Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #188 :: February 28 to March 5

Warner Bros. Pictures

The beginning of a new month is always filled with many new releases, some with dates unknown, and this week across the last century is no different. But even with a plethora of new titles, there aren’t all that many that have gone on to be remembered, but there are a few notable titles. 1924 gave us the first project from a studio run by two brothers with the last name of Disney. 1934 had a musical film from a director who would go on to become known for his mysteries and thrillers. 1944 had a sequel to a classic horror film that had little to do with the original. 1954 had the first film from a man working as a casting director who would go on to become a film director, and 1964 brought Miss Marple to the screen again. 1974 had two films about a classic vampire, and two films about the Devil. 1984 has one film best known for its title song, and two films that have gone on to become cult classics. 1994 had a film that was meant to star Madonna, but didn’t, 2004 brought a classic cop drama to the big screen as a comedy, and 2014 gave us a sequel to a film that also served as a prequel. Scroll down to see the films celebrating anniversaries this week and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating a milestone anniversary.

1924

• February 29 – Floodgates (USA, Davis Distributing Division)
• February 29 – Lilies of the Field (USA, Associated First National)
• February 29 – Pagan Passions (USA, Selznick Distributing Corporation)
• February 29 – Poisoned Paradise: The Forbidden Story of Monte Carlo (USA, Al Lichtman Productions)
• March – The Empire Builders (USA, Capitol Film Exchange)
• March 1 – Alice’s Day at Sea (USA, short, Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio)
• March 1 – Flowing Gold (USA, First National Pictures)
• March 1 – Fool’s Highway (USA, Universal Super-Jewel)
• March 1 – Galloping Gallagher (USA, Film Booking Offices of America)
• March 1 – I Will Repay (UK, Ideal Films)
• March 1 – On Time (USA, Truart Film Corporation)
• March 1 – The Average Woman (USA, Mastodon Films)
• March 1 – Unmounted Policemen (USA, short, Arrow Film Corporation)
• March 2 – Herman the Great Mouse (USA, short, Pathé Exchange)
• March 2 – Icebound (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• March 2 – Love’s Whirlpool (USA, W. W. Hodkinson Corporation)
• March 3 – Fools Highway (USA, Universal Pictures)
• March 3 – Singer Jim McKee (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• March 3 – The Phantom Horseman (USA, Universal Pictures)
• March 3 – Why Men Leave Home (USA, Associated First National)
• March 3 – Women Who Give (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• March 5 – Huntin’ Trouble (USA, Photo Drama Company)

Lilies of the Field is a lost film, but a trailer is preserved at the Library of Congress. Five of seven reels of Poisoned Paradise: The Forbidden Story of Monte Carlo are held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Pagan Passions, Fools Highway, and On Time are lost films. Galloping Gallagher originally ran five reels but only 29 minutes survive today. A complete print of Love’s Whirlpool is located in the BFI National Archive. Copies of Singer Jim McKee are held in the collections of the Library of Congress, Museum of Modern Art, UCLA Film and Television Archive, and Gosfilmofond in Moscow.

Alice’s Day at Sea is the first of the Alice Comedies shorts directed by Walt Disney, and the first project created by the Disney Brothers Studio.

A print of Flowing Gold was discovered in the Czech Film Archive, and in 2020 the National Film Preservation Foundation issued a grant to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival for the restoration of the film.

I Will Repay was released in the US on July 12, 1924 as Swords and the Woman through Film Booking Offices of America. The film is based on the 1906 novel I Will Repay by Emma Orczy, which is a sequel to The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Icebound is based on a 1923 Pulitzer Prize Broadway play of the same name by Owen Davis. The film was shot at Astoria Studios in New York City. Edna May Oliver reprised her stage role for the film, which is considered lost.

Why Men Leave Home is based on the 1922 play of the same name by Avery Hopwood. A print of the film is preserved by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Women Who Give is based upon the novel Cape Cod Folk by Sarah P. MacLean. A print survives in the MGM library.

1934

• February 28 – Orient Express (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• March – Borrowed Clothes (UK, Columbia Pictures Corporation)
• March – Designing Women (UK, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• March – Grand Prix (UK, Columbia Pictures Corporation)
• March – It’s a Cop (UK, United Artists)
• March – Lucky Loser (UK, Paramount British Pictures)
• March – The Crucifix (UK, Universal Pictures)
• March – The Girl in Possession (UK, Warner Brothers-First National Productions)
• March – The Man I Want (UK, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• March – The Man Who Changed His Name (UK, Universal Pictures)
• March – Waltzes from Vienna (UK, Gaumont British Distributors)
• March – White Ensign (UK, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• March 1 – Hired Wife (USA, Pinnacle Productions)
• March 1 – Riding Speed (USA, Superior Talking Pictures)
• March 2 – Keep ‘Em Rolling (USA, RKO Radio Pictures)
• March 3 – Adventures of Texas Jack (USA, Security Pictures)
• March 3 – David Harum (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• March 3 – Heat Lightning (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• March 3 – The Pecos Dandy (USA, Security Pictures)
• March 5 – The Crosby Case (USA, Universal Pictures)

Orient Express is based on the 1932 novel Stamboul Train by Graham Greene, the first of his works to be adapted for the screen. Borrowed Clothes, Lucky Loser, The Crucifix, and The Girl in Possession were made as quota quickies to help boost the UK film industry. The Girl in Possession and The Pecos Dandy are considered lost. Designing Women is also known as House of Cards.

The Man Who Changed His Name was based on the play of the same name by Edgar Wallace. It was produced as a quota quickie.

Waltzes from Vienna, also known as Strauss’ Great Waltz, was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and is based on the stage musical Waltzes from Vienna, which premiered in Vienna in October 1930. Hitchcock called the film the lowest ebb of his career, and only agreed to make it because he had no other projects and wanted to keep working.

Heat Lightning is based on the play of the same name by Leon Abrams and George Abbott. Two months after the film’s release it was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency. A print is held at the Library of Congress. The film was remade in 1941 as Highway West.

1944

RKO Radio Pictures

• February 28 – Million Dollar Kid (USA, Monogram Pictures)
• February 28 – Shoo Shoo Baby (USA, short, Soundies Distributing Corporation of America)
• February 28 – You Can’t Ration Love (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• March 1 – Information Please (USA, short, Office of War Information, Bureau of Motion Pictures)
• March 1 – Weird Woman (USA, Universal Pictures)
• March 2 – The Curse of the Cat People (USA, RKO Radio Pictures)
• March 2 – With the Marines at Tarawa (USA, short, Universal Pictures)
• March 3 – Beneath Western Skies (USA, Republic Pictures)
• March 3 – Voice in the Wind (USA, United Artists)
• March 4 – Frontier Outlaws (USA, Producers Releasing Corporation)

Weird Woman was an Inner Sanctum mystery, based on the novel Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber. Evelyn Ankers was cast as a villain which she found difficult to pull off as she would inevitably burst out laughing any time she was required to give a menacing look. Universal never cast her as a villain again.

The Curse of the Cat People marks the first directing credit for Robert Wise. The film was marketed as a sequel to Cat People, but while it shared four actors — three of whom reprised their characters — it has little in common with the earlier film. Producer Val Lewton wanted the title changed to Amy and Her Friend but the studio wanted to cash in on the success of the original film.

With the Marines at Tarawa is preserved at the Academy Film Archive. Voice in the Wind received Oscar nominations for Best Music Score and Best Sound Recording. Frontier Outlaws was the fifteenth film in the Billy the Kid series.

1954

• February 28 – Riot in Cell Block 11 (USA, Allied Artists Pictures)
• March 1 – The Golden Mask (USA, United Artists)
• March 1 – Star of My Night (UK, General Film Distributors)
• March 1 – The Battle of Rogue River (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• March 1 – The Scarlet Spear (US, United Artists)
• March 3 – Racing Blood (USA, 20th Century Fox)
• March 3 – Rose Marie (USA, Loew’s Inc.)
• March 3 – The Naked Jungle (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• March 4 – The Good Die Young (UK, Independent Film Distributors)
• March 5 – Donald’s Diary (USA, short)

Riot in Cell Block 11 was the first film for Sam Peckinpah, who was hired as a third assistant casting director. The film earned BAFTA nominations for Best Film from Any Source, and Best Foreign Actor for Neville Brand. Director Don Siegel was nominated for his work by the Directors Guild of America.

The Golden Mask was originally released in the UK as South of Algiers on March 17, 1953. Star of My Night is an adaptation of Paul Tabori’s novel Le Soleil de ma Nuit. The Battle of Rogue River was directed by William Castle before he became known for his films with gimmicks.

Rose Marie is a musical western film adaptation of the 1924 operetta of the same name, the third version to be filmed by MGM. It was the studio’s first film shot in the new CinemaScope process. The Naked Jungle was based on the 1937 short story ‘Leiningen Versus the Ants’ by Carl Stephenson.

The Good Die Young was released in the US on November 29, 1955 through United Artists. It was based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Richard Macaulay. The novel’s setting was Beverly Hills but it was changed to London for the film. The British bank financing the film demanded the bank robbery scene be switched to a post office. Characters were not allowed to use guns because of the British censors. Kirk Douglas visited Gloria Grahame and John Ireland on the set and appeared in the film as an extra as a joke.

1964

• February 28 – La Tulipe Noire (France, Dicifrance)
• February 29 – Bartholomew Versus the Wheel (USA, short, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• March – Murder Most Foul (UK, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• March – Under Age (USA, American International Pictures)
• March – Witchcraft (UK, Twentieth Century Fox Film Company)
• March 1 – Deep Freeze Squeeze (USA, short, Universal Pictures)
• March 1 – The Ballad of a Gunfighter (USA, Parade Releasing Organization)
• March 2 – The Finger Man (USA, Pathé Contemporary Films)
• March 3 – The Long Ships (UK, Columbia Pictures Corporation)
• March 4 – Le journal d’une femme de chambre (France, Cocinor)
• March 5 – Bear Hug (USA, short, Columbia Pictures)

La Tulipe Noire, known as The Black Tulip in English, has no known US theatrical release date. It is based on the novel of the same title by Alexandre Dumas but its story does not follow the novel’s. It was a star vehicle for Alain Delon.

Murder Most Foul opened in the US on May 23, 1965 through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film is loosely based on the 1952 novel Mrs. McGinty’s Dead by Agatha Christie, and is the third of four Miss Marple films made by MGM, starring Margaret Rutherford. The novel features Hercule Poirot instead of Marple, and most of the film’s characters are not in the novel.

Witchcraft opened in the US in September 1964 through Twentieth Century Fox. Deep Freeze Squeeze was an animated short featuring Chilly Willy.

The Finger Man was released in France as Le Doulos on February 8, 1963. It originally opened in Italy on December 13, 1962. The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Pierre Lesou.

The Long Ships opened in the US on June 24, 1964 through Columbia Pictures.

Le journal d’une femme de chambre opened in the US as Diary of a Chambermaid on September 21, 1964 through Rialto Pictures. It is based on the 1900 novel of the same name by Octave Mirbeau.

Bear Hug was an animated short featuring Loopy de Loop, who was voiced by Daws Butler. Mel Blanc and Janet Waldo also provide voices.

1974

Compagnia Cinematografica Champion

• March – Blood (USA, Bryanston Distributing)
• March – The Delinquent (USA, Cinerama Releasing Corporation)
• March – Matchless (AUS, Australian Film Institute)
• March – Sonny and Jed (USA, K-Tel International Corp.)
• March 1 – Always a New Beginning (USA, documentary, The Beginning Corporation)
• March 1 – Blood for Dracula (West Germany, Cinerama Filmgesellschaft MBH)
• March 1 – Exorcism’s Daughter (USA, Procinor)
• March 1 – The Devil Made Me Do It (USA/AUS)
• March 1 – The Playmates in Deep Vision 3D (USA, Parliament)
• March 1 – The Prodigal Boxer: The Kick of Death (USA, Crash Cinema)
• March 2 – Count Dracula’s Great Love (USA, International Amusements Corp.)

Always a New Beginning was Oscar nominated for Best Documentary Feature. Blood was released on a double bill with Legacy of Satan.

Blood for Dracula was released in the US as Andy Warhol’s Dracula. Shooting began one day after the end of production on Flesh for Frankenstein, also directed by Paul Morrissey, starring Joe Dallesandro and Udo Kier. Roman Polanski has a cameo in a tavern scene.

Exorcism’s Daughter was originally released in Spain on April 2, 1972 as Las melancólicas. Sonny and Jed originally opened in Italy on August 11, 1972 as La banda J. & S. – Cronaca criminale del Far West. The Delinquent originally opened in Hong Kong on February 15, 1973 as Fen nu qing nian.

The Playmates in Deep Vision 3D is the first full-length Eastman Color single strip 3D film. The Prodigal Boxer: The Kick of Death originally opened in Hong Kong on September 27, 1972 as Fang Shi Yu.

Count Dracula’s Great Love originally opened in Spain on May 12, 1973 as El gran amor del conde Drácula. The film was released in the US, heavily edited, on a double bill with The Vampires Night Orgy. It was released again in 1979 as Cemetery Girls. An uncut version of the film has been released in the US on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

1984

• March – Bloodbath at the House of Death (UK, Thorn EMI)
• March 1 – Alley Cat (USA, Film Ventures International)
• March 1 – Another State of Mind (USA, documentary, Time Bomb)
• March 1 – Killpoint (USA, Crown International Pictures)
• March 1 – New York Nights (USA, International Talent Marketing)
• March 1 – The Hunters of the Golden Cobra (USA, World Northal)
• March 2 – Against All Odds (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• March 2 – Demons in the Garden (USA, International Spectrafilm)
• March 2 – Harry & Son (USA, Orion Pictures)
• March 2 – Over the Brooklyn Bridge (USA, Cannon Films)
• March 2 – Repo Man (USA, Universal Pictures)
• March 2 – This Is Spinal Tap (USA, Embassy Pictures)

Bloodbath at the House of Death was released in the US on March 30, 1984 through Goldfarb Distribution.

A then-unknown Willem Dafoe has a small role in New York Nights, which is also known as Shackin’ Up. The story is loosely based on early 20th century play La Ronde by Austrian playwright Arthur Schnitzler.

The Hunters of the Golden Cobra originally opened in Italy on August 11, 1982 as I cacciatori del cobra d’oro.

Against All Odds is a remake of 1947’s Out of the Past. The film’s soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy Award, and Phil Collins’ title song was nominated as Best Original Song by the Oscars and Golden Globes. Collins won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. The original film’s stars, Jane Greer and Paul Valentine, make cameo appearances. Jeff Bridges’ appearance in the film was used as a reference to re-create a 35-year-old version of the actor for Tron: Legacy.

Demons in the Garden originally opened in Spain on October 18, 1982 as Demonios en el jardín.

Paul Newman starred in and directed Harry & Son. Newman also co-wrote the screenplay. Robbie Benson earned a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actor.

The working title for Over the Brooklyn Bridge was My Darling Shiksa. The film was completed one week ahead of schedule and $500,000 under budget.

Repo Man was the directorial debut for Alex Cox. The film was originally conceived as a road movie, but was confined to Los Angeles to conform to the film’s budget. Cox encouraged the cast to improv, and the film’s ending differs significantly from what was written. Universal was sceptical of the film’s box office potential, but it received widespread acclaim and was touted as one of the best films of the year. The film has gained a cult following mainly due to Cox’s re-edited television version with its deliberate inclusion of surreal overdubs to replace profanity.

This Is Spinal Tap marked the directorial debut of Rob Reiner. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2002. The film is credited with lauching the ‘mockumentary’ genre. The film was shot entirely in Los Angeles, including the visit to Elvis Presley’s grave. The band sings ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ because it was the only Elvis song to which producers could secure the rights. Virtually all of the dialogue is improvised, with the cast given an outline of a scene and character information. The first take was the most often used to capture natural reactions. Reiner wanted the entire cast listed as writers to acknowledge their contributions, but the WGA objected so only he, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer received credit. Over 100 hours of footage was filmed, requiring three editors to complete the film.

1994

• March 4 – Angie (USA, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution)
• March 4 – Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann (USA, documentary, Moving Target Productions)
• March 4 – China Moon (USA, Orion Pictures)
• March 4 – Greedy (USA, Universal Pictures)
• March 4 – The Chase (USA, 20th Century Fox[)

Angie was originally to be a star vehicle for Madonna, who had to withdraw due to schedule conflicts with Dangerous Game. In reality, producer Joe Roth dumped Madonna because he doubted her ability to carry a movie, and Madonna faxed Roth blasting his decision to hire Geena Davis, a non-Italian, for the role. Director Jonathan Kaplan exited the film shortly after Madonna’s departure, replaced with Martha Coolidge. Davis researched her part by working in a flea market in Bensonhurst, NJ (where she was mugged within five minutes), and attended a real birth, autographing the birth certificate for the mother.

Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann was Oscar nominated for Best Documentary Short. China Moon was filmed in 1991 but shelved for three years.

The Chase, directed by Adam Rifkin, was created as a response to the box office failure of Rifkin’s The Dark Backward. The film is set in California but was filmed in Houston. To keep the budget down, part of the car chase was filmed in the middle of a traffic stream during an actual Houston rush hour without clearance and with no stunt drivers filling in for actors Charlie Sheen and Henry Rollins. Red Hot Chili Peppers band mates Anthony Kiedis and Flea have cameos.

2004

Warner Bros. Pictures

• February 28 – 11:11 (Canada, IndustryWorks Pictures)
• February 27 – Broken Lizard’s Club Dread (USA, Fox Searchlight Pictures)
• March – The President Versus David Hicks (AUS, documentary, Special Broadcasting Service)
• March 5 – Blind Horizon (Italy, Indipendenti Regionali)
• March 5 – Hidalgo (USA, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution)
• March 5 – Starsky & Hutch (USA/Canada, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• March 5 – Suzie Gold (UK, Pathe UK)

The President Versus David Hicks has no known US theatrical release date. Blind Horizon premiered on television in the US in December 2004.

Viggo Mortensen is fluent in Spanish and voiced his Hidalgo character in the Spanish dubs of the film.

Original TV Starsky and Hutch — Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul, respectively — have cameos in the film as their original characters. Will Ferrell has an uncredited cameo.

Suzie Gold has no known US theatrical release date. The film marks the debut of Claudia Winkleman, now a popular TV presenter in the UK.

2014

• February 28 – Bottled Up (USA, Freestyle Releasing)
• February 28 – Ernest & Celestine (USA, GKIDS)
• February 28 – Repentance (USA, limited, Lionsgate)
• February 28 – Son of God (USA, 20th Century Fox)
• February 28 – The Bag Man (USA/Canada, Cinedigm Entertainment Group)
• February 28 – The Lunchbox (USA, limited, Sony Pictures Classics)
• March 5 – 300: Rise of an Empire (France, Warner Bros. Pictures)

Ernest & Celestine originally opened in France as Ernest et Célestine on December 12, 2012 through StudioCanal. The film is based on a series of children’s books of the same name published by the Belgian author and illustrator Gabrielle Vincent. Oscar nominated for Best Animated Feature, losing to Frozen.

Son of God was produced by Mark Burnett and his wife Roma Downey. The film is an adaptation of the 10-hour mini-series The Bible, and uses scenes not aired in the TV production. The film did not include any scenes featuring Satan due to the controversy over the character’s resemblance to President Barack Obama in the TV production.

The Bag Man is also known as Hotel and The Carrier.

The Lunchbox originally opened in India on September 20, 2013 through Nittin Keni Creations. It was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language. The cast rehearsed for six months before filming began.

300: Rise of an Empire opened in the US on March 7, 2014. The film is based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel Xerxes, and is a follow-up to 2007’s 300, taking place before, during and after the events of that film.