Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #268 :: September 11•17

A large number of films were released this week, a few with some interesting facts. One 1925 film features an uncredited actor who would go on to horror glory. A 1935 film paired two actors in one of their thirteen films together. The budget for a 1955 film required a curious omission for the main monster. A 1965 ‘three-quel’ strayed from the original films’ continuity and characters. A 1975 Italian film went on to become a cinematic classic. A 1985 film has become a cult classic. A 1995 film led to the marriage of its two leads … briefly. A 2005 film brought claymation characters to the big screen, and a 2015 film saw the comeback of a director known for his twist endings. Scroll down to see all of the films released this week, and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.

1925

• September 11 – The Love Gamble (USA, Banner Productions)
• September 11 – The Pride of the Force (USA, Paul Gerson Pictures Corporation)
• September 12 – The Wife Who Wasn’t Wanted (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• September 12 – Wreckage (USA, Banner Productions)
• September 13 – California Straight Ahead (USA, Universal Pictures)
• September 13 – Never the Twain Shall Meet (USA, Cosmopolitan Pictures)
• September 13 – What Fools Men (USA, First National Pictures)
• September 14 – Range Buzzards (USA, Lariat Productions)
• September 14 – Souls for Sables (USA, Tiffany Productions)
• September 14 – Wild Horse Mesa (USA, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation)
• September 15 – Sealed Lips (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• September 15 – The Primrose Path (USA, Arrow Film Corporation)
• September 15 – Wandering Fires (USA, Maurice Campbell)
• September 16 – Paint and Powder (USA, Hunt Stromberg Productions)

The survival status of The Pride of the Force, Wreckage, Range Buzzards, and Sealed Lips is unknown, while The Wife Who Wasn’t Wanted, Never the Twain Shall Meet, and What Fools Men are considered lost.

The Love Gamble is preserved in 16mm at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

Tom Wilson played the character of Sambo in blackface in California Straight Ahead. Prints of the film are held by the Cinematheque Royale de Belgique, George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection, and UCLA Film and Television Archive.

Boris Karloff appears uncredited in Never the Twain Shall Meet. It was remade as a talkie in 1931. A print of Souls for Sables is in the Library of Congress collection, BFI National Archive, and George Eastman House.

Several prints of Wild Horse Mesa have survived. Complete prints of The Primrose Path are held by the Cinematheque Royale de Belgique in Brussels, the BFI in London, the George Eastman Museum in Rochester and the UCLA Film and Television Archive in Los Angeles.

A print of Wandering Fires is held by the George Eastman House. A print of Paint and Powder is held by the Library of Congress and in the George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection.

1935

• September 11 – Man of the Moment (London, Warner Brothers-First National Productions)
• September 12 – Red Salute (USA, Edward Small Productions)
• September 12 – Two for Tonight (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• September 12 – Two Sinners (USA, Trem Carr Pictures)
• September 13 – Honeymoon for Three (UK, Stanley Lupino Productions)
• September 13 – The Bishop Misbehaves (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• September 13 – The Gay Deception (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• September 13 – The Return of Peter Grimm (USA, RKO Radio Pictures)
• September 13 – Without Regret (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• September 14 – Special Agent (USA, Cosmopolitan Productions)
• September 15 – Condemned to Live (USA, Invincible Pictures Corp.)
• September 15 – Streamline Express (USA, Mascot Pictures)
• September 16 – Street Song (UK, Julius Hagen Productions)
• September 17 – The Virginia Judge (USA, Paramount Pictures)

Man of the Moment was released in the UK on February 24, 1936. It made its debut in the US on TCM on September 17, 2007. Honeymoon for Three has no known US theatrical release date. Street Song was first released in London on March 25, 1935, but does not have a known US theatrical release date.

Red Salute is also known as Arms and the Girl and Her Enlisted Man. The working title was Her Uncle Sam. It was one of the first anti-communist movies made in the US.

The working title of Two Sinners was Two Black Sheep, the same as the title of the novel upon which it was based. The Bishop Misbehaves is also known as The Bishop’s Misadventures.

The Gay Deception received an Oscar nomination for Best Story for writers Stephen Morehouse Avery and Don Hartman. The Return of Peter Grimm was previously filmed in 1926 as a silent film.

Without Regret features an early screen performance by David Niven. It was based on the play Interference, which was filmed in 1928. Special Agent was one of three 1935 films starring Bette Davis and George Brent. They made a total of 13 together. Neither was happy with the finished film.

Condemned to Live is unusual for the time in that it approaches the topic of vampirism from a sympathetic standpoint and presents it as if it were an illness. Streamline Express is an adaptation of Twentieth Century, which was released a year earlier. Both films feature Ralph Forbes in a similar role.

1945

• September 11 – Arson Squad (USA, Alexander-Stern Productions)
• September 13 – China Sky (Mexico, RKO Radio Pictures)
• September 13 – I Love a Bandleader (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• September 14 – Bandits of the Badlands (USA, Republic Pictures)
• September 14 – Jungle Raiders (USA, serial, Sam Katzman Productions)
• September 14 – Men in Her Diary (USA, Universal Pictures)
• September 15 – Along the Navajo Trail (USA, Republic Pictures)
• September 15 – Love, Honor and Goodbye (USA, Republic Pictures)
• September 15 – South of the Rio Grande (USA, Monogram Pictures)
• September 15 – The Fatal Witness (USA, Republic Picturers)

China Sky first opened in the US on May 16, 1945. While set in wartime China, white actors in lead roles played Asian characters in yellowface, which was a common practice at the time.

South of the Rio Grande was the third Cisco Kid film made in 1945 and, unusually, was a quasi-musical.

1955

• September 11 – The Warriors (USA, Allied Artists Pictures)
• September 14 – Bengazi (USA, Panamint Film)
• September 14 – It Came from Beneath the Sea (Mexico, Clover Productions)
• September 15 – Apache Woman (USA, Golden State Productions)
• September 15 – Headline Hunters (USA, Republic Pictures)
• September 16 – Abdulla the Great (Finland, Misr Universal Cairo)
• September 16 – Duel on the Mississippi (USA, Sam Kaatzman Productions)

The Warriors first opened in the UK on April 15, 1955 as The Dark Avenger. It Came from Beneath the Sea first opened in the US on June 18. 1955. Headline Hunters premiered in London on August 22, 1955 and was released in the UK on September 5. Abdulla the Great was released in the US in June 1956 as Abdulla’s Harem.

The Warriors was the last historical film made by Errol Flynn. Its original title was The Black Prince. Production used a castle built for 1952’s Ivanhoe.

The screenplay for It Came from Beneath the Sea was designed to showcase the stop motion animation special effects by Ray Harryhausen. The title was inspired by Universal’s It Came from Outer Space. To keep costs low, filming was conducted inside an actual submarine, above and below the water, using handheld cameras. The budget was so tight that Harryhausen could only animate six of the octopus’ eight tentacles, two of which were removed in the final shooting script. Harryhausen jokingly named the creature the ‘Sixtopus’. Producers were not given permission to film on the Golden Gate Bridge, so they strapped a camera to a truck and drove it back and forth to get the needed footage.

Apache Woman was the second film directed by Roger Corman. It was also one of the first releases for American Releasing Corporation, which became American International Pictures. Dick Miller, who became associated with Corman over his career, made his acting debut in the film, playing two roles — an Indian and a member of the posse. He ends up shooting at himself.

1965

• September 15 – Curse of the Fly (South Africa, Lippert Films)
• September 15 – The Reward (USA, Arcola Pictures)

Curse of the Fly first opened in the US on March 31, 1965. While it is the third film in The Fly series, its story does not match the continuity of the previous two films although it builds its narrative on elements and characters from those films. The main characters are the son and grandson of The Fly‘s Andre Delambre. Andre is never mentioned by name, but his teleportation device and accidental integration with a housefly remain part of the backstory. Andre’s son in Curse of the Fly is not Philippe from the original movie, but Henri, who was able to reverse the integration rather than follow the original story’s assisted suicide plot (which was also done by the adult Philippe in Return of the Fly). Henris name is never mentioned in the movie, only in the film’s credits.

1975

• September 17 – Swept Away (USA, Medusa Distribuzione)

Swept Away first opened in Italy on December 19, 1974 as Travolti da un insolito destino nell’azzurro mare d’agosto. The full title in English is Swept Away by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August. The film was remade in 2002 by director Guy Ritchie, starring his then-wife Madonna, with co-star Adriano Giannini, the son of Giancarlo Giannini who starred in the original with Mariangela Melato.

1985

• September 12 – No Surrender (Canada, Channel Four Films)
• September 12 – The Empty Beach (AUS/USA, Jethro Films Productions)
• September 13 – After Hours (New York City, The Geffen Company)

No Surrender was released in the US on August 6, 1986. After Hours entered wide release in the US on October 11, 1985.

After Hours was originally to have been directed by Tim Burton after producers Amy Robinson and Griffin Dunne (who also played the lead) were impressed with his short film Vincent. Burton willingly stepped away when Martin Scorsese expressed interest after the failures of both The Last Temptation of Christ, which had been abandoned by the studio due to the controversy, and The King of Comedy. The film’s original title was One Night in Soho. Rosanna Arquette received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and Scorsese won Best Director. Dunne was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance. The film also earned five Independent Spirit Awards nominations, winning both Best Feature and Best Director. The film has become a cult classic, and has inspired The Weeknd’s 2020 album After Hours, as well as the 2021 Ted Lasso episode, ‘Beard After Hours’.

1995

• September 13 – Clockers (USA, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks)
• September 15 – Angus (USA, Atlas Entertainment)
• September 15 – Blue Juice (UK, Film4 Productions)
• September 15 – Hackers (USA/Mexico, Suftly)
• September 15 – Mute Witness (USA, Cobblestone Pictures)
• September 15 – The Stars Fell on Henrietta (USA, Butcher’s Run Films)

Blue Juice was released in the US on November 15, 1996.

Martin Scorsese was originally attached to direct Clockers, but he dropped out to focus on his passion project, Casino. Spike Lee stepped in and rewrote the script, while Scorsese remained with the project as a producer. Critics and film buffs noted the theatrical poster was very similar to the artwork of Saul Bass for the 1959 film Anatomy of a Murder. Artist Art Sims claimed it was meant as an homage, but Bass regarded it as a rip-off.

The cast of Hackers spent three weeks together before filming, learning to type and rollerblade, studying computers and meeting with actual hackers. Lead actor Jonny Lee Miller attended a hackers’ convention. Quentin Tarantino was considered for the role of The Plague. School scenes filmed at Stuyvesant High School featured real school seniors as extras. The interior scenes for the Cyberdelia nightclub were filmed at the disused Brentford Public Baths, on the outskirts of London while the exterior was filmed in downtown Manhattan. Miller and co-star Angelina Jolie married shortly after filming ended, but separated after a year and divorced in 1999.

Mute Witness was the feature film debut for writer and director Anthony Waller. Alec Guinness makes a cameo appearance in what would be his final theatrical film. The scene was filmed nearly a decade earlier when Waller was working with Guinness on a television commercial in Hamburg. The original screenplay was set in Chicago, but Waller was convinced to shoot in Moscow for its cheaper sets and labor. Gina Bellman was to play the lead but dropped out at the last minute due to illness. Marina Zudina was cast on short notice, but Waller had to direct her through an interpreter as she did not speak English and he did not speak Russian.

2005

• September 15 – An Unfinished Life (Israel, The Ladd Company)
• September 15 – Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (AUS, Aardman Animation)
• September 16 – Cry Wolf (USA, Hypnotic)
• September 16 – Just Like Heaven (USA, Parkes/MacDonald Image Nation)
• September 16 – Lord of War (USA/Canada, Ascendant Pictures)
• September 16 – Pride & Prejudice (UK, Working Title Films)
• September 16 – Separate Lies (USA, limited, UK Film Council-FilmFour)
• September 16 – Thumbsucker (USA, limited, This Is That Productions)
• September 16 – Venom (USA, Outerbanks Entertainment)

An Unfinished Life was released in the US on September 16, 2005. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was released in the US and Canada on October 7, 2005. Pride & Prejudice received a limited US release on November 11, 2005, and expanded nationwide on November 23. Thumbsucker expanded across the US on October 7, 2005.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is the second feature-length film by Aardman, and the fourth installment in the Wallace & Gromit series (the first to be feature-length). The film’s original subtitle was The Great Vegetable Plot. The film was to have followed Aardman’s The Tortoise and the Hare, but that film was abandoned due to script problems. The film won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film, and the BAFTA for Best British Film.

One scene in Lord of War featured 50 T-72 tanks, which required production to notify NATO as satellite imagery suggested a weapons build-up in the country.

Pride & Prejudice marked the feature film directorial debut for television director Joe Wright. Wright avoided viewing the 1940 film version of the story out of fear of unconsciously stealing something, but he did view Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion and Far from the Madding Crowd for inspiration. When casting, Wright insisted on having actors around the same age as their characters, and he had them partake in three weeks of rehearsals in improvisation workshops. The film earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Actress (Keira Knightley), six BAFTA nominations, with Joe Wright winning Most Promising Newcomer, and two Golden Globe nominations.

Separate Lies marked the directorial debut of Julian Fellowes, who until then had worked mostly as an actor, and had won an Academy Award for his screenplay for Gosford Park. Fellowes would go on to create Downton Abbey.

Thumbsucker marked the feature directorial debut of Mike Mills. Lou Taylor Pucci was cast in the lead role of Justin after Mills auditioned about 150 teenaged actors. Matthew McConaughey was attached to star as Justin’s debate team coach, Mr. Geary, but was replaced by Vince Vaughn due to a scheduling conflict. The film was shot in Oregon, except for the final scene in which Justin runs through New York University.

2015

• September 11 – Sleeping with Other People (USA, limited, Gloria Sanchez Productions)
• September 11 – The Perfect Guy (USA/Canada, Screen Gems)
• September 11 – The Visit (USA/Canada, Blinding Edge Pictures)
• September 16 – The Program (France, Momentum Pictures)
• September 17 – Black Mass (AUS, Cross Creek Pictures)
• September 24 – Blinky Bill the Movie (NZ, Flying Bark Productions)
• September 17 – Oddball (AUS, Film Victoria)

Sleeping with Other People first opened in Belgium on August 12, 2015. The Visit first opened in the UK on September 9, 2015. The Program was released in the US and Canada on March 18, 2016. Black Mass was released in the US and Canada on September 18, 2015. Blinky Bill the Movie received a limited US release on October 7, 2016, and was released on home video on October 11. Oddball was screened at several US film festivals but did not receive a theatrical release.

After several box office failures, M. Night Shyamalan borrowed $5 million against his home to fund The Visit, looking to return to his roots with smaller-scale, independently produced horror films. The film’s working title was Sundowning. Thousands of American children auditioned for the film but Shyamalan went with two Australians, Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould.

The Program‘s working title was Icon. To better understand his role as Lance Armstrong, Ben Foster took performance-enhancing drugs while shooting the film.

Johnny Depp’s involvement with Black Mass dated back to 2013 when Barry Levinson was attached to direct and production was to begin in May of that year. Depp briefly quit the picture during a salary dispute with the producers. Joel Edgerton, who was cast as John Connolly, dropped out of the film when Depp agreed to return, with Tom Hardy poised to replace him. Edgerton, however, returned to the production. Sienna Miller filmed scenes as Catherine Greig, but her scenes were cut from the film due to ‘narrative choices’.

Oddball was released as Oddball and the Penguins in some regions. The film marked the feature directorial debut of Stuart McDonald.