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Jewel of the Nile, 1985.

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The Dogs of War, 1980. Director John Irvin...






While researching the novel in the early 1970s, author Frederick Forsyth pretended he was actually financing a coup d'etat in Equatorial Guinea. The pretense allowed Forsyth access to a number of underworld figures, including mercenaries and arms dealers. Forsyth has since commented that the arms dealers were the most frightening people he has ever met.

John Irvin had previously shot footage in the middle of real-life battles when he worked in a television news crew in Vietnam during the 1960s. Irvin once said: "Unlike most young film directors, I've been in battle. Throughout the '60s I went to various war zones and I met numerous mercenaries in Algeria and South East Asia, so I had my own personal strings to draw on. I would say our depiction of mercenaries is pretty accurate. We talked to a lot of mercenaries and were able to get a lot of information from them about how they would have handled the operation."

Legendary international arms dealer Sam Cummings was the founder of International Armaments Corporation shortly after WWII. Cummings is mentioned in the book "The Dogs Of War" by Frederick Forsyth, on which this movie is based. However, these mercenaries don't have the money, or need the large quantities of arms, to try to do business with Cummings. He is way above their class. So in the book and the movie they have to skulk around doing business with small-time arms dealers, who are indeed a dangerous bunch. Interarms, as it was known, had the initials IAC. These initials appeared continuously on all of Interarms' packing tape. So a shipment from Interarms read IACIACIACIACIA, which obviously appears to be CIA over and over. This was intentional.

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The Wild Geese, 1978.





Sir Roger Moore requested to have fewer lines in his scenes with Richard Burton and Richard Harris. This kind of request was almost unheard of from a major star. His reasoning was, "You don't seriously expect me to act against these guys?"

Producer Euan Lloyd hesitated before offering the role of "Witty" (the homosexual medic) to his longtime friend Kenneth Griffith. When finally approached, Griffith said "Some of my dearest friends in the world are homosexuals!" and accepted the part. The character was widely condemned as a stereotype (despite the fact that there are and were people just like him in the real world).

Sir Roger Moore has said in his memoirs that Ronald Fraser gave up booze while making this movie, but Fraser decided to smoke the local pot instead, and was mostly stoned when working on the project.

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A bit of realism is needed so Big Arnie time.lol

Commando, 1985. (director's cut) not much different if truth be told...but this bluray has both.




According to Alyssa Milano, Arnold Schwarzenegger was very protective of her on set. "He even helped with my algebra homework."

Arnold Schwarzenegger performed many of his own stunts, as producers found it difficult to find a stunt double for the bodybuilder. The actor suffered a dislocated shoulder and several stitches during the shoot.

Body count: 109 (102 killed by Arnold Schwarzenegger).

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My Man Godfrey, 1936.. Criterion Bluray.

...Carole Lombard and William Powell dazzle in this definitive screwball comedy by Gregory La Cava—a potent cocktail of romantic repartee and social critique. Irene (Lombard), an eccentric, wealthy Manhattanite, wins a society-ball scavenger hunt after finding a “forgotten man” (Powell)—an apparent down-and-out drifter—at a dump. She gives him work as the family butler and soon falls head over heels for him. Her attempts to both woo Godfrey and indoctrinate him in the household’s dysfunction make for a string of madcap high jinks that has never been bested. La Cava’s deft film was the first to garner Oscar nominations in all four acting categories, and it is one of Hollywood’s greatest commentaries on class and the social unrest of the Depression era.





William Powell suggested his ex-wife Carole Lombard for the leading role with the explanation that his real -life romance with her had been much the same as it was for the characters of Godfrey and Irene.

Carole Lombard had a habit of ad-libbing by inserting swear words into the dialogue, which necessitated the re-shooting of several scenes.

When William Powell and director Gregory La Cava had a disagreement over how Godfrey should be played, they talked it out over a bottle of Scotch in Powell's dressing room. The next day, LaCava returned to the movie set with a major headache, but Powell was not there. The director received a telegram from his star: "We may have found Godfrey last night but we lost Powell. See you tomorrow."

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Steptoe and Son, 1972.






The 'drag act' performing the night Harold meets Zita is Patrick Fyffe - who a few short years later would become Dame Hilda Bracket, of the hugely popular musical comedy act 'Hinge and Bracket'.

There are two references to famous British poems in the film: "... into the Valley of Death" from 'The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred Lord Tennyson and "the corner of a foreign field that is forever England" from ' The Soldier' by Rupert Brooke.

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Dial M for Murder, 1954.





When Tony places his call the scene cuts to a step by step telephone switching office. The numbers recorded are a "4" followed by a "9". And it does appear the second digit he dials was a "4".. However when the second switch, which would have been the third selector, reaches the ninth level the wipers sweep the bank to the end meaning the call went to busy or overflow (fast busy). The call would not have been completed . Also the can covers have been removed most likely for visual effect. As Step switches were being replaced, many technicians kepi the covers and made bird houses out of them.

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"This is thee Jane Harrington?"
"Yes."
"Jane 'bury me in a Y-shaped coffin' Harrington?"
"I think maybe there are two Jane Harringtons."
"No, tall, handsome"
"That's the one"
"Goes like a privy door when the plague's in town?"

Blackadder the Second.. "Bob"

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Spider Woman, 1944... Sherlock Holmes and the....

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I Was Monty's Double, 1959.






The screenplay omits David Niven's part in the real operation. It was he, working for the Army's film unit as a Lieutenant Colonel, who first made contact with M.E. Clifton James. His role is taken in this movie by Major Harvey (Sir John Mills)

The following is from the UK's comic EAGLE dated 1st Nov 1958 Vol 9 No.44. "The ingenuity of the wardrobe department was often tested. A scene required John Mills to appear as if he had just emgerged from the sea, fully clothed. But as fast as he doused himself, the hot sun rapidly dried his clothes! So, the wardrobe department soaked the actor's clothes very thoroughly, in crude Spanish olive oil. Artistically, the result was perfect, but the odour of olive oil hung about for days!"