From a 1967 issue of the British film magazine Showtime: Bardot prepares to film a sequence for Two Weeks in September.

Dear Lee,

Found a poster dated 1967- the double bill Hammer Films' The Projected Man and Island of Terror- great artwork.  When these two films where released in the U.S. it was through Universal Pictures. Hope you can use the image.

- William Burge

Retro Update:-  I admit I also thought these were Hammer productions, but several readers- including the esteemed Joe Dante- have been kind enough to point out that the films were not from Hammer. Some of us automatically equate any horror film with Cushing from that era as a Hammer production, so thanks to all for setting us straight.  Lee Pfeiffer

Lee,

I know you're always looking for images of vintage movie marquees, well here's something a little different.  Several weeks ago I came across on my satellite guide the 1972 movie The Honkers on the Encore Westerns Channel.  I'd never seen it before but knew it was one of three "rodeo" westerns that came out in '72, the others being J.W. Coop and Junior Bonner -- must have been something in the air back then -- and since it starred James Coburn, I had to check it out.  I recorded it on my DVR.  In the movie, which was shot in late summer/early fall 1971 in Carlsbad, NM, Coburn's character drives to the local Bijou to look for his girlfriend who works there, arriving too late to pick her up.  Anyway, they must have simply shot at Carlsbad's local cinema, recording whatever was playing there at the time, which you'll see from this screen capture was the 1971 Oliver Reed/Candice Bergen bomb The Hunting Party, but what's cool is check out the 1-sheet poster seen in front of Coburn's windshield.

Rory Monteith

Retro Responds: Great catch, Rory. I hate to say it but this is one Coburn film I've never seen, so I'll have to track it down. You bring up a good point about the inexplicable abundance of films in 1972 about aging rodeo riders. They all received good reviews but died at the box-office probably because they flooded the market- and the leading men, who were known for their action films, were cast as somber, realistic characters. By the way, most Clint Eastwood fans realize that you can see the marquee with Play Misty For Me on it in the sequence in Dirty Harry in which Eastwood thwarts the bank robbers. -Lee Pfeiffer

 

 

RETRO-ACTIVE: THE BEST FROM CINEMA RETRO'S ARCHIVES

Cinema Retro subscriber Rory Monteith kindly sent us this vintage photo from the New York engagement of 2001 - along with an original newspaper advertisement. Rory fills us in on the details:

That's the Capitol Theatre, which was a huge movie palace on Broadway & 51st Street, built in 1919. In the 30s and 40s it was the flagship movie palace for MGM. Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz opened
there among many others (you already have a photo on your site of when The Dirty Dozen was there). I think it originally sat some five thousand people. In 1959 it was converted to a Cinerma showplace
(known as "Loew's Capitol") with a screen that was 90' wide and over 30' high, but unfortunately that necessitated the reduction in the number of seats to a little over 1500 so everyone would have a good
view of the screen. Planet of the Apes had its world premiere there on February 8, 1968 and 2001 followed on April 3. (The theatre was demolished in September 1968. A real crime.)

 

 

Here's a link to a short piece showing Kubrick at the premiere:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bdKHuyhhyuM

Here's an interesting article on Kubrick on the night of the premiere:

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2203079,00.html

 

Here's a gem of a still from reader (and resident Charlton Heston expert) William Burge. Heston portrayed General Gordon in the superb 1966 epic Khartoum, co-starring with Laurence Olivier. As much as I admire Heston's great performance in the film (the best of his career, in the opinion of many), I'm even more in awe of his ability to ride camels in the film. Having recently attempted to do so in Egypt, I can firmly say that I have been taken out of consideration to play General Gordon in any future remake of the film. - Lee Pfeiffer

Click here for YouTube tribute to Heston

---

 

By Lee Pfeiffer

It was January 1972 when my friend Alan and braved bitterly cold winds to stand on a seemingly endless line at Radio City Music Hall for what felt like an eternity. What would cause two 15 year-old kids to suffer this test of endurance? A chance to see our idol, John Wayne in the flesh. The Duke was making a rare New York personal appearance on stage with director Mark Rydell to promote the opening of The Cowboys. They were to introduce kids who had won a national contest to attend the screening and have lunch with The Duke. The Big Apple was not Wayne Country. While Duke's films cleaned up at box-offices around America, this bastion of east coast liberalism was generally immune from his appeal. Thus, the opportunity to see Wayne in person was too good for local fans to resist. From the looks of the crowd, every Wayne fan in the region must have shown up. When we finally made our way into the cavernous theater, the Duke strode on-stage, dressed nattily in a blue blazer and tie. I remember being amused when he put on eyeglasses to read some introductions. It seemed to be an unintentional replication of the scene from Big Jake where his character did the same thing, much to the amazement of his character's ex-wife, who is a bit shocked to see the imposing man had human frailties.I recall Wayne introducing the young kids who had been fortunate enough to win the contest. Then the film unspooled and I remember thinking this was one of Wayne's finest achievements (an opinion I still hold).

In years gone by, theaters would often exhibit actual 8x10 stills and 11x14 lobby cards to promote their current attractions. When the theaters went to mostly multi-plex formats in the 1980s and showed numerous films in the same facility, the art of movie marketing took a hit in terms of creativity. Now, you just get the theater poster and some over-sized standees in the lobby. During the glory days of theater marketing, collectors would often complain that not only were the scenes that were chosen to be in the publicity stills often the most boring or unrepresentative shots imaginable, but they would often contain sequences that never even appeared in the final cut. Thus, out of literally thousands of images to choose from, some bozo in marketing would manage to choose one that didn't even appear onscreen. This aggravation has provided grist for the Cinema Retro Library of Completely Useless Information as illustrated by this scene from Woody Allen's Oscar-winning 1977 film Annie Hall (which was shot under the title Anhedonia- meaning an inability to feel pleasure.) In one scene, Allen's character Alvy Singer bemoans his fading love affair with Annie Hall and seeks romantic advice from strangers on the street. In the scene illustrated, Allen approaches an imposing looking bald gentleman - but whatever dialogue occurred is lost to the ages as the scene was snipped from the final cut. We don't know the actor's name but we'll just say the photo satiates our long-standing fantasy about Woody Allen co-starring with Tor Johnson of Plan 9 From Outer Space fame!- Lee Pfeiffer

This rare photo depicts the 1966 premiere of the Dean Martin Matt Helm film The Silencers at the new Fox Plaza Theater in New Dorp Center, Staten Island, New York. The $500,000 theater was touted as being state-of--the-art. It represented the first new theater built in Staten Island since 1936.

RETRO-ACTIVE: THE BEST FROM CINEMA RETRO'S ARCHIVES

Here's a great example of a relatively nondescript Hollywood western that boasted a fantastic ad campaign. The Glory Guys starred Tom Tryon, Senta Berger, Harve Presnell, Michael Anderson Jr and a young up-and-comer named James Caan. Released in 1965, the movie was typical of westerns from those days: entertaining, rousing and not designed to be in contention for the Oscars. The magnificent poster art exaggerated the scope and sweep of the film, but makes us realize once again how this aspect of movie marketing has all but died with the old west itself. 

We really miss the days when studios had the cast pose creatively for publicity photos. Here are Dwayne Hickman, Michael Callan, Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin (in his Oscar winning role) and Tom Nardini in the 1965 Columbia western spoof Cat Ballou. 

Lovely Pamela Tiffin heated up numerous films when she sprang to stardom in the 1960s with appearances in One, Two, Three, The Lively Set, For Those Who Think Young, The Hallelujah Trail and Harper (UK title: The Moving Target). Check out more about Pamela on The Love Goddesses web site by clicking here

I was going through some old theatre pictures I have and I found this one of the Vernon Theatre in Alexandria, Va.  This was the first theatre I managed and I was the manger when it closed.  It opened in 1940 with "Abe Lincoln In Illinois".  It closed March 30, 1976 with "Bobbie Jo and The Outlaw" starring Lynda Carter. For your entertainment, I'm also attaching a picture of the auditorium.  866 seats in an art deco splendor.

- Bob Collins

Retro responds: Thanks, Bob- we love these old theater pics. If you have any to submit,send 'em to cinemaretro@hotmail.com

I'm sending three different photos showing marquees in Houston, Texas. The first is from the Loews Sharpstown drive-in theatre, the date February 28, 1958. The next photo is the ABC Interstate Majestic theatre built in 1923 and closed in 1971. The theatre was was located in downtown Houston on the corner of Walker at Rusk Ave. The date of the photo is September 15, 1968. The third photo is General Cinema Gulfgate 1 and 2,  located across the street from Gulfgate Mall. The theatre opened March 17, 1965 along with the sister theatres Northline and Meyerland Cinema which opened the same day. The Gulfgate closed in 1996, the Meyerland in November 1994 and Northline in 1996. The photo from Gulfgate is dated June 15, 1968. Hope you can use these photos . Many thanks

William Burge

Retro Responds: Many thanks to you, Bill. These photos are just reminders of the special theaters we all treasured when we grew up. I'd do anything to go back in time to see Deadfall, Firecreek and Madigan in theaters again! By the way, the B western Hell's Crossroads marked the first major screen role for Robert Vaughn.- Lee Pfeiffer

Inspired by our recent publication of the near cat-fight between Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield (click here), The MovieQuest Archive sent this doozy of a photo depicting a similar situation between Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn Monroe. Mrs. Bogie, Lauren Bacall looks suitably amused, but we wouldn't have wanted to be in Bogart's shoes when the party was over! 

By Lee Pfeiffer

You can keep the overblown, over-rated stage production of Phantom of the Opera. Personally speaking, the best sound-era version of the story is the vastly under-rated Hammer production from 1962 starring Herbert Lom in a magnificent and mesmerizing performance in the title role. The film's disappointing box-office take doesn't negate its many merits...and one brief scene at the climax is particularly memorable: the Phantom, hiding behind a curtain, observes his protege (Heather Sears) magnificently performing in front of an appreciative audience. Director Terence Fisher uses a closeup of a single tear escaping from the Phantom's mask. Pure poetry. 

Jackie Gleason was the ultimate comedic genius. One of the earliest superstars of television, Gleason's 1950s variety show became one of the first "must-see TV" series. His 39 episode spin-off of his sketches based on The Honeymooners remains arguably the funniest sitcom ever created. Yet, many people forget The Great One's film career. He could be a consummate dramatic actor - and if you doubt it, just watch his brief performance in The Hustler which earned him an Oscar nomination despite being onscreen for about ten minutes. Also check out his heartbreaking, Willy Lohman-like character in his final film Nothing in Common opposite Tom Hanks. 

It's hard to believe it was thirty-two years ago that Jacqueline Bisset caused a sensation with her appearance in the opening sequence of The Deep. All Jackie had to do was don a regular white T shirt, jump into the surf and let nature take its course. By the way, isn't it time for Sony to finally create a deluxe DVD of this terrific film, which co-starred Robert Shaw, Nick Nolte, Eli Wallach and Louis Gosset Jr.? 

We've always been enamored of Michele Carey, even though her career as a supporting actress never launched her to stardom. Michele appeared in such TV classics as The Wild, Wild West and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. as well as a number of big screen features including the immortal How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, The Sweet Ride and co-starring with John Wayne and Robert Mitchum in Howard Hawks' El Dorado. The good folks at Starlet Showcase provide some other great photos of sexy Michele. Click here to view. 

James Caan as Sonny drops by his brother-in-law Carlo's (Gianni Russo) place to deliver a typical Corleone family greeting in The Godfather.

Read The Wrath of Caan, Cinema Retro writer Steve Saragossi's tribute to James Caan by clicking here

We love looking through old pressbooks that studios would send to movie theaters with innovative suggestions about how to publicize specific motion pictures. We came across a bizarre one relating to John Huston's 1960 western The Unforgiven starring Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn. Given the fact that the film was an adult drama centering on racism, repressed inter-family sexual relations and a violent Indian assault on a family trapped in their cabin, we can't think of any other subject more appropriate for a kid's coloring contest! "Hey kids, choose sides then help color in the slaughter! Make sure you have a sturdy red Crayola handy!"

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, circa early 1960s. In an industry in which most marriage licenses come with expiration dates, theirs was the exception - having lasted more than half-a-century. The Newmans' real life love store eclipsed any fictional romances they appeared in.

Cinema Retro's readership has grown by leaps and bounds with every month, so we'll occasionally delve into our archives to run articles that new readers may not have been aware. Here's a golden oldie from April 2007:

In this rare deleted scene from director John Sturges' 1963 classic The Great Escape, Steve McQueen has just strung trip wire across a rural road, causing a German soldier's motorcycle to spin out of control into a drainage ditch. This scene of McQueen sitting astride the soldier does not appear in the final cut. Curiously, it did appear on a 1970s Spanish reissue lobby card from which this image was taken. Incidentally, McQueen actually doubled for some of the Germans in the famed motorcycle chase, thus he was actually chasing himself! For a full article about the making of The Great Escape, see Cinema Retro issue #1 in our back issues section. 

Say this for Pierce Brosnan - he's unique. When most male sex symbols get caught embracing a woman on a beach, it generally isn't their own wife. But in Brosnan's case, he was photographed canoodling his beloved wife Keely on a Hawaiian beach, thus making him the only star in memory who didn't have to come up with a story to explain the photos. Too bad Sen. John Edwards didn't hire Brosnan as an advisor! For more photos click here

RARE PHOTOS TAKEN DURING THE FILMING OF "VIVA LAS VEGAS", 1963

Nothing illustrates what we miss about the old days of moviemaking more than the bittersweet pleasure of looking at this still from Sam Peckinpah's 1969 classic The Wild Bunch. Neither William Holden or Edmond O'Brien could have been called "sex symbols" at this point in their long careers, but more importantly, they had morphed into far more interesting actors who just kept getting better as they aged. As we've said many times, actors whose faces displayed years of hard living are pretty rare in today's film business. Think of what The Wild Bunch would have been like if Peckinpah had cast pretty boys in the leading roles? This is a film in which the closest thing to a hunk was Ernest Borgnine! Don't worry- we hear Warner Brothers is pursuing their long-threatened contemporary remake of the film. Can't wait to see Owen Wilson and Chris Rock in the Holden/Obrien roles!- Lee Pfeiffer

(For Cinema Retro's extensive tribute to the films of Sam Peckinpah, see issue #3)

Cinema Retro subscriber Rory Monteith always proves to be a great source of material for this site. Here is Rory's latest letter and submission:

Another anniversary that's coming up is old King Kong's 75th. The film premiered at Radio City Music Hall on March 2, 1933. Here's a trade ad from a 1952 reissue. KONG is one of the most reissued movies ever. It actually made more money in reissues than it did in original release, and it was also one of the first movies to be
heavily advertised on TV, I think for a 1956 reissue.

Nobody enjoys a visit to the dentist, but with the release of director John Schlesinger's Marathon Man in 1976, Laurence Olivier set back whatever slim enthusiasm there was for dentistry by patiently drilling into hapless Dustin Hoffman's chompers, taking painstaking care to hit every nerve. What made the scenario especially chilling was that Hoffman had no idea how to answer Olivier's incessent question, "Is it safe?" The mad Dr. Zell, loosely based on the real llife monster of Auschwitz, Josef Mengle, was convinced that Hoffman knew where a fortune in illicit diamonds were being secreted. The scenario recalled a favorite plot device of Alfred Hitchcock: an innocent man is mistaken for someone else and is swept up in a caper that he has virtually no understanding of. He can't cooperate with the villains even if he wants to  because he can't answer their questions. Olivier made this sequence unforgettable by playing Zell as a charming, almost avuncular figure who mixes pleasant small talk with abominable torture. The performance earned him an Oscar nomination and probably resulted in an explosion of cavities for baby boomers worldwide.

From the Cinema Retro archive: a Swedish movie program for the 1959 Hammer version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. The 1959 film marked the first Hammer production to be filmed in color and was meant to initiate a series of Sherlock Holmes films starring Peter Cushing as the legendary detective. The film was quite effectively done and benefited from a strong supporting cast including Christopher Lee as the seemingly cursed Sir Henry Baskerville. However, the movie was not a success. Hammer was unsure how to market the flick, and as the art on this program indicates, got cold feet about promoting it as a Holmes story. The studio opted instead to market it as a horror story, playing up the image of the hound even though the deadly canine only appears fleetingly in the climax. The result was that the film was a boxoffice failure and terminated any plans for additional Holmes films, though Cushing would later play the detective on British TV. The movie has aged very well indeed and is well worth a look.