Jerry Frebowitz
Jerry Frebowitz, president of Movies Unlimited, started selling movies for home use in 1975. First, as a hobby, then by 1978, through a small direct mail catalog, which eventually grew into the big 800-page version seen today. Jerry is an avid movie fan and collector and particularly enjoys classic films from the 30s, 40s and 50s.
Jerry's Posts
Jerry Frebowitz | Talkin' the Oldies
Here are 10 trivia facts about Blazing Saddles from 1974, which originally appeared as our Mystery Movie Quiz on our Facebook page. There are lots of pieces of behind-the-scenes information about this movie. Please feel free to comment and add more trivia we might have missed.
1. This film has racial overtones.
In 1974, before the letters PC meant "politically correct," Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles towered as a laugh-out-loud comedy containing many references to racism and some rather derogatory terms for African-Americans. Much like the then-popular TV series All in the Family, though, the words were to mock bigotry, and throughout the film it's the prejudiced white townspeople and the villains who bear the brunt of all the jokes.
Jerry Frebowitz | Talkin' the Oldies
Here are 10 trivia facts about Cat Ballou from 1965, which originally appeared as our Mystery Movie Quiz on our Facebook page. There are lots of pieces of behind-the-scenes information about this movie. Please feel free to comment and add more trivia we might have missed.
1. It was named by AFI as one of the 10 best of its genre.
In 2008, Cat Ballou was ranked by the American Film Institute as being among the 10 greatest films in the "Westerns" category. If there was a category for "Comedy Westerns," it would probably be high up on that list, too.
2. This was the director's first feature film.
Between 1954 and 1965, Elliot Silverstein directed episodes of some very high-profile TV shows, including Omnibus, Route 66, Have Gun, Will Travel, Dr. Kildare, The Twilight Zone, The Defenders and more. However, it wasn't until 1965 that Silverstein made his big-screen directing debut with Cat Ballou. A few years later, he had another highly visible film, A Man Called Horse (1970), and since that time has mostly concentrated on television. For trivia buffs, Silverstein was David Cassidy's stepfather for a short time.
Jerry Frebowitz | Staff Notes
Here are 10 trivia facts about The Rocketeer from 1991, which originally appeared as a Mystery Movie Quiz on our Facebook page. There are lots of pieces of behind-the-scenes information about this movie. Please feel free to comment and add more trivia we might have missed.
1. This film is set before World War II.
The theater posters for The Rocketeer said, "Three years before the United States declares war, Cliff Secord leads America's first battle against the Nazis." Dave Stevens' original graphic novel sets the time as the 1930s.
2. Some of this film's themes are loosely based on real life events.
The original graphic novel has a 1930s nostalgia to it and the folks at Disney made the most of it, with the help of The Rocketeer's author Dave Stevens. Incorporated into the film is a similarity to the Hindenburg disaster, Errol Flynn's rumored involvement as a Nazi spy, Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, along with a terrific reenactment of the filming of Warner Brothers' The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) but adding to the real-life feel are the landmarks seen in the film. There are glimpses of period restaurants The Brown Derby and The Bulldog Diner, and of course, the famed Hollywoodland sign.
Jerry Frebowitz | Staff Notes
Here are 10 trivia facts about Fail Safe from 1964, which originally appeared as our Mystery Movie Quiz on our Facebook page. There are lots of pieces of behind-the-scenes information about this movie. Please feel free to comment and add more trivia we might have missed.
1. This movie is based on a popular novel.
Fail Safe, published in 1962 was written by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler. The best-seller became a hit movie in 1964 and then 16 years later, in 2000, Fail Safe was a TV movie, this time filmed live on CBS, retaining the original black and white cinematography for its broadcast. Both movies stuck to the original premise of the novel -- the possibility of an accidental nuclear war.
Jerry Frebowitz | Staff Notes
Here are 10 trivia facts about Gran Torino from 2008, which originally appeared as our Mystery Movie Quiz on our Facebook page. There are hundreds of pieces of behind-the-scenes information about this movie. Please feel free to comment and add more trivia we might have missed.
1. The lead role is the only "known" actor in the film.
Although some actors in the movie are seasoned professionals either on TV or in film, most are not. The Asian roles are almost all played by first-time movie actors. Only Clint Eastwood can be considered a "household name."
Jerry Frebowitz | Staff Notes
Here are 15 movies, some more popular than others but all good choices for New Year's Eve viewing with a friend...and just as worthwhile even for those finding themselves home alone when the glitter ball drops at midnight in Times Square. Presented for your consideration in no particular order, these are just a few random choices. Feel free to add your suggestions for the nostagic holiday.
Jerry Frebowitz | Talkin' the Oldies
Here are 10 trivia facts about The Silent Partner from 1979, which originally appeared as our Mystery Movie Quiz on our Facebook page. There are hundreds of pieces of behind-the-scenes information about this movie. Please feel free to comment and add more trivia we might have missed.
1. This is not considered a holiday movie but it is set around the holidays.
It's Christmastime at the mall and Christopher Plummer is the mall Santa. While everyone in town is decking the halls and resting ye merry gentlemen, Santa, who we learn is very dishonest, has his sights set on robbing the mall bank. Elliott Gould as the bank teller gets wind of the coming heist (see the movie to find out how) and when "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas," Plummer is outwitted when Gould decides he needs to "have himself a merry little Christmas" at Santa's expense.
Jerry Frebowitz | Staff Notes
Here are 10 trivia facts about One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest from 1975, which originally appeared as our Mystery Movie Quiz on our Facebook page. There are hundreds of pieces of behind-the-scenes information about this movie. Please feel free to comment and add more trivia we might have missed.
1. The book on which the movie is based took three years to get published.
Although Ken Kesey wrote his novel in 1959, it was not until 1962 when it was published by Viking Press and Signet books. A Broadway play was produced much quicker, only one year later in 1963, and has been revived twice since, once in 1971 and again in 2001.
Jerry Frebowitz | Talkin' the Oldies
Here are 10 trivia facts about Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds from 1963, which originally appeared as our Mystery Movie Quiz on our Facebook page. There are hundreds of pieces of behind-the-scenes information about this movie. Please feel free to comment and add more trivia we might have missed.
1. Most of this film’s setting is in a real-life small town.
The exterior shots for The Birds were filmed in Bodega Bay, California. Not all the filming was done there, as Alfred Hitchcock didn't really like location shooting, so a good deal of the film was shot at Universal Studios. When Tippi Hedren (bio; videography) is attacked in the rowboat, that scene is in Bodega Harbour and the schoolhouse shown as the Bodega Bay School was really the Potter Schoolhouse in the town of Bodega, about five miles from Bodega Bay. An interesting fact about the gas station in Bodega Bay; it didn't exist in that spot until it was built years later -- but the script called for the gas station to be visible from the windows of the Tides Restaurant... and with a little Hitchcock magic, the gas station is there.
Jerry Frebowitz | Talkin' the Oldies
Here are 10 trivia facts about The Great Race from 1965, which originally appeared as our Mystery Movie Quiz on our Facebook page. There are hundreds of pieces of behind-the-scenes information about this movie. Please feel free to comment and add more trivia we might have missed.
1. Five of the actors were Academy Award nominees -- but none for this film.
Tony Curtis was nominated for one Oscar; Natalie Wood nominated 3 times; Peter Falk twice, Arthur O'Connell twice, and the most nominated actor in The Great Race is Jack Lemmon who was nominated 8 times, taking home two Oscars, one each for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.
2. The film takes place in various locales.
The Great Race was actually filmed in 14 different locations including Paris, France and Salzburg, Austria. The other 12 locations were in California, Kentucky and Oregon.
Jerry Frebowitz | Talkin' the Oldies
Here are 10 trivia facts about Field Of Dreams from 1989, which originally appeared as our Mystery Movie Quiz on our Facebook page. There are many pieces of behind-the-scenes information about this movie. Please feel free to comment and add more trivia we might have missed.
1. This movie features something that is currently in the news.
Sports news of varying types appears 12 months a year, but when the "boys of summer" move on to the World Series, baseball is noticeably in the news.
2. Finances play a role in the film.
When Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) hears the voice telling him "if you build it, he will come," he is so convinced that he plows his cornfield. But after a year without anything happening, he and Annie (Amy Madigan) are in financial straits and consider selling the farm.
Jerry Frebowitz | Staff Notes
Here are 10 trivia facts about Jurassic Park from 1993, which originally appeared as our Mystery Movie Quiz on our Facebook page. There are hundreds of pieces of behind-the-scenes information about this movie. Please feel free to comment and add more trivia we might have missed.
1. The movie centers on a controversial topic.
Michael Crichton's thriller is about the biotechnology industry and the hazards of genetic engineering. Although strides are being made which can lead to higher qualities in animals and humans, Jurassic Park points out it can also lead to some very dangerous side effects. It's been said that Crichton conveyed his personal beliefs about science and genetic engineering through Jeff Goldblum's character, Dr. Ian Malcolm.
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