Wicked, Wicked

Last updated
Wicked, Wicked
Wicked, Wicked Poster.jpg
Directed by Richard L. Bare
Written byRichard L. Bare
Produced byRichard L. Bare
Starring
CinematographyFrederick Gately
Edited byJohn F. Schreyer
Music by Philip Springer
Distributed by MGM
Release date
  • June 13, 1973 (1973-06-13)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Wicked, Wicked is a 1973 horror-thriller film written and directed by Richard L. Bare and starring David Bailey, Tiffany Bolling and Randolph Roberts. It was presented in "Duo-Vision", a gimmick more commonly known as split-screen.

Contents

Plot

The Grandview is a sprawling Californian hotel with a terrible secret: single blonde visitors who check in don't check out. Hotel detective Rick Stewart (David Bailey) begins investigating what's happened to a handful of vanishing guests but he soon becomes personally involved when his brunette ex-wife, Lisa James (Tiffany Bolling), arrives for a singing engagement at the hotel. When Lisa dons a blonde wig for her performance, she finds herself the next target of a psychopathic killer.

Production

Script

The film was the brainchild of writer-director Richard L. Bare, who got the idea for the Duo-Vision gimmick while driving one day, when he noticed the line that divided the road. "As I glanced from one side of the freeway to the other, I noticed how my mind was taking a picture over here, then another over there," Bare later stated. [1] "Why not tell a film story with two simultaneous images?" [1]

The idea stayed in Bare's head for two years before he decided to pursue it. "I had a script I had written called The Squirrel which had been on the market but hadn't sold, so I just cut it up and patched scenes together here and there to make two parallel scripts." [2] The script pages were divided in half, with each half of the page corresponding to what was to appear on screen. Finding a typewriter that could accommodate these unique needs proved challenging for the writer. "My first problem was finding a typewriter with a carriage wide enough to take a legal-size piece of paper sideways, so I could type parallel scripts," Bare said. [2] "Then I had to find a duplicating machine that would do the same thing."

Once completed, Bare brought the script to William T. Orr, his former boss at Warner Bros. Together the pair formed a production company, United National Pictures, [3] and brought the project to MGM. Within 48 hours, they sold it. [4]

Casting

The casting of the killer proved to be a difficult challenge. "We needed intensity and passion as well as innocence, a combination of qualities we found to be rare among the many, many young actors we interviewed," Orr revealed. [3] A young Vietnam veteran named Randolph Roberts was sent by his agent to audition for the role of Hank Lassiter (a minor part which ultimately went to Edd Byrnes). [5] When Ore and Bare saw him, they knew they'd found their star. "It's impossible to believe that this is Randy's first motion picture," claimed Orr. [6] "His experience in front of a camera is very limited. Yet he has a presence that reveals itself on film that I have found to be very rare." [6] Bare was equally impressed. "There are many difficult scenes in which Randy, as the psychotic killer, must wordlessly and subtly express his progression from naive handyman to crazed killer in a matter of seconds," Bare said. "With all this, Randolph has still managed to make his character quite sympathetic." [6]

Casting the role of hotel detective Rick Stewart was substantially easier. David Bailey had been in a popular commercial for Mitchum deodorant in which he proclaimed, "I didn't use any antiperspirant yesterday and I may not today."[ citation needed ] Bare saw the commercial and asked Bailey to come to California for an interview. "We had only talked a few moments," said Bailey, "before they told me, 'You've got the part.'" [7]

Edd Byrnes was an equally easy find. Byrnes skyrocketed to fame as "Kookie" on the popular television series 77 Sunset Strip , and became typecast as a result. Orr was the one who'd originally cast Byrnes as Kookie, and Bare directed several episodes of the show. [8]

The casting of Tiffany Bolling was an entirely different matter. In 1970, Bolling released an album titled Tiffany. The album didn't sell well and the company backing it went out of business, [9] so Bolling continued her acting career. For the part of lounge singer Lisa James, the filmmakers needed someone who could both act and sing. "My singing was one thing that helped me get the part in Wicked, Wicked," Bolling said. [9]

Filming, editing and release

The movie was filmed at the historic Hotel del Coronado [10] over the span of 48 days [4] and came in under its $1.5 million budget. [11] Bare estimated that the time and expense was double what it would have been for a normal, single-screen film. [11] At the time of the film's release, Tiffany Bolling commented, "Wicked, Wicked was a fun film to make... and I loved the duo-vision process." [9] Decades later she recanted, saying the film "really got to be a joke," [12] because it was cheap and poorly made, "but I loved singing in the movie." [12]

Bare recognized before he began shooting that audiences would have a hard time following the movie if there was too much action playing on both sides of the screen simultaneously, and he scripted a few single-screen segments "for shock value." [11] "Although primarily [the split-screen] serves to depict simultaneous action," Bare explained, "Duo-Vision also lends itself to showing truth and untruth, flashbacks in time, visions of the future or cause and effect without abrupt interruption of the story's main continuity. As applied to Wicked, Wicked, the Duo-Vision technique involves an active screen and a passive screen, meaning that dialogue comes from only one screen at a time while silent footage unreels on the other so there is no dialogue confusion."[ citation needed ]

Editing the film proved to be a daunting task. Edited on a double-headed Moviola, it "took 32 weeks to finish the rough cut," said Bare, "compared with 6 weeks for the average picture." [2] "I also had to shoot 3,000 more feet of film in order to fill a void on one of the screens." [11]

Initially Bare and MGM planned to release the movie as two separate films, to be shown by two interlocked projectors on a wide theater screen, but they ultimately decided that a single piece of film would give them a larger market, so they squeezed both images onto 35mm, projected at a unique 2.65:1 aspect ratio. [2] They also made the highly unusual (at the time) decision to release the film in stereo, with the left and right speakers emitting dialogue "from the proper side of the screen." [13]

Reception

Critical reaction was split, with many critics unable to grasp the film's mixture of horror, suspense and comedy. "It's high camp," Bare stated. "Nobody can take it seriously. We call it half Grand Hotel and half Grand Guignol." [2]

Doug Thompson wrote, "The script by Bare is trite and so filled with typical screen stereotypes and clichés that it is almost comical. His direction is erratic and sloppy and acting by the principals is appalling." [14] Mike Meserole commented, "As with the split screen, Duo-Vision is geared more for action than acting, which is fortunate because Wicked, Wicked has plenty of the former and none of the latter." [15] Barbara Bladen wrote, "It works to keep your mind off the mindlessness of the script until the [split-screen] novelty wears off," and then she concluded, "There may be laughs to be had for someone with a strong stomach for blood but the graphic vision of the film's more grisly scenes quite choked them back on me." [16]

Other reviews of the film were more positive. New York Times critic Roger Greenspun called it "an oddly pleasant movie" in which "everybody is likable." [17] Leon Flemming praised Madelaine Sherwood, calling her "appealingly grotesque as a down-and-out hoofer who lives on very precarious credit at the hotel," before concluding, "Wicked, Wicked should be seen with tongue-in-cheek, the same spirit in which it was created." [18] Gary W. Stratton said the film was "better than average" with "credible" acting, and he called the reveal of the killer's motivation "the best part," but like most every film critic - whether they liked the movie or hated it - he pointedly added to his review, "most of the time the double picture does not add to the film." [19]

Director Richard L. Bare wrote in his autobiography, "The college students were unanimous in their praise, but the picture opened quietly, played a while, and then disappeared. [20] " According to Bare, the film received minuscule promotion because MGM owner Kirk Kerkorian was draining the company's funds to build a Las Vegas casino. [20]

Orr and Bare planned to follow up Wicked, Wicked with another Duo-Vision thriller titled October Incident which would have dealt with a plot to assassinate Fidel Castro, [13] but since Duo-Vision was poorly received, plans for the film were abandoned.

After its theatrical run, Wicked, Wicked fell into obscurity, and Bolling eventually removed it from her résumé. "They can’t do anything with it," she said. "They can’t put it on home video, because you can’t see it on TV, the screen is so small, so it just totally was a bust." [12] In the 21st century, however, television airings were no longer a problem. The film debuted on Turner Classic Movies' cult movie showcase TCM Underground in 2008 and went on to air in heavy rotation on the network.[ citation needed ]

Home media

The film was released on VHS in Finland [21] and Germany. [22]

On October 28, 2014, the movie was released as a burn-on-demand DVD-R through Warner Archive. [23] The movie underwent an extensive two-year restoration which was described as akin to "restoring two separate films," [24] it's presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio and boasts a stereo soundtrack and the trailer as a sole extra. [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Grand Hotel</i> (1932 film) Adaptation of William Drake play

Grand Hotel is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The screenplay by William A. Drake is based on the 1930 play of the same title by Drake, who had adapted it from the 1929 novel Menschen im Hotel by Vicki Baum. To date, it is the only film to have won the Academy Award for Best Picture without being nominated in any other category.

<i>Soylent Green</i> 1973 film by Richard Fleischer

Soylent Green is a 1973 American ecological dystopian thriller film directed by Richard Fleischer, and starring Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, and Edward G. Robinson in his final film role. It is loosely based on the 1966 science-fiction novel Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison, with a plot that combines elements of science fiction and a police procedural. The story follows a murder investigation in a dystopian future of dying oceans and year-round humidity caused by the greenhouse effect, with the resulting pollution, depleted resources, poverty, and overpopulation. In 1973, it won the Nebula Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer</span> American film and television company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc., is an American media company specializing in film and television production and distribution. Founded on April 17, 1924, and based in Beverly Hills, California, it is owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irving Thalberg</span> American film producer

Irving Grant Thalberg was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather production staff, and make profitable films, including Grand Hotel, China Seas, A Night at the Opera, Mutiny on the Bounty, Camille and The Good Earth. His films carved out an international market, "projecting a seductive image of American life brimming with vitality and rooted in democracy and personal freedom", states biographer Roland Flamini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Goldwyn</span> Polish-American film producer (1882–1974)

Samuel Goldwyn, also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor and executive of several motion picture studios in Hollywood. He was awarded the 1973 Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award (1947) and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (1958).

<i>The Wizard of Oz</i> 1939 film based on the book by L. Frank Baum

The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). An adaptation of L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left production to take over the troubled Gone with the Wind. It stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, while others made uncredited contributions. The music was composed by Harold Arlen and adapted by Herbert Stothart, with lyrics by Edgar "Yip" Harburg.

<i>77 Sunset Strip</i> Television series

77 Sunset Strip is an American television private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long and Edd Byrnes. Each episode was one hour long when aired with commercials. The show ran from 1958 to 1964. The character of detective Stuart Bailey was first used by writer Huggins in his 1946 novel The Double Take, later adapted into the 1948 film I Love Trouble.

<i>Point Blank</i> (1967 film) 1967 American crime film directed by John Boorman

Point Blank is a 1967 American crime film directed by John Boorman, starring Lee Marvin, co-starring Angie Dickinson, Keenan Wynn and Carroll O'Connor, and adapted from the 1963 crime noir pulp novel The Hunter by Donald E. Westlake, writing as Richard Stark. Boorman directed the film at Marvin's request and Marvin played a central role in the film's development. The film grossed over $9 million at the box office in 1967 and has since gone on to become a cult classic, eliciting praise from such critics as film historian David Thomson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edd Byrnes</span> American actor and singer (1932–2020)

Edward Byrne Breitenberger, known professionally as Edd Byrnes, was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the television series 77 Sunset Strip. He also was featured in the 1978 film Grease as television teen-dance show host Vince Fontaine, and was a charting recording artist with "Kookie, Kookie ".

<i>Mutiny on the Bounty</i> (1962 film) 1962 film by Carol Reed, Lewis Milestone

Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1962 American Technicolor epic historical drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, and Richard Harris. The screenplay was written by Charles Lederer, based on the novel Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. Bronisław Kaper composed the score.

<i>Tarzan Goes to India</i> 1962 film by John Guillermin

Tarzan Goes to India (1962) is the first film featuring Jock Mahoney as Tarzan. The twenty-fourth film of the Tarzan film series that began with 1932's Tarzan the Ape Man, it was written by Robert Hardy Andrews and directed by John Guillermin, who also directed Tarzan's Greatest Adventure. The film also stars Indian Bollywood actors Feroz Khan, Simi Garewal and Murad in pivotal roles. It was followed by Tarzan's Three Challenges (1963) which was set in Thailand. It was one of two Mahoney films that took Tarzan out of Africa and sent him to the Far East. It was a co-production between Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Jock Mahoney had appeared as the villain in the previous Tarzan film, Tarzan the Magnificent.

<i>California Split</i> 1974 film by Robert Altman

California Split is a 1974 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Altman and starring Elliott Gould and George Segal as a pair of gamblers. It was the first non-Cinerama film to use eight-track stereo sound.

<i>In the Wake of the Bounty</i> 1933 film

In the Wake of the Bounty (1933) is an Australian film directed by Charles Chauvel about the 1789 Mutiny on the Bounty. It is notable as the screen debut of Errol Flynn, playing Fletcher Christian. The film preceded MGM's more famous Mutiny on the Bounty, starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, by two years.

<i>Buddy Buddy</i> 1981 American comedy film

Buddy Buddy is a 1981 American comedy film based on Francis Veber's play Le contrat and Édouard Molinaro's film L'emmerdeur. It was the final film directed and written by Billy Wilder.

<i>The Last Run</i> 1971 film by Richard Fleischer

The Last Run is a 1971 American action film shot in Portugal, Málaga and elsewhere in Spain directed by Richard Fleischer, starring George C. Scott, Tony Musante, Trish Van Devere, and Colleen Dewhurst.

<i>Kansas City Bomber</i> 1972 film directed by Jerrold Freedman

Kansas City Bomber is a 1972 American sports drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Jerrold Freedman and starring Raquel Welch. It also marks one of the earliest film appearances of Jodie Foster.

<i>The Boy Friend</i> (1971 film) 1971 film by Ken Russell

The Boy Friend is a 1971 British musical comedy film written and directed by Ken Russell, based on the 1953 musical of the same name by Sandy Wilson. The film stars Twiggy, Christopher Gable, Tommy Tune, and Max Adrian, with an uncredited appearance by Glenda Jackson. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer made extensive edits to the film for its American release. The missing material was restored and the film was re-released in 1987. The Boy Friend was released on DVD on 12 April 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffany Bolling</span> American actress, model, and singer

Tiffany Bolling is a retired American actress, model and singer, best known for her appearances in cult movies.

<i>The War Against Mrs. Hadley</i> 1942 film by Harold S. Bucquet

The War Against Mrs. Hadley is a 1942 American drama film directed by Harold S. Bucquet and starring Fay Bainter and Edward Arnold. The plot depicts how wealthy society matron Stella Hadley selfishly refuses to sacrifice her family or material comforts during World War II, until tragedy strikes an old rival. The script by George Oppenheimer was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

<i>Bride of Chucky</i> 1998 American slasher film by Ronny Yu

Bride of Chucky is a 1998 American black comedy slasher film written by Don Mancini and directed by Ronny Yu. The fourth installment in the Child's Play franchise, it stars Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, John Ritter, Katherine Heigl, and Nick Stabile. Unlike the first three films, Bride of Chucky takes a markedly humorous turn towards self-referential parody. It also departs from the Andy Barclay storyline of the first three films, focusing mainly on series villain Chucky, a doll possessed by a serial killer, and his former lover and accomplice Tiffany, whose soul is also transferred into a doll.

References

  1. 1 2 Thomas, Bob (December 24, 1972). "Duo-Vision -- Two Movies for the Price of One'". Oakland Tribune .
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Taylor, Robert (April 22, 1973). "'Alamedan Offers Duo-Vision'". Oakland Tribune .
  3. 1 2 "'Wide Talent Search By Orr'". The Post-Crescent . March 5, 1973.
  4. 1 2 "'No, You Haven't Seen Everything'". Florence Morning News . December 22, 1972.
  5. ↑ Anderson, Nancy (May 22, 1973). "'Hollywood Hotline'". Waterloo Daily Courier .
  6. 1 2 3 "Star-Finders" (Press release). Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. 1973.
  7. ↑ "Recognized... Even with His Clothes On" (Press release). Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. 1973.
  8. ↑ "Happy to be aging" (Press release). Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. 1973.
  9. 1 2 3 Thompson, Doug (May 15, 1973). "'Cinema: 'Her career is erratic — more or less'". The Alton Telegraph.
  10. ↑ "The Gist (Wicked, Wicked) - THE GIST" . Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "'Double-Image Movie Newest Idea'". The Victoria Advocate . December 21, 1972.
  12. 1 2 3 "Breakfast with Tiffany: An Interview with Tiffany Bolling". 17 June 2009. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  13. 1 2 "Duo-vision Will Be Introduced in Wicked, Wicked". Greeley Tribune . January 2, 1973.
  14. ↑ Thompson, Doug (May 15, 1973). "'Cinema: 'Wicked, Wicked' is so-so'". Alton Telegraph .
  15. ↑ Meserole, Mike (April 26, 1973). "Movie Review: Wicked, Wicked". The Berkshire Eagle .
  16. ↑ Bladen, Barbara (May 15, 1973). "'The Marquee'". The San Mateo Times .
  17. ↑ "Psychopath Does His Grim Deeds in Wicked, Wicked". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2013-04-27. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  18. ↑ Flemming, Leon (June 28, 1973). "Wicked, Wicked for Horror, Comedy". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal .
  19. ↑ Stratton, Gary W. (May 14, 1973). "Split-Screen Film Value Questionable". The Abilene Reporter-News .
  20. 1 2 Bare, Richard L. (2001). Confessions of a Hollywood Director. Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 300.
  21. ↑ "Hotellimurhat (1973)" . Retrieved 2010-02-23.
  22. ↑ "BIS DIE GÄNSEHAUT ERSTARRT in Duo Vision - sehr rar". Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  23. ↑ "Wicked, Wicked/Warner Archive Shop" . Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  24. ↑ "Shout Factory strikes deal with MGM". Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  25. ↑ "Warner Archive Collection Podcast: Olivia, Batman and the Hecks" . Retrieved 2014-10-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.