1001 Steve McQueen Facts. Tyler Greenblatt

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СКАЧАТЬ for the day: “God save us from Steve McQueen!”

      180. There’s a popular rumor that McQueen was initially offered $2,500 or 10 percent of the profit for his work on The Blob. It makes for a funny story, but it’s false. He was paid $3,000 for his work and the option to appear in the studio’s two next films.

      181. At the time, The Blob was made for only $130,000 and wasn’t expected to do all that well. It ended up shocking everyone and went on to become a symbol of 1950s popular culture. That first year, The Blob brought in a $6 million profit and is estimated to have grossed more than $40 million over the years.

      182. One of the first people outside of the production staff to see The Blob was Dick Powell, head of Four Star Studios, who asked to see a rough cut of the film. The purpose of his viewing was to look at Steve McQueen and potentially cast him in an upcoming television show. Jack Harris, even with all that the crew went through on set with McQueen, gave his recommendation. The show Powell went on to produce? Wanted Dead or Alive.

      183. Steve fired his horse on his first day of work on Wanted Dead or Alive. He was initially supplied with an older horse that he claimed had to be put on roller skates so it could get around the sound stage.

      184. He asked Dick Powell if he could pick out his own horse, saying, “We’re going to be doing this series for a while; I’d kind of like a horse I got something with, you know?” He decided on a black one named Ringo who bucked him off during his first ride. Ringo bit all the other horses in his first week on set and destroyed several pieces of equipment.

      185. McQueen also insisted on picking his own gun for his character of Josh Randall to use in Wanted Dead or Alive. The cut-down .44-40 Winchester Model 1892 rifle that he used was created by his friend, artist Von Dutch. Where a sawed-off shotgun is often referred to as a “hog’s leg,” Steve wanted his creation to instill fear without being “mean.” The name “Mare’s Leg” was chosen for the thigh-mounted rifle.

      186. By the time filming on Never So Few had wrapped, Steve had so much practice handling firearms that he challenged the industry’s best, Sammy Davis, Jr., to a draw-and-shoot contest. The prize was a nickel-plated memorial Colt .45, otherwise known as the Peacemaker, plus a few side bets Steve took that were all going for Davis. McQueen ended up beating Davis, taking the show gun and some cash, but most importantly, the respect.

      187. Steve McQueen’s method acting style meant that his characters and actions were based on some level of real-life experience or emotion. His character of Josh Randall in Wanted Dead or Alive was based on a cop he knew when he was a kid in New York. “There was no monkey business with him,” he said. “When he said he’d shoot, he meant it. Well, I think of him, and pretty soon I’m Josh Randall.”

      188. The Federal Bureau of Investigation kept tabs on many Hollywood actors and businesspeople during J. Edgar Hoover’s term as director. The FBI created its first dossier on Steve McQueen with the airing of Wanted Dead or Alive, giving it the classification of a “Gangster Glorification Movie.” McQueen remained on the FBI’s radar in this manner until his death.

      189. In 1960, Steve and Neile starred in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, “Man from the South.” The grisly tale features Steve as a gambler and Neile as a woman he meets in a bar and wants to leave town with, except they’re both broke. He takes a strange bet with an older man that if he can light his lighter ten times in a row, he’ll give him his new convertible. If he fails, the man gets to chop off his pinky finger. The episode was so macabre in fact, that CBS postponed the original January 1, 1960, air date to January 3 so it wasn’t so close to the holiday season.

      190. Steve and Dick Powell had made a verbal agreement that if a movie opportunity came along for Steve, every possible option would be exhausted to make the scheduling work. For someone like Steve, who grew bored easily and had a burning desire to be a film star, an arrangement like this was extremely important. It actually paid off after the first season of Wanted.

      191. Originally, Sammy Davis, Jr., was cast for the role of Corporal Bill Ringa in Never So Few after Frank Sinatra went to bat for him. Regular casting of people of color in Hollywood was very uncommon at the time, and Sammy’s $75,000 payday made a big splash in the industry. What also made a big splash was when Sammy criticized Sinatra’s manners in a radio interview. Just like that, he was out, and a replacement was needed.

      192. Director John Sturges’ wife, Dorothy, was a fan of Steve McQueen on Wanted Dead or Alive, and thought his style would fit the role perfectly. Her husband agreed, and McQueen was cast with a $25,000 salary. An internal telegram announcing the switch to key people read, “Chicago replaced by Detroit.”

      193. Early in filming of Never So Few, Frank Sinatra snuck a firecracker into McQueen’s belt loop while he was reading a script. The firecracker went off, sending Steve jumping backward and causing Sinatra to laugh. Never one to be outdone, Steve grabbed a nearby Tommy gun, loaded it with a magazine full of blanks, and fired right back at an unexpecting Sinatra, who jumped quite a few feet himself. He earned Sinatra’s respect with that comeback, and throughout filming they played similar pranks on each other, such as tossing surprise firecrackers at each other or playing with the production’s pyrotechnics equipment.

      194. Never So Few was a critical disappointment considering the hype and star cast. This proved to be a blessing in disguise for McQueen, who delivered a stand-out performance and received numerous positive comments. Several reviews even suggested that he would go on to become a major star, although it’s unlikely they guessed how quickly that would happen. Sinatra was also impressed with Steve’s performance, and invited him to do more films together.

      195. Although working with Frank Sinatra seemed like a huge opportunity at the time, and would have likely earned Steve a lot of money, it would have hurt his own star power. In addition to supporting Sinatra in two upcoming films, Steve McQueen would also have had to put on a nightclub act doing comedy impressions. Being a part of the famed Rat Pack would be a dream-come-true for many actors and singers, but it would also mean constantly playing second fiddle to someone else.

      196. As part of McQueen’s publicity duties for Wanted Dead or Alive, he had to visit state fairs, festivals, and rodeos to promote the show. His first event was at a rodeo in a small town in Texas. He had no idea what to do so he rode out on his horse and had his manager, Hilly Elkins, throw a coin for him to shoot with the Mare’s Leg sawed-off rifle. After he fired, they quickly exited the arena, got in their car, and drove off. Neither had any idea as to whether or not Steve actually hit the coin.

      197. Steve’s antics on the set of Wanted are rumored to have led recovering alcoholic director George Blair to start drinking again. Oftentimes, during 15-minute breaks, he went for a ride on his motorcycle for 30 minutes, costing money and causing headaches. When Blair approached him about it, McQueen responded, “Hey, I’m enjoying my bike better than a little TV show!”

      198. When the opportunity came up for Steve to play a role in a new western called The Magnificent Seven for $65,000, he once again turned to his Wanted contract and that little verbal agreement. This time, however, the shooting dates coincided and the studio refused to release Steve to film the movie. Manager Hilly Elkins knew that nothing could stop Steve from doing the film, so he gave him instructions on how to get out of the TV show. He told him to have an accident convincing enough to feign an injury, but not so bad that he would be seriously hurt.

      199. Naturally, Steve McQueen pushed the limit and drove a rented Cadillac, with Neile in the car, into the side of a bank in Hartford, Connecticut. He returned to Los Angeles in a neck brace. The accident angered Four Star Studios, which right away assumed that it was done on purpose. However, it showed the lengths that СКАЧАТЬ