Eros International, MSM Motion Pictures, distributed by Eros International
Trivia: The title translates to ‘Keep playing’.

July 26 – Blackfish (UK, documentary)

Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Production Company: CNN Films, Manny O Productions, distributed by Magnolia Pictures
Trivia: Originally opened in limited US release on July, 19, 2013. BAFTA nominated for Best Documentary. SeaWorld has characterized the information in the film as inaccurate and has labeled it propaganda.

July 26 – Blue Jasmine (USA)

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard, Andrew Dice Clay, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alden Ehrenreich, Tammy Blanchard, Max Casella
Director: Woody Allen
Production Company: Gravier Productions, Perdido Productions, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics
Trivia: The costumes were an integral part of Jasmine’s character, but were hard to assemble on a $35,000 budget. Costume designer Suzy Benzinger used her and Woody Allen’s connections with various fashion houses to borrow some of the more expensive items for the production. The film earned three Oscar nominations for Best Actress (Blanchett), Supporting Actress (Hawkins) and Screenplay (Allen), with a win for Blanchett. Blanchett and Hawkins also received Golden Globe nominations, with Blanchett also winning, She also won a BAFTA, SAG Award and Independent Spirit Award.

July 26 – Breaking the Girls (USA, limited)

Cast: Agnes Bruckner, Madeline Zima, Shawn Ashmore, Kate Levering, Shanna Collins, Davenia McFadden, Tiya Sircar, Melanie Mayron
Director: Jamie Babbit
Production Company: Myriad Pictures, distributed by IFC Films
Trivia: Cory Monteith, Amanda Crew and Adrianne Palicki were among the original cast but changes were made during per-production and the roles were re-cast. Detective Ross was a male character in the original screenplay.

July 26 – Frankenstein’s Army (USA, limited)

Cast: Karel Roden, Alexander Mercury, Joshua Sasse, Luke Newberry, Robert Gwilym
Director: Richard Raaphorst
Production Company: MPI Media Group, Dark Sky Films, Pellicola, XYZ Films, Sirena Film, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, The Czech Film Industry Support Programme, distributed by MPI Media Group
Trivia: Originally opened in Brazil on May 18, 2013. Richard Raaphorst crafted the film from his childhood fears of Frankenstein’s monster. The film’s practical effects were inspired by John Carpenter’s The Thing.

July 26 – Fruitvale Station (USA)

Significant Productions

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray, Ahna O’Reilly, Octavia Spencer, Christina Elmore
Director: Ryan Coogler
Production Company: Significant Productions, distributed by The Weinstein Company
Trivia: Ryan Coogler’s feature directorial debut. The film’s original title was Fruitvale, premiering at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and winning the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. It also won the Best First Film at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Coogler always had Michael B. Jordan in mind for Oscar Grant even before writing the script. Octavia Spencer received a co-executive producer credit as she actively participated in funding the film and contacting investors when a deal fell through. A notable investor was Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, for which Spencer won an Oscar for the film adaptation. Scenes were shot at and around the Bay Area Rapid Transit platform where Grant was killed. The film includes amateur footage of Grant’s shooting by the police, which Coogler did not initially want to use but felt people outside of the area who weren’t familiar with the incident needed to see it.

July 26 – Magic, Magic (USA, limited)

Cast: Juno Temple, Emily Browning, Michael Cera, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Agustín Silva
Director: Sebastián Silva
Production Company: Braven Films, Killer Films, distributed by Destination Films
Trivia: Sebastián Silva and Michael Cera made Crystal Fairy and the Magical Cactus while waiting to the film to get financed. Though the film is an American production, none of the actors are from the US.

July 26 – Stranded (USA)

Cast: Christian Slater, Brendan Fehr, Amy Matysio, Michael Therriault
Director: Roger Christian
Production Company: Gloucester Place Films, International Pictures Three, Mind’s Eye Entertainment, Moving Pictures Media, distributed by Image Entertainment
Trivia: The film takes place in 2027. The portable communication device Christian Slater’s character opens is actually a clip on book lamp.

July 26 – Wasteland (USA)

Cast: Shameer Seepersand, Jessica Messenger, Mark Drake, Rachel Benson, Gavin Harrison, Carl Bryan
Director: Tom Wadlow
Production Company: Light Films, distributed by Gravitas Ventures
Trivia: The film was partially inspired by the 2011 England riots, which occurred while the screenplay was being written.

July 26 – The Time Being (USA)

Cast: Wes Bentley, Frank Langella, Ahna O’Reilly, Sarah Paulson, Corey Stoll, Gina Gallego, Jeremy Allen White
Director: Nenad Cicin-Sain
Production Company: FilmColony, distributed by Tribeca Film
Trivia: First released on the internet on July 23, 2013. The film was shot in 22 days with no rehearsals.

July 26 – The To-Do List (USA/Canada, limited)

Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Johnny Simmons, Bill Hader, Scott Porter, Alia Shawkat, Sarah Steele, Rachel Bilson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Andy Samberg, Connie Britton, Clark Gregg, Donald Glover, Adam Pally, Jack McBrayer, Nolan Gould
Director: Maggie Carey
Production Company: Varsity Pictures, The Mark Gordon Company, distributed by CBS Films
Trivia: Maggie Carey’s feature directorial debut. The screenplay’s original title was The Handjob, and was rejected by the studios. A live table reading of the script at the Austin Film Festival led CBS Films to produce the project.

July 26 – The Way, Way Back (USA)

Cast: Liam James, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb, Maya Rudolph, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, Jim Rash, Nat Faxon
Director: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Production Company: Sycamore Pictures, The Walsh Company, OddLot Entertainment, distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures
Trivia: Feature directorial debuts of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.

July 26 – The Wolverine (USA/Canada)

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Famke Janssen, Will Yun Lee, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Haruhiko Yamanouchi, Brian Tee
Director: James Mangold
Production Company: Marvel Entertainment, Donners’ Company, TSG Entertainment, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Sixth installment in the X-Men film franchise. Released in several international territories between June 24 & June 25. Based on the 1982 limited comics series Wolverine by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen reprise their roles as Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr in cameo appearances during the mid-credits scene. Darren Aronofsky was originally set to direct. The project was delayed due to his departure and the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. The film was post-converted to 3D, making it the first of Fox’s Marvel films to undergo the process. The film’s original run time was around 2 hours 35 minutes. The mid-credits scene was written by Simon Kinberg.

July 29 – Gallowwalkers (Germany, limited)

Cast: Wesley Snipes, Kevin Howarth, Riley Smith, Tanit Phoenix, Patrick Bergin
Director: Andrew Goth
Production Company: Boundless Pictures, Jack Bowyer Productions, distributed by Intandem Films (Germany), Lionsgate (USA)
Trivia: Opened in limited US release on August 6, 2013. The film began production in 2006 but went through many delays due to Wesley Snipes’ tax problems. It was finally completed in 2010 but had no official release until a 2012 screening at the ‘Film4 FrightFest’ festival in the United Kingdom. The screenplay’s original title was The Wretched, and Chow Yun-Fat was set to star as a zombie bounty hunter named Rellik.

July 31 – Smash and Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers (USA, limited)

Cast: Tomislav Tom Benzon, Daniel Vivian, Jasmin Topalusic, Rob Kennedy, Awad Mustafa
Director: Havana Marking
Production Company: Roast Beef Productions, Sabotage Films Vienna, Sherbet, Thought Engine Media Group, distributed by Music Box Films

July 31 – The Smurfs 2 (USA/UK/Canada)

Cast: (Live Actions) Hank Azaria, Mr. Krinkle, Neil Patrick Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Jayma Mays, Jacob Tremblay, Nancy O’Dell. (Voice) Katy Perry, Jonathan Winters, Anton Yelchin, Christina Ricci, J. B. Smoove, Fred Armisen, Alan Cumming, George Lopez, John Oliver, Mario Lopez, Jimmy Kimmel, Frank Welker, Paul Reubens, B. J. Novak, Shaquille O’Neal, Shaun White, Jeff Foxworthy, Kenan Thompson, John Kassir
Director: Raja Gosnell
Production Company: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Kerner Entertainment Company, Hemisphere Media Capital, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Trivia: The film is dedicated to Jonathan Winters (Papa Smurf) who died on April 11, 2013. Winters also voiced Grandpa Smurf for the 1980s Smurfs TV series. Filming took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Sofia Vergara performed a voice cameo but the scene was ultimately cut from the film.

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