It also seems the film LIMBO, has pretty much remain in limbo since that NBC TV showing, both with free and cable TV. Maybe THIS will dig it out or TCM ?
That Sinking Feeling was the first feature by Bill Forsyth, who went on to make some great films in the 1980s, including Gregory's Girl, Comfort and Joy, Housekeeping and especially Local Hero. It's a typically low-key comedy about a group of Scottish youth who hatch a plan to make money by stealing sinks from a local warehouse and reselling them. Why sinks? Well, because it's a Forsyth film. I saw it years ago when it was re-released after the success of Local Hero and enjoyed it. As I recall there is a scene with a couple of the guys having a conversation in a car that turns out to not be going anywhere, which sort of sums up the whole idea of the movie. Definitely worth a look if you like deadpan (and maybe in this case bedpan) U.K. style humor.
THAT SINKING FEELING (1980) was a low-budget affair made with performers largely drawn from Glasgow’s Scottish Youth Theatre. Several of the main performers also appeared in Forsyth’s next film, GREGORY’S GIRL (1981). THAT SINKING FEELING was released with a distinct lack of fanfare, which is one reason why it did not premiere in America until 15 February 1984, after GREGORY’S GIRL and 1983’s LOCAL HERO had become U.S. art house hits. When the Samuel Goldwyn Company picked up THAT SINKING FEELING for release, the producers redubbed the dialogue to reduce the heavy working-class Glasgow accents, which would have been unintelligible to American audiences. Reportedly, the cost for dubbing the U.S. release was more than the original film production costs.
Upon the initial release of THAT SINKING FEELING, Variety felt that “The central joke—the absurdity of seeing sinks as likely hot sellers—is hardly strong enough to carry a full-length film. But Forsyth’s incidental observations, and the generally high standard of playing by nonprofessionals, help to offset the fact that most scenes could be pruned to advantage. [Note: various sources list the film’s running time anywhere from 82 to 93 minutes.] Technical credits are remarkable considering the almost invisible production budget.” Time Out’s Scott Meek opined that “Bill Forsyth successfully captured the subversively ironic optimism of the Glasgow streets and somehow managed to combine it with the good-humoured charm of the best Ealing comedies. It’s a street-smart fairy tale . . . played with such relish . . . that it’s guaranteed to win any audience over to its side within minutes.” Modern critics also consider the film to be a keeper. In a 3-star (out of 5) review, The Motion Picture Guide notes that the film has “great performances from nonprofessionals, directed with Forsyth’s usual insightful wit.” Also giving it 3 stars (out of 4), Leonard Maltin calls it “a witty little comedy.” And the Blockbuster Entertainment Guide awards the film 4 stars (out of 5), saying that the “funny and charming” film is carried by “Forsyth’s brand of low-key, quirky humor.”
THAT SINKING FEELING was released on cassette by Embassy Home Entertainment and on a 1993 laserdisc by Samuel Goldwyn, but there has been no Region 1 DVD release. It was released on DVD in the United Kingdom in September 2009, ironically in the U.S. version, with the Americanized accents. This has caused considerable consternation in the U.K.
Scene from THAT SINKING FEELING
Bill Forsyth’s next film after LOCAL HERO was COMFORT AND JOY (1984), a story about a DJ getting in the middle of a war between ice cream vendors during Christmastime. In 1987, Forsyth made HOUSEKEEPING. This was his first American film (actually shot in Canada). Next was BREAKING IN, his 1989 film starring Burt Reynolds as a safecracker. The film had a screenplay by John Sayles. Then, in 1993 Forsyth made the film that would make him lose interest in filmmaking, BEING HUMAN. It told multiple stories, all starring Robin Williams. After a troubled production and post production, Warner Bros. dumped the film into the marketplace with little publicity. In addition, many critics hated it. Forsyth has stated how dealing with the studios soured him on filmmaking.
After the ordeal that was BEING HUMAN, Forsyth would make only one more film. In 1999, he decided to go back to what worked for him--his early Scottish films. He made GREGORY’S TWO GIRLS, a sequel to his 1981 film. But the film couldn’t recapture the magic of the first, and has yet to have any sort of release in the U.S. It never received a theatrical release, and is not on video in any form. According to one report, on the audio commentary for the UK DVD of COMFORT AND JOY, Forsyth confirms that he has retired from filmmaking.
The blaxploitation film classic SHAFT opened on 25 June 1971. In that film, in his first major role, actor Christopher St. John played the black militant leader “Ben Buford.” (St. John had first appeared on screen in 1968 in a small role in Sidney Poitier’s film FOR LOVE OF IVY.) Just a few weeks after SHAFT’s premiere, on 15 July 1971, St. John announced in a Hollywood Reporter advertisement that he had written an original screenplay and was in search of a producer. Fanfare Corporation president Joe Solomon offered financial backing, allowing Christopher St. John to film TOP OF THE HEAP. The film’s story involved a black policeman (St. John) who daydreams of a better life while dealing with the crime, poverty, and squalor that he sees in his real life. The film, throughout which fantasy sequences are intercut with the action, stylistically featured many jump cuts and jarring edits.
Starring in TOP OF THE HEAP along with St. John were Paula Kelly, Florence St. Peter, Leonard Kuras, and Ingeborg Sorensen. Paula Kelly had made her film debut in 1969’s SWEET CHARITY, as one of Shirley MacLaine’s girlfriends. She had already been in the black-oriented heist film COOL BREEZE and would go on to appear in several other black films, including TROUBLE MAN. Florence St. Peter’s screen acting career lasted only 4 years, and TOP OF THE HEAP was her last role. Christopher St. John wrote the role of “Bobby Gelman” specifically for actor Leonard Kuras, with whom he had worked on stage in the 1960s, while both were studying at the Actors Studio. Norwegian actress Ingeborg Sorensen had been named Miss Europe of 1971. She made her American film debut in TOP OF THE HEAP but appeared in only a few other films and television shows. The film also marked the first released motion picture of future World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Kenneth "Ken" Norton (who had a bit part), although his appearance in the 1973 release THE ALL-AMERICAN BOY was actually filmed prior to TOP OF THE HEAP.
TOP OF THE HEAP was filmed in early 1972 on location in Washington, DC, and at MGM Studios in Hollywood. Joe Solomon stated that he spent more than one million dollars on production and distribution costs. The film was scored by J.J. Johnson, who also wrote the title song (with lyrics by Bradford Craig). Johnson’s only prior film score had been for Bill Cosby’s film MAN AND BOY, which was released a few months prior to TOP OF THE HEAP. Later in the year, Johnson would have his biggest film music success with the score for the Anthony Quinn crime drama ACROSS 110TH STREET. Although TOP OF THE HEAP opened in Los Angeles on 19 May 1972, it had its official “World Premiere” a few days later at the Fox Theatre in Detroit on 24 May 1972.
Christopher St. John's onscreen opening credit reads: "Produced, written, directed by and starring." All other cast and crew credits are in the closing credits. Shortly after TOP OF THE HEAP opened, the Writers Guild of America West (WGA) sued Fanfare Corporation, charging that the company had hired Larry Bischof to write the film’s screenplay and Joe Greene to write the shooting script but had failed to credit either writer. The WGA also objected to St. John’s onscreen credit, stating that his credit as writer should precede that of producer. The WGA claimed that it was entitled to make the final ruling on disputed credits and sought an injunction against all advertising, distribution, and exhibition of TOP OF THE HEAP until the issue was resolved. However, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied the injunction, and since the WGA failed to pursue the case, it was dismissed. The extent of Bischof’s and Greene’s contribution to the film, if any, has not been determined.
TOP OF THE HEAP competed in the Berlin Film Festival on 24 June 1972. There, St. John won a nomination for the festival’s Golden Bear award. (Pasolini’s THE CANTERBURY TALES won that award.) In the U.S., nearly every critic gave the film a mixed review. Cue’s William wolf opened his review by saying “Attention film buffs: make note of Christopher St. John, director, screenwriter, producer, and actor.” Calling the film “uneven,” Wolf nevertheless considered St John. “a man of ideas and talent” with “a dandy sense of humor.” St. John also impressed the New York Times’ Roger Greenspun as someone “who has ideas, and sufficient command to work those ideas into the kinds of metaphors that are for film among the basic signs of life.” But Greenspun warned that “not all of the material is successful.” New York’s Judith Christ called the film “more ambitious than auspicious.” She found “the near-miss regrettable.” Fredric Milstein of the Los Angeles Times said that “TOP OF THE HEAP offers a good story, strongly acted but rather clumsily and superficially told.” But overall, most reviewers sided with Roger Greenspun’s view that, despite flaws, the film indicated that “Christopher St. John may some day make and act in very good funny movies.”
Although TOP OF THE HEAP had a healthy dose of fantasy in its makeup, Fanfare marketed the film as another violent black action film. Despite the generally encouraging response to the film by critics, Christopher St. John’s career declined, and since that film’s release he has never again directed and has acted in only a few film and television roles.
Although the onscreen credits include a 1972 copyright statement by The Fanfare Corporation, the film was not registered for copyright until 3 October 1986. TOP OF THE HEAP has not legitimately appeared on any home video format, but is available from some gray market sources.
These days you very seldom see those 1970's films made by Sunn international and the like on cable TV, they made good money in their days in movie houses across America for a week or Two, they would saturate the airways with commercial ads on both Network and local TV stations, some of these semi obscure films were , THE LINCOIN CONSPIRACY, BEYOND AND BACK,IN SEARCH OF NOAH'S ARK,IN SEARCH OF HISTORIC JESUS, ETC ETC, any comments?
Sun International Productions began in Park City, Utah, with offices in nearby Salt Lake City. Its founder, Rayland Jensen, previously handled distribution of American National Enterprises' 1968 release, ALASKAN SAFARI, which spent five years kicking around the North American box office. In 1971, Jensen began his new company at the request of employees from the Schick razor company, at the time a subsidiary of Warner-Lambert.
Typically, Sun would engage in pre-production research on each of its films, conducting phone surveys and interviews with potential viewers. According to one company principal, "Sun identified as its market working-class families who rarely went to the movies more than twice a year." The company’s philosophy was to release films with an MPAA rating of G, and in heavily marketed limited engagements. Through a process called four wall distribution (or "four-walling"), the company would rent theaters at a fixed rate in which to show its films, and thus be able to keep all of the box office receipts, rather than have to split the take with the theater owner.
In 1971, Sun International released its first film, the outdoor adventure TOKLAT. The film involves a grizzly bear named Toklat, who kills a sheepherder’s livestock and injures the herder. The sheepherder's brother, an old man who has raised the bear since it was a cub, now faces the sad task of tracking the bear through the rustic terrain of Utah's Uinta Mountains. As the old man tracks Toklat, he reminisces about the years since he first encountered the bear. Sources vary as to whether TOKLAT was shot in Utah or Oregon. The story was reputedly based on a factual account.
The producer of the film was Mel Hardman, his only producing credit. Hardman had been the cinematographer and editor on a 1970 American National Enterprises documentary, COUGAR COUNTRY. Directing his third film was Robert W. Davison. Davison was a professional wildlife photographer, who did work for “Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom,” the National Audubon Society, various production companies, and a number of feature films and documentaries on his own. In his lifetime, he shot more than a million feet of motion picture film, as well as doing vivid still photography, audio recordings, and writings. TOKLAT was his first fiction film as director. The film had narration by Bette Bennett Penney and music by Larry Bastion, both newcomers.
Starring as the old man was Leon Ames. Born Leon Waycoff in 1902, Ames always wanted to be an actor and he did it the hard way, serving a long apprenticeship in touring amateur theatre companies, even selling shoes for a while on 42nd Street in the 1920s. It took him until 1933 to make his debut on Broadway. By then he was already appearing in films, for "poverty row" studios like Mayfair, Showmen's Pictures, World-Wide Pictures, Empire and Majestic. His first film as Leon Ames, was the Shirley Temple vehicle, STOWAWAY (1932). Ames’ career improved dramatically after playing Judy Garland's father “Alonzo” in MGM's classic, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944), directed by Vincente Minnelli. For the first time, Leon's acting abilities were used to perfection, particularly his ability to deliver dryly humorous one-liners. Signed to a contract at MGM, Ames was now cast in important character roles in more important pictures, usually as put-upon, loving fathers (A DATE WITH JUDY – 1948; LITTLE WOMEN - 1949). Ames was a television fixture during the 1960s, playing Alan Young’s next door neighbor in “Mr. Ed.” His last feature immediately prior to TOKLAT was 1970’s TORA! TORA! TORA!, in which he played Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox. Co-starring in TOKLAT as the sheepherder was cinematographer Dick Robinson, in his first acting role.
The 90-minute TOKLAT went into initial distribution in late 1971. As was the practice with “four-walling,” the film moved from one area of the country to another, always preceded by saturation television advertising. After a few weeks play, it would move to another area. TOKLAT played primarily in rural and suburban areas, but it has been documented as opening in Los Angeles on 1 March 1972. By December 1972, the film had grossed more than $7 million, and still had yet to play in some market areas.
TOKLAT has never legitimately appeared on any home video format, but is available from some gray market sources. The copyright for it and many of the other Sun International films is currently held by Melange Pictures, which is a motion picture holding company for Viacom that controls about 3,000 films, primarily in the Republic, NTA, and Aaron Spelling libraries. Any video release of TOKLAT would likely come from Paramount / Olive Films.
Sun International Productions would move to Hollywood in 1972. But the company held true to its vision of producing family-oriented films and highly re-enacted documentaries made for both theatrical and television release. The company would undergo several name changes over the years, first adding an additional “n” to its name to become Sunn International, then becoming Sunn Classic Pictures, and finally Schick Sunn Classic Pictures. The company was bought by Taft Broadcasting in 1980.
The executive producer of TOKLAT, G. M. Ridges, and actors Dick Robinson and Leon Ames collaborated on another wildlife film for Sun International, BROTHER OF THE WIND (1972), that centered on a family of wolves. Ames would continue acting into the 1980s, appearing in films such as TESTAMENT (1983), and PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED (1985), his final role. He died in 1993 at age 91. Robert W. Davision would direct one more film, the 1979 family adventure CRY TO THE WIND. He would continue his nature cinematography until his death in 1985 at age 57.
Producer Hal Wallis had long been involved in the production of films that dramatized chapters from England’s history, going all the way back to his 1936 production of THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE. That film was followed by Wallis’ THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX (1939), BECKET (1964), ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS (1969), and MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS (1972). Thus it was no surprise when Wallis decided to film the story of Lord Horatio Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton in 1973’s THE NELSON AFFAIR.
Lord Nelson, the greatest naval hero in British history, was known for his bold action in battle during the Napoleonic Wars, and met Emma Hamilton while posted in Naples. Married at the time to Sir William Hamilton, British Envoy to Naples, Emma was a celebrated artist’s model when she and Nelson fell in love. The couple pursued their romance openly, and when the humiliated Lady Nelson demanded her husband give up his mistress, Nelson moved out of Lady Nelson’s home, never to see her again. Although most aristocratic men of the era kept mistresses, Nelson was the first well-known man to leave his wife for one, and the affair scandalized Britain. Before Nelson set sail to wage the Battle of Trafalgar, he signed a document bequesting that his King and country provide Emma with ample provision to maintain her station in life. On October 19, 1805, Nelson died in battle. The film ends with the written epilogue: “Horatio, First Viscount Nelson, Duke of Bronte, was buried with full Naval Honours in St. Paul’s Cathedral. Nelson’s bequests were never carried out and as a result, Emma, Lady Hamilton, after two spells in debtors’ prison, left England forever. She died in Calais on 15th January 1815, in abject poverty.”
The film’s working title, as well as its British release title was “Bequest to the Nation.” The film is based on Terence Rattigan’s play of that title, which was originally produced on BBC television on 14 March 1966 where it was titled “Nelson: A Portrait in Miniature.” Revised for the stage as “A Bequest to the Nation” the play opened in London on 23 September 1970, directed by Peter Glenville, and starring Zoe Caldwell as “Lady Hamilton” and Ian Holm as “Lord Nelson.” Although a considerable success in Britain, at the time of the film’s production, the play had not been staged in the U.S.
Alexander Korda’s 1941 film, THAT HAMILTON WOMAN was the first movie to tell the story of Nelson and Hamilton. Titled ”Lady Hamilton” in Britain, the film was produced and directed by Korda, and Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh starred as Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton.
To direct THE NELSON AFFAIR, Hal Wallis chose James Cellan Jones, who gained prominence as a television director in England, where he directed, among other things, the highly successful BBC series “The Forsyte Saga” (1967). THE NELSON AFFAIR marked the feature directing debut of Jones. Terence Rattigan did the adaptation of his play for the screen. This was nothing new for him; he had been writing for the screen since 1936. He had adapted his own plays THE WINSLOW BOY (1949), THE BROWNING VERSION (1951), and SEPARATE TABLES (1958) to the screen, and had written the screenplays for the films THE V.I.P.s (1963), THE YELLOW ROLLS-ROYCE (1964), and the musical version of GOODBYE MR. CHIPS (1969). Starring in THE NELSON AFFAIR were Glenda Jackson as “Emma Hamilton”, Peter Finch as “Lord Nelson”, Michael Jayston as “Captain Hardy”, and Anthony Quayle as “Lord Minto.” The supporting cast included Margaret Leighton, Nigel Stock, and Barbara Leigh-Hunt.
The film’s score was composed by Michel Legrand. In his review of the film, Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times noted that “Michel Legrand’s Haydn-seeking music, actually very much in the tradition of Handel’s Royal Fireworks Music and other works from his English period, is a departure from Legrand’s customary style, but is singularly appropriate and effective.” But apparently, the film and score are so little known that Soundtrack Collector does not even include THE NELSON AFFAIR among Legrand’s filmography.
Universal Pictures began filming THE NELSON AFFAIR on 14 August 1972. The original start date of the picture had been changed from 7 August to 14 August in order to accommodate the schedules of both Glenda Jackson and Peter Finch, whose work on other films had delayed their availability. The picture was filmed entirely in England, with location scenes at Bath, Somerset, Windsor, Berkshire, Surrey, Dartmouth and Devon. The interiors were filmed at Shepperton Studios in Middlesex. Filming concluded in mid-October 1972. THE NELSON AFFAIR opened in Los Angeles on 4 April 1973. In Britain, a charity premiere of the film was held in London on 25 April 1973 as a benefit for King George’s Fund for Sailors.
In the U.S. the film was faulted by most critics largely because of its script. Variety’s “Murf” described the film as “talky” and noted that it “never completely escapes its legit origins.” He said that what was “missing from the script are some dramatic highlights” which would offset the moments in which the characters “drift in and out of scenes for too-obvious expository purposes only.” Agreeing that “the film remains stage-bound,” Saturday Review’s Arthur Knight contended that while Rattigan’s dramaturgy “may be in the best tradition of the theater, it is in the worst tradition of film.” Even harsher was Vincent Canby of the New York Times who said that “Mr. Rattigan writes period dialogue in the manner of someone regurgitating the cadences of a 19th-century schoolgirl’s diary.”
The critics also decried the absence of physical action in the film. The New Yorker’s Penelope Gilliat charged that in Rattigan’s “vulgar,” “paltry,” and “gossipy” script, “there is hardly anything about naval history.” Similarly, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Paine Knickerbocker thought that the battle sequences at sea were “transparently a sham—One does not see much of the fighting or understand what is going on, so much of it takes place below decks.” Nevertheless, some critics felt that the film was saved from being a total disaster by “several fine performances by the British cast” (Newsday’s Joseph Gelmis), and a supporting cast that “is of first quality” (New York’s Judith Crist). And although Crist claimed that the film was “the kind of ‘historical’ that transports one in time to encounter timeless truths about people,” the solid majority of critics sided with Andrew Sarris of the Village Voice who started his negative review by saying that “THE NELSON AFFAIR is not only a very tedious movie, it is a very tedious idea for a movie,” and ended it by declaring that “I would like to enjoy a long holiday from British royalty in all its self-congratulating guises.”
THE NELSON AFFAIR would prove to be the last foray into English history for Hal Wallis. He would produce only two more films before retiring at age 76. He died in 1985 at age 86. THE NELSON AFFAIR was the only feature film directed by James Cellan Jones. He would return to British TV, where he worked until 2001. Terence Rattigan would write a few more projects for British television before his death in 1977 at age 66.
Although THE NELSON AFFAIR aired on NBC in 1976, it has not been released on any video format in the U.S. Perhaps it will eventually be released as a made-on-demand DVD under the Universal Vault Series.
In the ongoing effort to test the limits of Bob's expertise let's try this one. Several years ago when a colleague at the university where I was teaching passed away his family gave me several 16mm films he had collected. Among them was a film in Spanish only called Noche Decisiva. There is very little on this film on IMDB other than cast and crew listings. Also, the print I have is about 15-20 minutes shorter than the listed running time for the IMDB entry. Since I only took two years of high school Spanish and basically remember nada I can't really get a sense of what the film is about (would the title translate as "Night of Decision"?) but it appears to be a light adventure story. I remember there were some scenes of guys wandering through a jungle in pith helmets. I'm not sure if this ever had an American release. As always, any information (such as a plot synopsis) would be greatly appreciated.
Doc Loch
NOCHE DECISIVA (DECISIVE NIGHT or FATEFUL NIGHT) was a 1945 Spanish comedy-drama, written, produced, and directed by Julio de Fleischner. The film was one of nine pictures directed by de Fleischner between 1939 and 1946. NOCHE DECISIVA follows Valentin, a young millionaire who is fed up with his empty life. So he says goodbye to all the women with whom he has had relationships, and leaves to take refuge in a monastery. But the monastery will only accept him if he maintains his decision after a year away from vice. Just as he is about to finish the year, Valentin meets a beautiful young woman, and complications arise
Starring in NOCHE DECISIVA were Julio Peña and Guillermina Grin. Born into a family of artists, Julio Peña was the son of actor Ramon Peña. After completing his undergraduate studies at the College of San Antón Escolapios, Peña joined the Teatro Infanta Isabel and debuted on stage at 15 years of age. He traveled throughout Spain in the company of his father. Peña debuted in films in 1930 with Doña Lies. Hired by MGM, he arrived in New York, on October 22, 1930 on the "Ile de France," but only played two very short roles in Hollywood films. After finishing "Mama" at Fox, he signed a contract with the studio for six months, beginning July 22, 1931. But the contract was canceled on November 30 without his having appeared in any films. Peña remained in Hollywood for several more years, filming Spanish versions of movies that had originally been filmed for American audiences. (For example, Peña was in MGM’s “La Fruta Amarga,” which was the Spanish version of “Min and Bill,” a 1930 MGM film that had starred Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery.) Back in Spain, and after the Spanish Civil War ended, Peña resumed his career, combining film and theater. His best decade on screen was the forties, when he worked under such prestigious directors as Perojo Benito, Edgar Neville, Rafael Gil, José Luis Sáenz de Heredia, and Juan de Orduña. Films from this period include Marianela (1940), E de Indias (1942), A New Drama (1946), Spanish Serenade (1947) and Confidence (1947). As for Guillermina Grin, she had only been acting since 1942, but had already appeared in 10 films at the time of NOCHE DECISIVA.
NOCHE DECISIVA was the first production of Talia Films (which years later produced Luis Bunuel’s TRISTANA) and was distributed by Chamartin. The film was shot in Madrid and Sevilla in Spain, and in Nice and Paris in France. Sources differ as to the film’s running time, giving it as either 86, 89, or 110 minutes, the latter being the most common. NOCHE DECISIVA premiered in Spain on 25 February 1945, but never had a U.S. release.
Julio Peña would continue a distinguished acting career into the early 1970s. After his marriage in 1953 to actress Susana Canales, the two formed their own theater company. Peña’s film career began to be relegated to supporting roles. He would ultimately appear in about 100 films, including such English-language productions as Orson Welles’ CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (1965), Buzz Kulik’s VILLA RIDES (1968), and Terence Young’s RED SUN (1971). Peña died in 1972 at the age of 60. Guillermina Grin would continue acting solely in Spain until 1951.
Producer Hal Wallis had long been involved in the production of films that dramatized chapters from England’s history, going all the way back to his 1936 production of THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE. That film was followed by Wallis’ THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX (1939), BECKET (1964), ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS (1969), and MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS (1972). Thus it was no surprise when Wallis decided to film the story of Lord Horatio Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton in 1973’s THE NELSON AFFAIR.
I was excited for this movie when I saw it in its theatrical release. What a disappointment: Glenda Jackson playing WAY over the top; lame, studio-filmed battle scenes; and Legrand's score, which begins promisingly, but plods and drones through endless repetition.
Back in the old days of TV[60's, early 70's] some local TV stations like WPIX-TV- CH-11 IN NEW YORK would show a bunch of post war [late 40's] films from Italy and Spain.They often were on weekday afternoons, However since that period, free TV pretty much abandoned those films and Cable has also for the most part ignore then, except for the rare few.By the way good luck Bob with all the info keep it up, i will be making an annocement soon.You really have given this board alot of great info over the years.
Bob -- With regard to Noche Decisiva, very impressive. This is the only plot synopsis I've ever seen of the film. I'll have to watch it again and see if I can make more sense of it now that I know the basic premise.
By the way, I wonder if we should change the title of this thread to "Stump the Bob".
KILL, KILL, KILL was an international thriller released in the U.S. by Cinerama Releasing in 1974. (The number of “kills” in the title ranges from one to four, depending upon what country the film was released in and what source you are consulting. Three seems to be the number for the American theatrical release.) KILL, KILL, KILL was an English-language, French-Spanish-German-Italian co-production. In this crime thriller/melodrama, an Interpol agent (James Mason) is "on the take" from international drug rings he is supposed to investigate. Before he can get to Asia on his next assignment, his wife (Jean Seberg) takes a vacation trip to Asia, tailed by an American narcotics agent (Stephen Boyd). Curt Jurgens was also in the film.
KILL, KILL, KILL was produced in 1971 by Ilya and Alexander Salkind, before they had their successes with THE THREE MUSKETEERS and SUPERMAN. The film was written and directed by Jean Seberg's husband, Romain Gary. Reportedly, Gary made two versions of the film; one with nude scenes, a second with dressed actors. He said that the former version was for Catholic countries, the latter for Protestant ones. Gary was primarily a writer, and KILL, KILL, KILL was the second and last film that he ever directed. The first film, 1968’s BIRDS IN PERU, also starred Jean Seberg and was X-rated in the U.S. As a writer, Gary co-wrote the screenplay for 1958’s THE ROOTS OF HEAVEN (based upon his own novel), and he also wrote the novels “Lady L,” “Promise At Dawn,” and “Madame Rosa,” which were made into films starring Sophia Loren, Melina Mercouri, and Simone Signoret, respectively.
KILL, KILL, KILL was filmed on locations in Spain, Tunisia, and Afghanistan. The picture was scored by Berto Pisano and Jacques Chaumont. A 29-minute soundtrack was issued on both an Italian and a Japanese LP (shown) and has been expanded to 41 minutes on two Japanese CD releases.
Here’s the main title theme:
In America, KILL, KILL, KILL usually played as the bottom half of a double bill. Leonard Maltin gives the film one and a half stars, and notes that the film’s “hardened violence clashes with director Gary’s purple prose.” Various sources give different running times for the film, generally ranging from 102 to 113 minutes. But Maltin claims that the version that was released in the U.S. was a cut-down 90-minute version. (Perhaps the U.S. received the “Protestant” cut.) The film was not a success in the U.S. or elsewhere. In a 1983 interview, the Salkinds termed it “a disaster.”
The film received a cassette release, under the shortened title KILL, from USA Home Video, reportedly at 110 minutes. Subsequently, the film has disappeared, but may be available from some gray market sources.
I'm not sure you would call this obscure, but what about the original 1964 version of "The Thin Red Line"' which was put on home video by Simitar Home video in conjunction with the 1998 remake? Since the film was released by Allied Artists, I'm surprised it wasn't put out as a M.O.D. release by Warner Archives (and in widescreen, too!).
James Jones’ novel The Thin Red Line was published in 1962. Jones had already had two novels made into films: From Here To Eternity, published in 1951, was filmed by Fred Zinnemann in 1953, and Some Came Running, published in 1957, was filmed by Vincente Minnelli in 1959. In addition to major directors, both films had all-star casts and were quite successful. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and SOME CAME RUNNING was nominated for five Oscars. But the film version of THE THIN RED LINE was conceived on a smaller scale, and its achievements were also less.
For one thing, while the earlier films had the backing of major studios (Columbia and MGM), THE THIN RED LINE was an independent production undertaken by Security Pictures. To be sure, Security Pictures was not unversed in adapting novels to the screen. Its best-known prior production, 1958’s GOD’S LITTLE ACRE, had been adapted from Erskine Caldwell’s 1933 novel. And Security had also produced war films before, with Anthony Mann’s MEN IN WAR (1957). THE THIN RED LINE’s producer, Sidney Harmon, had produced both of those earlier films, and four more for Security since 1953.
The screenplay for THE THIN RED LINE was written by Bernard Gordon. In the early 1950s, Gordon had been subpoenaed to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He was never actually called, but an acquaintance named him before the Committee, and he was fired from a studio and blacklisted. During the 1950s, Gordon wrote such films as EARTH VS. FLYING SAUCERS and HELLCATS OF THE NAVY under a pseudonym. He had written Security’s most recent picture, 1963’s THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS, even though producer Philip Yordan had received official credit. Gordon was finally able to come out of the shadows later in 1963 and receive onscreen credit for his writing on 55 DAYS AT PEKING and CRY OF BATTLE.
Directing THE THIN RED LINE was Andrew Marton. A Hungarian émigré, Marton had been directing small films since 1929. Growing up in the Tyrolean Alps, he had developed a fondness for spectacular mountain scenery and skiing. This led to his being hired by MGM in 1940 to direct the ski sequences for Greta Garbo's TWO-FACED WOMAN (1941). MGM put Marton under contract in 1946. He replaced Compton Bennett as director of KING SOLOMON’S MINES (1950), after Bennett became ill. Subsequently, Marton directed adventure films like THE WILD NORTH (1952) and STORM OVER TIBET (1952). His chief claim to fame, however, was as second unit director in charge of the chariot race for William Wyler in BEN-HUR (1959). Marton had recently had some war film experience, having directed the outdoor sequences involving American actors in 1962’s THE LONGEST DAY.
Unlike the all-star casts of the prior films that were based upon Jones’ novels, THE THIN RED LINE starred the lesser-known Keir Dullea, Jack Warden, and James Philbrook. At the time, Dullea was a hot young television actor, with his breakout feature film being 1962’s independent production DAVID AND LISA. Veteran Jack Warden had been acting since the early 1950s, and had actually appeared in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, as well as in other war films such as THE FROGMEN (1951), DARBY’S RANGERS, and RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP (both 1958). And he had been praised for his dramatic turn in Sidney Lumet’s 12 ANGRY MEN. Starting in television in 1957, James Philbrook had some bit parts in several late 1950s films. He had a better role in WOMAN OBSESSED (1959) and had most recently starred in a 1962 Columbia B-western, THE WILD WESTERNERS.
THE THIN RED LINE, based loosely on James Jones' own experiences during the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II, follows the fortunes of Private Doll, who is on Guadalcanal fending off the Japanese. In addition, Doll must deal with a sadistic battle-scarred sergeant with whom he gets into a feud. The picture was shot in Spain, in black-and-white CinemaScope. The film was scored by Malcolm Arnold, but none of his music has ever been released or re-recorded. In fact, Soundtrack Collector does not even list the film among Arnold’s credits. Allied Artists signed on to distribute the film, and the 99-minute THE THIN RED LINE opened in Los Angeles on 13 May 1964.
Reviews were mixed. Looking at the film like a standard war action movie, Variety felt that “Aficionados of action-packed war films will favor the combat-centered approach of THE THIN RED LINE.” The reviewer felt that “Dullea and Warden are colorful antagonists, the former’s intensity contrasting sharply with the latter’s easy-going air.” But critics who were looking for more of Jones’ antiwar message to come through, like the one from The New York Times, declared the film to be “A real disappointment . . . mainly due to the adaptation and the direction. Bernard Gordon’s obvious and overwritten script, in trying to compress too much and too briefly and too faithfully, plays like a comic strip version of the original. Under the sincere but inadequate piloting of Andrew Marton, Jack Warden and Ray Daley are unable to explore the possibilities of two key roles. . . . But young Dullea excels.” But Boxoffice magazine felt that the film had it all, declaring it to be “A powerful , explosive and action-packed World War II drama.” The reviewer also felt that the screenplay “gives it a documentary flavor and stresses realism and the horror of the conflict rather than the personal story . . . A stirring picture which points up the futility of war.” Boxoffice added that “Dullea is outstanding” while the other cast members “contribute first rate acting support. Well directed by Andrew Marton, who handles the battle sequences splendidly.” The film also got a highly laudatory review from Film Daily, a favorable review from Parents Magazine and a mixed notice from the Hollywood Reporter.
Modern takes on the film are similarly mixed. In a 3-star review, Leonard Maltin calls the film a “gritty adaptation.” But The Motion Picture Guide, in a 2½ star notice, first found that “Marton’s direction handles the material well, pumping the needed energy into battle sequences that accurately capture the mayhem and brutality of war.” But the Guide also felt that “The film falters, though, in trying to do too much in too short of a running time. In adapting Jones’ novel for the screen, whole scenes from the book have been neatly compacted, which causes occasional confusion. Motivations are often just touched on without any probing into the psychology of men at war. The result is a good, though not entirely satisfactory, account of two men’s journey through hell.”
While Jones’ novel had sold over a million copies, the picture was grossing barely above average. And it quickly faded away. In a 1999 interview, James Jones’ daughter Kaylie said that there are reasons for the film’s low visibility: "It's not a good film,” she declared. “[It] doesn't know what it is. It was made in the early '60s. There was no such thing as an 'antiwar' film. It was trying to make a heroic war film from a novel that says war is terrible. It was a low-budget movie that was filmed in Spain, so it looks nothing like the terrain.”
THE THIN RED LINE was remade by Terence Malick in 1998, who in his 170-minute film could do better justice to Jones’ novel. Even so, Malick’s film covers only the first half of the book, while Marton’s attempts to encompass the whole novel. Malick’s film prompted the DVD release of the original, which was issued by Simitar Entertainment a month before Malick’s version opened. Unfortunately, the video presents the CinemaScope film in a pan-and-scan transfer.
With rare exceptions, Security Pictures held the sole copyright on all of the films that they produced. Thus, the original distributors (or their successors) are not able to release the films onto video. The Security films that were distributed by Allied Artists (AA), such as THE THIN RED LINE and THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS, are not available to the current AA owner, Warner Bros., to issue on DVD. I’m not sure who licensed THE THIN RED LINE to Simitar in 1998 for release on DVD, but Simitar went bankrupt in 2000. Current copyright records indicate that 20th Century Fox now owns THE THIN RED LINE. But based upon Fox’s recent release of its own CinemaScope films in pan-and-scan MOD DVD versions, I wouldn’t hold out much hope for a new widescreen version of THE THIN RED LINE.
Screenwriter Bernard Gordon would go on to co-write the scripts for Security Pictures’ two big Cinerama epics of the late 1960s: CUSTER OF THE WEST (1968) and KRAKATOA: EAST OF JAVA (1969). He then produced a few films of his own in the early 1970s (BAD MAN’S RIVER, HORROR EXPRESS) before retiring. Gordon came out of retirement in 1999 to lead the protest against the honorary Oscar awarded to director Elia Kazan, who had supported the blacklist. That same year he published his autobiography: Hollywood Exile, or How I Learned to Love the Blacklist. Gordon died in 2007 at age 88.
Director Andrew Marton would direct Security Pictures’ 1965 sci-fi classic CRACK IN THE WORLD (this is one of those rare Security films that has been released on DVD/Blu-ray by its original distributor—Paramount—through its licensee Olive Films). Marton concluded his career doing second-unit work on films such as KELLY’S HEROES (1970) and THE DAY OF THE JACKAL (1973). He died in 1992 at age 87. Kier Dullea would have major roles in BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING (1965) and 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) before falling back into smaller features, TV movies, and series roles. He would basically take the 1990s off to focus on stage work, but returned to the screen in 2000. He has recently appeared in TV series such as “Castle” and “Damages.” Jack Warden continued to work as a character actor for most of the next four decades. He appeared as Coach George Halas in the TV-movie “Brian’s Song’ (1971) and had memorable parts in …AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (1979) and THE VERDICT (1982). He died in 2006 at age 85. James Philbrook would continue in minor roles before moving to Europe for a string of Eurowesterns in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He then retired from acting. He died in 1982 at age 58.
ALABAMA’S GHOST is a surreal horror/blaxploitation film set in the San Francisco area. In the film, Alabama, a band manager, is cleaning the equipment in a bar basement when he accidentally drives his forklift through the wall. The wall crumbles, revealing a tunnel that leads to a darkened storeroom. Inside the storeroom are the worldly possessions of the legendary magician Carter the Great, including his lavish costumes, props and furniture. Alabama tries on the costumes and becomes "Alabama, King of the Cosmos," and some wild events ensue. The film’s plot starts from a point of fact. Carter the Great, whose real name was Charles Joseph Carter, was a prominent magician in the early twentieth century. Carter was born in San Francisco in 1874 and died in 1936.
ALABAMA’S GHOST was written, produced, and directed by Fredric Hobbs. The film was the last of four low-budget films that the 42-year-old Hobbs wrote and directed between 1969 and 1973. The other three were TROIKA , ROSELAND, and GODMONSTER OF INDIAN FLATS. Starring in the film were Christopher Brooks, Peggy Browne, and E. Kerrigan Prescott. Brooks had begun acting in 1970 and had appeared in Hobbs’ ROSELAND and GODMONSTER OF INDIAN FLATS, as had Peggy Browne and E. Kerrigan Prescott. Prescott had been an actor since the late 1950’s and had appeared in 1958’s FIEND WITHOUT A FACE. He left acting in 1962 to become a drama teacher at U.C. Berkeley during the sixties, returning to acting for Hobbs’ films.
ALABAMA’S GHOST was filmed on an estimated budget of $55,000. At least one scene was filmed in an old brick yard in San Rafael, CA. The 93-minute film was distributed by Ellman Enterprises, but it’s not clear when or where it played. Although a July 1973 Boxoffice release chart cited a November 1972 release for the film, no reviews have been located and no national release date has been confirmed. One internet poster recalls seeing the film at Houston’s Majestic Metro Theater in 1973.
Modern reviews are dismissive of the film. The Videohound Golden Movie Retriever says that it is “Far from the best of the ‘blaxploitation’ films of the '70s.” And the Creature Features Movie Guide calls it a “descent into ambiguity and esoteric irrelevance . . . Don’t expect continuity from this avant-garde filmmaker. In fact you might consider giving up Hobbs ghost.”
Although the onscreen credits include a copyright statement to Fredric Hobbs Films, Inc., ALABAMA’s GHOST was not registered for copyright. The film was released on a hard-to-find cassette by Thriller Video as one of their features hosted by Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. It’s also available from some gray market DVD retailers, presumably sourced from the cassette.
Here’s a scene from the film, followed by some comments about the bizarre plot by a host from a cable TV horror show.
Since retiring from film making, Fredric Hobbs has become a successful and notable sculptor. Christopher Brooks would appear in minor roles in some notable films like THE MACK and MAGNUM FORCE (both 1973) before leaving acting in 1977. Peggy Browne would have only two more screen roles, in 1978’s AVALANCHE and a 1979 TV movie, THE KID FROM LEFT FIELD. E. Kerrigan Prescott had two TV roles after ALABAMA’S GHOST, then left acting for good. He died in 2009 at age 77.
