Lionsgate
There were a lot of films released this week over the last century, a few that could be considered classics, many that have remained popular, some that have not, and none that won any Oscars (although there is a single nominee among the lot). 1932 gave us a film that shares a title, but nothing else, with a more well-known 1939 film, 1942 saw a future politician almost become a movie star (which may have prevented a career in politics), a 1962 film is better known today for being the subject of ridicule on a popular TV series, 1972 saw animation slapped with an X-rating, 1992 was the last time a popular actor was billed under his nickname, and 2012 pulled Sean Connery out of retirement, and finally allowed a long-delayed genre film to see the light of day. Read on to learn more about these and other films and let us know if your favorites are celebrating this week!
1922
- No new films were released this week in 1922.
1932
April 17 – Destry Rides Again
- Cast: Tom Mix, Claudia Dell, ZaSu Pitts, Stanley Fields, Earle Foxe, Edward Peil Sr., Francis Ford, Fred Howard, George Ernest, Edward LeSaint, Charles K. French
- Director: Benjamin Stoloff
- Production Company: Universal Pictures
- Trivia: Based on a novel by Max Brand. The film was released in London on April 25, 1932, then received a general UK release on August 29. The film has sometimes been retitled Justice Rides Again for television broadcasts, to avoid confusion with the 1939 film of the same name, which only shares a title.
April 17 – Young America
- Cast: Spencer Tracy, Doris Kenyon, Ralph Bellamy, Tommy Conlon, Raymond Borzage, Beryl Mercer, Sarah Padden, Robert Homans, Anne Shirley, Louise Beavers, Jane Darwell, Spec O’Donnell, Lee Phelps, Eddie Sturgis
- Director: Frank Borzage
- Production Company: 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: Adapted from the play by Fred Ballard. The film opened in London on May 12, 1932, and in the UK on September 12.
April 18 – Night at the Crossroads
- Cast: Pierre Renoir, Georges Térof, Winna Winifried, Georges Koudria, Dignimont, Jane Pierson, Manuel Raaby
- Director: Jean Renoir
- Distributor: Compagnie Franco Coloniale Cinématographique
- Trivia: Based on the novel of the same title (known in English as Maigret at the Crossroads) by Georges Simenon. The film opened in France on April 18, 1932, followed by the US on June 5. Jean Renoir drove to Georges Simenon’s houseboat and made an offer for the rights to film the book. Simenon accepted the offer on the spot, probably the quickest film rights deal in history, and the two became lifelong friends.
1942
April 17 – Kid Glove Killer
- Cast: Van Heflin, Marsha Hunt, Lee Bowman, Samuel S. Hinds, Cliff Clark, Eddie Quillan, John Litel, Cathy Lewis, Nella Walker
- Director: Fred Zinnemann
- Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- Trivia: An expanded version of the 1938 Crime Does Not Pay short subject ‘They’re Always Caught’. Pre-stardom MGM contract player Ava Gardner appears in an uncredited role. Feature-length directorial debut of Fred Zinnemann. The film’s working titles were Then There Were Two and Along Came Murder.
Warner Bros. Pictures
April 18 – Kings Row
- Cast: Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan, Betty Field, Charles Coburn, Claude Rains, Judith Anderson, Douglas Croft, Nancy Coleman, Kaaren Verne, Maria Ouspenskaya, Harry Davenport, Ernest Cossart, Ilka Grüning, Pat Moriarity, Minor Watson, Emory Parnell
- Director: Sam Wood
- Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: Adapted from a best-selling 1940 novel of the same name by Henry Bellamann. The film premiere in New York City on February 2, 1942. 20th Century Fox tried to by the novel rights for Henry Fonda. Producers delayed production on the film as Robert Cummings was tied up with a Deanna Durbin film. Filming then had to be shut down when Cummings was called back for re-shoots. Director Sam Wood wanted Ida Lupino for the role of Cassandra, but she refused saying the role was ‘beneath her as an artist’. Bette Davis wanted the role but studio heads feared she would dominate the film. James Stephenson was cast as Dr. Tower but died before production, and was replaced with Claude Rains. The film made Ronald Reagan a star but he was drafted into the Army and was unable to capitalize on his success, never regaining his star status after serving his duty. However, the film’s score was played during Reagan’s presidential inauguration. Although she receives top billing, Ann Sheridan does not appear in the film until the 62 minute mark.
1952
- No new films were released this week in 1952.
1962
April 13 – Carry On Cruising
- Cast: Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Liz Fraser, Dilys Laye, Esma Cannon, Lance Percival, Jimmy Thompson, Ronnie Stevens, Vincent Ball, Cyril Chamberlain, Willoughby Goddard, Ed Devereaux, Brian Rawlinson, Anton Rodgers, Anthony Sagar, Mario Fabrizi
- Director: Gerald Thomas
- Distributor: Anglo-Amalgamated
- Trivia: The film was released in the UK on April 13, 1962. Sixth in the series of 31 ‘Carry On’ films and the first to be filmed in color. Dilys Laye replaced series regular Joan Sims, who took ill four days before production began. Series regular Charles Hawtrey was replaced with Lance Percival (his only ‘Carry On’ appearance) after he demanded top billing, a higher salary and a gold star on his dressing room door. Hawtrey returned for the next installment. Gerald Thomas’ brother Ralph served as co-director but did not receive credit.
April 13 – Experiment in Terror
- Cast: Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers, Ross Martin, Ned Glass, Patricia Huston, Clifton James
- Director: Blake Edwards
- Production Company: Geoffrey-Kate Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
- Trivia: Based on the 1961 novel Operation Terror by Mildred Gordon and Gordon Gordon. The film premiered in Honolulu on April 12, 1962. The film was released in Canada in May 1962, and in the UK on September 27. Don Drysdale appears as himself.
April 13 – L’Eclisse
- Cast: Alain Delon, Monica Vitti, Francisco Rabal, Louis Seigner, Lilla Brignone, Rossana Rory, Mirella Ricciardi
- Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
- Distributor: Cineriz
- Trivia: The film premiered in Milan on April 12, 1962, and opened in Italy on April 13. The film was screened at Cannes on May 22. It opened in France on August 25, the US on December 20, and the UK on January 17, 1963. The title translates to ‘The Eclipse’ in English. The film is considered the last part of an Antonioni trilogy with L’Avventura (1960) and La Notte (1961). Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Palme d’Or. The last film Michelangelo Antonioni made in black and white. To prep for the film, Antonioni traveled to Florence to film an actual solar eclipse.
April 15 – H.M.S. Defiant
- Cast: Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde, Anthony Quayle, Maurice Denham, Nigel Stock, Richard Carpenter, Peter Gill, David Robinson, Robin Stewart, Ray Brooks
- Director: Lewis Gilbert
- Production Company: G.W. Films Ltd, distributed by Columbia Pictures
- Trivia: Based on Frank Tilsley’s novel Mutiny. The film’s UK premiere was held on February 22, 1962, the opened in the UK on April 15. The film was released in the US on September 19 as Damn the Defiant! Sir Alec Guinness and Sir Anthony Quayle made this movie during the two month break in the shooting of Lawrence of Arabia. The ship which played the Defiant, the Marcel B Surdo, sank at her dock in Tampa, FL in October of 1981 while being prepared for a rebuild. Final theatrical movie of Joy Shelton. Columbia Pictures did not want Dirk Bogarde in the film but relented when Alec Guinness threatened to walk out.
April 15 – The Magic Sword
- Cast: Basil Rathbone, Estelle Winwood, Gary Lockwood, Anne Helm, Liam Sullivan, Danielle De Metz, Maila Nurmi, Angelo Rossitto
- Director: Bert I. Gordon
- Production Company: Bert I. Gordon Productions, distributed by United Artists
- Trivia: The film had premiere engagements in Honolulu (February 22, 1962) and Louisville, Kentucky (March 28) ahead of its general US release on April 15. The film received a limited UK release on May 24, 1964. Also known as St. George and the Dragon, St. George and the Seven Curses (the film’s original title). The film appeared on a 1992 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
April 17 – The Counterfeit Traitor
- Cast: William Holden, Lilli Palmer, Hugh Griffith, Carl Raddatz, Ulf Palme, Ernst Schröder, Charles Régnier, Ingrid van Bergen, Wolfgang Preiss, Klaus Kinski
- Director: George Seaton
- Distributor: Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: Based on a nonfiction book of the same name by Alexander Klein. The film opened in the UK on August 2, 1962.
April 18 – The Horizontal Lieutenant
- Cast: Jim Hutton, Paula Prentiss, Jack Carter, Jim Backus, Charles McGraw, Miyoshi Umeki, Marty Ingels, Lloyd Kino, Linda Wong, Yoshio Yoda, Yuki Shimoda
- Director: Richard Thorpe
- Production Company: Euterpe, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- Trivia: Based on the 1961 novel The Bottletop Affair by Gordon Cotler. The film’s working title was The Bottle Cap Affair. The last of four films starring MGM contract players Jim Hutton and Paula Prentiss following Where the Boys Are, The Honeymoon Machine and Bachelor in Paradise.
April 18 – The Tale of Zatoichi
- Cast: Shintaro Katsu, Masayo Banri, Ryūzō Shimada, Hajime Mitamura, Shigeru Amachi, Chitose Maki
- Director: Kenji Misumi
- Production Company: Daiei Motion Picture Company
- Trivia: The film opened in Japan on April 18, 1962. This is the first of 26 films to star Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi.
April 19 – Five Finger Exercise
- Cast: Rosalind Russell, Jack Hawkins, Richard Beymer, Annette Gorman, Maximilian Schell, Lana Wood, Terry Huntingdon
- Director: Daniel Mann
- Distributor: Columbia Pictures
- Trivia: Based on the play by Peter Shaffer. Film debut of Jeannine Riley and Patty Regan.
1972
Fritz Productions
April 14 – Fritz the Cat
- Voice Cast: Skip Hinnant, Rosetta LeNoire, John McCurry, Judy Engles, Phil Seuling
- Director: Ralph Bakshi
- Production Company: Fritz Productions, Aurica Finance Company, Krantz Films, distributed by Cinemation Industries
- Trivia: Based on the comic strip by R. Crumb, who sued to have his name removed from the credits. The film premiered in New York City on January 25, 1972, was screened at the USA Film Festival on March 20, and opened in Los Angeles on April 12. The film screened at Cannes on May 15, and was released in London on July 13, 1972 and the UK on June 22, 1973. Director Ralph Bakshi is the voice of the narrator. Bakshi’s feature directorial debut. Bakshi wanted to use the film to grow the animation market into more serious, adult subject matter, an alternative to the animated films produced by Disney. The first American animated film to receive an X-rating because of the misconception that it was a pornographic film. The rating was appealed but the MPAA refused to hear the appeal. Grossing over $90 million worldwide, it was one of the most successful independent films of its time. Much of the dialogue spoken by incidental characters are actually recordings of real New Yorker’s conversations. Animator Ted Bonnicksen was terminally ill during production and died shortly after the film was released. European prints of the film carry a dedication to him and Bakshi requested that subsequent US releases also carry the dedication but the request was never carried out.
April 16 – The Culpepper Cattle Co.
- Cast: Gary Grimes, Billy ‘Green’ Bush, Luke Askew, Bo Hopkins, Geoffrey Lewis, Raymond Guth, Wayne Sutherlin, Matt Clark, Anthony James, Charles Martin Smith, Gregory Sierra
- Director: Dick Richards
- Distributor: 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: The film was screened at the USA Film Festival on March 20, 1972. The film opened in the UK on July 9. Known in Australia as Dust, Sweat and Gunpowder. The first credited film for Jerry Bruckheimer, for which he received an associate producer credit. The film received a nomination for best original screenplay by the Writers Guild of America. Film debut of Charles Martin Smith. Directorial debut of Dick Richards.
1982
April 14 – The Passerby
- Cast: Romy Schneider, Michel Piccoli, Helmut Griem, Dominique Labourier, Gérard Klein, Mathieu Carrière, Jacques Martin, Wendelin Werner, Marcel Bozonnet, Christiane Cohendy, Véronique Silver, Maria Schell, Jean Reno
- Director: Jacques Rouffio
- Production Company: CCC Film, Films A2, distributed by Parafrance Films, Scotia International Filmverleih
- Trivia: Based on the 1936 novel on the same name by Joseph Kessel. The film opened in France (original French title: La passante du Sans-Souci) on April 14, 1982, but was not released in the US until August 14, 1983. Romy Schneider’s last film. Filming was postponed after Schneider broke her leg. She then had a kidney operation, and her son David (who was originally to have appeared in the film) died in a freak accident in July 1981. Simone Signoret convinced her to finish the film, which she dedicated to David and his father. Insurance companies did not want to cover Schneider, expecting she would commit suicide in the days following her son’s death. The director convinced producers to continue with the film and it was shot without insurance. Schneider died a few months after the film’s release, the official cause listed as cardiac arrest, which was attributed to a weakened heart following her kidney surgery.
1992
April 15 – City of Joy
- Cast: Patrick Swayze, Om Puri, Pauline Collins, Vishal Slathia, Shabana Azmi, Anashua Majumdar, Ayesha Dharker, Art Malik
- Director: Roland Joffé
- Production Company: Lightmotive, Allied Filmmakers, distributed by AMLF (France), Warner Bros. (United Kingdom).
- Trivia: Based upon the novel of the same name by Dominique Lapierre. The film was released in the UK on October 2, 1992. The last film of Sam Wanamaker.
April 15 – Deep Cover
- Cast: Larry Fishburne, Jeff Goldblum, Yvette Heyden, Charles Martin Smith, Victoria Dillard, Gregory Sierra, David Weixelbaum, Glynn Turman, Arthur Mendoza, Clarence Williams III, Roger Guenveur Smith, Sandra Gould
- Director: Bill Duke
- Production Company: New Line Cinema
- Trivia: The film was released in the UK on January 22, 1993. The film is notable for its theme song by Dr. Dre whichi featured Snoop Doggy Dogg in his studio debut. The last film where Laurence Fishburne was credited as Larry. One of the pictures on Carver’s criminal family tree chart is of director Bill Duke. Sandra Gould received a ‘Special Appearance’ credit.
April 15 – Indochine
- Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Vincent Pérez, Linh Dan Pham, Jean Yanne, Dominique Blanc
- Director: Régis Wargnier
- Production Company: Paradis Films, BAC Films, Orly Films, Ciné Cinq
- Trivia: The film was released in France on April 15, 1992 and in the US on December 23. The film opened in the UK on March 26, 1993. The movie was shot in Vietnam, Malaysia, and France. Catherine Deneuve earned an Academy Award nomination for the film, to date her only one.
April 16 – Hard Boiled
- Cast: Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung Chiu-waim Teresa Mo, Philip Chan, Philip Kwok, Anthony Wong, Bowie Lam, Anjo Leung, Bobby Au-yeung, Kwan Hoi-san, Stephen Tung, John Woo, Jun Kunimura
- Director: John Woo
- Production Company: Golden Princess Film Production, Milestone Pictures
- Trivia: The film opened in Hong Kong on April 16, 1992. The film was screened at TIFF on September 12, 1992, and January 21, 1993 before its general US release on June 18, 1993. The film was released in the UK on October 8. John Woo’s last Hong Kong film before his transition to Hollywood. The teahouse where the first sequence was filmed was demolished five days after John Woo was done. During filming, the neighbours called the police every night to complain about the gunfire, but the cops were fans of Woo, so they allowed him to complete shooting every night. During the hallway shootout, when Yuen and Alan get in the elevator, the crew was given 20 seconds to clean and change the set outside the elevator doors so that it looked like a different floor. The film was radically rewritten a week before production was to begin, complerely removing the plotline of a man poisoning bottles of baby formula, which Woo found repugnant.
April 16 – Like Water for Chocolate
- Cast: Lumi Cavazos, Marco Leonardi, Regina Torné, Mario Iván Martínez, Ada Carrasco, Yareli Arizmendi, Claudette Maillé
- Director: Alfonso Arau
- Distributor: Miramax
- Trivia: Based on the novel by first-time Mexican novelist Laura Esquivel (director Alfonso Arau’s wife at the time). The film opened in Mexico on April 16, 1992. It screened at TIFF on September 17, then opened in the US in limited release on February 17, 1993, followed by a wide release on May 28. The film opened in the UK on October 1, 1993. Golden Globe nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. A young filmmaker named Robert Rodriguez spent time on set while he was in the same town shooting his own film El Mariachi. Italian actor Marco Leonardi’s dialogue was re-dubbed by another actor. When asked why he chose an Italian who didn’t speak Spanish for the male lead, Arau said he couldn’t find anyone as beautiful as Marco Leonardi in Mexico.
April 17 – The Babe
- Cast: John Goodman, Kelly McGillis, Trini Alvarado, Bruce Boxleitner, Peter Donat, James Cromwell, Richard Tyson, Irma P. Hall
- Director: Arthur Hiller
- Distributor: Universal Pictures
- Trivia: The film also opened in Canada on April 17, 1992, with a UK release on May 8. Every ballpark in teh film except Fenway Park was portrayed by Wrigley Field.
2002
- No new films were released this week in 1982.
2012
April 13 – In God We Trust
- Cast: Alan Butterworth, Alexander Gingell, Dan Haigh, Bastiaan Koch, Louise Malin, Charlie Simpson, Alex Westaway, Christian Wilmes
- Director: Alexander Gingell, Dan Haigh, Bastiaan Koch, Alex Westaway
- Production Company: Horsie in the Hedge Cinema, Marauder Film
- Trivia: The film was also released in London on April 13, 2012. The film’s working title was The Human Instrumentality Project.
April 13 – Lockout
- Cast: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Joe Gilgun, Vincent Regan, Lennie James, Peter Stormare
- Director: Stephen Saint Leger, James Mather
- Production Company: EuropaCorp, CanalPlus, CinéPlus, distributed by Europa Filmes
- Trivia: The film was screened at the Brussels International Film Festival on April 7, 2012. The film also opened in Canada on April 13, followed by the UK on April 20. Also known as MS One: Maximum Security. James Mather’s and Stephen Saint Leger’s feature directorial debuts. A French court has ruled the film plagiarises the plot of the cult classic Escape from New York and its sequel, Escape from L.A.
April 13 – Sir Billi
- Cast: Sean Connery, Alan Cumming, Patrick Doyle, Kieron Elliott, Greg Hemphill, Ford Kiernan, Miriam Margolyes, Alex Norton, Barbara Rafferty, Amy Sacco, Larry Sullivan, Ruby Wax
- Director: Sascha Hartmann
- Production Company: Billi Productions, distributed by Shoreline Entertainment
- Trivia: The film was released in the UK on September 13, 2013. Known as Guardian of the Highlands in the United States. The final acting role for Sean Connery, who came out of retirement for the film. Scotland’s first CGI animated feature film. The film holds a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on eight reviews.
April 13 – The Cabin in the Woods
- Cast: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Brian J. White, Amy Acker, Sigourney Weaver, Tim de Zarn, Jodelle Ferland, Dan Payne, Dan Shea, Tom Lenk
- Director: Drew Goddard
- Production Company: Mutant Enemy Productions, distributed by Lionsgate
- Trivia: The film was screened at several festivals including the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 9, 2012. The film opened simultaneously in the US, Canada and UK on April 13. Drew Goddard’s directorial debut. The screenplay was written in three days. The film was originally set to be released on February 5, 2010 by MGM and United Artists but was shelved due to financial difficulties. Lionsgate eventually picked up the distribution rights. The only character to not strip down and jump in the lake is Marty, because Fran Kranz was in as good or better shape than the other actors and that ran counter to his character. He also wore baggier clothing. Writers joked that Kranz was ‘ripped like muscular Jesus’. Kranz received a two-hour session on the proper way to roll a joint. The thermal coffee mug/bong was a fully functional mug and bong as portrayed in the film, the prototype of which cost $5000 to make. MGM cast Chris Hemsworth in the Red Dawn remake after seeing dailies of his performance. Two days after that, he was cast as Thor. Due to MGM’s financial problems both films were released after Thor. The movie’s opening was a deliberate attempt by the filmmakers to confuse the audience and make them think they walked in to see the wrong movie.
20th Century Fox
April 13 – The Three Stooges
- Cast: Chris Diamantopoulos, Skyler Gisondo, Sean Hayes, Lance Chantiles-Wertz, Will Sasso, Robert Capron, Jane Lynch, Sofía Vergara, Jennifer Hudson, Craig Bierko, Stephen Collins, Larry David, Kirby Heyborne, Emy Coligado, Avalon Robbins, Max Charles, Reid Meadows, Brian Doyle-Murray, Lin Shaye, Caitlin Colford, Carly Craig, Kate Upton, Marianne Leone, Isaiah Mustafa, Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi, Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino, Jennifer ‘JWoww’ Farley, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Samantha ‘Sweetheart’ Giancola, Dwight Howard
- Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
- Production Company: C3 Entertainment, Charles B. Wessler Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, Conundrum Entertainment, distributed by 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: The film was also released in Canada on April 13, 2012 but did not get a UK release until August 22. Benicio del Toro, Johgnny Knoxville and Hank Azaria were in consideration to play the lead role of Moe Howard. Chris Diamantopoulos was unaware he was cast as Moe because his agent was against him taking the role. He fired his agent and took the role. Sean Penn was already set to play Larry Fine but dropped out to concentrate on his charitable efforts in Haiti. Andy Samberg was considered as a replacement. Jim Carrey gained 40 pounds to play Curly but dropped out so as not to endanger his health by gaining 30 more pounds. Richard Jenkins and Cher were considered for the Mother Superior role which went to Jane Lynch. The movie uses the same special sound effects that were used in the original Columbia Pictures The Three Stooges shorts. An earlier draft of the script had Moe appearing on Queer Eye, though this was eventually changed and updated to be the Jersey Shore series instead.
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