Posted in 1958, Ben Johnson, Elisha Cook, Hank Worden, John Dierkes, Karl Malden, Katy Jurado, Paramount, Slim Pickens on December 2, 2018| 12 Comments »
On December 2, 1958, under the watchful eye of DP Charles Lang, the big VistaVision cameras rolled for Marlon Brando’s One-Eyed Jacks (1961). It would be six full months — June 2, 1959, to be exact — before they stopped. A number of inserts and reshoots came later.
My book on the film isn’t taking quite that long. Not quite, anyway.
Posted in 1955, Andre de Toth, Elisha Cook, Hank Worden, Kino Lorber, Kirk Douglas, Making Movies, United Artists on April 6, 2017| 12 Comments »
With The Indian Fighter (1955) making its way to Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber, this seemed like a good time to share some more of the photos my wife’s finding as she helps with the research for my commentary. (Photos don’t do too well in an audio commentary.) I’ve been really wallowing in this movie the last couple weeks.
Here, they’re shooting a scene with Hank Worden and Walter Matthau.
Elisha Cook rests between takes in Bend, Oregon, as Ira Eagleman (whose parents were working as extras) looks on. Cook, Worden, Matthau — what a cast!
A prop man fires flaming arrows at the fort.
Elsa Martinelli, an Italian fashion model, made her screen debut in The Indian Fighter. Douglas’ wife Anne saw her in Vogue and recommended her for the part.
Here, they’re shooting inside the stockade. I can’t find director Andre de Toth in this photo, but this seems to be a scene with Douglas and Walter Abel. The Indian Fighter was the first picture from Douglas’ Bryna Productions. It was also de Toth’s first time chance to work with CinemaScope. He does a couple of really cool 360-degree pans that really use the Scope frame (and show off the distortion in those early Scope lenses).
50 Westerns From The 50s. 