Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #196 :: April 25 to May 1

Broadway Video

On the cusp of the Summer movie season, this final week of April gave us many new films but few that have stood the test of time. Of note are a 1944 musical that wasn’t developed as a musical, and a propaganda film that featured actors with startling resemblances to their real-life counterparts. 1954 had a movie that was adapted into a TV series two decades later, a Marilyn Monroe film that nearly killed her, and the first British 3D film that was never seen in 3D until 50 years later. 1964 saw the film debut of an actor would would go on to great acclaim, and a 1974 film attempted to cash in on the 50s nostalgia craze. 1984 saw Jamie Lee Curtis break away from the horror genre, and 2004 gave Lindasy Lohan one of her best film roles ever. To learn more about these and the other films that premiered this week, scroll down the list and let us know if any of your favorites are celebrating anniversaries this week!

1924

• April 27 – Miami (USA, Tilford Cinema Corporation)
• April 27 – The Lone Wolf (USA, John McKeown)
• April 27 – The Recoil (USA, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation)
• April 27 – Those Who Dance (USA, Thomas H. Ince Corporation)
• April 27 – Triumph (USA, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation)
• May 1 – How to Educate a Wife (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• May 1 – Lash of the Whip (USA, Ben Wilson Productions)
• May 1 – Surging Seas (USA, Hurricane Film Corporation)
• May 1 – Western Yesterdays (USA, Ashton Dearholt Productions)

Miami, The Lone Wolf, and How to Educate a Wife are considered lost films. The Recoil has been preserved by MGM. Lash of the Whip is viewable at the Library of Congress website.

The Lone Wolf, a remake of a 1917 film of the same name, was the last film for star Dorothy Dalton. Those Who Dance was remade by Warner Bros. in 1930, and that film exists in the Library of Congress. It is unknown if the 1924 version survives.

Triumph was based on a 1924 novel of the same name by May Edginton. This and 1924’s Feet of Clay were the last films Cecil B. DeMille made for Paramount after falling out with Adolph Zukor, one of the heads of Famous Players-Lasky, until he returned in the 1930s after the advent of sound. Complete prints are held by the Library of Congress (on 35 mm) and the George Eastman Museum.

1934

• April 25 – Man of Aran (UK, Gainsborough Pictures)
• April 26 – All Men Are Enemies (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• April 27 – She Made Her Bed (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• April 28 – The Last Gentleman (USA, 20th Century Pictures)
• April 30 – Manhattan Love Song (USA, Monogram Pictures)
• April 30 – The Pointing Finger (UK, Real Art Productions)
• May 1 – Affairs of a Gentleman (USA, Universal Pictures)
• May 1 – City Park (USA, Chesterfield Motion Pictures Corporation)
• May 1 – Let’s Be Ritzy (USA, Universal Pictures)
• May 1 – The Last Round-Up (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• May 1 – Twisted Rails (USA, Imperial Productions)
• May – A Cup of Kindness (UK, Gainsborough Pictures)
• May – Brides to Be (UK, British & Dominions Film Corporation)

Man of Aran was released in the US on October 18, 1934. The Pointing Finger, A Cup of Kindness and Brides to Be have no known US theatrical release dates.

Man of Aran was a fictional documentary produced to show the UK could produce films to match those coming from Hollywood. The film was shot silent with voices, sound effects and music added only if they were integral to the production.

All Men Are Enemies is based on the 1933 novel of the same title by Richard Aldington. Manhattan Love Song is based on the 1932 novel of the same title by Cornell Woolrich.

The Pointing Finger was made for RKO Pictures as a ‘quota quickie’ to help bolster the British film industry. The film was based on the novel of the same name by ‘Rita”, and was a remake of a 1922 film also of the same name.

Affairs of a Gentleman is adapted from the play Women by Edith Ellis and Edward Ellis. Due to certain plot points, the film was ‘condemned’ by the National League of Decency.

A Cup of Kindness was based on a 1929 play of the same name by Ben Travers. Brides to Be was produced as a ‘quota quickie’ for Paramount British Pictures.

1944

Paramount Pictures

• April 25 – And the Angels Sing (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• April 25 – Law Men (USA, Great Western Productions)
• April 25 – Pin Up Girl (USA, Twentieth Century Fox)
• April 25 – Seven Days Ashore (USA, RKO Radio Pictures)
• April 25 – The Great Alaskan Mystery (USA, serial, Universal Pictures)
• April 26 – The Hitler Gang (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• April 27 – Gambler’s Choice (USA, Pine-Thomas Productions)
• April 27 – The Pinto Bandit (USA, Alexander-Stern Productions)
• April 28 – Lumberjack (USA, Harry Sherman Productions)
• April 29 – Dancing Romeo (USA, short, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• April 29 – Outlaw Trail (USA, Monogram Pictures)
• May 1 – Artistry in Rhythm (USA, short, Universal Pictures)
• May 1 – Bermuda Mystery (USA, Twentieth Century Fox)
• May – Pardon My Rhythm (USA, Universal Pictures)

And the Angels Sing was written to capitalize on the title of a popular song by Benny Goodman. The song does not appear in the film. Law Men (also known as Lawmen) is the eighth film in the ‘Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie’ series.

Pin Up Girl is based on a 1942 short story titled Imagine Us! by Libbie Block. Linda Darnell was set to star, but the studio decided to make it a musical and she was replaced with Betty Grable, who was seven months pregnant at the time the film was completed.

A young Dorothy Malone appears uncredited as a pianist in Seven Days Ashore.

Paramount Pictures billed The Hitler Gang as a ‘documentary-propaganda’ film, casting look-alike actors — many of whom had fled Nazi Germany — as Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler, Göring, and other leading Nazis instead of booking name stars. Great care was taken to authentically reproduce every detail of German uniforms, medals and weaponry. It was the first serious attempt to portray Hitler on film.

Gambler’s Choice was a remake of 1934’s Manhattan Melodrama. The Pinto Bandit was the eleventh film in the ‘Texas Rangers’ series. Dancing Romeo was the 220th and final Our Gang short to be released.

1954

• April 25 – Arrow in the Dust (USA, Allied Artists Pictures)
• April 25 – The Lone Gun (USA, World Films)
• April 26 – The Diamond (UK, Gibraltar Films Ltd.)
• April 30 – Angels One Five (USA, Templar Film Studios)
• April 30 – Executive Suite (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• April 30 – River of No Return (USA, Twentieth Century Fox)
• May 1 – Massacre Canyon (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• May 1 – No Parking Hare (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• May 1 – The Inspector-General (USA, Mosfilm)
• May 1 – The Siege at Red River (USA, Panoramic Productions)
• May – The Yellow Tomahawk (USA, Bel-Air Productions)

The Diamond was released in the US on July 28, 1954 as The Diamond Wizard. Angels One Five originally opened in the UK on March 19, 1952. Executive Suite originally opened in Australia on February 23, 1954. The Inspector-General originally opened in Russia on December 1, 1954 as Revizor.

Arrow in the Dust is based on the 1954 novel of the same name by L.L. Foreman. The Lone Gun was originally titled Adios My Texas.

The Diamond, the first British film produced in 3D, is based on the 1952 novel Rich Is the Treasure by Maurice Procter. The film was screened in 3D only once in Hollywood in 2006. Angels One Five is based on the book What Are Your Angels Now? by Pelham Groom, who also acted as an adviser on the film.

Executive Suite is based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Cameron Hawley. It was Ernest Lehman’s first produced screenplay. It was also Robert Wise’s first film for MGM. The film is one of the few Hollywood productions without a musical score. The film earned four Oscar nominations including Best Supporting Actress for Nina Foch. It was also nominated for two BAFTAs. The film was adapted into a 1976-1977 TV series for CBS, but poor scheduling decisions, first against ABC’s Monday Night Football, then NBC’s The Rockford Files on Fridays, doomed the show to early cancellation after 18 episodes, leaving two unaired.

Otto Preminger was assigned to direct River of No Return as part of his contract with Fox. He initially had no interest in the film but saw potential after reading the script. The studio decided to film in CinemaScope — the first to be filmed in Canada — and increased the budget. During twelve weeks of preproduction, Marilyn Monroe rehearsed and recorded the film’s musical numbers. Monroe arrived on set with her acting coach, who would pull Monroe aside and instruct her to enunciate each and every syllable, angering Preminger who called studio head Daryl Zanuck and demanded the coach be banned from the set. Monroe then called Zanuck and demanded the coach be reinstated, and Zanuck complied because Monroe was the more valuable asset to the studio. Preminger directed his rage at Monroe for the remainder of the filming. Monroe nearly drowned during a rehearsal after she donned chest-high hip waders to protect her costume. She slipped on rocks and the waders filled, prohibiting her from rising from the water. Robert Mitchum and others jumped into the river to rescue her, spraining her ankle in the process which kept her off set for several days and eventually required a cast. Preminger’s only solace on set was young Tommy Rettig, who had developed a relationship with Monroe which helped keep her on an even keel. However, Monroe’s coach then began to interfere with Rettig’s performance, and Preminger was delighted to find the cast and crew finally supported his decision to have her removed from the set. The film was one of the first to use a blood squib to simulate bullet impact. The film was the first to include the Fox fanfare with the ‘CinemaScope extension’, which was dropped after the studio switched to Panavision in 1967. The extended fanfare was not heard again until George Lucas used it before the Star Wars opening credits.

The Inspector-General is based on the play The Government Inspector by Nikolay Gogol.

1964

• April 25 – Nuts and Volts (USA, short, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• April 28 – Never Put It in Writing (USA, Andrew L. Stone Productions)
• April 28 – The Third Secret (USA, Hubris Productions)
• April 28 – Woman of Straw (UK, Relph-Dearden Productions)
• April 29 – Psyche 59 (USA, Troy-Schenck Productions)
• April 29 – The Curse of the Living Corpse (USA, Deal Productions)
• May 1 – The Bargee (UK, Galton-Simpson)
• May – The Golden Arrow (USA, Titanus)
• May – Five Have a Mystery to Solve (UK, serial, John Durst Productions)

Woman of Straw opened in the US on September 30, 1964. The Bargee has no known US theatrical release date. The Golden Arrow originally opened in Italy on September 7, 1962 as L’arciere delle mille e una notte. Five Have a Mystery to Solve has no known US theatrical release date.

Nuts and Volts was the last Warner Bros. cartoon directed by Friz Freleng before the studio’s cartoon division was shuttered. Freleng and producer David H. DePatie would continue to produce cartoons for WB from 1964-1967 through their DePatie-Freleng Enterprises.

Never Put It in Writing was originally known as The Letter, and also as Strictly Personal. Patricia Neal was cast in The Third Secret but all of her scenes were cut before the film’s release. Woman of Straw is adapted from the 1954 novel La Femme de paille by Catherine Arley. Psyche 59 is based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Françoise des Ligneris.

The Curse of the Living Corpse marked the film debut of Roy Scheider. Scheider was cast as the villain because director Del Tenney felt he looked like George C. Scott. The Golden Arrow was not a box office success, costing so much to make it nearly bankrupted Titanus. Five Have a Mystery to Solve is based on the novel of the same name by Enid Blyton.

1974

Ebbets Field

• May 1 – La Société du Spectacle (France, Simar Films)
• May 1 – Man of the East (USA, limited, Produzioni Europee Associate)
• May 1 – The Lords of Flatbush (USA, Ebbets Field)
• May – The Black Connection (USA, Boxoffice International Pictures)
• May – Dark Places (USA, Glenbeigh)
• May – Dirty O’Neil (USA, Metaphor Productions)
• May – The Dynamite Brothers (USA, Asam Film Company Inc.)
• May – The Mad Butcher (USA, Neptunia Film)
• May – The Master Touch (USA, Paramount-Orion Filmproduktion)
• May – The Take (USA, World Film Services)
• May – Those Dirty Dogs (USA, Horse Film)

La Société du Spectacle opened in New York City on March 1, 2009 as The Society of the Spectacle. Man of the East originally opened in Italy on September 9, 1972 as E poi lo chiamarono il magnifico. Those Dirty Dogs originally opened in Italy on February 28, 1973 as Campa carogna… la taglia cresce. The Mad Butcher, also known as Meat is Meat, originally opened in Italy on January 22, 1971 as Lo strangolatore di Vienna. The Master Touch originally opened in Italy on November 21, 1972 as Un uomo da rispettare.

La Société du Spectacle is based on the book of the same name, and was the first feature-length film for director Guy Debord. The film uses found footage and détournement in a radical Marxist critique of mass marketing and its role in the alienation of modern society, and took a year to make. Debord withdrew the film from circulation in 1984 because of negative press and the assassination of his friend and patron Gerard Lebovici. Debord committed suicide in 1994, but his wife began promoting his films, with a DVD box set containing all seven released in 2005.

The Lords of Flatbush features cameos from co-director Martin Davidson, Paul Jabara, Ray Sharkey and Armand Assante. Richard Gere was originally cast as Chico, but was fired due to conflicts with Sylvester Stallone. Perry King replaced him.

1984

• April 27 – Dark Forces (USA, F.G. Film Productions)
• April 27 – Love Letters (USA, Millenium)
• April 27 – Warrior of the Lost World (West Germany, Continental Motion Pictures)
• May 1 – Breakin’ (Canada, The Cannon Group)
• May – Memed My Hawk (UK, Jadran Film)

Dark Forces originally opened in Australia as Harlequin on March 28, 1980. Warrior of the Lost World was released in the US in September 1985. Breakin’ opened in the US on May 4, 1984. Memed My Hawk opened in New York City on May 4, 1987.

The script for Dark Forces was written with David Bowie in mind for the lead role, but the filmmakers got cold feet at the last moment and cast Robert Powell. Orson Welles was the first choice for the senator but he wanted $80,000 a week for two weeks work so Broderick Crawford got the role. The movie was shot in late 1979, and took great pains to hide the fact it was an Australian production, going so far as to dub an actor’s voice with an American accent and referring to the American political system, which was controversial because the film was made with money from Australian taxpayers.

Jamie Lee Curtis agreed to do Love Letters for $25,000 despite the requirement of several nude scenes. Producer Roger Corman insisted on the nudity as a selling point. The film also gave Curtis a chance to break away from the horror genre she had been associated with.

Warrior of the Lost World is also known as Mad Rider. The film is featured in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 fifth season premiere.

Breakin’ is known as Breakdance in the UK, and as Break Street ’84 in other regions. Ice-T makes his film debut as a club MC. It was one of the last Cannon films released by MGM/UA, which dissolved the partnership over potentially X-rated content in Cannon’s John Derek film Bolero. This forced Cannon to distribute its own films moving forward, and Breakin’ is considered the company’s last financially successful film. The producers pressured the filmmakers to complete the film before Orion Pictures released their own breakdancing film, Beat Street.

Memed My Hawk is an adaptation of the 1955 Turkish novel Memed, My Hawk, the debut novel of Yaşar Kemal, nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

1994

• April 29 – Deadly Advice (UK, Rosebud Communications Releasing)
• April 29 – No Escape (USA, Pacific Western)
• April 29 – PCU (USA, Twentieth Century Fox)
• April 29 – The Favor (USA, Nelson Entertainment)
• April 29 – With Honors (USA, Spring Creek Productions)
• May 1 – Shrunken Heads (USA, limited, Full Moon Entertainment)

Deadly Advice was released in the US on June 11, 1996. No Escape originally opened in Uruguay on February 24, 1994.

No Escape is also known as Escape from Absolom and Absolom 2022 in various countries. It was based on the 1987 novel The Penal Colony by Richard Herley. The film’s working title was Prison Colony. Several major studios were interested in the property but insisted on some female representation so the producers made the film independently with a deal at Savoy Pictures.

Jeremy Piven noted in the DVD commentary for PCU that the director refused to let the actors improvise, and he was only able to include some limited improv material by appealing directly to the writers.

The Favor was filmed in 1990 but delayed until 1994 because of Orion Pictures’ 1991 bankruptcy.

Shrunken Heads was the last film to feature actor Julius Harris. The film was directed by Richard Elfman. Brother Danny provided the main theme song, and son Bodhi has a supporting role. The film was the subject of a 2021 Rifftrax episode.

2004

Astral Media

• April 29 – Festival Express (Netherlands, documentary, Apollo Films)
• April 30 – Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (USA, McDongall Films)
• April 30 – Envy (USA, Castle Rock Entertainment)
• April 30 – Godsend (USA, 2929 Entertainment)
• April 30 – Laws of Attraction (USA, Mobius Pictures)
• April 30 – Mean Girls (USA, Broadway Video)
• April 30 – Mickey (USA, limited, Mickey Productions)
• April 30 – The Calcium Kid (UK, WT2 Productions)
• April 30 – The Saddest Music in the World (USA, limited, Astral Media)

Festival Express received a limited US release on July 23, 2004. The Calcium Kid premiered on TV in the US on October 17, 2005.

Envy earned a Razzie nomination for Ben Stiller’s performance. He lost to George W. Bush in Fahrenheit 9/11.

Godsend includes a scene from the 1977 film Audrey Rose in one of the night terrors. Lionsgate created a website for the film’s fictional Godsend Institute, which claimed to be able to resurrect the dead, but had to change the site to inform people it was an ad for a movie because of the inquiries received about resurrecting dead family members.

Tina Fey based the screenplay for Mean Girls on Rosalind Wiseman’s Queen Bees and Wannabes, and suggested to Lorne Michaels that it could be turned into a film. Michaels contacted Paramount and the studio obtained the rights to the book. Fey then wrote the screenplay from scratch, as the book was nonfiction, and included some of her own school experiences in the screenplay, naming many of the characters after real-life friends. The film’s original title was going to be Homeschooled. Lindsay Lohan was cast based on her Freaky Friday performance, and she was to play Regina George but studio executives worried the ‘mean girl’ role would hurt her image so she accepted the role of Cady Heron. Rachel McAdams was originally to play Cady, but was given the Regina role because her natural kind of polite demeanor made her perfect for the mean girl role (also it was felt she was too old for the role of Cady). Evan Rachel Wood was offered a role in the film but turned it down due to scheduling issues, a decision she later regretted. Mary Elizabeth Winstead was asked to audition for the role of Gretchen Wieners, but her mother disliked the script and declined the invitation. Jonathan Bennett was a last minute replacement for Aaron after the original actor was fired. Fey hired Bennett because of his resemblance to her friend Jimmy Fallon.

Mickey was the final film for director Hugh Wilson. The film was written by John Grisham, with the first draft completed in 1995. It was the second film to receive permission to use the Little League trademarks.

The Saddest Music in the World used director Guy Maddin’s usual style of grainy black-and-white photography, slightly out-of-sync sound and expressionist art design, with a few scenes film in color in a manner that imitates early two-strip Technicolor. The Canadian film was nominated for four Genie Awards, winning three for costumes, editing and original score.

2014

• April 25 – Blue Ruin (USA/Canada, limited, The Lab of Madness)
• April 25 – Exhibition (UK, Wild Horses Film Company)
• April 25 – For No Good Reason (USA, documentary, limited, Itch Film)
• April 25 – From the Rough (USA, From The Rough Productions)
• April 25 – The German Doctor (USA, Historias Cinematograficas)
• April 25 – The Other Woman (USA, LBI Productions)
• April 25 – The Quiet Ones (USA/Canada, Hammer Films)
• April 25 – The Trip to Italy (UK, Revolution Films)
• April 25 – Walking with the Enemy (USA, Liberty Studios, Inc.)
• April 25 – Who Is Dayani Cristal? (USA, limited,Pulse Films)
• April 25 – Young & Beautiful (USA, limited, Mandarin Cinéma)
• April 30 – Aux yeux des vivants (France, Metaluna Productions)
• May 1 – 52 Tuesdays (AUS, Closer Productions)

Exhibition received a limited US release on June 20, 2014. For No Good Reason originally opened in Japan on March 8, 2014. The German Doctor originally opened in Argentina on September 19, 2013. The Quiet Ones originally opened in the UK on April 10, 2014. The Trip to Italy opened in limited US release on August 15, 2014. Who Is Dayani Cristal? originally opened in Mexico on April 18, 2014. Young & Beautiful originally opened in France as Jeune & Jolie on August 21, 2013. Aux yeux des vivants premiered in the US on the Shudder streaming service on June 15, 2017 as Among the Living. 52 Tuesdays has no known US theatrical release date.

Blue Ruin was funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign. Exhibition is also known as London Project. The German Doctor is based on the 2011 novel Wakolda by Lucia Puenzo, who also wrote and directed the film.

The script for The Other Woman was based on the original idea from 1996’s The First Wives Club. This was the feature film debut of Nicki Minaj. The Quiet Ones is loosely based on the Philip experiment, a 1972 parapsychology experiment conducted in Toronto.

The Trip to Italy is a film sequel to the TV series The Trip, which also starred Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as fictionalized versions of themselves. Following the film, a second TV series also titled The Trip to Italy was broadcast on BBC Two (the film is actually an edited version of the series). Aux yeux des vivants was funded through a crowdsourcing campaign. 52 Tuesdays was filmed over the course of a year, every Tuesday, to fit in with the film’s storyline.