That Wacky Redhead

[Brainbin]

Thank you, everyone, for your replies to my latest update! They have been enough to bring me to page one of the forum, if you were to sort by replies! I literally could not have done that without you. What also gratifies me is that I've been attracting a greater diversity of commenters as of late, which certainly makes it harder to please all of you at once, but at least I'll never be wanting for your opinions (For the record, for any archivists reading this later on, the "magic number" of replies to get to page one was 967).

And on that note, welcome to page 50 of the thread!

Any possibility of a Fourth Doctor/Questor crossover?

What an intriguing question. But first let's see how long the Third Doctor's tenure will last, shall we?

Congrats!

Thank you. It's just one milestone after another for me lately. I hope it will last

Ooh, have Desilu pull a Universal!

Universal was exactly what I had in mind when I talked about the guided tours. And though that backlot, too, has a long and storied history, it is primarily remembered today for Back to the Future, perhaps one of the best-ever uses of any backlot in any film. But don't get me started, because I can gush about that movie forever. (Prior to BttF, the backlot was known as Mockingbird Square, as in To Kill a Mockingbird). With regards to Desilu Forty Acres ITTL, the same thing will happen, at least in the 1970s. Many building facades will primarily be known for their roles in Star Trek, perhaps with performers reenacting famous scenes from the various episodes in which they are featured.

Of course, as we have Telly Savalas ans Kojack then it makes Tom and Lis look better for Doctor Who.

Not necessarily. One might argue that I would be more likely to go out of my way not to cast them, so as to avoid making TTL look too convergent with OTL.

I look forward to the Shatner guest appearance on this Muppet Show - maybe also a parody of his Twilight Zone episode. Maybe the appearance can rekindle some interest in Shatner.

Shatner actually appeared in two episodes of The Twilight Zone. Of course I know which one you're talking about, but just FYI. That is actually possible, considering that it was arguably his most famous role prior to Star Trek, and I've no doubt that Henson and co. would relish the opportunity to create a "gremlin" character for the sketch. As for rekindled interest in Shatner? Well, we all know it happened IOTL, but the conditions that resulted in his miraculous recovery might not be so easily replicable ITTL.

You should do a car one!

Maybe. I only knew about the Mustang because I was thinking about aspects of a 1950s cultural revival and realized that, ITTL as IOTL, the Oil Crisis would have stunted a full-blown restoration of interest in 1950s car culture, for entirely pragmatic reasons. Also, cars are too "technical" a subject. It took two consultants to write a reasonably detailed post on the space program ITTL, I would need at least one to talk about the automotive industry in any depth.

Have to look that up some more.

As it happens, the architect of the NBC revival is a name that's been mentioned a great many times ITTL.

Hollywood has absolutely no sense of history.

Sadly not. Pickfair, for example. The classic Silent Age estate of Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. It was kept in good repair for seven decades before it was cavalierly demolished in 1990 by... Pia Zadora (What an all-around winner she is. I can see why you're such a big fan of hers )

The "Big 3" are also likely to get bitten by the Oil Shock, as OTL, since the management in place hasn't changed in the main. (I'd have to look at any changes to say for sure.)

I'll be discussing the manufacturing sector in general in an upcoming post, and how it is doing relative to OTL in the years leading up to the Oil Crisis.

So you won't be doing it, then? (Hmm, only 2 TV networks in '81 will drastically reduce the number of shows.... Get your requests in early.)

I obviously won't answer your question directly, but please note that NBC is doing considerably better at this point ITTL than it was IOTL, and we'll have to see if that trend continues. Also worth noting, of course, is that if NBC did collapse, a new third network would almost certainly rise out of its ashes, as the non-O&O affiliates would simply re-affiliate to that network (and the O&O stations would be liquidated, and purchased outright by the new network).

I wonder if the character of Linda Johnson being crafted for the American market might already have some of the feminist characteristics that IOTL were first introduced with Sarah-Jane. That might make the character of Sarah-Jane less distinctive ITTL.

I essentially see Linda Johnson as Polly Sherman played straight and surrounded by genuinely competent people.

After a bit of research, it seems that the first Dr Who spoof was broadcast in Dec 1963 on Michael Bentine's It's a Square World. That's just a couple of weeks after the series was first broadcast. Interestingly, Bentine was one of the actors cosidered to play the fourth doctor.

I have discovered the likeliest source of the earliest Star Trek parody: unsurprisingly, it's The Carol Burnett Show, in which Leonard Nimoy made a guest appearance as Mr. Spock. Having not seen the episode in question (and it isn't even available on YouTube, sadly), I'm uncertain as to the context of this appearance, but it aired on December 4, 1967, fifteen months after Star Trek premiered, predating even the mainstream success of the series ITTL.

My Revised Choices for the Muppet Star Trek parody:

Janice Rand: Janice

A Klingon: Animal

I like most of your choices, but I have to take umbrage with these two. Again, very few people will remember Janice. I get that you cast her in that role because of the pun on her name, but I think Martine is far likelier to get the "third woman" part in any parody ITTL (if only because Mulhall is a bit too similar to Spock). As for Animal, Klingons ITTL are more devious and duplicitous than they are animalistic. You may be letting their reputation from later OTL incarnations colour your impression of them

Another finely crafted Update. I especially like the 'Teasers' you work in.

Thank you. One of the oldest rules of show-business is always leave the audience wanting more

I can't wait to see the anti-nuclear aspect of popular culture that you promised for later in the decade.

Good to hear. Be forewarned, however, that it may take us quite some time to get there!

About Spielberg, I'd love to see a 1970s version of Schindler's List - although they wouldn't be able to film it in the 1970s People's Republic of Poland.

You seem to have started a discussion on this topic, so I'll address it here and now. Spielberg would not adapt Schindler's List (the source novel for which was not written until 1982 IOTL - but let's assume that Poldek Pfefferberg convinces someone else to write about Schindler, in which case the resulting material could be considerably different in presentation or emphasis) in the 1970s or early 1980s, for two reasons: first, he would not consider himself sufficiently experienced for the task, and secondly, he wouldn't want to make a "heavy" picture in that era; he wanted to make entertaining movies. This changed in the mid-1980s for two reasons IOTL: the award snubs for Raiders and then E.T. convincing him that he would never be taken seriously as a legitimate filmmaker unless he tackled more "challenging" subject matter, and the turmoil in his personal life.

Enjoying the updates and looking forward to the next.
Apologies for the brief response but most people doing the longer responses for me

Thank you very much. I don't have any objections to the length of your response as long as you went to the trouble of making one

Never been a fan of Bond, especially, & the wild stories, even less so. It appears I'd have liked this one better than OTL's. Until (unless) you get to Craig, tho...

Daniel Craig will be 18 years old in 1986. Are you suggesting him as Billington's replacement, assuming that the latter lasts for all seven films?

That said, I do, as always, like the background detail. (Lavish research...) And Queen on a Bond soundtrack? Nice touch. Do you see this affecting the band's future much?

Queen was definitely one of the ideas of which I am proudest in this update. And they're certainly going to make a bigger impact right away. (For example, later in 1974, they'll release "Killer Queen" - or something very similar - and score another UK #1 and US Top 10 hit).

I also find myself wondering if the economy doesn't mean future Bond films aren't less lavish & absurd, compared to OTL. (I'd like them better.)

On the contrary. Tough economic times tend to result in an increased desire for escapist entertainment. (Yes, this is part of the reason why Moonraker did so well ITTL.)

It sounds like Seven Seas of Rhye will still be released then, but Moonraker is going to be the bands big breakthrough song rather than Bohemian Rhapsody. I wonder if 39 is going to be recorded with a more prog rock feel to it ITTL.

Queen is definitely going to stick closer to their progressive roots ITTL, though how much this holds true will depend on the writer. May would probably be the proggiest of the four, given that the other three have their own genres anyway (Taylor had rock-and-roll, Deacon had funk, and Mercury simply refused to be pinned down); and since he wrote "39", there you have it. "Moonraker" will be the lead-off single to Sheer Heart Attack, and *"Killer Queen" will follow, with both topping the British charts.

First, I wonder how that would affect Kraftwerk. Incidentally, up until 1978, I think, Doctor Who was permitted to film several scenes at Nuclear Reactors, with the last one in question being "The Pirate Planet".

Well, I was asked to discuss the anti-nuclear movement. No request was made either way about the pro-nuclear movement, which will also play a part ITTL.

In this timeline where Western and Eastern Blocks aren't so hostile (no [verboten]) and they have common enemy in China there would be even more chance for cooperation. Especially in the field of cinematography.

This is an excellent point. And if Poland (along with, presumably, other Warsaw Pact states) is seeking greater cultural autonomy, and is being permitted to do so by Brezhnev, then I see no reason why greater cooperation in film production would not come to pass. However, I don't think that *Schindler's List would be one of those projects.

BTW I wanted to congratulate Brainbin for very interesting and educational timeline. It's really good to be able to read of something other than wars or politics.

Thank you very much, Mefisto, and welcome aboard! I'm glad you like my timeline for one of the main reasons that I started writing it!

Aww! I thought it was going to be Monty Python!

Patience, grasshopper. Besides, I was strongly implying that it would be Doctor Who, not Python

I think the Moonraker update may be the best of your already wonderful set of posts for this timeline.

Thank you very much for the compliment, Glen, though there are many more updates that I myself like better than this one. But to each his own

I love how you have made Moonraker a great Bond work.

I don't know if I would call it great. Relative to previous Bond films I would put it somewhere between above-average and good.

The detail and interweaving of changes in this timeline into this update is masterful.

Thank you again! And you should see what changes I have in store based on this update

Of course the best part is how you have brought in Queen!

They certainly provided the soundtrack to enough movies IOTL - I figured I would give them a head start.

I really want to see this movie!!!

And if you find a way to travel to alternate realities, be sure to bring me along!

On a more critiquing note, can you explain more how the tax exile thing changed ITTL?

That is a fine question, and much of it will be answered in due time.

Kubrick actually had his own project of a Holocaust movie, The Aryan Papers, which he left to Spielberg out of respect.

Welcome aboard, MaskedPickle! Kubrick was very much the Hamlet of his day, considering how little output he managed after 2001 (a mere five films in more than 30 years!)

By the way, who played Hugo Drax in this movie?

Excellent question! How about Christopher Lee? The timing is about right. And it's one more point in favour of Glen calling it a great film

I doubt Spielberg would have the clout to get Schindler's List or an equivalent produced in the 1970's.

The clout, the motivation, or the ambition, as I mentioned before.

It would have to be a more established, big-name director. I'd suggest Kubrick, but since I'm lobbying Brainbin to have him helm another project...

Yes, and as noted, Kubrick did indeed toy with the idea for what was, even by his standards, quite some time (almost two decades).

Anyway, about the update: great stuff, and nice to see another science fiction film do well at the box office well after the Moonshot Lunacy has passed. Could this be the beginning of a trend? I wonder if sci-fi would suffer from a too-prolonged fad, but you never know...

Thank you very much, vultan. As to whether or not it might revive the fortunes of science-fiction... there's only one way to find out!

I hope to have the next update ready for you... tomorrow! In honour of the timeline's six-month anniversary. So until then!

 

[NCW8]

Queen is definitely going to stick closer to their progressive roots ITTL, though how much this holds true will depend on the writer. May would probably be the proggiest of the four, given that the other three have their own genres anyway (Taylor had rock-and-roll, Deacon had funk, and Mercury simply refused to be pinned down); and since he wrote "39", there you have it. "Moonraker" will be the lead-off single to Sheer Heart Attack, and *"Killer Queen" will follow, with both topping the British charts.

And Bohemian Rhapsody ? Queen made a very distinctive video to promote the song as they didn't think that they could mime to it convincingly on Top of the Pops. Although it wasn't the first song for which a promotional video was produced, IOTL it's success led to record companies regularly producing such videos for single releases - arguably some of these videos were better than the songs. If TTL has butterflied away Bohemian Rhapsody then it could delay the development of the music video and that will affect the evolution of MTV.

Cheers,
Nigel.

 

[Falkenburg]

I have discovered the likeliest source of the earliest Star Trek parody: unsurprisingly, it's The Carol Burnett Show, in which Leonard Nimoy made a guest appearance as Mr. Spock. Having not seen the episode in question (and it isn't even available on YouTube, sadly),

Is This what you're after? No sign of Nimoy, though.

Falkenburg

 

[phx1138]

enough to bring me to page one of the forum

Bravo, il maestro.

Universal was exactly what I had in mind

That wouldn't foreshadow DPP being involved in the creation of a certain mechanical shark, would it?

Shatner actually appeared in two episodes of The Twilight Zone.

Y'know, it's a bit sad he's remembered for the gremlins, 'cause I thought the other one was one of the best they did. (Or, at least, one of the most memorable for me: the pilot {"...apparently in complete control...of The Twilght Zone" is classic}, the nuclear war aftermath {the broken glasses would have driven me to suicide, I think}, & "To Serve Man" come immediately to mind.)

Sadly not. Pickfair, for example. The classic Silent Age estate of Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. It was kept in good repair for seven decades before it was cavalierly demolished in 1990 by... Pia Zadora

I can see why you're such a big fan of hers )

I have no praise for her good sense nor acting ability (assuming we can credit her with any), only her looks & total lack of modesty.

I'll be discussing the manufacturing sector in general in an upcoming post, and how it is doing relative to OTL in the years leading up to the Oil Crisis.

Awaiting with interest.

I obviously won't answer your question directly, but please note that NBC is doing considerably better at this point ITTL than it was IOTL, and we'll have to see if that trend continues. Also worth noting, of course, is that if NBC did collapse, a new third network would almost certainly rise out of its ashes, as the non-O&O affiliates would simply re-affiliate to that network (and the O&O stations would be liquidated, and purchased outright by the new network).

Noted on the first. On the second, maybe not. I could picture them being picked up by the two survivors. Unless I'm overlooking FCC regs on affiliates per market... Nor, I should add, have I forgotten the creation of Fox or UPN, nor BET. (Hmm....an NBC implosion & a bigger, better BET? Yes, much less likely TTL. Just a thought.)

I have discovered the likeliest source of the earliest Star Trek parody: unsurprisingly, it's The Carol Burnett Show... aired on December 4, 1967, fifteen months after Star Trek premiered

Somebody really, really didn't think it had a chance...or was deeply prescient.

Daniel Craig will be 18 years old in 1986. Are you suggesting him as Billington's replacement, assuming that the latter lasts for all seven films?

Not unless you plan a "Young James Bond". Just saying between Connery & him, they were poseurs (much as I liked Brosnan as a both Steele & Bond).

On the contrary. Tough economic times tend to result in an increased desire for escapist entertainment.

IDK if I'd agree, necessarily, "escapist" ="absurd", but we all know my tastes are idiosyncratic. I draw a distinction between, frex, "Man with Two Brains" & "Roger Rabbit". Both escapist, no question, but in its context, "Roger" is perfectly reasonable. Or "Tough Guys": escapist without getting stupid. OTOH, I found "BTTF" pushed the limits of silliness too far for my liking. There were nice touches, & MJF & Rev Jim had a certain panache, but... Didn't make them bad films, just less good than I thought they could've been. Compare "Silverado" & "Blazing Saddles": "Silverado", IMO, is a masterpiece of understatement; "Blazing Saddles", these years later, is a joke.

Queen is definitely going to stick closer to their progressive roots ITTL, though how much this holds true will depend on the writer. May would probably be the proggiest of the four, given that the other three have their own genres anyway (Taylor had rock-and-roll, Deacon had funk, and Mercury simply refused to be pinned down); and since he wrote "39", there you have it.

This makes me think: the same kind of thing that happened when the Stones got big could happen with Queen, too, & the artists & music that inspired them could end up benefitting, too.

I don't think that *Schindler's List would be one of those projects.

I wonder if there's another way to get to Schindler: a Brit or American director or producer of Polish extraction doing a film on Katyn Forest & being put onto Schindler's papers, or inspiring somebody to do the work, & somebody to film it. (In that same vein, an earlier-than-OTL telling of the story in *"Defiance", please...? {Hmmm...when did Craig first take up acting?})

And Bohemian Rhapsody ? Queen made a very distinctive video to promote the song ...If TTL has butterflied away Bohemian Rhapsody then it could delay the development of the music video and that will affect the evolution of MTV.

The tiniest things can go "bang".

 

[Lord Insane]

Compare "Silverado" & "Blazing Saddles": "Silverado", IMO, is a masterpiece of understatement; "Blazing Saddles", these years later, is a joke.

A very good joke, though. Take it from someone who didn't see it until many years after its release.

 

[unclepatrick]

Regarding your Moonraker movie. I want to see it. Any one know a video store that carry AU movie?

 

[THE OBSERVER]

Fourth Doctor TL next?

 

[Brainbin]

Another Night at the Movies

The logo of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, used since 1957.
​

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, otherwise known as MGM, had been the largest and most profitable studio in Hollywood during the Golden Age. However, it had been in constant decline since the late 1950s, and its last great triumphs of that era: the musical Gigi in 1958, and the swords-and-sandals epic Ben-Hur (a remake of a famous silent film) in 1959; both films would win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, their only two such wins since the end of the Golden Age. [1] Ben-Hur had saved the studio from financial ruin, but it also put them in a precarious position: they were forever reliant on “the next big hit” to keep them going for another year or two. And needless to say, there were no guarantees. In 1966-67, a controlling interest in the company was sold to Edgar M. Bronfman, scion of the Canadian Jewish Bronfman family, which controlled the Montreal-based Seagram distillers. He gradually consolidated his power in MGM, ascending to the Chairmanship in 1969. Times were tough for MGM, but the studio persevered partly on their legacy, and partly because many of the other studios were also having difficulty facing changes in the industry. Paramount, for example, despite having also been bought out by an entrepreneur (industrialist Charles Bluhdorn), was having considerable trouble establishing a presence on television, after a deal with another studio had fallen through. These woes did much to make MGM (which, by contrast, was buoyed by its well-performing television division) look more attractive to shareholders. [2]

Bronfman was mindful that the studio needed to diversify its output, but he also wanted to honour his existing obligations. Stanley Kubrick, who had directed 2001: A Space Odyssey for MGM, had approached the studio in hopes of financing his dream project: a biopic of Napoleon. His initial $5 million price tag was met with considerable distress, so he developed a plan to cut costs in almost every aspect of production that met with Bronfman’s approval. In September, 1969, he turned in a draft screenplay, and the project was officially green-lit. [3] Napoleon was filmed primarily on location, in Italy and Yugoslavia (with sojourns to France, and all on-set shooting done in Kubrick’s base of operations in England). Kubrick employed his considerable skill as a filmmaker to conceal a number of those key cost-cutting measures employed throughout the production, including the use of paper uniforms worn (while being filmed at great distances) by the French and Coalition soldiers, who were in turn portrayed by the People’s Yugoslav Army. 15,000 infantrymen and 5,000 cavalrymen were used in total, though not all at once – 15,000 men total were used in the Waterloo sequence. Stylistic advances in cinematography, as well as visual effects techniques, were used to the fullest to create a palpable sense of atmosphere; particular praise was singled out for the use of natural lighting [4], made possible by newly-developed fast lenses, and for the stately, precise battle choreography, reflective of a more “civilized” age and divorced from the chaotic frenzy of modern war films. Starring as le petit corporal was the relatively unknown actor David Hemmings, whose intense and unforgettable performance was wisely presaged by Kubrick, who cast him despite his being below the lower end of his preferred age range (Hemmings was 29 during principal photography, whereas Napoleon had been 30 when was created First Consul of the French Republic in 1799). A far more impressive casting coup was Audrey Hepburn, who had been lured out of semi-retirement to star as Josephine; she received top billing, generously insisting that it also be extended to Hemmings, in an echo of the same courtesy bestowed upon her by Gregory Peck for Roman Holiday. Patrick Magee as Talleyrand, and frequent Kubrick collaborator Peter Sellers, in one of his few major dramatic roles as Fouché, rounded out the major players.

The film, which was released in late 1971, eventually cost well over the originally budgeted $5 million, which was still only a moderate price-tag for an epic film of the era. It received ten Academy Award nominations, more than any other film at the ceremony held the following April: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay (though Kubrick had written the film’s screenplay independently, it was credited as having been “adapted” from the biography written by Felix Markham – who had also served as technical advisor – for legal reasons), Best Actor (for Hemmings), Best Actress (for Hepburn), Best Supporting Actor (for Sellers), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, and Best Visual Effects. It also won multiple technical awards for pioneering multiple innovative filmmaking techniques. Most importantly, Napoleon was the highest-grossing film of the year, earning over $100 million stateside, and a great deal worldwide as well, particularly in Europe. It became the most successful foreign-language film in the history of both France and Italy, and (unsurprisingly) sold the most tickets per capita in Yugoslavia, where roughly half of the film was ultimately shot. (To be fair, Napoleonic France did indeed occupy part of modern-day Yugoslavia, known as the “Illyrian Provinces” of the French Empire).

At the Academy Awards of 1971, perhaps through a combination of the increasing vindication of Kubrick’s reputation (his previous picture, 2001: A Space Odyssey, was already undergoing substantial critical re-appraisal by this time), Napoleon swept most of the major awards. It won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Hemmings (who in accepting the award, became its youngest-ever recipient, at 30 years, 144 days old – beating the previous record-holder, Marlon Brando), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Costume Design. Best Actress was awarded to Jane Fonda for Klute, Best Supporting Actor went to Ben Johnson in The Last Picture Show, and Best Visual Effects went to the live-action/animated fusion film, Bedknobs and Broomsticks. [5] Kubrick was the sole recipient of three Academy Awards (Picture, Director, and Screenplay), but did not attend the ceremony due to his fear of flying. Other members of the Napoleon production team accepted on his behalf. Myriad jokes about Kubrick being “exiled to Elba” abounded. Co-host Jack Lemmon would build on the joke by remarking: “Well, we thought he was at Elba, but it turns out he escaped, only now he’s stuck at St. Helena”; another co-host, Sammy Davis, Jr., capped off the routine. “Kubrick’s next picture is going to be a sequel to The Ten Commandments, and right now he’s doing his research by trying to get through the desert to the Promised Land… on foot.” However, the award was a vindication for MGM, who had both popular and critical clout for the first time in some years (their previous big-budget film, Ryan’s Daughter, did well at the box-office but received thoroughly mixed reception). [6]

After two historical war epics and character studies in a row won Best Picture, audiences and critics were in the mood for something lighter and frothier. Befitting the more sophisticated era, the old-style ray-of-sunshine extravaganzas would not be appropriate, but at the very least, some cautious optimism was deemed necessary. Thus, it was Cabaret, the fourth-highest grossing film of 1972, and the second-highest grossing musical behind What’s Up, Doc, that took home Best Picture that year, one of nine total won by the film [7], which also included: Best Director; Best Actress for Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland’s eldest daughter, in what effectively served as her Hollywood debut; Best Supporting Actor for Joel Grey (aided by a three-way split in the vote by nominees from The Godfather); Best Score, Adaptation; Best Sound Mixing; Best Art Direction; Best Cinematography; and Best Film Editing. Its hottest competition was mob film The Godfather, which won for Adapted Screenplay, Original Score [8], and Best Actor: Marlon Brando thus became the fourth actor to win the award twice (after Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, and Gary Cooper). In his acceptance speech, he made the only overtly political statements at that year’s ceremony by addressing the plight of the American Indian; it spoke to his immense veneration by his fellows within the industry that his thoughts were allowed be aired uninterrupted and unchallenged. [9] However, as much as the Oscars celebrated cinematic high art, 1972 was the high-water mark of one of the lowest forms of the medium: Porno Chic. Two pornographic films were among the Top 10 highest-grossing films of the year, and a third, though not technically pornographic, was extremely sexually explicit (and animated to boot): a film adaptation of the Fritz the Cat comic by Robert Crumb. However, it certainly spoke to the artistic aspirations of filmmakers in the era that even these films were far more snobbish and sophisticated than the lowbrow material that had come before.

For all of the bright and sunny atmosphere of the early 1970s, once the Oil Crisis and the recession hit in 1973, a decidedly darker, more macabre mood emerged. It didn’t help that the predominant trend of the era, retro nostalgia, was evenly split between two very well-received films: The Sting, set during the Great Depression, and American Graffiti, set during the early 1960s. Both of these were nominated for Best Picture, which allowed The Exorcist, based on a novel written by William Peter Blatty, to come through the middle, winning Best Picture, and Best Director for Peter Bogdanovich, among four other awards; most prominently Best Supporting Actress for 14-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis, daughter of Hollywood stars Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, who had played Regan MacNeil, the young girl who was possessed by an (unseen) demon. [10] The horror film was dark and unflinching (it had become only the second X-rated film to win Best Picture [11]), though the priests were ultimately successful in their quest to drive the demon from Regan’s soul – at great personal cost. It was wildly successful with audiences, grossing over $200 million at the box-office. The Sting, the second-most successful film of 1973, won three Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay; but American Graffiti, the third-most successful, went home empty-handed, much to the disappointment of both George Lucas and his wife Marcia. The sole award for which she was nominated was Best Film Editing, which had gone to The Exorcist, a decision that displeased many at Desilu Post-Production. Donald R. Rode, who had been nominated alongside Lucas, was overheard complaining to his boss, Herb Solow, the following morning that the editing for the winning film had been merely “pedestrian”. He and Marcia commiserated over their loss; meanwhile, George Lucas seemed to shrug it off, already busy planning his next project…

By 1974, the darkness had set in, which, more than anything else, explains the brilliant resurrection of a previously dormant genre: film noir, where there are no more heroes. The movie that spearheaded this renaissance was Chinatown, the brainchild of Robert Towne, a revered script doctor whose stock had significantly risen following his work on The Godfather. Peter Bogdanovich, though he was highly ambivalent about being seen as a “hired gun” of the studios, was nevertheless brought on as director after completing The Exorcist; Jack Nicholson and Jane Fonda starred as the hard-boiled protagonist and the femme fatale, respectively. [12] Bogdanovich fought hard for allowing the picture to be filmed in black-and-white, allowing him to play with light and shadow in direct homage to noir films of the past, particularly those directed by his idol, Orson Welles (who had made cameo appearances in both The Exorcist and Chinatown); visually, the film borrowed very heavily from Touch of Evil. The film won Best Picture, accepted by the notorious Robert Evans; Bogdanovich did not repeat as Best Director, with Francis Ford Coppola instead winning for The Godfather Part II. [13] The highest-grossing film of the year, Moonraker, won only one of the four Oscars for which it was nominated: Best Visual Effects, awarded to Derek Meddings. The next-highest grossing film of the year, the deconstructionist Western parody Blazing Saddles, surprisingly won for Best Supporting Actor, awarded to Harvey Korman; he, like Joel Grey two years before, won largely due to a three-way split among nominees from The Godfather (Part II). [14] Korman’s character within the film had explicitly mentioned the Oscar potential of his performance, in one of the many “meta” moments throughout the movie (and which organizers, not without a sense of irony, chose to feature in clips of his performance shown during the ceremony); fittingly, in his acceptance speech, Korman thanked the Academy “for not holding my performance against me”, receiving one of the biggest laughs of the night. In contrast to 1973, Chinatown had only been the tenth-highest grossing film of the year, surprisingly low indeed for a Best Picture winner. But this was only one effect of the many changes affecting the increasingly decentralized American motion picture industry. Larger studios like MGM were finding their market shares face continuous declines; formerly niche markets were becoming increasingly legitimate. The old oligopolies that had been so dominant for so long were giving way to freer competition. The New Hollywood was no longer merely about the new, creative “freedom of the screen” now available to filmmakers; it was about the freedom of audiences to choose what movies to watch, with the studios becoming ever more powerless to stop them. Success in the entertainment industry had always been both elusive and fickle.

---

[1] And, IOTL, their last two films to win Best Picture to date. Their most recent nominee in the category was Moonstruck, from 1987.

[2] Who, when coupled with the better-performing overall economy, would not be motivated to sell a controlling interest to venture capitalist Kirk Kerkorian.

[3] One of the first major decisions made by the Kerkorian regime was to reject going forward with the Napoleon film, forcing Kubrick to go elsewhere in search of funding; the release of several other Napoleonic films, all of which performed poorly, were enough to scuttle his plans for good. It would remain his greatest lamentation.

[4] Kubrick had originally devised the use of natural light for Napoleon IOTL, before instead using it in Barry Lyndon.

[5] IOTL, The French Connection won for Picture, Director (William Friedkin), Actor (Gene Hackman), Adapted Screenplay, and Film Editing. Fiddler on the Roof won for Cinematography, and Nicholas and Alexandra won for Costume Design.

[6] Ryan’s Daughter earns about $50 million at the US box-office ITTL, up from only $30 million IOTL. This is a promotion from “financially devastating” to merely “disappointing”. In Europe, the film verges on a bona fide hit, particularly in the British Isles, enough to confirm Lean’s clout, rather than become viewed as a rare misstep.

[7] IOTL, Cabaret won all of those awards, except for Best Picture, which went to The Godfather. Cabaret was also the eighth-highest grossing film of 1972 IOTL.

[8] Nino Rota was disqualified from nomination because he had reused a theme from his previous film, in one of the more notorious technicalities of qualification requirements. IOTL, the award instead went to Limelight, a twenty-year-old Charlie Chaplin film, which only became eligible due to these same requirements (it only received a wide release in the United States in 1972 IOTL), in an obvious gesture to give one of the seminal figures in the film industry a competitive Oscar (which he had never won before).

[9] Yes, he accepted the award. Butterflies take care of the Wounded Knee incident (when in doubt, blame Tricky Dick!) and, by extension, Sacheen Littlefeather. However, Brando still affiliates with the American Indian Movement, who seek somewhat more peaceful methods of enacting social change.

[10] IOTL, William Friedkin directed the film. Bogdanovich will overall take a more minimalist, stylistic approach to the gore aspects of the film than Friedkin did, allowing the film to be disturbing in a more intellectual than visceral fashion, thus allowing it additional highbrow credibility, and therefore, more Oscar wins. The “split in the vote” that did not occur IOTL (The Sting won for Picture and Director, among a handful of other awards) does occur here because of the better overall reception for American Graffiti. Starring as the possessed girl IOTL was Linda Blair, replaced by Jamie Lee Curtis, who obviously will not be remembered as the “Scream Queen” ITTL.

[11] The Exorcist received an “R” rating IOTL (undeservedly so, in the opinions of many), contributing to the decline of the “X” rating, which became seen as the province of pornography. Recall that ITTL, the “X” rating was registered by the MPAA in 1972, which cements its legitimacy.

[12] Nicholson recommended Roman Polanski as Director IOTL after Bogdanovich turned it down. Here, with him coming off The Exorcist, Evans has more leverage to appoint him immediately. For the same reason, Jane Fonda has a far less controversial reputation ITTL given the lack of her intimate involvement in the overseas quagmire, and seems a natural choice for the role of the alleged “femme fatale”.

[13] IOTL, The Godfather Part II became the first sequel to win for Best Picture, along with Coppola winning for Best Director.

[14] Korman, sadly, was not nominated for his role IOTL, thus depriving pop culture history of a supremely rich irony. ITTL, on the other hand, he defeats Robert De Niro.

---

Today marks the six-month anniversary of this timeline! And what a whirlwind it has been. Thank you all for reading, and thanks to my many commenters for your thoughtful replies and your generous comments. And special thanks to my collaborators, who have enriched this whole experience in ways I never could have imagined when I decided to actually post this somewhat nebulous and entirely quirky idea of mine on a lark, that fair November day.

We’ll continue to explore the movies – and even particular genres and individual films – in future posts. But coming up next time, a merry little jaunt across the pond!

 

[Glen]

I look forward to your next update.

 

[vultan]

Great update, Brainbin! Happy anniversary! (Time flies when you're having fun!)

Harvey Korman winning the Oscar? Yes please.

As far a pop culture goes, Stanley Kubrick tackling Napoleon has always been a source of considerable discussion on this site, but I believe this is the first high-profile project to actually do it, and do it well. Kudos!

How does the rest of the cast of The Exorcist look? I always felt Jason Miller could have been a more prominent actor if given the right opportunities. And with the success of the a different version of the film, the question is how it affects horror as a whole in film. The 1970's was of course a pivotal decade for horror...

Nice George Lucas foreshadowing.

 

[e of pi]

I look forward to your next update.

Yeesh, man. It's up for two minutes and you're demanding another?

 

[THE OBSERVER]

You had Kubrick make Napoleon. Thank you. A lot of people say it's the greatest film never made. I assume Kubrick will make A Clockwork Orange in 1975 instead of Barry Lyndon, as his next film. I'm disappointed that you gave Best Picture to Cabaret, instead of The Godfather which definitely deserves it, no matter what TL. But, I'm glad that you gave Nino Rota the Oscar for Best Original Score, and you had Peter Bogdanovich do well ITTL. Good for you. But, can you please change things so that Robert DeNiro wins Best Supporting Actor in 1974 instead of Harvey Korman? Pretty Please?

 

[phx1138]

A very good joke, though. Take it from someone who didn't see it until many years after its release.

Oh, sure, first time it was hilarious. Second time, & for me many years later, not at all. (Same for "Young Frankenstein".)

 

[John Fredrick Parker]

You had Kubrick make Napoleon. Thank you.

My thoughts exactly

 

[Lord Insane]

Oh, sure, first time it was hilarious. Second time, & for me many years later, not at all. (Same for "Young Frankenstein".)

To avoid overly going from the subject of the TL, suffice to say that my experience differs from yours in regards to Blazing Saddles (as to Young Frankenstein, I have not yet had that second time).

 

[The Professor]

Time sure does fly by

I too would like to see a Kubrick Napoleon

Looking forward to the jaunt to our shores

 

[Glen]

qoj8b qoj8b qoj8b

Oh, sure, first time it was hilarious. Second time, & for me many years later, not at all. (Same for "Young Frankenstein".)

Young Frankensten and Blazing Saddles are classics I can watch again and again

 

[MaskedPickle]

Long live Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon, which exists at long least on this discussion board!

 

[NCW8]

Looking forward to the jaunt to our shores

We'll have to see what happens Tomorrow, People.

Cheers,
Nigel

 

[THE OBSERVER]

We'll have to see what happens Tomorrow, People.

Cheers,
Nigel

I hope it's the Fourth Doctor.