Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #68 :: November 10•16

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

You can tell we’re moving deep into awards season with this week’s film releases. Eight of this week’s films received Oscar and/or Golden Globe nominations, with a handful of those films also scoring wins, among them the one and only acting Oscar for an Alfred Hitchcock film. Speaking of Hitchcock, with one film on the list a second is heavily influenced by his style. Steven Spielberg is also represented this week having connections to three films between 1971 and 2001. With all of the major award winners, this week also saw the release of a film that infamously won awards in every category of the Golden Raspberry Awards. There are both highs and lows this week, but are any of your favorite films on the list?

1921

November 10 – The Boat

• Cast: Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline, Sybil Seely
• Director: Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline
• Studio: First National Pictures
• Trivia: The boat launch and sinking took three days to film as the two boats built to float and sink did not perform as expected. The boat eventually had to be attached to a cable and dragged underwater to complete the scene. The boat’s name, Damfino, is a play on the words ‘damn if I know.’

1931

November 9 – The Champ

• Cast: Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Irene Rich, Roscoe Ates, Edward Brophy, Hale Hamilton, Jesse Scott, Marcia Mae Jones
• Director: King Vidor
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: Wallace Beery, for whom the role was specifically written, won the Oscar for Best Actor (sharing the award with Frederic March for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), Frances Marion won for Best Story, and the film was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Director. The film originally ended with Champ losing his boxing match and then dying. Test audiences felt cheated so a new ending was filmed in which he won the match (but still died).

November 14 – The Cisco Kid

• Cast: Warner Baxter, Edmund Lowe, Conchita Montenegro, Nora Lane, Frederick Burt, Willard Robertson, James Bradbury Jr., John Webb Dillon, Charles Stevens, Douglas Haig, Marilyn Knowlden, George Irving
• Director: Irving Cummings
• Studio: Fox Film Corporation
• Trivia: A copy of the film is preserved in the Library of Congress.

November 14 – Secret Service

• Cast: Richard Dix, William Post Jr., Shirley Grey, Nance O’Neil, Harold Kinney, Gavin Gordon, Florence Lake, Frederick Burton, Clarence Muse, Eugene Jackson, E. Alyn Warren, Edward Peil Sr.
• Director: J. Walter Ruben
• Studio: RKO Pictures
• Trivia: Based on a play by William Gillette.

1941

November 14 – I Wake Up Screaming

• Cast: Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Carole Landis, Laird Cregar, Alan Mowbray, Allyn Joslyn, Elisha Cook, Jr., Chick Chandler, Cyril Ring, Morris Ankrum, Charles Lane, Frank Orth, Gregory Gaye, May Beatty
• Director: H. Bruce Humberstone
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: Based on the novel of the same name by Steve Fisher, who co-wrote the screenplay with Dwight Taylor. Originally titled I Wake Up Screaming, changed to Hot Spot, and changed back although it was released in some markets as Hot Spot. Alice Faye was originally cast as Jill but replaced with Betty Grable. The film was remade in 1953 as Vicki. 20th Century Fox’s first ‘film noir’ and the only one of Grable’s career.

RKO Radio Pictures Inc.

November 14 – Suspicion

• Cast: Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Nigel Bruce, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Dame May Whitty, Isabel Jeans, Heather Angel, Auriol Lee, Reginald Sheffield, Leo G. Carroll
• Director: Alfred Hitchcock
• Studio: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
• Trivia: Based on Francis Iles’s novel Before the Fact. Joan Fontaine won the Academy Award for Best Actress, the only Oscar-winning performance in a Hitchcock film. Nathaniel West collaborated on a screenplay for the film, but when Hitchcock was hired he already had a vastly different screenplay, co-written by his wife Alma Reville. West’s script was unused, but can be found in the Library of America’s collected works of West. Originally, this movie was intended as a B movie to star George Sanders and Anne Shirley, but when Alfred Hitchcock became involved, the budget increased, and Laurence Olivier and Frances Dee were engaged to star. Hitchcock makes his traditional cameo at about 45 minutes into the movie, mailing a letter at the village post office. Cary Grant felt Hitchcock lavished too much attention on Fontaine, causing a rift between them with Grant vowing to never work with Hitchcock again. They eventually patched things up and Grant made three more films with the director.

November 15 – Blues in the Night

• Cast: Richard Whorf, Priscilla Lane, Lloyd Nolan, Betty Field, Jack Carson, Elia Kazan, Wallace Ford, Howard Da Silva, Peter Whitney, Billy Halop, George Lloyd, Charles C. Wilson, William Gillespie, Matt McHugh, Ernest Whitman, Napoleon Simpson, Dudley Dickerson, Anthony Warde, Sol Gorss, Mabel Todd
• Director: Anatole Litvak
• Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the play Hot Nocturne, which was also the film’s working title. The film was eventually named after the principal song, which became a popular hit and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Song. James Cagney and Dennis Morgan were the studio’s first two choices to play the gangster Del Davis, but the role was eventually given to Lloyd Nolan. John Garfield was cast in the role of pianist Jigger Pine who was eventually played by Richard Whorf. Uncredited film debut of Faith Domergue.

1951

November 11 – An American in Paris

• Cast: Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, Nina Foch, Eugene Borden, John Eldredge, Anna Q. Nilsson
• Director: Vincente Minnelli
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Loew’s Inc.
• Trivia: Hayden Rorke, Noel Neill and Madhe Blake have small, uncredited roles. Inspired by the 1928 orchestral composition An American in Paris by George Gershwin. The film’s dialogue-free ballet sequence cost nearly half a million dollars and was filmed on 44 sets on MGM’s back lot. The film earned eight Academy Award nominations and won six awards including Best Picture. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1993.

November 14 – Encore

• Cast:
  The Ant and the Grasshopper: Nigel Patrick, Roland Culver, Alison Leggatt, Peter Graves, Margaret Vyner, Michael Trubshawe
  Winter Cruise: Kay Walsh, Noel Purcell, Ronald Squire, John Laurie, Jacques François
  Gigolo and Gigolette: Glynis Johns, Terence Morgan, Mary Merrall, Martin Miller
• Director: Pat Jackson, Anthony Pelissier, Harold French
• Studio: Two Cities Films, distributed by General Film Distributors (UK), Paramount Pictures (USA)
• Trivia: The film opened in the UK on November 14, 1951, but did not get a US release until April 2, 1952. Adaptations of three short stories by W. Somerset Maugham.

November 15 – Callaway Went Thataway

• Cast: Fred MacMurray, Dorothy McGuire, Howard Keel, Jesse White, Fay Roope, Natalie Schafer, Douglas Kennedy, Elisabeth Fraser, John Indrisano, Stan Freberg, Don Haggerty
• Director: Melvin Frank, Norman Panama
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor, and Esther Williams made cameo appearances. Also known as The Star Said No.

November 16 – Cry, the Beloved Country

• Cast: Canada Lee, Sidney Poitier, Charles Carson, Joyce Carey, Geoffrey Keen, Michael Goodliffe, Edric Connor, Lionel Ngakane, Vivien Clinton, Albertina Temba, Charles McRae, Ribbon Dhlamini
• Director: Zoltán Korda
• Studio: London Films, distributed by British Lion Films (UK), Lopert Pictures through United Artists (US)
• Trivia: The film opened in South Africa on November 16, 1951. It opened in the US on January 23, 1952 and in the UK on April 26, 1952. Based on the novel of the same name by Alan Paton. This was Canada Lee’s last film. The film was a rarity for the time as all the lead cast members were Black, and all the supporting characters were white. However, the poster only showcased the white cast members. The film was shot in South Africa during apartheid, forcing director Zoltán Korda to list stars Sidney Poitier and Canada Lee as his ‘indentured servants’, not actors, to bring them into the country otherwise all three of them could have been jailed.

1961

November 16 – Hercules in the Haunted World

• Cast: Reg Park, Christopher Lee, Leonora Ruffo, George Ardisson, Marisa Belli, Ida Galli, Mino Doro, Gaia Germani, Franco Giacobini, Rosalba Neri, Ely Drago
• Director: Mario Bava
• Studio: SpA Cinematografica, distributed by Imperialcine
• Trivia: The film opened in Italy on November 16, 1951, but did not get a US release until April 1964. The Italian title Ercole al centro della terra translates to Hercules at the Center of the Earth. Mario Bava used some of the same sets from the earlier Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis. Christopher Lee’s voice was dubbed by another actor for the English-language release. Reg Park had to do all of his own stunts as there were no Italian stunt men who could match his physique.

November 16 – Summer and Smoke

• Cast: Laurence Harvey, Geraldine Page, Rita Moreno, Una Merkel, John McIntire, Thomas Gomez, Pamela Tiffin, Malcolm Atterbury, Lee Patrick, Max Showalter, Earl Holliman, Pepe Hern
• Director: Peter Glenville
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the Tennessee Williams play of the same name. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and three Golden Globes. Geraldine Page received acting nominations from the Academy, the Globes, the National Board of Review, the New York Film Critics Circle Awards and the Venice International Film Festival, winning the Golden Globe, the National Board of Review, and the Vernice awards. Laurence Harvey was widely considered to be miscast. Pamela Tiffin’s film debut.

1971

November 12 – Play Misty for Me

• Cast: Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills, John Larch, Jack Ging, Irene Hervey, James McEachin, Clarice Taylor, Donald Siegel, Duke Everts, Britt Lind, Jack Kosslyn as Cabbie
• Director: Clint Eastwood
• Studio: The Malpaso Company, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered in El Paso, Texas on August 4, 1971, the opened in Canada on October 1 before its November 12 US release. Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut. Director Don Siegel stood by to help, and has a role as a bartender. Jessica Walter scored a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. The studio wanted Lee Remick for the role of Evelyn, but Eastwood was impressed with Walter’s performance in The Group and cast her instead.

November 12 – Who Killed Mary What’s ‘Er Name?

• Cast: Red Buttons, Sylvia Miles, Alice Playten, Conrad Bain, Dick Anthony Williams, Sam Waterston, David Doyle, Gilbert Lewis, Earl Hindman, Ron Carey
• Director: Ernest Pintoff
• Studio: Cannon Film Distributors
• Trivia: Also known as Death of a Hooker.

Universal Pictures

November 13 – Duel

• Cast: Dennis Weaver, Jacqueline Scott, Carey Loftin, Eddie Firestone, Lou Frizzell, Eugene Dynarski, Lucille Benson, Tim Herbert, Charles Seel, Shirley O’Hara, Alexander Lockwood, Amy Douglass, Sweet Dick Whittington
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: Based on Richard Matheson’s 1971 short story. Matheson also wrote the screenplay. Feature directorial debut for Steven Spielberg. Produced as a TV movie, the November 13 date is the date the film aired on the ABC Movie of the Week. It was released theatrically, with additional scenes shot after the TV broadcast (with expletives added to make it not sound like a TV movie), beginning with the UK on October 20, 1972. Lucille Benson reprised her role as the proprietor of the ‘Snakerama’ gas station in Spielberg’s 1941. Spielberg lobbied to cast Dennis Weaver based on his work in Touch of Evil, but Weaver did not sign on until the day before production began. Spielberg shot the film in about 12 days. When the truck enters the gate during the film’s climax, it hit the camera. The truck never drove more than 30 MPH, with Spielberg using a special camera car and various angles to give the impression of high speed.

1981

November 13 – The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper

• Cast: Robert Duvall, Treat Williams, Kathryn Harrold, Ed Flanders, Paul Gleason, R.G. Armstrong, Dorothy Fielding, Nicolas Coster, Cooper Huckabee, Howard K. Smith, Christopher Curry
• Director: Roger Spottiswoode
• Studio: Universal Pictures, PolyGram Pictures
• Trivia: Based on American poet J.D. Reed’s 1980 novel, Free Fall: A Novel. John Frankenheimer was the original director, but he was replaced by Buzz Kulik after shooting one sequence. Roger Spottiswoode was asked to shoot a new stunt and edit the film, and he said the film was doomed unless he could shoot new sequences written by Ron Shelton. Spottiswoode’s work comprises 70% of the finished film, earning him the director’s credit.

November 13 – Strange Behavior

• Cast: Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher, Dan Shor, Fiona Lewis, Arthur Dignam, Dey Young, Marc McClure, Charles Lane, Scott Brady, Beryl Te Wiata, Elizabeth Cheshire, Jim Boelsen, Bill Condon, William Hayward, Alma Woods
• Director: Michael Laughlin
• Studio: Hemdale, Fay Richwhite, South Street Films, Gupta Film Services, Flavius Films, Endeavour Productions, Bannon Glen, distributed by GUO Film Distributors (Australia), Endeavour Productions (New Zealand), World Northal (US)
• Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on October 16, 1981. Also known as Dead Kids. Intended to be the first of a ‘Strange Trilogy’, but the idea was cancelled after the second film, Strange Invaders, failed to attract an audience. The first horror film produced in New Zealand (though the film’s setting was Illinois).

1991

November 13 – Cape Fear

• Cast: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Joe Don Baker, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, Illeana Douglas, Fred Thompson, Martin Balsam, Zully Montero, Domenica Cameron-Scorsese
• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Studio: Amblin Entertainment, Cappa Films, Tribeca Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on October 6, 1991. It opened in Canada on November 13 and in the US on November 15. A remake of the 1962 film of the same name which was based on John D. MacDonald’s 1957 novel, The Executioners. Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Martin Balsam starred in the original film. This was Peck’s last film. Robert De Niro and Juliette Lewis received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for their work. Steven Spielberg was originally set to direct but felt the material was too violent and handed it over to Scorsese. Spielberg did stay on as producer but opted to not be credited. Scorsese’s work on the film borrows from Hitchcock’s visual sense, the opening credits are by Hitchcock collaborator Saul Bass, and the Bernard Herrmann score from the original film is used, although reworked by Elmer Bernstein. De Niro’s tattoos were made with vegetable dyes. The high school auditorium scene between De Niro and Lewis was completely ad-libbed and done in three takes, but the first one was used.

November 15 – And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird

• Cast: Marcia Strassman, Joshua John Miller, Edan Gross, John Quade, Sam Behrens, Alan Thicke, Susan Gibney, A.J. Langer, Gustav Vintas, Eric Walker, Bill Smillie, Robert Clotworthy, Armin Shimerman, Allan Wasserman, Susan Brecht
• Director: Tony Cookson
• Studio: Panorama, distributed by Trimark Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered on August 30, 1991 in Lafayette, Louisiana. Known as RoboDad in international markets.

November 15 – Kafka

• Cast: Jeremy Irons, Theresa Russell, Joel Grey, Ian Holm, Jeroen Krabbé, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Alec Guinness, Brian Glover, Keith Allen, Simon McBurney, Robert Flemyng, Ion Caramitru, Josef Abrhám, Guy Fithen, Ondrej Havelka, Jerome Flynn, Ewan Stewart, Jim McPhee, Petr Jákl, David Jensen
• Director: Steven Soderbergh
• Studio: Baltimore Pictures, Pricel, Renn Productions, distributed by Miramax Films
• Trivia: Loosely based on Franz Kafka’s novel The Castle. The rights to the film reverted to Steven Soderbergh in 2013, at which point he announced work had begun on a ‘completely different’ version of the film, with rewrites and new material shot during the making of Side Effects, with the film planned to be dubbed in German. He announced completion of the new version in 2020, titled Mr. Kneff, which debuted at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.

2001

November 16 – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

• Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Richard Griffiths, Richard Harris, Ian Hart, John Hurt, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, Zoë Wanamaker, Tom Felton, Harry Melling, David Bradley, Matthew Lewis, Devon Murray, James and Oliver Phelps, Chris Rankin, Bonnie Wright, Sean Biggerstaff, Jamie Waylett, Joshua Herdman, Leslie Phillips, Derek Deadman, Elizabeth Spriggs
• Director: Chris Columbus
• Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures, Heyday Films, 1492 Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered in London on November 4, 2001, New York City on November 11 and Los Angeles on November 14. Released in the United States, India and the Philippines as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Steven Spielberg originally negotiated to direct the film but ultimately declined the offer. He wanted the film to be animated with Haley Joel Osment providing the voice of Harry Potter. The book’s author insisted the cast all be from the UK or Ireland. Alan Rickman was hand-picked by the author to play Snape, and was provided details about his character that were not revealed until the final novel was published. Real candles were used in the Great Hall and attached to a rig that made them appear to float, but one of the wires broke because of the heat and the candle fell to the floor. No one was injured but the decision was made to use CGI candles for the rest of the films. Almost all of the scenes with the three leads were filmed in chronological order. Liam Aiken was originally cast as Harry, but was replaced a day later when it was discovered he isn’t British. Snape’s costume in the only one that does not change throughout the series as it was dubbed ‘perfection’.

2011

Relativity Media

November 10 – Immortals

• Cast: Henry Cavill, Robert Naylor, Stephen Dorff, Luke Evans, John Hurt, Isabel Lucas, Kellan Lutz, Freida Pinto, Daniel Sharman, Mickey Rourke, Joseph Morgan, Peter Stebbings, Anne Day-Jones, Greg Bryk, Corey Sevier, Steve Byers, Robert Maillet, Alan van Sprang, Stephen McHattie, Mark Margolis, Gage Munroe
• Director: Tarsem Singh
• Studio: Virgin Produced, Rogue, Atmosphere Entertainment, Hollywood Gang Productions, distributed by Relativity Media (United States), Universal Pictures (International)
• Trivia: The film opened in Greece on November 10, followed by the UK, US and Canada on November 11. The film’s working titles were Dawn of War and War of the Gods. Henry Cavill refused to let the makeup department draw abs on him. Cavill used a tabata-style training regiment, using only body weight exercises to develop a lean, defined physique without adding mass.

November 11 – Arthur Christmas

• Cast: James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen, Marc Wootton, Laura Linney, Eva Longoria, Ramona Marquez, Michael Palin, Jerry Lambert, Ryan Patrick, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Robbie Coltrane, Joan Cusack, Rhys Darby, Jane Horrocks, Iain McKee, Andy Serkis, Dominic West
• Director: Sarah Smith, Barry Cook
• Studio: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
• Trivia: The film opened in the UK and Ireland on November 11, followed by a US and Canada release on November 23. The film was announced under the title Operation Rudolph. David Tennant was the original choice for Arthur Christmas.

November 11 – J. Edgar

• Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Judi Dench, Dermot Mulroney, Damon Herriman, Jeffrey Donovan, Ed Westwick, Zach Grenier, Ken Howard, Stephen Root, Denis O’Hare, Adam Driver, Geoff Pierson, Lea Thompson, Christopher Shyer, Miles Fisher, Jessica Hecht
• Director: Clint Eastwood
• Studio: Imagine Entertainment, Malpaso Productions, Wintergreen Productions, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered at the AFI Film Festival on November 3, 2011, then opened in limited US release on November 9 before expanding on November 11. Adam Driver’s film debut. Leonardo DiCaprio earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. Charlize Theron was cast as Helen Gandy but dropped out to do Snow White and the Huntsman. Clint Eastwood considered Amy Adams as her replacement but selected Naomi Watts. The film was shipped to theaters under the code name Lawman.

November 11 – Jack and Jill

• Cast: Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes, Al Pacino, Eugenio Derbez, Tim Meadows, Santiago Segura, Nick Swardson, Allen Covert, Rohan Chand, Elodie Tougne, Geoff Pierson, Valerie Mahaffey, Gad Elmaleh, Gary Valentine, Kristin Davis, Norm Macdonald, Julia Perri, Dana Carvey, David Spade
• Director: Dennis Dugan
• Studio: Columbia Pictures, Happy Madison Productions, Broken Road Productions, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
• Trivia: The film also features cameos from Johnny Depp, Regis Philbin, Dan Patrick, Shaquille O’Neal, Drew Carey, John McEnroe, Christie Brinkley, Bill Romanowski, Michael Irvin, Jared Fogle, Billy Blanks, and Vince Offer as themselves. The film was nominated for a record 12 Golden Raspberry Awards in all ten categories, becoming the first film to sweep the awards in every category. Final film performance of Regis Philbin.

November 16 – The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1

• Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Billy Burke, Sarah Clarke, Julia Jones, Booboo Stewart, MyAnna Buring, Maggie Grace, Casey LaBow, Michael Sheen, Jamie Campbell Bower, Christopher Heyerdahl, Chaske Spencer, Mackenzie Foy, Christian Camargo, Mía Maestro, Olga Fonda
• Director: Bill Condon
• Studio: Temple Hill Entertainment, Sunswept Entertainment, distributed by Summit Entertainment
• Trivia: The film opened in Belgium, France, Italy and several more European countries on November 16, followed by more international territories on November 17, finally opening in the US, Canada, the UK and more international markets on November 18. Based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer. When the plan to split the final film into two parts was considered, the main cast’s contracts were in question as they were only contracted for a single Breaking Dawn film. The sex scenes between Edward and Bella were a bit too explicit for the MPAA which gave the film an R-rating, causing the scenes to be reshot to achieve a PG-13.

November 16 – The Woman in the Fifth

• Cast: Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas, Joanna Kulig, Samir Guesmi, Marcela Iacub, Anne Benoît, Grégory Gadebois
• Director: Paweł Pawlikowski
• Studio: Haut et Court, Film4 Productions, SPI International Poland, The Bureau, distributed by Memento Films
• Trivia: The film was screened at TIFF on September 11, 2011, then opened in France on November 16. It received a limited UK release from February 17, 2012, followed by a limited US release starting June 15, 2012. Adapted from Douglas Kennedy’s 2007 novel of the same name.