Director Gary Nelson, whose credits include live-action Disney films like "The Black Hole" and the original "Freaky Friday," as well as numerous TV episodes, has died of natural causes at the age of 87. Nelson's son confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter on Friday that Nelson had passed away in his Las Vegas home several months ago, on May 25, 2022, though the news is only just now coming to light.
Nelson was born in Los Angeles on October 6, 1934, and he first came up in Hollywood as an assistant director. Among his earliest credits are the classic James Dean film "Rebel Without a Cause" and Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1955 film adaptation of the Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls," both of which were nominated for multiple Academy Awards. He followed this up with further Ad work on two more Oscar-nominated Westerns, "The Searchers" and "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," before crossing over into television.
TV Work...
Nelson was born in Los Angeles on October 6, 1934, and he first came up in Hollywood as an assistant director. Among his earliest credits are the classic James Dean film "Rebel Without a Cause" and Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1955 film adaptation of the Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls," both of which were nominated for multiple Academy Awards. He followed this up with further Ad work on two more Oscar-nominated Westerns, "The Searchers" and "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," before crossing over into television.
TV Work...
- 9/10/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Gary Nelson, who directed the Disney films Freaky Friday and The Black Hole, served as the in-house helmer on the first two seasons of Get Smart and called the shots for scores of other shows, has died. He was 87.
Nelson died May 25 in Las Vegas of natural causes, his son Garrett Nelson told The Hollywood Reporter.
His father was Sam Nelson, who served as an assistant director on such landmark films as The Lady From Shanghai (1947), All the King’s Men (1949), Some Like It Hot (1959) and Experiment in Terror (1962) and was a co-founder, along with King Vidor and others, of what would become the DGA.
Gary Nelson started out as an A.D., too, working on films including Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause (1955), John Ford’s The Searchers (1956) and John Sturges’ Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), before he got a big break thanks to his future wife,...
Gary Nelson, who directed the Disney films Freaky Friday and The Black Hole, served as the in-house helmer on the first two seasons of Get Smart and called the shots for scores of other shows, has died. He was 87.
Nelson died May 25 in Las Vegas of natural causes, his son Garrett Nelson told The Hollywood Reporter.
His father was Sam Nelson, who served as an assistant director on such landmark films as The Lady From Shanghai (1947), All the King’s Men (1949), Some Like It Hot (1959) and Experiment in Terror (1962) and was a co-founder, along with King Vidor and others, of what would become the DGA.
Gary Nelson started out as an A.D., too, working on films including Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause (1955), John Ford’s The Searchers (1956) and John Sturges’ Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), before he got a big break thanks to his future wife,...
- 9/10/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dark Intruder
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1965 / 1.85:1 / 59 min.
Starring Leslie Nielsen, Peter Mark Richman, Judi Meredith
Cinematography by John F. Warren
Directed by Harvey Hart
Produced in 1965, Universal Pictures intended Dark Intruder for television but when NBC executives screened the film they took a pass—set in the goth-friendly year of 1890, Barré Lyndon’s story, with overtones of Lovecraft and demonic possession, was deemed “too scary” for the living room audience. That same audience would weather an entire season of My Mother the Car so perhaps Hollywood was underestimating America’s ability to deal with adversity. Universal was undeterred—now officially a “feature”, Harvey Hart’s film opened that summer in Los Angeles alongside Torn Curtain and in New York on the bottom half of a bill with I Saw What You Did (Manhattanites were treated to a personal appearance from Joan Crawford).
With the advent of roadshow attractions like Lawrence of Arabia,...
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1965 / 1.85:1 / 59 min.
Starring Leslie Nielsen, Peter Mark Richman, Judi Meredith
Cinematography by John F. Warren
Directed by Harvey Hart
Produced in 1965, Universal Pictures intended Dark Intruder for television but when NBC executives screened the film they took a pass—set in the goth-friendly year of 1890, Barré Lyndon’s story, with overtones of Lovecraft and demonic possession, was deemed “too scary” for the living room audience. That same audience would weather an entire season of My Mother the Car so perhaps Hollywood was underestimating America’s ability to deal with adversity. Universal was undeterred—now officially a “feature”, Harvey Hart’s film opened that summer in Los Angeles alongside Torn Curtain and in New York on the bottom half of a bill with I Saw What You Did (Manhattanites were treated to a personal appearance from Joan Crawford).
With the advent of roadshow attractions like Lawrence of Arabia,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Happy Monday, dear readers! We have a brand new slate of home media releases to look forward to as we head into a new month, and there are some great films coming out on Tuesday that genre fans will definitely want to pick up. Rlje Films is finally releasing Horror Noire on both Blu-ray and DVD this week, and they’re also bringing home arguably the most talked-about horror film of 2020 as well: Rob Savage’s Host. Kino Lorber is showing some love to Dark Intruder with their new 2K Blu, and Code Red is giving us more reasons to fear the water with their Blu-ray for The Great Alligator.
Other releases for February 2nd include Satan’s Blood, Sky Sharks, Deadcon, and Hellkat.
Dark Intruder
Brand New 2K Master! Dark Intruder stars Leslie Nielsen (Forbidden Planet) as Brett Kingsford, an Occult expert who is brought in by police to help...
Other releases for February 2nd include Satan’s Blood, Sky Sharks, Deadcon, and Hellkat.
Dark Intruder
Brand New 2K Master! Dark Intruder stars Leslie Nielsen (Forbidden Planet) as Brett Kingsford, an Occult expert who is brought in by police to help...
- 2/2/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
“From the land beyond beyond…” — oops, wrong movie. Kerwin Mathews battles Torin Thatcher once again, with Judi Meredith in a stunning double role as both a delicate heroine and her evil counterpart in a magician’s mirror. Plus more stop-motion monsters than one can throw a ten-league boot at! Boy, we’re coining phrases left and right here.
Jack the Giant Killer
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1962 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 94 + 91 min. / Street Date June 12, 2018 / Special Edition / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Kerwin Matthews, Torin Thatcher, Judi Meredith, Walter Burke, Don Beddoe, Barry Kelley, Dayton Lummis, Anna Lee, Roger Mobley, Tudor Owen.
Cinematography: David S. Horsley
Film Editor: Grant Whytock
Special Effects: Augie Lohman (practical), Howard A. Anderson (optical composites), Tim Baar, Wah Chang, Lloyd Vaughan, Gene Warren, Bill Brace, Jim Danforth, Tom Holland, Phil Kellison, David Pal (stop-motion animation).
Original Music: Paul Sawtell, Bert Shefter
Original Music Alternate musical version: musical...
Jack the Giant Killer
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1962 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 94 + 91 min. / Street Date June 12, 2018 / Special Edition / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Kerwin Matthews, Torin Thatcher, Judi Meredith, Walter Burke, Don Beddoe, Barry Kelley, Dayton Lummis, Anna Lee, Roger Mobley, Tudor Owen.
Cinematography: David S. Horsley
Film Editor: Grant Whytock
Special Effects: Augie Lohman (practical), Howard A. Anderson (optical composites), Tim Baar, Wah Chang, Lloyd Vaughan, Gene Warren, Bill Brace, Jim Danforth, Tom Holland, Phil Kellison, David Pal (stop-motion animation).
Original Music: Paul Sawtell, Bert Shefter
Original Music Alternate musical version: musical...
- 6/2/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Hank Reineke
Though the 1966 space-age vampire flick Queen of Blood is not new to home video, it has been one of the more elusive science-fiction titles of the 1960s. Issued on VHS as Planet of Blood back in the early 1980s on the budget “Star Classics” label and later in 1990 on a much improved laser disc from Image (paired with Mario Bava’s similarly-themed Planet of the Vampires), Queen of Blood has been mostly unavailable to collectors for nearly twenty-five years. In March 2011 MGM finally re-issued the title as part of its Limited Edition Collection, but only as a made-on-demand release. In 2015, Kino Lorber has – very happily for genre fans and collectors - rescued this title from the wasteland of cult-film marginalia with their superb Blu-Ray release of this Roger Corman-Curtis Harrington classic.
Queen of Blood (for reasons we’ll get into a little later on) more...
Though the 1966 space-age vampire flick Queen of Blood is not new to home video, it has been one of the more elusive science-fiction titles of the 1960s. Issued on VHS as Planet of Blood back in the early 1980s on the budget “Star Classics” label and later in 1990 on a much improved laser disc from Image (paired with Mario Bava’s similarly-themed Planet of the Vampires), Queen of Blood has been mostly unavailable to collectors for nearly twenty-five years. In March 2011 MGM finally re-issued the title as part of its Limited Edition Collection, but only as a made-on-demand release. In 2015, Kino Lorber has – very happily for genre fans and collectors - rescued this title from the wasteland of cult-film marginalia with their superb Blu-Ray release of this Roger Corman-Curtis Harrington classic.
Queen of Blood (for reasons we’ll get into a little later on) more...
- 1/24/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Curtis Harrington took an assignment nobody else would and fashioned a gem of low-budget Sci-Fi. A Russian space epic provides expensive-looking special effects scenes for a new horror show about a deadly alien rescued from a crash landing on Mars. The extras include excellent interviews with Roger Corman and effects specialist / historian Robert Skotak.
Queen of Blood Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1966 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 80 min. / Street Date December 1, 2015 / 29.95 Starring John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Florence Marly, Judi Meredith, Dennis Hopper, Robert Boon, Don Eitner, Forrest J Ackerman. Cinematography Vilis Lapenieks Film Editor Leo Shreve Original Music Ronald Stein Written by Curtis Harrington from the Soviet film Mechte navstrechu Produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, George Edwards Directed by Curtis Harrington
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
A.I.P. released some tacky movies in its day but none were less respected than those cobbled together from foreign imports spiked with new filmed-in-Hollywood storylines.
Queen of Blood Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1966 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 80 min. / Street Date December 1, 2015 / 29.95 Starring John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Florence Marly, Judi Meredith, Dennis Hopper, Robert Boon, Don Eitner, Forrest J Ackerman. Cinematography Vilis Lapenieks Film Editor Leo Shreve Original Music Ronald Stein Written by Curtis Harrington from the Soviet film Mechte navstrechu Produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, George Edwards Directed by Curtis Harrington
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
A.I.P. released some tacky movies in its day but none were less respected than those cobbled together from foreign imports spiked with new filmed-in-Hollywood storylines.
- 11/28/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Kino Lorber's ringing in the holiday season this year with December 1st Blu-ray releases of the Vincent Price-starring Twice Told Tales and the alien vampire-centric Queen of Blood (starring John Saxon and Dennis Hopper).
Via Facebook today, Kino Lorber revealed the cover art and release details for Twice Told Tales (1963) and Queen of Blood (1966).
Starring Vincent Price, Joyce Taylor, and Sebastian Cabot, Twice Told Tales will hit Blu-ray and DVD on December 1st with a brand new HD master and the following special features:
Audio Commentary by Film Historians Richard Harland Smith and Perry Martin "Trailers From Hell" with Mick Garris Trailers For Twice Told Tales | Tales of Terror | Black Sabbath
Starring John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Judi Meredith, and Dennis Hopper, Queen of Blood will hit Blu-ray on December 1st with the following special features:
Interview with Producer Roger Corman Interview with Film Historian Robert Stotak Original Theatrical...
Via Facebook today, Kino Lorber revealed the cover art and release details for Twice Told Tales (1963) and Queen of Blood (1966).
Starring Vincent Price, Joyce Taylor, and Sebastian Cabot, Twice Told Tales will hit Blu-ray and DVD on December 1st with a brand new HD master and the following special features:
Audio Commentary by Film Historians Richard Harland Smith and Perry Martin "Trailers From Hell" with Mick Garris Trailers For Twice Told Tales | Tales of Terror | Black Sabbath
Starring John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Judi Meredith, and Dennis Hopper, Queen of Blood will hit Blu-ray on December 1st with the following special features:
Interview with Producer Roger Corman Interview with Film Historian Robert Stotak Original Theatrical...
- 9/10/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Jack The Giant Killer
Stars: Kerwin Mathews, Judi Meredith, Torin Thatcher, Walter Burke, Don Beddoe, Barry Kelley, Dayton Lummis | Written by Nathan Juran, Orville H. Hampton | Directed by Nathan Juran
Every now and then you get a film with a title so cool you just know it’ll never live up to all of the spectacular scenes your mind has just concocted upon seeing the painted DVD cover. It’s largely the fate of ’70s B-movies like Blacula and The Thing With Two Heads which relied on exploitative posters and gimmicky concepts to reel their audiences in, but occasionally you’ll get a couple from the mainstream.
Jack The Giant Killer, alas, is one such movie. A slight and inoffensive 1962 fantasy adventure produced in the heyday of the classic Ray Harryhausen claymation monster movies like Jason and the Argonauts, the film has an interesting set-up (boy saves princess from giant,...
Stars: Kerwin Mathews, Judi Meredith, Torin Thatcher, Walter Burke, Don Beddoe, Barry Kelley, Dayton Lummis | Written by Nathan Juran, Orville H. Hampton | Directed by Nathan Juran
Every now and then you get a film with a title so cool you just know it’ll never live up to all of the spectacular scenes your mind has just concocted upon seeing the painted DVD cover. It’s largely the fate of ’70s B-movies like Blacula and The Thing With Two Heads which relied on exploitative posters and gimmicky concepts to reel their audiences in, but occasionally you’ll get a couple from the mainstream.
Jack The Giant Killer, alas, is one such movie. A slight and inoffensive 1962 fantasy adventure produced in the heyday of the classic Ray Harryhausen claymation monster movies like Jason and the Argonauts, the film has an interesting set-up (boy saves princess from giant,...
- 8/13/2012
- by Mark Allen
- Nerdly
The Movie Pool hails the DVD release of the sci-fi cult classic Queen of Blood!
Blu-ray Specs
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 enhanced for widescreen TVs
Running Time: 81 minutes
Rating: Not rated
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles: None
Special Features: None
The DVD is offered as part of MGM's "Limited Edition Collection" on DVD, which are available from select online retailers and are manufactured only when the DVD is ordered. The DVD features a simple menu with no menu for chapters or scenes. Chapters are set every ten minutes. Manufacture-On-Demand (Mod) DVDs will play in DVD playback units only and may not play in DVD recorders or PC drives. This DVD did not play in our laptop DVD drive but did play in our Toshiba DVD recorder.
The Set-up
American astronauts on a rescue mission to Mars find a sole survivor: an alien woman, who turns out to be much more dangerous than she appears to be.
Blu-ray Specs
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 enhanced for widescreen TVs
Running Time: 81 minutes
Rating: Not rated
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles: None
Special Features: None
The DVD is offered as part of MGM's "Limited Edition Collection" on DVD, which are available from select online retailers and are manufactured only when the DVD is ordered. The DVD features a simple menu with no menu for chapters or scenes. Chapters are set every ten minutes. Manufacture-On-Demand (Mod) DVDs will play in DVD playback units only and may not play in DVD recorders or PC drives. This DVD did not play in our laptop DVD drive but did play in our Toshiba DVD recorder.
The Set-up
American astronauts on a rescue mission to Mars find a sole survivor: an alien woman, who turns out to be much more dangerous than she appears to be.
- 5/2/2011
- Cinelinx
Ewan McGregor, Eddie Marsan Jack the Giant Killer Set Photos have premiered. Bryan Singer‘s Jack The Giant Killer (2012) set photos for Ewan McGregor and Eddie Marsan show the two actors in armor with swords in tow. Jack The Giant Killer‘s plot synopsis: “A modern day fairy tale in which the long-standing peace between men and giants is threatened, as a young farmer (Nicholas Hoult) leads an expedition into the giants’ kingdom in hopes of rescuing a kidnapped princess (Eleanor Tomlinson).” The Jack The Giant Killer story has been filmed many times, going all the way back to 1962 version directed by Nathan Juran and starring Kerwin Mathews, Judi Meredith, and Torin Thatcher. This version of Jack The Giant Killer also stars Ian McShane, Bill Nighy, Stanley Tucci, John Kassir, Lee Boardman, Christopher Villiers, Russell Balogh, Caroline Hayes, and David Frost. Look at the first Ewan McGregor, Eddie Marsan Jack the Giant Killer...
- 4/16/2011
- by filmbook
- Film-Book
New Line has given director Bryan Singer the green light for the remake of “Jake the Giant Killer.” The story is a dark retelling of the English fairy tale, “Jack and the Beanstalk.” The script is written by Darren Lemke and Mark Bomback, who have previously worked on “Lost,” and “Die Hard 4.” More specifically, it will be a remake of the 1962 version of “Jake the Giant Killer,” starring Kerwin Mathews and Judi Meredith. The story is about a farm boy that becomes a knight to fend off an evil wizard and protect a princess. The next step is for someone to play Jack. According to Deadline, Singer is considering Aaron Johnson, who played Dave Lizewski in “Kick-Ass.” However, other young actors are in consideration as well. Gig Patta’s Take: There are several versions of Jack and the Beanstalk, so I am waiting to see how this story may turn out.
- 10/22/2010
- LRMonline.com
But who will play the giant killer? Apparently director Bryan Singer wants Kick-Ass star Aaron Johnson, but it’s far from a done deal. Several young up-and-comers are auditioning/being considered. The script comes courtesy of Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After) and Mark Bomback (Live Free or Die Hard, Unstoppable).
This film has been in development for some time, and almost drowned when Singer considered returning to the X-Men franchise with First Class (which Matthew Vaughn is now directing). Singer is still on as a producer for Vaughn’s film, and is now set to take on Giant Killer, a remake of the 1962 Nathan Juran film starring Kerwin Mathews and Judi Meredith.
Recalling the fantasy tale from my childhood, Johnson seems the perfect fit for the Link from Zelda-like character that is Jack, and with today’s special effects this remake makes as much as the Clash of the Titans remake did – that is,...
This film has been in development for some time, and almost drowned when Singer considered returning to the X-Men franchise with First Class (which Matthew Vaughn is now directing). Singer is still on as a producer for Vaughn’s film, and is now set to take on Giant Killer, a remake of the 1962 Nathan Juran film starring Kerwin Mathews and Judi Meredith.
Recalling the fantasy tale from my childhood, Johnson seems the perfect fit for the Link from Zelda-like character that is Jack, and with today’s special effects this remake makes as much as the Clash of the Titans remake did – that is,...
- 10/22/2010
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Another month dawns fellow monster maniacs, and Famous Monsters wants to invite you to the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood for two devilish double features, sure to whet the appetite of any fan!
First up on Thursday, February 25 is a double feature of Gremlins, followed by its sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch.
From the Egyptian’s official website:
Thursday, February 25 – 7:30 Pm
Gremlins, 1984, Warner Bros., 106 min. Dir. Joe Dante. When Billy (Zach Galligan) breaks the cardinal rules for the keeping of his rare new pet – no water, no food after midnight and no bright light – chaos is unleashed in his idyllic small town. What once was cute and fuzzy transforms and multiplies into a horde of dangerous, mayhem-loving creatures. With Hoyt Axton, Phoebe Cates, Dick Miller, Corey Feldman and Glynn Turman.
Gremlins 2: The New Batch, 1990, Warner Bros., 106 min. Dir Joe Dante. Six years after the original, everybody’s favorite...
First up on Thursday, February 25 is a double feature of Gremlins, followed by its sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch.
From the Egyptian’s official website:
Thursday, February 25 – 7:30 Pm
Gremlins, 1984, Warner Bros., 106 min. Dir. Joe Dante. When Billy (Zach Galligan) breaks the cardinal rules for the keeping of his rare new pet – no water, no food after midnight and no bright light – chaos is unleashed in his idyllic small town. What once was cute and fuzzy transforms and multiplies into a horde of dangerous, mayhem-loving creatures. With Hoyt Axton, Phoebe Cates, Dick Miller, Corey Feldman and Glynn Turman.
Gremlins 2: The New Batch, 1990, Warner Bros., 106 min. Dir Joe Dante. Six years after the original, everybody’s favorite...
- 2/3/2010
- by Jesse
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
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