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ryanbrennan |
Charles Schneer |
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I've just received word from FXRH (Sam Calvin) through our friend Ernie Farino that Charles Schneer has passed away. Although he produced other films,
Schneer is most famous for producing most of Ray Harryhausen's movies. No word yet on the master animator's reaction to this very sad news.
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GhostofChaneysLiver |
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I let out an audible "Oh no!" when I saw his name in this folder.
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FXRH |
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I only met Charles Schneer once, back in 1977 when he was in Dallas with Ray to promote SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER. He was extremely affable and
pleasant; he continually said nice things about our magazine to Ernie Farino and me. I got the impression that he was the essence of enthusiasm. I understand
that Schneer could be difficult on set. All I can say is that I liked him a lot.
Here's the Variety obituary: http://www.variety.com/ar...ml?categoryid=13&cs=1
"I never met a man I didn't meet." -Aristotle
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FXRH |
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Variety got at least two things wrong in the obituary. CLASH OF THE TITANS was for MGM, not Universal. And Schneer's favorite Harryhausen collaboration
was not JASON, but 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD.
"I never met a man I didn't meet." -Aristotle
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GhostofChaneysLiver |
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That Variety obit didn't state the cause of death, so am I assuming too much from the above quote that Mr. Schneer suffered from Alzheimer's?
Cromwell |
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TomWeaver999 |
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How tight-fisted a producer was he? One interviewee told me that for HELLCATS OF THE NAVY, Columbia/Schneer had, like, the whole Navy working for 'em for
free -- the moviemakers were shooting from the top of a submarine and the whole fleet was racing around doing stuff for the movie, and for some reason Columbia
wasn't even being charged for this. Sick bay even took care of Schneer all day, because he got seasick. At the end of the day, the assistant director told
Schneer that the Navy had even fed the whole crew; the a.d. added, "I gave them a dollar per man to put into their ship's fund." Schneer
exclaimed, "I hope you didn't give 'em a dollar for me, I didn't eat!"
There was a nice, long (three-part) interview with him in STARLOG years ago. |
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Zombie Dad |
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I also had the good fortune to get to meet Charles Schneer, snap a photo and get his autograph at a large convention in Tucson. He participated , along with
Ray, in a Q&A for SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER. I was in the group of fans that walked back with them from the theater to the hotel. He seemed like a
very nice man to me. I remember him asking us what we thought about Patrick Wayne as Sinbad.
Thank you, Mr. Schneer for devoting so much of your career to fabulous fantasy films. And farewell. ZD |
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Rakshasa |
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Thanks for the many great movie memories, Mr. Schneer.
RIP ~ |
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FXRH |
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GhostofChaneysLiver wrote:I believe you are correct. Also, he had terrible eye problems for many years.
"I never met a man I didn't meet." -Aristotle
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Whatsallthis |
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This is terrible news. R.I.P., Mr. Schneer.
In The Harryhausen Chronicles He said that JASON was his favorite film with Ray. One of the greatest coups for Charlie was the selection of locales like La Alhambra in Madrid, Spain, with its Moorish architecture he was able to have the film look much more expensive than it actually was. He wasnted places never before seen on the screen, and he found them. This one hurts. I wonder what other bad news is ready to hit?
"How can I handcuff a bloomin' shirt??!?"
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blackbiped |
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I'm grateful for all the wonderful, incredible, fantastic entertainment his films have given me, and will continue to do so, over the course of my entire
lifetime.
Legend, oh legend, the third wheel legend...always in the way.
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FXRH |
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Whatsallthis wrote: However, I just revisited THE RAY HARRYHAUSEN CHRONICLES, and you are right, Schneer does say that JASON is both his and Ray's favorite.� He must have changed his mind.
"I never met a man I didn't meet." -Aristotle
Last Edited By: FXRH
01/22/09 1:44 AM.
Edited 1 times.
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Dr Spyclops |
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Fantasy fans the world over all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Charles H. Schneer. If you want to imagine where Ray
Harryhausen would have been without him, take a look at Willis O'Brien's career post-Kong or all the Jim Danforth projects that never got off the
ground. Compare that to Harryhausen's unbroken string of completed films.
In Schneer, Ray found a shrewd businessman who fully recognized his talent, got the financing to get the pictures made and ensured that they turned a healthy profit. Without his participation, we certainly never would have had a 7TH VOYAGE, JASON or other greats as part of our childhood. Thank you for giving our favorite magician a place to perform, Mr. Schneer. RIP |
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opticalguy |
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On 1/21/09 Dr Spyclops wrote:
Fantasy fans the world over all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Charles H. Schneer. If you want to imagine where Ray Harryhausen would have been without him, take a look at Willis O'Brien's career post-Kong or all the Jim Danforth projects that never got off the ground. Compare that to Harryhausen's unbroken string of completed films.Quite true and often overlooked are the contributions of the producer and I mean a real producer such as Schneer. Yes he pinched pennies until they screamed. We've all heard of Ray's lament during the shooting of The Valley of Gwangi when he complained, "Damn it Charlie … am I filming the script or the budget?" Well, to be honest, you are always filming the damned budget. Unlike Sam Arkoff (another fellow who is chronically under-appreciated by fans since his contributions are not fun but pragmatic) without whom none of the fun AIP stuff would exist tried to diminish the contributions of Nicholson and build himself up Schneer always had Ray as the star in the spotlight. He grew up in my neighborhood in Norfolk, Virginia (West Ghent was one of the neighborhoods without restrictive covenants so Jews could buy homes … blacks could theoretically do so as well but they would find sellers or live very long) around the corner from my parents house but, alas, he moved away long before I was born.
opticalguy1954@yahoo.com (Spencer Gill)
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Stuart4th |
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He rates a special memorial banner at the top of this board in the coming days, I'd say.
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M F Berry |
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When I saw this sad news, I had in mind a post I was going to write for this thread. Then I got here this morning and found that the eloquent Dr. Spyclops has
very nicely stated pretty much exactly what I was going to say.
So I'll just say thanks, Mr. Schneer, and R.I.P. I would've very much enjoyed the chance to have "chewed the fat" with him over a leisurely dinner sometime. |
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Jethro Keane |
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This site is where I usually first learn of someone's death. When I saw his name in the "Final Farewells" category, it didn't register with
me at first, like it was some sort of mistake, or I didn't read the whole title of the topic, But unfortunately, no.
I don't know what to post that hasn't been posted already, Dr. Spyclops' eloquent commentary and Cromwell's statement about how another piece of our childhood has disappeared says pretty much what I think about Mr.Schneer's passing, he was the anchor that kept Ray Harryhausen and his amazing talents in the dollars and sense reality of the film business and some of Charlie's decisions (contrary to Ray's ideas) have proven to serve all of their films' fans for the better. For example, it was Mr. Schneer's decision to pursue Bernard Herrmann for the score for THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD. Ray (ever the KING KONG fan) wanted Max Steiner. As it turns out, the Herrmann score is IMHO, the finest ever written for a fantasy film. The subsequent 3 film scores that Herrmann did for Ray and Charlie's films rank almost as high. He did rub some the wrong way concerning some of his financial decisions. Herrmann breaking off with Charlie after not being able to meet his price for the score for FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, but those were the tough decisions Schneer had to make. JASON, although a classic, did not make very much at the box office and still be able to pull together the capital for such a production as FIRST MEN speaks volumes about Charles' abilities. The same can be said for Miklos Rozsa and his dissatisfaction with the limited size of the orchestra for THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD. But after GWANGI, which was also not a money maker, the fact Charlie and Ray were able to make the film was stuff of fantasy storytelling itself. Fortunately, GOLDEN VOYAGE did make money and the duo were able to make two more films because of it. As for Ray, I don't know how much time the old master has left (hopefully a great deal more) and, like others on this board will be almost or, in my case, absolutely inconsolable when his time comes. But for the moment, let us remember the man who made Ray's talent available to us with some of the finest fantasy tales ever produced possible.
My thanks to you, sir.
Last Edited By: Jethro Keane
01/22/09 12:17 PM.
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BijouBob8mm |
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I don't know what to post that hasn't been posted alreadyMy feelings, as well. To say that Charles Schneer has gone to "the land beyond the beyond" seems so obvious, and yet still appropriate. Ain't It Cool News also discusses the producer's passing, and includes trailers to some of his films, at www.aintitcool.com/node/39850
Last Edited By: BijouBob8mm
01/22/09 12:21 PM.
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SanzarQ |
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Mr. Schneer had a great track record for producing enjoyable, entertaining films. His partnership with Ray Harryhausen was a match made in heaven, as so many
of the above posters have mentioned. He certainly made his mark on the history of cinema & will most certainly be missed. The work lives on, though....a
tremendous legacy for imaginative film fans everywhere.
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Dr Acula |
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A great rpoducer, if he's judged by the quality of the great Harryhausen collaborations. For some reason, I thought he died long ago, and that's one of
the reasons they didn't make anymore films together.
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starhawk60.movieserialmess... |
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My heartfelt condolences go out to to Mr. Schneer's family. Ray Harryhausen was the guest of honor at a convention here in Columbus back in 1993 and told
an interesting story about THe 7th Voyage Of Sinbad. He and Mr. Schneer and Torin Thatcher were scouting locations on the island used for the film and were on
a plane that traveled from Spain to the island everyday ferrying passengers. Mr. Harryhausen was none too happy about flying on the plane because it was poorly
maintained and sure enough, a week after filming was wrapped up the plane crashed into the ocean killing the crew and passengers aboard.
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