New Line Cinema
A lot of new films were released this week over the last 90 years (none in 1921) but only a handful are of note. 1961 provides the first of the bigger titles with a film adaptation of a Broadway musical that broke racial barriers in a US film, and that was followed in 1971 by another film adaptation of a popular Broadway musical, which courted controversy by not casting the show’s lead actor in the film. 2001 had several high profile films that are just blips in the cinematic landscape today, and 2011 brought back a popular screen duo in a 3D holiday comedy. 1971 provided make-up artist Rick Baker with his first major job on a notoriously bad film that went straight to television in the US, and 1981 gave us a film from 1973 which starred the then unknown Kathleen Collins, who came to fame under a different name in a hit comedy two years before the film was released. Any ideas who it could be? Read on to find out more!
1921
- No new films were released this week in 1921.
1931
November 7 – Girls About Town
- Cast: Kay Francis, Joel McCrea, Lilyan Tashman, Eugene Pallette, Alan Dinehart, Lucille Webster Gleason, Anderson Lawler, Lucile Browne, George Barbier, Robert McWade, Louise Beavers as Hattie
- Director: George Cukor
- Studio: Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: Film debut of Frances Bavier, better known as Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith Show.
November 7 – The Guardsman
- Cast: Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Roland Young, ZaSu Pitts, Maude Eburne, Herman Bing
- Director: Sidney Franklin
- Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- Trivia: Based on the 1911 play Testőr by Ferenc Molnár. The only starring film roles for Alfred Lunt & Lynn Fontanne, reprising their 1924 Broadway roles. Both were nominated for lead acting Oscars.
Warner Bros. Pictures
November 7 – The Mad Genius
- Cast: John Barrymore, Marian Marsh, Charles Butterworth, Donald Cook, Luis Alberni, Carmel Myers, Andre Luguet, Frankie Darro
- Director: Michael Curtiz
- Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: Based on the play The Idol (1929) by Martin Brown. A complete copy of the film is preserved in the Library of Congress collection. Michael Curtiz hired Boris Karloff (in an uncredited role) because he mistakenly thought he was Russian.
1941
November 7 – Unexpected Uncle
- Cast: Anne Shirley, James Craig, Charles Coburn, Ernest Truex, Renee Godfrey, Russell Gleason, Astrid Allwyn, Jed Prouty
- Director: Peter Godfrey
- Studio: RKO Radio Pictures
- Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on September 24, 1941 in New York City. Debut film of Marie Windsor (as an uncredited extra).
1951
November 4 – FBI Girl
- Cast: Cesar Romero, George Brent, Audrey Totter, Tom Drake, Raymond Burr, Raymond Greenleaf, Margia Dean, Don Garner, Alexander Pope, Richard Monahan, Tommy Noonan, Peter Marshall, Joi Lansing, Walter Coy, Byron Foulger, Joel Marston, Marie Blake, Fenton Earnshaw, O.Z. Whitehead
- Director: William A. Berke
- Studio: Jadger Productions, distributed by Lippert Pictures
November 6 – Detective Story
- Cast: Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker, William Bendix, Cathy O’Donnell, George Macready, Horace McMahon, Gladys George, Joseph Wiseman, Lee Grant, Gerald Mohr, Frank Faylen, Craig Hill, Michael Strong, Luis Van Rooten, Bert Freed, Warner Anderson, Grandon Rhodes, William ‘Bill’ Phillips, Russell Evans, Burt Mustin
- Director: William Wyler
- Studio: Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: The film premiered in Los Angeles on October 24, 1951. Adapted from the 1949 play of the same name by Sidney Kingsley. Nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Director for William Wyler, Best Actress for Eleanor Parker, and Best Supporting Actress for Lee Grant in her film debut, reprising her role from the stage. Parker has the shortest role to be nominated in the lead category at 20 minutes, 10 seconds. Film debut of Burt Mustin at age 67. Mustin had been a full-time stage actor and was discovered by Wyler in a show in Tucson, AZ.
November 6 – Where No Vultures Fly
- Cast: Anthony Steel, Dinah Sheridan, Harold Warrender, Meredith Edwards, William Simons, Orlando Martins
- Director: Harry Watt
- Studio: Ealing Films, African Film Productions
- Trivia: The film had a Royal Film Performance on November 5, 1951 before its general UK release on November 6. The film did not open in the US until August 18, 1952. Released as Ivory Hunter in the US. Inspired by the work of the conservationist Mervyn Cowie. The film produced a sequel, West of Zanzibar.
1961
November 8 – Susan Slade
- Cast: Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens, Dorothy McGuire, Lloyd Nolan, Brian Aherne, Grant Williams, Natalie Schafer, Kent Smith, Bert Convy
- Director: Delmer Daves
- Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: Based upon the 1961 novel The Sin of Susan Slade by Doris Hume. This was Bert Convy’s first significant film role.
November 9 – Flower Drum Song
- Cast: Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, Miyoshi Umeki, Benson Fong, Jack Soo, Juanita Hall, Reiko Sato, Patrick Adiarte, Kam Tong, Victor Sen Yung, Soo Yong, James Hong
- Director: Henry Koster
- Studio: Hunter-Fields Productions, distributed by Universal-International
- Trivia: The film did not begin its UK engagement until March 1, 1962. Adapted from the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II, in turn based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author Chin Yang Lee. Nominated for five Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. The first major Hollywood feature to have a majority Asian-American cast in a contemporary Asian-American story. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2008. Songs from the show were rearranged in order in the movie, and the song ‘Like a God’ was dropped altogether because the studio feared it would offend audiences in the South. B.J. Baker provided the singing voice for Nancy Kwan, Marilyn Horne sang for Reiko Sato, and John Dodson sang for Kam Tong. Nancy Kwan is the only ethnic Chinese actor of the four leads (and she’s biracial), while the other three (Shigeta, Umeki and Soo) are ethnic Japanese. Juanita Hall, who played the role of Chinese American ‘Auntie’ Liang, was actually African American. Anna May Wong was the first choice to play Madame Liang but she died suddenly just before filming was to begin. Feature film debut for Jack Soo, who appeared in the Broadway show but in a different role.
1971
United Artists
November 3 – Fiddler on the Roof
- Cast: Chaim Topol, Norma Crane, Rosalind Harris, Michele Marsh, Neva Small, Molly Picon, Paul Mann, Leonard Frey, Paul Michael Glaser, Raymond Lovelock, Elaine Edwards, Candy Bonstein, Shimen Rushkin, Zvee Scooler, Louis Zorich, Alfie Scopp, Howard Goorney, Barry Dennen, Ruth Madoc, Patience Collier, Tutte Lemkow, Marika Rivera, Aharon Ipalé, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Vernon Dobtcheff, Kenneth Waller
- Director: Norman Jewison
- Studio: The Mirisch Production Company, distributed by United Artists
- Trivia: A benefit performance of the film was held in Amsterdam on October 21, 1971. It then opened in the US on November 3 and the UK on December 10. Adaptation of the 1964 Broadway musical of the same name. The film received eight Oscar nominations including Best Picture, and won three: Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Sound. In its original theatrical release, the film was shown with an intermission and entr’acte music. Principal photography took place at Pinewood Studios, with exteriors filmed in Yugoslavia. Isaac Stern performed the violin solos. Zero Mostel, who originated the role of Tevye on stage, was not cast in the film because the director feared audiences would see Mostel and not Tevye. Topol was 35 at the time, playing a character somewhat over 50. The ‘Sunrise, Sunset’ scene was lit by hundreds of candles. Blue-eyed actor Paul Michael Glaser, in his feature film debut, had to wear brown contacts in the film even though he is actually Jewish. To give the film an earth-tone look, a pair of brown pantyhose were placed over the camera lens. The weave is apparent during the ‘Matchmaker’ number at around the 21 minute mark of the film.
November 3 – Octaman
- Cast: Pier Angeli, Kerwin Mathews, Jeff Morrow, David Essex, Read Morgan
- Director: Harry Essex
- Studio: Filmers Guild, distributed by Heritage Enterprises Inc
- Trivia: The film opened theatrically in Mexico on November 3, 1971, but went directly to TV in the US. In his first film, Rick Baker designed the monster costumes. The final film of Pier Angeli.
November 8 – Hannie Caulder
- Cast: Raquel Welch, Robert Culp, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam, Strother Martin, Christopher Lee, Diana Dors, Brian Lightburn, Luis Barboo
- Director: Burt Kennedy
- Studio: Tigon British Film Productions, Curtwel Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: The film opened in London on November 8, 1971 but did not begin a US engagement until May 24, 1972. Stephen Boyd appears in a brief, uncredited role. Christopher Lee’s only Western film.
1981
November 4 – Coup de Torchon
- Cast: Philippe Noiret, Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Stéphane Audran, Eddy Mitchell, Guy Marchand, Irène Skobline, Michel Beaune, Jean Champion, Victor Garrivier, Gérard Hernandez, Abdoulaye Diop, Daniel Langlet, François Perrot, Raymond Hermantier, Mamadou Dioumé, Samba Mané
- Director: Bertrand Tavernier
- Studio: Distributed by Parafrance Films (France), Biograph Int’l (US)
- Trivia: The film opened in France on November 4, 1981, but did not play in the US until December 20, 2002. Also known as Clean Slate. Adapted from Jim Thompson’s 1964 novel Pop. 1280. The movie changes the novel’s setting from the American South to a small town in French West Africa. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
November 6 – Fantasies
Cast: Bo Derek, Peter Hooten, Anna Alexiadis, Phaedon Georgitsis, Nikos Pashalidis, Kostas Baladimas, Therese Bohlin, Boucci Simis, Viennoula Koussathana
Director: John Derek
Studio: Klemperer/Arnow Films
Trivia: The film opened in Italy on March 6, 1981, Brazil on March 23, and France on April 1 before its US opening on November 6. Originally titled Once Upon a Love. The title was retained for the UK release. It was released as Femme in France. Bo Derek was billed under the name Kathleen Collins (her real name is Mary Cathleen Collins) as the film was shot in 1973 but not released until 1981, two years after she became a screen sensation in 10. She was underage at the time but entered into an affair with director John Derek during filming, leading to the break-up of his marriage to Linda Evans. She became known as Bo Derek after their marriage on June 10, 1976.
1991
November 8 – All I Want for Christmas
- Cast: Harley Jane Kozak, Jamey Sheridan, Ethan Randall, Kevin Nealon, Thora Birch, Andrea Martin, Lauren Bacall, Amy Oberer, Renée Taylor, Leslie Nielsen, Felicity LaFortune, Camille Saviola, Michael Alaimo, Josh Keaton, Elizabeth Cherney
- Director: Robert Lieberman
- Studio: Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: Though set at Christmas, the film was shot during a scorching summer in Los Angeles. Ethan Embry was billed as Ethan Randall at this point in his career. The film grossed less in its entire run than Home Alone did in its first weekend of release.
November 8 – Strictly Business
- Cast: Tommy Davidson, Joseph C. Phillips, Halle Berry, Anne-Marie Johnson, David Marshall Grant, Jon Cypher, Samuel L. Jackson, Kim Coles, Sam Rockwell, Annie Golden
- Director: Kevin Hooks
- Studio: Island World, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: Feature film debut of Susan Haskell.
2001
November 7 – Scratch
- Cast: Grand Wizard Theodore, Mix Master Mike, The X-ecutioners, John Carluccio, Afrika Bambaataa, Grand Mixer DXT, Grand Master Flash, Steinski, DJ Qbert, DJ Flare, DJ Babu, Steve Dee, DJ Craze, Christe Z Pabon, Jon Bernson, DJ Premier, Z-Trip, DJ Jazzy Jay, Electric Boogabos, Almighty Kay Gee, Kevie Kev and Dot A Rock, Naut Humon, DJ Marz, DJ Quest, DJ Cue, and Eddie Def, Billy Jam, Dave Paul, Mike Relm, Madlib, Apollo, Melo-D, DJ Faust and Shortee, Feedback, Klever, DJ Cruise, Jay Slim, Snayk Eyez, Cut Chemist, DJ Nu-Mark, Dilated Peoples, DJ Shadow, DJ Swamp, DJ Streak, DJ Krush, Swift Rock, Mark Herlitly, Doze Green
- Director: Doug Pray
- Studio: Palm Pictures
- Trivia: The film screened at Sundance on January 21, 2001, then opened in France on November 7. The film began a limited run in the US on February 15, 2002, and opened in the UK on August 30, 2002. The film was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.
November 8 – Storytelling
- Cast: Selma Blair, Leo Fitzpatrick, Robert Wisdom, Maria Thayer, Angela Goethals, Devorah Rose, Nancy Anne Ridder, Steven Rosen, Aleksa Palladino, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Tina Holmes
- Director: Todd Solondz
- Studio: Good Machine, Killer Films, New Line Cinema, distributed by Fine Line Features
- Trivia: The film premiered at Cannes on May 12, 2001 and screened at the New York Film Festival on September 29 before opening in Russia on November 8. The film opened in the UK on November 30, then screened at Sundance on January 14, 2002 before opening in limited release in the US on January 25, 2002. In the US release, a red box was placed over the rough sex scene between Selma Blair and Robert Wisdom to avoid an NC-17 rating. The box was not present in international versions and the American DVD release includes both options. The box was meant to symbolize Solondz’s contempt for being told to cut his film. A third story with James Van Der Beek was cut from the film. Emmanuelle Chriqui, Adam Hann-Byrd, and Heather Matarazzo also filmed scenes that were cut from the film.
November 9 – Heist
- Cast: Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, Rebecca Pidgeon, Sam Rockwell, Ricky Jay
- Director: David Mamet
- Studio: Morgan Creek Productions, Franchise Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: The film premiered at TIFF on September 10, 2001. Though set mostly in Boston, the film was shot in Montreal.
November 9 – Last Wedding
- Cast: Benjamin Ratner, Frida Betrani, Tom Scholte, Nancy Sivak, Vincent Gale, Molly Parker, Marya Delver, Jay Brazeau, Kevin McNulty, Jillian Fargey
- Director: Bruce Sweeney
- Studio: THINKFilm, Velocity Home Entertainment
- Trivia: The film premiered at TIFF on September 6, 2001, and opened in Canada on November 9. It did not get a theatrical release in the US until July 22, 2003. Winner of the Best Canadian Film award from the Toronto Film Critics Association.
November 9 – Life as a House
- Cast: Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Hayden Christensen, Jena Malone, Mary Steenburgen, Jamey Sheridan, Ian Somerhalder, Scott Bakula, Sam Robards, John Pankow, Mike Weinberg, Scotty Leavenworth
- Director: Irwin Winkler
- Studio: New Line Cinema
- Trivia: The video of George and young Sam playing on the beach was shot by Kevin Kline’s wife Phoebe Cates while they were on vacation in Bermuda. Young Sam is their son Owen. Theatrical movie debut of Ian Somerhalder. William Russ had been cast as Officer Walker and completed filming one scene before he was injured in a motorcycle accident and unable to continue. He was replaced with Scott Bakula. The film had to be shot in sequence to depict the house being dismantled and rebuilt. At the end of filming, it was dismantled, rebuilt and enlarged to become a library for the Kennedy Canyon Elementary School in Brentwood, CA. Kevin Kline lost about 25 lbs during production to depict his character’s illness.
20th Century Fox
November 9 – Shallow Hal
- Cast: Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jason Alexander, Joe Viterelli, Jill Christine Fitzgerald, Tony Robbins, Bruce McGill, Molly Shannon, Sasha Neulinger, Susan Ward, Rene Kirby, Kyle Gass, Laura Kightlinger, Brooke Burns, Sayed Badreya, Zen Gesner, Ron Darling, Joshua Shintani, Sascha Knopf, Nan Martin, Mary Wigmore, Rob Moran, Michael Corrente, Darius Rucker
- Director: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
- Studio: Conundrum Entertainment, distributed by 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on November 1, 2001. Gwyneth Paltrow had to don prosthetics and a 25 lb fat suit for the role. She would wear the makeup and costume in public to study reactions from strangers to her as an overweight woman. No one recognized her, and Paltrow stated no one would make eye contact with her because of her obese appearance. Ironically, Jack Black had to lose weight for the film. This was Black’s first lead role after 19 previous films.
2011
November 4 – A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas
- Cast: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, Danny Trejo, Danneel Harris, Elias Koteas, Paula Garcés, Thomas Lennon, Patton Oswalt, Eddie Kaye Thomas, David Krumholtz, Amir Blumenfeld, Richard Riehle, Jordan Hinson, John Hoogenakker, Jake Johnson, Bobby Lee, Yasen Peyankov, Melissa Ordway, RZA, Da’Vone McDonald, Brett Gelman, Dana DeLorenzo, David Burtka, Dan Levy
- Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson
- Studio: New Line Cinema, Mandate Pictures, Kingsgate Films, distributed by
Warner Bros. Pictures - Trivia: The film is now known as A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas. One of the lies Adrian tells Mary is that Kumar works at the White House. Kal Penn departed his role in the White House’s U.S. Office of Public Liaison for the film. After filming was complete, Penn returned to his White House position. The Wafflebot is based on a waffle-making robot character from an unreleased college comedy screenplay Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg wrote in 2000.
November 4 – Tower Heist
- Cast: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Judd Hirsch, Téa Leoni, Michael Peña, Gabourey Sidibe, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Nina Arianda, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Juan Carlos Hernandez, Harry O’Reilly, James Colby, Edward Noone, Peter Van Wagner, Željko Ivanek, Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Annika Pergament, Clem Cheung, Robert Downey Sr., Kate Upton, Marilyn Kim, Judianny Compress, Dylan Ratigan, Allie Woods Jr., Johnny Tran, Jessica Szohr, Heavy D, Jan Owens, Lucky Park
- Director: Brett Ratner
- Studio: Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Relativity Media, Rat Entertainment, Dentsu Inc.
- Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on October 24, 2011 in New York City. The film developed from an idea by Eddie Murphy that was to feature an all-Black cast of comedians as a heist group trying to break into the Trump International Hotel and Tower. Murphy left the production after the story morphed into an Ocean’s Eleven style film, but he later returned after Ben Stiller signed on. Universal had planned to make the movie available On Demand for Comcast customers three weeks after its theatrical debut, but several theater chains threatened to not show the movie if the plan was carried out. Universal abandoned the plan. The Thanksgiving Day Parade was completely recreated with footage from the 2009 parade along with recreated scenes of the parade with the actors involved. Kate Upton makes a cameo appearance as Mr. Hightower’s mistress. Four different endings were shot, with the last filmed the one used for the movie. The final film for Heavy D and Robert Downey Sr.
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