Universal Pictures
Not every decade this week over the last 100 year saw new movie releases, and there aren’t many films that are considered classics, and even fewer that were actual hits. But there are some titles with interesting facts attached: a successful star at Paramount scared MGM into making a copycat film for one of its biggest stars; the first ‘screwball comedy’; the first sound adaptation of a Mark Twain classic; the introduction of the classic song ‘Silver Bells’; a future president co-starring with a chimp; a Jerry Lewis ‘comeback’; the film that introduced Alec Baldwin to Kim Basinger; Disney’s last traditionally animated film to date. Want to know more? Read on and see if any of your favorite films are on this week’s list!
1921
April – Jim the Penman
- Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Ned Burton, Charles Coghlan, James Laffey, Gladys Leslie, Douglas MacPherson, Anders Randolf, Arthur Rankin, Doris Rankin
- Director: Kenneth Webb
- Studio: Associated First National
- Trivia: Based on the play by Charles Lawrence Young. The film is preserved in the Library of Congress although it is incomplete (Reel 5 is missing). The film’s exact release date is unknown.
April 3 – The Passion Flower
- Cast: Norma Talmadge, Courtenay Foote, Eulalie Jensen, Harrison Ford, Charles A. Stevenson, Alice May, H. D. McClellan, Austin Harrison, Herbert Vance, Robert Agnew, Natalie Talmadge
- Director: Herbert Brenon
- Studio: Norma Talmadge Film Corporation, distributed by Associated First National Pictures
- Trivia: Based on the 1913 Spanish play The Unloved Woman (Spanish: La malquerida) by Jacinto Benavente, which was translated into English by John Garrett Underhill as The Passion Flower and produced in New York City in 1920. Underhill sued after the film was produced without his permission, winning damages but not all profits from the film. A copy of the film is preserved in the Library of Congress with some deterioration.
1931
April 4 – Dishonored
- Cast: Marlene Dietrich, Victor McLaglen, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Warner Oland, Lew Cody, Barry Norton
- Director: Josef von Sternberg
- Studio: Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: The film’s New York City premiere was held on March 5. The film was loosely based on the exploits of Mata Hari. Von Sternberg objected to the film’s title which was decided by studio executives, noting the lady spy was not dishonored but killed by a firing squad, the title distorting the significance of her death. The film was rushed into productions due to the success of The Blue Angel and Morocco the previous year, both of which starred Dietrich. MGM was alarmed by the competition Dietrich posed to their own star Greta Garbo and produced a copycat Mata Hari film the same year. Production schedules and a reluctance to work with the director led to the casting of Victor McLaglen over the preferred Gary Cooper. This was the third of seven films on which Dietrcih and von Sternberg collaborated.
April 4 – The Front Page
- Cast: Adolphe Menjou, Pat O’Brien, Mary Brian, Edward Everett Horton, Walter Catlett, George E. Stone, Mae Clarke, Slim Summerville, Matt Moore, Frank McHugh, Clarence Wilson, Fred Howard, Phil Tead, Eugene Strong, Spencer Charters, Maurice Black, Effie Ellsler, Dorothea Wolbert, James Gordon
- Director: Lewis Milestone
- Studio: The Caddo Company, distributed by United Artists
- Trivia: The film’s New York City premiere was held on March 19. Based on the 1928 Broadway play of the same name by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Menjou). The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2010. A version of the film using different takes was produced for international markets but was not Milestone’s preferred version. Both versions exist on home video. The long unseen US theatrical version was restored in 2016. When the film fell into the public domain, all of the prints were made from the lower quality international negative. Louis Wolheim was originally cast as Walter Burns but died after six days of rehearsal from stomach cancer. Adolphe Menjou was his replacement. Some consider this to be the first screwball comedy. Original Director of Photography Tom Gaudio was replaced by Hal Mohr, who was replaced by Glen MacWilliams. Chester Morris was originally cast as Hildy Johnson before Pat O’Brien took over the role. A 30-minute radio adaptation was presented on Academy Award Theater in June 22, 1946 with Menjou and O’Brien reprising their roles.
April 4 – The Stolen Jools
- Cast: Wallace Beery, Buster Keaton, Jack Hill, J. Farrell MacDonald, Edward G. Robinson, George E. Stone, Eddie Kane, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Our Gang, Polly Moran, Norma Shearer, Hedda Hopper, Joan Crawford, William Haines, Dorothy Lee, Victor McLaglen, Warner Baxter, Irene Dunn, Wheeler and Woolsey, Richard Dix, Gary Cooper, Buddy Rogers, Maurice Chevalier, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Loretta Young, Richard Barthelmess, Barbara Stanwyck, Jack Oakie, Fay Wray, George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Joe E. Brown
- Director: William C. McGann
- Studio: Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: The short was produced for the Masquers Club with stars appearing to help raise funds for the National Vaudeville Artists Tuberculosis Sanitarium. Ironically, the film was sponsored by Chesterfield cigarettes. The film was retitled The Slippery Pearls in the UK. The film was thought to be lost until a print was found in the UK in the 1990s. Another print was found in the US with the alternate title. The original film did not include credits, which Blackhawk Films added later to identify the actors by scene.
April 6 – A Connecticut Yankee
- Cast: Will Rogers, William Farnum, Frank Albertson, Maureen O’Sullivan, Brandon Hurst, Myrna Loy, Mitchell Harris
- Director: David Butler
- Studio: Fox Film Corporation
- Trivia: Adapted from Mark Twain’s 1889 novel, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. It is the first sound adaptation of Twain’s story. Fox produced a silent version in 1921. The version of the film in circulation is the slightly edited 1936 re-release which also includes redesigned opening and closing credits.
1941
- No new films were released this week in 1941.
1951
April 1 – Santa Fe
- Cast: Randolph Scott, Janis Carter, Jerome Courtland, Peter M. Thompson, John Archer, Warner Anderson, Roy Roberts, Billy House, Olin Howland, Allene Roberts
- Director: Irving Pichel
- Studio: Scott-Brown Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
- Trivia: Based on the novel Santa Fe by James Vance Marshall. The playing cards seen in the film were made by the Bicycle Card Company which was founded in 1885, about 20 years after the film’s setting.
Paramount Pictures
April 2 – The Lemon Drop Kid
- Cast: Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell, Lloyd Nolan, Jane Darwell, Andrea King, Fred Clark, Jay C. Flippen, William Frawley, Harry Bellaver, Sid Melton, Ben Welden, Ida Moore, Francis Pierlot, Charles Cooley, Harry Shannon, Tor Johnson, Tom Dugan, Emory Parnell, Mary Moder
- Director: Sidney Lanfield
- Studio: Hope Enterprises, distributed by Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on March 8. Based on the short story by Damon Runyon, although the film’s story has nothing to do with Runyon’s original story except for the title, the lead character’s name and his love of lemon drops. The story was previously adapted as a 1934 film. William Frawley is featured in both versions. While Sidney Lanfield is credited as director, Frank Tashlin was reportedly hired to complete the film. The song ‘Silver Bells’ was introduced in the film. A 60-minute radio adaptation of the film was presented on Lux Radio Theater on December 10, 1951 with Bob Hope reprising his role.
April 4 – The Last Outpost
- Cast: Ronald Reagan, Rhonda Fleming, Bruce Bennett, Bill Williams, Noah Beery Jr., Hugh Beaumont, Peter Hansen, Lloyd Corrigan, John Ridgely, Burt Mustin
- Director: Lewis R. Foster
- Studio: Pine-Thomas Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: The film marked the debut of character actor Burt Mustin at the age of 67 in an uncredited role. The film was re-released in 1962 with the title Cavalry Courage. This was the biggest box office hit for Pine-Thomas Productions. As Indians were shot off of their horses, they would loop around the set, get on a different horse and ride back into the scene as a different Indian.
April 5 – Bedtime for Bonzo
- Cast: Ronald Reagan, Diana Lynn, Walter Slezak, Lucille Barkley, Jesse White, Herbert Heyes, Herb Vigran, Harry Tyler, Ed Clark, Ed Gargan, Brad Johnson, Ann Tyrrell, Sean Eales
- Director: Fred de Cordova
- Studio: Universal-International
- Trivia: The film had its premiere in Indianapolis on February 15. A sequel, Bonzo Goes To College, was released in 1952 but none of the original’s three main stars appeared.
April 5 – I Can Get It for You Wholesale
- Cast: Susan Hayward, Dan Dailey, George Sanders, Sam Jaffe, Randy Stuart, Marvin Kaplan, Harry von Zell, Barbara Whiting, Vicki Cummings, Ross Elliott, Richard Lane, Mary Philips
- Director: Michael Gordon
- Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
- Trivia: The film had its premiere in New York City on April 4. A loose adaptation of the 1937 novel of the same title by Jerome Weidman. The protagonist in the novel was male, but the gender was changed to female to accommodate Fox contract player Susan Hayward. The film was released in the UK as This Is My Affair. When the film was broadcast in the US in 1962, the title was changed to Only the Best to avoid confusion with the Broadway musical based on the novel that was running at the time (which gave Barbra Streisand her big break). A 60-minute radio version was broadcast by Lux Radio Theater on March 31, 1952 with Hayward and Dailey reprising their roles.
April 6 – The Browning Version
- Cast: Michael Redgrave, Jean Kent, Nigel Patrick, Ronald Howard, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Brian Smith, Bill Travers, Judith Furse, Peter Jones, Sarah Lawson, Scott Harold, Paul Medland, Ivan Samson, Josephine Middleton
- Director: Anthony Asquith
- Studio: General Film Distributors (UK), Universal-International (USA)
- Trivia: The film premiered March 15 in the UK followed by a general release on April 6. The US premiere was held in New York City on October 29 with a general release beginning November 9. Based on the 1948 play of the same name by Terence Rattigan. Eric Portman originated the role of Andrew Crocker-Harris on stage but turned down the film role. Margaret Lockwood was offered the role of Millie but turned it down. Jean Kent, who often stepped into roles envisioned for Lockwood, played Millie instead.
1961
- No new films were released this week in 1961.
1971
- No new films were released this week in 1971.
1981
April – Hard Country
- Cast: Jan-Michael Vincent, Kim Basinger, Michael Parks, Gailard Sartain, Sierra Pecheur, John Chappell, Tanya Tucker, Daryl Hannah, Lewis Van Bergen, Ted Neeley, Richard Lineback, Richard Moll, Cisse Cameron, Aleshia Brevard, Jay Kerr, Henry G. Sanders, Michael Martin Murphy, Hank Corwin, Katy Moffatt
- Director: David Greene
- Studio: ITC Entertainment, distributed by Associated Film Distribution
- Trivia: This was the film debut of Kim Basinger, although she had appeared in several TV series between 1976 and 1980. The film had originally been intended for release in October 1980. The film’s exact release date seems to have been forgotten.
April 3 – Hardly Working
- Cast: Jerry Lewis, Susan Oliver, Roger C. Carmel, Deanna Lund, Harold J. Stone, Steve Franken, Buddy Lester, Leonard Stone
- Director: Jerry Lewis
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: This was Lewis’ first film in ten years. He had directed and starred in The Day the Clown Cried in 1972, but the film was never finished or released (Lewis did donate an incomplete print to the Library of Congress in 2015 with the stipulation that it could not be released before June 2024). The film was shot on location in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, Florida, where the US premiere was held on March 27, 1981. Money ran out during production, with Lewis also declaring bankruptcy, and the film was suspended for about six months which led to many continuity issues throughout the film. Failing to find a US distributor, the film was released in West Germany on January 31, 1980, followed by openings in France, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Mexico, Argentina and Denmark. With the film’s success in Europe and two sold out screenings in Colorado Springs and Wichita, Kansas, 20th Century Fox picked up the domestic distribution rights. The US version was cut by about 20 minutes. This was the final film of Bob May, Harold J. Stone, Susan Oliver and Roger C. Carmel. Lewis appears as several characters in the film including ‘Little Ol’ Lady’ under which he is billed by his real name, Joseph Levitch.
April 3 – This Is Elvis
- Cast: David Scott, Paul Boensch III, Johnny Harra, Lawrence Koller, Rhonda Lyn, Debbie Edge, Larry Raspberry, Furry Lewis, Liz Robinson, Dana MacKay, Knox Phillips, Cheryl Needham, Andrea Cyrill, Jerry Phillips, Emory Smith
- Director: Malcolm Leo, Andrew Solt
- Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: The film opened in limited release on April 3 and expanded on April 10. An extended version of the film prepared for DVD release contains an additional 45 minutes of material including rarely seen television performances. In the reenactment scenes, Sam Phillips was portrayed by his son Knox. David Scott, who portrayed Elvis at age 18, won an Elvis Presley contest in Montreal singing ‘Teddy Bear’, and did his own singing in This Is Elvis.
1991
April 3 – Madame Bovary
- Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Jean-François Balmer, Christophe Malavoy, Jean Yanne, Lucas Belvaux, Christiane Minazzoli, Jean-Louis Maury, Florent Gibassier, Jean-Claude Bouillaud, Sabeline Campo, Marie Mergey, François Maistre, Thomas Chabrol, Jacques Dynam, Henri Attal, Dominique Zardi, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing
- Director: Claude Chabrol
- Studio: MK2 Diffusion
- Trivia: The film opened in France on April 3 but did not play the US until December 25. Based on the 1857 novel by French author Gustave Flaubert. The film was nominated by the Golden Globes for Best Foreign Language Film, and for the Best Costume Design Oscar.
April 5 – Hangin’ with the Homeboys
- Cast: Doug E. Doug, Mario Joyner, John Leguizamo, Nestor Serrano, Kimberly Russell, Rose Jackson, LaTanya Richardson
- Director: Joseph Vasquez
- Studio: New Line Cinema
- Trivia: The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1991. Joseph Vasquez wrote the script in three days.
April 5 – Poison
- Cast: Scott Renderer, James Lyons, Edith Meeks, Millie White, Buck Smith, Rob LaBelle, John Leguizamo, Anne Giotta, Lydia Lafleur, Ian Nemser, Evan Dunsky, Susan Gayle Norman, Marina Lutz, Barry Cassidy, Richard Anthony, Angela M. Schreiber, Justin Silverstein, Chris Singh, Edward Allen, Larry Maxwell, Al Quagliata
- Director: Todd Haynes
- Studio: Killer Films, Bronze Eye Productions, distributed by Zeitgeist Films
- Trivia: The film premiered at Sundance in January 1991 followed by a screening at the Berlin International Film Festival in February. The film’s three intercut stories are partially inspired by the novels of Jean Genet. John Leguizamo is credited in the film as Damien Garcia due to a problem with SAG rules. After receiving a $25,000 completion grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, Senator Jesse Helms condemned the film as an ‘abomination’ and a waste of taxpayer dollars even though he hadn’t seen the film.
April 5 – The Marrying Man
- Cast: Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, Robert Loggia, Elisabeth Shue, Armand Assante, Paul Reiser, Fisher Stevens, Steve Hytner, Kristen Cloke, Peter Dobson, Kathryn Layng, Jeremy Roberts, Big John Studd
- Director: Jerry Rees
- Studio: Hollywood Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
- Trivia: The film was released as Too Hot To Handle in the UK, Australia and the Philippines. Basinger earned a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actress. Baldwin and Basinger, who fell in love at the start of production, were said to be petulant and unprofessional on set leading to many delays in production, which caused the budget to balloon from $15 million to $26 million. The film ultimately earned just $12.5 million. Kevin Costner was originally considered for the Baldwin role, and Jodie Foster, Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan were considered for the Basinger role. Penelope Ann Miller was first choice for the role played by Elisabeth Shue.
April 5 – The Miracle
- Cast: Beverly D’Angelo, Donal McCann, Niall Byrne, Lorraine Pilkington, J. G. Devlin, Cathleen Delany, Tom Hickey, Shane Connaughton,Mikkel Gaup
- Director: Neil Jordan
- Studio: Miramax Films, Palace Films
- Trivia: The film opened in the UK on April 5 but did not come to the US until July 3. To date, it is the only feature film in which Niall Byrne appears. It was Lorraine Pilkington’s film debut.
2001
April 6 – Along Came a Spider
- Cast: Morgan Freeman, Monica Potter, Michael Wincott, Dylan Baker, Mika Boorem, Billy Burke, Anton Yelchin, Jay O. Sanders, Michael Moriarty, Penelope Ann Miller, Anna Maria Horsford, Ocean Hellman, Samantha Ferris, Kim Hawthorne, Jill Teed, Tom McBeath, Ravil Isyanov, Raoul Ganeev, Campbell Lane, Christopher Shyer, Scott Heindl, Ian Marsh, Mila Dobrozdravich, Aaron Joseph
- Director: Lee Tamahori
- Studio: Phase 1 Productions, Revelations Entertainment, distributed by Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: The film’s Hollywood premiere was held on April 2. Adapted from the 1993 novel of the same title by James Patterson, although many elements from the novel are missing from the film. The second installment of the Alex Cross film series, a sequel to Kiss the Girls, with Morgan Freeman and Jay O. Sanders reprising their roles. Kiss the Girls directer Gary Fleder turned down the film to direct Imposter. There were no further sequels, but Alex Cross was rebooted in the 2012 film Alex Cross with Tyler Perry.
April 6 – Blow
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Jesse James, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths, Paul Reubens, Jordi Molla, Cliff Curtis, Max Perlich, Miguel Sandoval, Ethan Suplee, Alan James Morgan, Ray Liotta, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Kevin Gage, Tony Amendola, Bobcat Goldthwait, Michael Tucci, Monet Mazur, Lola Glaudini, Jennifer Gimenez, Emma Roberts, Jaime King
- Director: Ted Demme
- Studio: New Line Cinema
- Trivia: The film’s world premiere was held on March 29. Adapted from Bruce Porter’s 1993 book Blow: How a Small Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellín Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All. This was Ted Demme’s last film. He died in January 2002 at the age of 38. To prepare for the role, Johnny Depp interviewed the real George Jung in prison. Rachel Griffiths plays the mother of George even though she’s five years younger than Depp, while Ray Liotta, who is just eight years older, plays his father. Milk powder was used to simulate cocaine. This was nine-year-old Emma Roberts’ film debut, but she did not see the film until about six years after it was released even though she was at the premiere. This was Franka Potente’s English-language film debut. John Leguizamo had to turn down a role in the film because he was already working on Moulin Rouge! Dennis Leary was originally cast in the role that ultimately went to Paul Reubens.
April 6 – Just Visiting
- Cast: Jean Reno, Christina Applegate, Christian Clavier, Matt Ross, Tara Reid, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, John Aylward, George Plimpton, Malcolm McDowell, Alexis Loret
- Director: Jean-Marie Gaubert
- Studio: Hollywood Pictures, Gaumont, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures (United States), Gaumont Buena Vista International (France)
- Trivia: American remake of the French film Les Visiteurs. This was the last film produced by Hollywood Pictures before it was folded into Touchstone Pictures, although it did release the 2006 horror film Stay Alive.
2011
April 1 – Hop
- Cast: James Marsden, Coleton Ray, Kaley Cuoco, Gary Cole, Elizabeth Perkins, Tiffany Espensen, David Hasselhoff, Chelsea Handler, Dustin Ybarra, Russell Brand, Django Marsh, Hank Azaria, Hugh Laurie
- Director: Tim Hill
- Studio: Relativity Media, Dentsu, Illumination Entertainment, distributed by Universal Pictures
- Trivia: The film’s Hollywood premiere was held on March 27. To date this is the only animated/live-action hybrid produced by Illumination. Merchandise tied in to the film included video games, books, toys, clothing and candy from 92 different companies. James Corden, Daniel Radcliffe, Matt Lucas, Eddie Izzard and David Tennant were all considered for the role of E.B. (Brand). Seven years later, Cordon went on to voice Peter Rabbit. This was the first Illumination film to not have a sequel.
Summit Entertainment
April 1 – Source Code
- Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Arden, Russell Peters, Scott Bakula, Frédérick De Grandpré, Cas Anvar
- Director: Duncan Jones
- Studio: The Mark Gordon Company, Vendôme Pictures, distributed by Summit Entertainment
- Trivia: The film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival on March 11, then had its Hollywood premiere on March 28 before going into general release in the US on April 1. David Hahn, the boy featured in the documentary The Nuclear Boy Scout, was the inspiration for the character Derek Frost (played by Michael Arden). Jake Gyllenhaal wore an ear bud during the train scene through which Duncan Jones would play random music and static buzz to make the character look disoriented. Gyllenhaal had signed on to the production before there was a director, and after seeing Moon he suggested Duncan Jones for the job. Though set in Chicago, most of the film was shot in Montreal. Vera Farmiga took her role at the beginning of her pregnancy knowing she’d be unavailable for the next ten months. She shot all of her scenes in ten days. The owners of the train station changed their terms at the last minute resulting in a train station set having to be built in a car park, which also meant the white van could not be prepared in time for the shoot. Everything in the van except a stars and stripes box was added with CGI. Lindsay Lohan was originally cast as Christina, but was recast with Michelle Monaghan when her legal issues conflicted with the shooting schedule. The Caller ID photo of Christina’s ex is actually Duncan Jones.
April 1 – Wrecked
- Cast: Adrien Brody, Caroline Dhavernas, Ryan Robbins, Adrian Hughes, Adrian Holmes, Lloyd Adams, Mark McConchie, Jacob Blair
- Director: Michael Greenspan
- Studio: Independent Edge Films, Telefilm Canada, Three-Seven Entertainment, Wrecked Productions, distributed by Alliance Films (Canada), IFC Midnight Films (United States)
- Trivia: The film premiered at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival on October 15, 2010, followed by the Whistler Film Festival on December 4, 2010. The film then opened in Canada and the US on April 1, 2011. To remain in character, Brody stayed in the woods at the car wreck overnight, completely alone in the middle of a Canadian winter while everyone else went home. Brody also ate insects during one scene. The wrecked car was lowered to the location by helicopter and lifted out again after filming was completed. The movie was shot in sequential order in 18 days.
April 6 – Winnie the Pooh
- Voice Cast: Jim Cummings, Bud Luckey, Craig Ferguson, Jack Boulter, Travis Oates, Tom Kenny, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Wyatt Hall, Huell Howser, John Cleese
- Director: Stephen Anderson, Don Hall
- Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, distributed by Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures - Trivia: The film opened in Belgium on April 6, followed by the UK on April 15. The film had its Hollywood premiere on July 10 before going into general release in the US on July 15. This was Disney’s 51st animated feature film. Production on the film began in September 2009. The classic ‘Winnie the Pooh’ theme is sung by Zooey Deschanel. The film was produced using traditional hand-drawn animation techniques and is the last to date produced by Disney in that format. The film was originally supposed to include five Pooh stories from the A.A. Milne books but ended up with just three. The film’s original title was Winnie the Pooh and the day in which many things happened. The theatrical release of the film included the short The Ballad of Nessie. This was the lowest grossing Pooh film to date despite mostly positive reviews. Many blame that on Disney releasing the film the same day as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. Disney was so impressed with the songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez that they were hired to write the songs for Frozen.
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