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Posted: |
Jul 16, 2020 - 10:11 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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James Drury made his film debut at the age of 21 playing a hospital attendant in the juvenile delinquency film BLACKBOARD JUNGLE. Reportedly, director Richard Brooks was originally hired to direct MGM's BEN-HUR and William Wyler was to direct BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, but Brooks convinced Wyler to switch assignments. Dore Schary, MGM's head of production, recalled that he was urged not to make the film by both Paramount executive Y. Frank Freeman and MPPA head Eric Johnston. Schary dismissed their concerns, but soon was asked by Loew's president Nicholas M. Schenk to reconsider. "I had only one argument for Schenk," Schary wrote. "'Nick, you're suggesting I give up on a film that might earn us nine or ten million dollars.' Nick asked me how much it would cost. I had a rough estimate of $1,200,000. He said go ahead." Schary added that the final cost of the film was $1,160,000.
The picture's soundtrack also created a stir. According to Brooks, a Boston theater ran the first reel in silence for fear that the rock and roll music on the soundtrack would over-stimulate the audience. Bill Haley and His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock," the recording that played beneath the film's credits, was one of the top ten songs of the year and played an important part in expanding the rock and roll market. Peter Ford, the son of the film's star, Glenn Ford, noted that Brooks borrowed the record from Peter, who at the time was a young rhythm and blues fan. MGM could have owned the complete rights to the song, but it ignored Brooks' advice to buy it outright; instead MGM purchased limited rights to the song from Decca Records for $5,000. Under that agreement, the studio was granted the right to use the song only three times in the film.
BLACKBOARD JUNGLE was the 13th most popular film of 1955, grossing $15.6 million at the box office. Other than “Rock Around the Clock,” in both the Bill Haley version and an orchestral arrangement performed by Charles Wolcott and orchestra, the film had no score.
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Posted: |
Jul 16, 2020 - 11:06 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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James Drury had his first named role in the romantic comedy THE TENDER TRAP. Frank Sinatra played New York theatrical agent "Charlie Y. Reader," a confirmed bachelor and all-around cad. Jarma Lewis, Lola Albright and a captivating Carolyn Jones play some of Charlie’s girlfriends. One day at an audition, Charlie is intrigued by the talented "Julie Gillis" (Debbie Reynolds), a neophyte in the theatrical world, and invites her to join him for coffee. James Drury played “Eddie,” Charlie’s assistant, in the film.
Charles Walters directed the 1955 release, which grossed $8.6 million at the box office. Jeff Alexander's score has not been released, but Sinatra's rendition of the Sammy Cahn-James Van Heusen title song appeared in the Rhino box set "Frank Sinatra In Hollywood."
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Used to watch it every week, and remember Lee J Cobb being replaced, and the change to Men From Shiloh. It went out on Fridays in the UK on BBC 1 I think...
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Posted: |
Jul 17, 2020 - 12:12 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In MGM’s first major science fiction film, FORBIDDEN PLANET, James Drury played “Strong,” one of the crewmen of the United Planets space cruiser C57D, which lands on the planet Altair-4. They find only two human inhabitants on the planet, survivors from the spaceship Bellerophon, which landed there twenty years earlier. They are “Dr. Edward Morbius” (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter Altaira (Anne Francis). But the Doctor is harboring a deadly secret.
Fred M. Wilcox directed the 1956 feature, which took in $6 million at the box office. Composers Bebe and Louis Barron manipulated electronic circuits to create the "electronic tonalities" that not only provided sound for the more scientific and futuristic gadgets and beings in the film, but also provided the musical score. The score had its first release in 1976, on a Planet Records LP. It was re-issued on CD in 1989 by GNP Crescendo.
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Posted: |
Jul 17, 2020 - 12:42 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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With MGM shedding its contract players to save money, James Drury found himself being released by the studio following completion of his work on FORBIDDEN PLANET. He next found himself working at Twentieth Century Fox, in his first western--the Richard Widmark film THE LAST WAGON. In the film, the survivors of an Apache attack on a wagon train entrust the sheriff's prisoner, scout “Comanche Todd” (Widmark), with their lives despite the fact that he is accused of murder. James Drury played “Lt. Kelly” of the cavalry in the film.
James Drury in THE LAST WAGON
Delmar Daves directed the 1956 release, which was filmed on location in Sedona, AZ, at the mouth of Oak Creek Canyon. Daves noted the difficulty he had in finding a pristine location for the film, as his previous western, BROKEN ARROW, had popularized the region.
The film earned $4.3 million at the box office. Lionel Newman’s score was released by Intrada in 2009.
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Posted: |
Jul 17, 2020 - 1:10 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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LOVE ME TENDER begins on April 10 1865 at the Greenwood, Louisiana, train station. A battalion of Union soldiers are awaiting the arrival of the payroll train when news comes that the war has ended. Their jubilation is cut short, however, when a band of Confederate soldiers attack, steal their uniforms and then trick the payroll guards into turning the money over to them. Unaware that the Confederacy has disbanded, the rebels, led by “Vance Reno” (Richard Egan), ride to deliver the money to Gen. Randall. Upon arriving at their destination, they discover that Gen. Lee has surrendered and so decide to split the cash among themselves. Vance and his brothers, “Ray” (James Drury) and “Brett” (William Campbell), then ride home to their family farm in Texas, where Vance plans to marry his sweetheart “Cathy” (Debra Paget). Elvis Presley made his feature film debut in the picture, as the youngest of the Reno clan, “Clint.”
Robert Webb directed the 1956 film, which, because of Presley’s appearance, pushed itself into the top 20 for the year, with a gross of $12 million. An EP recording was released of the four songs that Presley sang in the film.
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Posted: |
Jul 17, 2020 - 1:36 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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James Drury appeared in one more feature—Pat Boone’s 1957 movie debut BERNADINE—before moving into television in a big way. During 1958, Drury made guest appearances on a dozen different television series.
One of these was particularly noteworthy. “Decision” was an NBC half-hour dramatic anthology series that was a 1958 summer replacement for “The Loretta Young Show.” The premiere telecast, on 6 July 1958, was an adaptation of Owen Wister’s novel and play “The Virginian,” starring James Drury in the title role. Leslie Stevens (THE OUTER LIMITS) wrote the screenplay for the episode and it was co-directed by Lamont Johnson and David Lowell Rich.
Drury was back on the big screen in 1959 with the western GOOD DAY FOR A HANGING, which starred Fred MacMurray and Maggie Hays. In a supporting role, Robert Vaughn played young renegade "Eddie Campbell," a member of an outlaw gang. James Drury played “Dr. Paul Ridgely,” who treats Eddie for a gunshot wound.
The film was by the producer-director team of Charles H. Schneer and Nathan Juran, best known for their films with special effects artist Ray Harryhausen. The film, which was produced during the 1958 musician's strike, had a stock music score. The theme song from 3:10 TO YUMA is heard frequently, especially in scenes involving Vaughan and Joan Blackman, his love interest in the film. The film took in subpar $1.5 million at the box office.
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Posted: |
Jul 17, 2020 - 2:30 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Walt Disney purchased the screen rights to Eleanor H. Porter’s best-selling 1913 novel POLLYANNA and its sequel, “Pollyanna Grows Up,” in order to make a film based on both stories. However, the final film was based only on the first book. The film told the story of a young girl, the recently orphaned “Pollyanna Whittier” (Hayley Mills), who comes to live with her aunt, “Polly Harrington” (Jane Wyman), in an embittered town, and confronts its attitude with her determination to see the best in life. Although the servants, assistant” Nancy Furman” (Nancy Olson), cook “Tillie Lagerlof” (Reta Shaw) and maid “Angelica” (Mary Grace Canfield), treat the girl with brusqueness, Pollyanna tries to find a positive aspect even in her lonely new life, and enjoys the majesty of the house and grounds. Aunt Polly first forbids Nancy to see her beau, “George Dodds” (James Drury), then cautions Pollyanna to act with the highest propriety in order to represent well the Harrington family. Drury received his first poster credit for the film.
James Drury in POLLYANNA
David Swift wrote and directed the 1960 film, which, although it received good reviews, was just the third most popular of four 1960 Disney releases, garnering $4.3 million at the box office. Paul J. Smith’s score was only released as part of a Disneyland Records story LP.
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Posted: |
Jul 17, 2020 - 2:57 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In his third Disney film in a row, James Drury moved up to a co-starring role in the 1960 adventure TEN WHO DARED. The film told the real-life story of Major John Wesley Powell (John Beal), who leads an expedition through the Grand Canyon to chart the Colorado River. Powell later served as the second director of the U.S. Geological Survey. James Drury played William Powell, John’s younger brother.
Walt Disney first considered making TEN WHO DARED in 1953, but the studio abandoned the project when it proved impossible for the film crew to navigate the treacherous Colorado River rapids. Disney then tried three more times until, six years later, the crew was able to follow Powell’s original path successfully. The crew recreated the expedition as faithfully as possible, creating replicas of Powell’s original rowboats and following 370 miles of river from Lee’s Ferry in Arizona, through the Grand Canyon, to Moab, Utah.
William Beaudine directed the film, which the studio had planned as a television program, but later decided to release theatrically. The film, however, proved to be the least successful of four Disney films at the 1960 box office, grossing just $2.3 million. Oliver Wallace’s score has not had a release.
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Posted: |
Jul 17, 2020 - 10:39 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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James Drury spent most of 1961 making guest appearances on television western series—“Gunsmoke,” “The Rifleman,” “Stagecoach West,” and “Rawhide.” In 1962, Drury appeared in the now-classic western RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY. In the film, an aging “Steve Judd” (Joel McCrea), his days of glory as a legendary lawman having passed, accepts the job of transporting gold from a remote mining camp in the Sierras to a small-town bank. Assisting him are “Gil Westrum” (Randolph Scott), another forgotten lawman reduced to earning his living as a carnival sharpshooter, and “Heck Longtree” (Ron Starr), an adventurous young drifter. En route to the mining camp the three men are joined by “Elsa Knudsen” (Mariette Hartley), the rebellious daughter of a religious zealot. Elsa is running away to join her boyfriend, “Billy Hammond” (James Drury), at the mining camp.
James Drury and Mariette Hartley in RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY
Most of the actors got on well with director Sam Peckinpah. Although L.Q. Jones said he and Sam almost came to blows over how to do a scene, in the end he always realized Peckinpah was right. James Drury said the cast was lucky to have worked with him when "he was a happy man. We knew him at his best and most likable." Drury also praised Peckinpah for being "innovative, imaginative, always anxious to work with actors on their characters" without over-directing. And he noted that Peckinpah, Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott had a tremendous amount of respect for each other.
The film marked the only collaboration between Scott and McCrea. The two co-stars reportedly flipped a coin to determine top billing. The film received generally good reviews. RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY was listed among the ten best films of the year by Newsweek magazine. Although, the film took in only $2.1 million at the box office, the modestly budgeted ($750,000) production turned a tidy profit. George Bassman recorded his score from 22 January to 31 January 1962. It was released by Film Score Monthly in 2004.
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Posted: |
Jul 17, 2020 - 11:47 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In the independent production THIRD OF A MAN, James Drury co-starred as “Emmet Spile,” a small-town carpenter haphazardly raising his illegitimate son, “Leroy” (Jimmy Gaines). The child's mother, “Helen Detweiler” (Jan Shepard), has repeatedly refused to marry Emmet because of his violent nature. Unknown to everyone in the town, Emmet has a brother, “Doon” (Simon Oakland), whom he has committed to a mental institution. Doon is unable to speak and is terrified by water. So, when a guard turns a water hose on him, he escapes from the institution.
Robert Lewin wrote and directed this 1962 drama, which barely had a release. Samuel Matlovsky provided the unreleased score.
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Posted: |
Jul 18, 2020 - 10:25 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Owen Wister’s 1902 book “The Virginian” was adapted by Wister and Kirke La Shelle for a stage production. The Virginian opened at the Manhattan Theatre on January 5, 1904, and ran until May 1904. The book and play was then adapted four times for the big screen:
1914 - a silent film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Dustin Farnum,
1923 - a silent film directed by Tom Forman and starring Kenneth Harlan,
1929 - directed by Victor Fleming and starring Gary Cooper,
1946 - directed by Stuart Gilmore and starring Joel McCrea.
Then there was the half-hour “Decision” episode from 1959 in which James Drury had played the title character. In that show, the Virginian, with a noticeable southern accent not present in the subsequent network series, and wearing a Confederate belt buckle marked "CSA", arrived by invitation at the ranch of “Judge Henry” (played by Robert Burton) to be an accountant and manager and soon became involved in unraveling a plot to destroy the judge's efforts to create a new town in the surrounding region. Other actors included Don Quine, Tim Matheson, Andrew Duggan, Jeanette Nolan, and Dan Blocker, the latter in a small, nonspeaking role. Some of these would later appear in the series.
When Revue Productions' hour-long western television series “Wagon Train” moved from the NBC network to ABC, “The Virginian” was proposed to replace it.
The subsequent NBC series, set in the late 19th century revolved around the tough foreman of the Shiloh Ranch, played by Drury. He and his top hand, “Trampas” (Doug McClure), were the only characters to remain with the show for the entire run. As in the book, the foreman went only by the name "the Virginian". The series was set in Medicine Bow, Wyoming. From the beginning, the 90-minute series was filmed in color on 35mm film. It was television’s first 90-minute western series.
James Drury and Doug McClure in “The Virginian”
The series focused on the foreman's quest to maintain an orderly lifestyle at Shiloh Ranch. The ranch was named after the two-day American Civil War Battle of Shiloh, at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee. As the show progressed, Trampas became the more developed of the characters, and continues to be the role for which actor Doug McClure was best-known.
The owner of the ranch was “Judge Henry Garth” (Lee J. Cobb). His daughter “Betsy” (Roberta Shore) lived at the ranch with him, and had a sister relationship with the ranch hands. Ranch hand “Steve Hill” (Gary Clarke) joined in episode storylines.
Lee J. Cobb and James Drury
NBC premiered the series on Wednesday, 29 September 1962 at 7:30 PM. Even though the show was going up against ABC’s “Wagon Train,” the #25-rated show for the season, “The Virginian” held its own, coming in right behind it at #26.
Doug McClure, James Drury, and Gary Clarke
The second season (1963-64), saw Randy Boone joining the show as a youthful ranch hand who played guitar and sang duets with Betsy. “The Virginian” now faced off against two comedies on ABC—“The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” and “The Patty Duke Show.” Even though those two series ranked #29 and #18, respectively, “The Virginian” beat them both, finishing in the #17 slot for the season.
Roberta Shore and James Drury
In the third season (1964-65), Clu Gulager, who had previously guest-starred twice in earlier seasons, was added to the show as the restless deputy “Emmett Ryker.” ABC’s sitcoms dropped in popularity, with “Ozzie and Harriet” falling out of the top 30 shows and “Patty Duke” coming in at #28. And “The Virginian” faced strong CBS competition in its third half hour from “The Beverly Hillbillies” at #12. The Virginian finished at #22 for the season.
Season 3 cast of “The Virginian”: Roberta Shore, Clu Gulager, Lee J. Cobb (seated), Doug McClure (standing), Randy Boone and James Drury.
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Posted: |
Jul 18, 2020 - 12:41 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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For the fourth season (1965-66), Roberta Shore left the cast, and the show added a new leading woman — Diane Roter, who played “Jennifer,” the judge's niece. Halfway through season four, “Morgan Starr” (John Dehner) was brought in to run the ranch for Judge Garth because of Garth's appointment as governor of Wyoming. Dehner played a tough and demanding man, who was hard to befriend, as the Virginian and Trampas soon found out. Fans disliked Dehner's character, and he left the show at the end of the season. Also at mid-season, the show’s competition heated up. ABC replaced “Ozzie and Harriet” with the smash hit “Batman” (#10 for the season). “The Beverly Hillbillies” got stronger (#7) in the third half-hour, but because CBS had the slipping “Lost In Space” against “The Virginian’s” first hour, the show dropped only one position, to #23 for the season.
James Drury
For season five (1966-67), singing cowboy “Randy Boone” and niece “Jennifer” were dropped as characters. “John Grainger” (played by Charles Bickford) became the new owner. “Elizabeth Grainger” (played by Sara Lane), was John Grainger's granddaughter. Her brother “Stacey” (Don Quine) rounded out this new cast. With “Batman” and “Lost in Space” fading fast, and a new ABC western, “The Monroes” not getting traction, only the #7 “Beverly Hillbillies” provided any competition to “The Virginian.” The series hit its ratings peak as #10 for the season.
James Drury and Don Quine
In season six (1967-68), “Clay Grainger” (played by John McIntire, who had previously portrayed the wagon master on “Wagon Train”), took over ownership after his brother John's apparent departure "on business." (John Grainger's abrupt series exit, due to Charles Bickford's sudden death on November 9, 1967, was never explained onscreen in the series.) The sixth season also added “Holly Grainger” (played by Jeanette Nolan, McIntire's real-life wife, with whom he often worked professionally) as the wife of Clay. ABC offered up new competition in the form of the western series “Custer,” but it went nowhere. “Lost In Space” was in its final season, and “The Beverley Hillbillies” dropped to #12. Following suit, “The Virginian” slipped to #14 for the season.
James Drury and John McIntire
Season seven (1968-69) had the entrance of “David Sutton,” played by David Hartman to the cast. ABC tried out another western against “The Virginian,” playing it for romance and comedy this time with “Here Come the Brides,” but it was not a big hit. CBS, however, finally came up with some effective counter-programming, with “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour,” which jumped to into the #15 position for the season. “The Virginian” slipped a little more to #17.
James Drury and David Hartman
In season eight (1969-70), David Hartman’s “Sutton” character was replaced with a younger hand, “Jim Horn” (played by Tim Matheson. CBS tag teamed “The Virginian” with “Glen Campbell” and “Hee Haw” in the first and second halves of the season, with those shows tying for the #20 spot. And while “The Beverly Hillbillies” slipped to #18, “The Virginian” was starting to show its age, dropping completely out of the top 30 shows.
Tim Matheson and James Drury
In season nine (1970–71), the name of the program was changed to “The Men from Shiloh” and the look of the series was completely redesigned. Ownership of the Shiloh Ranch was changed once more, and “Colonel Alan MacKenzie” (Stewart Granger) took over. The opening theme song was changed to a new one, composed by Ennio Morricone, and the look of the show was changed reflecting a style similar to spaghetti Westerns, which were very popular at the time. The hats worn featured much broader brims and higher crowns. The clothing was also jauntier and more imaginative, and mustaches and beards were much in evidence.
Doug McClure, Stewart Granger, and James Drury
Facing no competition of any note (CBS had moved “The Beverly Hillbillies” to Tuesdays), “The Virginian” jumped back up to #18 in the ratings for the season. The season had operated on a "rotating lead actor" basis for the four stars, with normally just one lead appearing each week. Two of the four lead actors (Lee Majors and Doug McClure) never appeared together in the last season. The ranch itself played a very nominal part in season nine, with most scripts featuring the four stars away from the ranch.
Despite its resurgence in the ratings, the studio and network were set on ending the series. Rivals CBS and ABC were making moves away from rural-oriented shows, and as one of the few westerns on television, “The Virginian” was not appealing to the youthful demographic that the advertisers craved. The final episode aired on March 24, 1971, ending the show's nine-season run. Although he was with the series for all nine seasons, James Drury actually appeared in 195 of the 249 episodes.
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