Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #56 :: August 18•24

American International Pictures

As the Summer movie season begins to wind down, there are fewer blockbusters and other movies of note being released this week, but there are still quite a few that deserve attention. This week gave us the first feature film to star Laurel & Hardy, the film that launched the career of Greer Garson, the eleventh Andy Hardy film, the first pairing of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, the first major film role for Sharon Stone, a gritty musical, the first lead roles for Ethan Hawke and Teri Polo, an all-star comedy, and two very different 3D films released on the same day. Let’s take a look at the movies that premiered this week and see if your favorites are on the list!

1921

There were no new movies released this week in 1921.

1931

August 22 – An American Tragedy

Cast: Phillips Holmes, Sylvia Sidney, Frances Dee, Irving Pichel, Frederick Burton, Claire McDowell, Wallace Middleton, Emmett Corrigan, Charles B. Middleton, Lucille La Verne, Albert Hart, Fanny Midgley, Arnold Korff, Russell Powell
Director: Josef von Sternberg
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: The New York City premiere was held on August 5, 1931. Based on Theodore Dreiser’s 1925 novel An American Tragedy and the 1926 play adaptation. These were based on the historic 1906 murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette at Big Moose Lake in upstate New York. 1951’a A Place in the Sun is a very loose adaptation of the same material. Sergei Eisenstein was intended to direct but his Maxist perspective on the story failed to gain studio approval and he abandoned the project. Theodore Dreiser hated Josef von Sternberg’s interpretation and sued Paramount to suppress the film. He lost. The mother of real-life victim Grace Brown sued the studio with a $150,000 libel case which was settled out of court.

August 22 – Bought!

Cast: Constance Bennett, Ben Lyon, Richard Bennett, Dorothy Peterson, Ray Milland, Arthur Stuart Hull, Clara Blandick, Maude Eburne, Doris Lloyd, Paul Porcasi, Barbara Leonard
Director: Archie Mayo
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Based on the 1930 novel Jackdaw’s Strut by Harriet Henry. Constance Bennett received an all-time high salary at the time of $30,000 a week. Richard Bennett was Constance’s father, and this was the only film they made together.

August 22 – Guilty Hands

Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Kay Francis, Madge Evans, William Bakewell, C. Aubrey Smith, Polly Moran, Alan Mowbray, Forrester Harvey, Charles Crockett, Henry Barrows
Director: W. S. Van Dyke
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Lionel Barrymore did some uncredited directing.

1941

August 18 – Target for Tonight

Director: Harry Watt
Studio: Crown Film Unit, distributed by British Ministry of Information, Associated British Film Distributors
Trivia: The film opened in the UK on August 18, 1941, but did not premiere in the US until October 17. Also known as Target for To-Night. Winner of an honorary Academy Award in 1942 as Best Documentary, despite various shots, the appearance of actors, and scripted scenes that suggest it isn’t a documentary. The film was shot by the Royal Air Force Film Unit. At the end of World War II, director Harry Watt stated that most of the flight officers and crew who appeared in the film did not survive the duration of the war.

Columbia Pictures

August 21 – Here Comes Mr. Jordan

Cast: Robert Montgomery, Evelyn Keyes, Claude Rains, Rita Johnson, Edward Everett Horton, James Gleason, John Emery, Donald MacBride, Don Costello, Halliwell Hobbes, Benny Rubin, Lloyd Bridges, Eddie Bruce, John Ince, Bert Young, Warren Ashe, Ken Christy, Chester Conklin, Joseph Crehan, Mary Currier, Edmund Elton, Tom Hanlon, Bobby Larson, Heinie Conklin
Director: Alexander Hall
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Trivia: The film’s premiere was held in New York City of August 7, 1941. Based on Harry Segall’s 1938 play Heaven Can Wait. The working titles for the film were Heaven Can Wait and Mr. Jordan Comes to Town. Edward Everett Horton reprised his role as Messenger 7013 in the 1947 sequel Down to Earth, and Roland Culver replaced Claude Rains as Mr. Jordon. Warren Beatty remade the film as Heaven Can Wait in 1978, and Chris Rock appeared in another remake titled Down to Earth in 2001. Columbia Pictures had planned on a remake titled Hell Bent for Mr. Jordan, but the project was shelved because the original cast could not be reassembled. The film won two Oscars for Best Story and Best Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Montgomery), Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Gleason), and Best Cinematography, Black-and-White. A one-hour adaptation was presented on Lux Radio Theater on January 26, 1942 with Claude Rains, Evelyn Keyes and James Gleason reprising their roles. The Robert Montgomery role was filled by Cary Grant, who had been the original choice for the film’s lead role. The story was to have been produced for the stage until Columbia purchased it as a vehicle for Grant.

1951

August 24 – Jim Thorpe – All-American

Cast: Burt Lancaster, Billy Gray, Charles Bickford, Steve Cochran, Phyllis Thaxter, Dick Wesson, Jack Bighead, Sonny Chorre, Al Mejia, Hubie Kerns
Director: Michael Curtiz
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: The film was known as Man of Bronze in the UK. Though the film depicts Thorpe being stripped of his Olympic medals (because he had once been paid a small salary to play baseball, therefore making him not an amateur), they were reinstated in 1983, thirty years after his death.

1961

August 23 – The Pit and the Pendulum

Cast: Vincent Price, John Kerr, Barbara Steele, Luana Anders, Antony Carbone, Patrick Westwood, Lynette Bernay, Larry Turner, Mary Menzies, Charles Victor
Director: Roger Corman
Studio: Alta Vista Productions, distributed by American International Pictures
Trivia: Loosely inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s 1842 short story of the same name. This was the second of Roger Corman’s Poe films, with six more to follow. 20th Century Fox had announced plans to make this and two other Poe films in the late 1950s, but they never materialized. The screenplay’s narrative barely resembled Poe, with only the finale having any similarity. A scene with Nicholas and Elizabeth was removed from the film because Corman didn’t want a scene with people in broad daylight. The film was shot in 15 days. Because of the film’s low budget, none of the sets were constructed from scratch. Instead pieces were rented from various studios and put together a close to production designer Daniel Haller’s blueprints. To pad the film out to the desired two-hour timeslot, the ABC-TV version of the film contained five additional minutes of newly shot footage with Luana Anders’ Catherine in an asylum telling the story to her fellow inmates with the rest of the film then following as a flashback. The pendulum had a rubber blade but it got stuck on John Kerr’s stomach so it was swapped out with a metal blade, which then required Kerr to wear a metal plate around his stomach area to avoid actually being cut.

August 23 – The Young Doctors

Cast: Fredric March, Ben Gazzara, Dick Clark, Ina Balin, Eddie Albert, Phyllis Love, Edward Andrews, Aline MacMahon, Arthur Hill, Rosemary Murphy, Barnard Hughes, George Segal, Dolph Sweet
Director: Phil Karlson
Studio: United Artists
Trivia: Based on the 1959 novel The Final Diagnosis by Arthur Hailey. Ronald Reagan was the film’s narrator. Jeffrey Hunter was sought for the lead role. The movie was made with the cooperation and approval of the American Medical Association. The film was shot in 1.37:1 aspect ratio for later TV broadcast, but the intended version has a 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

1971

August 18 – Fools’ Parade

Cast: James Stewart, George Kennedy, Anne Baxter, Strother Martin, Kurt Russell, William Windom, Mike Kellin, Kathy Cannon, Morgan Paull, Robert Donner, David Huddleston, Dort Clark, James Lee Barrett, Kitty Jefferson Doepken, Dwight McConnell, Richard Carl, Arthur Cain, Paul Merriman, Walter Dove, Pete Miller, George Metro, Suzann Stoehr, John Edwards
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Studio: Stanmore Productions and Penbar Productions, Inc., distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Based on the novel of the same name by Davis Grubb. The film is known in the UK as Dynamite Man from Glory Jail. Filmed entirely in Moundsville, West Virginia, Grubb’s hometown. James Stewart wore a contact to imitate a glass eye, and filming had to begin as soon as it was in place due to the discomfort it caused. Stewart could only film for 20 minutes at a time with the glass eye in place. This was the last film in which Stewart had star billing and a lead role. He did not appear in another film for five years.

August 19 – The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker

Cast: Richard Benjamin, Joanna Shimkus, Adam West, Elizabeth Ashley, Patricia Barry, Tiffany Bolling
Director: Lawrence Turman
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Based on the novel of the same title by Charles Webb.

1981

August 20 – Lola

Cast: Barbara Sukowa, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Mario Adorf, Matthias Fuchs, Helga Feddersen, Karin Baal, Ivan Desny, Elisabeth Volkmann, Hark Bohm, Karl-Heinz von Hassel, Rosel Zech, Christine Kaufmann, Y Sa Lo, Günther Kaufmann, Isolde Barth, Karsten Peters, Harry Baer, Rainer Will, Sonja Neudorfer, Nino Korda, Herbert Steinmetz
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Studio: Rialto Film, Trio Film, distributed by Tobis
Trivia: The film was released in West Germany on August 20, 1981, but did not open in the US until August 4, 1982. The third film in Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s BRD Trilogy. A loose adaptation of Josef von Sternberg’s film The Blue Angel (1930) and its source novel, Heinrich Mann’s Professor Unrat (1905). Udo Kier appears in an uncredited role.

Universal Pictures

August 21 – An American Werewolf in London

Cast: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine, Don McKillop, Brian Glover, David Schofield, Lila Kaye, Rik Mayall, Sean Baker, Frank Oz, Paul Kember, Sydney Bromley, Frank Singuineau, Will Leighton, Michael Carter, Anne-Marie Davies, Albert Moses, Alan Ford, Christine Hargreaves, Linzi Drew, Nina Carter, Paula Jacobs
Director: John Landis
Studio: PolyGram Pictures, The Guber-Peters Company, distributed by Universal Pictures (United States), Producers Sales Organization (International)
Trivia: John Landis wrote the first draft of the screenplay in 1969 then shelved it for a decade. Prospective financiers thought it was too scary to be a comedy and too humorous to be a horror film. Landis’ success with Animal House and The Blues Brothers helped secure financing for the film from PolyGram Pictures. The film won the very first Academy Award for Best Makeup, and the only John Landis film to win an Oscar. The category was created after an uproar over The Elephant Man a year earlier not getting recognition for its makeup effects. Rick Baker also won the Oscar for his work on the 2010 remake of The Wolfman. Landis and British director and stuntman Vic Armstrong have uncredited cameos. Location filming took place in the tiny village of Crickadarn. There, the Angel of Death statue was a prop, but the red phone box was real and Welsh road signs were covered by a fake tree. The Slaughtered Lamb Pub is actually a cottage. The interiors were filmed in the Black Swan, Old Lane and Mertyrs Green in Surrey. This was the first film allowed to shoot in Picadilly Circus in 15 years, a feat accomplished by Landis inviting 300 members of the Metropolitan Police Service to a private screening of the newly released The Blues Brothers. They were so impressed, they granted Landis a two night shooting permit between the hours of 1 AM and 4 AM. Traffic was stopped just three times for two minute increments to film the stunts involving the double decker bus. Landis has expressed regret over cutting some scenes to earn an R-rating in for the US release, including a sex scene with Alex and David, and homeless men being attacked by the werewolf along the Thames. He also admits he spent too long on the transformation scene, but was so fascinated by the quality of the work. Dr. Pepper spokesman David Naughton was fired by the company because of his nude scenes in the film. The movie was filmed in sequence. Only four American work permits were issued: Landis, Naughton, Rick Baker and Griffin Dunne. The first three were issued without question, but the British government suggested there were plenty of American actors already living in the UK who could play Dunne’s role. Landis threatened to re-write the film and set it in Paris, and the permit was granted. A sequel set in Paris was produced 16 years later. Rick Baker plays the Nazi werewolf who slashes David’s throat in a dream sequence. Landis wanted bad weather for the film so purposely shot in February and March. PolyGram executives wanted Landis to cast Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi in the lead roles. This was Griffin Dunne’s first feature film, and he didn’t have to audition for the role. David Naughton’s agent sent him to meet with Landis, they bonded over a chat and he got the role of David. Elmer Bernstein’s musical score for the film runs a total of seven minutes. Most of the film’s music consists of songs with ‘moon’ in the title. Rick Baker had to turn down E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial due to obligations to this film. Jenny Agutter nearly turned down her role because she wasn’t keen to be in a horror film. Michael Beck was nearly cast as David because Landis liked his performance in The Warriors, but PolyGram would not allow Landis to cast him because of the commercial failure of Xanadu. Ironically, both Naughton and Dunne had auditioned for the Xanadu role.

August 21 – First Monday in October

Cast: Walter Matthau, Jill Clayburgh, Barnard Hughes, Jan Sterling, James Stephens, Joshua Bryant, Wiley Harker, F.J. O’Neil, Charles Lampkin, Lew Palter, Richard McMurray, Herb Vigran
Director: Ronald Neame
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Based on the 1978 play of the same name by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. Both Walter Matthau and Jill Clayburgh were Golden Globe nominated for their performances. This was Jan Sterling’s final film role. The film was originally to be released in February 1982 but the appointment of Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court on July 7, 1991 forced the film’s release to be moved up to August 1981 to capitalize on the publicity. Matthau’s character is based on Justice William O. Douglas. Jane Fonda reportedly turned down the role played by Clayburgh because of its conservative nature and wanted to work with her father on On Golden Pond. Henry Fonda actually played the Matthau role on stage.

August 21 – Honky Tonk Freeway

Cast: Howard Hesseman, Teri Garr, Peter Billingsley, Beau Bridges, Beverly D’Angelo, Daniel Stern, Celia Weston, Deborah Rush, Geraldine Page, George Dzundza, Joe Grifasi, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Frances Lee McCain, William Devane, Jerry Hardin, John Ashton, Frances Bay, David Rasche, Paul Jabara
Director: John Schlesinger
Studio: EMI Films, Honky Tonk Freeway Company, Kendon Films, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: A US/UK co-production, the film was one of the biggest bombs in box office history, losing British backers between $11 million and $22 million. The film was based on British producer Dan Boyd’s imagination of American life rather than knowledge. Boyd wanted to direct the film himself with a $2-$3 million budget but the studio encouraged him to think bigger with a big name director. John Schlesinger said it was the most complicated project he’d ever attempted. Shelley Duvall had originally been announced for the film but did not appear. Kay Medford was to appear but died of cancer before production began. She was replaced by Geraldine Page. Jessica Tandy did not like the script but wanted to work with Schlesinger (her husband Hume Cronyn was also in the film). The film’s budget was set a week before production at $18 million with an 83 day shoot and 103 speaking roles. The budget increased to $23 million due to a combination of factors including the Florida weather and care for the animals in the film. Most of the highway scenes were filmed on I-75 between Sarasota and Fort Myers, FL while it was still under construction. Many buildings in Fruitville, FL were painted pink to match locations in Mount Dora and remained pink for decades afterward. Parts of the film were also shot in Salt Lake City, Utah and New York City. The final scene alone cost $1 million. The film received negative reviews upon its release and was pulled from theaters after a week due to Universal’s anger over the home video rights being sold ahead of the studio agreeing to release the film theatrically. Because of this, Universal put little effort into the film’s promotion. The film received a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Song, ‘You’re Crazy, But I Like You’. Feature film debuts of Celia Weston and Jeffrey Combs. The film received an R-rating but was toned down by removing one F-word to get a PG. Beverly D’Angelo suffered an injury to her face which required stitches, keeping her off set for a week. Paul Jabara broke his ankle while filming.

1991

August 21 – Barton Fink

Cast: John Turturro, John Goodman, Michael Lerner, Judy Davis, John Mahoney, Tony Shalhoub, Jon Polito, Steve Buscemi, David Warrilow, Richard Portnow, Christopher Murney
Director: Joel Coen
Studio: Circle Films, Working Title Films, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: The film was screened at Cannes on May 18, 1991, and had a Washington DC premiere on August 8. The film swept the Cannes awards winning the Palme d’Or, Best Director and Best Actor (John Turturro). It was also nominated for three Academy Awards. The Coen Brothers wrote the screenplay in three weeks while experiencing difficulties writing the screenplay for Miller’s Crossing. Frances McDormand appears in an uncredited role. The Coens’ regular cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld was busy directing his own movie (The Addams Family), so they sent the script to Roger Deakins, whose agent advised against working with the brothers. Deakins met with them anyway and took the offer. Sonnenfeld does make a cameo as a page in a restaurant calling for Barton Fink. The film’s credited editor, Roderick Jaynes, is actually a pseudonym for the Coens which is a requirement for membership in film production guilds. Turturro took typing lessons for the part, and typed a rough outline for Romance & Cigarettes on the typewriter he uses in the film. The parts played by Turturro, John Goodman, Jon Polito and Steve Buscemi were written with them in mind. Polito initially turned down the role of Lou Breeze because he wanted to play Jack Lipnick but Frances McDormand convinced him to take the role. Bruce Campbell auditioned for a cameo role but was unsuccessful. Bill Geisler’s office in the film is the same one used for Griffin Mill in The Player. Jennifer Jason Leigh auditioned for the role of Audrey Taylor. John Milius was offered the role of Jack Lipnick but turned it down.

August 23 – Defenseless

Cast: Barbara Hershey, Sam Shepard, J.T. Walsh, Mary Beth Hurt, Sheree North, George P. Wilbur
Director: Martin Campbell
Studio: New Visions Pictures, distributed by Seven Arts (through New Line Cinema)
Trivia: Burt Lancaster was to appear in the film but illness prevented him from taking a role.

August 23 – Going Under

Cast: Bill Pullman, Wendy Schaal, Chris Demetral, Tyrone Granderson Jones, Dennis Redfield, Lou Richards, Ernie Sabella, Elmarie Wendel, Ned Beatty, Robert Vaughn, Roddy McDowall, Richard Masur, John Moschitta, Joe Namath, Michael Winslow, Frank Bonner
Director: Mark W. Travis
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Filmed under the working title Dive! The film was never released theatrically. August 23, 1991 is the VHS release date.

August 23 – Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man

Cast: Mickey Rourke, Don Johnson, Chelsea Field, Daniel Baldwin, Giancarlo Esposito, Vanessa Williams, Tom Sizemore, Robert Ginty, Tia Carrere, Big John Studd, Julius Harris, Eloy Casados, Kelly Hu, Branscombe Richmond, Stacey Elliott, Sven-Ole Thorsen, Dennis Scott, Billy D. Lucas, Cody Glenn, Marlon Darton, Stan Ivar, Hans Howes, Michele Laybourn, Bobbie Tyler, Mitzi Martin, Theresa San-Nicholas, Sean ‘Hollywood’ Hamilton
Director: Simon Wincer
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: This was Big John Studd’s last film role. Bruce Willis was considered for the role of Harley Davidson, hoping to work with his friend Don Johnson.

August 23 – Showdown in Little Tokyo

Cast: Dolph Lundgren, Brandon Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tia Carrere, Toshirô Obata, Philip Tan, Rodney Kageyama, Ernie Lively, James Taenaka, Renee Griffin, Reid Asato, Takayo Fischer, Simon Rhee, Vernee Watson-Johnson, Professor Toru Tanaka, Lenny Imamura, Roger Yuan, Nathan Jung
Director: Mark L. Lester
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Brandon Lee’s first American film role. An early draft of the script was more serious, less tongue-in-cheek. Mark L. Lester’s final cut of the film ran 90 minutes, but Warner Bros. execs felt the film was too slow and hired Michael Eliot to re-cut it to make it faster. Stuart Baird also did an additional uncredited edit, with the released film running 79 minutes. 13 additional seconds had to be cut to avoid an NC-17 rating. The film only received a theatrical release in the US, Mexico, Australia, Italy, Israel and Hungary. It went direct-to-video in other markets in 1992. Disappointed with the studio taking over the film, Lester began financing and selling his own films to retain control.

2001

August 22 – Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Cast: Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Jeff Anderson, Brian O’Halloran, Shannon Elizabeth, Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, Jennifer Schwalbach, Will Ferrell, Jason Lee, Matt Damon, Judd Nelson, George Carlin, Carrie Fisher, Seann William Scott, Jon Stewart, Jules Asner, Steve Kmetko, Tracy Morgan, Gus Van Sant, Chris Rock, Jamie Kennedy, Wes Craven, Shannen Doherty, Mark Hamill, Marc Blucas, Matthew James, Jane Silvia, Carmen Llywelyn, Diedrich Bader, Jason Biggs, James Van Der Beek, Morris Day, Bryan Johnson, Walter Flanagan, Renee Humphrey, Joey Lauren Adams, Dwight Ewell, Scott William Winters
Director: Kevin Smith
Studio: Dimension Films, Miramax Films, View Askew Productions, distributed by Miramax Films
Trivia: The film opened in Canada on August 22, 2001, followed by a US release on August 24. The film’s original title was View Askew 5. The film was originally meant to be the last set in the Askewniverse, or to feature Jay and Silent Bob, but Kevin Smith wrote Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, which was released on October 15, 2019. Some actors reprise roles from other Askewniverse films, and some play multiple roles. William B. Davis cameos as his Cigarette Smoking Man character from The X-Files. Alanis Morisette cameos as God. Adam Carolla played an FBI agent in a deleted scene. Smith once explained how difficult the film was to make due to Jason Mewes’ drug and alcohol addiction, calling him a ‘ticking time bomb’ who could shut production down at any minute. Smith actually threw Mewes out of his car on the way to the set one day, and when the film wrapped he told Mewes to get sober or he’d never speak to him again. The two recently appeared together on an episode of Celebrity Family Feud. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon did the film as a favor to Smith, who had brought their script of Good Will Hunting to the attention of Harvey Weinstein at Miramax. Because Affleck was reprising his role from Chasing Amy, Smith wanted to cast Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau as Affleck and Damon in the Good Will Hunting spoof. He then considered Shawn and Marlon Wayans before deciding to cast Affleck and Damon as themselves. Baby Silent Bob was played by Smith’s daughter Harley Quinn Smith. Mark Hamill provided the voice of Scooby-Doo. Smith didn’t think Jay and Silent Bob could carry a film of their own, but the positive feedback to their appearance in Scream 3 changed his mind. Heather Graham turned down the role played by Shannon Elizabeth because she couldn’t figure out why the character would fall in love with Jay. It was the first film that Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher appeared in together since Return of the Jedi, but neither knew the other was in the film until after production had completed. Tracy Morgan’s drug dealer character was unnamed, but Morgan came up with a name, Pumpkim Escobar, the day his scene was filmed. Smith intended the film to be a controversy-free comedy after Dogma, but the gay jokes in the film still stirred controversy, while Smith denies the humor was intended as insulting. Smith wanted Matthew Lillard and Freddie Prinze Jr. to play Bluntman and Chronic since they had already appeared in several Miramx films together, but they chose to do Scooby-Doo instead. Smith wanted Howard Shore to score the film but he was committed to the Lord of the Rings films. David Duchovny wanted and was cast as ‘Cocknocker’ but when it came time to film he was already committed to Evolution so the role went to Mark Hamill. Will Ferrell’s character Wildlife Marshal Willenholly is a nod to the TV series Land of the Lost, with the three main characters of Marshall, Will and Holly. Coincidentally, Ferrell would go on to star in a feature film version of the series in 2009. Charlie Sheen had originally been offered the role but turned it down when he couldn’t get a grasp on the character. Allison Janney was considered to play the nun but was busy with The West Wing, so Carrie Fisher was cast.

August 24 – An American Rhapsody

Cast: Nastassja Kinski, Scarlett Johansson, Kelly Endrész Banlaki, Raffaella Bánsági, Tony Goldwyn, Mae Whitman, Larisa Oleynik, Ágnes Bánfalvy, Zoltán Seress, Zsuzsa Czinkóczi, Balázs Galkó, Lisa Jane Persky, Colleen Camp, Emmy Rossum, Éva Soreny, Kata Dobó, Jacqueline Steiger
Director: Éva Gárdos
Studio: Fireworks Entertainment, Seven Arts Pictures, distributed by Paramount Classics
Trivia: The film was screened on June 20, 2001 at the Nantucket Film Festival before entering limited US release on August 24. Based on the true story of the director, Éva Gárdos. Gárdos met Colleen Camp while working as a casting director on Apocalypse Now, telling Camp her story and Camp encouraging her to turn it into a film. Camp then helped produce the film and has a small role.

August 24 – Bubble Boy

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Swoosie Kurtz, Marley Shelton, Danny Trejo, John Carroll Lynch, Verne Troyer, Dave Sheridan, Brian George, Patrick Cranshaw, Ever Carradine, Beetlejuice, Fabio Lanzoni, Zach Galifianakis, Arden Myrin, Pablo Schreiber, Matthew McGrory, Stacy Keibler, Stephen Spinella, Geoffrey Arend, Bonnie Morgan, Jason Sklar, Randy Sklar, Ping Wu, Boti Bliss, Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, Leo Fitzpatrick, Brian Friedman, Mandy Moore, Mitch Holleman, Alex Black, Tony Black, Robert Bailey Jr., Steve Van Wormer, Charles Noland, Gary Bullock, Steven Anthony Lawrence, Raja Fenske, Cleo King, Robert LaSardo
Director: Blair Hayes
Studio: Touchstone Pictures, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
Trivia: The film’s Hollywood premiere was held on August 23, 2001. Inspired by the 1976 movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio adapted their screenplay into a stage musical in 2013. Danny Trejo loved his role because he didn’t get killed and didn’t have to kill anyone. John Carroll Lynch insisted on getting an expensive hairpiece made for the film, and director Blair Hays felt it added a lot to the character. His role wasn’t supposed to have any dialogue and may not have even made it into the film were it not for Lynch’s meaningful additions to the story. Jake Gyllenhaal said the original script was quite dark and had the same tone as Donnie Darko, but studio interference turned it into a teen comedy. The bubble suit was designed to make Gyllenhaal fall, and none of his tumbles were scripted. Film debut of Pablo Schreiber.

August 24 – Ghosts of Mars

Cast: Natasha Henstridge, Ice Cube, Jason Statham, Clea DuVall, Pam Grier, Joanna Cassidy, Richard Cetrone, Eileen Weisinger, Liam Waite, Duane Davis, Lobo Sebastian, Rodney A. Grant, Peter Jason, Wanda De Jesus, Robert Carradine, Rosemary Forsyth, Doug McGrath, Rick Edelstein, Rex Linn, Marjean Holden
Director: John Carpenter
Studio: Screen Gems, Storm King Productions, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Trivia: John Carpenter’s original script started off as a Snake Plissken sequel, Escape From Mars, but was abandoned after the failure of Escape From L.A. The part was changed to Desolation Williams with Jason Statham cast in the role, but the studio insisted on casting Ice Cube because of his star power. Statham was recast as Jericho Butler. Michelle Yeoh, Franka Potente and Famke Janssen were considered for the role of Melanie Ballard but turned it down. Courtney Love was cast but had to drop out after he ex-boyfriend ran over her foot with her car while she was in training for the film. Natasha Henstridge was cast on the suggestion of her ex-boyfriend Liam Waite. Production had to be shut down for a week when Henstridge fell ill due to exhaustion after doing two other films back-to-back. Much of the film was shot in a New Mexico gypsum mine. The white gypsum had to be dyed with red food coloring to recreate the Martian landscape. Ice Cube has called this the worst film he’s ever appeared in.

August 24 – Summer Catch

Cast: Freddie Prinze, Jessica Biel, Fred Ward, Matthew Lillard, Jason Gedrick, Brittany Murphy, Brian Dennehy, Gabriel Mann, Bruce Davison, John C. McGinley, Marc Blucas, Wilmer Valderrama, Corey Pearson, Christian Kane, Zena Grey, Traci Dinwiddie, Susan Gardner
Director: Mike Tollin
Studio: Tollin/Robbins Productions, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on August 22, 2001. This was Mike Tollin’s feature film directorial debut. Though set on Cape Cod, most of the film was shot in Southport, North Carolina. Beverly D’Angelo has an uncredited cameo. Mike Lieberthal, Doug Glanville, and Pat Burrell, Ken Griffey, Jr., Kevin Youkilis, Curt Gowdy, Hank Aaron and Carlton Fisk also have cameos. Only seven of the 35 teammates were actors; the rest were actual minor-league baseball players. This was Wilmer Valderrama’s film debut.

August 24 – The Curse of the Jade Scorpion

Cast: Woody Allen, Helen Hunt, Dan Aykroyd, Brian Markinson, Wallace Shawn, David Ogden Stiers, Charlize Theron, Elizabeth Berkley, Peter Gerety, John Schuck, Kaili Vernoff, Kevin Cahoon
Director: Woody Allen
Studio: VCL, Gravier Productions, distributed by DreamWorks Pictures
Trivia: The film was screened at the Hollywood Film Festival on August 5, 2001. Woody Allen agrees with critics that this is perhaps his worst movie, saying he let the cast down by casting himself as the lead, something necessitated when the role was turned down by both Jack Nicholson and Tom Hanks. At $33 million, it was Allen’s most expensive film. in the years since its release, the film has begun to develop a cult following. Allen is always secretive with his scripts and actors rarely get to read the whole thing. Helen Hunt did get to read the entire script, but had to do it in one sitting and then give it back to the courier who was waiting. Elizabeth Berkley had her hair done in a Veronica Lake style for her audition, but on the way she was caught in a rain storm and her hair was ruined. This was Irwin Corey’s last film.

2011

August 19 – Conan the Barbarian

Cast: Jason Momoa, Leo Howard, Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, Ivana Staneva, Saïd Taghmaoui, Bob Sapp, Ron Perlman, Steven O’Donnell, Diana Lubenova, Nonso Anozie, Milton Welsh, Raad Rawi, Anton Trendafilov, Gisella Marengo, Morgan Freeman, Laila Rouass, Alina Pușcău
Director: Marcus Nispel
Studio: Millennium Films, Paradox Entertainment, distributed by Lionsgate
Trivia: The film premiered in Los Angeles on August 11, 2011, and in London on August 14. The film opened in the US on August 19 and the UK on August 24. Based on the character of the same name created by Robert E. Howard. The film had spent seven years in development at Warner Bros. The film’s original title was simply Conan, then Conan 3D before it was finally changed to Conan the Barbarian. Jason Momoa beat out Kellan Lutz for the title role. Jared Padalecki was also considered. Mickey Rourke was originally offered the role of Conan’s father. The role of Marique was originally written as the male Fariq, but producers were impressed with Rose McGowan’s take on the role and had it rewritten for her. McGowan’s makeup took six hours to apply. Jason Momoa is afraid of horses, so all of his riding scenes had to be faked or filmed with doubles.

August 19 – Flypaper

Cast: Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Judd, Tim Blake Nelson, Mekhi Phifer, Matt Ryan, Jeffrey Tambor, John Ventimiglia, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Curtis Armstrong, Rob Huebel, Adrian Martinez, Natalia Safran, Octavia Spencer, Eddie Matthews, Rob Boltin
Director: Rob Minkoff
Studio: Foresight Unlimited, The Safran Company, distributed by IFC Films
Trivia: The film premiered at Sundance on January 28, 2011, then went to Video on Demand on July 15 before receiving a limited theatrical release on August 19. Jessica Biel and Liv Tyler were considered for the lead female role.

DreamWorks Pictures

August 19 – Fright Night

Cast: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, David Tennant, Imogen Poots, Toni Collette, Dave Franco, Reid Ewing, Will Denton, Sandra Vergara, Lisa Loeb, Brian Huskey, Grace Phipps
Director: Craig Gillespie
Studio: DreamWorks Pictures, Michael De Luca Productions, Gaeta/Rosenzweig Films, distributed by Touchstone Pictures
Trivia: The film premiered in the UK on August 14, 2011, and the US on August 17 before the August 19 US release. The film then screened again in the UK at Frightfest on August 27 before its general release on September 2. A remake of Tom Holland’s Fright Night (1985). Dee Bradley Baker provides the vampire vocals. Original film star Chris Sarandon has a cameo as a motorist killed by the vampire. His character is credited as Jay Dee, the initials of his original character. Sarandon is the only actor to appear in all three Fright Night films. Steven Spielberg has a lot of input on the film including storyboarding and editing. Heath Ledger had been considered for the role of Jerry in the early stages of development. While shooting the pool scene, Colin Farrell accidentally punctured Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s stunt double with his prosthetic fangs. With former Doctor Who David Tennant playing Peter Vincent, there are many homages to Doctor Who in Vincent’s apartment. Anton Yelchin and Christopher Mintz-Plasse were the only two actors who didn’t have to adopt an American accent.

August 19 – One Day

Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Romola Garai, Rafe Spall, Ken Stott, Patricia Clarkson, Jodie Whittaker, Tom Mison, Jamie Sives, Toby Regbo, Georgia King, Matt Berry, Matthew Beard, Heida Reed, Amanda Fairbank
Director: Lone Scherfig
Studio: Random House Films, Film4 Productions, Color Force, distributed by Focus Features (United States), Universal Pictures (United Kingdom)
Trivia: The film’s New York City premiere was held on August 8, 2011. Based on David Nicholls’ 2009 novel of the same name. Lone Scherfig did not intend to cast any Americans in the film, but after receiving a script Ann Hathaway flew to London to meet Scherfig. Hathaway said the meeting went badly as she could not articulate her feelings so she gave Scherfig a list of songs to do it for her and after listening to the songs, Hathaway got the role. Hathaway picked Jim Sturgess as her co-star. The skinny dipping scene was the only one in which Hathaway and Sturgess were not wearing wigs. Scherfig also ended up casting Patricia Clarkson as Dexter’s mother because of the experience, worldliness and flirtatiousness she brought to the role.

August 19 – Spy Kids: All the Time in the World

Cast: Rowan Blanchard, Mason Cook, Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Ricky Gervais, Belle and Genny Solorzano, Jeremy Piven, Danny Trejo, Angela Lanza
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Studio: Troublemaker Studios, Dimension Films, distributed by The Weinstein Company
Trivia: Also known as Spy Kids 4-D: All the Time in the World. The film uses ‘Aroma-scope’ to allow viewers to smell odors and aromas in the movie with the aid of a scratch & sniff card. The fourth and final film of the Spy Kids franchise, and the only one to not feature Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino, although Banderas did have scenes that were completely cut. Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, and Danny Trejo are the only actors to appear in all four films. Trejo had no dialogue and his role was only a cameo. Robert Rodriguez got the idea for the film while watching Jessica Alba on the set of Machete trying to changer her baby’s diaper without getting anything on her costume. Rodriguez had no interest in making another film for Harvey Weinstein, who was blamed for the failure of Grindhouse, but he had one film left on his contract with The Weinstein Company. The film’s title is a reference to the song ‘We Have All the Time in the World’ from the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. This was the least expensive film in the series to produce.

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