Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #259 :: July 10•16

Quite a few new movies made their debuts this week across the decades, with some well-known actors making their film debuts along the way. Of the notable releases, one lost 1925 film launched the opening of a classic venue in Chicago, a 1935 film brought a popular German actor to the US, a 1945 film scored the only career Oscar nomination for an actor who would go on to have a long career, 1955 produced the first sequel to a long-running film series, 1965 saw the penultimate beach party movie, a 1985 film sequel brought a popular singer to the big screen, a 1995 film imported a British actor to the US for the first time, a 2005 film attempted to remain more faithful to its source material than a 1971 version, and a 2015 prequel put all of the parent film’s secondary characters front and center. Scroll down to see all of the films released this week across the past century, and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.

1925

• July 11 – West of Arizona (USA, Lariat Productions)
• July 12 – Greater Than a Crown (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• July 12 – The Bloodhound (USA, Independent Pictures)
• July 12 – The Lady Who Lied (USA, First National Pictures)
• July 12 – The Woman Hater (New York City, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• July 13 – Lost: A Wife (USA, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation)
• July 13 – The Lucky Devil (USA, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation)
• July 13 – Tracked in the Snow Country (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• July 14 – The Overland Limited (USA, Gotham Productions)
• July 15 – Speed Mad (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• July 15 – The Bad Lands (USA, Hunt Stromberg Productions)
• July 16 – Headlines (USA, St. Regis Productions)

The Woman Hater entered wide release in the US on August 6, 1925.

Lost films: The Lady Who Lied, Lost: A Wife

Unknown status: West of Arizona, The Bloodhound, The Overland Limited, Speed Mad, The Bad Lands

A print of Greater Than a Crown is preserved in a foreign film archive. The film was based on the 1819 novel The Lady from Long Acre by Victor Bridges, which has previously been adapted for the 1921 film of the same name.

The Lady Who Lied was the feature attraction at the gala opening of the Uptown Theatre in Chicago on August 18, 1925. A print of The Woman Hater is housed at the French archive Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée in Fort de Bois-d’Arcy.

The Lucky Devil is preserved at the Library of Congress, George Eastman House, the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and the Pacific Film Archive at the University of California, Berkeley. A print of Tracked in the Snow Country is held by Cinemateket-Svenska Filminstitutet, Stockholm. Prints of Headlines survive in the Library of Congress and EYE Film Institute Netherlands.

1935

• July 10 – Born to Gamble (USA, Liberty Pictures)
• July 11 – Get That Man (USA, Scott-Bennet Productions)
• July 12 – Mad Love (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• July 12 – She (USA, Merian C. Cooper Productions)
• July 12 – The Murder Man (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• July 13 – Don’t Bet on Blondes (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• July 15 – Annie, Leave the Room! (UK, Julius Hagen Productions)
• July 15 – Bulldog Jack (UK, Gaumont British Picture Corporation)
• July 15 – The Black Room (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• July 15 – The Evil Mind (USA, Gaumont British Picture Corporation)
• July 15 – The Keeper of the Bees (USA, W.T. Lackey Productions)
• July 16 – Champagne for Breakfast (USA, Liberty Pictures Productions)

Annie, Leave the Room! has no known US theatrical release date. Bulldog Jack was released in the US on September 1, 1935 as Alias Bulldog Drummond.

Mad Love is also known as The Hands of Orlac, and is an adaptation of the novel of the same name. It was the last film directed by Karl Freund, who would have a more notable career as a cinematographer, and Peter Lorre’s American film debut. The film was not successful but is cited as an influence on Citizen Kane as cinematographer Gregg Toland worked on both films. Chester Lyons was to be the original cinematographer but Freund insisted on Toland. MGM cut about 15 minutes of the film after its initial release, including the surgery to get Rollo’s hands, a pre-credit warning scene, and the entire performance of Isabel Jewell as Marianne.

Producer Merian C. Cooper wanted to film She in color, but switched to black-and-white after last minute budget cuts. The film was not a box office success, but gained popularity after a 1949 re-release on a double bill with The Last Days of Pompeii. Both films were to be produced for $1 million each, but RKO cut the budget and Cooper was forced to film them for a combined $1 million. The first draft of the script was set in Africa, included an interracial marriage, which was forbidden by the Hays Code, and all of the main characters died, which did not please the studio. To get around the marriage issue, the film’s setting was moved to the Arctic. Theatre actress Helen Gahagan did not appear in any other films following She. To get around the budget cuts, sets from other films were reused, such as the Skull Island gates from King Kong standing in as the orante grand palace gates. An animated mammoth attack scene, to be handled by Willis O’Brien, was also cut. The age of She was changed from 2,000 years old to 500 years old to make it more believable. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Dance Direction.

The Murder Man was Spencer Tracy’s first film at MGM, which would lead to a 20 year career with the studio. It is also the feature film debut of James Stewart.

Don’t Bet on Blondes was originally known as Not on Your Life. Original star Dolores del Rio was replaced with Claire Dodd. Errol Flynn has a bit part in his fifth screen appearance, his second Hollywood film just before his breakthrough role in Captain Blood later in the year.

Annie, Leave the Room! was produced as a quota quickie for distribution in the UK by Universal Pictures. The Black Room was released in the UK as The Black Room Mystery. The Evil Mind was released in the UK as The Clairvoyant.

1945

• July 10 – Road to Alcatraz (USA, Republic Pictures)
• July 11 – Her Highness and the Bellboy (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• July 11 – Trail of Kit Carson (USA, Republic Pictures)
• July 13 – On Stage Everybody (USA, Universal Pictures)
• July 13 – Out of This World (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• July 13 – The Story of G.I. Joe (USA, Lester Cowan Productions)
• July 13 – Within These Walls (USA, Twentieth Century Fox)
• July 14 – Oregon Trail (USA, Republic Pictures)
• July 14 – The Corn Is Green (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• July 15 – The Cheaters (USA, Republic Pictures)
• July 15 – Mr. Muggs Rides Again (USA, Sam Katzman Productions)
• July 16 – Hitchhike to Happiness (USA, Republic Pictures)

MGM rushed production of Her Highness and the Bellboy due to star Hedy Lamarr’s ‘impending motherhood’. Completing the film marked the end of Lamarr’s contract with MGM.

Out of This World was originally titled Divided by Three, and was to star Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton. Hutton was assigned to a different film, and her role went to Diana Lyn. Veronica Lake was given the third lead, which was a step down for her, having been one of Paramount’s biggest stars. The film satirized the Frank Sinatra ‘bobby soxer’ cult.

Producer Lester Cowan wanted John Huston to direct The Story of G.I. Joe, but Huston was currently enlisted and Cowan was unable to secure a deferment from the military for his services. William Wellman accepted the position. The film received four Oscar nominations including Supporting Actor, Robert Mitchum’s only career nomination. The film was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2000, and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2009.

The Corn Is Green was adapted from the 1938 play of the same name by Emlyn Williams, which originally starred Ethel Barrymore. John Dall and Joan Loring received Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Actress. The play was adapted again in 1979 for a TV movie starring Katharine Hepburn.

The Cheaters is also known as MR. M. and the Pigeons, The Amazing MR. M., The Magnificent Mr. M. and The Magnificent Rogue. It was re-released in 1949 as The Castaway. The project was originally set up at Paramount for John Barrymore and Carole Lombard, but was shelved following the deaths of both stars. Paramount later tried to recast but it was eventually sold to Republic, a very atypical film for the studio, a screwball comedy, and many of the stars had to be borrowed from other studios.

Hitchhike to Happiness received an Oscar nomination for Morton Scott for Best Musical Score.

1955

• July 12 – Doctor at Sea (UK, Group Film Productions Limited)
• July 13 – The Night Holds Terror (USA, Andrew L. Stone Productions)

Doctor at Sea was released in the US on February 23, 1956. It was the second of seven films in the Doctor series. James Robertson Justice and Joan Sims returned from the first film but as different characters. Dirk Bogarde reprised his role as the Doctor. This was Brigitte Bardot’s first English-language film. The film was BAFTA nominated for Best British Screenplay in 1956.

1965

• July 12 – Harvey Middleman, Fireman (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• July 14 – How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (USA, Alta Vista Productions)
• July 15 – Catch Us If You Can (UK, Bruton Film Productions)

Catch Us If You Can was released in the US on August 18, 1965 as Having a Wild Weekend (also known as The Dave Clark Five Run Wild).

Harvey Middleman, Fireman was the first feature film directed by Ernest Pintoff after directing a series of shorts.

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini was sixth of a seven film beach party movie series. Annette Funicello stars with Dwayne Hickman, while Frankie Avalon makes a brief appearance as he was busy filming Sergeant Deadhead. Buster Keaton appears in one of his final roles. It was the last beach party movie to feature both Funicello and Avalon. Tommy Kirk was the original male lead, but shortly before filming began he was arrested for possession of marijuana and replaced with Hickman. Mickey Rooney agreed to work on the film for one week with a $5000 salary to pay off some tax debts. Funicello was pregnant at the time of filming, her condition concealed by various blousy tunics and props like a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was her least favorite film of the series to make because of her pregnancy and Avalon’s absence. The film features the only big screen appearance of The Kingsman, performing ‘Give Her Lovin’’. Elizabeth Montgomery, who was married to the film’s director William Asher, makes a cameo appearance in the final scene as the daughter of the witch doctor who has her own magical powers, a parody of her role on Bewitched. Art Clokey, creator of Gumby, provided the film’s opening claymation credits.

Catch Us If You Can was the feature directorial debut of John Boorman. While the film was a vehicle for The Dave Clark Five, they do not portray themselves, rather a team of stuntmen with their real names used for the characters. Lenny Davidson is the only member of the group who says nothing, usually because the others don’t let him. Marianne Faithfull turned down the role of Dinah for being ‘too poppy’.

1975

• July 11 – Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (USA, Harbor productions)
• July 16 – White Line Fever (USA, International Cinemedia Center)

Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold is a sequel to 1973’s Cleopatra Jones. Author of the original film’s source material, Max Julien, refused to participate in the sequel but got a ‘based on characters created by’ credit.

Producer Peter Gruber hired Jonathan Kaplan to direct White Line Fever based on the success of Truck Turner, which Gruber mistakenly believed was about trucks.

1985

• July 10 – Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (USA, Kennedy Miller Productions)
• July 10 – Silverado (USA, Delphi III Productions)
• July 12 – Explorers (USA, Edmund S. Feldman Productions)
• July 14 – The Coca-Cola Kid (USA, The Australian Film Commission)

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome first opened in Japan on June 29, 1985. Also known as Mad Max 3, it is the only film in the series to be rated PG-13 by the MPAA. It was the most expensive Australian-made film at the time of production. Maurice Jarre composed the score, replacing Brian May who had done the first two films. The film also contains two songs by Tina Turner, who co-starred in the movie. ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)’ plays over the end credits. It was released as a single and hit Number 1 in Canada, Number 2 in the US, and Number 3 on the UK charts, and was nominated for a Golden Globe. ‘One of the Living’ reached 15 in Canada and the US, and 55 in the UK, and it went on to win a Grammy Award in 1986 for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Turner won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture in 1986.

The town of Silverado was built on the property of New Mexico residents Bill and Marian Cook. Two or three structures were originally planned, but as the project grew so did the town. The film received Oscar nominations for Best Sound and Best Original Score.

Explorers stars Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix in their film debuts. Director Joe Dante has stated the studio rushed the film for a July release date and it was never properly finished. It was then overshadowed by the Live Aid concert one day after the film’s release, and Back to the Future which had opened nine days earlier. Wolfgang Petersen was originally signed to direct based on his success with The NeverEnding Story. He wanted to film in Germany but Paramount preferred to keep the production in the US with an American director so Petersen was out, and went on to direct Enemy Mine. Singer Cherie Currie was considered for a role but according to her autobiograohy, she was deep into her drug addiction and couldn’t even make it to a meeting.

1995

• July 12 – Nine Months (USA, 1492 Pictures)
• July 14 – Hotel Sorrento (AUS, Australia Film)
• July 14 – Roosters (USA, American Playhouse)
• July 14 – The Indian in the Cupboard (USA/Canada, The Kennedy/Marshall Company)
• July 14 – Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (USA, New Regency Productions)

Hotel Sorrento first opened in Australia on April 20, 1995.

Nine Months is an American remake of the French film, Neuf mois, and was Hugh Grant’s first starring role in an American film.

Native American rapper Litefoot was discovered performing a rap concert in Rome and was recommended to the producers of The Indian in the Cupboard. Upon his recommendation, an Onondaga adviser was hired to replace the Mohawk adviser to help make his character, Little Bear, more culturally authentic. It took 3 1⁄2 to 4 1⁄2 hours to apply his tattoos each day.

2005

• July 15 – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (USA/Canada, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• July 15 – Festival (UK, FilmFour)
• July 15 – Wedding Crashers (USA/Canada, Tapestry Films)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory first opened in France and Belgium on July 13, 2005. Festival has no known US theatrical release date. Wedding Crashers first opened in the UK on July 14, 2005.

Willy Wonka’s chocolate room in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was built on the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios. Director Tim Burton chose to build sets and environments rather than rely on CGI. Squirrels were trained from birth for Veruca Salt’s elimination from the tour, and scenes were augmented with mechanical and CGI squirrles. Actor Deep Roy performed each Oompa-Loompa, 165 total, individually rather than one performance duplicated digitally. New film versions of the Roald Dahl story had been in the works since 1991 as the author hated the 1971 film adaptation, but the project languished in development hell. The Dahl estate had a list of preferred directors including Ang Lee, Terry Gilliam, Anthony Minghella and Spike Jonze. Scott Frank wrote a screenplay in 1999. Nicholas Cage was under consideration to play Willy Wonka, but he lost interest. Gary Ross was signed to direct in February 2000, and Frank completed two more drafts of the script before both he and Ross left in September 2001. Gwyn Lurie was next to take a crack at the script with the approval of the Dahl estate, which liked her adaptation of Dahl’s The BFG, which was never made. Martin Scorsese was briefly involved but left to make The Aviator. Jim Carrey was considered to play Wonka, but the estate opposed his casting. Tim Burton was hired in June 2003, and he was the first and only director the estate was happy with, as he had produced the adaptation of Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach, and he too disliked the 1971 film. Burton chose to add the character of Willy Wonka’s father to the story, which the estate was conflicted about but ultimately supported his vision. Burton reasoned that the father character helped explain who Willy Wonka was instead of just being some weird character. Warner Bros. had a list of potential Willy Wonkas including Bill Murray, Christopher Walken, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Mike Myers, Ben Stiller, Leslie Nielsen, Patrick Stewart and Adam Sandler. Dustin Hoffman and Marilyn Manson were also interested. Michael Jackson also wanted the role and secretly recorded a soundtrack for the film. Warner Bros. did not want Jackson but loved his songs and offered to buy them, but Jackson was upset about being rebuffed for the role and shelved the songs. Johnny Depp was the only actor Burton wanted for the role, but Dwayne Johnson was his second choice. For the first time, Burton did not face pushback from the studio for wanting to cast Depp. Depp based Wonka’s bob haircut and sunglasses on Anna Wintour. Burton was having trouble casting Charlie, and Depp suggested Freddie Highmore, with whom he’d worked on Finding Neverland. Highmore had read the book but did not see the original film until after completing production. Gregory Peck was considered for Grandpa Joe but died before he could accept the part. Director Burton, composer Danny Elfman, screenwriter John August and production designer Alex McDowell served in the same positions on The Corpse Bride, which was filming simultaneously. Cast members Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Deep Roy and Christopher Lee recorded their Corpse Bride vocals while filming Charlie. While Burton strove for realism while filming, some shots could not be accomplished without CGI. Violet Beauregarde’s inflation was done practically but Burton was not satisfied with the effect so it was done with CGI. Willy Wonka’s pale complexion was achieved in post-production by isolating Depp’s face in each shot and desaturating the color. During filming in the chocolate room, a camera was improperly secured and plunged into the faux chocolate river, destroying the $540,000 piece of equipment and delaying production. The child actors could only work four and a half hours a day, and filming took six months. Burton claimed the film still ended production ahead of schedule. The film received one Oscar nomination for Costume Design, a Golden Globe nomination for Depp, and four BAFTA nominations for Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair and Special Visual Effects.

Scenes of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Festival were shot during the 2004 event.

Wedding Crashers was the first R-rated comedy to earn $200 million at the domestic box office, and is credited for helping revive the popularity of adult-oriented comedies. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson were the first actors cast for the film. Bradley Cooper was cast based on his test reading. Isla Fisher was a relative unknown in the US, but was cast over Shannon Elizabeth and Anna Paquin. Christopher Walken was cast as Secretary Cleary over the objections of the studio who saw him as a more dramatic actor, wanting a more comedic actor like Burt Reynolds. Nicholas Cage was considered for Chazz Reinhold before Will Ferrell was cast. Over 200 actresses auditioned for the role of Claire before Rachel McAdams won the part. It was the last main role to be cast.

2015

• July 10 – Boulevard (USA, limited, Camellia Entertainment)
• July 10 – Minions (USA/Canada, Illumination Entertainment)
• July 10 – Self/Less (USA/Canada, FilmNation Entertainment)
• July 10 – Strangerland (USA/Canada, limited, WorldView Entertainment)
• July 10 – Tangerine (USA/Canada, Freestyle Picture Company)
• July 10 – The Gallows (USA/Canada, Blumhouse)
• July 16 – Ruben Guthrie (AUS, Scarlett Pictures)

Minions first opened in Indonesia on June 17, 2015. The Gallows first opened in several international markets including Chile, Hungary and Thailand on July 9, 2015. Ruben Guthrie has no known US theatrical release date.

Minions is a spin-off from Despicable Me, but also serves as a prequel and is the third film in the series overall. Co-dirctor Pierre Coffin provides the voices of all the Minions characters. The film was developed following the success of the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem simulator ride at the Universal Studios theme parks. The film received a BAFTA nomination for Best Animated Film.

Many elements of the film Self/Less are similar to the 1966 film Seconds. The film was originally to be released on September 26, 2014, but setbacks including the absorption of distributor FilmDistrict into Focus Features delayed the release.

Strangerland marked the directorial debut of Kim Farrant. Though produced in Australia, the film was not released theatrically in the country. Guy Pearce was originally cast in the film but was replaced by Joseph Fiennes. Maddison Brown made her acting debut in the film.

Tangerine was shot with three iPhone 5S smartphones, using the FiLMIC Pro app to control focus, aperture and color temperature, as well as capture video clips at higher bit-rates, an anamorphic adapter from Moondog Labs for the widescreen image, and Tiffen’s Steadicam Smoothee to capture smooth moving shots. Moondog’s adapters were still in the prototype stage, and they provided three for use on the film at no charge. The money saved on camera equipment was used to pay for shooting locations and to pay extras. The film was edited in Final Cut Pro, and color graded in DaVinci Resolve. The film’s producers launched the first Oscar campaign for openly transgender actresses for Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor.

Development on The Gallows began in 2011 when directors Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff uploaded a trailer for the film, which went viral. Securing a financing contract with Blumhouse Productions, owner Jason Blum advised the filmmakers to invest in some additional work on their film, and over the next two years about 80% of it was completely re-shot. Cassidy Gifford was cast at the last minute to replace an actress from the original version of the film who had lost a significant amount of weight. Gifford’s parents, Frank and Kathie Lee, recommended their daughter for the part, but the filmmakers have insisted she won it on her own merits, and did not think she would actually agree to be in the film. Though the film is set in Lofing’s hometown of Beatrice, Nebraska, all of the scenes in the theatrical release were shot in Fresno, California. Several of the original scenes were dropped when Blumhouse picked up the film, although they were included on the DVD and Blu-ray releases. All of the actors performed their own stunts and no major CGI was used. A sequel was filmed secretly in 2017, and was released in 2019 by Lionsgate.