What are some movies that took an unusually long time to film and release?
Super Grover
1st Feb 2024
General questions
Answer: Boyhood from Richard Linklater comes to mind, which was filmed over 11 years from 2002 to 2013, so a child growing up could be depicted accurately with his own and parents' aging, etc.
Answer: The movie "The Plot Against Harry" was shot and completed in the late '60s. It didn't get a proper release until 1989.
Answer: The Outlaw. It was made in 1941 but was not released because the Hollywood Production Code didn't like the way it featured Jane Russell's breasts. It was released for seven weeks in San Francisco in 1943, but pulled because of complaints from the Legion of Decency. It was released in 1946, in Chicago, Georgia and Virginia, with six minutes of footage cut from the film. They had trouble advertising it so it ran in a limited number of theaters. However, it sold out all showings making a tidy profit. It was released again at the beginning of 1947, in one theater by the end of the year it made $2 million. It was released again in 1950 in 25 theaters. There was a release in 1952. By 1968 it had grossed over $20 million.
Answer: The John Wayne movie, "Jet Pilot", was made in 1950 and didn't get released until 1957. David O'Russell's "Accidental Love" began production in 2008 and was released in 2015. Another is "My Apocalypse" that was filmed in 1997 and released in 2008. "Tulip Fever (2017) " also took several years to reach theaters after undergoing extensive editing and recutting. It failed at the box office.
Answer: The film "The Other Side of the Wind" by Orson Welles, currently available on Netflix. It was shot between 1970 and 1976, then only partially edited by Orson Welles (due to many complications) before his sudden death in 1985. His final film was completed and released in 2018.
Answer: Castaway. They filmed Tom Hanks' scenes as a chunky, middle-aged executive, then paused for a year while he lost weight and got buff for the scenes where he had been stranded on the island for a while.
Answer: There is a movie called "Dark Blood". It was released in 2012, but they started making it in 1993. Unfortunately, the star of the movie River Phoenix (older brother of Joaquin Phoenix) died due to a drug overdose when the movie was 80% finished, and the movie was shelved for 19 years. They eventually finished the movie when the director pulled the negatives out of storage to prevent them from being destroyed because the insurance company refused to keep paying for the storage.
17th Dec 2023
General questions
What soap opera (or maybe another type of show) had a young woman character called "Mouse" in the early 90s? I know someone who went to high school with the actress. She got the role shortly before graduation.
Answer: On General Hospital, in 1989, when the character of Frisco Jones returned to the show, there was a new teenaged character named Mouse who slept inside the catacombs in Port Charles. Mouse and Frisco had numerous scenes together for about a year on GH. Perhaps this is the young woman.
Thank you. I spoke to the person who knew her, and they do think it was "General Hospital".
13th Nov 2018
General questions
I'm looking for a documentary on the U.S. Constitution that would have come out in the late 80s, when it had its bicentennial. It was comedic and aimed at a junior high/high school audience. I remember that Rhea Perlman and Whoopi Goldberg played waitresses at the Constitutional Convention, though their IMDB pages don't show anything. There was a clip from the 60s Batman TV show where The Penguin runs for office. There was also a sketch about fatigued soldiers in Vietnam staying awake by quizzing each other over the Constitution, and suddenly realizing that at the time, none of them were old enough to vote. Does this ring a bell for anyone?
Answer: I think this is "Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville." It used to be available on VHS, maybe it still is.
15th Sep 2008
General questions
There was a movie out a while ago that is similar to Death Race, but it featured Ice T., and it was about all the criminals that got locked in a building and they had to kill each other to be the last one out the building. I remember one scene well. They had just gotten there and all these guns fell from the ceiling onto a table and that was the beginning of the movie. Does anyone know this movie?
Answer: The movie is called 'Mean Guns', released in 1997.
11th Sep 2008
General questions
It seems that whenever they try to make a TV show from a movie the show never lasts. I can think of two shows that were successful (M*A*S*H and Buffy The Vampire Slayer). Does anyone know if there are any other shows that have lasted more than one year? Thanks.
Answer: There were/are many successful TV shows, both live-action and animated, that were/are adapted from or inspired by films. To start with, two spin-offs of TV's M*A*S*H and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are Trapper John and Angel. A few others that that come to mind are: The Odd Couple, In the Heat of the Night, Highlander, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which just started its second season. For a more concise list see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_movies_made_into_TV_shows.
24th Aug 2008
General questions
I once saw a movie where a bunch of strangers were locked in this building, Then a whole bunch of guns and weapons were dropped onto a table. The objection was to make it out of the building alive and win a reward. The less people that made it out alive the bigger share the winners had to divide. I remember Ice T was in it.
Answer: The movie is called 'Mean Guns', released in 1997.
13th Aug 2008
General questions
I saw this movie on TV, during the mid-to-late 70s, about a guy with glasses who turned into a fish who wore glasses. Any ideas about its name?
Answer: The movie is called 'The Incredible Mr. Limpet' and it stars Don Knotts.
20th May 2008
General questions
Does anyone know the name of the movie about a young boy who had AIDS (he was a newspaper boy), and the community he lived in was outraged when they find out and they all began pulling their kids out of school? It was a big court case and all.
Answer: I believe you're referring to the made for TV movie based on the life of Ryan White, aptly named, 'The Ryan White Story'.
18th May 2008
General questions
There is a movie made in the late 70's, maybe early 80's, it's based on a book and Brooke Shields's was supposed to be in it, but they chose someone else. The movie has to do with a little girl who is in a car accident with family and just before it happens her siblings played a joke by tying her shoe laces together so she'd trip and fall. But when get into the car accident she was the only one who wasn't able to get out of the car, because her laces were caught so she died. Her spirit returns to haunt her family and possess her younger sister to get revenge for her death. Does anyone know the name of this film?
Answer: The name of the film is, "Don't Go to Sleep", from 1982, and it has the distinct honor of being one of the creepiest made-for-TV movies ever filmed.
1st Mar 2008
General questions
This was a western movie with Kirk Douglas, at the end he goes to recover some stolen money from a hole in the desert and gets bitten by a snake. Any help please?
Chosen answer: The movie is 'There Was a Crooked Man...', which was released in 1970.
15th May 2008
General questions
There was a made for TV movie in the 70's that was about a German tank and a P40 Warhawk that were both disabled and they were fighting each other in the desert. The P40 could only roll along and could not fly. I believe it starred Doug McClure. Does anyone know the name of this movie?
Answer: That would be 'Death Race' from 1973, and yes, it did star Doug McClure. See here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069953/.
3rd Nov 2005
General questions
I've seen this throughout the site, but what exactly is a "Wilhelm scream" I know what it sounds like, but why is it called a "Wilhelm" scream and why is it so important?
Chosen answer: The original scream was recorded for the film "Distant Drums" in 1951, and it was archived as "man being bitten by alligator and screams" in the sound effects library at Warner Bros. Studio, and used numerous times thereafter. In 1953, the scream is heard in "The Charge at Feather River" when a soldier named Private Wilhelm is shot by an arrow. In the mid-70s, when Ben Burtt was hired as a sound designer for Star Wars, he found the original recording, dubbed it "Wilhelm" after the earlier character. Both he and friend Richard Anderson adopted this scream, and it's been used in all the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" films, dozens of other films, TV shows, and even at theme parks. Though there is no documentation, this popular scream is believed to have been done by Sheb Wooley, a musician and character actor. For more information, this website is dedicated solely to the infamous Wilhelm: http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm/.
19th Jun 2005
General questions
What is a "Genny Operator" (listed in credits) ?
Chosen answer: It's the nickname for Generator Operator, a specialized area within the Lighting Dept. The Genny operator must be a fully qualified electrician, and operate the electricity generators on location, when an electricity supply is needed for many aspects of production. Their foremost obligation is to load the generator, drive it to the location and ensure that it is fully operational with the necessary specifications for the shoot. They also clean and maintain the generator, as well as some maintenance on the vehicle carrying the generators.
21st Feb 2005
General questions
There was a show on PBS that was on when I was a kid and I don't remember the name. It was about kids who ran a TV show and I think they may have sang songs on it. What is the name of that show?
Chosen answer: The show is called Kidsongs, the premise being that some kids are given the opportunity to run a show of their own. Kidsongs really started as a set of home videos and then had a brief run on the Disney Channel in 1992. It later ran on PBS for about eight years, with some changes to the format during that time, until 2002. There are some episodes available on DVD at Amazon.com, including 'A Day at Old MacDonald's Farm' and 'Play Along Fun'.
3rd Feb 2005
General questions
Maybe an older member will be able to help me out. Circa 1975, there was a original Ghostbusters cartoon that aired. It was not the one we all know today with 4 guys and Slimer. In this one, there were two ghostbusters, and they had a gorilla that would help them. Does anyone know where I could get a copy of it on VHS or DVD? I have tried looking, but the only place that seems to have even heard of it is imdb.com.
Chosen answer: In 1975, there was a live action TV series, 'GhostBusters', starring Forrest Tucker (Jake Kong), Larry Storch (Eddie Spenser) (both of F-Troop btw) and Tracy the Gorilla. In 1986, Filmation's animated 'GhostBusters' starred the two sons of Jake Kong and Eddie Spenser, with Tracey the Gorilla, Jessica (a TV reporter), Futura (a girl from the future), and Belfry the Bat. There are animated episodes available only on VHS at Amazon.com, and they are: 1. Prime Evil & The All Ghoul Band; 2. Heroes Haunts & Hilarity; 3. Revenge of Prime Evil; 4. Second Chance; 5. Ghosts Coast to Coast; 6. Ghoul in Every Port; 7. Outlaw Inlaws; 8. Ghost of a Chance; 9. Spirits Spooks & Specters.
4th Feb 2005
General questions
I'm after the title of a film about a boy obsessed with a horse. He rides out on them at night and then stabs them in the eyes. Very weird, black film. Sure the title had Phoenix in it?
Chosen answer: I believe the film you're referring to is "Equus", from 1977, which received three Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Richard Burton. I might add that before the film this was originally a play at the National Theatre and then an acclaimed Broadway show, which earned quite a few awards, including awards for Sir Anthony Hopkins.
4th Feb 2005
General questions
What is involved in the process of principal photography?
Chosen answer: Principal photography is simply the shooting of a film, whether on location on city streets, on an island somewhere or on set at a studio, etc., during a specific number of months - for instance beginning in the summer of 2005 carrying into the spring of 2006. Many times the production can be halted or pushed ahead because of actors' and crew's schedules or even strikes. Once principal photography is wrapped the actors go on to their next project and post-production attends to things like CG work, numerous sound effects - like foley and special effects, and if necessary (usually it is) actors come to the studio for looping/ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) or pickup shots - usually close-ups for a particular scene, which means that the actor's 'look' in the film has to be duplicated.
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Answer: "Roar," written and directed by Noel Marshall, took five years to film. It wasn't worth the effort.