Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #197 :: May 2•8

Avi Arad Productions

We’re on the cusp of the Summer Movie Season — at least in the latter part of the century — and Hollywood has a lot to offer with a handful of really notable films. 1934 saw the first pairing of two horror icons, while 1944 gave us a classic thriller with a title that has taken on greater meaning in the last several years. 1964 produced two cult horror classics filmed in Italy, and 1974 saw the end of a Hammer horror franchise. 1984 gave us the ultimate teen dramedy, 2004 saw Universal attempt to revive its classic monsters long before the ill-fated Dark Universe, and 2014 had the return of a Marvel superhero. Scroll down the list to see the films that premiered this week over the last century and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.

1924

• May 4 – Men (USA, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation)
• May 4 – The Breaking Point (USA, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation)
• May 4 – Cytherea (USA, Samuel Goldwyn Productions)
• May 4 – The Rejected Woman (USA, Distinctive Pictures)
• May 4 – The Spitfire (USA, Murray W. Garsson Productions)
• May 4 – The Trouble Shooter (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• May 5 – Untamed Youth (USA, Robertson-Cole Pictures Corporation)
• May 5 – Riders Up (USA, Universal Pictures)
• May 6 – The Sword of Valor (USA, Phil Goldstone Productions)

Men, The Spitfire, and Untamed Youth are considered lost films.

The Breaking Point is based on the 1922 novel of the same name by Mary Roberts Rinehart. A complete copy is preserved in the Library of Congress. A print of The Rejected Woman, featuring Bela Lugosi in a supporting role, is preserved at the George Eastman House. A print of The Trouble Shooter is preserved in a European archive. A print of The Sword of Valor is known to exist and was shown at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival in 2021.

Cytherea, also known as The Forbidden Way, is based on the novel Cytherea, Goddess of Love by Joseph Hergesheimer. It features two dream sequences filmed in an early version of Technicolor, the first that used artificial light. Unfortunately the film is considered lost.

1934

Universal Pictures

• May 3 – One Is Guilty (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• May 4 – Double Door (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• May 4 – Finishing School (USA, Radio Pictures)
• May 4 – Love Birds (USA, Universal Pictures)
• May 4 – Stand Up and Cheer! (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• May 5 – Red Wagon (AUS, British International Pictures)
• May 6 – Fighting to Live (USA, Sol Lesser Productions)
• May 7 – Autumn Crocus (UK, Associated Talking Pictures)
• May 7 – Mannequin (UK, Julius Hagen Productions)
• May 7 – The Black Cat (USA, Universal Pictures)
• May 8 – No Funny Business (USA, John Stafford Productions)

Red Wagon, adapted from the 1930 novel by Lady Eleanor Smith, opened in the US on June 21, 1936. Autumn Crocus opened in the US on October 24, 1934. Mannequin has no known US theatrical release date.

One Is Guilty is the second of four films in the ‘Inspector Steve Trent’ series starring Ralph Bellamy. Finishing School was condemned by the Legion of Decency.

Double Door was based on the 1933 Broadway play of the same name, with Mary Morris and Anne Revere reprising their roles on film. Morris received rave reviews for her performance and Paramount tried to sign her to a contract. She was unimpressed the the workings of Hollywood and returned to the stage, touring in Double Door through New England in the Summer of 1934.

Stand Up and Cheer!, known as Fox Follies during production, launched the career of Shirley Temple, a little known bit player at the time of production. By the end of 1934 she had appeared in ten movies, with four starring roles in major feature-length films. Temple was only employed on the film for two weeks which did not give her time to learn the dance number she had with James Dunn. Instead, she used a routine she had previously learned and Dunn learned that routine from her. The number, titled ‘Baby Take a Bow’, was so popular it served as the title for her next film which also starred Dunn. Eleven minutes of footage, most of it racial in nature, was removed for home video releases.

Autumn Crocus was based on Dodie Smith’s first play of the same name. It marked the final film appearance of Ivor Novello. Mannequin was produced as a ‘quota quickie’ for RKO Radio Pictures.

The Black Cat, the first of eight films to feature Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, was Universal’s biggest box office hit of the year. The film was ‘suggested by’ the Edgar Allen Poe short story, but it has little to do with Poe’s story. It was one of the early films with an almost continuous musical score, and helped popularize the psychological horror genre. The character Hjalmar Poelzig was inspired by occultist Aleister Crowley. The last name Poelzig was borrowed from architect Hans Poelzig, who worked on the sets for the 1920 silent film The Golem.

1944

• May 4 – Andy Hardy’s Blonde Trouble (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• May 4 – Gaslight (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• May 4 – The Black Parachute (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• May 5 – Follow the Boys (USA, Universal Pictures)
• May 5 – Jamboree (USA, Republic Pictures)
• May 5 – Jammin’ the Blues (USA, short, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• May 5 – Valley of Vengeance (USA, Sigmund Neufeld Productions)
• May 6 – Swooner Crooner (USA, short, Leon Schlesinger Studios)
• May 6 – The Million Dollar Cat (USA, short, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• May 8 – Fanny by Gaslight (UK, Gainsborough Pictures)
• May 8 – Time Flies (UK, Gainsborough Pictures)

Fanny by Gaslight was released in the US as Man of Evil on March 25, 1948. Time Flies premiered on TV in the US on December 14, 1950.

Gaslight, based on the 1938 play Gas Light by Patrick Hamilton and a remake of a 1940 British film of the same name, marked the screen debut of Angela Lansbury. To avoid confusion with the 1940 film, the 1944 version was titled The Murder in Thornton Square in the UK. When MGM bought the remake rights, a clause was inserted that demanded the destruction of all prints of the 1940 version including the original negative. That order was not followed to the letter as the film has been screened, shown on television and released to home video. The 1944 film earned seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture, winning two for Best Actress (Ingrid Bergman) and Best Production Design. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2019.

Follow the Boys was filmed with the working title Three Cheers for the Boys. One scene in the film features Orson Welles sawing Marlene Dietrich in half. W.C. Fields makes his first film appearance since 1941.

Jammin’ the Blues was filmed over four days. Barney Kessel was the only white musician in the film. His hands were stained with berry juice, and he was seated in the shadows to shade his skin. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Short Subject, One-reel.

Valley of Vengeance was the 16th film in the ‘Billy the Kid’ series starring Buster Crabbe. Swooner Crooner was Oscar nominated for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).

Fanny by Gaslight was adapted from a 1940 novel by Michael Sadleir, which was also adapted into a 1981 British TV serial. The US release was delayed because the film broke the ‘Hays Purity Code’ with scenes set in a brothel, and 17 minutes were cut.

1954

• May 2 – Fireman Save My Child (USA, Universal International Pictures)
• May 3 – The Miami Story (USA, Clover Productions)
• May 4 – Forbidden Cargo (UK, Sydney Box Productions)
• May 4 – Out of This World (USA, short, Jam Handy Organization)
• May 4 – Prisoner of War (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• May 4 – The Forty-Niners (USA, Westwood Productions)
• May 5 – Flame and the Flesh (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• May 5 – The Pickwick Papers (USA, George Minter Productions)
• May 7 – Men of the Fighting Lady (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• May 8 – Billy Boy (USA, short, Loew’s Incorporated)
• May 8 – Dr. Jerkyl’s Hide (USA, short, Warner Bros. Pictures)

The Pickwick Papers, based on the 1837 Dickens novel of the same name, originally opened in the UK on November 14, 1952.

Fireman Save My Child was originally intended as a vehicle for Abbott and Costello, but Costello fell ill and the roles were taken over by Hugh O’Brian and Buddy Hackett.

Working titles for Prisoner of War were The P.O.W. Story and The Prisoner of War Story. The US Army assisted production but withdrew approval of the film on the eve of its release as the depiction of mistreatment of prisoners complicated the courts martial of POW collaborators that were proceeding at the time.

Flame and the Flesh is based on the 1924 French novel Naples au baiser de feu by Auguste Bailly. It is a remake of the 1938 French film Naples au baiser de feu, which was a remake of a 1925 French silent film of the same name, which was released in the US as The Kiss of Fire. Famously blonde Lana Turner appears in the film as a brunette.

Men of the Fighting Lady is also known as Panther Squad. It was filmed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. Stock footage of the Korean War was integrated into the live action sequences. The scene where Keenan Wynn’s character is killed in a fiery crash landing on the carrier is actual footage of a F9F Panther accident during one of its early test flights. The pilot of that crash survived with just burned ears.

Billy Boy is one of the MGM ‘Southern Wolf’ cartoons, a spin-off of Tex Avery’s ‘Droopy’ series. It was originally to be a Barney Bear cartoon.

Dr. Jerkyl’s Hide marks the final appearance of Spike the Dog and Chester the Terrier from the Golden Age of Animation.

1964

• May 2 – The Thin Red Line (USA, A.C.E. Films)
• May 3 – Tamahine (USA, Associated British Picture Corporation)
• May 6 – Black Sabbath (USA, Emmepi Cinematografica)
• May 6 – The Last Man on Earth (USA, Produzioni La Regina)
• May 8 – Daniella by Night (USA, Paris Interproductions)

Tamahine originally opened in the UK on July 30, 1963. Black Sabbath originally opened in Italy as I tre volti della paura on August 23, 1963. Daniella by Night, based on the novel Daniela by Walter Ebert, originally opened in West Germany as Zarte Haut in schwarzer Seide on April 28, 1961.

The Thin Red Line was based on James Jones’s 1962 novel of the same name. Terrence Malick directed a second film adaptation in 1998 that received critical acclaim.

Black Sabbath was an anthology film with three segments which were presented in different orders in various countries. American International Pictures replaced the original score for the US release, and removed graphic violence and altered other scenes which greatly impacted the segment ‘The Telephone’, giving it a supernatural element and removing all references to lesbianism and prostitution. This segment has been described as director Mario Bava’s first attempt at ‘giallo’, a style of Italian film that involves a murder mystery that emphasized stylish visuals, flamboyant music and violence.

The Last Man on Earth was based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel I Am Legend. He was dissatisfied with the film and asked to be credited as ‘Logan Swanson’. Matheson was told by the producers that Fritz Lang would direct the film, which he though was wonderful, but Sidney Salkow was ultimately hired leading Matheson to quip, ‘Well, there’s a bit of a drop.’ The film was shot in Rome with a predominantly Italian cast and crew, with a climax filmed in San Pio X alla Balduina, a real Catholic church in Rome.

1974

• May 2 – A Knife for the Ladies (USA, Bryanston Pictures)
• May 2 – Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (UK, Hammer Film Productions)
• May 4 – Demons of the Mind (USA, Hammer Films)
• May 5 – Number 96 (AUS, Cash-Harmon Productions)

Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell was released in the US on June 12, 1974. Demons of the Mind originally opened in the UK on November 5, 1972. Number 96 has no known US theatrical release date.

Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell was the final film in Hammer’s ‘Frankenstein Saga’, and the last film of Terence Fisher. It was also the last time Peter Cushing would play Baron Victor Frankenstein. He helped design the wig he wore in the film, but later regretted how it looked, comparing himself to actress Helen Hayes. Even in poor health, Cushing insisted on performing a stunt which required him to jump on a table and leap onto the Creature’s back, spinning wildly in circles to subdue the monster with a sedative. This film marked David Prowse’s second credited performance as the Frankenstein monster (he appeared uncredited in the 1967 Bond spoof Casino Royale), the only Hammer actor to play the monster more than once. Prowse and Cushing later appeared together in Star Wars.

The working title for Demons of the Mind was Blood Will Have Blood. Hammer felt there were too many ‘bloods’ in the title, probably not aware it was a quote from Shakespeare (which would also have been rejected). The story was based on the life of Franz Mesmer, a German physician with an interest in astronomy who also theorized the existence of a process that came to be known as ‘animal magnetism’ or ‘mesmerism’. The film was well-reviewed but a commercial failure for Hammer because, as director Peter Sykes noted, ‘There was no Frankenstein in it.’

Number 96 was based on the Australian primetime soap opera of the same name. Nearly all of the show’s original cast appears in the film. The film was shot in color while the series was in black-and-white, which was a draw for the audience. The film also included more revealing nudity than was permitted on TV at the time. A kiss between characters Don Finlayson and Simon Carr mysteriously disappeared after the film’s Sydney run. It was the fifth highest grossing movie in 1970s Australia just behind Mad Max.

1984

Universal Pictures

• May 2 – The Mission (USA, limited, N.Y. Film Group)
• May 3 – The Wild Duck (AUS, Film Bancor of Australia)
• May 4 – Alphabet City (USA, Atlantic Releasing Corporation)
• May 4 – Hardbodies (USA, Chroma III Productions)
• May 4 – Sixteen Candles (USA, Universal Pictures)
• May 4 – The Bounty (USA, Dino De Laurentiis Corporation)
• May 4 – Wildrose (USA, Ely Lake Films)
• May 5 – One Night Stand (USA, Astra Film Productions)
• May 8 – The Camel Boy (USA, Yoram Gross Films)

The Mission is known as Ferestadeh in Persian. The Wild Duck, adapted from the 1884 play by Henrik Ibsen, was released in the US on March 22, 1985. One Night Stand originally opened in Australia on April 5, 1984.

Hardbodies received some funding from Roger Corman, who served as an uncredited producer. The film was intended to be broadcast on the Playboy Channel, but the network felt it was ‘too soft’ so it was picked up by Columbia Pictures for limited theatrical distribution.

Sixteen Candles was the directorial debut of John Hughes. Hughes originally wrote the film as a low-budget production for A&M Films but the project went into turnaround. Hughes garnered more notice after the success of his screenplay for National Lampoon’s Vacation, but he was fired from 1983’s Mr. Mom which allowed him to refocus his attention on Sixteen Candles, which he felt would have more appeal to his teenage audience than his other planned film The Breakfast Club. He was rehired on Mr. Mom, and Universal greenlit both Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club on the condition that Hughes release Sixteen Candles first. Ally Sheedy audition for the role of Sam, but Hughes felt Molly Ringwald was more fitting for the role. Hughes offered Sheedy a role in The Breakfast Club a year later. Michael Schoeffling and Viggo Mortensen were up for the role of Jake, with Ringwald championing Mortensen. Emilio Estevez also auditioned. Schoeffling ultimately won the role. Jim Carrey, Keith Coogan and Ralph Macchio auditioned for the role of Ted, but were too stereotypically nerdy. Anthony Michael Hall played it straight and won the role. Paul Dooley turned down the role of Sam’s father because it was only a two-to-three minute part. Hughes wrote a scene in the middle of the film to convince Dooley to accept. The film originally received an R-rating from the MPAA, but Hughes appealed and won a PG. Pre-2003 home video releases of the film include a re-scored soundtrack due to music rights issues. The original soundtrack finally appeared on the 2003 DVD release.

The Bounty was adapted from the 1972 book Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian by Richard Hough. Production on the film began in 1978 under the direction of David Lean, but multiple complications including a high budget and screenwriter Robert Bolt’s heart attack put the film in development hell which ended with the hiring of newcomer Roger Donaldson as director. Oliver Reed and Anthony Hopkins were considered for the role of Captain Bligh, with Hopkins winning the part. Christopher Reeve was the favored actor for Fletcher Christian in 1980 when Lean was still attached. He was recommended to Lean by Katharine Hepburn. Reeve remained attached to the project until the last minute, and he was replaced with Mel Gibson. Tevaite Vernette was offered the female lead after being spotted at Papeete Airport, and only accepted the role after production had begun. The replica of the Bounty was built before the script was completed at a cost of $4 million. Donaldson said filming on the ship was difficult as it rolled with the waves, making cast and crew seasick constantly. Despite the issues, the film was completed under budget. Gibson endured trouble during production because of his drinking, and Hopkins grew concerned that he’d mess up his stardom if he didn’t get ahold of himself. Gibson agreed with Hopkins’ concerns.

1994

• May 3 – Captives (USA, Miramax)
• May 4 – Babyfever (USA, Jagtoria Films)
• May 6 – 3 Ninjas Kick Back (USA, Sheen Productions)
• May 6 – Being Human (UK, Enigma Productions)
• May 6 – Clean Slate (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• May 6 – Dream Lover (USA, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment)
• May 6 – In Custody (USA, Merchant Ivory Productions)
• May 6 – Kika (USA, CiBy 2000)
• May 6 – Mr. Write (USA, Minna Pictures)
• May 6 – Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (USA, limited, Starway International Inc.)
• May 6 – Reckless Kelly (USA, Serious Entertainment)
• May 7 – When the Bough Breaks (South Korea, Osmosis Productions Inc.)

Kika originally opened in Spain on October 29, 1993. Reckless Kelly originally opened in Australia on April 8, 1993. When the Bough Breaks premiere on home video in the US on March 7, 1995.

3 Ninjas Kick Back was the second film in the ‘3 Ninjas’ series, but it is chronologically the third film, shot back-to-back with 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up, which was not released until 1995 due to distribution issues. Max Elliott Slade is the only actor from the previous film to reprise his role. The film includes an odd continuity error where the character of Mori has a last name change from Tanaka to Shintaro for no apparent reason. It’s the only film in the series to receive a video game adaptation.

Being Human was the feature film debut of Ewan McGregor. The film suffered from poor test screenings, and Warner Bros. instructed director Bill Forsyth to cut 40 minutes, add narration and a happy ending. He then disowned the film.

In Custody is based upon Anita Desai’s 1984 Booker Prize nominated novel of the same name. Mr. Write is based on Howard J. Morris’s play of the same name.

2004

• May 7 – Code 46 (Italy, BBC Film)
• May 7 – In My Country (Italy, Chartoff Productions)
• May 7 – New York Minute (USA, Dualstar Productions)
• May 7 – Off the Lip (USA, limited, Abandon Pictures)
• May 7 – Seeing Other People (USA, limited, Pariah Entertainment Group)
• May 7 – Spirits (USA, limited, Strange Logic Entertainment)
• May 7 – Super Size Me (USA, documentary, The Con)
• May 7 – Van Helsing (USA, Sommers Company)

Code 46 opened in the US in limited release on August 6, 2004. In My Country, based on Antjie Krog’s memoir Country of My Skull, received a limited US release on March 11, 2005.

New York Minute, the Olsen twins’ second and final theatrical film, was also the final film appearance for Ashley Olsen. The Olsen twins’ Full House co-star Bob Saget appeared in a non-speaking cameo.

Super Size Me was Oscar nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and won Best Documentary Screenplay from the WGA.

Van Helsing was produced with the intention of starting a new monster movie cycle for Universal Pictures. The studio was so confident the film would be a success that it paid to keep the Transylvania sets intact, assuming they would be needed for future projects including an NBC TV series titled Transylvania. A sequel was in development before the film opened, but the poor box office results resulted in those plans being scrapped. A reboot of the film went into development in 2020.

2014

Good Universe

• May 2 – Bad Johnson (USA, 2DS Productions)
• May 2 – Decoding Annie Parker (USA, Ozymandias Productions)
• May 2 – Documented (USA, limited, Apo Productions)
• May 2 – Rumors of Wars (USA, Wolf Pack Film Works)
• May 2 – The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (USA, Avi Arad Productions)
• May 2 – The Protector 2 (USA, Baa-Ram-Ewe)
• May 2 – Walk of Shame (USA, limited, Focus World)
• May 3 – Neighbors (UK, Good Universe)
• May 6 – The Last Straight Man (USA, limited, Thrillsville Productions)
• May 8 – Chef (AUS, Aldamisa Entertainment)
• May 8 – Healing (AUS, Pointblank Pictures)

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 originally opened in the UK on April 16, 2014. The Protector 2, which was shot in 3D, originally opened in Thailand on October 23, 2013 as Tom yum goong 2. Walk of Shame originally opened in Israel on May 1, 2014. Neighbors was released in the US and Canada on May 9, 2014. Chef received a limited US release on May 9, 2014. Healing was released in the US in May 2015.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was known internationally as The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro. It is the fifth film in the ‘Spider-Man’ franchise, and the final film of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ series with Andrew Garfield. The film was shot on 35mm instead of digital, and was produced entirely in New York state, mostly in Rochester which was then digitally altered to look like New York City. A street in NYC’s Chinatown was shut down for a day of filming, with the businesses being compensated for the inconvenience. The film was post-converted to 3D. A mid-credit teaser from 20th Century Fox’s X-Men: Days of Future Past was added after the London premiere because of a deal between director Marc Webb and Fox which allowed Webb to direct Spider-Man if Sony promoted the X-Men film for free. The inclusion confused UK viewers who thought the scene was setting up an X-Men/Spider-Man crossover.

Neighbors was released in some countries as Bad Neighbours to avoid confusion with the Australian soap opera Neighbours. The film’s original title was Townies. Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, Adam DeVine, Blake Anderson, Anders Holm, Kyle Newacheck, and Jake Johnson make cameo appearances as historical members of Delta Psi Beta.

Jon Favreau wrote Chef in about two weeks, wanting to return to smaller scale films, and having wanted to make a film about food and chefs for some time. Robert Downey Jr. has a cameo. To prepare for his role as a line cook, John Leguizamo worked as a line cook at The Lion in West Village prior to production.