Linguistic Hurdle
Oren Shai's Films in Review interview with Israeli producer Menaham Golan reminded me of my service as an in-house publicity writer for Cannon Films, which Golan ran with partner Yoram Globus in the '70s and '80s. Cannon was an industry joke but my job, which lasted from '86 to early '88, was sometimes fascinating. I became friendly with Barbet Schroeder as we worked together on the Barfly press kit, and I buddied up with a lot of other cool people, including Tough Guys Don't Dance director-screenwriter Norman Mailer.
I always tell the story of being asked to interview Globus for a corporate profile. During our chat Globus named the biggest selling videos of the '80s, ticking them off title by title, but his dense Israeli accent presented obstacles. One of these films, he said, was "weezudofauhz." I couldn't decipher what he meant when he said it, so after it ended I took my tape recorder downstairs to my office and played the "weezudofauhz" portion for a couple of colleagues. We listened over and over until it finally hit us. Globus was trying to pronounce the title of a 1939 Victor Fleming film that costarred Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Margaret Hamilton.
My Barfly press-kit duties also allowed for a visit to the modest Long Beach home of Charles Bukowski. The casually-dressed, pot-bellied Bukowski was warm and gracious. Kindly, self-effacing. Chuckling to himself from time to time. And quite sharp. More than once he referred to himself in the third person ("Bukowski has always liked this," etc.) He knew I was in awe of him to some extent and said at one point, having read some of my stuff, "He's influenced by Bukowski." I naturally wanted to drink with the guy, and Bukowski, perceptive fellow that he was, obliged with servings of Coors or Dos Equis. In bottles, as I recall.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 23, 2008 at 11:04 AM
comment #1
tjfar67 says ...
Any good Bukowski stories?
Posted by tjfar67 at August 23, 2008 11:48 AM
comment #2
actionman says ...
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
'Nuf said.
Posted by actionman at August 23, 2008 12:14 PM
comment #3
mutinyco says ...
The house that Chuck Norris built.
Posted by mutinyco at August 23, 2008 12:15 PM
comment #4
MilkMan says ...
If Jeff had been a character in a Bukowski story, his name would have been Wellesley Jeffers.
Frances Fischer is on fire in Tough Guys Don't Dance. Her ten minutes of screen time can't be beat in terms of heat.
Matt Dillon was a far superior Bukowski.
Posted by MilkMan at August 23, 2008 1:00 PM
comment #5
Josh Massey says ...
I'm still waiting for Firewalker II.
Posted by Josh Massey at August 23, 2008 2:17 PM
comment #6
dangovich says ...
Well, baby, look around. It's a, it's a cage with golden bars.
Posted by dangovich at August 23, 2008 2:24 PM
comment #7
mutinyco says ...
It's time... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d55RUgUbW3g
Posted by mutinyco at August 23, 2008 2:40 PM
comment #8
scooterzz says ...
it's never time for this though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G_u3WNpDew
Posted by scooterzz at August 23, 2008 2:50 PM
comment #9
filmfestivalgeek says ...
I don't know if you remember, Jeff, but Golan and Globus were actually once profiled on 60 Minutes...can't remember if it was Morley or Mike or whoever doing the interview...anyway...
...Bo Derek, Shelley Winters and some others (I think) were on, basically saying what a pile of crap these two guys were, calling them backstabbers. Golan calmly retorted that the one thing he and his partner were always comfortable with is that they always stabbed people in the front...Derek and Winters didn't seem to agree...
...just wondering whose POV you'd be with, from what you saw...
Their biggest mistake - the deal with Sly Stallone that produced such gems as Over The Top and Cobra - they tried to pretend to be real Hollywood...bad move.
Posted by filmfestivalgeek at August 23, 2008 2:53 PM
comment #10
moviemaniac2002 says ...
I worked in a video store in the mid 80's and
it's with warm, laughing nostalgia when I remember our shelves always heavily stocked
with the dozens and dozens of Golan-Globus
direct-to-VHS goodies.
I know these guys considered themselves
moguls...but really, they were more like the
Jack Black/Mos Def characters from "Be Kind
Rewind"...making their own amateur, hilariously
crappy versions of mainstream movies.
Don't remember the details....but didn't they
manage to sign Dustin Hoffman for one of their
movies...and then immediately pissed him off
so badly that he ran from the project before it
ever got underway.....
Posted by moviemaniac2002 at August 23, 2008 3:16 PM
comment #11
Spacesheik says ...
I remember seing Golan and Globus at the London Princess Diana premiere of SUPERMAN IV at the Oden Leicester Square - man what an embarrasment that film was, rough around the edges, terrible special effects - the audience That was one franchise Cannon should have never taken under their wings.
I remember them fondly however, lots of Charles Bronson stuff like EVIL THAT MEN DO, MURPHY'S LAW, ASSASINATION plus the DEATH WISH sequels. Bronson was practically Cannon's bread and butter and iconic mascot for a while. Well, him and Chuck Norris anyway(INVASION USA, MISSING IN ACTION, DELTA FORCE).
I do however think they were bold in their choices, they made two great films: 52 PICK UP and RUNAWAY TRAIN, and BARFLY aint bad either.
Posted by Spacesheik at August 23, 2008 10:18 PM
comment #12
frankbooth says ...
Booth to Wells: you've got quite a few stories to tell. Drinking with Buk, hanging with Mailer and Hayden, working for Golan/Globus and Stallone.
You easily have a book's worth of material. Rants, Raves and Reminiscises: My Life as a High Thread Count Hollywood Journo, or some such thing.
So what are you waiting for?
Posted by frankbooth at August 23, 2008 11:01 PM
comment #13
janee
says ...
Si vous etes interesses par le dossier, ou desirez en savoir plus, contactez-moi par mail, et je vous mettrai en contact.
Best regards,Jane, CEO of high availability systems
Posted by janee
at May 18, 2011 12:57 AM