Invasion of the Body Snatchers released December 20, 1978

 

 

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a 1978 science fiction film based on the novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney.

Trivia:

• At the beginning of the film, as the alien spores rain down on earth, you see them presumably landing on the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco – the headquarters of what was then the parent company of United Artists, which produced the film.
• Cameo: ['Don Siegel (I)'] taxi driver. Siegel directed the original film, of which this film is a remake.
• Cameo: [Kevin McCarthy] man asking for help. McCarthy was the star of the original film, of which this film is a remake.
• Cameo: ['Robert Duvall (I)'] the priest on the swing.
• According to the commentary on the DVD, director Philip Kaufman said they paid ‘Robert Duvall (I)’ by giving him an Eddie Bauer jacket.
• Director Cameo: [Philip Kaufman] playing an impatient man rapping on the window of a phone booth occupied by Donald Sutherland.
• Silence is heard as the end credits roll as there was no end title music composed or recorded for the film.
• Elizabeth’s nude scene in the factory was also filmed with clothes. That was seen when the film debuted on ABC in 1980.
• Donald Sutherland insisted on performing his own stunts in the film’s climax. His scenes at the pod factory were filmed without harnesses or nets. In the shot of a fireball erupting from the factory, Sutherland barely missed it. However, an extra missed his cue and was seriously injured from the explosion.
• Among the sounds Ben Burtt used for the pod growing scene, the heartbeat came from an ultrasound recorded on his pregnant wife. The pod screams were recorded pig squeals. Additionally, the natural diegetic sounds (crickets, birds chirping) fade as the film progresses, until only mechanical sounds (sirens, the garbage trucks) are heard.
• Donald Sutherland was hit by a Volkswagen beetle while filming a shot of Matthew and Elizabeth running. He fell onto the windshield and was able to see the driver saying “Oh, my God! Not you!”
• Matthew’s story/joke goes as follows. The British are trapped in the Sahara and are surrounded by the Germans. One day, an officer makes an announcement: “I have good news and bad news. The bad news is, we have no food but camel poop. The good news is, there is plenty of it.”
• While rehearsing Kevin McCarthy’s cameo, a naked homeless man recognized him and said “The first one was better”.
• Cameo: [Cinematographer Michael Chapman] janitor at the Health Department. Appears when Elizabeth cries in Matthew’s arms and later when they sneak into the building.
• During the taxi ride, Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams’ nervousness is genuine. Don Siegel had lost much of his vision and was driving through the dark streets of San Francisco without his glasses.

 

Steven Spielberg Birthday December 18

Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (born December 18, 1946) is an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer. In a career spanning over four decades, Spielberg’s films have touched on many themes and genres. Spielberg’s early sci-fi and adventure films sometimes centering on children, were seen as an archetype of modern Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking. In later years his films began addressing such issues as The Holocaust, slavery, war and terrorism.

Spielberg won the Academy Award for Best Director for 1993′s Schindler’s List and 1998′s Saving Private Ryan. Four of Spielberg’s films, Jaws (1975), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993), broke box office records, each becoming the highest-grossing film made at the time. To date, the unadjusted gross of all Spielberg-directed films exceeds $8.5 billion worldwide. Forbes magazine places Spielberg’s personal net worth at $3.0 billion. In 2006, Premiere listed him as the most powerful and influential figure in the motion picture industry. Time listed him as one of the 100 Most Important People of the Century. At the end of the twentieth century, Life named him the most influential person of his generation.

 

 

 

 

 

ET and Steven Spielberg

Trademark:

Uses powerful flashlights in dark scenes (Jurassic Park (1993); The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)). The outline of the beam is often made visible through dust, mist, or fog.

Frequently uses music by John Williams.

Often shows shooting stars (Jaws (1975)).

Onscreen performers staring, usually at something off camera.

He often uses images of the sun (Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Color Purple (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Saving Private Ryan (1998)).

His films often show children in some sort of danger.

Consistent references to World War II.

Frequent references to Disney films, music, or theme parks.

Frequently uses a piano as an element in key scenes (Schindler’s List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Minority Report (2002)).

Important images, or characters, are often seen through the rear-view mirror of a car (Duel (1971) (TV), E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler’s List (1993), Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)).

Frequently casts Tom Hanks, Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Frank Welker and Tom Cruise.

Protagonists in his films often come from families with divorced parents, with fathers portrayed as reluctant, absent or irresponsible, most notably in _E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)_ (Elliot’s mother is divorced and father is absent) and Catch Me If You Can (2002) (Frank Abagnale’s mother and father split early in the film). This reflects Spielberg’s own experience as a youth with his parents breaking up.

A common theme in many of his films is ordinary people who discover something extraordinary – people, places, artifacts, creatures, etc. (Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)).

Since Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), all of his movies have featured visual effects (even those that were undetected) by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the F/X house created by his friend George Lucas. The only exception has been The Terminal (2004), which had F/X work by Digital Imageworks.

Is credited for starting the summer blockbuster tradition with 1975′s first $100 million megahit, Jaws (1975).

Trivia:

Member of Theta Chi Fraternity (Zeta Epsilon Chapter, Long Beach State University). One of his fraternity brothers was Roger Ernest.

Received the Germany’s Cross of Merit with star for his sensible representation of Germany’s history in Schindler’s List (1993). [1998]

Jonathan Norman was sentenced to 25 years to life, for stalking Spielberg and threatening to rape him. [June 1998]

Chosen by Entertainment Weekly as the most powerful person in entertainment in 1997. [31 October 1997]

American Film Institute Life Achievement Award. [1995]

There are seven children in the Capshaw-Spielberg family: Theo Spielberg, who was adopted by Kate Capshaw before their marriage and later adopted by Spielberg, born in 1988, Sasha Spielberg, born on 14 May 1990, Sawyer Spielberg, born on 10 March 1992, their adopted daughter Mikaela George Spielberg, born on 28 February 1996, and Destry Allen Spielberg, born on 1 December 1996. Kate Capshaw’s daughter Jessica Capshaw, born in 1976, is from her previous marriage. Steven Spielberg’s son Max Spielberg, born in 1985, is from his previous marriage to Amy Irving.

Amy Irving gave birth to his son Max Spielberg on 13 June 1985.

He claims Richard Dreyfuss is his alter-ego.

Attended California State University, Long Beach after being turned down by USC Cinema school twice.

Attended Arcadia High School in Phoenix.

Awarded second annual John Huston Award for Artists Rights by the Artists Rights Foundation. [1995]

Co-founder (with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen) of DreamWorks SKG.

He has one of the original Rosebud sleds from Citizen Kane (1941) in his house.

Godfather of Drew Barrymore and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Named Best Director of the 20th Century in an Entertainment Weekly on-line poll, substantially beating out runners-up Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick. [September 1999]

Born to Arnold Spielberg, a computer engineer, and Leah Adler, née Posner, a restaurateur and concert pianist.

Received the Distinguished Public Service Award, the U. S. Navy’s highest civilian honor, on Veterans Day 1999 for his work on the movie Saving Private Ryan (1998).

Sits on USC School of Cinema-Television’s Board of Councilors.

When he was a child, he sneaked onto the lot of Universal Studios during a tour and befriended an editor who showed him a few things about filmmaking.

Gwyneth Paltrow calls him Uncle Morty.

During filming of their episode of “Night Gallery” (1970), Spielberg gave Joan Crawford the gift of a single red rose in a Pepsi bottle. During an on-set conversation with Detroit Free Press reporter Shirley Eder, Crawford pointed out Spielberg and said, “Go interview that kid, because he’s going to be the biggest director of all time!” Crawford and Spielberg remained good friends until her death in 1977.

Awarded the honor of Knight of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in New Years Honours 2001 by Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to the British film industry. As a non-Commonwealth citizen, he will not be able to use the title. [December 2000]

States that the work of David Lean has had a profound effect on his career.

Spent five months developing the script for Rain Man (1988) with Ronald Bass, but had to commit to his handshake deal to direct Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Spielberg gave all of his notes to Barry Levinson.

Almost directed Big (1988) with Tom Hanks starring, but didn’t want to steal the thunder of his sister, Anne Spielberg, who co-wrote the script.

Personally offered the American Beauty (1999) script to Sam Mendes, who ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Director on the film, which was Mendes’s debut feature.

Flew Will Smith to his Hamptons home via helicopter to offer him the part in Men in Black (1997).

Often casts new actors based on their performances in other works. Rarely does auditions for major roles.

Was asked to approve use of the theme music from Jaws (1975) for Swingers (1996). When he saw a cut of the film, he saw Vince Vaughn, whom he chose to play Nick Van Owen in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997).

He is an Eagle Scout and was on an advisory board for the Boy Scouts of America. He left this position because he did not agree with the fact that the Boy Scouts of America discriminated against homosexuals.

Was directing a childbirth scene when he received a call that Amy Irving was giving birth to their son Max Spielberg.

According to the 2001 issue of Forbes’ “400 Richest People In America,” Spielberg’s fortune is $2.1 billion.

Was irked when footage from his movie Duel (1971) (TV) was used as stock footage in an episode of “The Incredible Hulk” (1978). But since Universal Studios owned the rights to both the The Incredible Hulk series and the film of Duel, taking legal action was not possible. However, he subsequently updated his contracts to include a clause that would protect his future material from being used as stock footage.

On May 31, 2002, graduated from California State University Long Beach with a bachelor’s degree in film and electronic arts. He had dropped out of college in 1968 to concentrate on his career, but during the 2000s fulfilled his remaining graduation requirements via independent projects, which required correspondence courses and several term papers. For Spielberg, the school waived its requirement that all senior film majors must submit a completed 12-minute short film, accepting Schindler’s List (1993) in its place. He donned cap and gown and marched in the commencement ceremony with his fellow graduates.

Received honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Yale University (27 May 2002).

When Spielberg received his undergraduate degree (about 35 years after he had first entered college), the orchestra played the theme from the “Indiana Jones” series of films as he walked up to and across the stage.

Owns the rights to the Stephen King novel “The Talisman”. As of 2002, the book has not been made into a film. He is now producing this film for release in 2007.

His father served in World War II in South East Asian Front.

Michael Kahn has edited all of Spielberg’s theatrical features since Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), their first collaboration. Kahn did not, however, edit E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) because he was editing Poltergeist (1982). E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) was edited by Carol Littleton.

According to the 2002 edition of Forbes’ “400 Richest People in America,” his fortune is estimated at $2.2 billion, a $100 million improvement over the 2001 estimate.

Ranked #1 in Premiere’s 2003 annual Hollywood Power List. It is the third time he received the top ranking (the others being in 1994 & 1995). He had ranked #6 in 2002.

In Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), the humans and aliens use music and computers to communicate. Spielberg’s father was a computer scientist and his mother was a musician. This fact was only recently pointed out to him on “Inside the Actors Studio” (1994) by host James Lipton and he was unsurprisingly delighted when he realised the connection.

Is set to produce a mini-series for HBO that will set out to debunk the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The mini-series, written by David Leland, will focus on the historical reality of life in 500 A.D., when Arthur was thought to be King and will have no round table, Merlin, Lancelot, Excalibur, or knights. Camelot itself will be shown to have been a simple Roman fort and Arthur, named Artos in the film, will be portrayed as a humble blacksmith whose forging skills win him the English throne. It was expected to air sometime in 2004. [2003]

The first film he directed that was not scored by John Williams was The Color Purple (1985), which was scored by Quincy Jones.

Was voted the 11th Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

In 1983, he lost the Best Picture Oscar to Gandhi (1982), directed by Richard Attenborough. He later went on to direct five cast members, as well as Attenborough, in his later movies: Amrish Puri in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984); Roshan Seth in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984); Richard Attenborough in Jurassic Park (1993); Ben Kingsley in Schindler’s List (1993), Nigel Hawthorne in Amistad (1997) and Martin Sheen in Catch Me If You Can (2002).

Has worked with four actors from the Hannibal Lecter film series, in reverse order to the order in which the Lecter films came out. The first one he worked with was Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List (1993), who went on to play Francis Dollarhyde in Red Dragon (2002). His next film was The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), with Julianne Moore, who played Clarice Starling in the third Lecter film, Hannibal (2001). After this, he made Amistad (1997), with Anthony Hopkins, who began playing Hannibal Lecter in the second film, The Silence of the Lambs (1991). After this he made Saving Private Ryan (1998), which featured Dennis Farina, who played Jack Crawford in the original Lecter film, Manhunter (1986).

When asked what are the films he’s made he would like to be remembered for, he said E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Schindler’s List (1993).

Although close friend, George Lucas, has vowed to only shoot future movies digitally, Spielberg has been the most vocal film-maker of the opposing view: to continue shooting all of his movies on film. Other directors siding with Spielberg include Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone.

According to his interview on the series “Inside the Actors Studio” (1994), his favorite curse word is “Rats!”

To date, has never provided a director’s commentary on any of his films DVDs. [2004]

In the 2004 edition of Forbes’ “400 Richest People in America”, his net worth is estimated at $2.6 billion, his highest showing yet. The only filmmaker ahead of him is his good friend George Lucas, whose worth is estimated at $3 billion.

Described One Froggy Evening (1955) as “the most perfect cartoon ever made”.

His longtime friend George Lucas originally wanted him to direct the third entry of the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) and Spielberg was eager to do so, but Lucas was unsuccessful in getting him the job because of his dispute with the Director’s Guild at the time.

When he used product placement in E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), he used Reese’s Pieces only because M & M’s parent company didn’t want their product associated with aliens and UFOs.

Directed nine actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Liam Neeson; Ralph Fiennes; Anthony Hopkins; Tom Hanks; Melinda Dillon; Whoopi Goldberg; Oprah Winfrey; Margaret Avery and Christopher Walken.

Wrote a letter to Polish writer/director Mira Hamermesh in appreciation of one of her films.

Graduated from Saratoga High School in Saratoga, California.

Ranked #2 on Premiere’s 2005 Power 50 List, behind only Peter Jackson. Had the same ranking in 2004, behind Pixar bosses John Lasseter and Steve Jobs.

Though he has directed 9 actors in Oscar-nominated performances, to date he has never directed an Oscar-winning performance.

Ranked #1 in Empire (UK) magazine’s “The Greatest directors ever!” (2005).

Has been Honorary Member of the Society of Operating Cameramen (SOC) since 1995 and received the Governors Award “for his contributions in the advancement of the use of the motion picture camera”.

He has always been very protective of his name. If his company is working on a film and he feels it is not up to his standards, he will remove his name as a producer.

Aside from producing The Goonies (1985), he also directed at least one scene in the movie.

In the 2005 edition of Forbes’ “400 Richest People in America”, his net worth is estimated at $2.7 billion, a $100 million improvement over 2004 (due mostly to his share of the DreamWorks Animation public stock offering). He, and good friend George Lucas (net worth: $3.5 billion) are the only filmmakers on the list.

In December, he, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen sold DreamWorks SKG to Paramount Pictures Corporation for $1.6 billion.

Once screened Lawrence of Arabia (1962) with director David Lean, who gave Spielberg a “live director’s commentary”, as Spielberg put it. Spielberg said that it was one of the best moments of his life, learning from a true master. Consequently, Spielberg stated that it helped him make better pictures and that commentary directly influenced every movie he has made since.

His ten favourite films of all time are: Fantasia (1940); Citizen Kane (1941); A Guy Named Joe (1943); It’s a Wonderful Life (1946); The War of the Worlds (1953); Psycho (1960); Lawrence of Arabia (1962); 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968); The Godfather (1972) and La nuit américaine (1973).

Has an estimated fortune of $2.8 billion ($2,800,000,000), according to the “Los Angeles Business Journal”. The size of his fortune him the 14th richest person in the Los Angeles area and likely the wealthiest producer-director in the world (with only his friend George Lucas coming close).

His iconic character “E.T.” from E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) is ranked #26 on Premiere Magazine’s 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

Is the most represented filmmaker on the American Film Institute’s 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time, with five films on the list and three in the top ten. They are: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) at #58; The Color Purple (1985) at #51; Saving Private Ryan (1998) at #10; E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) at #6 and Schindler’s List (1993) at #3.

Ranked #6 in the Power Rankings and #1 in the Money Rankings on Forbes’ 2006 Celebrity 100 List, with earnings of $332 million. Most of those earnings were from the 2005 sale of DreamWorks to Paramount Pictures.

Ranked #4 on Premiere’s 2006 “Power 50″ list. Had ranked #2 in 2005.

Interviewed in “Directors Close Up: Interviews with Directors Nominated for Best Film by the Directors Guild of America”, ed. by Jeremy Kagan, Scarecrow Press, 2006.

In 1996, he purchased Clark Gable’s Oscar (which he won for It Happened One Night (1934)) to protect it from further commercial exploitation and gave it back to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, commenting that he could think of “no better sanctuary for Gable’s only Oscar than the Motion Picture Academy”.

On 14 December 2002 he bought Bette Davis’ Oscar, which she won for Dangerous (1935), at a Sotheby’s auction in New York to return it to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The statuette was among the memorabilia sold by the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain, which has emerged from bankruptcy protection.

On 19 July 2001 he purchased Bette Davis’ Oscar statuette, which she won for Jezebel (1938), at a Christie’s auction and returned it to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Early in his career, while working for Universal Studios, he was asked to give a tour to a special guest who had just sold the film rights to one of his books to the studio. That guest was Michael Crichton, who later worked with Spielberg on Jurassic Park (1993).

Both live-action adaptations of “The Incredible Hulk” have references to his films. The first used stock footage from Duel (1971) (TV). In the 2003 film by Ang Lee (Hulk (2003)), the impact of the Hulk hitting the ground causes ripples to form in nearby bodies of water, just as the Tyrannosaur does in Jurassic Park (1993).

Though he frequently works with Tom Hanks, Hanks is not, as of 2006, involved in Spielberg’s biopic about Abraham Lincoln, even though he is descended from the family of Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks.

Owns one of the largest gun collections on the East Coast. He shoots, but only privately.

Awarded Kennedy Center Honors in 2006, with Dolly Parton, Smokey Robinson, Zubin Mehta, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

According to Teri Garr, Spielberg told her on a set that one of his favorite movies is Viva Las Vegas (1964), starring Elvis Presley.

Is of Hungarian descent, which explains his surname, coming from the Austrian city where his ancestors lived.

Considered directing Memoirs of a Geisha (2005).

He, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola presented Martin Scorsese with his first ever award for Best Director, for The Departed (2006).

Is a huge fan of the actors Steve Martin, Bill Murray and Robin Williams. He is also proud to admit they are good friends of his.

Was offered the opportunity to direct California Split (1974), but job went to Robert Altman.

Was originally set to direct Cape Fear (1991). He later recommended Martin Scorsese for the job and personally called the director, letting him know that this was a commercial film that had potential to be a hit, which would exercise more power for Scorcese to make his films.

Attended the funeral of Princess Diana with friends Richard Attenborough, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Tom Hanks. [September 6, 1997]

Went to the same college, CSULB as Frank Miranda.

Was originally in talks to direct The Mask of Zorro (1998) but later only produced it.

Burt Reynolds film “White Lightning” (1973) was originally slated to be Spielberg’s first theatrical feature and he spent months on pre-production.

Robbie Williams mentions him in his song “I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen”.

2007- Ranked #2 on EW’s The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood.

Is a fan of “Doctor Who” (1963).

In 2007, Forbes estimated his earnings for the year 2006 to be $110 million.

Is a fan of video games and says that their development is intriguing to him.

His dog Elmer starred in several of his films including Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).

Owns homes in Pacific Palisades, California; New York City; East Hampton, New York; and Naples, Florida.

Pulled out of his role as advisor to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, reacting to the Chinese government’s inaction over the genocide in Darfur (February 2008).

Is a fan of the works of Carl Barks, and cites them as a big inspiration on his storytelling.

Dated actress Valerie Bertinelli in the late ’70s.

Turned down the opportunity to direct Deep Impact (1998) and The Mask of Zorro (1998) to work on Saving Private Ryan (1998).

Steven Spielberg receiveing Philadelphia'’s 2009 Liberty Medal

Served on the Board for the Institute for the Study of Women in Men in Society for USC. Hosted events for the intellectual society at his screening room and offices on the Universal lot in the late 1980s.

In the 5th edition of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (edited by Steven Jay Schneider), 8 of Spielberg’s films are listed: Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Color Purple (1985), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler’s List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998).

When Spielberg accepted the Cecil B. DeMille award at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards he expressed his gratitude to DeMille for helping him come to love filmmaking in the first place, describing his earliest childhood memory of going to see DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) with his father. “I think my fate was probably sealed that day in 1952″, he said, recalling how the train wreck scene in that film inspired first a keen interest in electric train sets and eventually his passion for film.

Is an excellent shot with a shotgun. Actor Shia LaBeouf once said about his shooting, “He’s an Olympic shot. The hand-eye co-ordination of that man is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. If he weren’t a great director, he could be one of our greatest snipers”.

Worked with both father and son Brolin actors. He worked with James Brolin in Catch Me If You Can (2002), and Josh Brolin in The Goonies (1985) and “Into the West” (2005).

Is one of 7 directors to win the Golden Globe, Director’s Guild, BAFTA, and Oscar for the same movie, winning for Schindler’s List (1993). The other directors to achieve this are ‘Mike Nichols (I)’ for The Graduate (1967), Milos Forman for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Richard Attenborough for Gandhi (1982), Oliver Stone for Platoon (1986), Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain (2005), and Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008).

  

Dino De Laurentiis’ King Kong released December 17, 1976

King Kong is a 1976 American motion picture produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin. It is a remake of the 1933 classic King Kong, about how a giant ape is captured and imported to New York City for exhibition.

The remake’s screenplay was written by Lorenzo Semple Jr., based on the original movie story written by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace, which had been adapted into the 1933 screenplay by James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose. It starred Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, and Jessica Lange, in her first movie role, playing a part similar to the one made famous in the original by Fay Wray.

Jessica Lange in King Kong 1976

Directed by
  John Guillermin

Writers
  Idea
   Merian C. Cooper and
   Edgar Wallace
  1933 screenplay
   James Creelman and
   Ruth Rose
  Screenplay
   Lorenzo Semple Jr.

Producers              
  Dino De Laurentiis … producer
  Federico De Laurentiis … executive producer
  Christian Ferry … executive producer

Cast
  Jeff Bridges … Jack Prescott
  Charles Grodin … Fred Wilson
  Jessica Lange … Dwan
  John Randolph … Captain Ross
  Rene Auberjonois … Roy Bagley
  Julius Harris … Boan
  Jack O’Halloran … Joe Perko
  Dennis Fimple … Sunfish
  Ed Lauter … Carnahan
  Jorge Moreno … Garcia
  Mario Gallo … Timmons
  John Lone … Chinese Cook
  Garry Walberg … Army General
  John Agar … City Official
  Keny Long … Ape Masked Man
  Sid Conrad … Petrox Chairman
  George Whiteman … Army Helicopter Pilot
  Wayne Heffley … Air Force General
  Forrest J Ackerman … Fleeing Extra in Crowd (uncredited)

Rick Baker as King Kong

Make Up Department
  Del Acevedo … makeup artist
  Rick Baker … makeup effects
  Jo McCarthy … hair stylist
  Rob Bottin … makeup effects

Special Effects Department
  Joe Day … special effects
  Carlo Rambaldi … special effects
  Glen Robinson … special effects
  Terry W. King … special effects technician (uncredited)
  Andrew Miller … special effects (uncredited)
  Wayne Rose … special effects crew (uncredited)

Visual Effects Department
  Lou Lichtenfield … matte artist
  Barry Nolan … photographic effects assistant
  Aldo Puccini … miniature coordinator
  Frank Van der Veer … photographic effects supervisor
  Harold E. Wellman … additional photographic effects

Monster on the Campus released December 17, 1958

Monster on the Campus (1958) was a black and white, science fiction, horror film, released by Universal Pictures on a low budget. It was also known as Monster in the Night, and Stranger on the Campus. This film was the last of Universal’s science fiction monster films released before Island of Terror (1966).

The film was directed by Jack Arnold (Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Incredible Shrinking Man) and from a script by David Duncan (The Time Machine).

Professor Donald Blake (Arthur Franz) has a collection of facial reconstructions depicting the ascent of man from the early hominids to modern man (or woman in this case, actress Joanna Moore). One of them is that of Piltdown Man, whose “discovery” in 1912 was exposed as a hoax in 1953, five years before the movie was released.

Cast
  Arthur Franz … Prof. Donald Blake
  Joanna Moore … Madeline Howard
  Judson Pratt … Lieutenant Mike Stevens
  Nancy Walters … Sylvia Lockwood
  Troy Donahue … Jimmy Flanders
  Phil Harvey … Sergeant Powell
  Helen Westcott … Nurse Molly Riordan
  Alexander Lockwood … Professor Gilbert Howard
  Whit Bissell … Dr. Oliver Cole
  Ross Elliott … Sergeant Eddie Daniels

Joanna Moore

Journey to the Center of the Earth released Dec. 16, 1959

Journey to the Center of the Earth is a 1959 adventure film adapted by Charles Brackett from the novel by Jules Verne. It stars Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Peter Ronson, Diane Baker, Thayer David, Alan Napier, and Gertrude the Duck. It was directed by Henry Levin.

This film is also known as Trip to the Center of the Earth.

An Edinburgh professor is intrigued by a strange rock given to him by one of his pupils. Uncovering its secret leads him and a few other hardy individuals to a dangerous journey that may have no return.

The film is notable for its special effects. It was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Lyle R. Wheeler, Franz Bachelin, Herman A. Blumenthal, Walter M. Scott, Joseph Kish), Best Effects, Special Effects and Best Sound. It won a second place Golden Laurel award for Top Action Drama in 1960.

Directed by
  Henry Levin

Writers
  Novel “Voyage au centre de la Terre”
   Jules Verne
  Screenplay
   Walter Reisch and
   Charles Brackett

Producer
  Charles Brackett 

Cast
  Pat Boone … Alexander ‘Alec’ McKuen
  James Mason … Sir Oliver S. Lindenbrook
  Arlene Dahl … Carla Göteborg
  Diane Baker … Jenny Lindenbrook
  Thayer David … Count Saknussem
  Peter Ronson … Hans Belker
  Robert Adler … Groom
  Alan Napier … Dean

Make Up Department
  Ben Nye … makeup artist
  Helen Turpin … hair stylist

Visual Effects Department
  L.B. Abbott … special photographic effects
  James B. Gordon … special photographic effects
  Emil Kosa Jr. … special photographic effects

James Mason, Pat Boone, Arlene Dahl, Peter Ronson in Henry Levin's 1959 version of 'Journey to the Center of the Earth.'

Trivia
Fox gave the green light to this big-budget CinemaScope production partially on the basis of the success of the recent Jules Verne adaptations, Walt Disney’s 20000 Leagues Under the Sea and Michael Todd’s Around the World in Eighty Days. As with those earlier films, the heavy cost proved to be a good investment, resulting in a big hit at the box office.

James Mason replaced an ailing Clifton Webb in the part of Professor Lindenbrook before filming began. Alexander Scourby started shooting at Carlsbad Caverns in the Count Saknussem role, but the producers were unhappy with him and he was replaced with Thayer David.

James Mason reportedly had very little patience with the “movie star” preening of Arlene Dahl and the relationship between the two off set was very much like what you see on screen.

Pat Boone didn’t want to make this film but was talked into it by his agent. Years later he stated he’s glad he did it because of the regular residual checks it brings in and because it’s the movie he’ll probably be best remembered for.

The professor’s name in the original novel (French language) was Otto Lidenbrock, a German. In the movie it was changed to Oliver Lindenbrook, a Scotchman. The name of his assistant Axel was Caledonized into Alec. (This was done because of historical hindsight, as 19th-century Scots had become known as the best field geologists, with Germans preferring lab-bound geology.) A more drastic change had already been made with the first (anonymous) English translation of the novel when the Professor’s surname became Hartwig and Axel became an English student named Henry Lawson.

Thunderbirds Are Go! released December 15, 1966

Thunderbirds Are Go is a British science fiction-adventure motion picture released in 1966. It was the first film based on Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s popular Supermarionation television series Thunderbirds, and followed the first manned mission to Mars.

Trivia:

The top 60s pop group Cliff Richard and the Shadows “appear” in this film in puppet form, Portrayed as future versions of themselves. They perform two songs: “Lady Penelope”, an instrumental, and “Shooting Star”, accompanying Cliff Richard

The first feature film to be shot using the Livingston Electronic Viewfinder Unit, also known as Add-a-Vision. This was basically an electronic viewfinder that could be used in conjunction with a Mitchell BNC Camera to take a television picture directly from the camera, enabling the staff of the entire unit to watch any scene being filmed on the television monitors.

Although very distinctly different, the appearances of both Scott Tracy and Paul Travers were based on Sean Connery by their respective modellers.

Jeff calculates that as it is 11am on Tracy Island, it is 4pm in England and, indeed, Lady Penelope is just sitting down to tea. Unless the world’s time zones have changed by 2067, this puts Tracy Island somewhere just off the coast of Chile or Peru.

Because Panavision cameras couldn’t cope with special effects (at the time), a scope camera was still needed for filming, so Techniscope was used instead. This would also be used in the filming of Thunderbird 6 (1968).

Frankenstein’s Daughter released December 15, 1958

Frankenstein’s Daughter (1958) was the third of four drive-in classics crafted by producer Marc Frederic and director Richard E. Cunha in their late-’50s moviemaking heyday. In it, the original Doctor Frankenstein’s grandson repeats his grandfather’s grisly experiments.

Cast
  John Ashley … Johnny Bruder
  Sandra Knight … Trudy Morton
  Donald Murphy … Oliver Frank/Frankenstein
  Sally Todd … Suzie Lawler
  Harold Lloyd Jr. … Don (Suzie’s guy)
  Felix Locher … Carter Morton
  Wolfe Barzell … Elsu
  John Zaremba … Police Lt. Boyle

Trivia:

• The full monster make-up was actually being worn by a man, Harry
  

  Frankensteins Daughter is Sandra Knight

  Wilson. Because of this, makeup creator Harry Thomas did not realize that the creature was supposed to be female. All he could do at the last minute was apply lipstick to the creature.

• Make-up artist Harry Thomas has said that when he was given the assignment to make a mask for the “monster”, he was not told that the monster was to be a female, so he made the mask to be a male. By the time he was notified that the monster was to be a female, the mask had already been done, and there was no money in the make-up budget left to do another one.
• Director Richard E. Cunha recently recalled that, upon seeing the make-up for the title creature just before filming, he was so disappointed he left the set and broke down in tears.
• The exteriors of the house were shot at the home of producer Marc Frederic.
• Sally Todd’s scream at the beginning of the film is that of Allison Hayes from the soundtrack of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958).
• This film is listed among The 100 Most Amusingly Bad Movies Ever Made in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson’s book THE OFFICIAL RAZZIE® MOVIE GUIDE.

Dune released December 14, 1984

Dune is a 1984 science fiction film written and directed by David Lynch, based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. The film stars Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides, and includes an ensemble of well-known American and European actors in supporting roles, including Sting, Jose Ferrer, Sean Young, Virginia Madsen, Linda Hunt, Patrick Stewart, Max von Sydow, Siân Phillips and Jürgen Prochnow, among others. It was filmed at the Churubusco Studios in Mexico City and included a soundtrack by the band Toto. As in the novel, the central plot concerns a young man foretold in prophecy as the “Kwisatz Haderach” who will protect the titular desert planet from the malevolent House Harkonnen and save the universe from evil.

After the success of the novel, attempts to adapt Dune for a film began as early as 1971. A lengthy process of development hell followed throughout the 1970s, during which Arthur P. Jacobs, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Ridley Scott, all tried to bring their vision to the screen. In 1981, David Lynch was hired as director by executive producer Dino De Laurentiis.

The film was not well received by critics and performed poorly at the American box office at the time. Upon its release, director David Lynch distanced himself from the project, stating that pressure from both producers and financiers restrained his artistic control and denied him final cut.

Fans of the Dune series are polarized by the movie, although the film has become a cult favorite, and at least three different versions have been released worldwide. In some cuts of the film Lynch’s name is replaced in the credits with the name of a fictional director Alan Smithee, a pseudonym used by directors who wish not to be associated with a film for which they would normally be credited.

Trivia:

• Ridley Scott worked on bringing the film to the screen, but was unsuccessful. H.R. Giger (who worked with Scott on Alien (1979)) was hired as a production designer.
• The inspiration for the design of the stillsuits was the medical textbook “Gray’s Anatomy”.
• Two hundred workers spent two months hand-clearing three square miles of Mexican desert for location shooting.
• One scene called for Duke Leto (Jürgen Prochnow) to be strapped to a black stretcher and drugged. During one take, a high-powered bulb positioned above Prochnow exploded due to heat, raining down molten glass. Remarkably, Prochnow was able to free himself from the stretcher, moments before glass fused itself to the place he had been strapped. During the filming of the dream sequence, the Baron (Kenneth McMillan) approached Leto, who had special apparatus attached to his face so that green smoke would emerge from his cheek when the Baron scratched it. Although thoroughly tested, the smoke gave Prochnow first and second degree burns on his cheek. This sequence appears on film in the released version.
• The tendons visible when Paul hooks the worm were made from condoms.
• Some special effects scenes were filmed with over a million watts of lighting, drawing 11,000 amps.
• Some scenes were filmed in the same location and at the same time as scenes from Conan the Destroyer (1984).
• Number of production crew came to a total of 1,700. Dune required 80 sets built upon 16 sound stages. More than 6 years in the making, it required David Lynch’s work for three and a half years.
• David Lynch disowned the television cut.
• Director David Lynch and producer Raffaella De Laurentiis arranged a screen test in New York with Sean Young for the role of Chani. Young’s agent never told Young about the meeting, and she was in fact booked on a flight that evening to Los Angeles. Lynch and De Laurentiis missed their flight back to Los Angeles, and ended up catching the same plane as Young. During the flight, De Laurentiis noticed Young and told Lynch, “I bet that girl’s an actress.” A stewardess told the pair that her name was “Sean Young”, and De Laurentiis confronted Young about standing him and Lynch up. The misunderstanding sorted out, the three ended up drinking champagne and reading the script together upon returning to Los Angeles.
• John Hurt was offered the part of Dr Yueh.
• The name “Judas Booth” that appears as the screenwriter in the extended TV cut, is a combination of Judas, the apostle that betrayed Jesus Christ, and John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln’s killer. With this in-joke, David Lynch meant that the studio betrayed him and killed the film. The director’s credit is the usual in these cases Alan Smithee.
• Patrick Stewart replaced Aldo Ray.
• It took two weeks to film Max von Sydow’s role.
• During the film’s original release, “cheatsheets” explaining much of the movie’s setting and its more obscure vocabulary were handed out to moviegoers at some theatres.
• The first movie to feature a computer-generated human form, for the bodyshields.
• The theatrical version of this film is the only version of Dune, including the novel and the miniseries, where Thufir Hawat survives. A scene of Thufir’s death was filmed, but was cut.
• Original director Ridley Scott left the production after his older brother suddenly passed away. Scott wanted to start working as soon as possible, but Dune would take far to long to reach production. Scott decided to leave the project in favor of Blade Runner (1982), which was ready to start production immediately.
• Feyd-Rautha and The Beast Rabban are men of very few words: as the latter, Paul L. Smith speaks only 34 of them during the entire movie; as the former, ‘Sting’ says a mere 90. And that’s in the three-hour version of the film.
• Glenn Close turned down the role of Lady Jessica, not wanting to play “the girl who is always running and falling down behind the men”.
• David Lynch was originally signed to do two sequels to this film. The box office failure insured that the plans never came to fruition.
• Patrick Stewart said the stillsuit was the most uncomfortable costume he had ever worn.
• David Lynch has said he considers this film the only real failure of his career. To this day, he refuses to talk about the production in great detail, and has refused numerous offers to work on a special edition DVD. Lynch claims revisiting the film would be too painful an experience to endure.
• Cameo: [Michael Bolton] One of the drummers shown during Paul and Feyd’s duel.
• David Lynch turned down the chance to direct Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) to direct Dune (1984).
• Alejandro Jodorowsky had originally planned on filming Dune in the early-’70s, and had enlisted the help of Jean Giraud and H.R. Giger to create the movie’s visual style. Salvador Dalí was enlisted to play the part of the Emperor, and Jodorowsky also intended to cast his own son Brontis Jodorowsky as Paul, David Carradine as Duke Leto, Orson Welles as the Baron, and Gloria Swanson as the Benne Geserit Reverend Mother. The soundtrack was to be done by Pink Floyd. According to Jodorowsky, “The project was sabotaged in Hollywood. It was French and not American. Their message was ‘not Hollywood enough’. There was intrigue, plunder. The storyboard was circulated among all the big studios. Later, the visual aspect of Star Wars (1977) strangely resembled our style. To make Alien (1979), they called Moebius [Giraud], Foss, Giger, O’Bannon, etc. The project signaled to Americans the possibility of making a big show of science-fiction films, outside of the scientific rigor of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). The project of Dune changed our lives.” Jodorowsky also planned on making numerous changes to the source material, including making Duke Leto a eunuch and the spice a blue sponge. Author Frank Herbert openly despised these concepts.
• Director Cameo: [David Lynch] A radio operator on the mining ship that Paul and Duke Leto Atreides rescue from a sandworm.
• The musical instrument played by Patrick Stewart, the “baliset”, is actually a Chapman Stick, an electric guitar and bass created in the ’70s by ‘Emmett Chapman’, who plays the music we hear.
• While shooting on location in Mexico, filming came to a near-halt when most of the cast and crew came down with “Montezuma’s Revenge.” The studio had to build a full cafeteria large enough to accommodate the entire cast and crew for every meal, as well as import all the food from the United States to keep the film on schedule.
• Virginia Madsen replaced Anne-Louise Lambert.
• According to the biography ‘Five Easy Decades’, Jack Nicholson at one point in the late 1970s considered directing Dune, but decided that it would be too much of an undertaking.
• It was first intended to the shoot all the studio material in the UK. But all of the three big studios were totally full.
• Patrick Stewart played Claudius in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (1980) (TV), a role that Kyle MacLachlan played in Hamlet (2000). Francesca Annis played Hamlet’s mother Gertrude in a theatrical production. Appropriately, she was cast as Jessica in this film when the role was declined by Glenn Close, who played Gertrude in Hamlet (1990/I).
• Gurney Halleck gives two quotations that are from the Old Testament of the Bible- Job 24:5 and Habbakkuk 1:9 – The first “Behold, as a wild ass in the desert go I forth to my work” – which he says as they arrive on Arrakis, Job 24:5. And “They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup as the east wind. And they shall gather the captivity of the sand.” – Habbakkuk 1:9.
• The movie alludes strongly to bible stories; such as, most strongly, the story of Moses.
• Jodie Foster auditioned for the role of Princess Irulan.
• Kim Basinger, Melanie Griffith, Michelle Pfeiffer, Meg Ryan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kristy McNichol, Tatum O’Neal, Bridget Fonda and Sarah Jessica Parker all were considered to play Princess Irulan.
• Brooke Shields tested for the role of Princess Irulan but failed the audition.
• Christopher Reeve auditioned for the role of Paul Atreides.
• Jack Nicholson was offered the role of Gurney Halleck, but turned it down.
• Dexter Fletcher was very seriously considered for Paul .
• The cast of this film includes many connections to Star Trek. Dean Stockwell has appeared on “Enterprise” (2001), Brad Dourif on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987), and of course Patrick Stewart played Cpt. Jean-Luc Picard. José Ferrer’s son Miguel Ferrer played a helmsman in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984). Star Trek: First Contact (1996) also featured Alice Krige, who played Jessica in “Children of Dune” (2003).
• Patrick Stewart has said in interviews that every cast member lost two scenes to cut made in editing.
• David Lynch (13 January 2006) : “Dune I didn’t have final cut on. It’s the only film I’ve made where I didn’t have, I didn’t technically have final cut on The Elephant Man (1980) but Mel Brooks gave it to me, and on Dune the film, I started selling out even in the script phase knowing I didn’t have final cut, and I sold out, so it was a slow dying- the-death and a terrible terrible experience. I don’t know how it happened, I trusted that it would work out but it was very naive and, the wrong move. In those days the maximum length they figured I could have is two hours and seventeen minutes, and that’s what the film is, so they wouldn’t lose a screening a day, so once again it’s money talking and not for the film at all and so it was like compacted and it hurt it, it hurt it. There is no other version. There’s more stuff, but even that is putrefied.”

  

John Carpenter’s Starman released December 14, 1984

John Carpenter’s Starman is a 1984 science fiction-fantasy film directed by John Carpenter which tells the story of an alien (Jeff Bridges) who has come to Earth in response to the invitation found on the gold phonograph record installed on one of the Voyager space probes.

The screenplay was written by Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon and Dean Riesner (uncredited). Bridges was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The film inspired a short-lived, 1986 television series of the same name which starred Robert Hays and Christopher Daniel Barnes.

Trivia:

• Producer Michael Douglas considered several directors, including Mark Rydell, Adrian Lyne, John Badham and Tony Scott, before settling on John Carpenter.
• Jeff Bridges’ character (Starman) walks in and buys a Cadillac “cash”. In the film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), Bridges character (Lightfoot) exclaims that one day he would like to walk up and buy a Cadillac with cash.
• This script was being developed at Columbia at the same time as another script about an alien visitation. The studio did not want to make both, so the head of the studio had to choose which film to make; he decided to make this one and let the other script go to a rival studio. The other script was for _E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)_.
• The only John Carpenter film to have an Academy Award nomination (Jeff Bridges, Best Actor).
• The role of Starman originally went to Kevin Bacon.
• When Jeff Bridges walks outside the house naked and uses a ‘marble’ his hair seems to stand on end. This effect was actually created by shooting Bridges hanging upside-down and then matting the shot onto the background the right way up to give him a surreal look.

 

Tarantula released December 14, 1955

Tarantula is a 1955 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Leo G. Carroll, John Agar, and Mara Corday. Among other things, the film is notable for the appearance of a 25-year-old Clint Eastwood in an uncredited role as a jet pilot at the end of the film.

Look for a young Clint Eastwood as the (uncredited) leader of the jet squadron that attacks the tarantula in the film’s climax.

The tarantula was an actual live spider. Air jets were used to make it move in the desired way over a miniature landscape.

Mara Corday