Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1969


Where's Jack?

Buy Where's Jack? now from Amazon

First, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.

Wikipedia article




'Where's Jack?' is a 1969 British adventure film recounting the exploits of notorious 18th-century criminal Jack Sheppard and London "Thief-Taker General" Jonathan Wild.

The film was produced by Stanley Baker through his company Oakhurst Productions, and starred Baker himself as Jonathan Wild. Tommy Steele played Jack Sheppard. The film was directed by novelist James Clavell. Mary Hopkin sings the title song.

Plot



The film depicts the adventures and the exploits of notorious English thief and prison-breaker Jack Sheppard in 1720s London.

The ending of the film is ambiguous, and suggests that Sheppard may have survived his execution and escaped to the Americas.

Cast



*Tommy Steele as Jack Sheppard

*Stanley Baker as Jonathan Wild

*Alan Badel as The Lord Chancellor

*Dudley Foster as Blueskin

*Fiona Lewis as Edgworth Bess Lyon

*Sue Lloyd as Lady Darlington

*Noel Purcell as Leatherchest

*Eddie Byrne as Rev. Wagstaff

*Michael Elphick as Hogarth

*Howard Goorney as Surgeon

*John Hallam as The Captain

*Harold Kasket as The King

*Caroline Munro as Madame Vendonne

*Cardew Robinson as Lord Mayor

*George Woodbridge as Hangman

Production



Financing was provided by Paramount. According to producer Michael Deeley, this was obtained after a pitch made by Martin Baum, Stanley Baker's agent, to Charles Bludhorn, owner of Paramount. Baum described the film as being written by the writers of 'Point Blank' (1967), produced by the maker of 'Zulu' (1963) and directed by the man who made 'To Sir, with Love' (1967) which, combined, made a profit of $45 million. Divided by four, that would have meant a profit of over $10 million after the $3 million cost was deducted. The pitch was successful, and Deeley says it remains one of his happiest memories in getting a film funded.

Peter Bart, an executive at Paramount at the time, says Stanley Baker did the presentation with Deeley and Baum. Bart says Bludhorn believed that expensive films made the most money and was attracted to 'Where's Jack?' in part by its cost, agreeing to finance without reading a script. He also claims that Deeley presented him with the relatively inexpensive 'The Italian Job' and that Bart arranged for it to be financed without telling Bludhorn; 'Italian Job' would go on to be a far more successful film.

Peter Yates said at the time that Stanley Baker was "rescuing" Tommy Steele from Hollywood musicals "to do some acting again".Lesner, Sam, "British Director to Film U.S. Dilemma", 'Los Angeles Times' February 9, 1968: c14. The film was announced in February 1968.Weiler, A.H., "They Only Die Twice", 'The New York Times', February 25, 1968: D17

Filming took place in Ireland in June 1968. It finished by September.Martin, Betty, "Liza Minnelli Signs Pact", 'Los Angeles Times', June 4, 1968: f15.

Reception



'Where's Jack?' turned out to be a box office flop.Deeley, Michael, 'Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies', Pegasus Books, 2009, pp. 43-44 The film was not even released in the USA after performing poorly in Europe.Gelmis, Joseph, "Hollywood Skeletons Haunt Studio Vaults", 'Los Angeles Times', November 21, 1971: i11.

The 'Los Angeles Times' wrote that it was "astonishingly similar, markedly better" to another film about a highwayman that came out around the same time, 'Sinful Davey'.Champlin, Charles, "'Sinful Davey' Opens Run at Royal Theater", 'Los Angeles Times', May 29, 1969: d1.

References




Buy Where's Jack? now from Amazon

<-- Return to movies from 1969



This work is released under CC-BY-SA. Some or all of this content attributed to http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1108486254.