Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #47 :: June 16•22

Universal Pictures

With the Summer season kicking into high gear, this week across the decades saw the release of some major films, particularly over the last 40 years. This week brings the last Marx Brothers film at MGM, several Disney films that starred a dragon, twins and a rocket man, a coast-to-coast illegal auto race; the return of the Man of Steel, a Julia Roberts flop, the first film in a franchise going strong 20 years later, and an ill-fated attempt at bringing a comic book character to the big screen that had at least one positive outcome — the marriage of its two stars. What movies are these? Read on to find out and get more information about the films and behind-the-scenes trivia! Are your favorites on the list?

1921

No new films were released this week in 1921.

1931

June 20 – A Free Soul

Cast: Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, Lionel Barrymore, Clark Gable, James Gleason, Lucy Beaumont
Director: Clarence Brown
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Loew’s Inc.
Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on June 2, 1931. Lionel Barrymore won the Oscar for Best Actor at the 4th Academy Awards mainly for his two-and-a-half minute courtroom monologue at the film’s climax. Barrymore, however, was a Supporting Actor but the category did not exist yet, so he’s the only Supporting Actor to win the Best Actor award with the least amount of screen time. Clark Gable was catapulted from supporting player to leading man based on his performance. This was one of 14 films he made in 1931. Adapted from the 1928 play by Willard Mack, which was based on the 1927 novel A Free Soul by Adela Rogers St. Johns. Minor edits were made to the film in Canada after complaints by the Canadian Pharmacists Association of an unfair portrayal of druggists. The film was banned in Ireland. Hollywood censors demanded a scene be cut where Norma Shearer lays in bed and asks Gable to put his arms around her. MGM ignored the request. The 14 minute courtroom scene held a world record as the longest take on 35mm film. It was actually achieved by two cameras as one camera only held 10 minutes of film. Adela Rogers St. Johns wanted Joan Crawford or Marion Davies for the lead. Gable’s character name was Wilfong so as not to imply any ethnic group that might be associated with organized crime.

June 21 – The Black Camel

Cast: Warner Oland, Sally Eilers, Bela Lugosi, Dorothy Revier, Victor Varconi, Murray Kinnell, Robert Young, Violet Dunn, J.M. Kerrigan, Mary Gordon, Rita Rozelle, Otto Yamaoka
Director: Hamilton MacFadden
Studio: Fox Film Corporation, Hamilton MacFadden, distributed by Fox Film Corporation
Trivia: Director Hamilton MacFadden, C. Henry Gordon and Dwight Fry have uncredited cameos. Based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Earl Derr Biggers. It is the second film to star Warner Oland as Charlie Chan, and the only one of the first five Chan films starring Oland to survive. This was the second of three Chan films directed by MacFadden. He began directing a fourth but was fire a week into production. This was the film debut of Robert Young. Much of the film was shot on location in Honolulu. The film benefited at the box office with its casting of Bela Lugosi, who had become a sensation just a few months earlier in Dracula.

1941

June 20 – The Big Store

Cast: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Tony Martin, Virginia Grey, Margaret Dumont, Douglass Dumbrille, William Tannen, Marion Martin, Henry Armetta, Anna Demetrio, Virginia O’Brien, Paul Stanton, Russell Hicks, Bradley Page, Six Hits and a Miss
Director: Charles Reisner
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: The last film of a five film contract the Marx Brothers had with MGM. They had decided to retire as a team but made two more films, A Night in Casablanca and Love Happy, which Groucho later said were made because Chico was a compulsive gambler and needed the money. This was the seventh and last film to co-star Margaret Dumont. Charles Lane appears in an uncredited role. During a fashion show number, one of the models is wearing the same red dress worn by Joan Crawford in The Bride Wore Red four years earlier.

June 20 – Man Hunt

Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Joan Bennett, George Sanders, John Carradine, Roddy McDowall, Ludwig Stössel, Heather Thatcher, Frederick Worlock, Roger Imhof, Egon Brecher, Lester Matthews, Holmes Herbert, Eily Malyon, Arno Frey, Frederick Vogeding, Wilhelm von Brincken
Director: Fritz Lang
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on June 13, 1941. Based on the 1939 novel Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household. This was the first of four anti-Nazi films directed by Fritz Lang. This was Roddy McDowall’s first Hollywood film after escaping London during the Blitz. The film was so pro-British that is influenced the U.S. public to sympathize with the British side in World War II. The Hays Office was alarmed, labeling it a ‘hate film’ because it depicted all Germans as evil instead of also showing good non-Nazis while the U.S. was still taking a neutral stance. Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck was also concerned about Lang’s anti-Nazi enthusiasm and banned him from the editing room, but he and his associate Gene Fowler, Jr. secretly edited the film without Zanuck’s approval. This film and That Hamilton Woman were seen as pro-English propaganda meant to change the American public opinion about going to war against Germany. The BBC remade the film as Rogue Male in 1976 with Peter O’Toole. The Academy Film Archive preserved the film in 2000. Roddy McDowall’s older sister Virginia appears as Mary. A replica of a London tube station was built on a Fox soundstage with the aid of actual blueprints.

June 20 – The Reluctant Dragon

Cast: Robert Benchley, Frances Gifford, Buddy Pepper, Nana Bryant, Claud Allister, Barnett Parker, Billy Lee, Florence Gill, Clarence Nash, Norman Ferguson, Ward Kimball, Jim Luske, Alan Ladd, Truman Woodworth, Hamilton MacFadden
Director: Alfred Werker (live action), Hamilton Luske (animation), Jack Cutting, Ub Iwerks, Jack Kinney (sequence directors)
Studio: Walt Disney Productions, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: A short version of the film premiere on January 2, 1941. The first twenty minutes of the film are in black and white, while the rest is in Technicolor. The Reluctant Dragon segment of the film is based upon Kenneth Grahame’s book of the same name. The film was released in the middle of the Disney animators’ strike of 1941 with strikers picketing the premiere. The Reluctant Dragon makes a cameo appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Disney’s House of Mouse. The film also includes the segment How To Ride a Horse, the first of the Goofy ‘How to’ cartoons. Characters Casey Junior, from Dumbo, and Bambi make appearances before the release of their respective films in 1941 and 1942. The Hays Office objected to the dragon having a navel, so it had to be removed before the film could be released. This was the film debut of John Dehner. Many modern critics have noted that the Reluctant Dragon is an unmistakably gay stereotype, which may explain the disclaimer attached to the film on Disney Plus explaining the ‘outdated cultural depictions’.

1951

June 20 – Kind Lady

Cast: Ethel Barrymore, Maurice Evans, Angela Lansbury, Keenan Wynn, Betsy Blair, John Williams, Doris Lloyd, Moyna MacGill, Barry Bernard
Director: John Sturges
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Remake of the 1935 film of the same name. Moyna MacGill was Angela Lansbury’s mother in real life.

1961

June 16 – The Colossus of Rhodes

Cast: Rory Calhoun, Lea Massari, Georges Marchal, Conrado San Martín, Ángel Aranda, Mabel Karr, Mimmo Palmara, Roberto Camardiel, Alfio Caltabiano, George Rigaud
Director: Sergio Leone
Studio: Cine-Produzioni Associate, Procusa Film, Comptoir Français de Productions Cinématographiques, Cinema Television International, distributed by Filmar (Italy), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (International)
Trivia: The film opened in Spain on June 16, 1961, but did not come to the US until December 13. This was Sergio Leone’s first credited work as a director, although he did uncredited work on The Last Days of Pompeii, Ben-Hur and Quo Vadis. This was one of the few films of the time to be set in the Hellenistic era. Most ‘peplum era’ films were either set in classical Greece (or earlier) or the later Roman period. John Derek was originally cast as the lead but clashed with Leone and was replaced with Rory Calhoun on one day’s notice. Calhoun had been in Italy to star in Marco Polo. Calhoun wears a wide bracelet on his left arm, which is also covered by a cloak. It is said he did this to hide his 20th century tattoos.

Walt Disney Pictures

June 21 – The Parent Trap

Cast: Hayley Mills, Brian Keith, Maureen O’Hara, Joanna Barnes, Charlie Ruggles, Cathleen Nesbitt, Una Merkel, Leo G. Carroll, Linda Watkins, Ruth McDevitt, Crahan Denton, Nancy Kulp, Frank De Vol
Director: David Swift
Studio: Walt Disney Productions, distributed by Buena Vista Distribution
Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on June 12, 1961. Based upon the 1949 book Lottie and Lisa (German: Das Doppelte Lottchen) by Erich Kästner. The film received two Oscar nominations, had three television sequels and was remade in 1998 with Lindsay Lohan. This was Hayley Mills’ second of six films for Disney. The film’s working titles were His and Hers, Petticoats and Blue Jeans, and We Belong Together. Maureen O’Hara was contractually obligated to receive top billing but Disney gave it to Mills, causing tension between the studio and O’Hara and was the reason she never worked with them again. Joanna Barnes plays an older version of her character in the 1998 remake. The film was intended to just have a few trick photography shots of two Hayley Mills characters, but Walt Disney liked the seamlessness of the process so much he ordered more shots be filmed. Susan Henning was the body double for Mills, but her contract stipulated she would not receive credit. Tommy Sands and Annette Funicello were on the lot shooting Babes in Toyland when they recorded the film’s theme song. This was Brian Keith’s first comedic role.

June 21 – Two Loves

Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Laurence Harvey, Jack Hawkins, Nobu McCarthy, Ronald Long, Norah Howard, Juano Hernandez
Director: Charles Walters
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn Mayer
Trivia: Based on the book Spinster by Sylvia Ashton-Warner. Shirley MacLaine turned down Breakfast at Tiffany’s for this film, something she regretted, but also admitted wouldn’t have been the same without Audrey Hepburn. MacLaine later said this film was ‘a terrible movie no one has ever heard of’. The film was released in the UK as Spinster.

1971

June 17 – The Anderson Tapes

Cast: Sean Connery, Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam, Ralph Meeker, Alan King, Dick Anthony Williams, Val Avery, Garrett Morris, Stan Gottlieb, Christopher Walken, Conrad Bain, Margaret Hamilton, Anthony Holland, Scott Jacoby, Judith Lowry, Meg Myles, Norman Rose, Max Showalter, Janet Ward, Paul Benjamin, Richard B. Shull
Director: Sidney Lumet
Studio: Robert M. Weitman Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Based upon a best-selling 1970 novel of the same name by Lawrence Sanders. The first major film to focus on the pervasiveness of electronic surveillance. This was the first major film for Christopher Walken and the last for Margaret Hamilton.

1981

June 19 – The Bushido Blade

Cast: Richard Boone, Sonny Chiba, Frank Converse, Laura Gemser, James Earl Jones, Mako Iwamatsu, Timothy Murphy, Michael Starr, Tetsurō Tamba, Toshirō Mifune, Bin Amatsu, Mayumi Asano, Kin Ōmae
Director: Tom Kotani
Studio: Rankin/Bass, Trident Films, distrubuted by Aquarius Releasing, Saguenay Films
Trivia: Derided as a copy of the TV mini-series Shogun, the movie was shot in 1978, but not released until 1981. Shogun was first broadcast in 1980. This was Richard Boone’s final film.

June 19 – The Cannonball Run

Cast: Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Jimmy ‘The Greek’ Snyder, George Furth, Jackie Chan, Michael Hui, Johnny Yune, Jamie Farr, Bianca Jagger, Mel Tillis, Terry Bradshaw, Adrienne Barbeau, Tara Buckman, Bert Convy, Warren Berlinger, Jack Elam, Rick Aviles, John Fiedler, Joe Kłecko, Brock Yates, Ken Squier, A. J. Foyt
Director: Hal Needham
Studio: Golden Harvest, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Based on the 1979 running of an actual cross-country outlaw road race in the United States, beginning in Connecticut and ending in California. Jamie Farr’s The Sheik is the only character to appear in all three Cannonball Run films. Valerie Perrine has an uncredited cameo as a state trooper. Peter Fonda has a cameo role referencing his character in The Wild Angels. Director Hal Needham appears uncredited as the ambulance EMT, a truck driver who calls Roger Moore on the CB, and the voice of the cop at the speed trap. Veteran voice actor June Foray provided the dubbed dialogue of several of the women who escort Goldfarb in the race. This and the first sequel were the final film performances of Dean Martin. It was also the final film of Bert Convy. It was Jackie Chan’s second Hollywood film. Farrah Fawcett received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actress but lost to Diana Scarwid in Mommie Dearest. The film was originally conceived as an action film with Steve McQueen, but after his death it was turned into a comedy with Burt Reynolds. Chinese actor Jackie Chan was very upset to learn his character was Japanese. The ambulance used in the film is the same vehicle Hal Needham and Brock Yates used in the real Cannonball Run race. Most of the stars in the movie only worked for two or three days. The filming was completed in 36 days. Reynolds was paid a record, at the time, $5 million for four weeks work. Fox executives were not happy with the opening studio logo being wrecked by an animated car, but realized audiences would enjoy the joke. The Highway Patrol officer who pulls over Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman is Reynolds’ stand-in. Don Rickles was originally cast as Fenderbaum, but the role went to Sammy Davis, Jr. Needham and producer Albert S. Ruddy liked the chemistry of Terry Bradshaw and Mel Tillis so much they pitched a TV series with their characters to ABC. The project was met with enthusiasm, but the day before a meeting was to be held to discuss the idea, the head of the network was fired and the project was cancelled. Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to remake the film, with Doug Liman in early talks to direct.

Warner Bros. Pictures

June 19 – Superman II

Cast: Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, Jack O’Halloran, Valerie Perrine, Susannah York, Clifton James, E.G. Marshall, Marc McClure, Terence Stamp
Director: Richard Lester
Studio: Dovemead Ltd., International Film Production, distributed by Columbia–EMI–Warner Distributors (United Kingdom), Warner Bros. (United States)
Trivia: The film’s US premiere was held in New York City on June 1, 1981. The film had actually been in release internationally beginning December 4, 1980 in Australia. It played in France and Norway starting December 9, then Spain on December 11, and Spain and Argentina on December 25. Greece followed on January 8, 1981, Denmark on January 9, Portugal and West Germany on April 2, the UK on April 9, Finland on April 17 and Japan on June 6 before finally opening in the US and Canada on June 19. The staggered worldwide release was Warner Bros’ attempt to release the film in every market during their peak movie-going periods. Select premiere engagements of the film were presented in Megasound, a sound system similar to Sensurround. The first two Superman films were being shot simultaneously, but tensions arose between original director Richard Donner and the producers after 75% of Superman II had been completed. Production was stopped to concentrate on completing the first film. Donner was fired after its release, replaced with Richard Lester who had to re-shoot most of the principal photography on the sequel to receive a director’s credit. Donner still appears in a ‘walking cameo’ at the truck stop diner, the inclusion of which is said to be proof that the producers held no animosity toward Donner. Donner also claims this as proof that he directed the ‘bully scene’ in the diner and not Lester. Sarah Douglas was said to be the only cast member to do an extensive world tour to support the film, and was one of the few to remain neutral in the Donner-Lester controversy. The source of contention was that the producers were upset with Donner going over budget and was two weeks behind schedule on the sequel, while Donner countered he was never given a budget. Donner also wanted full control and refused to work under producer Pierre Spengler, but since Spengler had been friends with the Salkinds they chose him over Donner. Donner’s firing led to the exits of creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz, editor Stuart Baird and Gene Hackman, who refused to return for re-shoots, necessitating a stand-in and voice double for several scenes. Hackman, Ned Beatty and Valerie Perrine had completed filming before Donner was fired, and Perrine’s character disappears without explanation after she and Lex Luthor leave the Fortress of Solitude. E.G. Marshall also did not return for re-shoots. Henry Fonda and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. had originally been considered for his role as the president. Lester was originally hired an an uncredited associate producer to be the go-between as the director and producers were not on speaking terms. Two days after the first film’s release, Marlon Brando sued for not receiving his percentage of the profits and blocked the use of his image in any promotion for the film. Brando eventually received $15 million but his already completed scenes for the sequel were removed to avoid paying him future profits. Christopher Reeve had become unavailable as his contract to complete the film had expired during the five month shutdown. He took the role in Somewhere In Time, and received a letter from the producers to be available on July 16, which was five days after completing Somewhere In Time. The Salkinds alleged Reeve had walked off the sequel and breached his contract. Reeve had reservations with the re-written script, but renegotiated his contract with a demand for more artistic control. With actors being unavailable for re-shoots, some key scenes from Donner were incorporated into the film. Since Lester’s footage was shot two years later, the styling and appearance of both Reeve and Kidder are inconsistent, sometimes in the same scene. Reeve is less bulked up in the Donner footage, but Kidder has dramatic changes throughout the film with hair style, hair color and make-up inconsistent. She also appears noticeably thinner in the Lester footage than in the Donner footage. Lester had to shoot 40% of the film to receive a credit. He approached Donner to ask if he would approve a co-director credit to which Donner replied, ‘I don’t share credit.’ Composer John Williams had a falling out with Lester and told the Salkinds he could not work with him, so Williams was replaced with Ken Thorne, who wrote minimal material and adapted source music for his score. Warner Bros. made licensing deals for 34 products to promote the film. The Philip Morris Company paid $40,000 to have Marlboro cigarettes appear in the film, resulting in Lois Lane becoming a chain smoker, and a Marlboro cigarette truck being damaged during the battle in Metropolis. Actual vehicles for tobacco distribution are unmarked for security reasons, and the appearance in the film led to a Congressional investigation. For the TV broadcast, 24 minutes of unused footage was re-inserted into the film, most of it Donner’s footage giving viewers their first look at what the Donner version might have looked like. During production of Superman Returns, Warner Bros. acquired the rights from the Brando estate to use his footage from Superman in the film. Shortly after, Ilya Salkind confirmed Donner was involved in a project to re-cut Superman II using Brando’s footage. The new Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut was released in 2006. Some of Lester’s footage and a screen test by Reeve and Kidder were included to make the film feel less incomplete. This version includes the scene of Superman reversing time that was cut and placed at the climax of the first film. The nuclear missile in the first film was what released Zod and company from the Phantom Zone. This was re-instated in the Donner cut and the Paris scene was removed. During one take where Lois is supposed to punch Ursa, Kidder accidentally punched Douglas and knocked her unconscious. Douglas and Jack O’Halloran did not get along with Reeve, although Douglas said she enjoyed working with Hackman more than any other actor in the two films. Hackman refused to wear a bald cap to depict Lex Luthor’s baldness, opting instead for a series of ill-fitting wigs. He did agree for the prison scene as it was unfeasible that Luthor could bring his wig collection with him. Douglas’ voice was partially dubbed in Lester’s footage by Annie Ross, but her normal voice is heard in the restored Donner footage. This was the only one of the four films to not have scenes set in Smallville. A TV spot that aired on August 1, 1981 was the first commercial ever aired on MTV.

1991

June 21 – Dying Young

Cast: Julia Roberts, Campbell Scott, Vincent D’Onofrio, Colleen Dewhurst, Ellen Burstyn, David Selby, George Martin, A.J. Johnson
Director: Joel Schumacher
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Based on a novel of the same name by Marti Leimbach. The film’s theme song is performed by Kenny G. Julia Roberts’ hair in the film is mostly extensions. Joel Schumacher felt he was the wrong director for the film but did it as a favor to Roberts, with whom he’d enjoyed working on Flatliners. Cary Elwes, Andy Garcia, Mel Gibson, James Spader, and Daniel Day-Lewis all turned down the role of Victor Geddes. This and 1991’s Bed & Breakfast were Colleen Dewhurst’s final films. Dewhurst is Campbell Scott’s mother. Sally Field’s first film as a producer in which she did not also act. In the film’s original ending, Victor Geddes kills himself as Roberts’ character drives away from his house. Test audiences hated the ending and Roberts’ relationship with someone other than the ill hero. Several pages of the script were re-written with a ‘feel good’ ending where Geddes lives and Vincent D’Onofrio’s role is reduced, with his part in the ending removed altogether.

June 21 – The Rocketeer

Cast: Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Terry O’Quinn, Ed Lauter, James Handy, Paul Sorvino, Jon Polito, William Sanderson, Margo Martindale, John Lavachielli, Clint Howard, Melora Hardin, Rick Overton, Max Grodénchik, Tiny Ron Taylor, Eddie Jones, Don Pugsley, Nada Despotovich, America Martin, Michael Milhoan, Daniel O’Shea, Joe D’Angerio, Tommy J. Huff, Pat Crawford Brown, Paul DeSouza, Gene Daily, Bob Leeman, Julian Barnes
Director: Joe Johnston
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV, Gordon Company, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
Trivia: The film’s Hollywood premiere was held on June 19, 1991. Based upon the character of the same name created by comic book artist and writer Dave Stevens. The film was in development as far back as 1983 with Steve Miner, but he strayed so far from the original concept that the rights reverted back to Stevens. Screenwriters Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo, to whom Stevens had given a free option, had creative differences with Disney which caused the project to languish in ‘development hell’. Disney wanted to change the trademark helmet design to something more NASA-like but director Joe Johnston convinced them not to. Sequels and a massive toy line were planned but the film’s disappointing box office returns caused those plans to be abandoned. Stevens, Bilson and De Meo’s original plan was to make a low-budget, independent film shot in black and white as an homage to the Commando Cody serials from Republic Pictures. To make the film more family-friendly and avoid comparisons with Bettie Page (Stevens’ inspiration for the character), Cliff’s girlfriend’s name was changed from Betty to Jenny, and her occupation was changed from nude model to Hollywood extra. The film was originally set up with Disney’s Touchstone Pictures, but Jeffrey Katzenberg moved it to Walt Disney Pictures to sell more toys, hence the removal of any adult material. The film’s climactic scene was changed from a submarine to a Zeppelin setpiece. Disney also wanted to set the film in contemporary times, but Bilson and De Meo argued that the success of the Indiana Jones films proved audiences would accept an adventure set in the 1930s, and the studio finally agreed. The script went through endless revisions, and Bilson and De Meo were fired and re-hired three times. The Neville Sinclair character was inspired by an image of Errol Flynn from an unauthorized and completely fabricated biography of the actor that suggested he was a Nazi spy. With the biography not refuted until the late 1980s, the image of Flynn as a secret Nazi remained in the script throughout all of the re-writes. Casting Cliff Secord was a struggle, with Kevin Costner and Matthew Modine the first two actors considered. They were both unavailable, and Dennis Quaid, Kurt Russell, Bill Paxton and Emilio Estevez auditioned. Johnny Depp was the studio favorite, and Paxton said he’d come close to getting to role. Vincent D’Onofrio turned it down. Johnston also had to convince Disney to let him cast Billy Campbell, who had gotten a haircut to resemble the comic book character, as the studio wanted a name actor. Before Jennifer Connelly was cast as Jenny, Sherilyn Fenn, Kelly Preston, Diane Lane and Elizabeth McGovern were considered. Campbell’s and Connelly’s working relationship eventually led to a romantic relationship, which Johnston felt helped their on-screen chemistry. Johnston wanted Lloyd Bridges as Cliff’s sidekick Peevy, but he turned it down and Alan Arkin was cast. The part of Neville Sinclair was offered to Jeremy Irons and Charles Dance before Timothy Dalton accepted the role. The part of Eddie Valentine was written for Joe Pesci, but he turned it down and the part went to Paul Sorvino. Of the real life 1930s movie stars mentioned in the film, only Myrna Loy was still alive when the film was released. The set used for Neville Sinclair’s house was actually the Ennis House in Los Angeles, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1924. The house has been used in other productions including Blade Runner, The Day of the Locusts and Moon 44. The main identifier are the large, uniquely patterned tiles. Dave Stevens appears in a cameo as a test pilot with the rocket pack strapped to his back. Filming went 50 days over schedule due to weather and mechanical problems, but Disney was so impressed with the dailies they upped the budget from $25 million to $35 million. Johnston’s work on the film led to him being hired to direct Captain America: The First Avneger. The film has built up a fan base over the years, leading Disney to produce a CGI animated series for Disney Junior featuring Cliff’s seven-year-old granddaughter who becomes the new Rocketeer, as well as a reboot/sequel titled The Rocketeers which was announced for Disney Plus on February 8, 2020.

June 21 – Where Angels Fear to Tread

Cast: Rupert Graves, Helena Bonham Carter, Judy Davis, Giovanni Guidelli, Helen Mirren, Barbara Jefford, Sophie Kullmann
Director: Charles Sturridge
Studio: Sovereign Pictures, distributed by Rank Film Distributors
Trivia: The film opened in the UK on June 21, 1991, but did not get a general US release until February 28, 1992. Based on the 1905 novel of the same name by E. M. Forster.

June 21 – Whore

Cast: Theresa Russell, Benjamin Mouton, Antonio Fargas, Jack Nance, John Diehl, Danny Trejo, Ken Russell
Director: Ken Russell
Studio: Cheap Date, distributed by Trimark Pictures
Trivia: The film opened in the UK on June 21, 1991, but did not get a general US release until October 18. Based on David Hines’ monologue, Bondage. Because of the film’s low budget, director Ken Russell is listed as the camera operator under the name Alf. A Maitre D credited as Bob Prupas appears to be Ken Russell. Russell made the film as a response to Pretty Woman.

2001

June 20 – Dr. Dolittle 2

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wilson, Jeffrey Jones, Kevin Pollak, Raven-Symoné, Kyla Pratt, Lil Zane, James Avery, Elayn J. Taylor, Andy Richter, Mark Griffin, Ken Hudson Campbell, Victor Raider-Wexler, Lawrence Pressman, Steve Irwin, Anne Stedman, Googy Gress, Trevor Denman
Director: Steve Carr
Studio: Davis Entertainment, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on June 19, 2001. It then went into general release in Venezuela on June 20, followed by Bolivia, Mexico and Singapore on June 21. It opened in the US on June 22. Voice actors for the animals include Steve Zahn, Norm, MacDonald, Lisa Kudrow, Mike Epps, Michael Rappaport, Isaac Hayes, Andy Dick, Cedric the Entertainer, Jamie Kennedy, David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, Hal Sparks, Reni Santoni, Kevin Pollak, Georgia Engel, Joey Lauren Adams, Mandy Moore, Frankie Muniz, Michael McKean & David L. Lander, Tom Kenny, Renée Taylor, Clyde Kusatsu, John DiMaggio, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

June 22 – Late Night Shopping

Cast: Luke de Woolfson, James Lance, Kate Ashfield, Enzo Cilenti, Heike Makatsch, Shauna Macdonald, Sienna Guillory, Laurie Ventry, Claire Harman
Director: Saul Metzstein
Studio: SMG Productions, Scottish Screen, Glasgow Film Office, Film4 Productions
Trivia: The film screened at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 12, 2001 before its UK opening on June 22. The film was screened in the US on April 9, 2002 at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema.

June 22 – The Fast and the Furious

Cast: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, Matt Schulze, Ted Levine, Thom Barry, Noel Gugliemi, Ja Rule, Reggie Lee
Director: Rob Cohen
Studio: Universal Pictures
Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on June 18, 2001. Director Rob Cohen and producer Neal H. Moritz make cameo appearances in the film. Paul Walker was the first actor to sign on, but Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Eminem were all considered for the role. Vin Diesel was persuaded to participate after proposing several script changes. The studio initially wanted Timothy Olyphant for the role of Dominic Toretto, but Olyphant had starred in the previous year’s Gone in 60 Seconds and declined. Natalie Portman, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kirsten Dunst, Bijou Phillips and Jessica Biel auditioned for the role of Mia, which was written for Eliza Dushku, who turned it down. The film was inspired by a 1998 Vibe magazine article titled ‘Racer X’. The film’s original title was Redline. Racer X and Race Wars were also working titles for the film. Roger Corman licensed the title rights of his 1954 film The Fast and the Furious to Universal. Neither Jordana Brewster or Michelle Rodriguez had driver’s licenses prior to filming and had to take lessons during production. Seventy-eight cars were destroyed on and off screen. Diesel and Rodriguez were dating during filming. 34-year-old Diesel was playing a 24-year-old character. Rob Cohen originally wanted to reunite Mario Lopez, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Dustin Diamond as Dominic, Brian and Jesse, but Universal thought audiences would be confused with the re-teaming of the Saved By the Bell actors. At one point, Universal was trying to get Colin Farrell for the role of Dominic. The film originally received an R-rating, so some shots of Vince’s mutilated arm following a bank robbery were removed.

2011

June 16 – Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Cast: Jim Carrey, Henry Kelemen, Dylan Clark Marshall, Carla Gugino, Madeline Carroll, Maxwell Perry Cotton, Angela Lansbury, Clark Gregg, Desmin Borges, Philip Baker Hall, Dominic Chianese, Ophelia Lovibond, Jeffrey Tambor, David Krumholtz, James Tupper, Brian T. Delaney, Matthew Wolf, Charles L. Campbell, Betsy Aidem
Director: Mark Waters
Studio: Davis Entertainment Company, Dune Entertainment, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: The film opened in Singapore on June 16, 2011, then in the US and Canada on June 17. Loosely based on the 1938 children’s book of the same name. Ben Stiller was originally to play Mr. Popper with Noah Baumbach directing, but they both dropped out. Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Matthew Broderick, Adam Sandler, Robin Williams and Jim Carrey were all on the list to replace Stiller. Frank Welker provided the penguin vocal effects. Carrey took the role so he could dance with penguins like his idol Dick Van Dyke did in Mary Poppins. Real penguins were used for certain scenes on a refrigerated set.

June 17 – Buck

Cast: Buck Brannaman, Robert Redford, Mary Brannaman, Reata Brannaman, Betsy Shirley, Gary Myers
Director: Cindy Meehl
Studio: Cedar Creek Productions, LLC, distributed by Sundance Selects
Trivia: The film screened at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2011, then the Provincetown International Film Festival on June 16 before opening in limited release on June 17.