|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 16, 2017 - 4:09 PM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Ed McBain's 1968 novel Fuzz, then the most recent of his popular "87th Precinct" crime novels set in a mythical American big city, was initially purchased by Lee Rich for $125,000, considered a high price at the time for film rights to a crime novel. Although some plot points differed from McBain's novel, the 1972 film adaptation of FUZZ loosely follows the book. Burt Reynolds and Raquel Welch starred as Boston police detectives “Steve Carella” and “Eileen McHenry.” Richard A. Colla directed the 1972 film, which had an unreleased score by Dave Grusin. Rich and his partner, Merv Adelson, wanted to produce FUZZ as the second or third venture of their recently formed Lorimar Productions. At that time, S. L. "Sid" Stebel was named as the screenwriter, and production initially was slated to begin in New York in spring 1970. By October 1970, news items reported that Filmways and Javelin would produce the picture; the reason and exact date that the property was moved from Lorimar to Filmways-Javelin has not been determined. Only Evan Hunter (the real name of novelist Ed McBain) is credited onscreen with the film's screenplay, and it is doubtful that Stebel contributed to the completed film. The picture was originally to be shot entirely in New York City. By summer 1971, trade papers reported that Brian DePalma was set to direct the picture, but by mid-September 1971 DePalma left the production when filming was delayed due to stalled negotiations with the New York Local 52 branch of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employee's Union. David Picker, president of releasing company United Artists, regretted the impasse, which could not be solved by the New York mayor and his film production coordination office, and that the producers were forced to shift production to Boston and that at least two weeks of location shooting would be done there. Locations in Boston included, among others, Boston Common and Public Gardens, Trinity Church Square and Faneuil Hall. The production then returned to Los Angeles, where shooting took place at General Service Studios. FUZZ opened shortly after Burt Reynolds' appearance as a smiling, strategically posed nude centerfold in the April 1972 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. (Hence his depiction on the poster below.) The centerfold became a popular cultural icon of the 1970s, and many film historians, as well as Reynolds himself, have mentioned the centerfold as one factor in his attaining international stardom. In 1973, Reynolds became one of the top ten box office stars in the world and remained on the list throughout the 1970s. The success of FUZZ and another 1972 release featuring Reynolds, DELIVERANCE, were also considered contributing factors in his burgeoning success. 1973's SAVE THE TIGER told the story of "Harry Stoner" (Jack Lemmon), a disillusioned aging decent man, and once proud WWII veteran. Harry is dealing with a midlife crisis as well as a tough moral dilemma. If he wants his small near-bankrupt clothing company to survive, he has two days to do something drastic. Jack Lemmon had championed the project against the better judgment of Paramount, who wanted nothing to do with what was considered a message picture and a downer at that. After two years of lobbying, Lemmon, John G. Avildsen and writer Steve Shagan (who also signed on as a producer) were given a parsimonious one million dollar budget. To stretch the funds, Lemmon volunteered to work for union scale, at $165 per week plus a percentage of the profits. Many other cost cutting measures were used on the picture. These included using a Cinemobile system, a revolutionary mobile filming unit invented by former "I Spy" cameraman Fouad Said, which enabled filmmakers to keep location costs to a minimum. To ensure that little time was wasted during shooting, Avildsen held rehearsals on the picture for three weeks prior to principal photography. Although the film received mixed reviews, primarily due to its depressing plot, both Lemmon and Jack Gilford received excellent notices for their performances. Lemmon received an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role, and Gilford received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Shagan received the film's third nomination, for Best Original Screenplay. Throughout the years, Lemmon often was quoted as saying that Harry Stoner was his favorite screen role, although it was one that was very difficult to play and was impossible to shake off during filming. Marvin Hamlisch's score was released by La-La Land in 2016.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 16, 2017 - 4:43 PM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Producer Martin Ransohoff first read James Houston’s novel THE WHITE DAWN in early 1970 and purchased the film rights within two days. Ransohoff’s company, Filmways, was slated to produce, with principal photography set to begin spring 1972. However, filming did not start until the third week of May in 1974. In the meantime, Ransohoff left Filmways and signed an exclusive development deal with Paramount Pictures, and THE WHITE DAWN became the first project he produced under that deal. The budget was $1.7 million, which Paramount co-financed with Film Funding Corp., a conglomerate led by Arlene Sellers and Alex Winitsky that represented private investors. Shooting took place on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. Cast and crew stayed in Frobisher Bay, “a bleak and ramshackle frontier settlement,” according to production notes. There, two high rise structures built by an American company that included apartments, a hotel, a post office, and a shopping mall, served as the residence for cast and crew. For production headquarters, an abandoned compound once used by the Canadian Air Force was transformed, including the addition of two sound stages to be used for interiors. The first four weeks of photography took place “four miles out on the frozen surface of Frobisher Bay,” and travel to the set took one hour via dog sleds and snowmobiles. Production then moved some miles outside town to a river called the Ikhalulik Sylvia Grenelle. Numerous animals were scheduled to be used in the film, including a polar bear, several walruses, caribou, seventy-five seals, and a Baleen whale. Referring to the film’s hunting scenes, Variety stated that the “slaughter of animals (polar bears, seals, walruses) may arouse concern.” In addition to natural igloos built by Inuit hunters on the film, construction coordinator Bill Maldonado – who was not credited onscreen – created two eight-by-twelve-foot igloos from Styrofoam, with breakaway walls to accommodate camera equipment. During the shoot, some of the younger Inuits on set experienced, for the first time, many of the celebrations and rituals, including igloo-building, that were no longer a part of day-to-day life in their community. Simonie Kopapik, the actor who played “Sarkak,” was an Inuit hunter who had saved James Houston twenty years prior when the novelist was stranded on a dog sled journey near Cape Dorset. It was important to Houston that only Inuits were cast opposite the three lead actors, and director Philip Kaufman later described the Inuit performers who populated the cast as “simply the best natural actors [he’d] ever encountered.” Upon its initial release, Movie Report advised readers to ignore the film’s [R] rating, a first for the publication. The New York Times’ Vincent Canby also spoke out against the R-rating, describing it as “absurd and a waste,” in his 22 July 1974 review. The film was re-rated from [R] to [PG] by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), six weeks after it first opened in theaters. In order to achieve the PG, Ransohoff was made to remove six seconds of footage from a love scene that takes place atop a mountain. Henry Mancini’s score for the film was released by Intrada in 2013.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 16, 2017 - 5:03 PM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
The 1976 action comedy SILVER STREAK was originally meant to be filmed in the United States. However, the Santa Fe Railroad and two other lines would not allow access to their tracks for location photography, even though Amtrak had offered full cooperation regarding passenger trains. Co-executive producers Martin Ransohoff and Frank Yablans hoped for assistance from the film industry labor unions in pressuring the railroads and government agencies, though they made no direct appeal. The move to Canada for location shooting cost the producers an additional $200,000, but the loss to U.S. laborers in wages comprised $2 million of the film’s $5.5 million budget. When filming was moved to Canada, director Arthur Hiller, a native of British Columbia, hoped to make the film in his home province, but the government of neighboring Alberta offered inducements that British Columbia was unwilling to match. About $300,000 of the film’s budget was allocated for the use of Canadian Pacific Railway trains. The cost of the train wreck scene was estimated to be $500,000. Although Toronto’s Union Station served as the location for the scene, the disaster itself was simulated on a studio lot. SILVER STREAK was Gene Wilder’s first film with four-time co-star Richard Pryor. Wilder loved his part of publisher “George Caldwell” because it allowed him to do scenes which were fitting of Errol Flynn doing action or Cary Grant being romantic. Wilder was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. He lost to Kris Kristofferson for A STAR IS BORN. Veteran stuntman John Daheim sustained “a severely lacerated skull” during the filming. Following the injury, Hiller, impressed with Daheim’s abilities, ordered the scene rewritten, requiring Daheim to fall forty feet into icy water from the roof of a train car. While a riskier stunt, it provided a bigger payday to Daheim. The picture opened on 8 December 1976 to mixed reviews, with several singling out Richard Pryor as the film’s greatest asset. Although the Variety review predicted that ticket sales would taper off following the holiday season, the 8 July 1977 New Times estimated that SILVER STREAK had grossed as much as $30 million to that time, asserting that the public held the film to a different level of entertainment than critics had. Henry Mancini's score for the film was released by Intrada in 2002. That partially mono release was replaced by a full stereo release in 2016.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 16, 2017 - 5:13 PM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
NIGHTWING was the fourth and last film that director Arthur Hiller did with producer Martin Ransohoff, with whom he had first worked on THE WHEELER DEALERS. It was Hiller's first horror film, which found killer bats plaguing an Indian reservation in New Mexico. NIGHTWING also represented the first U.S. feature for Canadian actor Nick Mancuso in the starring role of “Youngman Duran” and the debut feature film for actress Kathryn Harrold in the co-starring part of “Anne Dillon.” The $7 million production was largely funded by Film Finance Group (FFG), a venture capital investment firm based in Bermuda and supported by Guinness Brewery in England. Executive producer Richard R. St. Johns represented the interests of FFG and its partner company, Aspen Productions, which is credited as providing production services on the film. St. Johns estimated that the budget was closer to $8 million. The majority of location filming took place in the vicinity of Albuquerque, NM, on Native American territory. To represent the desert landscape surrounding the bat cavern, the filmmakers shot at the Valley of Fire near Echo Bay, NV. For the film’s climatic sequence, an interior cavern sixty feet high was constructed on Stage 16 at Burbank Studios in Burbank, CA. Filmmaker David Saxon wrote that he produced footage of real bats for the film, photographed at Bracken Cave in Comal County, TX. Saxon noted that he had used the same location to film a 1973 National Geographic Special on bats titled, “Strange Creatures of the Night.” The bats were also created using special visual effects, credited to Carlo Rambaldi, an Academy Award-winning effects artist, whose previous credits included KING KONG (1976) and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977). Henry Mancini provided his third score for a Hiller film. Varese Sarabande released the soundtrack for the 1979 film 30 years later, in 2009.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 16, 2017 - 5:49 PM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Working again with director Philip Kaufman (THE WHITE DAWN), Ransohoff produced 1979’s THE WANDERERS. The film was set against the urban jungle of 1963 New York's gangland subculture, and concerned the Italian gang the Wanderers. Producer Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. had acquired Richard Price’s first novel, The Wanderers, prior to the March 1974 publication date. Goldwyn, however, did not remain with the project, and in 1978 director-screenwriter Kaufman and producer Ransohoff reached a financing deal with the recently launched Orion Pictures Company, whose distribution was arranged through Warner Bros. The Film Finance Group Ltd. partnered with Orion to cover approximately fifty percent of the $4 million production budget. (Ultimately, costs exceeded $5 million.) Kaufman focused on casting unknown or emerging talent, and several members of the ensemble made their the feature film debut, including Ken Wahl in the lead role of “Richie,” Erland Van Lidth De Jeude as the imposing Baldie gang leader, “Terror,” and Tony Ganios as “Perry.” Van Lidth De Jeude, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) engineering graduate and wrestling champion, was discovered at the New York Athletic Club, while Ganios surfaced during a scouting call to New York City’s Sheridan Square Gym. THE WANDERERS was among a trend of feature films about youth gangs. Other titles in development or production included, WALK PROUD (1979), ON THE EDGE (1980), THE WARRIORS (1979), BOULEVARD NIGHTS (1979), and DEFIANCE (1980). Following episodes of violence and vandalism at screenings of THE WARRIORS, several of these projects attempted to distance themselves from the term, “gang picture.” During post-production, Kaufman explained that he, Orion, and Warner Bros. were not concerned about the impact of the controversy on THE WANDERERS since, for the most part, their film was “a comedy and though it has violence, it’s not the type to incite people.” Principal photography began 20 September 1978. Filming was scheduled for approximately ten weeks on location throughout New York City, predominantly in the Bronx. The production also shot in New Jersey, at the Holland Tunnel entrance and on the state highway known as the Turnpike. Filming wrapped on 18 December 1978. The film was released on 13 July 1979. Critical reaction was mixed, and several reviewers, including the New York Times, objected to the adaptation as a series of vignettes. Richard Price, who appeared in a cameo role as a “bowling bankroller,” defended the picture in a Times interview and remarked that “the spirit is right and the way Phil Kaufman directed it showed me another way of looking at my own book.” He also revealed that the “Ducky Boys” and the “Fordham Baldies” in the film were names of real-life Bronx gangs that he merely embellished for the novel, and the football game was based on a similar event. Former members of the once-feared Baldies even visited the set and shared photographs from the group’s heyday during the late 1940s. The film was chosen as the closing night selection at the 1979 Venice Film Festival. The film had no original score. Reportedly, Richard Price picked all of the period pop songs on the soundtrack. Warner Bros. Records released an LP of selected songs, which was later reissued on CD.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 17, 2017 - 12:46 AM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
A CHANGE OF SEASONS was budgeted between $5.5 and $6 million with a forty-five to fifty-day shooting schedule and principal photography was scheduled to begin in Novenber 1979 with locations in New England, including Dartmouth College in NH, and a ski resort in Vermont. Principal photography actually began 14 January 1980 in Williamstown, MA. The production was to spend three weeks in New England locations and film the remaining six weeks in Los Angeles. The film started out with Noel Black as Martin Ransohoff’s chosen director. However, at the end of January 1980, the production was shut down for one week after filming in Vermont locations because of a change of directors, although Black was set to complete East Coast footage. Variety reported that John Derek, husband and personal manager of star Bo Derek, and Black had “creative differences,” which led to the director’s firing. In a contrasting report, a Los Angeles Herald Examiner article stated that John Derek had not caused any upheaval during filming; he said he had been invited by Ransohoff to shoot stills and that had been the sole extent of his involvement. An 8 February 1980 Daily Variety article reported that Ransohoff had called a press conference to squelch rumors of Derek’s interference on the set, and, according to Ransohoff, “purely artistic differences” between himself and the director led to Black’s dismissal. Jackie Cooper was offered the director job but turned it down. Richard Lang was later chosen to replace Black, at which point he met the cast in Los Angeles to go over the entire script. During filming, Bo Derek suddenly became a worldwide phenomenon as a result of her breakout performance in 1979’s “10”. Consequently, she and Anthony Hopkins were called back after principal photography was completed to shoot additional footage for their hot tub sequence. Henry Mancini’s score for the 1980 film has not had a release.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 17, 2017 - 1:10 AM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
In December 1978, Ralph Bakshi signed an agreement with Martin Ransohoff Prods. and Columbia Pictures to produce and direct AMERICAN POP, an animated film that would include at least seventeen songs. The film was budgeted at approximately $5 million. Bakshi’s first concept for the film was to animate the history of the U.S., but Columbia executives convinced him to focus on music instead. Writer Ronni Kern met with Bakshi twice prior to writing the script. In those meetings, Bakshi discussed all of the elements he thought should be included in the film; then Kern wrote the screenplay, utilizing approximately half of Bakshi’s ideas. Ultimately, there were more than fifty songs in the film. The film was 100 minutes in length, and included eighty minutes of music. Lee Holdridge, the film’s composer and arranger, coordinated the music. Original recordings were used when possible. Holdridge, however, had to re-record some songs that “predated commercial recordings” and other songs where authorization to use the original recordings could not be obtained. According to Holdridge, there were approximately fifty-five minutes of re-recorded songs. Bakshi felt that the music of Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, and Bruce Springsteen were crucial to the film. Bakshi got the rights from Dylan and Seger, but, although Bakshi tried many approaches, he could not obtain permission to use Springsteen’s music. Bakshi noted that he was aiming for realism, and therefore it was necessary to begin with a “live-action base.” Bakshi filmed a black and white version of the action with actors performing in front of a bare wall. He then used that film as a model for the animation process, tweaking the movements as necessary to suit the story. Animation on AMERICAN POP began in November 1978. The animation process was long and painstaking, and Bakshi’s crew of 100 had been working for six months with an expected release at Easter 1980, but it wasn’t until the fall of 1980 when the film had a successful sneak preview in San Diego, CA. The film opened on 13 February 1981 at six theaters in New York City and six theaters in Los Angeles. The film opened nationally on 6 March 1981. The film was criticized for not covering the entire history of American pop music, as the title suggested. Bakshi acknowledged that the title was misleading, but he did not realize it prior to the movie’s release. Although many movie-goers assumed the title referred to the history of American pop music, Bakshi thought the title represented pop culture, “Pop” as a word for father, and pop music. In an interview in the January 1981 Los Angeles Magazine, Bakshi stressed that the film was not meant to be a complete history of American pop music; it was a dramatic story and the focus was on its characters. Actor Ron Thompson played the characters “Tony” and “Pete” in the live-action film that was the basis for the animation. Thompson’s managers took out a trade advertisement on 13 February 1981 to promote the actor’s part in the film, but lawyers representing Columbia and Bakshi ordered Thompson to stop using AMERICAN POP artwork and to return all materials, insisting that Thompson was violating their licensing and copyrights. Thompson argued that Columbia and Bakshi were trying to deny proper credit and recognition to the actors who participated in the film. Bakshi planned to wait until the film was released before negotiating a deal for the soundtrack because he felt that music label executives needed to see how the music was incorporated into the film. As late as 18 February 1981, Variety reported that there was no soundtrack album available because Columbia was still trying to obtain the necessary rights. Ultimately, MCA released an LP with 10 songs from the film, but it has never been reissued on CD. As difficult as it was to obtain the clearances for the music in the film and for the soundtrack LP, it took another seventeen years to obtain the clearances necessary to release AMERICAN POP on video. Columbia TriStar Home Video was not able to release the film on video until 1998.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 17, 2017 - 1:20 AM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
After their successful collaboration on 1980’s STIR CRAZY, Sidney Poitier again directed Gene Wilder’s 1982 comedy adventure film HANKY PANKY. The film also reunited Wilder with producer Martin Ransohoff, for whom he had made SILVER STREAK (1976). Wilder plays “Michael Jordan,” a Chicago architect visiting New York. Gilda Radner plays “Kate Hellman,” who breaks into Michael’s room, looking for a friend. The two are drawn into a web of government secrets when a girl carrying a mysterious package gets into a taxi with Michael. When she's later murdered, Michael becomes the chief suspect and goes on the run. Sources differ as to whether Richard Pryor was ever attached to the film, which started life under the working title “Traces.” Daily Variety reported that Gilda Radner had declined offers to make films with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in order to star in HANKY PANKY. Tom Scott’s score for the film has not had a release. Although originally rated [R], the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) re-rated the film to [PG], following Columbia’s appeal to the Classification & Rating Appeals Board. HANKY PANKY grossed about $10 million at the box-office. Wilder said it was one of the worst movies that he had ever starred in. At the time of filming, Gilda Radner was married to guitarist G. E. Smith, but Wilder and she became inseparable friends. When the filming of HANKY PANKY ended, Wilder found himself missing Radner, so he called her. The relationship grew, and Radner eventually divorced Smith in 1982. She moved in with Wilder, and the couple married on September 14, 1984, in the south of France. It was Wilder's third marriage.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 17, 2017 - 1:57 AM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Principal photography was scheduled to begin on the film “Wild Oats,” formerly titled “Class,” on 20 September 1982 in Chicago, IL. An open casting call appeared in the 6 August 1982 Back Stage, to cast the characters “Jonathan” and “Skip.” Auditions were held at the Guild Studios in New York City’s Ansonia Hotel. It was reported that the audition enabled Andrew McCarthy, a New York University drama student, to land his first film role, as “Jonathan.” Photography began a week later than previously announced, on 27 September 1982. Much of the initial photography took place at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL, and focused on the characters played by actors McCarthy and Rob Lowe (appearing in his second film, as “Skip”). Stars Jacqueline Bisset and Cliff Robertson appeared before the cameras the last week of October 1982, shortly after the four actors, producer Martin Ransohoff, and director Lewis John Carlino appeared at a press conference in Chicago’s Sheraton Plaza Hotel. Ransohoff estimated that filming for the $7 million picture would be completed in forty-five to fifty days. Locations would be primarily in Illinois, with a second unit in New York City. The film was referred to by its official title, CLASS. Completion of filming was on 8 December 1982, with a planned summer 1983 release. Ransohoff later told the 26 July 1983 Los Angeles Herald Examiner that the marketing budget for the film was equal to its production costs. Previews in 535 theaters across North America were sold out. Although the screenings were well-attended by teenage audiences, people in their thirties were also attracted to the film because the plot, which depicted an affair between a young man and an older, married woman, was reminiscent of THE GRADUATE. Jacqueline Bisset elected to have her name appear between Lowe and McCarthy in the opening credits, though her agent reportedly did not agree. Bisset, however, was angered over the picture’s advertising campaign, which included an illustration of the actress’s face on a body with “enormous bosoms.” Ransohoff responded, saying that Bisset refused the opportunity to pose for publicity photographs, even when offered the photographer of her choice. Bisset also publicly expressed her dissatisfaction with the film’s editing, as being deleterious to her character's "subtext". CLASS received mostly negative reviews, several of which criticized the lack of development in Bisset’s character, “Ellen Burroughs.” Others suggested that the advertising campaign, which divulged the affair between McCarthy’s and Bisset’s characters, ruined whatever appeal the film might otherwise have had. The film’s score, by Elmer Bernstein, with additional music by Tom Scott, has not had a release.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 17, 2017 - 2:19 AM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
In the 1985 thriller JAGGED EDGE, when San Francisco heiress “Page Forrester” (Maria Mayenzet) is brutally murdered in her remote beach house, her husband “Jack” (Jeff Bridges) is devastated by the crime. But soon he finds himself accused of her murder. He hires lawyer “Teddy Barnes” (Glenn Close) to defend him, despite the fact she hasn't handled a criminal case for many years. In July 1984, it was reported that Martin Ransohoff would be producing the $10 million Columbia Picture, with locations in San Francisco and Marin County, CA. Principal photography was set to begin 12 January 1985, with an anticipated October 1985 release date. San Francisco lensing was slated to last one week, and then the production would relocate to sound stages at Burbank Studios near Los Angeles. Production notes list San Francisco locations at City Hall and the Big Four Restaurant at the Huntington Hotel, and Los Angeles-area locations at a Malibu beach house, and an estate in Thousand Oaks. According to the film’s screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, in his book "Hollywood Animal", producer Martin Ransohoff was against the casting of Glenn Close, saying she was too ugly for the part. Close eventually heard about this and said she didn't want Ransohoff on set during the time she would shoot her scenes. Director Richard Marquand stood by her side and sent Ransohoff away. Infuriated, Ransohoff went to the studio heads trying to get Close and Marquand fired from the picture. The studio denied the action stating they were pleased with their work on the film. The ending to JAGGED EDGE was hotly debated by the filmmakers, with Columbia wanting a “happy ending,” and producer Martin Ransohoff fighting for a less than happy finale. However, after a change in management at Columbia, Ransohoff’s ending was agreed upon. The December 1985 Boxoffice announced box-office receipts of $4 million after three days in 1,125 theaters. Robert Loggia was nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role as crusty criminal investigator, "Sam Ransom." (He lost to Don Ameche for COCOON.) John Barry's score was released by Varese Sarabande in 1992, and re-issued in 2016.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 17, 2017 - 11:53 AM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
In October 1967, Gordon Stulberg, then-head of CBS Theatrical Films, engaged former literary agent Peter Thomas to a three-film deal as a producer. Thomas was to start preparing a feature film adaptation of Clark Howard’s 1967 novel, The Arm, to begin shooting in early 1968. It never happened. Nearly 15 years later, in April 1983, producers Arteena and Alan Douglas Rubenstein had taken out “still another option” on Howard’s novel, after an option held by Gene Kraft, Harold Schneider, and Paris-based Gerard Lebovici had expired. News reports noted that a film had “been on the verge of production since 1967.” Finally, in June 1986, Daily Variety reported that The Arm would be the first of three pictures to be produced under an agreement between producer Martin Ransohoff’s Albacore Productions, Columbia Pictures, Rank Film Distributors, and Vestron Video. The film was anticipated to go into production in September 1986 with Harold Becker directing on a ten-week schedule, divided between Chicago and Toronto, Canada. The budget was set at $15 million, with $8-$10 million to be expended on production, and the remainder for marketing and distribution. Production began on 7 September 1986. Director Harold Becker conducted rehearsals with the actors and shot for three nights before he left the production, and was replaced by Ben Bolt, son of screenwriter Robert Bolt, who had never directed a feature motion picture, although he had helmed episodes of the television series “Hill Street Blues” and “L.A. Law.” Bolt was quoted as saying: “I was sitting at home on a Thursday night, and I got a call from David Puttnam asking if I would read the script that night with a view to taking over from another director and start filming the following week.” Reportedly, Becker had fallen behind schedule very early on, and spent an inordinate amount of money on a street set. According to Ransohoff, the footage directed by Becker would not need to be reshot. The title changed during production, and the film was referred to as THE BIG TOWN, in a 22 October 1986 Hollywood Reporter item, which also noted that production was scheduled to end in late November 1986. The film is set in 1957. “J.C. Cullen” (Matt Dillon) is a young man from a small town, with a talent for winning at craps, who leaves for the big city to work as a professional gambler. The film opened on 25 September 1987. A 2 September 1987 Variety column noted that THE BIG TOWN would “be the first film to be promoted on a giant computer-operated, animated sign” in London’s Piccadilly Circus. Michael Melvoin scored the film, but none of his music appeared on the song-track album released by Atlantic Records. That album has not been re-issued on CD.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 17, 2017 - 12:35 PM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
SWITCHING CHANNELS was yet another film based on the play, The Front Page, written by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, which opened on 14 August 1928 at the Times Square Theatre in New York City. The play had previously been filmed in 1931 as THE FRONT PAGE, in 1940 as HIS GIRL FRIDAY, and in 1974 again as THE FRONT PAGE. In 1985, producer Martin Ransohoff and Columbia Pictures negotiated terms to do a film remake with the estates of writers Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. The project was expected to begin filming the following year, with locations either in Chicago or New York City. Six months later, the Daily News reported that actress Debra Winger and actors Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd were in talks to star, with principal photography to begin in late 1986. Daily Variety noted that the film’s budget would be in the area of $20 million. However, participation of Winger, Murray, and Aykroyd was “contingent upon an approval of the completed screenplay” written by screenwriter Jonathan Reynolds. Later news items stated that the film’s setting would be a television newsroom, differing from the play’s setting of a newspaper office. In the end, little of the dialogue in the film came from the play, and all of the characters’ names were changed. In February 1987, the film was put into “turnaround” by Columbia chairman David Puttnam. However, Ransohoff made a deal with Columbia’s parent company, the Coca-Cola Company, and Nelson Entertainment Inc. to co-finance the picture for a possible release date in early 1988. (Coca-Cola Company, and Nelson Entertainment Inc. are not credited onscreen.) By this time, the picture had to be totally recast with Kathleen Turner, Michael Caine, and Christopher Reeve. Under director Ted Kotcheff, principal photography began on 20 April 1987 and would include locations in Chicago, Toronto, Canada, and Montréal, Canada. Michael Caine would not arrive in Toronto for filming until he had completed filming on JAWS: THE REVENGE (1987). However, after filming around Caine’s absence for two and a half weeks, Caine was unable to stay with the production due to a scheduling conflict. Burt Reynolds replaced Caine, with the goal to complete principal photography by 28 June 1987, and before the fall 1987 due date of co-star Kathleen Turner’s pregnancy. Christopher Reeve apparently regretted making the movie. One of the main reasons he signed on was because Michael Caine was originally lined up to play “Sullivan,” and he had enjoyed working with him in DEATHTRAP (1982). Reeve also said that he took the project on because he was suffering post-divorce depression and believed that he had "made a fool of himself" in the film. Reportedly, Burt Reynolds and Kathleen Turner constantly fought during the filming of this movie. Reeve had to mediate between them. The picture’s final scenes were to be shot in Hawaii after filming in Toronto was complete, and before an anticipated 30 June 1987 Directors Guild of America (DGA) strike. However, the location for the final scene was changed to Key Biscayne, FL, and principal photography concluded on 7 July 1987. The film’s budget was reported as between $13 million and $15 million. A January 1988 preview screening of the picture in Thousand Oaks, CA, received an eighty-five percent rating of “good-excellent.” The picture opened 4 March 1988 and took in $3.1 million at the box-office during its opening weekend, averaging $3,215 per screen. Michel Legrand’s score for the film has not has a release.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 17, 2017 - 2:23 PM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Martin Ransohoff worked with Burt Reynolds again in the 1989 thriller PHYSICAL EVIDENCE. In this film, Reynolds plays “Joe Paris,” a police officer suspended and now accused of murder who must join forces with his court-appointed attorney (Theresa Russell) to assemble the pieces of a deadly puzzle before time runs out. Budgeted between $11-12 million, the picture was the second of a three-project deal to be produced by Martin Ransohoff, with partners Rank Film Distributors Ltd., Vestron Video, and Columbia Pictures. A ten-week shoot was expected to take place in Canada and Seattle, WA. . The picture was originally conceived as a sequel to 1985’s JAGGED EDGE to be titled, “Jagged Edge II,” with lead roles intended for Robert Loggia and Glenn Close. However, while in development, Columbia Pictures new studio chief, David Puttnam, was reportedly uninterested in producing sequels, so the script was rewritten with different characters. When Puttnam later changed his mind about creating a sequel to JAGGED EDGE, Ransohoff hired writers to develop a screenplay, but the sequel was never made. Principal photography on PHYSICAL EVIDENCE began on 28 September 1987, according to a Variety production chart, which listed Seattle, WA, as a location. However, the 30 October 1987 Hollywood Reporter reported that filmmakers had decided to shoot in Boston instead, and in the nearby town of Chelsea, MA, with filming taking place at the Tobin Bridge and the Boston Fish Pier. Production notes list additional locations in Toronto and Montreal, Canada. Michael Crichton directed the film, his last as a credited director. Henry Mancini scored the picture, his fifth for a Martin Ransohoff production. The score has not had a release. Box-office receipts for the film totaled $3.3 million after three weeks in release, according to the April 1989 issue of Boxoffice
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 17, 2017 - 3:21 PM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
In GUILTY AS SIN attorney “Jennifer Haines” (Rebecca De Mornay) takes accused wife-murderer “David Greenhill” (Don Johnson) as a client, but finds herself morally compelled to betray him one way or another. Alec Baldwin was originally attached to play “David Greenhill,” but left the project upon learning that Buena Vista Distribution Co. would serve as distributor. The decision was reportedly credited to Baldwin’s standing disagreement with The Walt Disney Company over the “attitude and production costs” of the Hollywood Pictures film, THE MARRYING MAN (1991), which was considered a “flop” at the box-office. Principal photography began 7 October 1992 in Toronto, Canada, under the working title “Beyond Innocence.” The film marked the twelfth collaboration between director Sidney Lumet and production designer Philip Rosenberg. Toronto locations included the four-story lobby of BCE Place, which stood in for “Phil Garson’s” (Stephen Lang’s) office, and the Mississauga Civic Centre. Interior courtroom sets were constructed on a soundstage. The 1 June 1993 Los Angeles Times estimated a final production cost of $12 million. In May 1993, Disney hosted an advance press screening of a cut containing only thirty-five minutes of footage. Although the actors claimed the final version had already been shown several times, the attending journalists were told the film was still incomplete, prompting speculation that it required further last-minute editing. GUILTY AS SIN opened to mixed reviews in 1,200 theaters on 4 June 1993. Howard Shore’s score for the film has not had a release.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 18, 2017 - 9:08 AM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Bruce Brown served two years in the U.S. Navy stationed in Hawaii, furthering his longtime interest in photography and surfing. After leaving the Navy, Brown agreed to return to Hawaii to film surfing footage to promote his friend Dale Velzy's (1927--2005) San Clemente, CA surfing store. In 1956, Velzy gave Brown $5,000 to purchase camera equipment and fly five surfers to Hawaii to shoot a movie. The resulting film became SLIPPERY WHEN WET . The film has no dialogue, only voice-over narration by writer-director-photographer Brown describing the Hawaiian locations and surfing action. After Brown completed the film, he could not afford a sound track and, hence, in initial screenings for high school and college audiences, he gave a live narration. Brown approached Bud Shank to request he write a score for the film, which was improvised and recorded while the quartet watched the film projected on a wall in a small sound studio. The film debuted at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, CA in the spring of 1959. It’s not clear when the recorded narration and music were added to the film. Brown closes the film with a limerick attributed to Dr. Jay H. Ball: “When old King Neptune is raising hell and the breakers roll sky high, let’s drink to those who can ride that stuff and to the rest who are willing to try.” Bud Shank’s score was released on an LP by World Pacific Records.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Dec 18, 2017 - 12:24 PM
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
BAREFOOT ADVENTURE was the third feature-length surfing film made by Bruce Brown, and included more shots and scenarios of surfers off the beach than his previous efforts. The picture includes several humorous scenarios intercut with the main plot, including mishaps because of surfers being barefoot, tourists taking hula dancing lessons, surfers in a lava tube sliding into the ocean, and toe wrestling. Along with the many surfers, Brown's infant son Dana Brown, who later became a sports filmmaker as well, and Suzy Patterson, a friend of the Brown family, make brief appearances in the film. For the 1990 video release, writer-director-photographer Brown provided a new running voice-over narration, which was recorded thirty years after the production of the film. The new narration names locations, surfers and their athletic maneuvers, and notes what several of the surfers have accomplished professionally since 1960. At the close of the film, Brown addresses the audience to thank them for watching, and credits his son Dana with creating some of the humorous dialogue. Information about the original narration is undetermined. BAREFOOT ADVENTURE was shot in Southern California and various locations on the Hawaiian Islands. In a modern television interview, Brown recounted a screening of the film in which the celebrated music group The Beach Boys, who were at the time unknown, played during intermission while the crowd "booed" them for not being actual surfers. Bud Shank’s score for the film was released on a Pacific Jazz Records LP. It was re-issued on CD by EMI Japan in 2011.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|