A new opportunity for Sidney Pink

From: SO YOU WANT TO MAKE MOVIES

My Life As An Independent Film Producer

by Sidney Pink

Now that I was able to eat like a human being again, I got off my duff and began to visit those people who had been good to me through the years. Among these was Bill Piper, head of the Paramount Pictures foreign department. Bill and his wife Edith visited with us in Spain after we made our deal for distribution of PYRO in England, at which time a close friendship was formed. I never tried to use my personal relationship with Bill to make any deals, but in the case of FINGER ON THE TRIGGER, I honestly believed that Paramount could do very well with the picture in England and the Far East.

With this in mind, I called Bill and told me about the picture and its acceptance by Allied. Much to my surprise, he had already heard about it. It seemed that Giroux was so pleased with the deal he had broadcast the coup all over New York. Bill held a screening for his salespeople, and we made our deal with Paramount to distribute the rest of the world. I accomplished all of this in less than three weeks, but the best was yet to come, thanks to Stan Turtletaub and his crew.~As I was preparing to return to Madrid, I received a call from the production manager of the Turtletaub Agency, who had a brilliant idea after he saw FINGER ON THE TRIGGER. He knew Westinghouse Broadcasing was searching for films for the company's owned and operated stations as well as its distribution arm. Westinghouse was at that time producing the Mike Douglas Show and other popular shows distributed by its new syndication division. He spoke to Richard Pack, vice president in charge of production at Westinghouse, who expressed a desire to see the film and to meet with me. I didn't believe there was any future in this, but I couldn't afford to pass up the opportunity to meet any head of production, so I arranged the screening and a luncheon appointment with Richard Pack.

Westinghouse Broadcasting is the television and radio arm of the giant Westinghouse Electric Corporation, operating as a separate entity. At that time it was under the leadership of Donald McGannon, who built it into a highly successful and forward-looking communcations company. His only weakness (some considered it a strength) was that he was too damned prim and proper in his private life, and he brought that point of view into his business attitude. Westinghouse, known as the prissy network, would not touch any product that had the slightest hint of sexuality of any item that was anathema to the Catholic church or the Council of Churches. This made no difference to me, as I had never made any film that was at all controversial in any of those respects.

I called Madrid and spoke to Gregorio about this new Westinghouse development, but he was uninterested in any future productions. It seemed he had been given hell by the powers at Mole Richardson. They told him it was not company policy to get involved in production financing other than providing credit arrangements for the use of the company's equipment. Although Mole Richardson had doubled its investment in profits from the sale of FINGER ON THE TRIGGER, he was cautioned not to involve the company again.

This was no great blow to me, since I really didn't need that participation any longer. If anything were to come from the Westinghouse negotiations, I could handle it myself, and I really didn't want to report to anyone about production decisions. Gregorio agreed to return Mole Richardson's shares of FISA stock at no charge. I instructed Tony Recoder to make the legal transfer of Pepe Lopez Moreno as my representative, and now I was free to make my own decisions with no interference.

New South Park on Wednesday October 7!

Selling FINGER ON THE TRIGGER to America

From: SO YOU WANT TO MAKE MOVIES

My Life As An Independent Film Producer

by Sidney Pink

FINGER ON THE TRIGGER and I went back to New York together: I had exclusive selling rights for our part of the world and authorization by FISA to sign any reasonable deal that would return the invested capital. What everyone forgot, or perhaps didn't care about, were my expenses in New York. Gregorio didn't offer to advance the cost of the trip, and FISA had no funds (I was too damned arrogant and bull-headed to ask for help), so I arrived in New York with exactly $55 in my pocket and a credit card that I could use only to pay my hotel bill at the Taft (cheapest accommodations I could find with a reputable address).

It wasn't a king's ransom, but it was enough to keep me in Nedick hot dogs and orange juice for a little while...

My first sales call was Bill Heinemann of United Artists who tried to help me with BWANA DEVIL...

During our after-hours drink, Bill told me that while FINGER ON THE TRIGGER was an amazingly good Western, especially considering where it had been made, it was not of the class a major distributor would put its label on. He suggested I call on Allied Artists, the new corporate name for Monogram Pictures. It had recently been taken over by a wealthy young French Canadian, Claude Giroux, who had ambitions of making the company another major distributor. Bill knew Allied needed films badly, and FINGER ON THE TRIGGER was a film he felt they would promote as one of their major releases. I took his advice and never regretted it.

My next move was to make an appointment with Claude Giroux for a screening of our film. Three days later I met with Claude, who was accompanied by Allied's vice president, Roy Brewer, and Nat Nathanson, Allied's sales manager. I contacted Stan Turtletaub as well, and he and his production manager were also at the screening. Stan and I had become very friendly during our joint commercial stints for Pepsi, and the praise he received for those two commercials cemented our relationship. After reassuring my growling stomach that the hot dog diet would soon be over, we started the screening.

There was a hush after the last titles had faded; then Stan Turtletaub broke the silence with, "How the hell did you do that?" Then all the questions came at once. No one could believe that this authentic American-style Western had been made abroad. This same theme ran through all the trade paper reviews that were later published. Variety noted that "This typically American Western was made in, of all places, Spain," and I was given high honors as producer-director.

My gamble paid off - the reaction was better than expected. I knew FINGER ON THE TRIGGER was not a great movie and that its faults were easily noticeable, but what worked in our favor was that the picture did not look in any way foreign-made. It was the shock of seeing the great American West and the American Indians on a giant screen in a film made entirely outside the U.S. that caused all the excitement.

I am certain that had this not been the first Western made in Spain, it could not have been sold. I am far too familiar with the faults of the film to kid myself about its quality. I have only one reason to be proud: No one has ever noticed that Rory Calhoun was not in the entire film or that eighty percent of it was shot without the presence of our leading man. This is the one accomplishment for which I heartily congratulate myself.

Concluding the Allied Artist's deal was routine and perfunctory. The Allied people wanted the picture and made not bones about it. They gave us a good deal, guaranteeing $200,000 for Western Hemisphere rights, but as part of the deal, Giroux insisted on first refusal on all future pictures (he wanted to make a six-picture deal, which I was unable to discuss without FISA participation). That evening, Stan Turtletaub took me out to dinner, and while he didn't know it, we (my stomach and I) owe him a debt for saving our lives. I don't think I could have taken another hot dog after that exciting event. When I called Gregorio with the good news, I asked for and received $1,500 for expenses. Now, I could use my credit card for more than the hotel room. Thus FINGER ON THE TRIGGER became the catalyst for the first official marriage of TV and movies brought about by Stan Turtletaub and me.

IL RATTO DELLA SABINE

IL RATTO DELLA SABINE

U.S.: THE RAPE OF THE SABINE WOMEN

aka ROMULUS AND THE SABINES

aka THE RAPE OF THE SABINES

Director - Richard Pottier 1961

Cast: Roger Moore (Romulus), Mylene Demongeot (Rea), Folco Lulli (King Tazio), Francis Blanche (Mezio), and with the special participation of Rossana Schiaffino (Venus) and Jean Marais (Mars),Giorgia Moll (Lavinia), Scilla Gabel (Dusia), Marino Mase (Lino), Luisa Mattioli (Silvia), Nietta Zocchi (Ersilia), Dina De Santis (Marzia), Claude Conty (Tarquinio), Walter Barnes (Stilicone), Dada Gallotti (Flaminia), Lino Basile, Peter Dobric, Mariangela Giordano, Aldo Cecconi, Franco Abbina, Toni Basile, Niksa Stefanini.

English version by the ENGLISH LANGUAGE DUBBERS' ASSOCIATION Rome

Screenplay by Stephen Garrett, Frank Gregory

Directed by Frank Gregory

Edited by CINEMONTAGGIO, Rome

Recorded on Westrex Electric System

Italian Writer Credit: Edoardo Anton, Carlo Infascelli

Dialog Marc Gilbert Sauvajon

Co-Director in Yugoslavia Enrico Bomba

Director of Photography Adalberto Albertini

Music by Carlo Rustichelli

Music Publisher Nazionalmusic

Film Editor Enzo Alabiso, Yvonne Martin

Production Designers Rene Renoux, Pierre Tyberghein, Lamberto Giovagnoli

Costumes Adriana Spadaro

Production Manager Gino Rossi

Master of Arms Enzo Musumeci Greco

Makeup Faliero Maggetti, Giuseppe Peruzzi

Hairdresser Salvatore Cotroneo

Sound by Dial Press

Executive Producer Enrico Bomba

C.F.P.I. (Paris) FI.C.I.T. (Rome)

Not credited on U.S. print: Alexander Salkind, Dubrava (Zagreb).

Prod. Reg. 2519

1954's film version of SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS was such a success that it probably not only inspired the making of this slightly more literal version of the tale, but also the 1965 Italian Western SETTE PISTOLE PER I MACGREGOR (U.S.: SEVEN GUNS FOR THE MACGREGORS). Now THE RAPE OF THE SABINES was not a musical, but it also turned the story of a group of men abducting a group of women into a romantic comedy.

While this version of the Ancient Roman story kept the central idea that an almost entirely male city acquired the mothers of their society from a neighboring kingdom, very little else of the tale was. For while the title could be used for its "classical" status, a movie in which a hero justified the forcible subjugation of unwilling women would be hardly considered acceptable entertainment, even in the Europe of 1961. As it was, the idea that King Romulus hid a mistress in a cave outside of the city, and then spurned her after deciding that he now preferred a Sabine Princess was sexually candid enough for the times. Naturally, French audiences also got fleeting topless female nudity in their version.

As Stilicone, one of the three ambassadors sent by Romulus to the Sabine King Tazio, Walter Barnes was again cast for the brutish strength which had helped him become a successful football player. The ambassadors were sent to negotiate for some Sabine brides, which Tazio refused to provide, as he deeply wished for the end of Rome. Not surprisingly, the three ambassadors ended up becoming romantically involved with a trio of Sabine women frolicking in a nearby river. This plot development signaled the solution to a modern telling of this tale of abduction; the abducted women turn the situation against their abductors - staging a LYSISTRATA-like protest until Romulus came to an agreement of terms by which they became the brides of Rome.

There were only three real action scenes in this film. The first two were at the beginning showing the outlaw ways of the early Romans. In the first, they stole nearby sheep and then beat off the retaliation of the owners. Next, a Phoencian ship refused to pay a landing tax, for which the Romans set the boat aflame.

The final action scene occured when the fathers and brothers of the kidnapped women attacked to free them. Even though these soldiers were told that their women had become contented with their new husbands, the armed men attacked, mostly in an attempt to avenge their honor. The battle was stopped when the women threw themselves between the combatants, and also when King Tazio discovered that the city was celebrating their first birth. Considering how poorly staged these fights were, it was a good thing that the movie was more concerned with comedy and sex. Director Richard Pottier, who was born in Austria in 1906 but may have been French, wasn't able to enfuse much excitement into his 1959 co-directing effort with Ferdinando Baldi, DAVID E GOLIA (U.S.: DAVID AND GOLIATH), either. And his 1958 comedy TABARIN appeared to be dull as well.

Roger Moore made a dashing Romulus, but wasn't particularly convincing as the leader of a near barbaric tribe. Here, Romulus inflated his stature by telling all that he was a son of Mars, which turned out to be a real possibility when statues of Mars and Venus came to life over the hero sleeping in the temple. The two gods argue over the conduct of this mortal, with Venus emphasizing the importance of love. As the movie ended, it seemed that Venus won out.

Aside from the fantastic touch of having the gods showing up to offer a sleeping Romulus advice - particularly with Jean Marais' presence bringing to mind the work of director Jean Cocteau, the most impressive element of this movie was Scilla Gabel. As Dusia, a Phoenician woman stranded by a Roman attack on her ship, Gabel brought a believable ferocity to the role of a woman who agreed to become the hero's hidden lover. Unable to bring her into a city filled with lonely men, Romulus put this woman in a nearby cave and planned to visit her every night. Aside from finding the man attractive, the character played by Gabel hoped to become the queen of Rome when the time came when they could marry.

It was obvious from the time that our hero made his suggestion that his interest in the woman did not include marriage. Later, he became smitten with the blond Vestal Virgin Rea. Unfortunately, no matter how beautiful Mylene Demongeot was, her portrayal of Rea was off-puttingly pouty; suggesting that this King's daughter was incredibly spoilt and petulant. On the other hand, Scilla Gabel's Dusia was passionate and romantic. Our hero did her wrong by casting her aside for Rea, so her effort to aid the attacking Sabines by showing them a secret entry into Rome made emotional sense. The sympathy she generated was at odds with the filmmakers seeming attempt to have the audience rooting for Romulus and Rea to get together.

The main obstacle to the marriage of Romulus and Rea was that she was consecrated to Jupiter. It would be blasphemy for her to marry a man, even a man supposed to be the son of Mars. The solution to this was for them to run off - which sort-of negated the main point of the story; which was Romulus' desire to found Rome. Even though he said that his work was finished and that now was the time for a new king, leaving a city which had been presented as a shining hope for people seeking a new future was confusing. If Rome was going to be a solution to many of the problems of that time, where could this couple run off to for their happy ending? And the joke Romulus made about telling everyone that as a son of a god he was taken up to heaven didn't cover up the reversal of the story's main thrust.

As Venus, Rossana Schiaffino brought more loveliness to a movie already boasting Mylene Demongeot, Scilla Gabel, and Giorgia Moll. Along with old favorites like Franco Lulli, Jean Marais and Walter Barnes, there are many welcomed faces to be found in this movie. Unfortunately, the material wasn't really worth their efforts, but they would all appear in worse movies.

Roger Moore's efforts, however, were amply rewarded for it was during the making of this movie that he met his future wife, and the mother of his children. Luisa Mattioli. She played the woman with whom Walter Barnes fell in love. Reportedly, friends of Moore's wife, the singer Dorothy Squires, told her not to let him go to Italy alone. as he was obviously not happy in his marriage. But she had some singing engagements to honor. The fact that Moore was married and that Mattioli was Roman Catholic made the beginnings of their relationship a bit difficult, but eventually the legal wranglings were smoothed out.

Unfortunately, this second marriage reportedly ended in 1997, when Moore took up with another woman.

(Released on Unicorn Home Video.)

The rescue of FINGER ON THE TRIGGER

From: SO YOU WANT TO MAKE MOVIES

My Life As An Independent Film Producer

by Sidney Pink

I was still shooting in Almeria, but I really didn't know what the devil I was doing. I improvised scenes and I improvised action with our gypsy Indians, but I desperately needed a leading man. All of Tony's efforts to get another Morris client were in vain.

I had a flash idea. My good friend Rory Calhoun was a Western star at least as well known as Victor Mature and a much superior actor. After a personal duel with Spanish operators, I finally managed to get through to a sleepy Rory Calhoun at 5 A.M. California time. After telling me what he thought of anyone who would so rudely awaken another at such an ungodly house, he listened to my tale of woe. He was full of sympathy but no hope. He was beginning a film in two weeks, and there was no way in which he could star in our film and complete his work and dubbing in the ten free days he could give me.

I knew how well I worked with Rory and what a tireless professional he was. I promised if he would take the next plane to Madrid and get to our location by Saturday, I would finish all his shooting in eight days and accomplish the dubbing in two days. I could send him back on the Wednesday before his next picture started. Sensing the extreme urgency in my voice, he agreed to come as requested. I am everlastingly grateful to Rory for pulling me out of that mess, and I know he knows it. If it hadn't been for his friendship, I don't believe this story could have been written.

Rory arrived as scheduled and he made the picture hum with cooperation and creativity. Rory and Jim Philbrook were old friends, and they worked together as a team. Rory took over the chore of directing our fight scenes, and he choreographed them with Philbrook and Todd Martin (he played the heavy) - and not only did he teach me how it was done, but his fight scenes turned out great. I didn't appreciate it then, but the luckiest thing to happen to me was the failure of Victor Mature and the help given to me by Rory Calhoun.

FINGER ON THE TRIGGER was a major milestone of my career. It became a smash hit in Europe, and did extremely well in the States and got excellent reviews. A whole new standard was set for European production, and the days of the spaghetti Western came into full bloom.

I don't know how many Westerns were made in Spain, but there were a lot and they were almost all successful. But I wasn't very smart. After the first showings of FINGER ON THE TRIGGER, I received a call from an Italian director, Sergio Leone, who asked if I would coproduce another Western with him. Since I was then the most knowledgeable Western producer-director in Europe, my services were sought after. When I asked Leone what the project was, he answered UN PUNO DE DOLARES (A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS) starring Clint Eastwood. Believe it or not, I refused immediately. I had never heard of Clint Eastwood and so my list of stupid decisions mounted. Of course that picture made motion-picture history. It is truly amazing how close you can come to fame and fortune and never even know it.

We finished FINGER ON THE TRIGGER with the help of Yakima Canutt. After Rory left, there were many sequences of Indian attacks, battle scenes, and individual stunt shots I felt I was not equipped to direct. Yakima Canutt had just finished the action shots of CIRCUS STORY. He was getting ready to return to the States when I learned of his availability. I contacted him and he agreed to shoot our action scenes for us.

I learned to love and respect this wonderfully talented Indian, who was never truly recognized by the industry he served for so many years. Yakima was the greatest stunt man in movie history, and his legacy survives in the stunt men he trained, (not to mention the entire falling-horse population of Europe). We spent a great deal of time together in too short a span, but our entire family learned to love this very decent, caring American. His recent death is a great loss to the business and the public he served so well. So long, Yak; this world of showbiz didn't deserve you.

(And so Sidney Pink joined the group of people who-could-have-worked-on-A-FISTFUL-OF-DOLLARS. And the movie that Canutt worked on was released as CIRCUS WORLD.)

New Dollhouse episode tonight

After an thrilling season two premiere last friday, I'm excited to see what is in store for tonight.

No Victor Mature for FINGER ON THE TRIGGER

From: SO YOU WANT TO MAKE MOVIES

My Life As An Independent Film Producer

by Sidney Pink

Where was Victor Mature? It took ten days to discover his whereabouts, and then only through some super detective work on the part of the William Morris office in London. The folks there had heard rumors about a movie star hidden in a flat in Soho, and following that wisp of a lead, they discovered a besotted Victor Mature in an alcoholic stupor. They promptly cleaned him up and sent him with an escort to Madrid, where I would meet him on Sunday at the Hilton.

I managed to cover his absence by using Jim Philbrook, who was roughly the same size as Mature, in long shots of the exteriors, and anywhere I could shoot without showing his face. Having learned the cutting-room techniques, I constructed each shot so that I could fill it in later with close and medium shots of Mature himself. When we finished our shooting that Saturday, I got into my 1956 Cadillac (we foreigners were allowed to own American cars without paying the impossibly high Spanish taxes), and I barreled back to Madrid. I think I broke all speed records in my anxiety to meet that son of a bitch face to face. I arranged to meet Tony for breakfast in Mature's suite on Sunday. I sure as hell wanted to know what was going on.

That morning, I went to the Hilton and knocked on the door of Victor's suite, where I was greeting by Tony Recoder. He looked grim and angry, and I soon found out why. When I walked into that suite, I saw a naked man sprawled across the sofa. There was no way of waking him, and Tony and I debated what we should do.

Then a duplicate hulk walked into the room and introduced himself. He was Mature's stand-in. Except for the face, he could have been Victor Mature himself. He was a decent guy who was trying to make a living and a career for himself. Since his own acting abilities were very limited, he had attached himself to this drunk and made a career of playing nurse's aid, bodyguard, and general all-around Victor Mature substitute. He hauled the unconscious Mature into the shower, and about thirty minutes later, we met a semi-sober Victor Mature. He was badly hung over, but he looked a lot better in a robe. We ordered breakfast, and while we ate, he drank coffee and talked.

There was no apology, no regret, no reaction one would expect from such a horrible abuse of confidence. To Victor Mature, nothing had happened, and he carried on as if we were negotiating a deal. Without evincing any interest in how the picture was going, he proceeded to demand that all of his $25,000 be paid to him then and there, or he would never show up on location. Tony and I looked at each other stunned. It was hard to believe what we heard. When I blew up and proceeded to tell Mature what I thought of him, he acted as if he were deaf. I don't believe a single word I said registered.

Then Tony took over. He told Victor the money was in his hands, and the Morris office guaranteed not only Mature's payment, but also his presence on the picture. If Mature did not show up for work, Tony would personally see that his passport was lifted and turn him over to the Spanish authorities who would cancel his visa, and Mature would remain in Spain until his trial. Tony then asked me to leave, guaranteeing me Victor Mature would be in a studio car on his way to Almeria the next morning and I could schedule him for shooting on Tuesday. I had to get back for Monday's work, and so I left on the long trek back to location.

Victor Mature did indeed leave in a studio car the next day and he arrived in Granada for lunch, but then he promptly disappeared again. There I was, on my last legs as a film producer-director with a picture more than half completed without a leading man or a shot of a leading man. We advertised the picture as starring Victor Mature but we had no Victor Mature. Our Italian distributor insisted on a star name that would sell tickets to Western fans, and we had to oblige him. I knew what it meant to be in hot water.