Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #253 :: May 29 to June 4

Syncopy

Quite a few movies were released in the earliest part of the century with a few notable titles. A 1925 Western introduced its director to the genre, something he would be known for in later decades. A 1935 film was written specifically for its star. One 1955 film saw James Cagney return to a role he’d played previously, while another gave the world one of the most indelible screen images ever. 1965 saw a child TV star make his big screen debut as a lead, and a 1985 film became its star’s favorite role. A 1995 novel adaptation went through several directors and nearly missed out on casting its female lead, a 2005 film reinvigorated a classic superhero, and one 2015 film destroyed most of California, while a second was nearly destroyed over its casting controversy. Scroll down to see all of the films released this week across the decades and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.

1925

May 29 – Riders of Mystery (USA, Independent Pictures)
May 31 – The Iron Horse (Canada, Fox Film Corporation)
May 31 – The Kiss Barrier (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
May 31 – The Little French Girl (USA, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation)
May 31 – The Texas Bearcat (USA, Robertson-Cole Pictures Corporation)
May 31 – Santa Fe Pete (USA, Lariat Productions)
May 31 – Lena Rivers (USA, Chord Pictures)
June 1 – If Marriage Fails (New York City, C. Gardner Sullivan Productions)
June 1 – Parisian Nights (New York City, Gothic Pictures)
June 1 – The Drug Store Cowboy (USA, Independent Pictures)
June 1 – The Texas Trail (USA, Stellar Productions)

The Iron Horse was released in the US on October 4, 1925, long after it had premiered in New York City on August 28, 1924. If Marriage Fails was released nationwide in the US on August 4, 1925. Parisian Nights was released nationwide in the US on September 27, 1925.

Lost films: The Kiss Barrier, The Little French Girl, The Texas Bearcat, Lena Rivers, If Marriage Fails

Unknown status: Riders of Mystery, The Drug Store Cowboy, The Texas Trail

The Iron Horse was Fox Films’ hasty response to Paramount’s The Covered Wagon, giving director John Ford his first major budget which he exceeded. But the film was an enormous success, and began Ford’s association with the Western genre. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2011. The film was shot on location in Wadsworth, Nevada, which came with many hardships for the Californian actors and crew. Sleeper cars were rented from a circus due to a lack of hotels. The cars were flea-ridden so cast and crew ended up sleeping in tents and in the movie sets. They were also unprepared for the below zero temperature in January, and many wore their costumes to keep warm. During the film’s run at New York’s Lyric Theatre, an original score composed by Ernö Rapée was played.

The Little French Girl was filmed on location in Bermuda. A surviving copy of Santa Fe Pete is preserved at the Library of Congress. A print of Parisian Nights, which features Boris Karloff in a small role, exists at the Cinematheque Royale de Belgique.

1935

May 28 – Paris in Spring (USA, Paramount Pictures)
May 28 – What Price Crime (USA, Beacon Productions)
May 29 – Dance Band (London, British International Pictures)
May 31 – Break of Hearts (USA, RKO Radio Pictures)
May 31 – Public Hero Number 1 (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
May 31 – Chinatown Squad (USA, Universal Pictures)
June – School for Stars (UK, British & Dominions Film Corporation)
June – Squibs (UK, Julius Hagen Productions)
June 1 – Border Brigands (USA, Buck Jones Productions)
June 1 – Red Blood of Courage (USA, Conn Pictures Corporation)
June 1 – The Girl from 10th Avenue (USA, First National Pictures)
June 1 – The Laramie Kid (USA, Reliable Pictures Corporation)
June 1 – Under the Pampas Moon (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
June 2 – Saddle Aces (USA, Resolute Pictures Corp.)
June 4 – The White Lilac (London, Fox Film Corporation)

Dance Band entered into general UK release on November 18, 1935, and was released in the US on January 2, 1936. The White Lilac entered general release in the UK on November 12, 1935; it has no known US theatrical release date.

Paris in Spring is also known as Paris Love Song. The screenplay for Break of Hearts was written specifically for star Katharine Hepburn. Her co-star was originally to be Francis Lederer, then John Barrymore, but Charles Boyer ultimately got the part.

Working titles for Chinatown Squad included Frisco Lady and Frisco Nights. It was shot on location in San Francisco. School for Stars and The White Lilac were produced as quota quickies to bolster the British film industry. Squibs was a remake of the 1921 film of the same name, with Betty Balfour starring in both.

The Girl from 10th Avenue was released in the UK as Men on Her Mind. The film was the fourth screen adaptation of Hubert Henry Davies’ play Outcast. The first was made in 1917. David Powell played the same role in both the 1917 and 1922 versions of the film. The 1928 version included a Vitaphone score with sound effects.

The Laramie Kid was the penultimate film of Alberta Vaughn. Under the Pampas Moon is also known as The Gaucho. Rita Hayworth has an early role in the film. Following the making of the film, Fox Film Corporation merged with 20th Century Pictures to form 20th Century-Fox.

1945

May 28 – Flame of Barbary Coast (USA, Republic Pictures)
May 31 – Back to Bataan (USA, RKO Radio Pictures)
May 31 – Twice Blessed (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
June – The Caribbean Mystery (USA, Twentieth Century Fox)
June 1 – Don Juan Quilligan (USA, Twentieth Century Fox)
June 1 – Renegades of the Rio Grande (USA, Universal Pictures)
June 1 – That’s the Spirit (USA, Universal Pictures)
June 1 – The Frozen Ghost (USA, Universal Pictures)
June 1 – The Missing Corpse (USA, Producers Releasing Corporation)
June 2 – Santa Fe Saddlemates (USA, Republic Pictures)
June 2 – Springtime in Texas (USA, Monogram Pictures)
June 4 – A Sporting Chance (USA, Republic Pictures)

Flame of Barbary Coast was advertised as one of eight ‘Super de Luxe’ productions from Republic Pictures. The film earned two Oscar nominations: Music Score and Sound Recording.

The working title for Back to Bataan was The Invisible Army. The American military provided assistance with the film’s production. Due to the rapidly changing conditions of the war, filming took 130 days to complete as rewrites were needed to keep up with current events. During action sequences, the film reuses large portions of Max Steiner’s score from King Kong.

Twice Blessed was a vehicle for The Wilde Twins, who were introduced in Andy Hardy’s Blonde Trouble.

The Caribbean Mystery marked the directorial debut of Robert D. Webb. It is the third film adaptation of the 1933 John W. Vandercock novel Murder in Trinidad produced by 20th Century-Fox. The lead role was rewritten specifically for James Dunn after his successful comeback in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The film’s working titles were Zombies of the Swamp and The Voodoo Mystery. An alligator named Ben was used in the swamp scenes, marking his 435th film appearance since 1909.

John Russell, who would go on to appear in the 1957-1962 TV series Lawman, received his first screen credit on Don Juan Quilligan. The Frozen Ghost is the fourth installment of the Inner Sanctum film series.

1955

Twentieth Century Fox

May 30 – Robbers’ Roost (USA, Goldstein-Jacks Productions)
May 31 – The Seven Little Foys (Romania, Hope Enterprises)
June – Confession (UK, Anglo-Guild Productions)
June – See How They Run (UK, Winwell)
June – The Secret (UK, Golden Era Film Productions)
June 2 – City of Shadows (USA, Republic Pictures)
June 2 – Rage at Dawn (USA, Nat Holt Productions)
June 2 – Son of Sinbad (USA, RKO Radio Pictures)
June 3 – Angela (USA, Patria Films)
June 3 – The Seven Year Itch (USA, Twentieth Century Fox)
June 4 – The Sea Chase (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)

Confession was released in the US on January 29, 1956 as The Deadliest Sin. See How They Run and The Secret have no known US theatrical release dates. The Seven Little Foys opened in the US on June 23, 1955. Angela first opened in Italy on November 17, 1954.

Zane Grey’s novel Robbers’ Roost was previously filmed in 1932.

James Cagney reprises his Yankee Doodle Dandy role of George M. Cohan in The Seven Little Foys. The story of the Seven Little Foys also inspired a 1964 TV version that was part of the NBC series Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, with Eddie Foy Jr. playing his father, Mickey Rooney as Cohan, and The Osmonds as the Foy children, as well as a 2007 stage musical.

Rage at Dawn purported to tell the true story of the outlaw gang the Reno Brothers. A more successful version of their story was released the next year, Love Me Tender starring Elvis Presley. The film was shot on location, giving the post-Civil War setting a somewhat ‘futuristic’ look with obvious electric lines and utility poles visible, as well as a flag pole flying the California State Flag.

Son of Sinbad was shot in 1953 for release in 3D, but due to issues with the Production Code the film was shelved until 1955 when it was converted to the SuperScope process in 2D (flat). It was Vincent Price’s fourth and final 3D film. Striptease artist Lili St. Cyr, referenced in the song ‘Rose Tint My World’ in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, also appears in the film, though her voice was dubbed at the request of Republic Pictures’ studio head Howard Hughes. Many of the harem girls, slave girls, trumpeters and raiders were cast through a series of pageants and contests seen or held by Hughes. Piper Laurie was to appear in the film but fell ill and was replaced with Sally Forrest. Dee Gee Sparks ad Nancy Dunn were given walk-on roles in the film because their fathers Robert Sparks and Linwood Dunn were the producers. The film was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency.

Angela star Dennis O’Keefe also wrote and directed the film.

Tom Ewell reprises his The Seven Year Itch stage role of Richard Sherman. Marilyn Monroe’s character is only billed as The Girl. Many lines and scenes from the play were cut from the film as they were deemed indecent by the Hays Office, including a major plot change from the show in which Sherman and The Girl have sex, only hinted at in the movie. Saul Bass created the film’s title sequence, which received favorable reviews, the first time the press mentioned the film’s title sequence. Ewell was nominated for and won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

MGM loaned Lana Turner to Warner Bros. for The Sea Chase. Turner performs the German song ‘Steh’ Ich im Finster Mitternacht’ (or ‘Treue Liebe’) with English lyrics written specifically for the film.

1965

May 28 – 24 Hours to Kill (West Germany, Grixflag Films)
May 30 – Three Hats for Lisa (UK, Seven Hills Productions)
June – Seaside Swingers (USA, Fitzroy Films Ltd.)
June – The Little Ones (UK, Goldhawk)
June – The Satan Bug (Austria, The Mirisch Corporation)
June – Zebra in the Kitchen (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
June 1 – Black Spurs (USA, A.C. Lyles Productions)
June 3 – Shenandoah (USA, Universal Pictures)
June 3 – The Knack …and How to Get It (UK, Woodfall Film Productions)
June 3 – The Yesterday Machine (USA, Carter Film Productions)
June 4 – A High Wind in Jamaica (West Germany, Twentieth Century-Fox Productions)

24 Hours to Kill was released in the US on July 17, 1966. Three Hats for Lisa has no known US theatrical release date. Seaside Swingers first opened in the UK in September 1964 as Every Day’s a Holiday. The Little Ones was released in the US on September 15, 1965. The Satan Bug first opened in Canada on March 23, 1965 and in the US on March 24. The Knack …and How to Get It was released in the US on June 29, 1965. A High Wind in Jamaica, which first opened in London in May 1965, was released in the US on June 16, 1965 following its Los Angeles premiere on May 26.

Three Hats for Lisa is also known as One Day in London, and was announced as A Day in London. It was star Sophie Hardy’s first English language movie.

The Satan Bug was based on the 1962 novel by Alistair MacLean, written under the pseudonym Ian Stuart. The film featured the first use of a stabilized camera mount, invented by Nelson Tyler, placed on a helicopter. Several actors appear in uncredited cameos including Harold Gould, Lee Remick, Noam Pitlik, and James Doohan.

Zebra in the Kitchen featured Jay North, best known as the star of TV series Dennis the Menace, in his first lead feature film role. Producer and director Ivan Tors was known for his work on the Flipper movies and TV series. Trained animals were provided by Africa USA. The film marks the debut of Bruno the Bear, who would go on to star in the TV series Gentle Ben. The shots of the ‘new zoo’ at the end of the movie were filmed at the San Diego Zoo. The film’s theme song was composed by Jay North’s uncle and on-set guardian, Hal Hopper.

Katahrine Ross and Rosemary Forsyth made their film debuts in Shenandoah. The film’s working titles were Field of Honor and Shenandoah Crossing. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Sound, and Forsyth was nominated for the Most Promising Newcomer – Female Golden Globe.

The Knack …and How to Get It featured the first film appearances of Jane Birkin, Charlotte Rampling and Jacqueline Bisset as extras. The film’s director, Richard Lester, makes a cameo appearance as an annoyed bystander.

The Yesterday Machine was a ‘regional film’ produced on a low budget and probably not screened outside the Texas drive-in circuit. It has, however, been distributed on DVD in 2007 and 2015.

Author Martin Amis was a child actor in A High Wind in Jamaica.

1975

May 30 – The Hiding Place (USA, World Wide Pictures)
June – Out of Season (UK, Lorimar Productions)
June 1 – I Don’t Want to Be Born (UK, Unicapital)
June 4 – Posse (USA, Bryna Productions)

Out of Season has no known US theatrical release date, though it did screen at the Chicago International Film Festival in November 1975. I Don’t Want to Be Born was released in the US in February 1976 as The Devil Within Her, and is also known as Sharon’s Baby and The Monster.

Jeanette Clift was Golden Globe nominated for Most Promising Newcomer – Female for her performance in The Hiding Place. The film features the last screen performance of Arthur O’Connell. Out of Season was originally announced as Winter Rates.

1985

Universal Pictures

May 31 – Fletch (USA, Universal Pictures)
May 31 – Steaming (UK, World Film Services)
June – Restless Natives (UK, EMI Films)
June – The Assam Garden (UK, Moving Picture Company)

Steaming first opened in France on May 22, 1985, and received a limited US theatrical release on August 29, 1986. Restless Natives was released in the US on September 12, 1986. The Assam Garden was released in the US on July 30, 1986.

Columbia Pictures made many unsuccessful attempts to adapt Gregory Mcdonald’s 1974 novel Fletch into a film, but production never got off the ground and the rights were purchased in 1976 by producer Jonathan Burrows. Burrows attemped to shop the script with a different title, but every major Hollywood studio — including Universal, which eventually made the film — and some second tier studios turned it down. Actor Michael Douglas and his brother Peter came on board as co-producers and helped get the film made. Author Mcdonald retained veto rights on casting and rejected both Burt Reynolds and Mick Jagger. He was open to Chevy Chase but had never seen him perform. Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin and Barry Bostwick were also in the running. George Segal was considered but turned it down. When Chase turned it down, Richard Dreyfuss was an option. Chase later said he never knew he had an offer, it was his manager who initially turned it down. He stated in a 2004 interview that Fletch was his favorite role. Chase finally accepted the role after some script rewrites and Mcdonald was happy to have him in the role, however he was upset by the rewrites and fired off a list of objections to the director, Michael Ritchie, who took Mcdonald to dinner and politely showed him point by point where he was wrong. During filming, Ritchie would keep Chase focused and comfortable on set, filming one take as scripted and another that allowed Chase to improvise. Chase later stated he very much enjoyed working with Ritchie.

Steaming was the last film directed by Joseph Losey, released a year after his death. It also marked the final screen appearance of Diana Dors, who also died in 1984.

1995

June 2 – Fluke (USA, Rocket Pictures)
June 2 – Mad Dogs and Englishmen (UK, Moor Street Films)
June 2 – The Bridges of Madison County (USA, Amblin Entertainment)
June 2 – The Glass Shield (USA, CiBy 2000)

Mad Dogs and Englishmen has no known US theatrical release date.

Fluke was originally greenlit at Paramount but a change of the studio’s Head of Production derailed the project. Alan Ladd Jr. at MGM approved production after seeing director Carlo Carlei’s Flight of the Innocent. Fluke, howver, was a box office bomb.

Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment purchased the rights to the 1992 novel The Bridges of Madison County in 1991 before publication, with Sydney Pollack asked to direct. The script went through three drafts before Spielberg and already cast star Clint Eastwood were satisfied, but the two worked together to hone the script to find the perfect voice for the film. Enjoying the process, Spielberg even considered directing the film after completing Schindler’s List. When he decided not to, Bruce Beresford was brought on, and Alfred Uhry took another shot at the screenplay, but Spielberg, Eastwood and Warner Bros. like their own script better so Beresford dropped out. Eastwood asked to direct the film and co-produce with his company, Malpaso Productions, to have more control over the film and help it move forward. Catherine Deneuve and Isabella Rossellini did screen tests to play Francesca, and despite Spielberg’s initial reluctance, Eastwood advocated heavily for Meryl Streep. Eastwood shot the film in chronological order from Francesca’s perspective which allowed the characters and the actors to get to know each other naturally. The MPAA gave the film an R-rating for the line ‘Or should we just fuck on the linoleum one last time?’, spoken sarcastically by Francesca. Eastwood appealed and got the rating reduced to a PG-13. Streep earned an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for her performance, and the film was also Golden Globe nominated for Best Picture – Drama.

2005

May 31 – Batman Begins (Japan, Syncopy)
June 1 – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (USA, DiNovi Pictures)
June 3 – Cinderella Man (USA, Parkway Productions)
June 3 – Lords of Dogtown (USA, Art Linson Productions)
June 3 – The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse (UK, Tiger Aspect Productions)

Batman Begins was released in the US and Canada on June 15, 2005. The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse received a limited US theatrical release on June 3, 2005.

Christopher Nolan and David Goyer wanted to ground Batman Begins in a more realistic setting, filming in the UK, Chicago and Iceland, relying more on traditional stunts and miniature effects, with CGI used sparingly. Comic book storylines such as The Man Who Falls, Batman: Year One, and Batman: The Long Halloween served as inspiration for the screenplay. Expectations for the film were on the low side following Batman & Robin in 1997, but critical review was positive and the film was a hit, elevating Christian Bale to leading man status, and earning the film an Oscar nomination for Cinematography. The film became one of the most influential films of the 2000s, and popularized the term ‘reboot’. Eion Bailey, Henry Cavill, Billy Crudup, Hugh Dancy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joshua Jackson, David Boreanaz, Heath Ledger and Cillian Murphy were all interested in the title role, and Josh Hartnett actually met with Nolan but decided not to puruse the part. Bale, Bailey and Murphy auditioned using the Batman Forever sonar suit donated by Val Kilmer, but the cape was lost. Amy Adams was the casting reader for the casting of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Bale was relatively unknown at the time of his casting, and after losing a large amount of weight for his role in The Machinist, he hired a personal trainer to help him bulk up by 100 pounds of muscle, and went over by 30 pounds, so he had to then lose the excess weight before filming began. Michael Caine created his own backstory for Alfred Pennyworth. Gary Oldman was the first choice for Ra’s al Ghul, but played Commissioner Gordon instead. Guy Pearce and Viggo Mortensen were considered before Liam Neeson was cast. Robert Downey Jr. was considered for the role of Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow before Cillian Murphy was cast. Warner Bros. had one condition for Nolan and that was that the film not be rated R. Nolan was fine with that because he wanted to make the Batman movie he wanted to see at 11-years-old. Goyer wanted to include Harvey Dent in the film but decided they could not do justice to the character, so the new character of Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) was created. Aaron Eckhart eventually portrayed Dent in 2008’s The Dark Knight. Scarecrow and Ra’s al Ghul were chosen as the film’s villains as they had not been used in previous Batman films or the 1966 TV series. Nolan diverged from the notion that Bruce Wayne was inspired by seeing a Zorro movie with his parents before they were murdered, rather emphasized the importance of bats to Bruce and that the idea of becoming a superhero was his own, and for this reason no other DC Comics superheroes exist in this particular film universe. Nolan did not use a second unit while filming in order to maintain his own consistent vision for the film. Nolan screened Blade Runner for his production crew to give them an idea of how he envisioned this particular world. The Batsuit was designed to give the wearer more mobility to move easily, fight and crouch, with an emphasis on head movement, which had been very restrictive in previous suits. The cowl was thin enough for Bale to move his head but thick enough that it didn’t wrinkle.

Hilary Duff was considered for the role of Tibby in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but director Ken Kwapis chose Amber Tamblyn instead. America Ferrera was the first actress cast, and others who were originally included in the cast were Mischa Barton, Kristin Kreuk and Olivia Wilde.

Filming for Cinderella Man took place in Toronto, with several areas of the city redressed to resemble 1930s New York. Department store The Bay’s Queen Street location was redressed as Madison Square Garden. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards and two Golden Globes.

Lords of Dogtown features cameos from Johnny Knoxville, Charles Napier, Tony Hawk, Jeremy Renner, Joel McHale, Alexis Arquette and Bai Ling. David Fincher was originally attached to direct, but Catherine Hardwicke landed the job and Fincher stayed on as an executive producer.

The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse marked the directorial debut of Steve Bendelack. Michael Sheen, David Warner, Bernard Hill and Simon Pegg are among the movie’s guest cast, with Sheen appearing as the fourth member of the League of Gentlemen.

2015

Village Roadshow Pictures

May 28 – Partisan (AUS, Animal Kingdom)
May 29 – 45 Years (Estonia, The Match Factory)
May 29 – Aloha (USA, Scott Rudin Productions)
May 29 – Barely Lethal (USA, limited, RKO Radio Pictures)
May 29 – Heaven Knows What (USA, Elara Pictures)
May 29 – Man Up (UK, Big Talk Productions)
May 29 – San Andreas (USA, Village Roadshow Pictures)
May 29 – Survivor (USA, Millennium Films)
June 3 – Entourage (USA/Canada, Closest to the Hole Productions)

Partisan first opened in France on May 6, 2015, and was released in the US and Canada on October 2, 2015. 45 Years received a limited US theatrical release on December 23, 2015 after screening at several film festivals. Barely Lethal first opened in Kuwait on April 23, 2015. Man Up was released in the US on November 13, 2015. San Andreas first opened in France on May 27, 2015. Survivor first opened in Italy on May 21, 2015.

Partisan marks the directorial debut of Ariel Kleiman. Most of the interiors were filmed in Australia, while the exteriors were filmed in the country of Georgia.

Charlotte Rampling earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her work in 45 Years. The film received a BAFTA nominations for Outstanding British Film, and Rampling and co-star Tom Courtenay won Silver Bears for Best Actress and Actor at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.

Working titles for Aloha were Deep Tiki and Volcano Romance. Emma Stone received ground training on how to fly the Piper PA44-180 Seminole airplane from Rob Moore, Chief Instructor Pilot of Galvin Flight Services Hawaii, who later flew the airplane near Kaʻaʻawa Valley for the inflight shots. Stone’s casting was criticized by the Media Action Network for Asian Americans as her character was stated to be one-quarter Chinese and one-quarter of Hawaiian descent. Director Cameron Crowe issued an apology, but in doing so said the casting was based on a real-life, red-headed local. Stone later stated she regretted letting herself be inaccurately ethnically cast, but also echoed Crowe’s statement that the character was not supposed to look like her background.

Barely Lethal originally received an R-rating from the MPAA, but was appealed to a PG-13 by the filmmakers without having to cut or edit any scenes. Survivor featured the final role of Roger Rees. Emma Thompson was cast in the film and appeared in promotional material, but pulled out at the last minute.

Filming on Entourage was disrupted when one of the stars, Kevin Connolly, broke his leg filming a football scene with Russell Wilson, resulting in a number of script changes to accommodate the injury.