Melvin Simon Productions: Difference between revisions
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Melvin Simon Productions was a short lived film production company of the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded by real estate magnate Melvin Simon.
History
Simon got into filmmaking in 1976 when he was having a social game of golf with producer Harry Saltzman who needed money for a film he wanted to make called The Micronauts. Simon loaned him the rest of the money; the film was not made, but Saltzman repaid the loan by selling his house and Simon decided to get into filmmaking.[1]
Simon totally financed Chicken Chronicles which was a flop. However he had a part interest in Rabbit Test and Manitou which were lucrative.[1] His other early films were Someone Killed Her Husband, Matilda and When You Coming Back Red Ryder?.[2]
The next run of film were Dominique, Love at First Bite, and two Canadian films, Blood and Guts and The Third Walker.[2]
In November 1977 Milton Goldstein left Avco Embassy to become chief operating officer. At this stage the company was working in development on Matilda, Somebody Killed Her Husband and The Stuntman.[3]
Mel Simon financed Someone Killed Her Husband for $4.5 million[4] and When You Coming Back Red Ryder? for $1.7 million.[5]
"All my decisions are made on instinct," said Simon. "They tend to be neither logical or deductive but they work."[1]
By April 1979 six films of Simon had been released and he had spent an estimated $25-30 million.[2]
Tilt and When You Coming Back Red Ryder? performed poorly but Rabbit Test did well.[6] Love at First Bite was the company's first big hit.[7]
In September 1979 20th Century Fox agreed to pick up all Melvin Simon's movies made in 1979 and 1980 in a deal worth an estimated $10 million.[6]
In April 1980 the company announced it would make ten films over the next two years to be distributed by Fox.[8]
The company had a huge hit with Porky's. However there were several flop movies and Simon decided to leave the industry. "I did about 25 movies and I got out of it, thank God - it didn't cost me any money ultimately," Simon told a paper in 2002. [9]
Films
Distributed by Avco Embassy
- The Chicken Chronicles (1977) - star debut of Steve Guttenberg
- Rabbit Test (1978) - star debut of Billy Crystal, directed by Joan Rivers - budget $1 million[10]
- The Manitou (1978) - starring Tony Curtis
Distributed by Warner Bros
Canadian Films
- Blood & Guts (1978)
- The Third Walker (1978)
- Dominique (1978)
Distributed by AIP
- Matilda (1978) - put up half the film's budget of $5 million made a profit of $450,000 from presales[2]
- Love at First Bite (1979) - starring George Hamilton - cost $3 million, earned $44 million[11]
- Seven (1979) - directed by Andy Sidaris - budget $2 million
Distributed by Columbia
- Somebody Killed Her Husband (1978) - starring Farrah Fawcett Majors - distributed by Columbia - cost $5 million but they made a profit of $2 million by pre-selling the film[12][2]
- When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? (1979) - cost $1.7 million[5]
- When a Stranger Calls (1979) - cost $1.5 million, gross $20 million - distributed by Columbia[13]
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
- The Runner Stumbles (1979) - directed by Stanley Kramer - cost $2.5 million[14]
- Scavenger Hunt (1979) - budget $7 million
- The Man with Bogart's Face (1980) - budget $4 million sold to Fox for $2 million[15]
- The Stunt Man (1980) - cost $3.5 million
- My Bodyguard (1980) - cost $3 million
- Zorro, The Gay Blade (1981) - cost $12.6 million, gross $5 million
- Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981) - cost $7 million, gross $220,000
- Porky's (1981) - cost $4 million, gross $130 million[16]
- Porky's II: The Next Day (1983) - cost $7 million, gross $55 million[16]
- Porky's Revenge! (1985) - cost $8 million, gross $20 million[16]
No Theatrical
- Wolf Lake (1980) - directed by Burt Kennedy
Distributed by Blossom
- Cloud Dancer (1980) - starring David Carradine
Distributed by Universal
- UFOria (filmed 1981, released 1985)
References
- ^ a b c Mel Simon--Film Financier Extraordinaire: Simon--Film Financier Extraordinaire Mel Simon Warga, Wayne. Los Angeles Times 11 June 1978: q1.
- ^ a b c d e f FILM CLIPS: Mr. Simon Goes to Hollywood SCHREGER, CHARLES. Los Angeles Times (2 Apr 1979: f9.
- ^ FILM CLIPS: 'Discovering' Vivien Leigh Kilday, Greg. Los Angeles Times 7 Nov 1977: e10.
- ^ Fawcett-Majors Gets Unglamorous for a Film Role: CALENDAR F.F.M.: 'Something Going on Behind the Phenomenon' Taylor, Clarke. Los Angeles Times 5 Feb 1978: m1.
- ^ a b 'Red Ryder,' Deep in the Gut of Texas: 'Red Ryder': At Work in the Gut of Texas Christon, Lawrence. Los Angeles Times 21 May 1978: n48.
- ^ a b Fox Plans To Handle Simon Films: Distribution Pact Covers 1979-80 A Spoof of Zorro By ALJEAN HARMETZ Special to The New York Times. 14 Sep 1979: D5.
- ^ WHERE'S THE SCRATCH FROM 'BITE'? SCHREGER, CHARLES. Los Angeles Times 24 Aug 1980: r1.
- ^ 'NEW' COMPANY TO BACK 10 MOVIES SCHREGER, CHARLES. Los Angeles Times 30 Apr 1980: g6.
- ^ Mel Simon, Pacers co-owner, dies at 82 Davies, Tom. Journal - Gazette17 Sep 2009: B.5.
- ^ Baumoel, Lois (April 17, 1978). "Joan Rivers Says Teamwork Helped 'Rabbit Test' Meet Tight Schedule". BoxOffice. SE8.
- ^ B is for Low Budget and Big Box Office Bucks, So Sam Arkoff is Proud to Be Called Hollywood's King of the B Pictures. Archived 2014-05-23 at the Wayback Machine People Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
- ^ SPOTLIGHT: MOVIE MOGUL MELVIN SIMON: HIS 'LOVE AT FIRST BITE' IS A HIT By HOLLIS ALPERT. New York Times 6 May 1979: 133
- ^ "It's a Scream for Three Unknowns: UNKNOWNS". Thomas, Kevin. Los Angeles Times, October 26, 1979: p. G23.
- ^ MOVIES: STANLEY KRAMER--GUESS WHO'S COME TO SEATTLE? Warga, Wayne. Los Angeles Times 18 Nov 1979: l33.
- ^ by Tom Buckley; George Segal sheds light on light comedy. New York Times 15 Aug 1980: C.6.
- ^ a b c WE'RE TALKING GROSS, TACKY AND DUMB Brown, Peter H. Los Angeles Times 20 Jan 1985: 6.
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