The incidents caused something of a nationwide hysteria, and led to more than 230 copycat incidents and false reports of similar strawberry spikings.
|
|
Barry Spikings (born 23 November 1939) is a British film producer who worked in Hollywood. Spikings is best known as a producer of the film, The Deer Hunter (1978), which won five Academy Awards.
|
|
All's fair in love and war." Producer Spikings, while proud of the film, regrets the way the Vietnamese were portrayed. "I don't think any of us meant it to be exploitive," Spikings said. "But I think we were ... ignorant.
|
|
In 1972, he became the co-owner of British Lion Films; Spikings later joined EMI when it took over British Lion. For the film, The Deer Hunter (1978), Spikings won an Academy Award for Best Picture. The film also garnered awards for several of its actors.
|
|
Following publication of Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson's nonfiction book Lone Survivor (2007), producer Barry Spikings met Luttrell's attorney Alan Schwartz, who was interested in making a film adaptation. Schwartz suggested that Spikings' son-in-law Akiva Goldsman write the screenplay. Goldsman did not believe he was the right screenwriter for the project, and suggested that Peter Berg write and direct the film. Spikings and Goldsman passed the book on to Berg's producing partner Sarah Aubrey.
|
|
Rebecca Spikings-Goldsman (September 21, 1967 – July 6, 2010), who was widely credited as Rebecca Spikings, was an American film producer and filmmaker. She produced or co-produced a number of films, including Deep Blue Sea in 1999 and 2004's Mindhunters. Her television work included the 1996 HBO movie, Mistrial, starring Bill Pullman. Spikings began her film production career as an associate producer on the 1991 independent comedy, Pyrates, starring Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick.
|
|
Spikings served as president of Nelson Entertainment through the early 1990s. Afterwards, he formed a production partnership with Eric Pleskow.
|
|
Spikings was born in Boston, Lincolnshire. After leaving Boston Grammar School he joined the local newspaper, the Lincolnshire Standard, as a trainee reporter. Later he joined the Farmers' Weekly, where he won a Golden Ear award for a fifteen- minute film that he produced and directed himself. Spikings then moved to the entertainment world.
|
|
However Deeley and Spikings wanted to put the company on a more stable financial setting and sought interest from EMI Films.
|
|
A guest speaker is always invited, and notable guests of honour have included Helen Sharman, Barry Spikings and Mark Simmonds MP.
|
|
Upon being confronted by Regis, Kyle denies that he murdered Carla, but provides a special piece of information: among the bookings she made, Carla supposedly also ordered a car - despite not having a driver's license. Later on, Regis and Chance discover that the most recent entries in Carla's appointment book were forged. With some clues left by Jordan, Regis finds out that Spikings has withheld several surveillance tapes from the night of the murder. Regis goes to Spikings' residence to question him; Spikings is willing to show the tape but is suddenly killed by a sniper.
|
|
"Deeley, p. 179 Executives from Universal, including Lew Wasserman and Sid Sheinberg, were not very enthusiastic. "I think they were shocked," recalled Spikings. "What really upset them was 'God Bless America'.
|
|
She initially worked at Irving Azoff's production company Giant Pictures before leaving for Renny Harlin's Midnight Sun Pictures, where she worked for six years. Her producing credits at Midnight Sun Pictures included Deep Blue Sea and Mindhunters, both of which were directed by Renny Harlin. Spikings-Goldsman was also the co-executive producer for Cutthroat Island in 1995 and Driven in 2001. Rebecca Spikings-Goldsman died of a heart attack on July 6, 2010, at the age of 42.
|
|
The two of them toured the US for nine months, researching and writing the script. Boyd returned to London, showed the script to Barry Spikings of EMI films who agreed to finance.AT THE MOVIES; THE MAN BEHIND BAD TIMING New York Times 19 Sep 1980: C.6. Boyd originally wanted to direct the film himself on a budget of $2–3 million but Spikings encouraged him to think on a bigger scale with a bigger name director.
|
|
In a restroom in the White House, a janitor finds secretary Carla Town dead. Metropolitan Police homicide detective Harlan Regis, whose apartment block is awaiting demolition in favor of a parking lot, is put on the case. At the White House, Regis is introduced to U.S. Secret Service Director Nick Spikings, National Security Advisor Alvin Jordan, and Secret Service agent Nina Chance. Spikings assigns Chance, a former Olympic gold-medal sharpshooter, to keep an eye on Regis.
|
|
Both the long and short versions were previewed to Midwestern audiences, although there are differing accounts among Cimino, Deeley, and Spikings as to how the previews panned out. Director Cimino claims he bribed the projectionist to interrupt the shorter version, in order to obtain better reviews of the longer one. According to producer Spikings, Wasserman let EMI's CEO Bernard Delfont decide between the two and chose Cimino's longer cut. Deeley claims that the two-and-a-half hour version tested had a better response.
|
|
With Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings, he formed 'Great Western Enterprises', which was involved in a number of projects in the entertainment field, notably music concerts, and in the late 1960s it bought Alembic House (now called Peninsula Heights) on the Albert Embankment, where Baker occupied the penthouse apartment for a number of years. Baker, Deeley, and Spikings were also part of a consortium that bought British Lion Films and Shepperton Studios, selling Alembic House to finance it. Baker said in 1972 that: > I love business for the activity it creates, the total commitment.
|
|
Initially only the former was made, which introduced Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot. In March 1981 Barry Spikings announced EMI would make Evil Under the Sun at a budget of $10 million.British role in US film market is cut.
|
|
In May 1976 EMI Films paid £739,000 in cash and shares for the company.Acquisitionof B Lion The Guardian 19 May 1976: 18. In May 1977 British Lion officially ceased to trade. Deeley and Spikings were appointed to the board of EMI.
|
|
Ray Smith (1 May 1936 – 15 December 1991) was a Welsh actor who played the tough-talking police chief, Detective Superintendent Gordon Spikings, in the television series Dempsey and Makepeace. He was the first actor to play Brother Cadfael for BBC radio.
|
|
There has been considerable debate, controversy, and conflicting stories about how The Deer Hunter was initially developed and written. Director and co-writer Michael Cimino, writer Deric Washburn, and producers Barry Spikings and Michael Deeley all have different versions of how the film came to be.
|
|
The Deer Hunter began principal photography on June 20, 1977. This was the first feature film depicting the Vietnam War to be filmed on location in Thailand. All scenes were shot on location (no sound stages). "There was discussion about shooting the film on a back lot, but the material demanded more realism," says Spikings.
|
|
The novel Slayground was published in 1971. In early 1983 Barry Spikings left Thorn EMI and Verity Lambert was appointed head of production. Lambert's first slate of films was Slayground, Comfort and Joy, Illegal Aliens (which became Morons from Outer Space) and Dreamchild.Cinema Verity: Peter Fiddick talks toEMI-Thorn 's new film production chief Fiddick, Peter.
|
|
Deeley believes that Cimino always planned to make this prologue last for an hour, and "the plan was to be advanced by stealth rather than straight dealing."Deeley, p. 173 At this point in the production, nearly halfway through principal photography, Cimino was already over budget, and producer Spikings could tell from the script that shooting the extended scene could sink the project.
|
|
While at British Lion, Deeley oversaw the release of Don't Look Now (1973) and The Wicker Man (1973), and helped finance The Internecine Project, Who?, Ransom (all 1974) and Conduct Unbecoming (1975). He also produced The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). In 1976, after British Lion merged with EMI Films, Deeley and Spikings took over management of that company.
|
|
In March 1981, Spikings admitted AFD has not "gotten off to a flying start" and would be wound up, with Universal taking over distribution of EMI Films. He argued that "production and distribution are not linked" and pointed to the five Oscars that EMI films had earned. In particular, Can't Stop the Music (1980), Honky Tonk Freeway, and Raise the Titanic (1980) had been box-office failures.
|
|
The film was the fourth action-fantasy collaboration between Kevin Connor and Doug McClure. The first three were made by Amicus Productions, which had since wound up: this movie was made EMI Films, then run by Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings, and Columbia Pictures.Ed. Allan Bryce, Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood, Stray Cat Publishing, 2000 p 152Can Rank say they 'proudly' present this film? Barker, Dennis.
|
|
EMI Films had a huge success in 1974 with a film version of Murder on the Orient Express, and wanted a follow up. The movie was made during a period of expansion for EMI Films under Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings, who were increasingly aiming at the international market with films like The Deer Hunter and Convoy. Death on the Nile was a more traditionally British film.
|
|
Financing was provided on loan from a Dutch bank by Carolco Pictures, Barry Spikings' Nelson Entertainment, and Sovereign Pictures, to the tune of roughly $16 million. Filming was set to begin on 23 April 1990, with an 11-week shooting schedule. Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven and Blackness Castle were used as locations in the film. Dover Castle provided the main location for Elsinore Castle, the home of Hamlet and his family.
|
|
It was very important to do it in black and white and Columbia, the > studio, wouldn't let me. I had a big fight about that and they cancelled the > picture. Then Barry Spikings at British-Lion came in and funded some of the > picture, threw in a few million dollars. It ended up being a Columbia- > British Lion picture and but when it was all done it was a difficult > picture.
|
|
It was praised for capturing the spirit and setting of the original TV series. The film was successful enough for a sequel the following year, Sweeney 2, which saw some of the action relocated to the Mediterranean. Announcing the sequel, Barry Spikings of EMI said the first film "was successful, so we're helping fill the demand by making another one".British money is suddenly big in Hollywood,'right up with Fox and Warner.
|
|
In January 1983, Barry Spikings left the company and Verity Lambert was appointed head of production. Gary Dartnall became executive chairman. Lambert's first slate was Slayground, Comfort and Joy, Illegal Aliens (which became Morons from Outer Space) and Dreamchild. Lambert said they aimed to make five films a year ranging in budget from $5 to $10 million. In December 1984, Thorn EMI offered investors the chance to invest in several films by issuing £36 million worth of shares.
|
|
Along with Baker and Barry Spikings, Deeley also established a series of companies all called "Great Western" which did a variety of activities, including music festivals (Great Western Festivals), and investments (Great Western Investments). Great Western Investments later took over British Lion Films in 1973, and Deeley was appointed managing director of that company.Michael Deeley, Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies, Pegasus Books, 2009, pp. 95-97, 186.
|
|
Lone Survivor had an estimated budget of $40 million. Three production companies – Emmett/Furla Films, Herrick Entertainment, and Envision Entertainment – collaborated to finance the film. In addition, as part of the negative pickup deal with Universal, the film's producers—Berg, Aubrey, Spikings, Goldsman, Emmett, Wahlberg, Levinson, Norton Herrick, and Vitaly Grigoriants—contributed at least $1 million each to finance production costs. To avoid further costs, Berg chose to work for a minimum salary allowed under Directors Guild of America rules, $17,000 a week.
|
|
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a 1976 British science fiction film directed by Nicolas Roeg and written by Paul Mayersberg. Based on Walter Tevis's 1963 novel of the same name, the film follows an extraterrestrial who crash lands on Earth seeking a way to ship water to his planet, which is suffering from a severe drought. It stars David Bowie, Candy Clark, Buck Henry, and Rip Torn. It was produced by Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings, who reunited two years later to work on The Deer Hunter.
|
|
Lord Delfont announced that the company had purchased two British scripts, The Defense by John Mortimer and Off the Record by Frederick Forsyth. He admitted that sixty percent of the company's film budget would be spent in America the following year but "100% of the profits would come to this country... We have got to make films we believe are international, to get the money to bring exports back to this country." In February 1981, Barry Spikings announced a slate of films worth £70 million, including Honky Tonk Freeway, Memoirs of a Survivor, Comrades and The Knight (a Walter Hill film). The latter was not made.
|
|
Spikings announced a slate of films under his auspices: The Jazz Singer with Neil Diamond, The Elephant Man (both 1980), Honky Tonk Freeway (1981) Franco Zeffirelli's biopic of Maria Callas, Discoland, The Awakening, and The Knight directed by Ridley Scott. Delfont created a new company, Associated Film Distribution, to distribute films of EMI and ITC Entertainment, then controlled by Lew Grade, his brother. EMI's film division was renamed Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment, to reflect EMI's merger with Thorn Electrical Industries to become Thorn EMI in 1979. In March 1980, EMI were only making one film in Britain The Mirror Crack'd, which was released at the end of the year, but was a box-office failure.
|
|
In addition to Scorsese, Ufland also represented other Hollywood figures including Robert De Niro, Ridley Scott, Martin Sheen, Harvey Keitel, Peter Bogdanovich, Catherine Deneuve, Charles Grodin, Jodie Foster, Cher, Joe Pesci, Martin Brest, Marcello Mastroianni, Tony Scott, Adrian Lyne, Jonathan Kaplan, Ray Liotta, Joel Grey and Donald Sutherland. Ufland was thanked in the credits of Scorsese's 1973 film Mean Streets. He also appeared on screen as the agent of Jerry Lewis's character in Scorsese's The King of Comedy (1982). Film producer Barry Spikings thanked Ufland in his acceptance speech for winning the Academy Award for Best Picture for The Deer Hunter (1978). Ufland also packaged the films Mean Streets, Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980) and Blade Runner (1982).
|
|
In episode 9 of series 1, "Cry God for Harry", Chilham Castle in Kent becomes Winfield Hall, the grand English estate of Lord Winfield (Ralph Michael), and Chilham Square also makes a brief appearance as Dempsey and Makepeace approach the grand gates to the estate. Episode 1 of series 2, "Silver Dollar", used London Weekend Television's own studio building and reception area as the location for the fictional company Consolidated Westmore. As with many films and television programmes of the era, extensive filming was conducted at the disused remains of the East Greenwich Gas Works (the present-day site of The O2). A shot of Chief Superintendent Gordon Spikings (Ray Smith) in front of Cutty Sark was incorporated into the series' opening credit sequence.
|
|
Barry Spikings and Michael Deeley were entrepreneurs with experience in filmmaking. They had a company with actor Stanley Baker Greater Western Investments (GWI) and wanted to sell their main asset, a building, but wanted to avoid the high tax rate that came with real estate development. They decided to swap their shares in the company for shares in Lion International, the company that owned British Lion Films, Shepperton Studios, Pearl & Dean cinema advertisers, and Mills and Allen outdoor advertising. This would enable Lion to sell the building for cash, offsetting the profit against existing losses incurred by some of its subsidiaries.Deeley p 96-97 Deeley said there was opposition to GWI becoming involved in British Lion, notably from John Boulting, but eventually in January 1973 Deeley was appointed managing director of British Lion Films, and on the board of the company.
|
|
Although there is initial reluctance on both sides, Makepeace and Dempsey work as partners in a specialised task force, SI 10, and they make a good team. SI 10 is under the command of Gordon Spikings, played by Ray Smith. A fourth regular role is that of Chas, played by Tony Osoba, who provides useful research and communications in the SI 10 office and occasionally has a more active role. Two double-length episodes were produced, the first being the pilot ("Armed and Extremely Dangerous"), with the second the series 3 two-part opener ("The Burning"). At the height of the series’ popularity, and during season 2 particularly, the British tabloid press hounded the lead actors for off-screen stories regarding their then-budding personal relationship. Much of the show’s draw came from the good natured "will they or won’t they" interplay and a slowly evolving romance between the main protagonists, made possible by the obvious chemistry between the two lead actors.
|
|