Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
This week in February over the last century produced a lot of films that ran the gamut from great successes to massive bombs, launched the careers of several now well-known performers, and courted great controversy. This week also included one film that won the Oscar for Best Picture, even though today it’s not regarded as a great film. 1932 saw the release of one of the most controversial films of its time, produced an adaptation of a Poe story, as well as the film that launched Bette Davis’ career. 1942 gave us a non-musical version of Chicago, 1952 had that Oscar winner, 1962 had a short that inspired a sci-fi classic, 1982 brought a DC Comics character to live on the big screen, 1992 had the worst film of Sylvester Stallone’s career, and 2012 gave us the second appearance of a Marvel character on the big screen. Read all about these films and more, and tell us if any of your favorites debuted this week.
1922
February 21 – The Loves of Pharaoh
- Cast: Emil Jannings, Paul Biensfeldt, Friedrich Kühne, Albert Bassermann, Harry Liedtke, Paul Wegener, Lyda Salmonova, Dagny Servaes
- Director: Ernst Lubitsch
- Production Company: Ernst Lubitsch-Film, Europäische Film-Allianz
- Trivia: Also known as The Wife of the Pharaoh. A complete version of the film is considered lost, but a reconstructed and restored version was released on September 17, 2011. The film was reconstructed from parts of the film that had been found in various countries and took five years to complete. About 2,000 feet of the original 9,764 feet of film is still missing.
1932
February 19 – Rasputin, Demon with Women
- Cast: Conrad Veidt, Paul Otto, Hermine Sterler, Kenneth Rive, Alexandra Sorina, Karl Ludwig Diehl, Ida Perry, Charlotte Ander, Elza Temary, Brigitte Horney, Bernhard Goetzke, Franziska Kinz, Marian Chevalier, Heinrich Heilinger, Edith Meinhard, Magnus Stifter, Ernst Reicher, Werner Hollmann, Theo Shall, Friedrich Gnaß, Paul Henckels, Alexander Murski
- Director: Adolf Trotz
- Production Company: Gottschalk Tonfilm, distributed by Union-Film
- Trivia: The film was released in Germany on February 19, 1932, and the in the UK on October 12. The last film of Alexander Sorina and Elza Temary.
February 20 – Freaks
- Cast: Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Rosco Ates, Henry Victor, Harry Earles, Daisy Earles, Rose Dione, Daisy and Violet Hilton, Schlitzie, Josephine Joseph, Johnny Eck, Frances O’Connor, Peter Robinson, Olga Roderick, Koo Koo, Prince Randian, Martha Morris, Elvira Snow, Jenny Lee Snow, Elizabeth Green, Angelo Rossitto, Edward Brophy and Matt McHugh
- Director: Tod Browning
- Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Loew’s Inc.
- Trivia: Based on elements from the short story ‘Spurs’ by Tod Robbins. The film’s premiere was held on February 12, 1932. It was released in Canada on June 4, but did not play in the UK until June 1963. Re-released as The Monster Story, Forbidden Love and Nature’s Mistakes. The original 90-minute version was re-edited to 64 minutes without Tod Browning’s approval after negative test audience reaction. The original version no longer exists, however it did play at one venue and was a huge success. When word got out that the film was about to be butchered, the Fox Theatre in San Diego advertised, ‘Your last opportunity to see ‘Freaks’ in its uncensored form!’ The film was banned in the UK for over 30 years, and was labeled ‘brutal and grotesque’ in Canada. The film was also banned in a number of US states, and while no longer enforced the laws were never repealed so it is still technically illegal for the film to be shown in parts of the country. A box office failure, the film was rediscovered in the 1960s and screened at the Venice Film Festival in 1962. Victor McLaglen was considered for the role of Hercules, while Myrna Loy was initially slated to star as Cleopatra, with Jean Harlow as Venus but uncredited co-producer Irving Thalberg ultimately decided not to cast any big name stars. When MGM head Louis B. Mayer saw Browning’s cast, he was horrified and tried to have the picture shut down. It took all of Thalberg’s persuasive skills to keep it going. Browning’s career never recovered after the initial release of the film and he retired in 1939, living in seclusion for the rest of his life.
February 20 – The Man Who Played God
- Cast: George Arliss, Violet Heming, Bette Davis, Andre Luguet, Louise Closser Hale, Donald Cook, Ivan F. Simpson, Oscar Apfel, Charles E. Evans, Hedda Hopper, William Janney, Murray Kinnell
- Director: John G. Adolfi
- Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: Based on a 1912 short story by Gouverneur Morris, and the 1914 play The Silent Voice by Jules Eckert Goodman. A special screening was held in Los Angeles on February 9, 1932, and in New York City on February 10. The film was released in London on April 6, followed by a general UK release on August 22. George Arliss and Ivan F. Simpson played the same roles ten years earlier in the 1922 silent version. The film was remade again in 1955 as Sincerely Yours, starring Liberace. The first movie Bette Davis made under her contract with Warner Bros after nearly giving up on Hollywood and returning to New York. George Arliss had suggested her for the role and she credited him with launching her career.
February 21 – Murders in the Rue Morgue
- Cast: Bela Lugosi, Sidney Fox, Leon Ames, Bert Roach, Betty Ross Clarke, Brandon Hurst, D’Arcy Corrigan, Noble Johnson, Arlene Francis, Charles Gemora, Torbin Meyer, Agostino Montani, Herman Bing
- Director: Robert Florey
- Production Company: Universal Pictures
- Trivia: Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s 1841 short story. Screenings were held in Middletown, NY on January 27, 1932 and Rochester, NY on February 5. The film was released in London on April 14, followed by a general UK release on September 5. Robert Florey got the directing job after Universal took him off of Frankenstein. Florey replaced original director George Melford, who directed the Spanish-language version of Dracula. Bette Davis was auditioned for the part of Camille, but the studio rejected her for a ‘lack of sex appeal.’ Universal cut the initial budget of $130,000 to $90,000, and Florey fought with them over the film’s 1845 setting. Universal wanted a contemporary setting. John Huston contributed additional dialogue. After Frankenstein‘s success, Universal increased the budget to $186,090 and added seven days of additional filming. The film’s original running time was 80 minutes, but Universal cut many of the film’s ‘violent’ scenes, bringing the run time to 61 minutes. Film debut of Arlene Francis.
1942
February 16 – The Man Who Wanted to Kill Himself
- Cast: Antonio Casal, Rosita Yarza, Manuel Arbó, Xan das Bolas, José Prada, Camino Garrigó, Irene Mas, Alejandro Nolla, José Acuaviva, Alberto López, Ángel Alcaraz, Ramón Giner, Pedro Mascaró, Jesús Castro Blanco, José Palomerá
- Director: Rafael Gil
- Production Company: CIFESA
- Trivia: Spanish title is El hombre que se quiso matar. Based on a short story by Wenceslao Fernández Flórez. The film was released in Spain on February 16, 1942.
February 20 – Roxie Hart
- Cast: Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou, George Montgomery, Lynne Overman, Nigel Bruce, Phil Silvers, Sara Allgood, William Frawley, Spring Byington, Ted North, Helene Reynolds, George Chandler, Charles D. Brown, Morris Ankrum, George Lessey, Iris Adrian, Milton Parsons
- Director: William Wellman
- Production Company: 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: Also known as Chicago or Chicago Gal. An adaptation of the 1926 play Chicago by Maurine Dallas Watkins, which had been filmed as the 1927 silent Chicago, and later adapted into the 1975 Broadway musical and 2002 film of the same name. Alice Faye was originally set to star but her pregnancy prevented her from taking the role.
February 21 – Captains of the Clouds
- Cast: James Cagney, Dennis Morgan, Brenda Marshall, Alan Hale, George Tobias, Reginald Gardiner, Air Marshal W.A. Bishop, Reginald Denny, Russell Arms, Paul Cavanagh, Clem Bevans, J. M. Kerrigan, J. Farrell MacDonald, Patrick O’Moore, Morton Lowry, O. Cathcart-Jones, Frederick Worlock, Roland Drew, Lucia Carroll, George Meeker, Benny Baker, Hardie Albright, Ray Walker, Charles Halton, Louis Jean Heydt, Byron Barr (Gig Young), Michael Ames (Tod Andrews), Willie Fung, Carl Harbord
- Director: Michael Curtiz
- Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: Premieres were held in London and New York City on February 12, 1942. Also known as Shadows of Their Wings. It was the first feature-length Hollywood production filmed entirely in Canada, and produced with the full cooperation of the Royal Canadian Air Force to promote enlistment in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. James Cagney’s first Technicolor film. Cagney opted to do one stunt in which he was hit by a plane propeller. He overdid a move in which he was to fall into a lake and sustained a concussion which put production on hold for ten days. Ida Lupino was the first choice for the role of Emily Foster, but turned it down.
1952
Paramount Pictures
February 16 – The Greatest Show on Earth
- Cast: Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston, James Stewart, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame, Henry Wilcoxon, Lawrence Tierney, Lyle Bettger, John Ridgely, Frank Wilcox, Brad Johnson, John Kellogg
- Director: Cecil B. DeMille
- Production Company: Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: The film’s premiere was held in New York City on January 10, 1952. The film was released in London on February 16, and in Los Angeles on February 21. It entered general US release in May 1952. The real Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Circus’ 1951 troupe appears in the film, with its complement of 1,400 people, hundreds of animals, and 60 railroad cars of equipment and tents. The actors learned their respective circus roles and participated in the acts. The film won two Academy Awards, for Best Picture and Best Story, and was nominated for Best Costume Design, Best Director, and Best Film Editing. It also won Golden Globe Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Director, and Best Motion Picture – Drama. The film features unbilled cameos from Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, William Boyd (as Hopalong Cassidy in his final film appearance, taking the character to television), Danny Thomas, Van Heflin, Noel Neill, Leon Ames and Edmund O’Brien. Lucille Ball was offered Gloria Grahame’s Angel role, but dropped out when she discovered she was pregnant with her first child (this story has been disputed because at the time of filming, Ball was heavily involved in preparations for the launch of I Love Lucy). Despite his circus acrobat background, Burt Lancaster turned down the role of The Great Sebastian; Cornel Wilde had to overcome his fear of heights to portray the trapeze artist. This was Charlton Heston’s third film, which rocketed him to stardom. James Stewart plays the entire movie in his clown makeup.
February 19 – Retreat, Hell!
- Cast: Frank Lovejoy, Richard Carlson, Anita Louise, Russ Tamblyn, Nedrick Young, Lamont Johnson, Robert Ellis, Paul Smith, Peter Ortiz, Dorothy Patrick, Morton C. Thompson, Joseph Keane
- Director: Joseph H. Lewis
- Production Company: United States Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: The film was released in the UK on May 18, 1953. The Marine Corps worked closely with the screenwriter on the script giving it their approval in August 1951 and agreeing to six weeks of filming at Camp Pendleton where the film crew bulldozed a road and sprinkled the area with gypsum to simulate snow. The Hollywood Production Code Office originally refused to approve the title because of its ban on the word ‘hell’, but changed their mind after requests from the Marine Corps. Anita Louise’s last film before she started working in television.
February 22 – One Big Affair
- Cast: Evelyn Keyes, Dennis O’Keefe, Mary Anderson, Connie Gilchrist, Thurston Hall, Gus Schilling, José Torvay, Charles Musqued, Andrés Velázquez
- Director: Peter Godfrey
- Production Company: Benedict Bogeaus Productions, distributed by United Artists
February 22 – The Belle of New York
- Cast: Fred Astaire, Vera-Ellen, Marjorie Main, Keenan Wynn, Alice Pearce, Clinton Sundberg, Gale Robbins
- Director: Charles Walters
- Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- Trivia: Mae West was considered for the part of Mrs. Hill, but wanted too much money. Fifi D’Orsay and Beatrice Lillie were the next choices, but both turned down the role before it went to Marjorie Main. The ice used for the skating scenes was artificially colored to look better on Technicolor film.
1962
February 16 – La Jetée
- Cast: Jean Négroni, Hélène Châtelain, Davos Hanich, Jacques Ledoux, Ligia Branice, Janine Kleina, William Klein
- Director: Chris Marker
- Production Company: Argos Films
- Trivia: The film was released in France on February 16, 1962. It did not play in the UK until March 1966 or in the US until October 1967. The short is constructed almost entirely from still photos, with only a single shot of a woman opening and blinking her eyes.. The film inspired Terry Gilliam’s 1995 12 Monkeys.
February 21 – Walk on the Wild Side
- Cast: Laurence Harvey, Capucine, Jane Fonda, Anne Baxter, Barbara Stanwyck, Joanna Moore, Richard Rust, Karl Swenson, Don ‘Red’ Barry, Juanita Moore, John Anderson, Ken Lynch, Todd Anderson
- Director: Edward Dmytryk
- Production Company: Columbia Pictures
- Trivia: Adapted from the 1956 novel A Walk on the Wild Side by American author Nelson Algren. The film’s title song was nominated for an Oscar. Many of the cast, nor the director, got along with Capucine who was the girlfriend of the film’s producer, Charles K. Feldman. Many noted also that while the film was set in the 1930s, she was wearing contemporary 1960s fashion because Feldman insisted she wear the latest Cardin designs. The film was the first Hollywood film to openly feature lesbianism, and Barbara Stanwyck was the first American actress to portray a lesbian in a feature film.
1972
February 19 – The Seduction of Mimi
- Cast: Giancarlo Giannini, Mariangela Melato, Turi Ferro, Agostina Belli, Luigi Diberti, Elena Fiore, Tuccio Musumeci, Ignazio Pappalardo, Gianfranco Barra, Livia Giampalmo
- Director: Lina Wertmüller
- Production Company: Euro International Films, distributed by New Line Cinema (US)
- Trivia: The film was released in Italy on February 19, 1972, but it did not play in the US until June 18, 1974. The original Italian title is Mimì metallurgico ferito nell’onore, which translates to ‘Mimi the metalworker, wounded in honor’. The screenplay was very loosely adapted for the 1977 American film Which Way Is Up?
1982
February 19 – Barbarosa
- Cast: Willie Nelson, Gary Busey, Gilbert Roland, Isela Vega, Danny De La Paz, Alma Martinez, George Voskovec, Sharon Compton, Howland Chamberlain, Harry Caesar, Wolf Muser, Kai Wulff, Roberto Contreras, Luis Contreras, Jake Busey
- Director: Fred Schepisi
- Production Company: ITC Entertainment, distributed by Universal Pictures, Associated Film Distribution
- Trivia: The first American-made film by noted Australian director Fred Schepisi. Final film of Gilbert Roland.
February 19 – Shoot the Moon
- Cast: Albert Finney, Diane Keaton, Karen Allen, Peter Weller, Dana Hill, Viveka Davis, Tracey Gold, Tina Yothers, George Murdock, Leora Dana, Irving Metzman, Robert Costanzo, David Landsberg, O-Lan Shepard
- Director: Alan Parker
- Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- Trivia: The film opened in limited US release on January 22, 1982. Developed under the title Switching. The film received Golden Globe nominations in the Dramatic Lead categories for Albert Finney and Diane Keaton. Film debuts of Tracy Gold, Tina Yothers and Viveka Davis.
Embassy Pictures
February 19 – Swamp Thing
- Cast: Ray Wise, Adrienne Barbeau, Louis Jourdan, Dick Durock, David Hess, Nicholas Worth, Don Knight, Al Ruban, Nannette Brown, Reggie Batts, Karen Price
- Director: Wes Craven
- Production Company: Swampfilms, distributed by Embassy Pictures
- Trivia: Based on the Vertigo/DC Comics character of the same name created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. The film opened a week earlier in Louisiana on February 12, 1982. Filming occurred primarily on location in Cypress Gardens, Monks Corner, South Carolina. Wes Craven was very proud in delivering the movie on time and on budget at $2.5 million. In August 2000, MGM accidentally released the 91-minute international version on DVD, which contained more nudity and sexual content, instead of the PG-rated US version. The discrepancy wasn’t reported until 2002 when a woman rented the film for her kids and reported it. MGM recalled the disc and reissued the PG version in 2006. Shout! Factory released the international version on Blu-ray in 2013. The film was successful on cable and home video, leading to a 1989 sequel and 1990 TV series, both of which featured Dick Durock in the Swamp Thing make-up.
1992
February 21 – Falling from Grace
- Cast: John Mellencamp, Mariel Hemingway, Claude Akins, Dub Taylor, Kay Lenz, Larry Crane
- Director: John Mellencamp
- Production Company: Columbia Pictures
- Trivia: The acting and directorial debut of rock singer John Mellencamp.
February 21 – Radio Flyer
- Cast: Lorraine Bracco, John Heard, Elijah Wood, Tom Hanks, Joseph Mazzello, Adam Baldwin, Ben Johnson, Garette Ratliff, Thomas Ian Nicholas
- Director: Richard Donner
- Production Company: Stonebridge Entertainment, Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
- Trivia: The film’s Hollywood premiere was held on February 20, 1992. The film went straight to video in the UK on March 1, 1993. The film was meant to be the directorial debut of screenwriter David Mickey Evans, but he was replaced by Richard Donner, with Evans’ blessing, after ten days of shooting and disappointing results. This was the first film put into production at Columbia Pictures under its new ownership by Sony. The younger brother of Joseph Mazzello and the younger sister of Elijah Wood appear as extras. Rosanna Arquette was cast in the role of Mary and filmed for ten days but was replaced with Lorraine Bracco when Donner took over. Milo Ventimiglia was one of eight candidates for the role of Mike that went to Elijah Wood. Macaulay Culkin also auditioned for the role. Wood had originally auditioned for the role of Bobby.
February 21 – Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot
- Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Estelle Getty, JoBeth Williams, Al Fann, Roger Rees, Martin Ferrero, Gailard Sartain, John Wesley, J. Kenneth Campbell, Ving Rhames, Richard Schiff, Dennis Burkley
- Director: Roger Spottiswoode
- Production Company: Universal Pictures[1
- Trivia: The film was released in the UK on April 17, 1992. It made its Canadian premiere on DVD on December 26, 2006. When asked in 2006 which films he wished he had not done, this was at the top of Sylvester Stallone’s list. Stallone signed on to the film because of rumors that Arnold Schwarzenegger was interested. In 2017, Schwarzenegger confirmed the rumor, saying he publicly faked interest, knowing the film was bad, to lure Stallone into signing on. Estelle Getty said she would only do the movie if there were no guns, so the producers lied and told her there would be none.
February 21 – This Is My Life
- Cast: Julie Kavner, Samantha Mathis, Gaby Hoffmann, Carrie Fisher, Dan Aykroyd, Bob Nelson, Marita Geraghty, Welker White, Caroline Aaron, Kathy Najimy, Danny Zorn
- Director: Nora Ephron
- Production Company: 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: Based on the book, This Is Your Life, by Meg Wolitzer. The film was released in the UK on December 4, 1992. The directorial debut of screenwriter Nora Ephron. Film debut of Tim Blake Nelson.
2002
February 21 – Rabbit-Proof Fence
- Cast: Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury, Laura Monaghan, David Gulpilil, Jason Clarke, Kenneth Branagh, Ningali Lawford, Myarn Lawford, Deborah Mailman, Garry McDonald, Roberta Lynch, Roy Billing, Natasha Wanganeen
- Director: Phillip Noyce
- Production Company: Rumbalara Films, Olsen Levy, Showtime Australia, distributed by Becker Entertainment
- Trivia: Based on the 1996 book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara. The film’s Australia premiere was held on February 4, 2002 before its general release on February 21. The film opened in the UK on November 8, and in limited release in the US on November 29 before expanding on January 31, 2003.
February 23 – The Happiness of the Katakuris
- Cast: Kenji Sawada, Keiko Matsuzaka, Shinji Takeda, Naomi Nishida, Kiyoshiro Imawano, Tetsurō Tamba, Naoto Takenaka, Tamaki Miyazaki, Takashi Matsuzaki
- Director: Takashi Miike
- Production Company: Shochiku
- Trivia: Loosely based on the South Korean film The Quiet Family. The film was screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival on October 31, 2001. It was released in Osaka on February 16 before entering general release in Japan on February 23. The film played in New York City on August 15, and was screened at the Chicago International Film Festival on October 4. The film was released in the UK on May 16, 2003.
2012
Columbia Pictures
February 17 – Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
- Cast: Nicolas Cage, Ionut Cristian Lefter, Johnny Whitworth, Fergus Riordan, Ciarán Hinds, Violante Placido, Idris Elba, Christopher Lambert, Anthony Head, Jacek Koman, Vincent Regan, Spencer Wilding
- Director: Neveldine/Taylor
- Production Company: Marvel Entertainment, Crystal Sky Pictures, Hyde Park Entertainment, Imagenation Abu Dhabi, distributed by Columbia Pictures
- Trivia: The film was released in Canada, the UK and the US on February 17, 2012. The film had a one night public screening on December 11, 2011. After this film, the live action film rights to Ghost Rider reverted back to Marvel Studios. The tattoo make-up worn by Christopher Lambert covering his entire head took so long to remove that he opted to keep it on when he returned to his hotel each night until filming was complete. Peter Fonda was interested in reprising his role from the first film but after reading five pages of the script, flat-out refused. Intended to be a darker, R-rated film to fix much of what fans disliked about the first film but Sony got cold feet and went for the PG-13 version.
February 17 – This Means War
- Cast: Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Reese Witherspoon, Warren Christie, Til Schweiger, Chelsea Handler, John Paul Ruttan, Abigail Spencer, Angela Bassett, Rosemary Harris, Jenny Slate
- Director: McG
- Production Company: Overbrook Entertainment, Robert Simonds Productions, distributed by 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: The film premiered in London on January 30, 12, and in Hollywood on February 8. The original script dated back at least ten years with the leads as video game designers with access to guided missiles. At the time, the roles were reportedly turned down by Bradley Cooper, Seth Rogen, Sam Worthington, Martin Lawrence and Chris Rock. Most of Chelsea Handler’s lines were ad-libbed, including the mention of Cheetos and Mike and Ike.
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