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[struth]

In the Heat of the Night, 1967... classic crime drama that won 5 Oscars inc best picture...





Sidney Poitier insisted that the movie be filmed in the North because of an incident in which he and Harry Belafonte were almost killed by Ku Klux Klansmen during a visit to Mississippi. That's why Sparta, IL, was chosen for location filming. Nevertheless, the filmmakers and actors did venture briefly into Tennessee for the outdoor scenes at the cotton plantation, because there was no similar cotton plantation in Illinois that could be used. Poitier slept with a gun under his pillow during production in Tennessee. He did receive threats from local racist thugs, so the shoot was cut short and production returned to Illinois.

The scene that took place at the Police Chief's house featured dialogue that came out of improvisations between Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. Rod Steiger was asked by director Norman Jewison to chew gum when playing the part. He resisted at first, but then grew to love the idea, and eventually went through 263 packs of gum during shooting.

Banned by the South African Publications Control Board, as were many of Sidney Poitier's films.

[walpurgis]

In the Heat of the Night, 1967.

Classy film. The only one I actually liked Steiger in, he over-acted most of the time in others.

[struth]

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.. A Scandal in Bohemia and The Dancing Men... Originally aired Apr 24, 1984.

[Barry]

Classy film. The only one I actually liked Steiger in, he over-acted most of the time in others.

Oh I don't know - he was good in "Dr Zhivago", "The Pawnbroker", "On the Waterfront", and I liked him in "The Illustrated Man".

[Macca]

Oh I don't know - he was good in "Dr Zhivago", "The Pawnbroker", "On the Waterfront", and I liked him in "The Illustrated Man".

Chews on the scenery a bit in 'Napoleon'. Although it could be argued that the real Napoleon was like that.

Have to say looking at his list of films I've hardly seen any of them. I did attempt 'The Pawnbroker' but only got about 15 minutes in, just wasn't in the mood for that sort of film.

[struth]

he was inclined to overacting in many films, but he was of the original method school. in a fistful of dynamite, he was pretty good overall. yes zivago and waterfront too. not managed pawnbroker for similar reasons to martin. life''s too short.

[struth]

Once Upon a Time in the West, 1968..





The film was a massive hit in France, and was easily the most successful film released there in 1969, with 14.8 million admissions, ranking seventh of all time. It sparked a brief fashion trend for duster coats, which took such proportions that Parisian department stores such as Au Printemps had to affix signs on escalators warning patrons to keep their "maxis", as they were called, clear from the edges of moving steps to prevent jamming.

It was also the most popular film in Germany with admissions of 13 million, ranking third of all time. The film was a flop in USA.

[struth]

Murder, My Sweet, 1945...





In a 1946 "Saturday Evening Post" article, Dick Powell wrote that the film was the result of his ten-year effort to escape musicals. Powell said that when he asked Charles Koerner for a "solid tough guy" character to portray, Koerner offered him the role of Philip Marlowe.

It was hard to get Mike Mazurki to tower over Dick Powell, because the former singer stood 6'2", with Mazurki--a former pro wrestler--only slightly taller at 6' 4-1/2". For many scenes, Powell had to stand in a trench.

For Moose Malloy's first appearance, reflected in the window of Marlowe's office, Edward Dmytryk couldn't get Mike Mazurki to appear large enough because the window was too far from the camera. Instead, he had a plate of glass placed between the camera and Marlowe's desk, then reflected Mazurki's image in that. On screen, the plate glass is undetectable, making the large reflection seem to be farther from the camera.

[struth]

Treasure Island, 1977... tv mini series i guess starred Alfred Burke who was best known as playing Frank Marker in the drama series Public Eye.




While the director, Michael E. Briant, has clearly made sure that all the characters are much more strongly defined on screen than they are in the novel, and has cast most of the great TV character actors of the 70s, Alfred Burke is a quite astonishing Sea Cook; slick, violent, cunning, and dangerously plausible. The characterisation bears comparison with that of Robert Newton.

[walpurgis]

Fine actor Alfred Burke. Was never rated as highly as he should have been.