Second Takes — Billy Wilder

Posted on April 10, 2009 by lmharnisch

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July 1, 1943: "Five Graves to Cairo" opens in Los Angeles. 
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July 12, 1943: A typical post-release blurb about the film.

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Nov. 5, 1942.

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1942_1222_five_graves  Above, Nov. 19, 1942, Erich von Stroheim joins the production of "Five Graves to Cairo." Attempts to cast Ingrid Bergman in the film are unsuccessful. It's interesting to speculate what it would have been like with her.

At left, Dec. 22, 1942, Billy Wilder casts Anne Baxter in the role.

Here's the "Lux Radio Theater" version of "Five Graves to Cairo" with Franchot Tone and Anne Baxter.
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Hedda Hopper: Jan. 16 and Jan. 23, 1943.

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April 10, 1943: The war in Africa is influencing Hollywood, The Times' Edwin Schallert says.

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June 1, 1943: Reports from the New York reviews of "Five Graves to Cairo." The film hasn't yet opened in Los Angeles.
 
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June 6, 1943: The Times' Philip K. Scheuer looks into conflicting attitudes toward war films.

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July 2, 1943: Schallert reviews "Five Graves to Cairo" and calls the ending "bitterly tragic." 

About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
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1 Response to Second Takes — Billy Wilder

  1. Arye Michael Bender says:
    April 10, 2009 at 11:06 am

    Can you imagine Erich von Stroheim playing the Karloff role in ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’? As brilliant as he was, it’s hard to see him pulling laughs out of the air. Can you?

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