Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #37 :: April 7•13

Warner Bros. Pictures

Every decade but one had new movie releases this week, and while the Oscar winners are few and far between, there are quite a few Golden Raspberry Award contenders. There are also quite a few hits and films that have become classics, cult or otherwise. This week saw the second pairing of Hope, Crosby and Lamour, the sixth pairing of Don Ameche and Alice Faye, Bette Davis in a ‘nice’ role, adventure on the high seas, knights in shining armor, werewolves, more knights on shining motorcycles, a comic book/cartoon band come to life, the cinematic debut of Bridget Jones, and still more knights … getting high. Let’s take a look at this week’s movie premieres and see if any of your favorites are here!

1921

April 10 – Buried Treasure

Cast: Marion Davies, Norman Kerry, Anders Randolf, Edith Shayne, Earl Schenck, John Charles, Thomas Findley
Director: George D. Baker
Studio: Cosmopolitan Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: This was the first time Marion Davies played dual roles, and her first film to be shot on the West Coast. The film’s reincarnation storyline was rare for the time, a subject generally condemned by the Catholic church. This was the final film of John Charles. One of two films in which Edith Shaye played the mother of Marion Davies. A nitrate print of the film is held by the Library of Congress but is missing a reel.

April 10 – The Queen of Sheba

Cast: Betty Blythe, Fritz Leiber, Claire de Lorez, George Siegmann, Herbert Heyes, Herschel Mayall, G. Raymond Nye, George Nichols, Genevieve Blinn, Pat Moore, Joan Gordon, William Hardy, Paul Cazeneuve, John Cosgrove, Nell Craig, Al Fremont, Earl Crain
Director: J. Gordon Edwards
Studio: Fox Film Corporation
Trivia: The film is known for its risque costumes worn by Betty Blythe. Topless scenes were only shown in Europe. Blythe had 28 costume changes throughout the film and quipped that even if she’d put them all on at once she still couldn’t keep warm. The film was intended for Theda Bara but she chose not to renew her contract. Only a short 17 second fragment of the film survives and it was originally misidentified as the 1917 Cleopatra. Director J. Gordon Edwards is the grandfather of director Blake Edwards.

April 12 – The High Sign

Cast: Buster Keaton, Bartine Burkett, Ingram B. Pickett, Charles Dorety, Al St. John
Director: Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton
Studio: Metro Pictures
Trivia: Two reel silent comedy running 21 minutes. This was Keaton’s first independently produced short, although not the first released as Keaton was unhappy with the finished product and shelved it for a year. It was only released then because Keaton had broken an ankle making The Electric House and his company needed to market a new film.

1931

No new films were released this week in 1931.

1941

Paramount Pictures

April 11 – Road to Zanzibar

Cast: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Charles Gemora, Una Merkel, Eric Blore, Douglass Dumbrille, Iris Adrian, Lionel Royce, Buck Woods, Leigh Whipper, Ernest Whitman, Noble Johnson, Joan Marsh, Luis Alberni, Robert Middlemass
Director: Victor Schertzinger
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: This was the second of the seven ‘Road to’ film series. The film’s story came from ‘Find Colonel Fawcett’ which the studio felt was too similar to the recent Stanley and Livingstone, so it was turned over to the writers of Road to Singapore and it became a spoof of the safari genre of films, although it was not intended to be a sequel. Fred MacMurray and George Burns were original choices for the film but turned it down. Since Road to Singapore had done well at the box office, it was offered to Hope and Crosby because they ‘seemed to work well together.’ It was one of the highest grossing films of 1941.

April 11 – That Night in Rio

Cast: Don Ameche, Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, S. Z. Sakall, J. Carrol Naish, Curt Bois, Leonid Kinskey, Frank Puglia, Lillian Porter, Maria Montez, Georges Renavent, Eddie Conrad, Fortunio Bonanova
Director: Irving Cummings
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Adapted from the 1934 play The Red Cat by Rudolf Lothar and Hans Adler. The film was a follow-up to Down Argentine Way. The working titles were A Latin from Manhattan, Rings On Her Fingers, They Met In Rio, and The Road to Rio, a title to which Paramount Pictures objected because it created confusion with their own ‘Road to’ movie. This was the sixth and final pairing of Don Ameche and Alice Faye.

April 11 – The Devil and Miss Jones

Cast: Jean Arthur, Charles Coburn, Robert Cummings, Edmund Gwenn, Spring Byington, S. Z. Sakall, William Demarest, Walter Kingsford, Montagu Love, Richard Carle, Charles Waldron, Edwin Maxwell, Edward McNamara, Robert Emmett Keane, Florence Bates, Pat Flaherty, Irving Cummings, Minta Durfee, William Elmer, Frank Mills, Victor Potel, Walter Tetley
Director: Sam Wood
Studio: Frank Ross-Norma Krasna, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: The film’s premiere was held in Miami, Florida on April 4. The film earned Academy Award nominations for Charles Coburn (Supporting Actor) and Norman Krasna (Original Screenplay). The set for Merrick’s mansion is actually the Xanadu set from RKO’s Citizen Kane. The film is being preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. The Screen Guild Theater broadcast a 30-minute radio adaptation of the film on June 7, 1943 with Coburn reprising his role.

April 12 – The Great Lie

Cast: Bette Davis, George Brent, Mary Astor, Lucile Watson, Hattie McDaniel, Grant Mitchell, Jerome Cowan, Charles Trowbridge, Thurston Hall, Russell Hicks, J. Farrell MacDonald, Sam McDaniel
Director: Edmund Goulding
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: The film premiered in Littleton, New Hampshire on April 5. Based on the novel January Heights by Polan Banks. Bette Davis was not interested in the role, but accepted it because of fan mail urging her to take on a nice role for a change. Miriam Hopkins would have been ideal for the role of Sandra Kovak but was not even considered because of problems she had created with Davis while filming The Old Maid, so it went to Mary Astor after Davis urged the studio to test her again after producer Hal Wallis seemed disinterested in her. Davis and Astor bonded immediately, and the two set about to improve the soap opera elements of the story. While Astor was able to play the piano, she was actually sitting at a prop piano, mimicking the music played off camera by Max Rabinovitch in perfect synchronization. For close-ups, Norma Drury’s hands are seen. Lux Radio Theater presented a 60-minute radio adaption of the film on March 2, 1942 with Astor and George Brent reprising their roles, and Loretta Young in the Davis role. Astor won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and was her only nomination. Astor suggested the haircut she wore in the film, which she kept but wore a bit longer in The Maltese Falcon, creating a fashion craze.

1951

April 10 – Captain Horatio Hornblower

Cast: Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty, Terence Morgan, Moultrie Kelsall, James Kenney, James Robertson Justice, Denis O’Dea, Richard Hearne, Michael J. Dolan, Stanley Baker, Alec Mango, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Alan Tilvern
Director: Raoul Walsh
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: The film opened in the UK on April 10, then played in the US beginning September 13. Known as Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. in the UK, the R.N. standing for ‘Royal Navy’. Based on three of C. S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower novels: The Happy Return (1937), A Ship of the Line (1938), and Flying Colours (1938), with Forester credited as one of the screenwriters. The first three Hornblower novels were purchased by Warner Bros to make a star vehicle for Errol Flynn, but the failure of 1949’s Adventures of Don Juan, the difficulties of working with Flynn and his advancing age led to him not being cast. WB was grooming Burt Lancaster as its next big swashbuckling star but the role of a British sea captain was out of his range so Gregory Peck was cast on loan from David O. Selznick. A number of British actresses were either not free or not interested in the female lead, and Peck’s preferred co-star was Margaret Leighton. Jack Warner cast Virginia Mayo because he found her more attractive. Peck and Mayo reprised their roles on a 60-minute Lux Radio Theater adaptation on January 21, 1952. To save money, the ‘Hispaniola’ set from Disney’s Treasure Island was reused as the HMS Lydia. The actual HMS Victory was the ship Lt. William Bush and Hornblower board to meet the Admiral at the end of the movie. It sits in dry-dock in Portsmouth, England, is still commissioned to the Royal Navy, and is the only surviving original ship of the line still in existence.

April 11 – Don Daredevil Rides Again (serial)

Cast: Ken Curtis, Aline Towne, Roy Barcroft, Lane Bradford, Robert Einer, John Cason, I. Stanford Jolley, Guy Teague, Tom Steele, Sandy Sanders, Michael Ragan, Cactus Mack, Lee Phelps, Hank Patterson
Director: Fred C. Brannon
Studio: Republic Pictures
Trivia: The serial uses stock footage from previous Zorro serials produced by Republic. Don Daredevil was created for this serial as Disney had obtained the rights to Zorro in 1951. April 11 is listed as the serial’s release date, but it is actually the date of the release of the sixth chapter.

April 12 – Lightning Strikes Twice

Cast: Ruth Roman, Richard Todd, Mercedes McCambridge, Zachary Scott, Frank Conroy, Kathryn Givney, Rhys Williams, Darryl Hickman, Nacho Galindo
Director: King Vidor
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Warner Bros. had owned the rights to the book since 1945. Virginia Mayo was originally cast in the lead role. Director King Vidor’s own ranch was used as the Trevelyan ranch.

1961

April 7 – Carry On Regardless

Cast: Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams, ‘Professor’ Stanley Unwin, Joan Sims, Liz Fraser, Terence Longdon, Bill Owen, Esma Cannon, Freddie Mills, Fenella Fielding, Hattie Jacques, Joan Hickson, Kynaston Reeves, David Lodge, Jerry Desmonde, Ambrosine Phillpotts, Nicholas Parsons, Cyril Chamberlain, Cyril Raymond, Eric Pohlmann, Julia Arnall, Terence Alexander
Director: Gerald Thomas
Studio: Anglo-Amalgamated
Trivia: The film premiered in London on March 23 before its general release on April 7. It played the US beginning December 6, 1963. The fifth film of the ‘Carry On’ series. This was the final appearance in the series by Terence Longdon, and the first of four appearances by Liz Fraser. Longdon’s role was meant for Leslie Phillips, who withdrew after complaining about being typecast. The role was drastically cut before being recast. Joan Sims reaction in the wine tasting scene is genuine as director Gerald Thomas decided to play a joke on the actress by swapping out the tap water with gin between takes. The scene was shot at 8:30 in the morning. Hattie Jacques was meant to have a leading role but was forced to leave after one day of filming due to illness, leaving her with a small role in a hospital scene. Her nurse character was promoted to ‘Matron’ in several other films but it’s not known if it was the same character or an in joke. This was Cyril Raymond’s final film. Thomas’ brother Ralph co-directed the film but was uncredited.

1971

April 9 – Valdez Is Coming

Cast: Burt Lancaster, Susan Clark, Jon Cypher, Frank Silvera, Héctor Elizondo, Phil Brown, Richard Jordan, Barton Heyman, Ralph Brown, Werner Hasselmann, Lex Monson, Sylvia Poggioli, José García García, María Montez, Juanita Penaloza
Director: Edwin Sherin
Studio: United Artists
Trivia: Based on the 1970 Elmore Leonard novel. The film was shot in Southern Spain where the terrain resembles the US Southwest, although the vegetation is not the same. Sydney Pollack was originally attached to direct with Marlon Brando as Valdez and Burt Lancaster as Frank Tanner. The plans fell through when Lancaster took on the starring role in Airport. Lancaster then took the role of Valdez with Jon Cypher as Tanner in his feature film debut. It was the final film of Frank Silvera.

1981

April 10 – Excalibur

Cast: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Kay McLaren, Barbara Byrne, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Paul Geoffrey, Nicol Williamson, Corin Redgrave, Patrick Stewart, Keith Buckley, Clive Swift, Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne, Robert Addie, Charley Boorman, Katrine Boorman, Ciarán Hinds, Niall O’Brien
Director: John Boorman
Studio: Orion Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Based on the 15th-century Arthurian romance Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory. The film was shot in Ireland using Irish cast and crew, launching the careers of Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart, Gabriel Byrne and Ciarán Hinds. Nigel Terry was 35 years old and played Arthur from his teen years to an aged monarch. A number of John Boorman’s family members appear in the film, giving it the nickname ‘The Boorman Family Project’. Boorman originally planned to do a three-hour adaptation of the Merlin legend but no studio was interested. United Artists instead offered him The Lord of the Rings, with much of the imagery in Excalibur created for that film. Boorman cast Nicol Williamson and Helen Mirren as adversaries knowing they were on less than friendly terms after issues arose during a production of Macbeth seven years earlier. According to Mirren, she and Williamson ended up becoming very good friends during the production. The initial fight scene had to be filmed three times due to a faulty light meter which rendered the film under-exposed. The cameraman had a nervous breakdown and quit. Boorman directed Exorcist II: The Heretic to help fund Excalibur, but when that film failed Excalibur became his ‘comeback’. When the film was at United Artists, Boorman was told he could cast anyone as Merlin … except Nicol Williamson. Max Von Sydow was cast.

April 10 – Going Ape!

Cast: Tony Danza, Jessica Walter, Stacey Nelkin, Danny DeVito, Art Metrano, Frank Sivero, Rick Hurst, Howard Mann, Joseph Maher
Director: Jeremy Joe Kronsberg
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Danny DeVito scored a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actor. The Tony Danza Fan Club of Los Angeles is campaigning to get the film released on Blu-ray. To date the film has only been released on VHS (1998) for the home video market.

Embassy Pictures

April 10 – The Howling

Cast: Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone, Belinda Balaski, Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine, Slim Pickens, Elisabeth Brooks, Robert Picardo, Margie Impert, Noble Willingham, James Murtaugh, Jim McKrell, Kenneth Tobey, Dick Miller, Meshach Taylor, Don McLeod
Director: Joe Dante
Studio: International Film Investors, Wescom Productions, distributed by Embassy Pictures
Trivia: The film premiered at the Avorias Fantastic Film Festival in January 1981. The film opened in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC on March 13 before its general release on April 10. Based on the novel by by Gary Brandner. One of three werewolf films released in 1981, with An American Werewolf in London and Wolfen. The film spawned seven sequels, and a remake is in development at Netflix. The film’s original director, Jack Conrad, departed the film due to ‘creative differences’ with the studio. Dante brought in John Sayles, with whom he’d worked on Piranha, to completely rewrite the script, resulting in only a vague connection to the more serious and straightforward novel. The film’s success prompted Warner Bros. to hire Joe Dante to direct Gremlins, which contains references to The Howling such as a yellow smiley face sticker on a refrigerator door and Jim McKrell playing reporter Lew Landers in both films. Rick Baker was the original special effects makeup artists but he left the project to his assistant Rob Bottin to work on An American Werewolf in London. Both films featured state-of-the-art on screen werewolf transformations (and Baker may have been a bit miffed that The Howling beat his film to the big screen, somewhat lessening the impact of his transformations). The film’s script contains many in-jokes and cameos. Several characters share names with directors of other werewolf films. Dick Miller’s character Walter Paisley is the same names as the character he played in 1959’s A Bucket of Blood. Screenwriter Sayles has a cameo, as do Dante’s former producer Roger Corman, and Forrest J. Ackerman holding a copy of the magazine he created, Famous Monsters of Filmland. There are also many references to wolves throughout the film. Dee Wallace and Christopher Stone were engaged during the production of the film. They eventually married. This was Robert Picardo’s film debut, and he was despondent about the time he had to spend in makeup, contemplating his career after starring in two Broadway shows then having half his face melted in his first movie. He would go on to appear in nine more films and five TV episodes directed by Dante. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre art director Robert A. Burns dressed The Howling set with many of the dressings from the previous film, including a corpse in an arm chair seen in Walter Paisley’s bookstore.

April 10 – Knightriders

Cast: Ed Harris, John Amplas, Gary Lahti, Tom Savini, Amy Ingersoll, Patricia Tallman, Brother Blue, Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, Martin Ferrero, Warner Shook, Randy Kovitz, Michael P. Moran, Harold Wayne Jones, Albert Amerson, Christine Forrest, Donald Rubinstein, Stephen King, Greg Besnak, Gary Davis
Director: George A. Romero
Studio: Laurel Entertainment, distributed by United Film Distribution Company (US), United Artists (International)
Trivia: Stephen and Tabitha King have cameos in the film as a couple at the fair. King was working with Romero on the screenplay for Creepshow at the time. Romero has stated that the Society for Creative Anachronism served as an inspiration for the film. This was Ed Harris’ first top-billed starring role. Harris learned how to ride a motorcycle from appearing on the TV series CHiPs. According to Romero’s DVD commentary, Carnegie Mellon student Holly Hunter was a production assistant on the film. The producers of the 1982 series Knight Rider paid a fee to the producers of Knightriders so they didn’t have to change the name of the series. Rain and flooding delayed the filming several times, and a tornado swept away much of the filming location on the second day of shooting. Tony Todd, Morgan Freeman and Laurence Fishburne were considered for roles in the film. Ed Harris, John Amplas and Warner Shook all appeared in the ‘Father’s Day’ segment of Creepshow.

April 10 – Nighthawks

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams, Lindsay Wagner, Persis Khambatta, Nigel Davenport, Rutger Hauer, Hilary Thompson, Joe Spinell, Walter Mathews
Director: Bruce Malmuth
Studio: Martin Poll Productions, The Production Company, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: The film’s story was originally conceived as The French Connection III with Gene Hackman starring again as Popeye Doyle with Richard Pryor as a potential co-star. Hackman didn’t want to make a third film and the project was scrapped. Universal acquired the rights to the story and had it reworked into Nighthawks. Working titles included Attack and Hawks. The film was released a year after filming ended because of interference from Stallone and the studio, causing the film to be heavily re-edited. Gary Nelson was the original director and was dismissed after a week of filming. To prepare for their roles, Stallone and Billy Dee Williams spent several weeks working nights with the New York Street Crimes Unit. This was the American film debut of Rutger Hauer, who turned down a role in Sphinx at twice the pay to make this film. Hauer was injured on his first day of filming when a cable used to yank him backwards to simulate the force of being shot was pulled too hard. He later learned the cable was pulled forcefully at Stallone’s direction and their relationship was tense for the rest of the production. Hauer, however, denied there was any animosity between them. Lindsay Wagner said that because of production problems, Stallone ended up taking over the directing. Even though it had already been heavily edited to remove extreme violence, the film still received an X-rating when submitted to the MPAA, resulting in more editing to get an R. A TV series reboot from Universal and Stallone’s production company is in development for the Peacock streaming service.

April 10 – The Last Chase

Cast: Lee Majors, Burgess Meredith, Chris Makepeace, Alexandra Stewart, Diane D’Aquila, George Touliatos, Harvey Atkin, Ben Gordon, Hugh Webster, Deborah Burgess, Trudy Young, Moses Znaimer, Doug Lennox, Paul Amato, Warren Van Evera
Director: Martyn Burke
Studio: Argosy Films, Gene Slott Productions, Canadian Film Development Corporation, distributed by Crown International Pictures
Trivia: The film takes place in 2011.

1991

April 12 – Impromptu

Cast: Judy Davis, Hugh Grant, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Julian Sands, Ralph Brown, Georges Corraface, Anton Rodgers, Emma Thompson, Anna Massey
Director: James Lapine
Studio: Ariane Films, distributed by Sovereign Pictures
Trivia: The film opened in the UK on April 12, with limited release in Los Angeles and New York City on that date. The film went into general release in the US in May. Director James Lapine’s wife Sarah Kernochan wrote the screenplay during a layoff due to the 1988 Writers Guild strike. This was one of Hugh Grant’s first leading roles, and he was still virtually unknown in the US when the film was aired on PBS’ Masterpiece Theatre in the early 1990s.

April 12 – Out for Justice

Cast: Steven Seagal, William Forsythe, Jerry Orbach, Jo Champa, Shareen Mitchell, Sal Richards, Gina Gershon, Jay Acovone, Nick Corello, Kent McCord, Robert LaSardo, John Toles-Bey, Joe Spataro, Ed Deacy, Ronald Maccone, Anthony DeSando, Dominic Chianese, Vera Lockwood, Julianna Margulies, Dan Inosanto, John Leguizamo, Kane Hodder, Jorge Gil, Shannon Whirry, Julie Strain
Director: John Flynn
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: John Flynn claimed the film’s original title was The Price of Our Blood but Warner Bros. insisted it had to be a three word title like Seagal’s other films. The film’s original cut was 30 minutes longer with more plot and character development. Seagal had some of William Forsythe’s scenes cut because he felt he was being upstaged. The studio also cut the film for time to make it more profitable, resulting in two montage scenes. The trailer includes two deleted scenes which were reinstated for some TV showings. This marked the film debut of Julianna Margulies.

April 12 – The Object of Beauty

Cast: John Malkovich, Andie MacDowell, Lolita Davidovich, Rudi Davies, Joss Ackland, Bill Paterson, Ricci Harnett, Peter Riegert, Jack Shepherd, Rosemary Martin, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Andrew Hawkins, Pip Torrens, Stephen Churchett, Barry Gordon, Jeremy Sinden
Director: Michael Lindsay-Hogg
Studio: Avenue Pictures
Trivia: Elizabeth Perkins was originally cast as Joan but had to drop out due to illness. She was replaced by Lolita Davidovich.

2001

April 11 – Joe Dirt

Cast: David Spade, Erik Per Sullivan, Brittany Daniel, Dennis Miller, Adam Beach, Christopher Walken, Jaime Pressly, Kid Rock, Megan Harvey, Caroline Aaron, Fred Ward, Brian Thompson, Blake Clark, Hamilton Camp, Mitzi Martin, Tyler Mane, Kevin Farley, John P. Farley, Rance Howard, Steven Brill, Richard Riehle, Bree Turner, Hal Fishman, Eddie Money
Director: Dennie Gordon
Studio: Columbia Pictures, Happy Madison Productions, Robert Simonds Productions, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Trivia: A list of names Joe Dirt reads on a bus tour are the same ones a teacher calls for attendance in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Roseanne Barr and Gary Busey were originally cast as Joe’s parents but Roseanne quit the project after creating months of delays, re-edits and re-shoots so the director re-cast and re-shot the scene with Caroline Aaron and Fred Ward. Blake Clark reprises his role of Farmer Fran from The Waterboy. Jill’s cabin is the same cabin used in Black Sheep, which also starred David Spade. Rosanne Arquette, Joe Don Baker, Carson Daly and Kevin Nealon appear in uncredited roles.

Universal Pictures

April 11 – Josie and the Pussycats

Cast: Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson, Gabriel Mann, Paulo Costanzo, Missi Pyle, Alan Cumming, Parker Posey, Tom Butler, Donald Faison, Seth Green, Breckin Meyer, Alexander Martin, Serena Altschul, Carson Daly, Aries Spears, Eugene Levy, Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, Russ Leatherman
Director: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan
Studio: Universal Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Marc Platt Productions, Riverdale Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures (North America), MGM Distribution Co. (International)
Trivia: The film premiere in New York City on April 6, followed by a second screening on April 9 before the general release on April 11. The film was a box office bomb upon its release but has since gained a cult following. Director Harry Elfont makes a cameo appearance. Beyoncé, Aaliyah and Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes auditioned for the role of Valerie. The film features an inordinate degree of product placement which was in line with the film’s theme of subliminal advertising. None of the advertising was paid promotion. Rachel Leigh Cook’s singing voice was dubbed by Kay Hanley, lead singer of Letters to Cleo. Cook, Rosario Dawson and Tara Reid had to go to ‘band camp’ for two weeks to learn how to play their instruments. Reid found this amusing since ‘band camp’ is a running gag in American Pie. Breckin Meyer, Alexander Martin, Donald Faison, and Seth Green, who played members of boy band Du Jour) all appeared in Can’t Hardly Wait, also directed by Elfont and Kaplan. To date, this is the last feature film the pair have directed. Horror filmmakers Jen and Sylvia Soska appear as uncredited extras. They met Katharine Isabelle on the set and have since collaborated with her on their films. The location of Riverdale is never pinpointed in the film. Josie’s bus pass lists the zip code 99860 which is in Mexico, while Valerie’s shows 46528 which is in Indiana. Because of the film’s adult themes and language, Archie Comics denounced the film and discouraged people from seeing it. That policy seems to have changed with the creation of the Riverdale TV series. A ‘family friendly’ PG version of the film was released on DVD. This was Justin Chatwin’s film debut. To get as many teens into the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver as possible, free tickets were given out at record stores with the promise of a performance from popular Canadian boy band b4-4. The group performed their song ‘Get Down’ several times between takes.

April 11 – Kingdom Come

Cast: LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, Loretta Devine, Anthony Anderson, Toni Braxton, Cedric the Entertainer, Darius McCrary, Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Gant, Kellita Smith, Clifton Davis, Masasa Moyo, Dominic Hoffman
Director: Doug McHenry
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Trivia: The film premiered at the Pan African Film Festival on February 8. Jada Pinkett Smith was pregnant with Willow at the time of filming. The film is adapted from the 1992 stage play Dearly Departed by David Dean Bottrell and Jessie Jones, who also wrote the screenplay.

April 12 – Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles

Cast: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, Jere Burns, Jonathan Banks, Alec Wilson, Gerry Skilton, Steve Rackman, Serge Cockburn, Aida Turturro, Paul Rodriguez, Kaitlin Hopkins, Mike Tyson
Director: Simon Wincer
Studio: Silver Lion Films, distributed by Paramount Pictures (United States), Universal Pictures (International)
Trivia: The film opened in Australia on April 12. The US premiere was held on April 18 before going into general release on April 20. Also known as Crocodile Dundee III. The film earned a Razzie nomination for Worst Remake or Sequel. An early idea for the film had Mick Dundee team up with Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley as a Beverly Hills Cop crossover film. The film contains the final musical score for a feature film by Basil Poledouris. His final film was The Touch, which was never released theatrically.

April 13 – Bridget Jones’s Diary

Cast: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Celia Imrie, James Faulkner, Shirley Henderson, James Callis, Sally Phillips, Lisa Barbuscia, Donald Douglas, Charmian May, Paul Brooke, Embeth Davidtz, Patrick Barlow, Felicity Montagu, Neil Pearson, Dolly Wells
Director: Sharon Maguire
Studio: Universal Pictures, Little Bird, StudioCanal, Working Title Films, distributed by Universal Pictures (International; through United International Pictures), Miramax Films (United States), Mars Distribution (France)
Trivia: The film’s US premiere was held on April 4. Based on the 1996 novel by Helen Fielding, which is a reinterpretation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Renée Zellweger earned an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. Salman Rushdie, Julian Barnes, Jeffrey Archer and Honor Blackman have cameos in the film. Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett, Emily Watson, Rachel Weisz (who was considered too beautiful for the role) and Cameron Diaz were considered for the role. Toni Collette turned it down because she was on Broadway at the time in The Wild Party. Kate Winslet was also considered but producers decided she was too young. Zellweger was cast after a two year search. Colin Firth was cast as Darcy since he played Mr. Darcy in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. The Bridget Jones films became the first franchise directed exclusively by female directors. Both Colin Firth and Hugh Grant are mentioned in Fielding’s book, and Firth is a featured character in the book’s sequel. This marked the feature film debut of James Callis.

2011

April 7 – Hanna

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Vicky Krieps, Cate Blanchett, Michelle Dockery, Jessica Barden, Olivia Williams, Jason Flemyng, Tom Hollander, Martin Wuttke
Director: Joe Wright
Studio: Holleran Company, Babelsberg Studio, distributed by Focus Features (United States), Universal Pictures (United Kingdom/Ireland), Sony Pictures Releasing (International)
Trivia: Joe Wright has stated that David Lynch was a major influence on the film, as well as Wright’s love of fairy tales. Saoirse Ronan performed many of her own stunts. Erik Heller’s arrival in Germany and fight underground was done in a single take. It took less than ten attempts to get it right. Wright has said that Ronan requested he be brought on board to direct. Danny Boyle was developing the project in early 2009 but eventually left. Alfonso Cuarón was rumored to be interested before Wright was hired.

April 8 – Arthur

Cast: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig, Luis Guzmán, Nick Nolte, Geraldine James, Evander Holyfield, Jennie Eisenhower, Christina Calph, John Hodgman, Nigel Barker, Scott Adsit
Director: Jason Winer
Studio: MBST Entertainment, BenderSpink, Langley Park Productions, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: A remake of the 1981 film starring Dudley Moore. This was Jason Winer’s first feature film. He was known for directing episodes of Modern Family. Kevin Smith had been approached to direct at one point. The film earned two Golden Raspberry Awards nominations for Worst Actor (Brand) and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel. The death of Arthur’s father at the age of 44 is an homage to Steve Gordon, director of the original film who died at the age of 44. The Rolls Royce used in the original film is scene in a display of movie cars at the end of the film. Rickey Gervais turned down the lead role. The film was shipped to theaters with the code name On the Rocks, a reference to the title of the sequel to the original film.

April 8 – Soul Surfer

Cast: AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, Carrie Underwood, Kevin Sorbo, Ross Thomas, Chris Brochu, Lorraine Nicholson, Jeremy Sumpter, Sonia Balmores Chung, Craig T. Nelson, Cody Gomes, Branscombe Richmond
Director: Sean McNamara
Studio: TriStar Pictures, FilmDistrict, Mandalay Vision, Brookwell McNamara Entertainment, Island Film Group, Enticing Entertainment, Affirm Films, Life’s a Beach Entertainment, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Trivia: Based on the 2004 autobiography Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton. Hamilton did most of the stunt double work for AnnaSopia Robb. Hamiton asked Robb to portray her after seeing Bridge to Terabithia. Robb had to learn to surf for the movie. The shark attack scene was filmed on the beach where the actual attack happened. Hamilton had asked that the scene be toned down as everyone at the time of the attack was calm. Hamilton and some of her family members have cameos in the film. The dog in the film is actually Hamilton’s dog. This was Carrie Underwood’s first movie role. Dierctor Sean McNamara also has a cameo.

April 8 – Your Highness

Cast: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Theroux, Toby Jones, Damian Lewis, Rasmus Hardiker, Caroline Grace-Cassidy, Simon Farnaby, Deobia Oparei, Charles Dance, John Fricker, Matyelok Gibbs, Angela Pleasence, Anna Barry, Charles Shaughnessy, Rhian Sugden, Amii Grove, Madison Welch
Director: David Gordon Green
Studio: Stuber Pictures, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Universal was initially nervous about the film, believing it would be a parody but were more confident when assured it would not be filled with comedian cameos. James Franco took sword training for nine months. He flew between New York City and Belfast during filming as he was attending college classes full time. Natalie Portman took the film for a paycheck while waiting with the uncertainty that Black Swan would be greenlit by a major studio. She was planning to use her salary to fund the film herself if need be, but it was greenlit and she was stuck in Your Highness. Franco plays Danny McBride’s older brother in the film, but he’s actually more than a year younger.

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