Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #46 :: June 9•15

Paramount Pictures

The Summer movie season is getting into full swing this week with movies that have very long titles, or titles with colons. The first half of the century didn’t offer much in the way of classic or memorable films, but 1981 saw the release of three films that very well-known in the genres of comedy, fantasy and adventure. 1991 gave us a hit film that took a critical drubbing, winning an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Grammy … and a Razzie. 2001 put Disney into the CG animations game, and Angelina Jolie into short shorts, while 2011 went all nostalgic for the late 1970s. Let’s take a look to see if any of your favorite films were released this week!

1921

• No new films were released this week in 1921.

1931

June 13 – Five and Ten

• Cast: Marion Davies, Leslie Howard, Richard Bennett, Irene Rich, Douglass Montgomery, Mary Duncan
• Director: Robert Z. Leonard
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Cosmopolitan Productions, distributed by Loew’s Inc.
• Trivia: Based on the Fannie Hurst novel of the same name. Loosely based on Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress, and her family. This was Marion Davies’ first dramatic talkie. The mansion exterior seen near the beginning of the film was the Andrew Carnegie Mansion.

1941

June 11 – The Gang’s All Here

1. Cast: Frankie Darro, Marcia Mae Jones, Jackie Moran, Keye Luke, Mantan Moreland, Robert Homans, Irving Mitchell, Ed Cassidy, Pat Gleason, Jack Kenney, Jack Ingram, Laurence Criner
2. Director: Jean Yarbrough
3. Studio: Monogram Pictures Corporation
4. Trivia: Known as In the Night in the UK.

June 13 – Broadway Limited

• Cast: Victor McLaglen, Marjorie Woodworth, Dennis O’Keefe, Patsy Kelly, ZaSu Pitts, Leonid Kinskey, George E. Stone, Gay Ellen Dakin, Charles C. Wilson, John Sheehan, Edgar Edwards, Eric Alden, Sam McDaniel
• Director: Gordon Douglas
• Studio: Hal Roach Studios, distributed by United Artists
• Trivia: The film takes its name from the Broadway Limited train that the Pennsylvania Railroad used to run between New York and Chicago.

June 13 – One Night in Lisbon

• Cast: Fred MacMurray, Madeleine Carroll, Patricia Morison, John Loder, Billie Burke, May Whitty, Edmund Gwenn, Reginald Denny, Billy Gilbert, Marcel Dalio, Bruce Wyndham
• Director: Edward H. Griffith
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on May 14, 1941. One of a cycle of pro-British films made by Hollywood before the United States’ entry into the war in December 1941. The film is based on John Van Druten’s 1931 British play There’s Always Juliet, updated to include the current wartime situation.

1951

June 12 – China Corsair

• Cast: Jon Hall, Lisa Ferraday, Ron Randell, Douglas Kennedy, Ernest Borgnine, John Dehner, Marya Marco, Philip Ahn, Peter Mamakos, Amanda Blake
• Director: Ray Nazarro
• Studio: Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: The film debut of Ernest Borgnine.

June 15 – Little Big Horn

• Cast: Lloyd Bridges, John Ireland, Marie Windsor, Reed Hadley, Jim Davis, Wally Cassell, Hugh O’Brian, King Donovan, Richard Emory, John Pickard, Richard Sherwood, Sheb Wooley, Larry Stewart, Rodd Redwing, Dick Paxton, Gordon Wynn, Ted Avery, Barbara Woodell, Anne Warren
• Director: Charles Marquis Warren
• Studio: Bail Productions Inc., Robert L. Lippert Productions, distributed by Lippert Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered June 8, 1951 in San Francisco. Also known as The Fighting Seventh. The film was originally to be titled The Black Hills to star Rod Taylor for Republic Pictures. The film shifted to Lippert Pictures and Lloyd Bridges was cast as the lead. Marie Windsor said the production ran out of money so several pages were torn out of the script, leaving the film to be finished without certain scenes being shot.

1961

June 11 – King of the Roaring ’20s: The Story of Arnold Rothstein

• Cast: David Janssen, Dianne Foster, Diana Dors, Jack Carson, Dan O’Herlihy, Mickey Shaughnessy, Keenan Wynn, William Demarest, Regis Toomey, Robert Ellenstein, Tim Rooney, Joseph Schildkraut, Mickey Rooney
• Director: Joseph M. Newman
• Studio: Allied Artists
• Trivia: Also known as The Big Bankroll. Based on a book by Leo Katcher. Producer David Diamond was eying Dean Martin for the lead. Gene Kelly expressed interest in starring and directing. David Janssen was cast after starring in Hell to Eternity and Dondi for Allied Artists. Mickey Rooney’s son Tim played his father’s character as a child. This was Jack Carson’s final film.

June 13 – La Viaccia

• Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Claudia Cardinale, Pietro Germi, Gabriella Pallotta, Romolo Valli, Paul Frankeur, Gina Sammarco, Marcella Valeri, Emma Baron, Franco Balducci, Claudio Biava, Nando Angelini, Duilio D’Amore, Giuseppe Tosi, Paola Pitagora, Gianna Giachetti, Rosita di Vera Cruz, Dante Posani, Olimpia Cavalli, Aurelio Nardi, Maurice Poli, Renzo Palmer, Rina Morelli
• Director: Mauro Bolognini
• Studio: Titanus, Arco Film, Galatea Film
• Trivia: The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 1961 before opening in France on June 13. The film did not open in the US until September 20, 1962. The English title is The Lovemakers.

June 15 – Wild in the Country

• Cast: Elvis Presley, Hope Lange, Tuesday Weld, Millie Perkins, Rafer Johnson, John Ireland, Gary Lockwood, William Mims, Raymond Greenleaf, Christina Crawford
• Director: Philip Dunne
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: The film premiered in Memphis, Tennessee on June 8, 1961. Based on the 1958 novel The Lost Country by J. R. Salamanca. The screenplay was written by playwright Clifford Odets. Producer Jerry Wald, who bought the rights before the book was published, wanted Bradford Dillman and Margaret Leighton in the lead roles, but later it was suggested he always wanted Elvis Presley to star with Simone Signoret as his co-star. Fox’s new studio head refused to meet Signoret’s salary demands and insisted on Wald and Dunne using a contract player. Barbara Bel Geddes had been cast at one point, but Hope Lange won the role even though she was considered too young for the part. The studio also fired Odets two weeks before filming was to commence with only half of a completed script. Dunne was forced to complete it. Dunne said Fox forced him to include four songs for Presley. Two songs, ‘Lonely Man’ and ‘Forget Me Never’ were recorded but not used in the film. This was the last film to use the studio’s colonial mansion on the backlot before it was torn down. Pat Buttram and Jason Robards Sr. have uncredited cameos. In the original cut of the film, Lange’s character succeeds in her suicide attempt, but preview audiences reacted negatively so it was reshot with her surviving. Millie Perkins broke her arm in a scene where she had to slap Elvis across the face.

1971

June 9 – The Deadly Trap

• Cast: Faye Dunaway, Frank Langella, Barbara Parkins, Karen Blanguernon, Raymond Gérôme, Michele Lourie, Patrick Vincent, Gérard Buhr, Louise Chevalier, Maurice Ronet, Tener Eckelberry, Massimo Farinelli, Jill Larson, Robert Lussac, Franco Ressel, Dora van der Groen
• Director: René Clément
• Studio: Les Films Corona, Les Films Pomereu, Oceania Produzioni Internazionali Cinematografiche, distributed by Titanus (Italy), National General Pictures (US), Columbia-Warner Distributors (UK)
• Trivia: The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, then opened in France on June 9, 1971. It did not receive a US release until October 25, 1972. Based on the novel The Children Are Gone by Arthur Cavanaugh. The film won First Prize at the Brussels Film Festival.

June 9 – They Might Be Giants

• Cast: George C. Scott, Joanne Woodward, Jack Gilford, Lester Rawlins, Al Lewis, Rue McClanahan, Ron Weyand, Oliver Clark, Kitty Winn
• Director: Anthony Harvey
• Studio: Newman-Foreman Company, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the 1961 play of the same name, written by James Goldman who also wrote the screenplay. The play was only presented in London, but Goldman never felt director Joan Littlewood got it right and forbade any further productions or publication of the script. The film’s original running time was 98 minutes. No home video releases contain the full cut, missing a long sequence near the end set in a grocery store. Years after production, Joanne Woodward said she had such an unpleasant time making the film that she almost quit acting. This marks F. Murray Abraham’s film debut.

June 11 – The Mephisto Waltz

• Cast: Alan Alda, Jacqueline Bisset, Barbara Parkins, Bradford Dillman, William Windom, Kathleen Widdoes, Pamelyn Ferdin, Curd Jürgens, Antoinette Bower
• Director: Paul Wendkos
• Studio: 20th Century-Fox
• Trivia: The film had limited runs in New York City starting April 9, 1971, and San Francisco starting June 9 before its national release on June 11. The name of the movie is taken from the piano work by Franz Liszt of the same title. Adapted from the novel of the same title by Fred Mustard Stewart. This was the only theatrical film from Quinn Martin. While the book takes place in New York, exteriors were filmed along California’s Pacific Coast. This was the only theatrical film produced by Fox during the entire calendar year of 1970. A mask worn by the black dog is the same William Shatner style mask used for Michael Myers in Halloween.

June 13 – Unman, Wittering and Zigo

• Cast: David Hemmings, Douglas Wilmer, Carolyn Seymour, Hamilton Dyce, Anthony Haygarth, Barbara Lott, Donald Gee, David Jackson, Hubert Rees, David Auker, Tom Morris, Richard Gill, Michael Kitchen, Nicholas Hoye, Tom Owen, Toby Simpson, James Wardroper, Clive Gray, Rodney Paulden, Keith Janess, Christopher Moran, Michael Cashman, Paul Aston, Michael Howe, Colin Barrie
• Director: John Mackenzie
• Studio: Mediaarts, distributed by Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Adapted from Giles Cooper’s 1958 radio drama of the same name, which was adapted by the BBC for television in 1965. David Hemmings made the film without permission from Hemdale, to which he was under contract, which resulted in a lawsuit. Hemmings then seems to have forgotten the film’s climax as he described it completely differently in his autobiography. David MacGill had a speaking role in the film which was cut after creative differences with the director.

June 15 – Fortune and Men’s Eyes

• Cast: Wendell Burton, Michael Greer, Danny Freedman, Hugh Webster, Zooey Hall
• Director: Harvey Hart
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: Based on the play by John Herbert. Sal Mineo directed a 1969 Los Angeles production of the play, which also played in New York. Herbert objected to some of Mineo’s changes to his script, leading to his refusal to sell the film rights, eliminating any chance of Mineo being involved with the film. The film is based on Herbert’s own experiences in the Canadian prison system. Michael Greer appeared in Mineo’s Los Angeles stage production. Danny Freedman won the Canadian Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. Jules Schwerin was the film’s original director, replaced after nine weeks by Harvey Hart.

June 15 – Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?

• Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Dom DeLuise, Barbara Harris, Jack Warden, David Burns, Gabriel Dell
• Director: Ulu Grosbard
• Studio: Cinema Center Films, distributed by National General Pictures
• Trivia: New York filming locations include include the Lunt-Fontanne Theater, the General Motors Building, and Fillmore East. The scene where Dustin Hoffman’s character performs with Shel Silverstein and Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show at the Fillmore was filmed before an actual Grateful Dead concert with the real attendees acting as extras. As of 2017, it was the film with the longest title to receive an Oscar nomination. This was Barbara Harris’ only Oscar-nominated performance. The title character of Harry Kellerman is never seen in the film.

1981

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

June 12 – Clash of the Titans

• Cast: Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Burgess Meredith, Maggie Smith, Siân Phillips, Claire Bloom, Ursula Andress, Laurence Olivier, Pat Roach, Susan Fleetwood, Tim Pigott-Smith, Jack Gwillim, Neil McCarthy, Vida Taylor, Donald Houston, Flora Robson, Anna Manahan, Freda Jackson
• Director: Desmond Davis
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by United Artists (United States/Canada), Cinema International Corporation (international)
• Trivia: Loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus. This was the last film to feature the stop motion animation of Ray Harryhausen. It was also the last film of Charles H. Schneer, Donald Houston, Flora Robson and Freda Jackson. The film’s script was submitted to the British Board of Film Classification for suggestions on how to secure a general audiences rating. The BBFA objected to a scene of the Kraken tearing Pegasus apart and Andromeda appearing nude at the film’s climax. Cuts were then made to film after submission to Perseus’ final battle with Calibos and secured the rating for ‘ages five or older admitted, but not recommended for children under 14 years of age’. Columbia Pictures, which had distributed most of Harryhausen’s films, dropped the project during pre-production after a regime change, saying it was too expensive. Producer Charles H. Schneer took the film to Orion Pictures which insisted on Arnold Schwarzenegger as Perseus, but Schneer refused because there was too much dialogue. He then went to MGM, which agreed to finance the picture. Malcolm McDowell, Michael York, and Richard Chamberlain were also considered for the role. Familiar actors were sought to play the gods to improve the film’s chances at the box office. Their scenes only took eight days to film. Claire Bloom took one of the roles because it was only a week and she wanted to work with Laurence Olivier. Schneer wanted John Gielgud for the god Ammon, but MGM insisted on an American actor and Burgess Meredith got the role. Desmond Davis was chosen as director because he had previous experience with Shakespearean actors. Rex Harrison was asked to play Poseidon, but rejected the role as being too small. Jack Gwillim, who played Poseidon, had played King Aeëtes in Harryhausen’s Jason and the Argonauts. Maggie Smith, who played Thetis, was married to screenwriter Beverley Cross until his death in 1998. Smith convinced Olivier to appear in the film. Ursula Andress only has one line in the film. The Greek Titans, the gods who preceded the Olympians in power, never appear in the film. The film’s Titans are Medusa, who was never considered a Titan by the Greeks, and the Kraken, a Norse mythological sea monster. The Greek mythological sea monster is Cetus, a whale. The characters of Calibos, son of Thetis, also does not appear in Greek mythology. He is based on Caliban, created by Shakespeare for The Tempest. The son of Thetis in Greek mythology is Achilles. The hell-hound Dioskilos only has two heads instead of the traditional three because it would have taken Harryhausen too long to animate. Harry Hamlin turned down a role in the film Lovespell with Richard Burton to work with Olivier. Despite the film’s stop motion work, it did not receive an Oscar nomination for visual effects or make-up. A sequel, Force of the Trojans, was pitched to MGM in 1984 but was never developed. Olivier, who played Zeus, co-starred in The Bounty with Liam Neeson; Neeson would then play Zeus in the Clash of the Titans remake, and its sequel Wrath of the Titans.

June 12 – History of the World, Part I

• Cast: Mel Brooks, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Ron Carey, Gregory Hines, Pamela Stephenson, Shecky Greene, Sid Caesar, Mary-Margaret Humes, Orson Welles, Carl Reiner
• Director: Mel Brooks
• Studio: Brooksfilms, distributed by 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: Cameos in the Ancient Rome sequence include Howard Morris, Charlie Callas, Paul Mazursky, Henny Youngman, Hugh Hefner, Barry Levinson, John Hurt, Bea Arthur, Ronny Graham and Pat McCormick. French Revolution cameos include Spike Milligan, John Hillerman, and Nigel Hawthorne. The film’s title is a play on The History of the World, Volume 1 by Sir Walter Raleigh. There is no sequel, although the film ends with a mock teaser for Part II featuring ‘Hitler on Ice’, a Viking funeral and ‘Jews in Space’. Richard Pryor was to play the role of Josephus, but two days before filming he was seriously burned after a much-publicized incident. Brooks was about to write the part out until Madeline Kahn suggested Gregory Hines. It was his film debut. It was also the film debut of Mary-Margaret Humes. She was cast after Brooks saw her picture on a Sunset Boulevard billboard. It’s also the American film debut of New Zealander Pamela Stephenson. Comicus’ arrival at Caesar’s palace was filmed at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. One scene featuring a couple mutated — one half dog, the other half cat — by the Three Mile Island accident was cut from the film after negative audience reaction. The Moses scene was added at the last minute as Brooks was inspired by the Stone Age set, which was converted into a cave and mountaintop. The vestal virgins in Caesar’s palace were all played by Playboy Playmates. The carvings on Moses’ tablet are correct in Hebrew. Commandments 11-13 and 15 read ‘Don’t impregnate’, ‘Don’t laugh’, ‘Don’t buy’ and ‘Don’t break’. The carving of the 14th commandment just reads TLRT, which may have been a production mistake (or on purpose to see if anyone was paying attention). Brooks agreed to pay Orson Welles $5000 a day to provide narration for the film. Assuming it would require five eight-hour days, Brooks paid Welles $25,000 up front. Welles completed the recording to perfection by noon on the first day. The movie popularized the phrase ‘It’s good to be the King’. During the ‘Jews in Space’ scene in the Part II trailer, Hebrew writing can be see in the center of the Star of David spaceship. It reads ‘Kosher’. Brooks stated in an interview that there may be a Part IV, but never a Part II. John Hurt took his role to have some fun after coming off of two dramatic roles, including The Elephant Man which was produced by Mel Brooks. John Cleese turned down the role of Count de Monet due to scheduling conflicts. Ursula Andress turned down a role. The castle dungeon Inquisition set cost $1 million. By comparison, the budget for Brooks’ The Twelve Chairs was $931,000. The film’s Roman Empire segment is its longest at 49 minutes. The French Revolution scenes were filmed in England so Brooks could avoid a language barrier.

June 12 – Raiders of the Lost Ark

• Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Wolf Kahler
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Studio: Lucasfilm Ltd., distributed by Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: George Lucas conceived the idea for the film in the early 1970s, then titled The Adventures of Indiana Smith and with an Alaskan Malamute dog as a companion, but put it aside to focus on Star Wars. Development resumed after its release in 1977 with Philip Kaufman contributing the idea of the Ark of the Covenant as the film’s plot device. Lucas wanted Kaufman to direct but he was committed to The Outlaw Josey Wales, so the project was put on hold again. While vacationing in Hawaii with Steven Spielberg, who wanted to direct a Bond film, Lucas pitched him the Indiana Smith idea, and when it was clear Kaufman was not able to participate, he offered the director’s chair to Spielberg. Spielberg hated the name Indiana Smith, and with Lucas and writer Lawrence Kasdan, they agreed to change it to Indiana Jones. Lucas wanted Indy to be a practitioner of Kung Fu and a wealthy playboy, but Spielberg and Kasdan thought he was complicated enough being an adventurer and archaeologist. Spielberg suggested he be an avid gambler or alcoholic but Lucas wanted him to be a role model. Ideas cut from the first draft of the screenplay included a trip to Shanghai, a minecart chase, and Jones using a gong as a shield against gunfire … all which would make their way into the prequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Much of the love story between Jones and Marion was also cut, much to Kasdan’s disappointment. Several studios turned the film down due to Lucas’ terms, wanting the studio to fund without creative input, giving Lucas complete rights to licensing and sequels. They were also hesitant about Spielberg who had a history of delivering films over schedule and over budget, and his last film, 1941, was both and a critical failure. Lucas refused to do the project without Spielberg. Paramount finally agreed to Lucas’ deal with a compromise on exclusive rights to any sequels and severe penalties for exceeding the schedule or budget. Paramount mandated a filming schedule of 85 days, but Lucas and Spielberg imposed a 73 day schedule on themselves. Bill Murray, Nick Nolte, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Tim Matheson, Nick Mancuso, Peter Coyote, Jack Nicholson, Jeff Bridges, and John Shea were all considered for the starring role. Jeff Bridges was the casting directors’ favorite but Lucas’ wife Marcia preferred Tom Selleck, who was under contract to CBS while filming the pilot for Magnum, P.I. Lucas and Spielberg asked for Selleck to be released ten days early but seeing he was in demand, CBS greenlit Magnum which forced Selleck to drop out of the film. The 1980 actors strike put the show on hiatus for three months, which would have allowed Selleck to star in the movie. Spielberg liked Harrison Ford after seeing The Empire Strikes Back, and Ford had always been under consideration but they felt he was too well-known at that point, and Lucas didn’t want to seem reliant on the actor after casting him in American Graffiti and Star Wars. He also didn’t think Ford would commit to a three-picture deal, but Ford thought it would be a fun project and agreed to the deal. For Marion, Lucas wanted Debra Winger (not interested) and Spielberg wanted his girlfriend Amy Irving (unavailable). They also considered Barbara Hershey and Sean Young. Karen Allen got the part after impressing Spielberg with her professionalism at the audition. Giancarlo Giannini and Jacques Dutronc were considered for Belloq before Paul Freeman was cast. Danny DeVito was approached for Sallah, but he was committed to Taxi and his agent wanted too much money. John Rhys-Davies was cast based on his performance in the TV mini-series Shogun. Klaus Kinski was offered the role of Toht, but took Venom because it offered more money. Ronald Lacey was cast because he reminded Spielberg of Peter Lorre. Filming was completed in the self-imposed 73 days, and Lucas said it was the easiest film he’d worked on because of the lack of studio interference. Post-production lasted about two months, and Spielberg’s first cut ran over three hours. Additional editing brought the film down to under two hours, but Marcia Lucas noted there was no emotional closure for Indy and Marion because she was not present following the closure of the Ark. The suggestion led Spielberg to shoot the final exterior sequence at San Francisco City Hall showing the pair together. Shots of the Douglas DC-3 in which Jones flies to Nepal were taken from the 1973 film Lost Horizon, and the street scene outside Jones’ home was taken from The Hindenburg, although SPFX supervisor Richard Edlund said the scene was done with miniatures. Ford performed many of his own stunts, shooting the opening run from the giant boulder, which weighed 300 lbs, ten times for different camera angles. Spielberg admitted it was dumb to let Ford do that but didn’t think it would look right with a stuntman concealing his face. Belloq’s exploding head effect was so extreme it nearly earned the film an R-rating. Flames were superimposed over the scene to conceal the effect. Producer Frank Marshall has a cameo as the Flying Wing pilot. This is the first film appearance of Alfred Molina, as Indy’s guide Satipo. The film won five Academy Awards, and was nominated for Best Picture. It was added to the National Film Registry for preservation in 1999.

1991

June 14 – Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

• Cast: Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Christian Slater, Alan Rickman, Geraldine McEwan, Michael McShane, Brian Blessed, Michael Wincott, Nick Brimble, Harold Innocent, Walter Sparrow, Daniel Newman, Daniel Peacock, Jack Wild, Soo Drouet, Liam Halligan, Michael Goldie
• Director: Kevin Reynolds
• Studio: Morgan Creek Productions, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: Despite its critical drubbing, the film was the second highest grossing picture of 1991. Alan Rickman receives a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor. Bryan Adams’ song ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It for You’ was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and won a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media. Kevin Costner won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor. Costner originally rejected the role but signed on when he learned Kevin Reynolds, with whom he’d worked in the past including on Dances With Wolves, was directing. Costner wanted Robin Hood to have an accent but Reynolds thought it would be too distracting. Exterior photography was hampered by England’s Winter weather, at one point causing flights into Heathrow to be diverted directly over the filming location. The studio’s insistence on extensively re-editing the film to feature Costner more prominently and prevent Rickman from stealing the movie, and locking his editor out of the process, infuriated Reynolds who walked off the film weeks before its release. He did not attend the premiere. Rickman turned down the Sheriff of Nottingham role twice before he was told he had free reign to interpret the character as he wanted. He ad-libbed the line about calling off Christmas. Knowing the script was rubbish, Rickman enlisted his friends Ruby Wax and Peter Barnes to spice up his dialogue. A 155-minute extended cut of the film was released to home video in 2009. Cary Elwes turned down the title role because he though the story was too contrived, but we would go on to appear as the star of Mel Brooks’ spoof Robin Hood: Men in Tights. The trumpet flourish of the title score became Morgan Creek’s theme music. Brian Blessed was almost killed filming his death scene. 61-year-old Sean Connery made an uncredited cameo as King Richard, who would have been 37 at the time of the film’s setting. Johnny Depp turned down the role of Will Scarlett. Robin Wright was originally cast as Maid Marian but had to drop out due to her pregnancy. Elizabeth Hurley, Patsy Kensit, Nicole Kidman, Mathilda May, Amanda Pays, Joely Richardson, Ally Sheedy, and Sophie Marceau were considered to play Marian. Sam Neill turned down the role of Sheriff George. The role of the Sheriff of Nottingham was originally offered to Richard E. Grant. Richard Griffiths turned down the role of Friar Tuck. This was Harold Innocent’s last film.

2001

June 15 – Atlantis: The Lost Empire

• Voice Cast: Michael J. Fox, James Garner, Cree Summer, Don Novello, Phil Morris, Claudia Christian, Jacqueline Obradors, Florence Stanley, David Ogden Stiers, John Mahoney, Jim Varney, Corey Burton, Leonard Nimoy
• Director: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
• Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Feature Animation, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered on June 3, 2001, then played in Los Angeles and New York City for a week beginning June 8 before its nationwide release on June 15. The 41st Disney animated feature, and the first science fiction one. The film uses more CGI and any previous Disney animated film and is one of the few filmed in anamorphic widescreen. The film had a lackluster performance at the box office, and Disney quietly cancelled a spin-off TV series and attraction at the Disney parks. The film has since been reappraised as a mistreated classic. A direct-to-video sequel, Atlantis: Milo’s Return, was released in 2003. The film was conceived in 1996 as a way to keep the team from The Hunchback of Notre Dame together. The crew wore T-shirts that read ‘Atlantis — Fewer songs, more explosions’. Marc Okrand, who developed the Klingon language for Star Trek, devised the Atlantean language. Joss Whedon was the first writer involved with the film but left soon after to work on other Disney projects. He says not a shred of his work appears in the film. The character of Milo J. Thatch was originally a descendant of Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard the pirate. Without songs, the story and animation team were given more time to develop the characters. The film’s original prologue featured a Viking war party attempting to find Atlantis. It was replaced by a sequence showing the destruction of Atlantis, but was included on the home video release as a bonus feature. 350 animators, artists and technicians worked on the film. Jim Varney died just before completing the film. His line ‘I ain’t so good at speechifying’ is the only one not spoken by him; Steven Barr voiced that line. This is one of the last Disney films to feature a character who smokes. Milo is the first Disney male hero to wear glasses. Michael J. Fox was offered roles in both this film and Titan A.E. He let his son pick which film he should do. One of the few Disney films to be set in an actual year, 1914. One of the first Disney animated films to feature an African-American as an important secondary character. Lloyd Bridges was cast as Whitmore, but died shortly after production began. He was replaced by John Mahoney. The first animated Disney film since 1985’s The Black Cauldron to carry a PG rating. Don Novello improvised all of his dialogue. Tommy Lee Jones, Jack Davenport, and Kurt Russell were considered for the role of Commander Rourke. Tim Curry was considered for the role of the King of Atlantis. This was Cree Summer’s first Disney film. Jason Schwartzman, Tobey Maguire, Breckin Meyer, Jim Carrey, Harry Enfield, Nicolas Cage, Brad Pitt, Jason Lee and Jamie Kennedy were considered for the role of Milo Thatch. Chris Rock, Michael Nicolosi, John Leguizamo, Bernard Farcy, D.L. Hughley, and Ben Miller were considered for the role of Moliere.

June 15 – Den

• Cast: Greg Arce, Stephanie Rettig, Lee Schall, Dana J. Ryan, Sabrina O’Neil
• Director: Greg Arce
• Studio: Clown Tears Productions, distributed by Wonderphil Productions, Force Entertainment
• Trivia: Writer-Director Greg Arce announced in 2009 that he was looking into legal action against the producers of 2004’s Saw, alleging similarities between the two films. Film critics and bloggers have also noticed the similarities.

June 15 – Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

• Cast: Angelina Jolie, Iain Glen, Jon Voight, Daniel Craig, Noah Taylor, Richard Johnson, Chris Barrie, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Leslie Phillips, Henry Wyndham, Olegar Fedoro
• Director: Simon West
• Studio: Paramount Pictures, Mutual Film Company, Lawrence Gordon Productions, Eidos Interactive, distributed by Paramount Pictures (United States), United International Pictures (United Kingdom/Internationally)
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held in Westwood, CA on June 11, 2001. The film went through many drafts and several writers, resulting in production delays. The screenplay is credited to five writers, including director Simon West. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Famke Janssen, Jennifer Lopez, Rhona Mitra, Elizabeth Hurley, Ashley Judd, Sandra Bullock, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Diane Lane, Demi Moore and Denise Richards were considered or showed interest in the title role with Richards being the favorite to get it. Jolie’s casting was criticized for many reasons, from her not being British to her tattoos to her personal life and breast size. This was Red Dwarf actor Chris Barrie’s film debut. Daniel Craig adopts an American accent for his role while Jolie takes on an English accent. Prior to Craig taking on the role of James Bond, the majority of the film’s interiors were filmed on the 007 Soundstage at Pinewood Studios. Also telegraphing his future role, Craig’s character carries a Walther PPK, the gun traditionally carried by Bond. This was the first time in more than 30 that a Hollywood film was shot in Cambodia.

2011

Paramount Pictures

June 9 – Super 8

• Cast: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Zach Mills, Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, AJ Michalka, Joel McKinnon Miller, Jessica Tuck, Brett Rice, Michael Giacchino, Michael Hitchcock, Jay Scully, Noah Emmerich, Richard T. Jones, Bruce Greenwood, David Gallagher, Glynn Turman, Beau Knapp, Dan Castellaneta, Caitriona Balfe, Dale Dickey
• Director: J. J. Abrams
• Studio: Bad Robot Productions, Amblin Entertainment, distributed by Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: The film was shot in Weirton, West Virginia. The film was originally thought to be a prequel or sequel to Cloverfield. Abrams conducted a national talent search to find the child actors. Abrams wanted to shot the film-within-the-film on actual Super 8 stock, but Industrial Light and Magic found it impossible to integrate effects footage due to the film’s graininess. The footage was instead shot on 16mm stock. Abrams insisted the train station scenes be shot outside at night and not in a studio. The moving train was completely CGI, but the wrecked cars were real. Bruce Greenwood provided motion capture for the alien, and is credited as ‘Cooper’, the alien’s nickname on set. This is the only film to date directed by Abrams that does not feature Simon Pegg in any way. The water tower seen in the film is entirely computer generated. Jeremy Renner declined the lead role to appear in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Elle Fanning’s sister Dakota can be briefly seen during the Town Hall meeting. Abrams cameos as a soldier exiting a jeep.

June 10 – Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer

• Cast: Jordana Beatty, Parris Mosteller, Heather Graham, Janet Varney, Kristoffer Winters, Jaleel White, Preston Bailey, Taylar Hender, Bobbi Sue Luther, Hunter King, Ashley Boettcher, Robert Costanzo, Sharon Sachs, Garrett Ryan, Jackson Odell, Cameron Boyce, Paul Kvinsland
• Director: John Schultz
• Studio: Smokewood Entertainment, distributed by Relativity Media
• Trivia: The film’s Hollywood premiere was held on June 4, 2011. Based on Megan McDonald’s Judy Moody book series. This was Australian actress Jordana Beatty’s first screen role, and being around an American crew with other American actors helped her develop her American accent.