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Shame. Liked him in Anzio, Guns of Magnificent 7 n Dirty Harry, he cropped up a lot in that period, and did just about every tv show at some point.
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If memory serves, his first appearance on The Tonight Show was to plug ENTER LAUGHING, and in his conversation with Johnny he read aloud a humorous piece he had written: an obituary for Howdy Doody.
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Any actor who was in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is aces in my book.
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Posted: |
Aug 10, 2020 - 3:15 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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ENTER LAUGHING is set in the Bronx of the 1930's, where a teenage boy, “David Kolowitz” (Reni Santoni), works in the machine shop of “Mr. Foreman” (Jack Gilford) as a helper and delivery boy. Occasionally, he makes deliveries to the dress-making shop of “Harry Hamburger” (Don Rickles), but most of his time is spent daydreaming of an acting career.
This affectionate 1967 comedy was based on a 1963 play by Joseph Stein, which in turn was based on a 1958 semi-autobiographical novel by Carl Reiner. The Broadway production of "Enter Laughing" opened at Henry Miller's Theater in New York on March 13, 1963 and ran for 419 performances.
Reni Santoni and Herbie Faye in ENTER LAUGHING
The role of David Kolowitz was originated on Broadway by Alan Arkin, who won a 1963 Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Play. Arkin also won a 1963 Theatre World Award. According to Carl Reiner, Jerry Lewis approached him before the film went into production and asked to play the lead. Reiner, while he considered Lewis a comic genius, turned him down because Lewis was nearly 40 at the time and the lead character was 17. Instead, the film “introduced” Reni Santoni, who was described on the film’s poster (in a quote from columnist Earl Wilson) as “The New Alan Arkin.”
For the film, Reiner co-wrote the screenplay with Joseph Stein. Reiner also made his feature film producing and directing debuts with the picture. ENTER LAUGHING was one of the lower grossing films of the year, earning just $1.3 million at the box office. The Liberty Records score LP by Quincy Jones was released on CD by Kritzerland in 2011.
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Posted: |
Aug 10, 2020 - 10:29 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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On June 22, 1944, “Dick Ennis” (Robert Mitchum), a cynical American war correspondent, lands at ANZIO with the Allied invasion forces. Accompanied by “Movie” (Reni Santoni), a ranger, and “Corporal Rabinoff” (Peter Falk), a commando, Ennis drives into Rome without encountering any German troops en route or inside the city. When they report to “General Lesly” (Arthur Kennedy), commander of the Anzio invasion troops, he refuses to advance, suspecting that the Germans are laying a trap.
Joseph Walsh and Reni Santoni in ANZIO
ANZIO was originally conceived by producer Dino De Laurentiis to be an all-Italian production, with Italian director Duilio Coletti set to helm the film. But eventually, De Laurentiis partnered with Columbia Pictures, and Edward Dmytryk was brought on as the director, with Coletti relegated to second unit work.
Columbia initially planned to release ANZIO as a “roadshow” attraction with reserved seating. However, three months before the film premiered, the studio decided to distribute the picture as a general wide release. Due to the picture’s status as an American-Italian co-production, Edward Dmytryk was denied directorial credit for “nationality reasons” on the Italian version. Instead, Dmytryk received “a film by” credit on Italian release prints, and Duilio Coletti was credited as director. Riz Ortolani’s score for the film has not had a release.
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Posted: |
Aug 10, 2020 - 11:58 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In 1969's GUNS OF THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, George Kennedy took over the role of "Chris Adams" that had been played by Yul Brynner in the original film and its first sequel. In 19th-century Mexico, Federales capture “Quintero” (Fernando Rey), the revolutionary who has attempted to rally the many disorganized groups opposing the dictatorship of President Díaz. Before going to prison, Quintero gives his lieutenant, “Maximiliano O'Leary” (Reni Santoni), $600 with which to continue the cause. Bandit chief “Carlos Lobero” (Frank Silvera) demands that the money be used for guns and ammunition, but Max instead seeks the help of the legendary Chris, an American renowned for his bravery and cunning.
The cast of GUNS OF THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (l. to r.):
James Whitmore, Joe Don Baker, Bernie Casey, George Kennedy, Reni Santoni, Scott Thomas, and Monte Markham
Paul Wendkos directed this installment of the series. It was the first film assigned to Wendkos under his multi-picture deal with Mirisch Productions, Inc., and its British counterpart, Mirisch Films, Ltd. Actor George Kennedy was given the lead role under a similar deal with Mirisch.
While the film was being shot in Spain during the summer of 1968, there were as many as forty U.S. productions filming in Spain during that same period. Wendkos was reportedly exasperated by the language barrier, before a bilingual crewmember offered to act as translator. Cast members stayed at the Castellana Hilton in Madrid. Kennedy and Wendkos spent their free time filming a documentary about Madrid college students.
In the fall of 1968, United Artists re-released THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960) and RETURN OF THE SEVEN (1966) as a double bill to promote the upcoming sequel. Following the July 1969 release of GUNS OF THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, a news item in the 20 August 1969 Variety suggested that the first two pictures employed “essentially the same Elmer Bernstein score,” although UA claimed that original scores were composed for both. The company admitted, however, that the score for GUNS included elements from those of its two predecessors, with little new material. Regardless, Bernstein was paid for his work on each of the individual films. Elmer Bernstein's score for GUNS was released by Film Score Monthly in its 2007 box set "The Unforgiven: Classic Western Scores From United Artists."
GUNS OF THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN did poorly at the box office, grossing just $1.6 million. That compared unfavorably to the original film, which grossed $6.4 million, and the first sequel, which grossed $3.2 million.
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Posted: |
Aug 11, 2020 - 10:57 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In the police drama DIRTY HARRY, Reni Santoni played “Chico Gonzalez,” the temporary partner of Inspector “Harry Callahan” (Clint Eastwood). Gonzalez is a college graduate who majored in sociology and is the antithesis of Harry. After Chico is seriously wounded in a gun battle, Harry goes to visit the recuperating Chico and tells him that he wants him to be his permanent partner, but Chico sheepishly says that he is going to get a teaching job instead. As Harry leaves the hospital with Chico's wife, she says that it is her fault, not Chico's, but Harry, whose own wife was killed by a drunk driver, gently tells her not to blame herself because the violence of his life is not for her and Chico.
Clint Eastwood and Reni Santoni in DIRTY HARRY
Don Siegel directed this 1971 release. A few cues from Lalo Schifrin’s score were released on a 1983 Viva Records LP. Several more cues showed up on a 2001 German CD from Warner Music. The score was released in full on Schifrin’s Aleph label in 2004.
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Posted: |
Aug 11, 2020 - 3:34 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Three years after the 1964 publication of I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN, a novel by Joanna Greenberg written under the pseudonym “Hannah Green,” a 15 June 1967 Los Angeles Times news item announced that Columbia Pictures was developing a screen adaptation to be written by David Rayfiel. Actress Natalie Wood was cast, and production was scheduled to begin in early 1968. Over the next eight years, the project underwent various cast and director changes.
Ultimately, a 9 June 1976 Variety news item announced that executive producer Roger Corman was “preparing to embark on his most expensive film yet,” as his New World Pictures had reportedly purchased domestic distribution rights by investing “an unspecified share” of the film’s $3 million budget.
The film concerns a disturbed, institutionalized 16-year-old girl, "Deborah" (Kathleen Quinlan), who struggles between fantasy and reality. Deborah envisions a native warrior named Anterrabae, who warns her not to reveal her secret world, the Kingdom of Yr. Bibi Andersson stars as the girl's psychiatrist, "Dr. Fried." Reni Santoni plays “Hobbs,” a cruel orderly.
After the film opened on 14 July 1977 at New York City’s Cinema I and on 18 August 1977 in Los Angeles to successful box-office grosses, New World appealed the MPAA's [R] rating of the film, hoping a [PG] rating would further boost revenues. Although the rating was not changed, the picture continued to fare well at the box-office. Ultimately, the film grossed $34.8 million in the U.S.
Anthony Page directed the film. Paul Chihara's score has not had a release.
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Posted: |
Aug 11, 2020 - 4:08 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In the comedy THEY WENT THAT-A-WAY & THAT-A-WAY, a small-town deputy (Tim Conway) is ordered by the governor to go undercover, posing as a criminal, in a maximum security prison. Shortly after his mission begins, the governor dies, leaving him and his partner (Chuck McCann) stranded in jail. Reni Santoni plays guard “Billy Joe” in the film.
Atlanta-based TIPS, The International Picture Show Company, opened a west coast regional distribution office in Los Angeles in March 1978 to distribute TIPS productions to the thirteen Western states. THEY WENT THAT-A-WAY & THAT-A-WAY was the second TIPS production (after THE BILLION DOLLAR HOBO).
Tim Conway, Chuck McCann, Reni Santoni, and Dub Taylor in THEY WENT THAT-A-WAY & THAT-A-WAY
Edward Montagne, who directed Tim Conway on McHALE’S NAVY, was said to have been hired as director on the film for a period of three weeks at a salary of $20 thousand. Montagne was apparently replaced by Stuart E. McGowan, and subsequently filed an arbitration action against That Way Productions and received a $25 thousand award on the basis that the minimum DGA fee for a feature film was $45 thousand. Unable to collect the award from the production company, the DGA sought to collect from the distributor TIPS, which in turn prompted TIPS to take legal action. The outcome of this suit has not been determined, but both men received directing credit on the film.
Michael Leonard provided the film’s unreleased score. The 1978 film received little play and grossed only $2.2 million.
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Posted: |
Aug 11, 2020 - 9:24 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Writer-director Carl Reiner passed on an offer to direct a different movie for Warner Bros. to work on DEAD MEN DON’T WEAR PLAID. Reiner, writer George Gipe, and writer-actor Steve Martin conceived the concept for the screenplay in 1980, following Martin and Reiner’s successful collaboration on THE JERK. The movie was initially planned by Martin and Reiner to be a '30s-era film titled "Depression". After Reiner incorporated some footage of a '30s star into the movie, he and Martin decided that the entire movie should be done that way, and re-wrote it into a mock-detective story.
The picture was a film noir parody with detective “Rigby Reardon” (Martin) uncovering a sinister plot. The majority of the characters in DEAD MEN DON’T WEAR PLAID are constructed through the use of scene clips from various 1940s and 1950s motion pictures, edited to suggest their involvement in the story narrated by Steve Martin’s character. Martin suggested using footage of William Hartnell, Red Skelton, Jerry Lewis, Jack Benny, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. But Reiner refused, because he felt it would be funnier if they used footage of actors who spent their careers mostly away from comedies.
Among the actors who were newly filmed for the picture was Reni Santoni, who played “Carlos Rodriguez,” an an old war friend of Reardon’s, whom he meets in Peru. This was Santoni’s second film for director Carl Reiner, after his breakout film ENTER LAUGHING (1967).
DEAD MEN DON’T WEAR PLAID was costume designer Edith Head’s last film. She died on 24 October 1981, shortly after production. The film was the #40 film at the box office in 1982, grossing $18.2 million. Miklos Rozsa’s score was released by Prometheus in 1993. It was Rozsa’ final feature film score.
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