I’ll give you The Godfather but we going to have a throw down in Chinatown!
(Not trying to start a fight but This was too good a meme not to post)
Sam Westwood's Hollywood
- Thread starter markedward
- Start date
(Not trying to start a fight but This was too good a meme not to post)
😂I’ll give you The Godfather but we going to have a throw down in Chinatown!
I can't stand Faye Dunaway (the few posts she is in are an indication) and the ending wasn't my cup of tea. Granted, the ending, while not my cup of tea, made the movie. You take away the ending as ITTL (Remember, Polanski is dead) and you have a weaker movie.
Not a fan of Faye Dunaway either.
The Script from Robert Town has the ending , it was not just Polanski.
Who ended up directing it?
Was it Nicholson?
He had directed a movie back in 71 in the OTL "Drive he Said".
I'm honestly not interested in all of that stuff. Record labels in a much further TL maybe, but Warren Buffett has nothing to do with this piece, sorry.
Sam Turns 30
From Sam Westwood's Hollywood (2016)
The documentary cuts to 8mm film footage accompanied with the disclaimer Sam Westwood's 30th Birthday, 2/8/1975. We then cut back to Sam Westwood and Harris Walker who are watching the footage on a flatscreen TV in their living room.
Harris: The best thing about our parties was if I needed to retreat, I could. Sam had a darkroom built for me.
Sam: It was just a little darkroom about the size of a bathroom.
Harris: It meant a lot to me, though, because there was someone in my life who thought I was really good at something.
The interviewer asks a question in the background
Harris: Yeah, well unit still didn't really rely on color at that point and my color blindness could be hidden by black and white photography. When I did color photography later and music videos, it was more of an obstacle. My main medium is still black and white.
More footage is shown: Sam is blowing out candles, Sharon Tate is smiling and holding a kitten.
Sam (voiceover while more footage plays): That's Mary Rose! She was gifted to me by Sharon Tate. That would be around the time she started rescuing animals. There was this cat that had wandered onto her property before she married James Franciscus. Sharon couldn't track any owner down and tried contacting shelters that told her the cat would likely be euthanized. So, she started rehoming unwanted pets and it turned into her Sharon Tate Animal Rescue Foundation. We've both been proud to have been involved with that. [1]
Harris: We called that cat our "kid". Little did I know I actually had a kid--
Sam: Mary Rose lived to be eighteen. We still had her when we moved here.
I: (offscreen): Was it a surreal experience to see some of these people on film growing up and then hang out with them later on?
We cut back to Sam in the present.
Sam: There became a point where I just thought of them as co-workers who were coming over for a staff party.
Harris: Only instead of say, Mary from accounting, you had Elizabeth Taylor arranging for a cake to be sent over.
More film is shown: Sam with Teresa Graves and an unidentified man. Harris playing guitar by the beach. Sam and Valerie Perrine joking around. Paul Newman pretending to throw his drink at the camera while Joanne Woodward laughs.
Harris (voiceover): It's probably for the best there's no sound (laughs)
Sam (voiceover): Oh, please. Do you remember what song you were playing?
Harris: No, but I'd probably had a few drinks and nobody else seems to be around. We were probably trying to get people to leave. (laughs)
Sam: No. I would have started singing myself if that was the case.
Harris: Who was filming this, by the way?
Sam: I remember passing it off to people during the night, so it could have been anyone--
We cut back to the two men in the present. The interviewer asks a question about a famous director
Sam: No, they weren't a "thing" yet.
Harris: If Steven had been filming I could have lied and said he'd directed me. That my scenes were cut or something--
Sam: There's Jeffrey Hunter with myself and Teresa Graves. A reunion of 'Traffic Jam'.
Jeff and I seemed to wind up working together a lot and he became another mentor. He'd show me his old movies and give me career advice. I was fine being open to friends who could be trusted, but it could be scary telling new friends. You didn't know how people might react. Jeff was a pretty staunch Catholic. I was scared to tell him, but he didn't really seem particularly phased by it.
Harris: We both met Natalie Wood for the first time that night.
Sam: I had actually met her before very briefly doing 'What's My Line'.
Harris: Right.
Sam: Jeff called and asked if he could bring a date and it was fine with me. Turned out to be Natalie Wood.
When my career was at it's worst, I got a bit of a break and did a film with Natalie called 'Grace Under Fire'. We got closer and a few years later, Natalie confided in me that she thought maybe Nate was gay. When Nate did come out, Natalie was really calm about it but Jeff struggled. They both wanted me in his life so that Nate could have a positive role model. It meant a lot to me that I was thought of as a positive role model. When Nate decided he wanted to be an actor, I lent my full support.
30-year-old Sam is shown holding up a red hand-made cable knit sweater.
Sam: My mom made that sweater. They planned to visit and for some reason, they had to cancel.
Harris: This is horrible to say, but I was relieved.
Sam: Well, you and I both had the same concern. My dad figured things out right away. He was upset that I wasn't honest with him until right before I shot 'The Front Runner'.
Harris: Fred knew. There was a point where you didn't need a "roommate" anymore and I was still living there--
[1] Similar to Tony La Russa's efforts IOTL.
The documentary cuts to 8mm film footage accompanied with the disclaimer Sam Westwood's 30th Birthday, 2/8/1975. We then cut back to Sam Westwood and Harris Walker who are watching the footage on a flatscreen TV in their living room.
Harris: The best thing about our parties was if I needed to retreat, I could. Sam had a darkroom built for me.
Sam: It was just a little darkroom about the size of a bathroom.
Harris: It meant a lot to me, though, because there was someone in my life who thought I was really good at something.
The interviewer asks a question in the background
Harris: Yeah, well unit still didn't really rely on color at that point and my color blindness could be hidden by black and white photography. When I did color photography later and music videos, it was more of an obstacle. My main medium is still black and white.
More footage is shown: Sam is blowing out candles, Sharon Tate is smiling and holding a kitten.
Sam (voiceover while more footage plays): That's Mary Rose! She was gifted to me by Sharon Tate. That would be around the time she started rescuing animals. There was this cat that had wandered onto her property before she married James Franciscus. Sharon couldn't track any owner down and tried contacting shelters that told her the cat would likely be euthanized. So, she started rehoming unwanted pets and it turned into her Sharon Tate Animal Rescue Foundation. We've both been proud to have been involved with that. [1]
Harris: We called that cat our "kid". Little did I know I actually had a kid--
Sam: Mary Rose lived to be eighteen. We still had her when we moved here.
I: (offscreen): Was it a surreal experience to see some of these people on film growing up and then hang out with them later on?
We cut back to Sam in the present.
Sam: There became a point where I just thought of them as co-workers who were coming over for a staff party.
Harris: Only instead of say, Mary from accounting, you had Elizabeth Taylor arranging for a cake to be sent over.
More film is shown: Sam with Teresa Graves and an unidentified man. Harris playing guitar by the beach. Sam and Valerie Perrine joking around. Paul Newman pretending to throw his drink at the camera while Joanne Woodward laughs.
Harris (voiceover): It's probably for the best there's no sound (laughs)
Sam (voiceover): Oh, please. Do you remember what song you were playing?
Harris: No, but I'd probably had a few drinks and nobody else seems to be around. We were probably trying to get people to leave. (laughs)
Sam: No. I would have started singing myself if that was the case.
Harris: Who was filming this, by the way?
Sam: I remember passing it off to people during the night, so it could have been anyone--
We cut back to the two men in the present. The interviewer asks a question about a famous director
Sam: No, they weren't a "thing" yet.
Harris: If Steven had been filming I could have lied and said he'd directed me. That my scenes were cut or something--
Sam: There's Jeffrey Hunter with myself and Teresa Graves. A reunion of 'Traffic Jam'.
Jeff and I seemed to wind up working together a lot and he became another mentor. He'd show me his old movies and give me career advice. I was fine being open to friends who could be trusted, but it could be scary telling new friends. You didn't know how people might react. Jeff was a pretty staunch Catholic. I was scared to tell him, but he didn't really seem particularly phased by it.
Harris: We both met Natalie Wood for the first time that night.
Sam: I had actually met her before very briefly doing 'What's My Line'.
Harris: Right.
Sam: Jeff called and asked if he could bring a date and it was fine with me. Turned out to be Natalie Wood.
When my career was at it's worst, I got a bit of a break and did a film with Natalie called 'Grace Under Fire'. We got closer and a few years later, Natalie confided in me that she thought maybe Nate was gay. When Nate did come out, Natalie was really calm about it but Jeff struggled. They both wanted me in his life so that Nate could have a positive role model. It meant a lot to me that I was thought of as a positive role model. When Nate decided he wanted to be an actor, I lent my full support.
30-year-old Sam is shown holding up a red hand-made cable knit sweater.
Sam: My mom made that sweater. They planned to visit and for some reason, they had to cancel.
Harris: This is horrible to say, but I was relieved.
Sam: Well, you and I both had the same concern. My dad figured things out right away. He was upset that I wasn't honest with him until right before I shot 'The Front Runner'.
Harris: Fred knew. There was a point where you didn't need a "roommate" anymore and I was still living there--
[1] Similar to Tony La Russa's efforts IOTL.
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Thanks! Glad to be back! 😃
And yeah...these two have been using that excuse for a while now. It's bound to catch up eventually. Especially when there are people who know Harris was hanging around Fire Island.
Just wanted to do a touch base. Two things:
-I'm working on a post. It's slowly coming together and if you love 70's horror films you're in for a treat.
- After much deliberation, I asked not to be nominated for the pop culture timeline category this year. Would rather not drag my reasoning out into the forums, but I hope to throw myself back into the ring next time. If there is a smaller category this year such as best character or quote feel free.
-I'm working on a post. It's slowly coming together and if you love 70's horror films you're in for a treat.
- After much deliberation, I asked not to be nominated for the pop culture timeline category this year. Would rather not drag my reasoning out into the forums, but I hope to throw myself back into the ring next time. If there is a smaller category this year such as best character or quote feel free.
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The Films of Carol Lynley: 1968-1972
The Films of Carol Lynley: 1969-1972
Once You Kiss A Stranger (11/1969)
Five Easy Pieces (9/1970)
Norwood (5/1970)
See No Evil (9/1971)
Follow Me (7/1972)
From Forgotten Films, Volume 2: The New Hollywood Era by Nolan Hendricks (2001)
Between Rosemary's Baby and her eventual Best Actress Oscar win for 1974's Chinatown, Carol Lynley made a small string of films that were mostly met with mixed reviews and varying box office returns.
The first of these, 1969's Once You Kiss A Stranger, a loose remake of Alfred Hitchcock's classic Strangers On A Train was released hot on the heels of Lynley's Oscar-Nominated turn in Rosemary's Baby the year before. The film wasn't particularly successful and viewed at the time as an unnecessary remake.
The next year, Lynley's fortunes improved slightly when she appeared in two films. The first, Norwood, released that May paired her with country star Glen Campbell and football player Joe Namath. Lynley's previous four films following 1965's Bunny Lake Is Missing (1967's Danger Route and The Shuttered Room, and the aforementioned Rosemary's Baby and Once You Kiss A Stranger) had all been either horror films or thrillers. The more comedic Norwood was seen by Lynley as a much-needed change of pace. Lynley's role as Yvonne, a prostitute, was more of a supporting part. The real leads were Campbell, Namath, and Kim Darby. Critical reviews compared the film to Campbell's attempt at an Elvis Presley-type vehicle and were largely mixed. While the film did make money, it didn't do much in the way of advancement for Lynley's career. Lynley's luck would change with her second picture that year, Five Easy Pieces-- [1]
And later in the same book...
"Carol Lynley had followed up Five Easy Pieces with only two more pictures before the offer to appear in Chinatown came about. Both of those were released during 1971/72. The increasingly selective Lynley was seen more in fashion magazines and the talk show circuit.
The first of these films was See No Evil, yet another psychological thriller, this time in the vein of the 1967 Audrey Hepburn film Wait Until Dark. Screenwriter Brian Clemens, best known for his work on The Avengers wrote the script on spec.
"Columbia agreed to buy it if Carol Lynley played the lead. I was happy when she read the script and liked it" Clemens recalls. [2]
The second film, 1972's Follow Me! was in a lighter vein. The comedy/drama concerned a businessman (Michael Jayston) who marries Lynley's character, a free-spirited American. Jayston's Charles becomes suspicious that his wife is cheating and hires a private detective (Topol) to follow his wife around London.
The film did decent box office due to the presence of Lynley and Topol, the latter fresh off the success of Fiddler On The Roof, but became scarce in later years--"
[1] The part Susan Anspach played IOTL.
[2] Mia Farrow IOTL. Actually, both these films were Mia IOTL. I want to stress that I am not turning Carol into Mia, these just looked like good in-between films for her to do until Chinatown.
Side note: I inexplicably got asked about Beware The Blob! numerous times in my first stab at this TL. I didn't like that film then, and I still don't like it now. Since Carol Lynley's fortunes have improved somewhat here, future Knots Landing star Donna Mills lands the Lynley roles in both 1969's The Maltese Bippy and 1972's Beware! The Blob!
Once You Kiss A Stranger (11/1969)
Five Easy Pieces (9/1970)
Norwood (5/1970)
See No Evil (9/1971)
Follow Me (7/1972)
From Forgotten Films, Volume 2: The New Hollywood Era by Nolan Hendricks (2001)
Between Rosemary's Baby and her eventual Best Actress Oscar win for 1974's Chinatown, Carol Lynley made a small string of films that were mostly met with mixed reviews and varying box office returns.
The first of these, 1969's Once You Kiss A Stranger, a loose remake of Alfred Hitchcock's classic Strangers On A Train was released hot on the heels of Lynley's Oscar-Nominated turn in Rosemary's Baby the year before. The film wasn't particularly successful and viewed at the time as an unnecessary remake.
The next year, Lynley's fortunes improved slightly when she appeared in two films. The first, Norwood, released that May paired her with country star Glen Campbell and football player Joe Namath. Lynley's previous four films following 1965's Bunny Lake Is Missing (1967's Danger Route and The Shuttered Room, and the aforementioned Rosemary's Baby and Once You Kiss A Stranger) had all been either horror films or thrillers. The more comedic Norwood was seen by Lynley as a much-needed change of pace. Lynley's role as Yvonne, a prostitute, was more of a supporting part. The real leads were Campbell, Namath, and Kim Darby. Critical reviews compared the film to Campbell's attempt at an Elvis Presley-type vehicle and were largely mixed. While the film did make money, it didn't do much in the way of advancement for Lynley's career. Lynley's luck would change with her second picture that year, Five Easy Pieces-- [1]
And later in the same book...
"Carol Lynley had followed up Five Easy Pieces with only two more pictures before the offer to appear in Chinatown came about. Both of those were released during 1971/72. The increasingly selective Lynley was seen more in fashion magazines and the talk show circuit.
The first of these films was See No Evil, yet another psychological thriller, this time in the vein of the 1967 Audrey Hepburn film Wait Until Dark. Screenwriter Brian Clemens, best known for his work on The Avengers wrote the script on spec.
"Columbia agreed to buy it if Carol Lynley played the lead. I was happy when she read the script and liked it" Clemens recalls. [2]
The second film, 1972's Follow Me! was in a lighter vein. The comedy/drama concerned a businessman (Michael Jayston) who marries Lynley's character, a free-spirited American. Jayston's Charles becomes suspicious that his wife is cheating and hires a private detective (Topol) to follow his wife around London.
The film did decent box office due to the presence of Lynley and Topol, the latter fresh off the success of Fiddler On The Roof, but became scarce in later years--"
[1] The part Susan Anspach played IOTL.
[2] Mia Farrow IOTL. Actually, both these films were Mia IOTL. I want to stress that I am not turning Carol into Mia, these just looked like good in-between films for her to do until Chinatown.
Side note: I inexplicably got asked about Beware The Blob! numerous times in my first stab at this TL. I didn't like that film then, and I still don't like it now. Since Carol Lynley's fortunes have improved somewhat here, future Knots Landing star Donna Mills lands the Lynley roles in both 1969's The Maltese Bippy and 1972's Beware! The Blob!
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AIP/ International Classics Filmography, Part One, 1971-1975
AIP/ International Classics Filmography, Part One, 1971-1975 (List taken from From Forgotten Films, Volume 2: The New Hollywood Era by Nolan Hendricks)
1971
Wuthering Heights- Adaptation of the Emily Bronte novel. Notable for featuring future James Bond Ian Ogilvy in the smaller role of Edgar Linton.
King Lear- International Classics distributed this Filmways produced black and white 16mm British adaptation of Shakespeare's play. The Peter Brook helmed film, which featured an impressive cast of British stage performers met with extremely mixed reviews and divided the critics. *
Murders in the Rue Morgue- Adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe story starring Jason Robards.
House Of The Seven Gables- Adaptation of the Nathaniel Hawthorne novel. Starring Harris Walker, Jill Haworth, and Sian Phillips. Phillips was a last-minute addition to the cast, replacing Joan Crawford.
Some of My Best Friends Are... - Early LGBTQ+ themed drama film starring Fannie Flagg, Rue McClanahan, and Candy Darling.
1972
Boxcar Bertha- Early Martin Scorsese film produced by Roger Corman and starring Barbara Hershey and David Carradine.
The Ballad Of Tam-Lin- International Classics acquired this Roddy McDowell-directed horror film. Instead of editing it and recutting it as a regular AIP release as planned, the film is released unedited. [1]
1973
Manson- Academy Award-nominated documentary about the Manson Family.
Last Tango In Paris (1973)- Success with previous releases had convinced International Classics they could release films that were not literary adaptations but also releases that were possibly deemed "too artistic" for the regular AIP banner.
United Artists had rejected Bernardo Bertolucci's controversial Last Tango In Paris due to the amount of sexual content. International Classics eagerly snapped the film up where it was equally at home on both art-house screens and grindhouse cinemas. Last Tango is mostly remembered for the amount of controversy it stirred at the time, as well as launching the career of future Emmanuelle star Sylvia Kristel.
Sisters - Cult horror classic from Brian De Palma starring Margot Kidder as a French Canadian model with a dark secret.
A Tale Of Two Cities- Instead of a straightforward approach, the Charles Dickens story is done as a comedy parody of the original novel. Starring Peter Sellers in multiple roles (Dr. Manette, Monsieur Ernst Defarge, Jacques 1,2, and 3, Jarvis Lorry and Miss Pross). Also starring Dudley Moore as Sydney Carton, Peter Cook as Charles Darnay, Madeline Smith as Lucie Manette, and Diana Dors as Madame Therese Defarge. Although the film was a huge UK box office hit, making money for British distributors The Rank Organisation, North American box office was almost non-existent. Later it would become a cult favourite across the pond amongst British comedy fans.
1974
Undercover's Hero- Another Sellers flop, this one much less regarded than A Tale Of Two Cities. Again featuring Sellers in multiple roles, this film became controversial due to Sellers' comic portrayal of Adolf Hitler.
America's Sweetheart- George Furth scripted film starring Patty Duke-Astin as a rising star who is in a relationship that might threaten her career.
Carry On Dick- Carry On Film briefly released in North America through International Classics.
1975
The Wild Party- Merchant-Ivory production starring Raquel Welch, James Coco, and schlock icon Perry King. Hollywood tale set in 1929 at the dawn of talking pictures.
Cooley High- Popular, groundbreaking coming of age comedy/drama anchored by an African American cast. This 1960's period piece starred Glynn Turman and featured a soundtrack comprised of Motown hits.
I See A Star: The Nederpop Invasion- Documentary covering the Dutch chart Invasion of the 1970s. Bands such as Shocking Blue are mentioned, as is the label that started it all, Colossus Records. A good deal of the documentary covers Golden Earring touring North America. The film culminates with pop duo Mouth And MacNeal competing in the 1974 Eurovision song contest where they ultimately lose to Swedish entry (and future hitmakers) ABBA. [2]
[1] IOTL, Tam-Lin wrapped up production 6/25/1969, had a UK release in late-1970, and wasn't released in North America until mid-late 1972. Same thing here, only the film is shown as-is and not butchered.
[2] In case it doesn't come up: Olivia Newton-John still competes in Eurovision ITTL. Scrapped that whole ONJ doing movies prior to Grease nonsense.
*Mergers aren't going to be discussed much in a film context, but this is one exception as it concerns Sam at a later date: Filmways still purchase AIP as IOTL leading to Orion Pictures.
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^^Would have been up sooner, but between having an absolute Hell of a time coming up with some films for 1974 and issues with my apartment building, there was a delay.
As usual, thanks to @Guajolote for another awesome poster.
As usual, thanks to @Guajolote for another awesome poster.
PNWKing
Banned
I wonder if this Orion Pictures becomes more like Grand Diamond in @OldNavy1988's various American Magic projects.
Thank You! It's not a utopia, COVID has been mentioned and the 80's are pretty butterfly-laden (and dark) but there's some pretty 👌 changes.
Secret Of The Damned (Amicus/Cinerama, April 1975)
Screenplay by Arthur Ericson
Directed by Arthur Ericson
Produced by Milton Subotsky, Rene Dupont, and Claude Heroux
Cast
Ian Hendry as Emmit MacPherson, A British film director with sinister tendencies.
Vincent Price as Henry Smith, the deceased previous owner of the mansion whose spirit is summoned.
Herve Villechaize as Durand, Emmit MacPherson's diminutive French Butler. Villechaize was billed as "Adolphus Spriggs" in this pre-Fantasy Island role.
Margot Kidder as Celeste Logan, a Hollywood film star and MacPherson's girlfriend.
Harris Walker as Charles Grayson, a young American novelist
Stephen McHattie as Skip Billingsley, a famous aviator, and stunt pilot.
Anthony Valentine as Oliver Evans, an ill-fated English stage actor
Gerald Sim as Father Bailey, the local priest who is a close friend of Durand's.
Pamela Franklin and Peter Egan as Nell and George Gregson, A couple who are looking to buy the house years after the events take place.
Joanna Lumley as Victoria Smith- Wife of Henry
Mary Woronov as Francine Williams- Charles girlfriend who dies of mysterious causes.
Geoffrey Whitehead as The Estate Agent
Plot
1975
Londoners George and Nell Gregson (Egan, Franklin) pull up to a well-kept estate in the English countryside that they have decided to look at. Upon arrival, they are met by The Estate Agent (Whitehead), who shows the couple around. He adds that the house has been well cared for, but uninhabited since 1935. The Estate Agent proceeds to explain why.
Unknown to Henry, Victoria has been having an affair with Emmit. The pair hatch a plan to murder Henry. Durand realizes what the pair are up to and tries to warn Henry. That night at dinner, Henry is poisoned after taking a sip of his wine. Before dying, Henry swears his revenge.
Emmit stops by Charles' room to discuss a screenplay he wants him to write, another comedy. Charles tells Emmit that he no longer writes comedy and has switched to tragedy, noting that the move hasn't really helped his career much. Emmit says they can discuss the matter after dinner.
The dinner conversation is rather dull. Charles, who has taken to drinking to hide his pain, becomes tipsy. Emmit tells the group that after dinner he has a surprise in his private screening room. He shows them a print of his latest film, a romance which stars Celeste and Oliver as the leads. Emmit asks Charles what he thought of the film. A drunken Charles tells him it was miserable. Emmit doesn't look too pleased with this response.
After the film, the guests minus Emmit all gather in the drawing-room. Oliver has brought a ouija board and is eager to use it. Charles decides to go along with it. Celeste tells them she's disturbed by the idea of communicating with the dead and declines to take part, leaving just Charles, Skip, and Oliver.
Skip gets frightened and decides to leave, venturing outside. Durand spots the two men using the ouija board and warns them they don't know what they are messing with, that the house is haunted. Oliver laughs it off and tells Charles to continue. Halfway through the ritual, the power briefly goes out. Charles tells Oliver he feels dizzy and proceeds to pass out.
Meanwhile, outside, Skip runs into Celeste and the two start talking. Celeste tells Skip she's seeing Emmit but thinking about breaking things off due to his controlling nature.
Meanwhile, Charles comes to with help from Oliver and Durand who has brought smelling salts. Charles says he feels a bit odd. Oliver and Durand help him upstairs.
Sometime during the night, Charles gets up. He looks in the mirror and for a flickering second sees a face that is not his. (Unknown to Charles, he just saw Smith's reflection rather than his own). He blacks out again. Somehow, Charles wakes up in his guest room the next morning with no recollection of how he got back there. Frantic, he goes to look in the mirror seeing his own reflection. Charles goes to get dressed and notices that all of the clothes he brought are mysteriously missing. He has to resort to wearing one of the old suits in the closet. Upon his arrival for breakfast, Emmit looks disturbed to see Charles wearing the suit. Charles explains that he had no choice, the clothes he brought were stolen.
After breakfast, Charles pulls Durand aside and asks him about the previous owner. Durand leads Charles to his quarters where he shows Charles a photograph of Henry Smith. Charles is horrified to realize that Smith is the man he saw in the mirror.
Durand leaves via bicycle to town where he meets up with the local Priest, Father Bailey (Sim). Durand tells Bailey what has happened and the two suspect that Charles might be possessed by the spirit of Henry Smith.
Meanwhile, Charles goes out for a walk with Oliver. Deep in the woods, Oliver sees what appears to be Charles' luggage. The two begin to pick the items up when Charles blacks out. Charles starts talking differently (in Henry's voice) and he becomes violent towards Oliver. Oliver starts running back towards the house, but Charles (as Henry) tackles Oliver and strangles him to death.
Back at the house, Skip asks Celeste if she would like to see the plane he flew himself to the estate in, to which she obliges. As they head outside, a disheveled Charles wanders towards them and passes out.
Charles regains consciousness. His last memory is going for a walk with Oliver, who nobody has seen for hours. Skip offers to go look for Oliver. Father Bailey, who has arrived on the lot stays with Charles, while Celeste sits in the drawing-room with MacPherson and Durand.
Charles blacks out again and awakens, talking in Henry's voice and cursing the Father. Father Bailey notices that Charles' reflection in the nearby mirror is not his, but the man he remembers as Henry Smith. The shock is so great that Father Bailey suffers a heart attack and collapses.
MacPherson and Durand run upstairs to find Bailey collapsed on the floor in Charles' room. Once again, Charles is comatose. Durand pronounces Bailey dead and goes to make a call. The power suddenly goes out. Skip returns, telling the others that Oliver is dead. Durand and MacPherson tell Skip and Celeste Father Bailey is also dead, an apparent heart attack.
Durand confronts MacPherson as an awakened Charles, wearing one of the suits and otherwise looking fine, calmy walks down the staircase. He starts talking in Henry's voice again, which causes MacPherson to snap. Durand forces MacPherson to admit to his crimes. MacPherson admits everything and then in a fit of rage stabs Durand to death. Charles/Henry then turns on MacPherson as a horrified Skip and Celeste look on.
After MacPherson is shot to death, Charles passes out again and awakens as himself, with Henry's spirit presumed to have crossed over. Skip and Celeste, knowing Charles was merely acting as the host, try to console him. However, he heard MacPherson's confession and knows he committed murder, even if he was possessed. A distraught Charles gets up and shoots himself. The others dead, Celeste and Skip escape in Billingsley's plane.
Sometime later, George and Nell have moved into the estate. They have a dinner party with friends, and for laughs, George hauls out a ouija board, telling the guests the crazy stories they were fed about the house.
That night, after the guests leave, George is in the bathroom getting ready for bed when he looks into the mirror and is horrified to see his reflection replaced by that of Charles Grayson.
1927
Henry Smith, a wealthy American Ex-Pat (Price), and owner of the estate invites his friend, the British film director Emmit MacPherson (Hendry) to his estate for the weekend. Also present is Victoria (Lumley), Henry's much younger wife, and the butler Durand (Villechaize).
Unknown to Henry, Victoria has been having an affair with Emmit. The pair hatch a plan to murder Henry. Durand realizes what the pair are up to and tries to warn Henry. That night at dinner, Henry is poisoned after taking a sip of his wine. Before dying, Henry swears his revenge.
1975
George and Nell don't seem particularly phased by the story. In between their own bickering, the Estate Agent continues to show the pair around, telling them another story. He also shows them pictures of the people allegedly involved.
1932
Three years later, Emmit and Victoria are happily married and living on the same estate. Durand is their butler. Durand despises Emmit but believes Henry will come back for revenge as promised. One night, Emmit and an expectant Victoria are returning home from a party. Their driver sees a man on the road who a horrified Emmit and Victoria recognize as Henry. The driver swerves, causing the car to crash. The driver and Victoria are killed, but Emmit manages to survive.
1975
George tells the Estate Agent that he doesn't believe in ghosts and that the car likely just crashed. The Estate Agent goes on to tell the couple another story, pulling out a picture of a man he describes as Charles Grayson, a Hollywood screenwriter.
1933
A year after Victoria's death, Emmit, now walking with a pronounced limp, is in Hollywood directing a screwball comedy. He becomes friendly with the young, carefree writer of the screenplay, Charles Grayson (Walker). Charles lives with his fiance, aspiring actress Francine Williams (Woronov), who can't get beyond chorus girl in musicals. Francine takes a shine to Emmit and the two start an affair behind Charles' back. A guilty Francine eventually decides to break things off with Emmit, but he gets jealous and strangles her to death. Making it look like a murder, Emmit consoles a grieving, unassuming Charles.
1975
George and Nell think the stories are far-fetched and George especially doesn't appreciate The Estate Agent trying to frighten them with nonsense. The Estate Agent tells them he has one more, long story that will shock them.
1935
Two years later, Charles travels to England for a weekend visit to Emmit's estate. Upon arrival, he is greeted by Durand. Charles is led into a drawing-room where he meets Hollywood actress Celeste Logan (Kidder), stunt pilot and aviator Skip Billingsley (McHattie), and stage actor Oliver Evans (Valentine). Emmit appears greets his guests for the weekend and Durand shows them to their rooms. Charles starts unpacking and notices several old suits in the closet of the room he is staying in, which Durand tells him was the room of the previous owner.
Emmit stops by Charles' room to discuss a screenplay he wants him to write, another comedy. Charles tells Emmit that he no longer writes comedy and has switched to tragedy, noting that the move hasn't really helped his career much. Emmit says they can discuss the matter after dinner.
The dinner conversation is rather dull. Charles, who has taken to drinking to hide his pain, becomes tipsy. Emmit tells the group that after dinner he has a surprise in his private screening room. He shows them a print of his latest film, a romance which stars Celeste and Oliver as the leads. Emmit asks Charles what he thought of the film. A drunken Charles tells him it was miserable. Emmit doesn't look too pleased with this response.
After the film, the guests minus Emmit all gather in the drawing-room. Oliver has brought a ouija board and is eager to use it. Charles decides to go along with it. Celeste tells them she's disturbed by the idea of communicating with the dead and declines to take part, leaving just Charles, Skip, and Oliver.
Skip gets frightened and decides to leave, venturing outside. Durand spots the two men using the ouija board and warns them they don't know what they are messing with, that the house is haunted. Oliver laughs it off and tells Charles to continue. Halfway through the ritual, the power briefly goes out. Charles tells Oliver he feels dizzy and proceeds to pass out.
Meanwhile, outside, Skip runs into Celeste and the two start talking. Celeste tells Skip she's seeing Emmit but thinking about breaking things off due to his controlling nature.
Meanwhile, Charles comes to with help from Oliver and Durand who has brought smelling salts. Charles says he feels a bit odd. Oliver and Durand help him upstairs.
Sometime during the night, Charles gets up. He looks in the mirror and for a flickering second sees a face that is not his. (Unknown to Charles, he just saw Smith's reflection rather than his own). He blacks out again. Somehow, Charles wakes up in his guest room the next morning with no recollection of how he got back there. Frantic, he goes to look in the mirror seeing his own reflection. Charles goes to get dressed and notices that all of the clothes he brought are mysteriously missing. He has to resort to wearing one of the old suits in the closet. Upon his arrival for breakfast, Emmit looks disturbed to see Charles wearing the suit. Charles explains that he had no choice, the clothes he brought were stolen.
After breakfast, Charles pulls Durand aside and asks him about the previous owner. Durand leads Charles to his quarters where he shows Charles a photograph of Henry Smith. Charles is horrified to realize that Smith is the man he saw in the mirror.
Durand leaves via bicycle to town where he meets up with the local Priest, Father Bailey (Sim). Durand tells Bailey what has happened and the two suspect that Charles might be possessed by the spirit of Henry Smith.
Meanwhile, Charles goes out for a walk with Oliver. Deep in the woods, Oliver sees what appears to be Charles' luggage. The two begin to pick the items up when Charles blacks out. Charles starts talking differently (in Henry's voice) and he becomes violent towards Oliver. Oliver starts running back towards the house, but Charles (as Henry) tackles Oliver and strangles him to death.
Back at the house, Skip asks Celeste if she would like to see the plane he flew himself to the estate in, to which she obliges. As they head outside, a disheveled Charles wanders towards them and passes out.
Charles regains consciousness. His last memory is going for a walk with Oliver, who nobody has seen for hours. Skip offers to go look for Oliver. Father Bailey, who has arrived on the lot stays with Charles, while Celeste sits in the drawing-room with MacPherson and Durand.
Charles blacks out again and awakens, talking in Henry's voice and cursing the Father. Father Bailey notices that Charles' reflection in the nearby mirror is not his, but the man he remembers as Henry Smith. The shock is so great that Father Bailey suffers a heart attack and collapses.
MacPherson and Durand run upstairs to find Bailey collapsed on the floor in Charles' room. Once again, Charles is comatose. Durand pronounces Bailey dead and goes to make a call. The power suddenly goes out. Skip returns, telling the others that Oliver is dead. Durand and MacPherson tell Skip and Celeste Father Bailey is also dead, an apparent heart attack.
Durand confronts MacPherson as an awakened Charles, wearing one of the suits and otherwise looking fine, calmy walks down the staircase. He starts talking in Henry's voice again, which causes MacPherson to snap. Durand forces MacPherson to admit to his crimes. MacPherson admits everything and then in a fit of rage stabs Durand to death. Charles/Henry then turns on MacPherson as a horrified Skip and Celeste look on.
After MacPherson is shot to death, Charles passes out again and awakens as himself, with Henry's spirit presumed to have crossed over. Skip and Celeste, knowing Charles was merely acting as the host, try to console him. However, he heard MacPherson's confession and knows he committed murder, even if he was possessed. A distraught Charles gets up and shoots himself. The others dead, Celeste and Skip escape in Billingsley's plane.
1975
The film returns to the present. The caretaker explains that the two survivors later married, but both met tragic ends. Celeste's career faded quickly, and after Skip died in an airplane accident, Celeste went completely insane, later dying in a mental hospital. George and Nell tell the Estate Agent that they don't believe most of the stories and that they will still take the house.Sometime later, George and Nell have moved into the estate. They have a dinner party with friends, and for laughs, George hauls out a ouija board, telling the guests the crazy stories they were fed about the house.
That night, after the guests leave, George is in the bathroom getting ready for bed when he looks into the mirror and is horrified to see his reflection replaced by that of Charles Grayson.
THE END
Trivia
Arthur Ericson was a 27-year-old Canadian filmmaker who started his career with the National Film Board Of Canada. Harris Walker had worked with Ericson on a previous film, 1972's Stay Away Joe. Walker served as a Unit Still Photographer on that production.
Ericson was told by the Canadian producers that if he wrote a horror script, they would finance his next picture, 1977's False Start.
The role of Charles was specifically written with Walker in mind.
Exterior scenes were shot at Oakley Court, the same country house where Rocky Horror Picture Show was shot. Walker appears in both films.
Some of the interior scenes, notably the Hollywood segment, were shot in Canada.
Teresa Graves was sought after for the role of Celeste with the idea of moving the setting to the 1950s and styling Celeste after Dorothy Dandridge. The highly selective Graves found the script mediocre and ultimately Canadian Margot Kidder, fresh off two horror films, DePalma's Sisters and the slasher Black Christmas was chosen.
Ian Hendry and Vincent Price had appeared together in the 1973 classic Theatre Of Blood.
Herve Villechaize had unsuccessfully auditioned to play Christopher Lee's sidekick in The Man With The Golden Gun. The actor snuck into auditions for Secret Of The Damned and was ultimately chosen to play French butler Durand.
Herve Villechaize was billed as Adolphus Spriggs (a reference to The Goon Show) due to concern about audiences not being able to pronounce his name. In all subsequent performances, Villechaize reverted to his given name.
From a cassette tape belonging to the archive of Nolan Hendricks. This one is labeled 'Harris Walker-Sam Westwood, 1991'.
Harris: It's not a cursed film. My almost drowning to death a few months later was my own reckless behaviour.
Sam: Harris was self-destructing which was making me question our relationship.
Harris: I was fine on the set. It was after hours where there were issues. I'd go out and get loaded and pretend to be sober on set the next day. Playing an alcoholic provided a bit of a cover-up.
Sam: Art watched him like a hawk. I knew Art was into Harris but wasn't upset by it because we still had an open arrangement and someone was looking after him on the set. I had some problems of my own--
Nolan: This would be when you were having your own issues with roles, right?
Sam: Yeah. I'd been let go from Dune and Inferno. Devil Child was happening around the time Harris' film came out, I was let go from a film for Roger Corman. At that point, I secretly wanted my film career to end so I could just take off someplace with Harris. And then both of our careers had a second wind.
Nolan: It seems like every time you quit acting something dragged you back in.
Sam: Yeah. I fell in and couldn't get out. (chuckles)
Harris: Ian dragged him back in--
Sam: Yeah. I sporadically worked and thought about quitting again and then The Grifters was restored and I'm getting scripts now. It's not perfect, but people are realizing that they can cast me as the lead in some smaller films. I chose to work with George on The Dark Half because it was about time we did another film together.
Nolan: Harris, what can you tell me about Oakley Court?
Harris: Well, Nolan, it was a s***hole! (laughs)
I mean the place was beautiful but there was no heat or working bathrooms. We only did exterior shots there. I went back to California, did a quickie film for Roger and then returned to film Rocky Horror. As soon as I found out we were going back to Oakley Court, I bought things like hygiene products and toilet paper. Had I known in advance we were filming there, I would have turned the part down.
Nolan: Was it that bad?
Harris: Yeah. Jessica Harper caught pneumonia, so I gave her the hot water bottle I brought. I felt a little run down myself. I had those gold briefs on and the place was freezing. Had to wrap up in a blanket between takes. Barry Bostwick and I were already friendly from my time in New York. I gave him a heads up before filming, so he also made a point to bring enough stuff. Everyone was trying to steal our rations (laughs).
Honestly, I learned that from Sam.
Sam: I discovered early on that if you are doing a location shoot, pack carefully.
[1] IOTL, the final Cinerama release was The Reincarnation Of Peter Proud. ITTL, it's a later Universal release starring none other than Sam Westwood.
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Do we get the same Kong 76 that we got in OTL?
Or do we get "Legend of Kong " that Universal wanted to do?
Or is this time line a dystopia and we do not get a Kong Movie at all in the 70's?
Or do we get "Legend of Kong " that Universal wanted to do?