Writer/Director Jean Coctau's Orpheus Celebrates Its 75th Theatrical Release Anniversary In The United States In 2025 (55th Street Playhouse in New York City on Nov. 29, 1950)

At the Café des Poétes, Orpheus, a well-known poet who is, perhaps, a bit jaded with his own fame takes notice of an elegant woman, The Princess.  She is accompanied by the fiery Cégeste, a would-be poet who has been drinking and soon causes an uproar — his jealously of Orpheus cannot be contained.

 

Tossed out of the bar, Cégeste is instantly mowed down by a pair of motorcyclists.   In the confusion, The Princess orders that Cégeste be placed in her limousine and insists that the startled Orpheus come along as a witness.   

Heurtebise, her chauffeur, drives off before anyone can question the wisdom of removing an accident victim from the scene without police involvement.   As they drive along, Orpheus examines Cégeste and realizes that he is dead.   Soon, his killers provide an escort for The Princess, which confuses Orpheus all the more.  

The radio broadcasts abstract poetry as they travel to her isolated chateau, which is badly in need of repair.

Once there, The Princess reveals that she is Death and brings Cégeste back to life, although in a somewhat “zombie-like” state.   She, Cégeste and her two death-dealers walk through a mirror and disappear, leaving behind a bewildered Orpheus, who awakes some time later in a field.

He eventually stumbles upon Heurtebise, who says that he has been waiting for his arrival.   He drives him home, where a police inspector is there with Eurydice, Orpheus’ pregnant wife … her friend Aglaonice is also there.   Questions go unanswered as Orpheus refuses to discuss what transpired with The Princess.

Also boarding on the bizarre is the invitation by Orpheus to have Heurtebise move in with them and store the limo in the garage.   The limousine’s radio, as Orpheus discovers, is the only source of the broadcast poetry, which becomes an obsession for him.

He spends endless hours writing down the poetry he hears on the radio, dreams of The Princess each night (which may not be dreams at all) and meanwhile, Heurtebise falls in love with Eurydice.   Orpheus even sees Death in the nearby marketplace, but she remains elusive. 

The Princess has her death-dealers murder Eurydice in the same fashion as Cégeste.   Heurtebise, perhaps for personal reasons of his own, offers to help Orpheus navigate the Underworld to bring back Eurydice.   He then reveals to Orpheus that he too is in league with Death and Orpheus makes a confession of his own … he is in love with The Princess; in love with Death. 

The pair journey through a surreal world where those that they encounter are unaware that they are dead.   Eventually they enter a room — with a mirror — where three judges are holding a tribunal … an investigation into the death of Eurydice.  All become witnesses, The Princess, Orpheus, Heurtebise and Eurydice.

After hearing their testimony, the panel of judges rule that The Princess had unjustly taken Eurydice’s life and restore it.   Eurydice and Orpheus are allowed to leave the Underworld on one condition … he can never gaze upon his wife again.

Heurtebise is assigned to help out and they manage to pull this off for a while, with her diving under tables and shouting her presence to warn her husband to divert his eyes.   While sitting in the limo — Orpheus in the front seat listening to a poetry broadcast, Eurydice in the rear — he unthinkingly glances in the rearview mirror, catches a glimpse of her and she suddenly vanishes.

Heartbroken, Orpheus encounters the Furies, in the form of Cégeste’s friends and admirers from the Café des Poétes, who demand to know what has happened to Cégeste.   He arms himself with a gun, which is quickly taken from him … he is shot and finds himself back in the Underworld.

The Princess, in love with Orpheus, decides to set things right and sacrifices herself so that Orpheus and Eurydice may live.  The panel of judges agree and wipe the memories of Orpheus and Eurydice clean of all the events that have transpired since the fateful encounter with Cégeste at the Café des Poétes.

The Princess and Heurtebise are condemned to be judges for eternity. 

 

    Production Credits

Director: Jean Cocteau, Assistant Director: Claude Pinoteau, Producer: André Paulvé, Writer: Jean Cocteau, Cinematography: Nicolas Hayer, Editor: Jacqueline Sadoul, Assistant Film Editor: Héléne Basté, Sets: Jean d’Eaubonne, Set Decorator: Albert Volper, Sound: Pierre-Louis Calver, Production Manager: Emile Darbon, Assistant Production Designer (Art): Alfred Marpaux, Unit Manager: Jean-Marie Loutrel, Makeup: Alexandre Marcus, Music Composer: Georges Auric, Script Supervisor: Claude Vériat, Script Assistant: Sylvette Baudrot, Technical Advisor: Claude Pinoteau, Costumes: Marcel Escoffier 

 

Jean Cocteau ... Poet, Writer, Filmmaker

Jean Cocteau, poet, playwright and novelist emerged from the dark days of World War II in France as a filmmaker on the cutting edge.   The French New Wave was still ten years in the future (François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, Éric Rohmer, etc.), but Cocteau was nevertheless an Avant-Garde and ahead of his French contemporaries in terms of filmmaking techniques.

But before he could be involved with post-war projects, he had to acquit himself of charges of collaboration with the Nazi occupiers.   Though charged, Cocteau’s artworld connections, which included the likes of Picasso and Jean-Paul Sartre (who petitioned on his behalf), kept him clear of reprisals.

Free to work, Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946 and arrived at selected arthouse venues in the United States in the fall of 1947.   The film teamed Josette Day as Belle with Jean Marais (Cocteau’s partner at the time) as The Beast.

Cocteau and Marais would, in short order, deliver The Eagle with Two Heads (Venice Film Festival – Grand International Award, August of 1948; domestic theatrical release in December of 1948) and The Terrible Parents (December of 1948 in France, with a domestic arrival in April, 1950).

Both films were not only directed by Cocteau, but he also provided the scripts.  

In June of 1949, he next turned to the writing (re-imagining) of an adaptation of the Greek classic, “Orpheus and Eurydice.”  Cocteau’s vision was Orpheus, which would once again star Marais as Orpheus, a modern French poet.   Marie Déa would be taking on the role of Eurydice.  Filming began in mid-September and Cocteau wrapped principle cinematography in mid-November.   

 

The Making of Orpheus ... Film Magic

Elaborate studio sets were created at the Pathé Cinémas Studios in Paris, with extensive location filming taking place in the Paris area, including the bombed-out Saint-Cyr Military Academy and the Vallée de Chevreuse district (to the south and west of Paris proper).   

The way Cocteau used the camera (cinematography by Nicholas Hayer) to tell his tale would make Orpheus something of a visual fantasy feast.   

For example, the effect of the mirrors that are passed through by the characters was accomplished by suspending the actors over a vat of mercury while wearing gloves (since it is extremely toxic), the use of which was written into the script as a plot element.  

Characters in the underworld are seen passing in front of and then behind Orpheus, which was done with a rear-screen projection (very effective) — passing in front of Marais, then moving out of frame, only to reappear behind him as a projected image.

Cocteau also fashioned a set built at a severe angle, with the camera locked in at the same angle to make it appear level, but once the actors entered the camera’s frame they appeared to be sliding (or blown) along the pavement.   This is not only a very creative sequence — or should we say “Avant-Garde?” — but it also created a very unnatural visual experience, which was certainly Cocteau’s intent.

Remember, Cocteau, long before he was a filmmaker was a poet and writer (and more), so in 1994 (31 years after his death) there was a posthumously published book titled “The Art of Cinema” (also 2000 - Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd) which contained his thoughts and observations on filmmaking (and other things), especially his thoughts on the elements and themes of Orpheus.

As previously mentioned, Cocteau uses mirrors extensively in Orpheus.   To him these were the mechanism by which we grow old (metaphorically-speaking) … each time we take a glance we grow older, perhaps not in the moment, but over time.   The mirror steals our youth, and by extension, our innocence. 

Perhaps morbidly, Cocteau talks of death and the poet — in this case, Marais as Orpheus — as being a prerequisite to immortality.   If we make the extension, Cocteau, the poet, must also die to become immortal.   It certainly seems that this film production had that in mind. 

 

Jimmy Gillman, in one of his “Past Picks” columns, probably said it best, “Describing the cinema of Jean Cocteau is like attempting to put literal translation to a poem.”

If you desire to dig deeper, the Criterion Collection has Orpheus available on Blu-ray, which features an excellent commentary by French-film scholar James S. Williams (“The Cinema of Jean Cocteau” and “Jean Cocteau (a 'Critical Life')”).

Orpheus was slated to make its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, but in 1950 the gathering was canceled, so Cocteau had to find another prestigious event to launch his film.  This would be the 11th Annual Venice Film Festival, which took place from Aug. 20 through Sept. 10.   His film was in the “Main Competition” with 24 other films, including All the King’s Men, The Asphalt Jungle, Give Us This Day, Panic in the Streets and Cinderella.

Orpheus Ships France, Sacré Bleu! ... Opens in London!!

 

What’s odd is that multiple sources report that the film did not open theatrically in France until September, but instead at the Rialto Theatre in London (complete with multiple London film reviews). There were four showings per day beginning on May 25, 1950.   

 

It is hard to imagine that a French film — from Cocteau — was playing theatrically in London before the Venice Film Festival in August … and before a domestic theatrical run in France that September?  Sacré bleu!!

 

We reached out to Prof. Williams, the Criterion Collection's expert on all-things Orpheus, who confirmed the London premiere ahead of the Sept. 29, 1950 Paris opening at the Colisee Gaumont.   The cancellation of the Cannes Film Festival (for financial reasons) set in motion a series of unfortunate events that saw London before Paris for Cocteau's film.

Film critic Milton Shulman, writing for the Evening Standard at the time, had this to say: “All that emerges from this film is an untidy heap of symbols run riot, trick photography and obscure dialogue.”   And Paul Holt, writing for the Daily Herald said, “It is all gruesome nonsense and old fashioned at that.   Jean Marais plays Orpheus in a petulant way.”

If Cocteau’s intent was to have London film critics bash his film before an international film festival audience could see it — and before his own countrymen could enjoy it — then it was mission accomplished!   

Orpheus opened in the United States at the 55th Street Playhouse in New York City on Nov. 29.  Some of the American critics were no kinder, with Kate Cameron’s review in the Daily News worth just one star and calling it “a pretentious and boring film.”

It took until May 17, 1951 for Orpheus to reach the Music Hall in Hollywood.   Philip K. Scheuer, writing for the Los Angeles Times was more positive, “Jean Marais, a Cocteau inseparable, is the Orpheus, Maria Casares the dark princess, Maria Dea the blonde Eurydice and Francois Perier the dead-alive chauffeur.   They are beautiful people who can act.  The support is excellent.”

Scheuer continues, “But then — and whether you find it provocative or merely provoking — this is rare picture making.”

History — London critics of the day aside — has been far more positive.  For example, famed film critic Roger Ebert, writing in 2000 (50 years after the film’s domestic release), gave Orpheus four stars.   He observed, “Seeing ‘Orpheus’ today is like glimpsing a cinematic realm that has passed completely from the scene.”  And, “The story in Cocteau’s hands becomes unexpectedly complex; we see that it is not simply about love, death and jealousy, but also about how art can seduce the artist away from ordinary human concerns.”

Paramount Home Entertainment Looks To Oct. 14 As The Release Date For Physical Media Editions Of Director Christopher McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

Paramount Home Entertainment has made it official, Oct. 14 will be the physical media launch date for director Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, starring the seemingly ageless Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt.

The ARR comes in at 144 days, with the domestic box office take currently standing at a toasty $195.8 million.

Planned for distribution in the physical media marketplace are two 4K Ultra HD combo packs (with Blu-ray) — SteelBook and standard packaging — plus a stand-alone DVD edition.

The only negative in the perfect theatrical and physical media distribution of this franchise finale is the insertion of a premium VOD window (which is common these days) on Aug. 19, which gives the “Helper” community (our term for pirates, bootleggers, etc.) an eight-week window to distribution Blu-rays of their own to eager fans who want to add a physical media edition to their home entertainment collections.

With that said, the extensive array of bonus features kickoff with not one, but three commentary options.  The first teams Tom Cruise with McQuarrie (his fourth Mission: Impossible film with Cruise); the second has McQuarrie with film editor Eddie Hamilton (also his fourth Mission: Impossible assignment, plus he did the cutting for Top Gun: Maverick — which earned him an Oscar nomination) and the third commentary teams composers Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey, who are joined by score producer Cécile Tournesac.

There are five “Behind the Scenes” featurettes — “Taking Flight,” “To the Depths,” “To the North,” “Through the Mine” and “The Score” — deleted footage (with commentary) and two production featurettes — “Olifants River Canyon” (with optional commentary by McQuarrie) and “Biplane Transfer” (with optional commentary by Cruise and McQuarrie).  

Also included are several still galleries and a collection of promo spots.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment's Lilo & Stitch Arrives In The Physical Media Marketplace On Aug. 26

Walt Disney Home Entertainment looks to Aug. 26 for the full-spread physical media launch of director Dean Fleischer Camp’s live-action blockbuster Lilo & Stitch.

The ARR comes in at 95 days and the domestic box office haul was an impressive $418 million.

Planned for distribution are Combo Pack editions for both the 4K Ultra HD (with Blu-ray) and Blu-ray (with DVD) formats, plus a stand-alone DVD buying option.

A premium VOD window opens on July 22, which gives the “Helper” community five weeks to move their illicit Blu-ray copies (the format of choice for pirates these days).

Bonus goodies include deleted scenes, a blooper reel, a scenes with Stitch commentary option and two featurettes — “Ohana Means Family: Making Lilo & Stitch” and “Drawn to Life.”

Arrow Video Says Sept. 2 Will Be The Street Date For A 4K Ultra HD Edition Of Director Stephen Hopkins' Lost In Space

Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has a new 4K restoration (from the original camera negative) of director Stephen Hopkins’ 1998 sci-fi thriller, Lost in Space, lined up for release as a new 4K Ultra HD edition on Sept. 2.

Producer Irwin Allen, who gave us such theatrical delights as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno, made an even bigger mark in the episodic television arena.   

He converted Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea into a hit series, followed it with Land of the Giants, and then in 1965 (four years before the first man landing on the moon) he launched the Robinson family on the Jupiter II in a quest to reach Alpha Centauri, but the mischievous Dr. Smith (we avoid the word “sinister” since he basically comic relief) gets the crew Lost in Space.

The action is supposed to take place in the future — October of 1997.   So in 1997, the Sci-Fi Channel held a much- publicized Lost in Space marathon and New Line Cinema announced that they would commit $70 million (their biggest production to date) to a theatrical version, with Stephen Hopkins as the director, who was on a roll with the likes of A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Predator 2 and The Ghost and the Darkness.

The film “launched” in April of 1998 and was a success for New Line, even if the film critics at the time were Debbie-Downers on the big screen space adventures of the Robinsons and the tricky Dr. Smith (played by Gary Oldman), but genre fans gave it thumb’ up.

Bonus goodies for this 4K Ultra HD rollout from Arrow Video on Sept. 2 include two vintage commentary options — one with director Stephen Hopkins and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, and the second — a tag-team affair — featuring visual effects supervisors Angus Bickerton and Lauren Ritchie, director of photography Peter Levy, editor Ray Lovejoy and producer Carla Fry.

There are also deleted scenes, a blooper reel, seven new featurettes — “A Space Odyssey,” “Lights in the Sky,” “A Journey Through Time,” “Art of Space,” “Crafting Reality,” “Sound of Space” and “Lost But Not Forgotten in Space.”

Also included are the “The TV Years,” which is a Q&A session with the original 1960s cast, and two vintage featurettes — “Building the Special Effects” and “The Future of Space Travel.”    

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment Teams Up With Amazon MGM Studios For The Full Spread Physical Media Launch Of Director Gavin O'Connor's The Accountant 2 On Aug. 12

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment will be teaming up with Amazon MGM Studios on Aug. 12 for the sales and distribution of the full spread launch of director Gavin O’Connor’s The Accountant 2, starring Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal.

The ARR comes in at 109 days with the domestic box office take is recorded at $65.5 million.

All of the physical media releases — DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD — will be stand-alone product offerings.  This keep-it-simple approach by Amazon also extends to bonus features … there are none.

In other release news from Warner, director James Wan’s summer of 2013 theatrical hit, The Conjuring — teaming Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as investigators of the paranormal Ed and Lorraine Warren — will be getting a 4K Ultra HD push on Aug. 26.

Fans will have two purchasing options.   A standard 4K Ultra HD edition or a SteelBook product offering.

Bonus features include two newly-prepared featurettes — “Scariest of Them All” and “Reflections on the Conjuring” — plus three archived featurettes — “The Conjuring: Face-to-Face with Terror​,” “A Life in Demonology​” and “Scaring the “@$*%” Out of You.”

Two Lost Worlds Starring James Arness And Laura Elliott (Kasey Rogers) Celebrates Its 75th Anniversary In 2025

 The film’s narrator tells us that it is 1830 and a new clipper ship, The Hamilton Queen, is sailing from Salem.   Aboard as the first mate is Kirk Hamilton, whose family has staked their wealth on the success or failure of this maiden voyage.   

We learn in a series of meetings (over several months of sailing) between Hamilton and Capt. Tallman — in the captain’s cabin — about the financial gamble Hamilton’s family is taking and the dangers that may lie ahead when they reach the New Hebrides, where pirates are known to be operating.

Their worst fears are realized when The Hamilton Queen is attacked by a pirate ship, The Phantom, in the area of the South Pacific that was foreshadowed.   During the battle, Hamilton sustains a sever leg wound and is moved to the captain’s cabin … The Hamilton Queen is able to out-run the pirate vessel, which is oddly flying an American flag.

Once safely out of reach of their attackers, Capt. Tallman examines Hamilton’s wounds and realizes that he needs immediate medical attention.   The two agree that he should be put ashore at Brisbane in Queensland, Australia while Tallman continues the voyage.  He will return to Brisbane on the voyage home to collect Hamilton and two crewmen, Salty and Nat Mercer, who will remain with Hamilton.

Local sheep grazier, Martin Shannon, expresses his concerns over the ship’s arrival in port and the community’s new visitor.   His contention is that his presence may prompt another round of pirate attacks, which have been a continuing problem over the years.   

Ten year-old Janice Jeffries, the daughter of the local magistrate, has no such concerns and lays claim to Hamilton as her future husband.   When Hamilton meets her older sister, Elaine, there is an immediate attraction, which creates friction between her fiancé, Shannon and this America interloper.

Hamilton’s wounds heal nicely, so much so that on an evening when the locals hold a gathering and dance celebration, he tells Elaine that he wants her to go with him back to America.  She politely defers, saying that she can’t leave her family.

Later that same night, The Phantom arrives and raiders are put ashore.   Shannon’s “station” comes under attack, Elaine’s father is killed and many of the local’s have their homes set ablaze.   Elaine and her friend, Nancy Holden, are both kidnapped by the pirate raiders and her sister, Janice, is also missing.

Hamilton and Shannon, along with other members of the community, take a local sloop and go in pursuit of The Phantom.   Abroad, hiding in a large chest, is Janice … too late to turn back, she must remain on board.

They are able to slowly overtake the pirates and a sea battle ensues, with both ships catching fire and eventually sinking.   During the confusion, Hamilton, a local by the name of John Hartley, Janice, Elaine and Nancy, plus a badly wounded Shannon are able to make it to a lifeboat.   They find themselves alone at sea the next day.

For two days they drift until they spot a volcanic island and are able to make it ashore.   The next morning, Hamilton returns to the lifeboat and finds, during their haste, the craft was not properly secured and has been destroyed on the rocks by the pounding surf.  They are now marooned.

Their situation is desperate.  No supplies and perhaps a mortally wounded Shannon, they see — way off in the distance — what appears to be lush greenery, which means water and perhaps a food source.   The six begin their perilous journey across the rugged island landscape when they come across a battle between two “extinct” species of dinosaurs — these prehistoric beasts should have died out 60 million years ago!!

Surviving the extremely close encounter with these creatures, the group manages to make it to the jungle area of the island where they find fruit and water.  Things are looking up.
Meanwhile, The Hamilton Queen has made port and Capt. Tallman has learned of the events that transpired in the two months that elapsed since his last visit.  He immediately sets sail to look for possible survivors.

Hamilton and company have managed to survive two weeks in the green belt area of the island, even constructing a crude raft in hopes of escaping this “lost world” where time has seemingly stopped and dinosaurs rule.  The smoking volcano begins to erupt and Nancy, during the chaos, is separated from the others and is consumed by a lava flow.

The next day, the remaining castaways have managed to survive the fiery eruption, which has started to subside.  Hamilton checks on Shannon and tells him that he will begin rebuilding the raft, but moments later Shannon succumbs to his injuries, leaving just the four castaways to continue on.

Nearby, Capt. Tillman and The Hamilton Queen sail close to island, but surmise that no one could have survived.   Just as they are about to depart from the area, Hamilton, Elaine and Janice are spotted on the beach, while Hartley furiously waves an oar with a rag of sail attached at the distant ship.  Tillman rescues the castaways.

    Production Credits

Director: Norman Dawn, Assistant Director: Al Westen, Producer: Boris Petroff, Associate Producer: Sylvan Covey, Writer: Tom Hubbard, Story: Boris Petroff, Story Adaptation: Phyllis Parker, Narration Written By: Bill Shaw, Cinematography: Harry Neumann, Editor: Fred R. Feitshans Jr., Sound: Fred Hynes, Art Director: Charles D. Hall, Production Supervisor: Clarence Eurist, Makeup: Harry Ross, Music Composer: Alex Alexander, Music Director: Michael Terr, Special Effects: Jack R. Glass, Sound Effects: John D. Hall, Hair Styles: Carmen Dirigo, Wardrobe: Kitty Mager, Harry Blackledge, Script Supervisor: Lee Frederic

Phantom of the Sea ... Pirate Drama

We first hear of Two Lost Worlds in a small blurb in Edwin Schallert’s “Drama” column in the Los Angeles Times on Feb. 8, 1950.   He writes, “Boris Petroff, who will produce ‘Phantom of the Sea’ at Hal Roach studio starting Feb. 14 with Norman Dawn as director, has borrowed Laura Elliot from Paramount for the feminine lead.   Petroff and Dawn were responsible for ‘Arctic Fury,’ already released.”

Laura Elliot is what was referred to as a “Golden Circle” girl at Paramount.  She would later comment about this period, saying that the studio made it very confusing, one day they’d make her a blonde and the following week it would be a new look.

She was born Josie Imogene Rogers in Moorehead, Missouri in 1925 to Eben and Ina Mae Rogers. When she was three the family moved to Burbank and she became quite the accordion player by the time she was a teenager.  

Rogers dropped the Josie, went by Imogene Rogers and began modeling in 1943 while attending Burbank High School.   She graduated to the piano during this time and by January of 1944 she had the part of “Katherine the Shrew” in the Burbank High School production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

In April of 1948, Imogene is signed to a contract by Paramount, who promptly changes her name to Laura Elliot (one “t”), and announces that she will be making her screen debut in director William C. Thomas’ Special Agent … her co-stars will be William Eythe and George Reeves.

Throughout 1949 she alternates between small parts in films like Top O’ the Morning, Chicago Deadline and Union Station and doing cheesecake/pin-up photos, which are distributed nationally by the various wire services.  

Loaned-out to Hal Roach for Boris Petroff’s production of Phantom of the Sea, what could this mean for her career?   By mid-February her fellow cast members include Jim Arness, Bill Kennedy, Gloria Petroff, Jane Harlan, Fred Kohler, Jr. and Tom Hubbard.  One month later there is a one-paragraph note in the Valley Times, “Boris Petroff has signed Irving W. Clark to write the score of ‘Phantom of the Sea,’ pirate drama he made at Hal Roach Studios, with Burbank’s Laura Elliot and Jim Arness heading the cast.”

Sounds like this pirate drama is in post-production, especially with the past tense of “he made at Hal Roach Studios.”

Phantom of the Sea becomes Two Lost Worlds 

So what did starring in Phantom of the Sea mean for Laura Elliot’s career?  Perhaps four or five weeks of work on a production that must have seemed very chaotic at the time and then on to other films like Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train (in a key role as Miriam), Silver City, Jamaica Run, some episodic television and then in 1956/57 she drops the studio-assigned name and reemerges as Kasey Rogers and makes a name for herself as Julie Anderson on Peyton Place in the mid-60s.

After the bit about having Clark score the film that’s the last we hear of Phantom of the Seas … pirate drama!   For the past 75 years the sci-fi community would speculate and write about the filmmaking origins of Two Lost Worlds, with one common thread saying that Petroff’s pirate drama was reworked into a castaway thriller featuring dinosaurs from Hal Roach’s 1940 film, One Million B.C.  

That’s partly true, but it gets better and probably the best detective work on how Phantom of the Seas became Two Lost Worlds is by Janne Wass, writing for scifist.net on April 16, 2020.   Wass’ contention is that Roach and Petroff had planned it from the beginning using footage, not only from One Million B.C., but from director Richard Wallace’s 1940 film, Captain Caution (also a Hal Roach Studios production) and the 1939 Hal Roach directed Australian-themed adventure, Captain Fury. 

All agree that footage from these three films were spliced together for the final release of Two Lost Worlds, but Wass’ analysis is that the dinosaur segment was planned from the beginning, which is bolstered not only by the exhaustive detective work, but with a newly-minted interview session with cast member Gloria Petroff (ten at the time of the film production and 80 at the time of the Wass one-on-one).   She was the daughter of Boris Petroff.

Wass also cites Bill Kennedy’s interview in Tom and Jim Goldrup’s 2017 book, “The Encyclopedia of Feature Player’s of Hollywood, Volume 2,” in which he states that the plan from the beginning was to cut and edit “four films” together.   Kennedy adds that the exploration of the dinosaur island was shot in one day at Red Rock Canyon State Park in Cantil, California.

Captain Caution footage is used for the various sailing scenes of “The Hamilton Queen,” the ship that James Arness travels on.   Indeed, when Two Lost Worlds opens with this impressive sailing footage one has the immediate sense that this is going to be a quality production (Roy Seawright handled the miniatures with the cinematography by Frank Young in 1940).   

The ship footage is blended with Hal Roach Studio sets of Arness at the helm of the ship and several interior sequences in Captain Tallman’s cabin, both before and after the pirate ship encounter.  The battle with the pirate ship — when Arness is injured — is also a Hal Roach Studio set.

The Captain Fury footage was used for the long shots of kangaroos running on rolling hills and other establishing shots of Australia, where Arness is left to recuperate from his leg wound. 

And of course, One Million B.C., which provides the climatic dinosaur encounter and the volcano eruption.   The production values of these three timeless films were all wrapped-up into one cinematic classic, Two Lost Worlds. 

On Sept. 8, 1950, the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News has a simple one-paragraph notice, “Eagle Lion will distribute ‘Two Lost Worlds,’ produced by Boris Petroff, with Sylvan Covey as associate producer.”   Unless you were involved with the production you’d never make the connection between Phantom of the Sea, pirate drama, and Two Lost Worlds.

Most sources report that Two Lost Worlds was a 1951 release.   This isn’t the case, as Eagle Lion Films opened it as the lower half of a double bill at both the Orpheum and Hawaii Theatres in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 1950.   The companion feature was Southside 1-1000.

 It widened out in January, but always as the second feature.   The most popular combination was Prehistoric Women and Two Lost Worlds.

 

Elwood P. Dowd And His Friend, Harvey, Celebrate Their 75th Anniversary In 2025

Elwood P. Dowd is about to begin another busy day with his friend, Harvey, an invisible rabbit who stands six feet, three inches tall.   The fact that his day will be full is of major interest to his sister, Veta Louise Simmons, who is planning a gathering at their home for her daughter, Myrtle Mae, to “introduce” her to polite society.   Having an invisible rabbit interrupting the festivities could be disastrous.

 

As soon as Elwood departs, Veta Louise is on the phone to her friend, Judge Omar Gaffney, to give him the head’s up that her brother is out and about.   The prearranged plan is to have Elwood’s movements tracked to ensure that he is nowhere near the family home when Myrtle Mae’s big event takes place.

The best laid plans of mice and men, it is said, sometimes go astray.  In this case, Gaffney’s man, who has been assigned to keep an eye on Elwood, slips and falls on a wet floor and is out of action.   Meanwhile, Elwood and Harvey arrive at Charlie’s, one of his favorite watering holes, and he soon gets wind of Veta Louise’s party plans.

Without giving it a second thought, Elwood decides to head back home, with Harvey in tow, and attend his niece’s party.  Being a gentle man, a patient man and one known for his courtesy and manners, Elwood proceeds to introduce Harvey to the various ladies of society attending the gathering.  One by one, taking the time, being so polite … and one by one they scurry out the door.   

Myrtle Mae’s chances of attracting a husband have been ruined and her mother is having none of it any longer.   It is time for action and Veta Louise takes Elwood — brother or no brother — to Chumley’s Rest to have him committed.  

In another one of those best laid plans regarding mice and men, during the confusion of having Elwood committed Veta Louise is diagnosed by Dr. Sanderson as the crazy one and has her locked up instead.   Meanwhile, during the chaos, Elwood continues to introduce Harvey to anyone he meets, who pay him no notice.

Elwood wanders outside and encounters Mrs. Chumley and being very polite, asks her if she’d like to join him for a drink.   She defers and Elwood asks her, if she sees Harvey, to send him along.   He tells her that Harvey is a Pooka.

The confused Mrs. Chumley goes inside and relates the story to her husband and it is at that moment the mix-up is realized.   Sanderson is fired, Veta Louise is sent home and attendant Marvin Wilson is dispatched to track down Elwood.

Once at home and calmed down, Veta Louise decides that she is going to sue Dr. Chumley for the abuse and embarrassment that his staff inflicted upon her.   It is about this time that Wilson arrives looking for Elwood, but instead comes face to face with Myrtle Mae … there is an instant attraction.   Soon Chumley shows up, dispatches Wilson to check out the train station as he tries his best to calm Veta Louise down.  The phone rings, it’s Elwood, who is at Charlie’s and is looking for Harvey.  Chumley immediately heads over to Charlie’s.

Sometime later, Wilson returns to the sanitarium and finds both Dr. Sanderson and Nurse Kelly there, but no Chumley.   Worried, the trio head over to Charlie’s and find Elwood there, who calmly explains that Chumley, Harvey and himself had several rounds of drinks and then Chumley and Harvey left together.

Wilson goes in pursuit, while Sanderson and Kelly remain with Elwood.   A nice conversation (backstory on how Elwood met Harvey) ensues and eventually Elwood persuades the couple to dance and enjoy the evening.  Just when all seems right with the world, Wilson returns with the police and Elwood is taken back to Chumley’s Rest.

No sooner do Wilson and Elwood arrive at the sanitarium, when Chumley, to everyone’s surprise, wants a private meeting with Elwood.   In his office, Dr. Chumley tells Elwood that he also sees Harvey and Elwood proceeds to share with the doctor details about the Pooka. 

Among the things that Harvey, the Pooka, can do is stop time, send you anywhere you like and then bring you back without time passing.   Chumley fantasizes about spending two weeks in Akron with the woman of his dreams.

The lobby suddenly fills up as Veta Louise, Judge Gaffney and Myrtle Mae, Sanderson is rehired and a compromise is reached.   Dr. Sanderson will inject Elwood with serum 977 — which will render Elwood harmless, normal and without the ability to see Harvey.

Sanderson, Nurse Kelly and Elwood are shuffled off to Sanderson’s office for the procedure to take place.  The cab driver comes in and demands to be paid, comments that he brings loons up to Chumley’s Rest all the time for the treatment and then takes mindless zombies back to the city.   

Veta Louise suddenly finds her missing coin purse and realizes that Harvey has given her a sign … she desperately tries to stop Dr. Sanderson from giving serum 977 to Elwood, but is too late?

She is in time to stop Sanderson.   Elwood, preparing to leave, notices that Myrtle Mae and his nemesis, Marvin Wilson, are in love and invites him over for dinner the next night.  Outside he spots Harvey on the porch swing, who tells him that he will be remaining with Dr. Chumley to facilitate a visit to Akron.

A little sad, Elwood P. Dowd leaves Harvey behind and exits the grounds of the sanitarium.   The gate is closed by the guard and then just moments later it reopens.  Pookas, remember, can stop time, so Dr. Chumley had his two weeks in Akron and Harvey, preferring Elwood, is also ready to depart Chumley’s Rest. 

    Production Credits

Director: Henry Koster, Assistant Director: Frank Shaw, Producer: John Beck, Writer: Mary Coyle Chase, Oscar Brodney, Myles Connonly (contributor), Story: Mary Coyle Chase, Cinematography: William Daniels, Editor: Ralph Dawson, Sound: Leslie I. Carey, Joe Lapis, Art Director: Bernard Herzbrun, Nathan Juran, Production Manager: Howard Christie, Makeup: Bud Westmore, Music Composer: Frank Skinner, Hair Styles: Joan St. Oegger, Constume Designer: Orry-Kelly, Script Supervisor: Nagene Searle 

Chase Writes It, Pemberton Produces It ... Pulitzer Prize   

Mary Coyle Chase was a newspaper reporter out in Denver.   She was happily married to Bob Chase, who was also a newspaper reporter at the Rocky Mountain News … together they had three boys.   Writing was in her blood.

In 1943 she sent a draft version of a stage play she had written titled “Harvey” to Broadway producer Brock Pemberton, who also had his beginnings as a reporter for the Emporia Gazette, which eventually led to the drama section of The New York Times.   By the 1920s he was producing plays and had become quite good at it … so influential in fact that he changed the name of the “Antoinette Perry Award” to simply Tony Awards and it stuck.

Pemberton liked what Chase had fashioned and spent an entire year corresponding with her to work out the rough edges, fixing this and that … and making “Harvey” just perfect.

There were just two minor things that had to be worked out once Pemberton felt that Chase’s work was ready for the Great White Way.   He brought in veteran Antoinette Perry (remember, Tony Awards named after her, so she is tops) to direct the production.  

Pemberton kept telling the New York press that the play had a new name.   First, he changed Chase’s title from “Harvey” to “The White Rabbit.”   Then a little while later he switched out “The White Rabbit” for “The Pooka.”  And yes, you guessed it, back to “Harvey.” 

With the cast in place, including Frank Fay as Elwood P. Dowd, and the question of the title settled, Pemberton still had one nagging little concern.  One final piece to the puzzle needed to be put in its proper place, so he took the company out of town and held preview sessions in Boston.

He invested $650 in a white rabbit suit and settled the final question … how would the audience react at a crucial point in the play with the appearance of a white rabbit or no white rabbit on stage.  That was the only time the white rabbit suit was used … no rabbit!! 

Chase’s play opens at the 4th Street Theatre on Nov. 1, 1944 and runs for four solid years … 1,775 performances and then goes on the road.  As a bonus Chase won the Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama.

Welcome to Hollywood  

Hello Hollywood!   You’ve got a monster Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play, so the next step is to adapt it for the screen … let the masses in on the fantasy action of Edward P. Dowd and his buddy, Harvey, the white rabbit; the Pooka.'

This “next step” happens in June of 1947 when it is announced that Universal-International has purchased the screen rights for an unprecedented $1,000,000.   There are a few conditions attached to this blockbuster deal.   Among them, there will be no movie produced until the play has run its course, which means this won’t likely be until 1950.  Chase will also be involved in the screen adaptation.  

Universal’s General Manager, John Beck, is given the production reins … he will be busy with production assignments for The Countess of Monte Cristo, One Touch of Venus, Family Honeymoon and Kill the Umpire before Harvey gets the green-light.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, in July of 1947, one month after the deal is signed with Universal, James Stewart takes over the role of Edward P. Dowd for a six-week stint as Frank Fay takes a much-needed vacation.   Maybe a little like Wally Pipp taking the day off with Lou Gehrig as his replacement … we all know how that worked out.

Drama critic Florence Fisher Parry is having done of it.  She begins her onslaught with the backstory of Fay and his former wife Barbara Stanwyck, who stuck by Fay as long as she could when his film career went into a death spiral.   She relates how three years ago the miracle happened with his Broadway performance in “Harvey” and that Fay is “our greatest living comedian.”  She cites numerous examples of how he brought nuance to the role, while his replacement, Jimmy Stewart … “in every role he plays Jimmy Stewart.”

She says, “This to me puts the finger on the very spot of Hollywood’s greatest weakness.”  Continuing, “Until our motion picture producers rid themselves of this ‘marquee name’ complex and start to give us great screen productions the casts of which will be filled by those best qualified to enact them, motion pictures will remain the juvenile product that they are as compared with the adult entertainment which the theater offers us.”   Ouch!

Did Parry make the connection as early as July of 1947 that the fix was in?   Film deal signed in June and suddenly Jimmy Stewart is getting a Broadway tryout as Elwood P. Dowd in July.   It was just a coincidence … right?

Skip ahead to the summer of 1949 and Frank Fay is starring in a touring company production of Harvey, which just happens to be booked into venues up and down the state of California, home to Universal-International.  Remember, no film until the play runs its course.

Goodbye Frank Fay ... Hello Jimmy Stewart

That same summer Stewart and June Allyson star in the hit film, The Stratton Story.  In August he marries Gloria Hatrick (they will remain together until her death in 1994) and by September — after Fay had just left the state with the touring company — it is announced that Stewart is in final negotiations with Universal-International to star in Harvey.  In October the deal is done.

In January of 1950, Henry Koster gets the directing assignment.  Koster had to flee Germany in the 1930s, first to Budapest and then through Joe Pasternak — Universal’s European production head — to Hollywood.   He directed a series of comedy hits for the studio, so he was a natural for the Harvey assignment (this would be the first of five films Koster would direct starring James Stewart — also, No Highway in the Sky, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, Take Her, She’s Mine and Dear Brigitte).

The Bunny Battle Royal 

On February 20 both the AP and the UP issue wire stories — out of Denver — that Universal and Chase are at odds over whether Harvey, the Pooka, should be seen in the movie.  The studio insists on following the play, no rabbit, but Chase is quoted as saying, “will moviegoers pay good money not to see the principal character in a picture?”

By March 13 it is a “battle royal” between Chase and the studio according to Louella Parsons.  She writes in her nationally syndicated column, “It has now become a battle royal with Mrs. Chase pounding desks and saying she wants her play back if her wishes aren’t adhered to.”  

On April 3, in Edwin Schallert’s “Drama” column we learn two things.   The beginning of production on the movie has been moved from April 10 to the April 14 and “Universal-International is just about set to shoot two different endings to ‘Harvey’ to bring the aura of peace to this production, because Mary Chase, the author, wants to show the rabbit, and William Goetz, head of production, and Henry Koster, director, are opposed.”  He continues, “Preview tryouts will determine which ending is favored, if the plan is carried out.”

The battle rages on during summer, production wraps and then on Aug. 14 “The Battle of the Bunny” ends with both sides winning.  Koster had an oil painting commissioned showing Elwood and Harvey and a scene was inserted into the film where Elwood brings it home and places it so that his sister will have something of a meltdown.   Problem solved! 

Those joining James Stewart from the original Broadway play are Josephine Hull as his sister, Veta Louise, and Jesse White (making his film debut) as Martin Wilson, the orderly at Chumley’s Rest.

The role of Myrtle Mae, Elwood’s niece, was not announced until the day before the film was scheduled to go into production.   Victoria Horne (as Nabura in the Secret Agent X-9 serial) nailed it during an impromptu screen test. 

In late November it is announced that Harvey will have its world premiere at the Astor Theatre in New York City to benefit the Louise Baer Memorial Fund of the New York Heart Association.   The date will be Dec. 20.  

Doors opened the next day at 9:30 AM for the general public, with a multi-city expansion (Los Angeles, etc.) to take place on Christmas Day.

In February of 1951 the Oscar nominations were announced and both James Stewart (Best Actor) and Josephine Hull (Best Supporting Actress) were nominated … Hull would take home the golden statue on March 29.