Shrewd film producer behind School for Scoundrels and Night of the Demon
Hal E Chester, who has died aged 91, was a juvenile actor, then a producer of low-budget movies in Hollywood, before he moved in 1955 to Britain, where he set up his own production company to take advantage of the lower costs of filming. Over the next 15 years he turned out a wide range of pictures, which often featured American stars such as Mickey Rooney, Dana Andrews, Yul Brynner and Paul Newman. For a period he specialised in British comedies. The first and best of these was School for Scoundrels (1960), loosely based on the popular Gamesmanship books of Stephen Potter. The impressive cast included Alastair Sim, Terry-Thomas and Dennis Price, with Ian Carmichael as the intrepid hero trying to impress Janette Scott.
Small, dynamic and fast-talking, Chester was perhaps a typical example of the shrewd and ambitious Hollywood producer. He...
Hal E Chester, who has died aged 91, was a juvenile actor, then a producer of low-budget movies in Hollywood, before he moved in 1955 to Britain, where he set up his own production company to take advantage of the lower costs of filming. Over the next 15 years he turned out a wide range of pictures, which often featured American stars such as Mickey Rooney, Dana Andrews, Yul Brynner and Paul Newman. For a period he specialised in British comedies. The first and best of these was School for Scoundrels (1960), loosely based on the popular Gamesmanship books of Stephen Potter. The impressive cast included Alastair Sim, Terry-Thomas and Dennis Price, with Ian Carmichael as the intrepid hero trying to impress Janette Scott.
Small, dynamic and fast-talking, Chester was perhaps a typical example of the shrewd and ambitious Hollywood producer. He...
- 4/16/2012
- by Joel Finler
- The Guardian - Film News
Paul Newman in Martin Ritt‘s Hud Twelve Paul Newman movies on Turner Classic Movies on Saturday, Aug. 21, as part of TCM’s "Summer Under the Stars" series. [Paul Newman schedule.] Any rare stuff? Not really. Most Paul Newman movies are widely available. Well, his early television appearances are probably hard to find. Perhaps also The Secret War of Harry Frigg. Or Pocket Money. But TCM won’t be showing any of these. Even so, TCM will be offering some good stuff, most notably the family drama/social commentary Hud (1963), the psychological drama Rachel Rachel (1968), and the Hitchcockian comedy-adventure The Prize (1963). In my view, Hud is one of Newman’s two or three best films and one of the most mature movies to come out of Hollywood in the ’60s. It also has Newman’s most effective pre-1980s performance; he is the selfish, reckless, rudderless Hud, the guy wearing the most dangerous...
- 8/21/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.