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Amen to that.
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Loved silver streak. Tobruk and Plaza Suite. See no evil was funny too. A talented man. A clever leaning for comedy thrillers and light drama.
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R.I.P. My two favorites of his are The Hospital and Man of La Mancha.
I just picked up the Criterion edition of The In-laws at the library yesterday. I'll watch it this evening in tribute.
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R.I.P Mr SILVER STREAK!
A great collection of movies you made!
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Posted: |
Aug 18, 2016 - 10:26 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Hiller spent the next six years directing dozens of television episodes for shows as varied as "Naked City," "Route 66," and "Gunsmoke." He received an Emmy nomination for a 1958 episode of "Naked City." In early 1962, Hiller filmed the pilot for the television series "Empire", which starred Richard Egan as "Jim Redigo," the foreman of a ranch in modern-day New Mexico. The series was picked up and began airing in September 1962, with co-stars Anne Seymour as the ranch owner, Terry Moore as her daughter, and Ryan O'Neal as her son. Charles Bronson joined the cast mid-way through the first season as a ranch hand. The pilot did not air as part of the series during the first season, and because of low ratings, the hour-long series was revised for season two, shortening it to half an hour, jettisoning most of the cast except for Egan, and renaming it "Redigo." With the pilot episode now unusable for airing as part of the series, Columbia Pictures (parent of show producer Screen Gems) took the pilot, added footage from some of the later Charles Bronson episodes and released it as a theatrical feature overseas under the title THIS RUGGED LAND.
Hiller's next feature, MIRACLE OF THE WHITE STALLIONS, opened in Chicago on 29 March 1963. Robert Taylor stars as a Colonel in charge of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna who attempts to save the school's prized Lipizzan horses, endangered by the bombardment of the city during the final critical months of World War II. Lilli Palmer costarred as his wife, and Curt Jurgens was a sympathetic German general. The cast also included Eddie Albert and James Franciscus. The film was based on a 1960 novel, Ein Leben für die Lipizzaner, by Col. Alois Podhajsky, although the underlying story was a true one.
The film was partially shot on location in Vienna, and the equestrian performances in the film were choreographed by the real Colonel Podhajsky. Music was by Paul Smith, with a song ("Just Say Auf Wiedersehen") added by the Sherman Brothers.
MIRACLE OF THE WHITE STALLIONS was not the typical Disney film, in that it was perhaps too demanding for children, and at 117 minutes would, even in 1963, tax the attention span of youngsters. The film also was primarily talk, with little action. The critics mainly took the film to task. Variety called it “inept . . . a fuzzy, laborious and generally undistinguished dramatization . . . in a confusing and insensitive scenario, plus turtle-tempoed direction by Arthur Hiller.” Robert Salmaggi in the Herald-Tribune wrote that "MIRACLE OF THE WHITE STALLIONS falls between two stools: not schmaltzy enough for the kiddies, too pallid for the adults.”
The Time reviewer wrote that that the horses “are more intelligent than most of the people connected with this picture.” And Bosley Crowther of the New York Times said that “those who love horses will also have to put up with a none-too-eventful or dramatic jumble of narrative” adding that “Mr. Taylor, looking weatherworn and weary, makes the colonel a rather dull sort, so fanatic about horses that he scarcely seems a man.” The film died at the boxoffice, and that’s probably why it has never gotten a re-issue or much television or video exposure. It was broadcast on TV in 1965, but the film wasn’t issued on tape until 1997, and finally came out on DVD in 2004, both in poor-looking full-frame transfers.
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Posted: |
Aug 18, 2016 - 12:34 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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From THE WHEELER DEALERS, James Garner, producer Martin Ransohoff, and Filmways Pictures re-teamed for the 1964 comedy-drama THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY. In this wartime tale, set just before D-Day, Garner starred as "Lieut. Comdr. Charlie Madison," an aide to eccentric "Rear Admiral Jessup" (Melvyn Douglas), who specializes in supplying the top Navy officers with luxuries such as party girls. Julie Andrews is "Emily Barham," Madison's British motorpool driver.
Producer Ransohoff removed original director William Wyler from the picture because Wyler wanted to change Paddy Chayefsky's script. It was a rare instance in which a producer supported a screenwriter over a director, particularly one of Wyler's caliber. But since Chayefsky was known to have guarantees written into his contracts protecting his scripts, Ransohoff may have had no choice but to replace Wyler with Arthur Hiller, whom he had first used on THE WHEELER DEALERS.
Johnny Mandel's score, which contained the popular tune "Emily," was issued on a Reprise records LP. An expanded version of the score was released by Film Score Monthly in 2009.
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Posted: |
Aug 19, 2016 - 2:41 PM
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By: |
filmusicnow
(Member)
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Hiller spent the next six years directing dozens of television episodes for shows as varied as "Naked City," "Route 66," and "Gunsmoke." Hiller's next feature, MIRACLE OF THE WHITE STALLIONS, opened in Chicago on 29 March 1963. Robert Taylor stars as a Colonel in charge of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna who attempts to save the school's prized Lipizzan horses, endangered by the bombardment of the city during the final critical months of World War II. Lilli Palmer costarred as his wife, and Curt Jurgens was a sympathetic German general. The cast also included Eddie Albert and James Franciscus. The film was based on a 1960 novel, Ein Leben für die Lipizzaner, by Col. Alois Podhajsky, although the underlying story was a true one.
The film was partially shot on location in Vienna, and the equestrian performances in the film were choreographed by the real Colonel Podhajsky. Music was by Paul Smith, with a song ("Just Say Auf Wiedersehen") added by the Sherman Brothers.
MIRACLE OF THE WHITE STALLIONS was not the typical Disney film, in that it was perhaps too demanding for children, and at 117 minutes would, even in 1963, tax the attention span of youngsters. The film also was primarily talk, with little action. The critics mainly took the film to task. Variety called it “inept . . . a fuzzy, laborious and generally undistinguished dramatization . . . in a confusing and insensitive scenario, plus turtle-tempoed direction by Arthur Hiller.” Robert Salmaggi in the Herald-Tribune wrote that "MIRACLE OF THE WHITE STALLIONS falls between two stools: not schmaltzy enough for the kiddies, too pallid for the adults.”
The Time reviewer wrote that that the horses “are more intelligent than most of the people connected with this picture.” And Bosley Crowther of the New York Times said that “those who love horses will also have to put up with a none-too-eventful or dramatic jumble of narrative” adding that “Mr. Taylor, looking weatherworn and weary, makes the colonel a rather dull sort, so fanatic about horses that he scarcely seems a man.” The film died at the boxoffice, and that’s probably why it has never gotten a re-issue or much television or video exposure. It was broadcast on TV in 1965, but the film wasn’t issued on tape until 1997, and finally came out on DVD in 2004, both in poor-looking full-frame transfers.
"Thriller" too, in which he supplies one of the audio commentaries on Image Entertainment's D.V.D. set of the series.
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Posted: |
Aug 19, 2016 - 2:58 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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For 1970's LOVE STORY, director Arthur Hiller's first choice for the role of "Oliver" was Beau Bridges, but he turned it down. Christopher Walken, David Birney, and Ken Howard screen-tested for the role, and despite Hiller's preference for Walken, Paramount executive Robert Evans chose Ryan O'Neal, describing him as "a reactor rather than an actor." Ali MacGraw was cast in the lead female role in this smash hit film, which had a worldwide gross of $136 million on a $2.2 million budget.
The film received seven Academy Award nominations, including one for Hiller as Best Director. But the only winner was for Francis Lai's score, which replaced a rejected score by Jimmy Webb. The Paramount LP soundtrack has been reissued on CD by MCA in several countries, but not in the U.S. In the Best Director race, Hiller lost to Franklin J. Schaffner for PATTON. But Hiller beat Schaffner in the Golden Globe Award contest, and won as Best Director for LOVE STORY, with the film itself winning as Best Motion Picture Drama.
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