Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #218 :: September 26 to October 2

CiBy 2000

We’re in a sort of netherworld of new movie releases as the Fall season usually doesn’t offer much in the way of quality though there is quantity. Most of the more prestigious films will roll out as we get into ‘awards season’, but this week’s offerings do have quite a few films and performances that were recognized by the Golden Globes, if not the Academy Awards. The first part of the century saw many more new films released than the decades after 1964, but many big names are present including Will Rogers, Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart, Warren Beatty, Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon and Denzel Washington. Scroll down to see the films released this week, and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.

1924

• September 26 – Barbara Frietchie (USA, Regal Pictures)
• September 28 – In Every Woman’s Life (USA, Associated First National Pictures)
• September 28 – Stepping Lively (USA, Carlos Productions)
• September 28 – The Family Secret (USA, Universal Pictures)
• September 28 – The Painted Lady (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• September 29 – His Hour (USA, Louis B. Mayer Productions)
• September 29 – In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter (USA, Samuel Goldwyn Productions)
• September 29 – One Night in Rome (USA, Metro-Goldwyn Pictures Corporation)
• October – Her Night of Romance (USA, Constance Talmadge Film Company)
• October 1 – Midnight Secrets (USA, Robert J. Horner Productions)
• October 1 – The Beautiful Sinner (USA, Perfection Pictures)
• October 1 – The Street of Tears (USA, Rayart Pictures Corporation)
• October 2 – The Mine with the Iron Door (USA, Sol Lesser Productions)

Barbara Frietchie is based on the play of the same name by Clyde Fitch. Copies of the film are held by Library and Archives Canada, UCLA Film and Television Archive, and George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection.

In Every Woman’s Life is based on the 1920 novel Belonging by Olive Wadsley. It is considered a lost film. Stepping Lively was believed lost but the film exists in a French archive, Archives du Film du CNC(Bois d’Arcy).

The Family Secret is based on Editha’s Burglar, a story by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in 1881 by St. Nicholas Magazine. It is one of only five of Baby Peggy’s full-length feature films to have survived to the present day with copies at the Library of Congress and in private film collections.

His Hour is a follow-up to Three Weeks (1924). It was adapted from a 1910 novel by Elinor Glyn. A print of His Hour with Czech intertitles is located at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter was based on Potash and Perlmutter, a play by Charles Klein and Montague Glass. This sequel to Potash and Perlmutter also adapted the play Business Before Pleasure by Montague Glass and Jules Eckert Goodman. The film is considered lost.

One Night in Rome is based on J. Hartley Manners’ play of the same name. The film starred stage actress Laurette Taylor, who only made three Hollywood films, all based on plays by her husband Manners. A print of One Night in Rome survives in the Gosfilmofond archive in Moscow.

Midnight Secrets was part of a series of six films featuring New York City newspaper reporter character Tip O’Neill, who exposes political corruption.

The Street of Tears is considered a lost film. The Mine with the Iron Door is based on the novel of the same name by American author Harold Bell Wright. A print of the film is preserved in Gosfilmofond and Archives Du Film Du CNC, Bois d’Arcy, France. The film was remade as a talkie in 1936.

1934

Fox Film Corporation

• September 26 – Servants’ Entrance (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• September 28 – Caravan (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• September 28 – Judge Priest (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• September 28 – Outcast Lady (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• September 28 – Love at Second Sight (UK, Radius Films)
• September 28 – The Lemon Drop Kid (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• September 28 – The Pursuit of Happiness (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• October – Crazy People (UK, British Lion Film Corporation)
• October – My Old Dutch (UK, Gainsborough Pictures)
• October – Open All Night (UK, Julius Hagen Productions)
• October – The Scoop (UK, British & Dominions Film Corporation)
• October 1 – Guest of Honour (UK, Warner Brothers-First National Productions)
• October 1 – She Had to Choose (USA, Larry Darmour Productions)
• October 2 – Our Daily Bread (USA, King W. Vidor Productions)
• October 2 – The Curtain Falls (USA, Chesterfield Motion Pictures Corporation)

Caravan first opened in Sweden on February 3, 1934. Love at Second Sight was released in the US on January 10, 1938 as The Girl Thief. Crazy People, My Old Dutch, The Scoop, and Guest of Honour have no known US theatrical release dates.

Servants’ Entrance, adapted from Sigrid Boo’s 1930 Norwegian novel Vi som går kjøkkenveien (‘We Who Enter Through the Kitchen’), includes an animated sequence produced by Walt Disney which combined the animation with live action.

Fox produced a French language version of Caravan simultaneously, titled Caravane, which shared star Charles Boyer.

Judge Priest helped make Will Rogers the number one box office star of 1934. Stepin Fetchit at first thought his up-and-coming co-star Hattie McDaniel’s acting abilities weren’t up to par, but soon realized she was very talented. Director John Ford also noted her talent and gave her additional scenes, cutting some of Fetchit’s which caused a rift between the actors.

The Lemon Drop Kid is based on the story of the same name by Damon Runyon, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The film was remade in 1951 with Bob Hope.

Crazy People, based on the novel Safety First by Margot Neville, was produced as a quota quickie. My Old Dutch was adapted from the stage play written by Arthur Shirley and also based on Albert Chevalier’s famous song. Open All Night was also produced as a quota quickie, and was eventually released in the US as Murder by Appointment.

Guest of Honour is based on F. Anstey’s 1903 play The Man from Blankley’s which had been made as a 1920 Paramount silent The Fourteenth Man and the 1930 John Barrymore talkie The Man from Blankley’s.

Our Daily Bread is a sequel to the 1928 silent film The Crowd, with the same characters but different actors. The film was reissued in the US as Hell’s Crossroads.

1944

• September 27 – Greenwich Village (USA, Twentieth Century Fox)
• September 28 – Goin’ to Town (USA, Voco Productions)
• September 28 – Maisie Goes to Reno (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• September 29 – San Diego, I Love You (USA, Universal Pictures)
• September 29 – Tall in the Saddle (USA, RKO Radio Pictures)
• September 30 – Cheyenne Wildcat (USA, Republic Pictures)
• September 30 – Trigger Law (USA, Monogram Pictures)
• October – Kismet (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• October – The Big Noise (USA, Twentieth Century Fox)
• October 2 – Mr. Emmanuel (UK, Two Cities Films)

Mr. Emmanuel was released in the US on January 6, 1945.

Greenwich Village billed Vivian Blaine ‘in Her First Featured Role’, even though she had starred in Fox’s Jitterbugs in 1943. The film did mark the debut of the cabaret group the Revuers, which featured Judy Holliday (billed as Judith Tuvim), Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The Production Code administration initially rejected the screenplay for ‘sustained scenes of excessive and unnecessary drinking and drunkenness’.

Goin’ to Town was based on the successful radio program Lum and Abner. It was the fifth of seven ‘Lum and Abner’ films. Maisie Goes to Reno is the eighth film in the ‘Maisie’ series starring Ann Sothern. Buster Keaton and Irene Ryan appear in supporting roles in San Diego, I Love You.

Tall in the Saddle was based on the serialized novel of the same name by Gordon Ray Young. Cheyenne Wildcat was one of the 23 ‘Red Ryder’ features from Republic Pictures, based on the comic strip character created by Fred Harman.

Kismet is based on the play of the same name by Edward Knoblock, which was also the basis for a 1953 musical. The play had previously been filmed in 1914, 1924 and 1930. The film earned four Academy Award nominations for Cinematography, Music, Sound and Art Direction.

The Big Noise was the fifth of six films Laurel & Hardy made for Fox. Mr. Emmanuel is based on a 1938 novel of the same title by Louis Golding, who contributed to the screenplay.

1954

Transoceanic Film

• September 27 – For Better, for Worse (UK, Kenneth Harper Production)
• September 30 – The Barefoot Contessa (USA, Transoceanic Film)
• September 30 – The Belles of St. Trinian’s (UK, Individual Pictures)
• September 30 – Woman’s World (USA, Twentieth Century Fox)
• October – Radio Cab Murder (UK, Insignia Films)
• October – The Crowded Day (UK, David Dent Productions)
• October 1 – The Adventures of Hajji Baba (USA, Walter Wanger Productions)
• October 1 – Naked Alibi (USA, Universal-International Pictures)

For Better, for Worse was released in the US on June 20, 1955 as Cocktails in the Kitchen. The Belles of St. Trinian’s was released in the US on December 22, 1954. Radio Cab Murder has no known US theatrical release date.

For Better, for Worse was based on Arthur Watkyn’s 1948 play of the same name.

The central character of The Barefoot Contessa, Maria Vargas, was based on Rita Hayworth. The film’s poster was nearly released without an image of Humphrey Bogart, which would have violated his contract. A line drawing of his face was quickly added to rectify the situation. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Story and Screenplay, winning Supporting Actor for Edmond O’Brien. O’Brien also won the Golden Globe in the same category.

The Belles of St. Trinian’s is inspired by British cartoonist Ronald Searle’s St. Trinian’s School comic strips. The film was immensely popular and was followed by three sequels. The film marks the first appearance of a teenaged Barbara Windsor.

Woman’s World was based on a magazine story, May the Best Wife Win. The film features the ‘Ford of Tomorrow’, a car built by Ford at a cost of $180,000.

The Crowded Day is also known as Tomorrow Is Sunday, and was released in the US as Shop Spoiled.

The Adventures of Hajji Baba is based on The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan by James Justinian Morier published in 1824, which remained in print for over a century.

1964

• October 1 – Lilith (USA, Centaur Enterprises)

Lilith is based on a novel by J.R. Salamanca. It was the final film directed by Robert Rossen, who finished the film in complete exhaustion. The film was shot on location on Long Island and in Rockville, Maryland. Jean Seberg earned a Best Actress Golden Globe nomination for her performance. The film was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2000.

1974

• September 28 – It’s Alive (Japan, Larco Productions)
• October – The Green Hornet (USA, Greenway Productions)
• October – The House on Skull Mountain (USA, Pinto)
• October 2 – The Gambler (USA, Chartoff-Winkler Productions, Inc)
• October 2 – The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (USA, Palomar Pictures International)

It’s Alive was released in the US on October 16, 1974. The mutant baby was created by Rick Baker. The musical score was composed by Bernard Herrmann. The film spawned two sequels, and is the only one of the three films to carry a PG rating (the others are R-rated). The Warner Bros. executives who approved the film had been replaced by the time it was completed, and the new regime had little interest in the film, giving it a limited release in the US. Three years later, a round of new executive were in place and director Larry Cohen asked them to review the film. It received a re-release in 1977 with a new ad campaign and TV ads which helped draw audiences to theaters, earning the film $7.1 million against its $500,000 budget.

The Green Hornet stitched together several episodes of the 1966 TV series to make a feature film to capitalize on the popularity of Bruce Lee, who played Kato.

James Caan received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in The Gambler. It was the first produced screenplay by James Toback, who began writing it as a semi-autobiographical novel.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is adapted from the 1973 novel of the same name written by Morton Freedgood under the pen name John Godey. The title is derived from the train’s radio call sign, which is based upon where and when the train began its run; in this case, the train originated at the Pelham Bay Park station in the Bronx at 1:23 p.m. For several years after the film was released, the New York City Transit Authority would not schedule any train to leave Pelham Bay Park station at 1:23. The New York MTA initially refused to cooperate with the filmmakers, fearing the film could influence ‘kooks’ who may not see the plot’s absurdities and attempt to hijack a subway train. After the urging of the mayor, the MTA relented and agreed to participate but only if the studio took out a $20 million insurance policy, including ‘kook coverage’, and paid a $250,000 fee for use of the track, station, subway cars, and TA personnel. The TA also insisted no graffiti appear in the film so as not to glorify it.

1984

• September 27 – Silver City (AUS, Limelight Productions)
• September 28 – Body Rock (USA, New World Pictures)
• September 28 – Heartbreakers (USA, Jethro Films Production)
• September 28 – Irreconcilable Differences (USA, Lantana Films)
• September 28 – The Wild Life (USA, Universal Pictures)
• September 28 – The River Rat (USA, Cinema Group Ventures)
• September 29 – Country (USA, Touchstone Pictures)

Silver City was released in the US on May 17, 1985.

The Body Rock theme song by Maria Vidal peaked at Number 48 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in October 1984, and reached number eight on the US dance charts. Heartbreakers was the final film appearance of Carol Wayne before she died under mysterious circumstances on vacation in Manzanillo, Mexico just months after the film’s release.

Shelley Long and Drew Barrymore were Golden Globe-nominated for their performances in Irreconcilable Differences. The film was inspired by the divorce between director Peter Bogdanovich and his first wife, producer Polly Platt, after he left her for actress Cybill Shepherd. Sharon Stone plays the character based on Shepherd. Sam Wanamaker plays a producer based on Roger Corman.

The Wild Life is considered by many to be a spiritual sequel to Fast Times at Ridgemont High due tp the involvement of Cameron Crowe in both films. Jessica Lange was Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated for her performance in Country.

1994

• September 28 – Jason’s Lyric (USA, The Jackson/McHenry Company)
• September 29 – Muriel’s Wedding (AUS, CiBy 2000)
• September 30 – Second Best (UK, Alcor Films)
• September 30 – The River Wild (USA, Turman-Foster Company)
• September 30 – The Scout (USA, Santo Domingo Film & Music Video)

Muriel’s Wedding was released in the US on March 31, 1995. Toni Collette earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her performance. For the role, she gained 40 lbs in seven weeks. The screenplay earned a BAFTA nomination.

Second Best is adapted from the 1991 novel of the same name by David Cook, who also wrote the screenplay.

Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon were both Golden Globe nominated for their performances in The River Wild. Streep also received a SAG Award nomination. Streep performed some of her own stunts in the milder sections of the river. Expert professional river guide Kelley Kalafatich was Streep’s stunt double for the major whitewater stunts. Disaster nearly struck when director Curtis Hanson asked Streep to perform one additional scene at the end of the day. Exhausted, she still attempted to do the scene but was swept off her raft and was in danger of drowning. Her personal floatation device and the river rescue team saved her, and she told Hanson the next time she said she couldn’t do something he should listen.

The screenplay for The Scout was written for Peter Falk and Jim Belushi. When production was about to start, Falk was unavailable and Walter Matthau was going to take the role of the scout. The film was delayed for years and Albert Brooks was cast.

2004

• September 29 – Modigliani (France, Lucky 7 Productions LLC)
• October 1 – Dead Man’s Shoes (Ireland, Warp Films)
• October 1 – Ladder 49 (USA, Touchstone Pictures)
• October 1 – Layer Cake (UK, MARV Films)
• October 2 – Yogen (Japan, Fellah Pictures)

Modigliani received a limited US release on May 13, 2005. Dead Man’s Shoes received a limited US release on May 12, 2006. Layer Cake was released in the US on June 3, 2005. Yogen premiered in the US on DVD on July 12, 2005 as Premonition.

Dead Man’s Shoes marks the first screen appearance of Toby Kebbell and former boxer Gary Stretch.

Layer Cake was Matthew Vaughn’s directorial debut. The screenplay was adapted by J. J. Connolly from his 2000 novel of the same name. Daniel Craig’s character is unnamed in the movie and is listed as ‘XXXX’ in the credits.

Yogen is based on the manga Kyoufu Shinbun (‘Newspaper of Terror’) by Jirō Tsunoda.

2014

ZHIV Productions

• September 26 – Bridge and Tunnel (USA, limited, 1887 Pictures)
• September 26 – Hellaware (USA, limited, Mister Z Productions)
• September 26 – Jimi: All Is by My Side (USA, limited, Darko Entertainment)
• September 26 – The Equalizer (USA, ZHIV Productions)
• September 26 – The Song (USA, limited, City on a Hill Productions)
• September 26 – The Two Faces of January (USA, limited, Timnick Films)

Jimi: All Is by My Side first opened in Italy on September 18, 2014. The Two Faces of January first opened in the UK on May 16, 2014, and had its US video debut on August 28.

Production on Bridge and Tunnel began December 1, 2012, thirty-two days after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the shores of Long Island. The hurricane was not part of the script, which focused on the personal aftermath of 9/11, but was incorporated as it was a major part of life on Long Island. The film was shot in increments to give the feeling of seasons changing, with a second shoot taking place in the Spring on 2013, and a third in June. Filming wrapped in Long Beach, New York on the new boardwalk while it was being built in place of the one that was destroyed in Sandy.

Jimi: All Is by My Side does not include any songs written by Hendrix, as the filmmakers’ request to use them was denied by Hendrix’s estate. The film is set between 1966 and 1967 and includes songs Hendrix performed before the release of his debut album Are You Experienced.

The Equalizer is based on the 1980s TV series of the same title. The film’s development began in 2005, and by June 2010 Russell Crowe was trying to bring the project to the big screen with him starring. By December 2011, Denzel Washington was announced as the star. Nicolas Winding Refn was in talks to direct but the deal fell through and Antoine Fuqua came on board. Co-star Melissa Leo had actually guest starred on an episode of the original TV series. The film was a success and spawned two sequels.

The Song‘s story was inspired by the Song of Songs and the life of Solomon. Star Alan Powell is the co-founder of Christian band Anthem Lights.

The Two Faces of January is based on Patricia Highsmith’s 1964 novel of the same name. The film marked the directorial debut of Hossein Amini.