It seems kind of absurd to think about, but back in the late 1930s beloved starlet Katherine Hepburn was considered "box office poison." Yes, arguably the preeminent actress of her generation was dismissed by her industry after starring in a string of box office failures, which these days are considered classics. Back then, audiences were seemingly unimpressed with Hepburn's run at Rko, which ended with 1938's "Bringing Up Baby" — a Howard Hawks-helmed screwball effort that lost around 300,000 on its initial release.
Later that year, Hepburn's name showed up in a now-infamous trade magazine ad in which President of the Independent Theatre Owners Association, Harry Brandt, claimed that her and other actresses' "box office draw is nil." The term "box office poison" became synonymous with Hepburn, who a month later would show up in George Cukor's "Holiday," which failed to overcome the financial struggles that had dogged Hepburn's movies in recent years.
Later that year, Hepburn's name showed up in a now-infamous trade magazine ad in which President of the Independent Theatre Owners Association, Harry Brandt, claimed that her and other actresses' "box office draw is nil." The term "box office poison" became synonymous with Hepburn, who a month later would show up in George Cukor's "Holiday," which failed to overcome the financial struggles that had dogged Hepburn's movies in recent years.
- 1/22/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Despite allegedly scaring Alfred Hitchcock with his yelling, James Stewart really did live up to his polite everyman reputation. He's one of the biggest stars in Hollywood history and yet retained humility throughout his decades-long career, even finding time to rise up the ranks of the military and fight in World War II between starring in some of the biggest movies of his day. He passed away in 1997 having built a career full of classic movie moments and never once tarnished his reputation as a class act (Hitchcock probably deserved some dressing down). In fact, beyond being self-effacing, Stewart was known for being quite shy off-screen — a trait that, every now and then, would seemingly trip him up on set.
So it was with 1940's "The Philadelphia Story" — a vehicle for Katherin Hepburn's comeback after the actress found herself on Harry Brandt's infamous "box office poison list." Her turn...
So it was with 1940's "The Philadelphia Story" — a vehicle for Katherin Hepburn's comeback after the actress found herself on Harry Brandt's infamous "box office poison list." Her turn...
- 1/17/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Showtime is developing The Whites, a crime drama limited series starring and executive produced by Ethan Hawke. Written by Tony Award-winning playwright and prolific screenwriter Jez Butterworth, the series is adapted from Richard Price’s novel of the same name. The Whites is a Civic Center Media project in association with MRC Television, with Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street and Ethan Hawke and Ryan Hawke’s Under the Influence producing.
The Whites was taken out in early April, eventually landing at Showtime. It reunites the Hawkes with Showtime following their collaboration on The Good Lord Bird, starring Ethan Hawke and executive produced by Ethan and Ryan Hawke through their Under the Influence banner.
Here is a description of The Whites: Every detective is haunted by their White Whale, the perpetrator who got away because the justice system failed. Billy Graves (Hawke), once...
The Whites was taken out in early April, eventually landing at Showtime. It reunites the Hawkes with Showtime following their collaboration on The Good Lord Bird, starring Ethan Hawke and executive produced by Ethan and Ryan Hawke through their Under the Influence banner.
Here is a description of The Whites: Every detective is haunted by their White Whale, the perpetrator who got away because the justice system failed. Billy Graves (Hawke), once...
- 6/16/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
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