ROBERT BERRY'S
WEIRD MOVIE STUFF #8


MOVIE QUOTE OF THE DAY

"They cut my thumb off!"
                -Eric Roberts, THE POPE OF GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEIRD MOVIE FACTS O' THE DAY
(find the bogus facta and win a game of lubricated Twister
with Slappy White)

  • Of all film adaptations of his work, Ernest Hemmingway is said to have best enjoyed, "THE KILLERS" starring Burt Lancaster.

  • Science Fiction and all around writing great Ray Bradbury wrote the screenplay for MOBY DICK.

  • The reanimated corpse of Andy Gibb was the original choice for the lead role in APOLLO 13.

  • An early pre-Tim Burton BATMAN film proposal had Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy cast as the dynamic duo.


    FEATURE SECTION: GOOD TV ADAPTATIONS/and bad ones


    More Good TV SHOWS based on films:

    THE ODD COUPLE
    Jack Klugman and Tony Randall were fantastic in this well done series that held it's own against the film version very nicely. (TEN points to you if you ever saw the awful "The New Odd Couple" in 1982, starring Ron Glass from "Barney Miller" and "Desmond Wilson", Lamont from "Sanford & Son.) (And, yes, I know it was a play first).

    ALICE
    Not a lot in common with the film ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE anymore, but it was usually entertaining. Did you think you could live the rest of your life without hearing, "KISS MY GRITS!" shouted to you again? Just when you thought it was safe! Vic Tayback, RIP!

    PRIVATE BENJAMIN
    Losing only Goldie Hawn, most the movie's original cast were able to reunite for this series. Goofy fun, and fairly consistent. I know Eileen Brennan was in the James Spader/Susan Sarandon film WHITE PALACE, but what other films was she in?


    More Bad TV SHOWS based on films:

    SEMI-TOUGH
    This show only lasted a few weeks in mid 1979, but gave actors David Hasselhoff and NIGHT COURT'S Markie Post early work. The Hollywood Reporter at the time wrote, "SEMI-TOUGH isn't even semi-funny."

    THE BAD NEWS BEARS
    Yes, the film that has spawned copies that exist even today (MIGHTY DUCKS, THE BIG GREEN) had a TV show for a while. Jack Warden starred as the coach. Pretty forgettable, it only lasted a few episodes in 1978.

    DELTA HOUSE
    Though unlikely to produce, ANIMAL HOUSE was translated into a TV Show with much of the original cast (obviously sans Belushi), the series was even made by the producers and writers of the film. Josh Mostel, (Zero's son), took over the role of Bluto Blutarski.

    OPERATION PETTICOAT
    Not much to mention here, save that John Astin and Jamie Lee Curtis were regulars on the show.

    PAPER MOON
    Believe it or not, there was a sit-com based on this in 1974, starring none other than Jodie Foster in the Tatum O' Neal role.

    FATHER OF THE BRIDE
    Somewhere between the Spencer Tracy and Steve Martin versions of this film, CBS actually had a series based on it in 1961 that lasted for a full season.

    MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
    Fess Parker of Davy Crockett fame played the Jimmy Stewart role in this 1963 series, playing a country bred boy who was elected to replace a recently deceased senator.


    MOVIE TIP O' THE DAY....

    HOUDINI: Starring Tony Curtis.
    This film is a lot of fun, with Tony Curtis playing one of the greatest entertainers who ever lived. (Screw David Copperfield, Houdini would have got Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, AND Linda Evangelista without even sweating). Lots of great recreations of his feats. I especially enjoy the scenes where he's trapped under the ice and can't find his way out, so he follow's his mother's voice to freedom. There's a little bit of factual fudging here, but it's a great film, nonetheless.


    DISCUSSION SEED

    Wasn't it amazing what a complete turnaround Anne Rice did after such vocal disapproval of Tom Cruise's casting in INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE. I even had a chance to meet her at an book signing and she was spittin' mad about it, commenting about the bad casting throughout. Then 2 weeks later, she takes a full page ad out in VARIETY saying how happy she was after all. (Any extra money get floated her way?)

    Jean Aeul was understandably upset with the film version of CLAN of THE CAVE BEAR, and Elmore Leonard has been more than screwed with the versions of GLITZ and STICK. What other examples can you recall of authors being pissed off about the film adapations of their work? Any amusing or interesting anecdotes that come to mind?

    Thanks for your time and space on your hard drive,

    Robert A Berry
    4019149@mcimail.com

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