"P" Titled Films!
These are all the movies I have seen that start with the letter 'P'. It will be continually updated as I view more and more films....
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- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsKevin CostnerClint EastwoodLaura DernA kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law, while the search for him continues.Co-starring: Keith Szarabajka, Leo Burmester, Bradley Whitford, Ray McKinnon, Jennifer Griffin, Paul Hewitt, Bruce McGill, George Haynes, Rodger Boyce, Lucy Lee Flippin, Elizabeth Ruscio, John M. Jackson, Linda Hart, Wayne Dehart, Mary Alice, Kevin Jamal Woods
Is one of two films starring Kevin Costner that have "world" in the title. The other film being Waterworld. Also both of these film's directors - Clint Eastwood and Kevin Reynolds - have the same number of letters in their first and last names.
This film was set near the time President John F Kennedy "JFK" made his fateful trip to Dallas. Kevin Costner starred in JFK (1991).
By co-starring in this film with Clint Eastwood, Kevin Costner has co-starred with three of the main stars of Unforgiven (1992). The other two are Gene Hackman: No Way Out (1986) and Wyatt Earp (1994) and Morgan Freeman: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).
Early in the movie, references are made to President John F. Kennedy visiting Texas and the governor running for re-election. Unless the events in the movie take place in an alternate universe, this was not JFK's final, fateful trip to Texas. From 1876 to 1972 Texas governors served two year terms, which means this movie took place prior to the November 1962 election. JFK was assassinated in Dallas a year later in November 1963.
Director Clint Eastwood originally intended to give the role of Butch to Denzel Washington.
Clint Eastwood was not originally going to act in the movie - Kevin Costner talked him into it. - DirectorHerbert RossStarsGoldie HawnChris SarandonRichard RomanusA woman (Goldie Hawn) saves life of Emir of Ohtar (Richard Romanus) in Washington.Co-starring: Gail Strickland, Cliff De Young, Keith Szarabajka, Ed Begley Jr., Jean Smart, Joel Brooks, Grainger Hines, Kenneth McMillan, Richard Hamilton, Lyman Ward, Al Leong, Amanda Bearse, John Ratzenberger (uncredited)
Amanda Bearse's theatrical film debut.
The movie was inspired by the old Hollywood screwball comedies such as those directed by Frank Capra, particularly Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). The film was made and released about forty-five years after that Capra comedy classic. The movie has often been labeled with unofficial titles like "Goldie Goes to Washington".
First of two movies that Goldie Hawn made with Herbert Ross directing. The second was My Blue Heaven (1990) where Hawn did not appear but was an executive producer. Hawn both starred and exec produced in Protocol (1984). - DirectorLuc BessonStarsJean RenoGary OldmanNatalie Portman12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.Co-starring: Peter Appel, Don Creech, Michael Badalucco, Ellen Greene, Elizabeth Regen, Frank Senger, Maïwenn (as Ouin-Ouin) , George Martin, Robert LaSardo,
Mathilda and Leon have both seen Singin' in the Rain (1952), which featured Debbie Reynolds, the real-life mother of Carrie Fisher. Portman played Fisher's on-screen mother in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005).
In the confrontation scene at Tony's restaurant, it is revealed that rogue DEA agent Stansfield commissioned contract killings from Mafioso Tony. Léon was Tony's top hit man and his "clients" were primarily drug dealers. So it's possible that, through Tony, Léon unknowingly did a lot of "work" for Stansfield.
The code that Léon gives Matilda to knock on the door when she returns from getting more milk is two knocks, then one, then two knocks again. 212 is the telephone area code for Manhattan, which is where the story takes place.
In the final scene Mathilda transfers Léon's beloved potted plant to an open field behind the girls' school, believing it will grow roots and be a living symbol of his memory. She doesn't know that that particular plant - a tropical variety called a Chinese Evergreen - cannot survive in cold outdoor climates, and will die in the first winter frost. New York Times critic Janet Maslin noted this in her 1994 review and called the ending "misguided poetry."
In a 2005 interview, Natalie Portman recalled how she had to train herself to "cry on cue" during filming of "Léon". For her first emotional scene - when Mathilda finds her family dead and goes to Léon's door for help - she was unable to produce the necessary tears. Director Luc Besson solved the problem by having a crew member spray mint oil into her eyes. Portman said this was so painful that from then on she had no trouble crying real tears on command, just to avoid being subjected to the mint oil again.
It has been claimed that Luc Besson has written the script for a sequel, which Olivier Megaton was to direct and in which Natalie Portman would reprise the Mathilda role. Filming was to be delayed until Portman was a bit older. However, in the meantime, Besson left Gaumont Film Company to start his own movie studio, EuropaCorp. Unhappy at Besson's departure, Gaumont Film Company "has held The Professional rights close to the vest - and will not budge". According to Megaton, the sequel will more than likely never happen. Besson used the idea for Colombiana (2011).
This marks the second time that Gary Oldman stars in film a that is shot inside of the Historic Hotel Chelsea in New York. The first was Sid and Nancy (1986).
Composer Eric Serra wrote the song "The Experience of Love" for the end of the film. However, the filmmakers decided to use Sting's "The Shape of My Heart" instead. Serra would re-use the song in the end credits of his next project, the James Bond film GoldenEye (1995) and it appears on the film's soundtrack. The basic melody of the song can still be heard in the film and on the soundtrack, via the cue "The Game is Over."
Stansfield is obsessed with Ludwig van Beethoven. Gary Oldman later portrayed Beethoven in Immortal Beloved (1994).
Jean Reno and Natalie Portman weren't allowed to rehearse the controversial scene where Mathilda puts on a dress given to her by Leon. As Reno puts it in the film's DVD commentary, it's "the beginning of the perversity." Reno often asked Luc Besson when they would read the part, and Besson would avoid the question. Not being able to read the scene helped Besson and his cast genuinely capture the awkwardness the characters felt at that moment. "[Léon and Mathilda's] relationship was very connected and very strange," Reno concluded.
According to actress Maïwenn Le Besco, part of the film is based on her romantic relationship with director Luc Besson. Le Besco (who plays the blond prostitute in the opening scene) was engaged to writer/director at the time the film was made. Le Besco had met Besson when she was 11, and had fallen in love with him when she was 15 (Besson was 32 at the time).
According to Luc Besson, the role of Léon was always intended for Jean Reno and no one else. However, according to the Fact Track on the Deluxe Edition DVD, both Mel Gibson and Keanu Reeves were extremely interested in the role.
The cut of the film had more scenes with "awkward sexual tension" between Mathilda and Léon. These scenes were later cut out for the American release dubbed "The Professional", but were included in the 1996 European release, as well as in the deleted scenes of the special edition DVD. They were reintegrated back into the film for the 'International Cut', which is now available on DVD.
Liv Tyler was considered for the part of Mathilda but, at age 15, she was deemed too old.
In the original script, Mathilda (aged 13 or 14) and Léon became lovers. Luc Besson reportedly altered the script to remove this aspect of the story (possibly due to pressure from Natalie Portman's parents).
According to Patrice Ledoux, Luc Besson planned Léon as filler. At the time, he had already started working on The Fifth Element (1997), but production was delayed due to Bruce Willis's schedule. Rather than dismiss the production team and lose his creative momentum, Besson wrote Léon. It took him only 30 days to write the script, and the shoot lasted only 90 days. As it turned out, Léon is now generally considered to be a far superior film to The Fifth Element.
When the film was first tested in LA, the version that was screened incuded a short scene where Mathilda asks Léon to be her lover. However, the audience became extremely uncomfortable and began to laugh nervously, completely destroying the tone of the film. The film received terrible test scores at the screening, and as such, producer Patrice Ledoux and writer/director Luc Besson decided to cut the scene for theatrical release.
Luc Besson got the idea of doing this movie while working on his previous movie, La Femme Nikita (1990). In that film's third act, Victor the Cleaner appears to deal with the aftermath of Nikita's botched mission. Realizing the potential of the character was underused in that movie, Besson decided to create a story that focused on the activities of such a character. Both Victor and Leon appear dressed in a long wool coat, sunglasses and a knit cap. Both are played by Jean Reno. The film's working title was "The Cleaner".
In a 2014 Playboy interview, Gary Oldman said his screaming of the now iconic line 'Bring me everyone!' was improvised to make director Luc Besson laugh "in previous takes, I'd just gone, "Bring me everyone," in a regular voice. But then I cued the sound guy to slip off his headphones, and I shouted as loud as I could." The yelled take is the one used in the film.
Keith A. Glascoe, who played the enormous Benny, or 3rd Stansfield Man, later became a member of the New York Fire Department, Ladder Company 21 in Hells Kitchen. Courageously he died in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
According to Jean Reno, he decided to play Léon as if he were a little mentally slow and emotionally repressed. He felt that this would make audiences relax and realize that he wasn't someone who would take advantage of a vulnerable young girl. Reno claims that for Léon, the possibility of a physical relationship with Mathilda is not even conceivable, and as such, during the scenes when such a relationship is discussed, Reno very much allowed Mathilda to be emotionally in control of the scenes.
During the scene when Stansfield 'interrogates' Mathilda's father, he smells the father, and gets extremely physically close to him. According to Michael Badalucco, he had no idea that Gary Oldman was going to smell him, nor that he was going to get as close as he did. Badalucco says that in the film, his look of discomfort during the scene is completely genuine, as he felt decidedly intimidated by Oldman, and the physical proximity between the two made him very nervous.
During the filming involving all of the police cars on the street, a man ran from a store he had just robbed. When he encountered the movie set by accident, he saw all of the "police" and gave himself up to a bunch of uniformed extras. - DirectorAlbert MagnoliStarsPrinceApollonia KoteroMorris DayA young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise.Also starring: Clarence Williams III, Jerome Benton, Brenda Bennett, Susan Moonsie, Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Bobby 'Z' Rivkin, Garry "Jellybean"Johnson, Jesse Johnson, Paul "St. Paul" Peterson, Gerald E. Hubbard Jr., Mark Cardenas
Prince won an Academy Award for the song, "Purple Rain."
James Foley was offered the job of director by Prince's management after seeing a rough cut of Reckless (1984). He said he was too busy and declined, but recommended his editor Albert Magnoli.
Brown Mark (the bassist) is the only member of the Revolution to never speak throughout the entire film.
According to the director's commentary, three versions of the love scene were filmed with three different ratings. A "G" rated version, "PG" rated version, and "R" rated version which is what was used in the film.
The Kid tells Wendy and Lisa, "Nobody cares about your music." Wendy and Lisa would go on to release five albums on their own, none of which were commercial successes in the U.S.
The "father's song" being played by his father as Prince walks up to him, after he beats his mother, is also heard later in the movie as the guitar solo in Computer Blue.
The original screenplay, found on various websites, contained an extremely explicit sex scene between Vanity and The Kid during the "ride of rage" sequence. It's unknown if the scene was actually filmed when Apollonia replaced Vanity as the leading lady. This adds to the mystery of a long rumored early edit of Purple Rain that was given an X-rating by the MPAA.
Albert Magnoli filmed a second love scene that was not included in the final cut of the film. This scene has special meaning because it contains the actual illusion of the purple rain. A snippet of this scene is included in the theatrical trailer for the film as well as the When Doves Cry montage. This scene, as well as the other deleted footage that led up to it, is also outlined in the film's screenplay found on various websites. It is rumored that this second love scene almost earned the film an X-rating although it's unclear as to whether this scene was actually included in early edits of the film or actually submitted to the MPAA. Director Albert Magnoli has stated that he never shot anything that could have given the movie a X-rating.
Morris' pick-up lines to Apollonia (before the Revolution performs "The Beautiful Ones") are paraphrased lines from "Chili Sauce", the third track from the Time's third album "Ice Cream Castle". The album also contains "Jungle Love" and "The Bird", which are featured in this film. He also says, "What time is it," the title of the Time's second album.
In the original script Prince takes Vanity to a barn and they make love which is seen during the When Doves Cry montage in the movie. In the scene Rain patters strongly against the barn. A deep thunder rolls. This is an obvious lyrical inspiration for the song "Raspberry Beret" by Prince. The song is found on his album "Around the World In A Day," which was released after "Purple Rain."
Purple Rain was shopped around to numerous production companies ,including Indigo Films, which was owned by Jim Brown and Richard Pryor. Brown himself expressed his disappointment about not acquiring the project in the Spike Lee documentary Jim Brown: All American (2002).
Morris says a total of 13 words to the Kid. The Kid never says a single word to Morris.
The story is based loosely on Prince's own life.
When The Kid's father is playing the piano, the music is actually being played by Prince.
Prince's protégée, Vanity, was originally slated to be cast as the Kid's love interest. However she left the film, prior to shooting. Therefore, the girl group "Vanity 6" became "Apollonia 6".
Scenes of Wendy and Lisa kissing, suggesting a relationship, were deleted from the final version.
An early, simpler, version of the unpronounceable symbol that Prince changed his name to during his dispute with Warner Bros. Records is painted on the side of Prince's motorcycle's gas tank. It also appears on a wall of the overpass Prince rides under during the "When Doves Cry" sequence. - DirectorRidley ScottStarsNoomi RapaceLogan Marshall-GreenMichael FassbenderFollowing clues to the origin of mankind, a team finds a structure on a distant moon, but they soon realize they are not alone.Also starring: Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Ian Whyte, Patrick Wilson,
Peter Weyland: T.E. Lawrence, eponymously of Arabia but very much an Englishman, favoured pinching a burning match between his fingers to put it out. When asked by his colleague William Potter to reveal his trick, how is it he effectively extinguished the flame without hurting himself whatsoever, Lawrence just smiled and said, "The trick, Potter, is not minding it hurts." The fire that danced at the end of that match was a gift from the Titan Prometheus, a gift that he stole from the gods. And Prometheus was caught, and brought to justice for his theft. The gods, well, you might say they overreacted a little. The poor man was tied to a rock, as an eagle ripped through his belly and ate his liver over and over, day after day, ad infinitum. All because he gave us fire. Our first true piece of technology, fire... 100,000 BC: stone tools. 4,000 BC: the wheel. 900 AD: gunpowder - bit of a game changer, that one. 19th century: eureka, the lightbulb! 20th century: the automobile, television, nuclear weapons, spacecrafts, Internet. 21st century: biotech, nanotech, fusion and fission and M theory - and THAT, was just the first decade! We are now three months into the year of our Lord, 2023. At this moment of our civilization, we can create cybernetic individuals, who in just a few short years will be completely indistinguishable from us. Which leads to an obvious conclusion: WE are the gods now. To those of you who know me: you will be aware by now that my ambition is unlimited. You know that I will settle for nothing short of greatness, or I will die trying. To those of you who do not yet know me: allow me to introduce myself. My name is Peter Weyland, and if you'll indulge me, I'd like to change the world.
Was originally conceived as a prequel to Ridley Scott's Alien, but Scott announced his decision to turn it into an original film with Noomi Rapace (who was already set to star) still in the cast as one of five main characters. Some time later it was confirmed that while the movie would take place in the same universe as Alien and greatly reference that movie, it would mostly be an original movie and not a direct prequel.
Designer H.R. Giger, who worked on the original design of the Xenomorph Alien, was brought in to assist in reverse-engineering the design of the Aliens in the film.
To prepare for his role as the android David, Michael Fassbender watched Blade Runner (a Ridley Scott film), The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Servant and Lawrence of Arabia (mentioned by Peter Weyland). Fassbender also studied Olympic diver Greg Louganis, drawing inspiration from Louganis's physicality.
Director Ridley Scott named the film "Prometheus", seeing the name aptly fit the film's themes: "It's the story of creation; the gods and the man who stood against them." In Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus was a servant of the gods, who stole and gave to mankind the gift of fire, an immeasurable benefit that changed the human race forever (for better AND worse).
Ridley Scott decided against featuring Xenomorphs (the titular Alien of the film series) in the film, as "the sequels squeezed him dry, he did very well... and no way am I going back there." Instead, this being an indirect prequel to Alien, he decided to feature a Xenomorph ancestor/parent.
According to Ridley Scott, the film's plot was inspired by Erich von Däniken's writings about ancient astronauts: "Both NASA and the Vatican agree that it is almost mathematically impossible that we can be where we are today, without there being a little help along the way. That's what we're looking at: we are talking about gods and engineers, engineers of space. Were the Aliens designed as a form of biological warfare, or biology that would go in and clean up a planet?"
An innovative viral campaign was used to promote the film, consisting of several videos depicting the near future world from the film. The first was a fake TED Talk given by Peter Weyland (played by Guy Pearce), dated 2028. Later, two different versions of a commercial promoting the David 8 android (played by Michael Fassbender) were released. These viral videos were designed by Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof themselves, and were directed by Scott's son, Luke Scott.
Producers Walter Hill and David Giler rejoin Ridley Scott for the first time in over 30 years since they first collaborated on Alien.
The three-triangle logo of the Weyland corporation (while visually similar to that of the actual Weinstein Group) is actually derived from a pattern appearing on the wall in the background of an early Ron Cobb production painting of the "Space Jockey" for the original Alien film. the logo can be seen as part of David's fingerprint.
David idolizes British World War 1 hero T.E. Lawrence. In World War 1, the British Army, including Lawrence, used a machine gun called the Vickers. Also, Peter Weyland, who quotes Lawrence of Arabia, is the creator/synthetic father of David, but also the biological father of Meredith Vickers.
The moon's name in the film (LV223) is arguably a reference to the the bible verse Leviticus 22:3 - "Say to them, 'If any man among all your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before Me; I am the LORD.'" (New American Standard Bible). This foreshadows the events of the film, including the fates of the crew. - DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsIdris ElbaCharlie HunnamRinko KikuchiAs a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.Also starring: Clifton Collins Jr., Ron Perlman, Brad William Henke,
Raleigh Becket: [narrating] When I was a kid, whenever I'd feel small or lonely, I'd look up at the stars. Wondered if there was life up there. Turns out I was looking in the wrong direction. When alien life entered our world, it was from deep beneath the Pacific Ocean. A fissure between two tectonic plates. A portal between dimensions. The Breach. I was fifteen when the first Kaiju made land in San Francisco.
[pause]
Raleigh Becket: By the time tanks, jets and missiles took it down, six days and 35 miles later, three cities were destroyed. Tens of thousands of lives were lost. We mourned our dead, memorialized the event, and moved on. And then, only six months later, the second attack hit Manila.
Newscaster: [on TV] The acid factor of the Kaiju blood creates a toxic phenomenon known as Kaiju Blue
Raleigh Becket: Then the third one hit Cabo. And then the fourth. And then we learned, that this was not gonna stop. This was just the beginning. We needed a new weapon. The world came together, pooling it's resources and throwing aside old rivalries for the sake of the greater good. To fight monsters, we created monsters of our own. The Jaeger program was born.
Screenwriter Travis Beacham also wrote the graphic novel Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero. Relased along with the movie, Tales from Year Zero serves as a prologue to the film and is set twelve years before its events.
"Kaiju" is a Japanese word that literally translates to 'strange beast.' It is usually used to refer to giant monsters from Japanese science fiction films, such as Godzilla.
"Jaeger" is the German word for hunter.
Gipsy Danger is named after the "de Havilland Gipsy" aircraft engine. This was intended as a nostalgic nod to the World War II era, which was a major influence in the design of the robot.
Karloff, one of the kaiju from the opening sequence, is named after Boris Karloff. The nickname was given because the creature's head resembles the dessicated face of Karloff's mummy character, Imhotep.
Pacific Rim's Jaegers are a staple of Japanese anime, where they are often referred to as mecha. Similar to many mecha anime series, Jaegers are controlled from within by human pilots, distinguishing them from other depictions of robots as automated, sentient, or externally controlled. - DirectorGreg MottolaStarsSimon PeggNick FrostSeth RogenTwo English comic book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.Also starring: Jeffrey Tambor, Jane Lynch, Jesse Plemons, Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, Kristen Wiig, John Carroll Lynch, Steven Spielberg, Blythe Danner,
Haggard: I am authorized to use deadly force! Stand down!
Moses Buggs: That thing's got my daughter!
Haggard: Stand down! This is not your mission!
Moses Buggs: I'm on a mission from God!
Haggard: Tell him you failed!
[shoots Buggs]
For much of the filming, Seth Rogen was off filming The Green Hornet and so was unable to completely inhabit the character Paul's motion and interact with the other actors. Joe Lo Truglio, who also plays O'Reilly in the film, stood in and finished what Rogen didn't complete. He studied Rogen extensively in order to impersonate his voice, performed on his knees to capture Paul's physical presence and even improvised in character as Paul. When filming wrapped, Rogen came in and provided the character's voice.
During the scene in the bar, the band is playing the same song as the band in Star Wars is playing in the cantina on Luke Skywalker's home planet Tatooine at the beginning of the movie.
Tara Walton (Blythe Danner) is offered to travel with Paul in the UFO to his home-world. It's a nod for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, where Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) too was invited by the extraterrestrials to travel in his giant spacecraft.
When Paul says, "Toothbrush? Where we're going we don't need teeth" is an homage to Back to the Future; Doc Brown say, "Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads."
While researching the film, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost actually drove an RV along the route Clive and Graeme would take in the script. During the trip they stopped at the actual Little A'le'inn, where they encountered a chatty waitress and some belligerent locals. The encounter inspired them to include it in the script.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost came up with the concept for Paul while waiting out a rainstorm on the set of Shaun of the Dead. They handed producer Nira Park a sketch drawing of Paul wearing an FBI T-shirt, flipping-off the viewer, with a caption that read, "In the U.S., everybody is an alien." The actual drawing can be seen during the closing credits.
The odd presence of sailors in the bar fight in landlocked Wyoming is both an in-joke about the presence of sailors in seemingly all Hollywood bar fights, and a nod to Steven Spielberg's 1941.
The over-priced sword that Clive looks at during Comic-Con and then eventually buys in Wyoming was intended as a nod to Blade, but the filmmakers couldn't get permission to use the reference, so they simply called it "The Black Vampire" realizing the audience would get the joke.
When O'Reilly shoots out at the RV from the farm house causing it to explode, the camera zooms in really quickly in a type of shot called a "dolly zoom". This was an intentional homage to an identical shot from Jaws where Sheriff Brody blows up the shark.
The movie begins in 1947 in Moorcroft, Wyoming, where Paul crashes to Earth. In Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Roy Neary (played by Richard Dreyfuss) travels to Moorcroft looking for an answer about his meeting with an UFO. The mountain where Paul signals his ship, called Devil's Tower, is also used in Close Encounters. - DirectorMartha CoolidgeStarsArliss HowardSuzy AmisGeorge WendtTo prove his brother's innocence, undercover officer Nick enrolls in high school again, dealing with crushes, bullies, humiliations, popularity swings, and quirky teachers and staff to find the real murderer.Also starring: Seymour Cassel, Larry Pine, Abe Vigoda, Robert Stack, Peter Dobson, Harry Shearer, Reginald VelJohnson, Max Perlich, Alexandra Powers
Matt Dunbar: Just pretend to be a student - you're supposed to be good at that kind of thing.
Nick: Matt, no one is going to believe I am a high school kid.
Matt Dunbar: Nick, be serious - no one believes you're a cop!
Arliss Howard plays a 24-year-old going undercover as a high school senior. His biography shows him to be 34-years-old when this was released, making his believable youthful appearance even more surprising.
The poem read by Nick in class is a classic poem by the famous poet e.e. cummings entitled "She Being Brand New.
"YOU CAN COUNT ON ME"
Written and Performed and Produced by Billy Sherwood - DirectorArchie MayoStarsLeslie HowardHumphrey BogartBette DavisA waitress, a hobo and a bank robber get mixed up at a lonely diner in the desert.Gramp Maple: But let me tell you one thing, Mr. Squier. The woman don't live or ever did live that's worth five thousand dollars!
Alan Squier: Well, let me tell you something. You're a forgetful old fool. Any woman's worth everything that any man has to give: anguish, ecstasy, faith, jealousy, love, hatred, life or death. Don't you see that's the whole excuse for our existence? It's what makes the whole thing possible and tolerable.
Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart had played the same roles in the stage version. Warner Brothers wanted to put Howard in the film but replace Bogart with Edward G. Robinson. Howard insisted on Bogart, and Robinson was happy to step aside from yet another gangster role. Bogart would later name his second child with Lauren Bacall Leslie, in honor of Howard, the man who gave him his first big break.
Mounted on the wall of the diner in which the story takes place is the headdress of a Native American medicine man, which resembles the horned head of an American buffalo. Director Archie Mayo staged many of the film's shots with the head of actor Humphrey Bogart (playing "world-famous murderer Duke Mantee") framed by the headdress mounted on the wall behind him. The composition of these shots, which appear throughout the second half of the film, result in the appearance of a demon's horns sprouting from Mantee's head.
The original Broadway version also featured John Alexander and Slim Thompson, who recreate their roles in this film. The stage production opened Jan. 7, 1935 at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York and ran for 197 performances.