Eugene Lourie and Willis O'Brien Pic in Men Behind the Monsters Forum

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Eugene Lourie and Willis O'Brien Pic

Author	Comment
Jerome	Eugene Lourie and Willis O'Brien Pic	Lead	[-]
Apr 25 11 4:58 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	You probably already know this pic but I just found it in an old starlog magazine. A picture shot during the production of the Black Scorpion.
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horrorfilmx		#1	[-]
Apr 25 11 5:26 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I believe the man Obie is gesturing to is Pete Peterson. Here's Lourie on the cover of his book:
Jerome		#2	[-]
Apr 25 11 5:42 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks, so the caption of photo in Starlog was false. Last Edited By: Jerome Apr 26 11 2:21 AM. Edited 1 times.
Aupperle		#3	[-]
Apr 25 11 6:32 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Jerome wrote: You probably already know this pic but I just found it in an old starlog magazine. A picture shot during the production of the Black Scorpion. That doesn't look like Lourie in the photo but he was involved with BLACK SCORPION during the pre-production phase of the film. I can't be sure now because it was 35+ years ago that I spoke with him but I think that Lourie might have been slated to direct at one time. Jim Aupperle
TomWeaver999		#4	[-]
Apr 25 11 8:55 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	One Lourie article in my files, I think from FANTASTIC FILMS magazine, says that he was offered the job of directing BLACK SCORPION and did preliminary work with O'Brien and Peterson, but then backed out after "a conflict" with the associate producer.
Aupperle		#5	[-]
Apr 25 11 9:15 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	TomWeaver999 wrote: One Lourie article in my files, I think from FANTASTIC FILMS magazine, says that he was offered the job of directing BLACK SCORPION and did preliminary work with O'Brien and Peterson, but then backed out after "a conflict" with the associate producer. Hi Tom, Thanks very much for that info concerning Lourie's connection with THE BLACK SCORPION. I remember he was showing me some art and photos in his files and he had one of the scorpion in there. I don't think that he elaborated beyond saying he was involved in the early stages of BLACK SCORPION production. It makes sense that if there had been a conflict he might have not wanted to recount the details. I remember that day seeing a number of storyboards for Lourie's project of DARK WINGS, which was another version of Harryhausen's ELEMENTALS story. Lourie's drawings had pterodactyls rather than Ray's bat-like monsters that we've all seen in his drawings and animation tests. It interesting that the DARK WINGS treatment was written by David Duncan who also did the script for BLACK SCORPION. Jim Aupperle
horrorfilmx		#6	[-]
Apr 26 11 6:41 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Aupperle wrote: I remember that day seeing a number of storyboards for Lourie's project of DARK WINGS, which was another version of Harryhausen's ELEMENTALS story. Lourie's drawings had pterodactyls rather than Ray's bat-like monsters that we've all seen in his drawings and animation tests. This is totally new to me. After all these years of hearing the same Harryhausen stories endlessly repeated it's nice to encounter a little surprise. Ta!
M F Berry		#7	[-]
Apr 26 11 9:11 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Arrrgh! For some reason I can't see Jerome's original pic post! Just a doggoned red "X" in a box!
Ted Newsom	Obie and Pete Peterson, resized	#8	[-]
Apr 26 11 9:22 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	(so it doesn't stretch the page all out of shape)
M F Berry		#9	[-]
Apr 26 11 9:32 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Woohoo! Thanks Ted!
Ted Newsom		#10	[-]
Apr 28 11 8:55 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I seem to recall Lourie had, like, one still photograph of a model scorpion next to a miniature car for comparison size. This was circa 1978-80.
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Aupperle		#11	[-]
Apr 28 11 2:36 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Ted Newsom wrote: I seem to recall Lourie had, like, one still photograph of a model scorpion next to a miniature car for comparison size. This was circa 1978-80. Hi Ted Must be the same scorpion photo I saw back around 1972. I didn't remember the car but it seems familiar now that you mention it. Did you talk with Lourie about DARK WINGS? best wishes, Jim Aupperle
Ted Newsom		#12	[-]
Apr 28 11 3:45 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	He mentioned a second project about the winged things in France, but didn't name it-- so whether that was ELEMENTALS or DARK WINGS or both-- I dunno. Lou Morheim recalled it vividly, because Ray's drawings were all over his wall while he was writing the script. They apparently creeped out Morheim's wife. Last Edited By: Ted Newsom Apr 28 11 6:23 PM. Edited 1 times.
vayapues		#13	[-]
May 12 11 9:21 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	All very interesting. For many years, the only mention I ever saw of DARK WINGS was in the upcoming-films article of Famous Monsters #12. Forry tantalizingly (but none too helpfully) wrote: "Eugene Lourie, who wrote the screenplay of GORGO, is working on another monsteriffic movie script. He calls this one Dark Wings. About a terrordactyl?" This dates from 1961, so assuming Forry wasn't accidentally mistaking an unmade 1953 project for a then-current one, we have to suppose the project took on a life of its own well beyond either Ray H's involvement or techniques. Had Lourie actually set the film in his beloved Paris, it is possible he would have filmed there & employed the aid of the French effects technicians he esteemed, such as Nikolai Wilke, who per Paul Mandell Lourie had originally sought to build Gorgo. I wonder if they would have ultimately cast their lot with stop motion or suitmation? (Any sense of that, Jim Aupperle?) Then again, this quote from Lourie's Wikipedia entry: "He decided that after his 1961 film, Gorgo, he would stop directing movies because he did not want to direct 'the same comic-strip monsters.' "
Aupperle		#14	[-]
May 13 11 10:29 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	vayapues wrote: Had Lourie actually set the film in his beloved Paris, it is possible he would have filmed there & employed the aid of the French effects technicians he esteemed, such as Nikolai Wilke, who per Paul Mandell Lourie had originally sought to build Gorgo. I wonder if they would have ultimately cast their lot with stop motion or suitmation? (Any sense of that, Jim Aupperle?) When I met Eugene Lourie in the early 1970s he was definitely considering stop motion for the pterodactyls in DARK WINGS and from what I recall of his storyboards the action all took place in France. A number of pterodactyl eggs were to be discovered in a cave and washed out in a flood and then hatch. They would meet their doom at night in Paris as the pterodactyls were attracted to flames rather like moths. Philip Yordon (who produced KRAKATOA: EAST OF JAVA; BATTLE OF THE BULGE and CRACK IN THE WORLD) was also involved with DARK WINGS at that time. Jim Aupperle Last Edited By: Aupperle May 13 11 10:53 PM. Edited 3 times.
Ted Newsom		#15	[-]
May 14 11 9:06 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Interesting. That would presumably be the period when Yordan was based in Spain. I wonder if Bernie Gordon had a hand in the script. He'd be the obvious "horror/sci-fi" guy to use.
Aupperle		#16	[-]
May 14 11 12:22 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Ted Newsom wrote: Interesting. That would presumably be the period when Yordan was based in Spain. I wonder if Bernie Gordon had a hand in the script. He'd be the obvious "horror/sci-fi" guy to use. Hi Ted, I really don't know how serious Eugene Lourie or Philip Yordon were about pursuing any real production of DARK WINGS when I met them. I have to think there was some interest otherwise I don't think that Lourie would have arranged to have me meet Yordon however that's as far as I ever got with it. Jim Aupperle
horrorfilmx		#17	[-]
May 14 11 2:39 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Aupperle wrote: I really don't know how serious Eugene Lourie or Philip Yordon were about pursuing any real production of DARK WINGS when I met them. I have to think there was some interest otherwise I don't think that Lourie would have arranged to have me meet Yordon however that's as far as I ever got with it. I must have missed something --- they actually met with you about working on the movie? That suddenly makes everything a lot more interesting.
Aupperle		#18	[-]
May 14 11 4:07 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	horrorfilmx wrote: Aupperle wrote: I really don't know how serious Eugene Lourie or Philip Yordon were about pursuing any real production of DARK WINGS when I met them. I have to think there was some interest otherwise I don't think that Lourie would have arranged to have me meet Yordon however that's as far as I ever got with it. I must have missed something --- they actually met with you about working on the movie? That suddenly makes everything a lot more interesting. Lourie and Yordon might have been considering having me work on DARK WINGS if the film had ever moved into production. I was talking with them along with Rob Maine and Stephen Czerkas and the three of use were a kind of a team back then as we tried to promote ourselves for various projects that came along. At the time Rob had the most professional stop motion experience having done most of the animation for the final sequence in FLESH GORDON so I'm guessing he was the one who contacted them (being close to 40 years ago I don't remember all the details). The attached photo is a test shot I found on Rob Maine's page at http://pharosproductions....osma/aosma_robmaine.html and it shows a pterodactyl puppet in front of a projected transparency that Lourie gave us. I remember that pterodactyl but the test I was thinking of was a night shot with a painted backdrop. If Rob filmed any stop motion shots with this bird I wasn't aware of it but there could have been some. I still had Lourie's 2 1/4 transparency some six or seven years later because I used it as a background for one of our Tyrannosaurus shots in PLANET OF DINOSAURS (wish I'd thought to give Lourie a screen credit for "Special Process Backgrounds" or something of that sort). Anyway, it wasn't a huge deal since I saw Lourie perhaps two or three times and Yordon only once but to a kid just starting out it was exciting. I sure didn't have much effects experience back then but would have loved being a 2nd or 3rd camera assistant helping on the stop motion for such a cool project. This is the photo from Rob Maine's web page and here what Rob states there: "Flying creature test for The Elementals for  Eugene Lourie', who owned the rights to the  script. He was trying to get Warner Bros. to  use Pterodactyls instead of the demons in  the original 1954 Ray Harryhausen test." Last Edited By: Aupperle May 14 11 4:13 PM. Edited 2 times.
Ted Newsom		#19	[-]
May 14 11 5:36 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	BTW-- Lourie is on screen in GORGO, greeting the heroic monster-capturers along with Martin Benson when they arrive at the fun fair. He's also in a neat little cameo near the end of BREATHLESS as the legendary architect whom the young leading lady idolizes. She tells him she want to build something that lasts, and he says, "My dear, nothing lasts."
horrorfilmx		#20	[-]
May 14 11 9:00 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Aupperle wrote: This is the photo from Rob Maine's web page and here what Rob states there: "Flying creature test for The Elementals for  Eugene Lourie', who owned the rights to the  script. He was trying to get Warner Bros. to  use Pterodactyls instead of the demons in  the original 1954 Ray Harryhausen test." This is all fascinating. Do you have any idea how the rights to Elementals passed from Harryhausen to Lourie?
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Eugene Lourie and Willis O'Brien Pic

Eugene Lourie and Willis O'Brien Pic