Stalag 17: The Motive

Stalag 17: The Motive Jul 5, 2018 18:26:50 GMT mattgarth likes this

Quote

Post by telegonus on Jul 5, 2018 18:26:50 GMT

Jul 4, 2018 12:03:47 GMT mattgarth said:

Maybe that was why Wilder had Holden pop back up before his escape and give the guys a 'Sunny Jim' smile and salute -- to show he wasn't such a bad fella after all (the only part of an excellent film that was off-putting).

At Wilder's urging, Holden went to see the original stage play on Broadway first -- and walked out before the start of the second act. Wilder had to convince him to take on the role, telling him he could very well take home the Oscar that he missed out getting for SUNSET BOULEVARD.

STALAG led to Wilder's breakup with Paramount Pictures. After making a bundle for them for ten years, the bean counters wanted to deduct the huge profits and the director's percentage deal from the loss they took over his previous film -- ACE IN THE HOLE. The minute he finished shooting SABRINA, Billy walked off the Paramount lot and never looked back.

Paramount was so dumb that way. They lost Alan Ladd, they lost Bill Wilder. In the early Fifties they had so much going for them: Wilder, Ladd, Holden, Martin & Lewis, Audrey Hepburn, Charlton Heston, the Hal Wallis unit, George Stevens and William Wyler, George Pal and then, Alfred Hitchcock. It wasn't so much a "star rich" studio as a "talent rich" one, and over the years nearly all that great talent vanished. I believe Jerry Lewis lasted the longest