Jack O'Halloran Interview

[flellis]

Hi,

I interviewed Jack O'Halloran for my blog. The interview covers the entirety of Jack's career, but we discuss his role as Non and his feelings about Donner being replaced by Lester.

The interview can be read here at

jeffcramer.blogspot.com/2011/09/very-candid-conversation-with-jack.html

[ye5man]

That guy was great as the Bond villain, Jaws

[crazy_asian_man]

Hi,

I interviewed Jack O'Halloran for my blog. The interview covers the entirety of Jack's career, but we discuss his role as Non and his feelings about Donner being replaced by Lester.

The interview can be read here at

jeffcramer.blogspot.com/2011/09/very-candid-conversation-with-jack.html

Great interview! Thanks for posting!

It's always sad, though, coming across bits of 'what could have been'. The part where Jack reveals just HOW much Donner fell in love with the project/Superman as a movie series, makes one wonder again what we would have gotten if Donner had remained.

If Star Trek could get 6 movies with the original cast, it's not news, but it always hurts to imagine how great it would have been to have had a few more Superman films under Donner, constantly drawing on the silver age comics for material.

*sigh*

[atp]

Oct 24, 2011 11:27:27 GMT -5 crazy_asian_man said:

It's always sad, though, coming across bits of 'what could have been'. The part where Jack reveals just HOW much Donner fell in love with the project/Superman as a movie series, makes one wonder again what we would have gotten if Donner had remained.

Even if Donner had made STM and S2 as planned, I am not convinced that S2 would have been better than the Lester version.

[crazy_asian_man]

Even if Donner had made STM and S2 as planned, I am not convinced that S2 would have been better than the Lester version.

I think for sure you can't base it on 'the Donner/Thau cut' ---but I base my own feeling on:

(1) the entire body of work Donner had done at that time- (arguably him at his peak) "Ladyhawke", "Inside Moves", "Lethal Weapon 1 & 2", (discounting "the Toy" because he disavowed that one via the edit/producers)

(2) the Mankiewicz script - it was far darker than the SII theatrical. The sheriff/deputy scene (that's pretty concise in setting up the villains' path) and the Metropolis battle/Brooklyn bridge scene (think Independence Day) in particular stick out.

(3) Versus what became "Superman 3" totally under Lester, and the scenes that I DIDN'T care for in SII under Lester- the extra campiness of the villains, the horrible Metropolis comedy shtick.

If you compare the RDC vs the theatrical, it's an unfair comparison I've come to realize at this stage. It's a blueprint versus a finished film.

[atp]

Oct 26, 2011 13:06:53 GMT -5 crazy_asian_man said:

Even if Donner had made STM and S2 as planned, I am not convinced that S2 would have been better than the Lester version.

I think for sure you can't base it on 'the Donner/Thau cut' ---but I base my own feeling on:

(1) the entire body of work Donner had done at that time- (arguably him at his peak) "Ladyhawke", "Inside Moves", "Lethal Weapon 1 & 2", (discounting "the Toy" because he disavowed that one via the edit/producers)

(2) the Mankiewicz script - it was far darker than the SII theatrical. The sheriff/deputy scene (that's pretty concise in setting up the villains' path) and the Metropolis battle/Brooklyn bridge scene (think Independence Day) in particular stick out.

(3) Versus what became "Superman 3" totally under Lester, and the scenes that I DIDN'T care for in SII under Lester- the extra campiness of the villains, the horrible Metropolis comedy shtick.

If you compare the RDC vs the theatrical, it's an unfair comparison I've come to realize at this stage. It's a blueprint versus a finished film.

The RDC has loads of flaws which can't be blamed on Mr Thau. The acting and script are pretty lame in places. Even the "Holy Grail" of the much-awaited Brando footage was a let down. Reeve's acting was way better in Lester's S2 than in the Donner footage.

[ye5man]

Agree with ATP.

Plus the bullet scene was hardly a springboard for romance ;D

[crazy_asian_man]

The RDC has loads of flaws which can't be blamed on Mr Thau. The acting and script are pretty lame in places. Even the "Holy Grail" of the much-awaited Brando footage was a let down. Reeve's acting was way better in Lester's S2 than in the Donner footage.

Again, I say look at Donner's body of work, plus what he actually reshoots. There was a 'special edition' that showed some endings reshot for 'Lethal Weapon' that seemed perfectly fine, but he took the time to change it up for the better.

Saying 'I would have reshot' it might be an easy excuse, but I say look at the track record he had at the time for quality control- and given it, I say it IS more likely that the poor stuff would have been reshot. The Brando/Reeve thing was always rushed. Brando had a short window he committed to, and Reeve was still getting his 'sea legs' for the character.

Add to that.....bad edits, and questionable ('faster, faster paced!') judgement by Donner 2006 versus Donner 1980....

Curious what Stuart Baird 2006 would have done to try to save it--- if he would have retained the older mindset of Superman II at the time....or what HIS approach would have been, had he been brought in....

*sigh*
So, the odds

[Shane]

wonder if his modem is working

[Jor-L5150]

Oct 26, 2011 14:02:07 GMT -5 atp said:

Oct 26, 2011 13:06:53 GMT -5 crazy_asian_man said:

I think for sure you can't base it on 'the Donner/Thau cut' ---but I base my own feeling on:

(1) the entire body of work Donner had done at that time- (arguably him at his peak) "Ladyhawke", "Inside Moves", "Lethal Weapon 1 & 2", (discounting "the Toy" because he disavowed that one via the edit/producers)

(2) the Mankiewicz script - it was far darker than the SII theatrical. The sheriff/deputy scene (that's pretty concise in setting up the villains' path) and the Metropolis battle/Brooklyn bridge scene (think Independence Day) in particular stick out.

(3) Versus what became "Superman 3" totally under Lester, and the scenes that I DIDN'T care for in SII under Lester- the extra campiness of the villains, the horrible Metropolis comedy shtick.

If you compare the RDC vs the theatrical, it's an unfair comparison I've come to realize at this stage. It's a blueprint versus a finished film.

The RDC has loads of flaws which can't be blamed on Mr Thau. The acting and script are pretty lame in places. Even the "Holy Grail" of the much-awaited Brando footage was a let down. Reeve's acting was way better in Lester's S2 than in the Donner footage.

not fair at all. reeve has a few weeks to prepare for the scene with brando.

he had a year and a half to prepare for lester's reshoots.

[hursty]

I don't like the way he bitches on Reeve for not standing up for Donner, he was legally contracted to complete the film, had he not he would have been sued. Maybe Jack himself could have refused to do II.

And I'm glad Jaws went to Kiel and not Jack, Kiel is far more an imposing figure.

[TylerDurden389]

I wonder what the Salkinds would've done if EVERYONE followed Hackmans lead and refused to return unless Donner was directing.

Ugh, who am I kidding? We'd have ended up getting Superman 4 (low budget) for Superman 2. Instead of asking "what if Donner had finished", we'd all be asking "what if they had had more money?".

[crazy_asian_man]

I wonder what the Salkinds would've done if EVERYONE followed Hackmans lead and refused to return unless Donner was directing.

Ugh, who am I kidding? We'd have ended up getting Superman 4 (low budget) for Superman 2. Instead of asking "what if Donner had finished", we'd all be asking "what if they had had more money?".

If Reeve didn't return (it seems like the lawsuit saying that the movies HAD to be shot back to back in one fell swoop for what the actors were paid was successful, as they were able to re-negotiate for more money- this according to the newspaper blurb that came out between the films)...

And, if he didn't have to- he could have dictated the terms.... I figure a few scenarios would have come up, if Reeve dug his heels in and demanded Donner's return:

(1) Either the Salkinds would give in, but- presuming it's the same amount of money left over that Lester got--- there are a couple of sequences that might seem a tad expensive, but on the whole, I think we would have been able to see most of what was in Mank's script.

Don't know whether or not Donner would have stuck to his guns about Brando's salary, though.

(2) Maybe the budget battles would be so intense that maybe WB would step in and buy them out? At that stage, then it'd be a question mark on how much WB would have been willing to put into Donner's version after buying out the Salkinds. would WB and Donner be at a battle for budget afterwards, too?

And then, of course- back to the Brando question mark- Donner's known for loyalty .... would or wouldn't he recast Brando?

(3) If - in the event that WB bought out the Salkinds and if Donner couldn't agree on a final budget..... then at least WB might have tried to use as much Donner footage as possible, and hired someone to try to make it more serious to finish it and Lester may or may not have been an option.

In any case.... the money for Superman IV looks REALLY low.... I doubt things would have looked THAT bad...