Cannon coulda-beens from 1980

The following movie projects were announced by the newly revamped Cannon Films in October of 1980.

THE DOROTHY DANDRIDGE STORY was going to be a musical biopic directed by Michael Schultz (because his SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEART’S CLUB BAND two years earlier had turned out soooo well) with music by John Barry and lyrics by Carol Connors, to be produced by Leon Isaac Kennedy and starring his then-wife Jayne Kennedy.

Speaking of the Kennedys, their Cannon-backed 1981 remake of BODY AND SOUL was originally going to be helmed by busy actor-director Georg Stanford Brown, but George Bowers (in between Crown International films) ended up directing it instead.

Brian Garfield’s Death Sentence, the continuing story of CPA-turned-vigilante Paul Benjamin, was published in 1975 as a response to the controversial film adaptation of Death Wish, the first novel about Benjamin's exploits. To find out how this project very quickly lost Garfield’s approval and ultimately morphed into DEATH WISH II, pick up a copy of Paul Talbot’s excellent book Bronson’s Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films (iUniverse, 2006).

Following in the footsteps of Chuck Norris (GOOD GUYS WEAR BLACK), Joe Lewis (JAGUAR LIVES) and James Ryan (KILL OR BE KILED), undefeated karate champ Mike Stone wrote a screenplay titled Dance of Death that was designed to showcase his skills and hopefully launch his career as an action star. After purchasing his script and assuring him that he would be the star, producers Golan and Globus fired everyone -- the director, the crew, the cast (Stone included) -- brought in new screenwriters and gave the lead role to Franco Nero. Stone was rehired, but as the fight coordinator and also to double Nero for the action scenes. The resulting film was a hit that helped launch Sho Kosugi’s career as an action star.

We know nothing about this black-themed horror film from the writer of FIVE ON THE BLACK HAND SIDE and BLACK BELT JONES (Oscar Williams) and the director of COOLEY HIGH and CAR WASH (Michael Schultz again), except that it was never made.

Emmett Alston made NEW YEAR’S EVIL for Cannon instead of this slasher movie starring Wayne Newton!

Optical effects master Zoran Perisic, who had just won an Oscar for his groundbreaking work on SUPERMAN, was supposed to make his directorial debut with this big-screen adaptation of Colin Wilson's novel. It eventually became LIFEFORCE (1985), directed by Tobe Hooper from a screenplay co-written by Dan O'Bannon.

X-RAY is better known as HOSPITAL MASSACRE (1982). Boaz Davidson filled in for Emmett Alston as director and Barbi Benton replaced Jill St. John as the star.

The Endangered List (Case File #10)

THE LIMIT (1972)

CAST

Yaphet Kotto (Mark Johnson)

Quinn Redeker (Jeff McMillan)

Virgil Frye (Kenny)

Corinne Cole (Judy)

Ted Cassidy (Big Donnie)

Pamela Jones (Margret)

Gary Littlejohn (Pete)

Irene Forrest (Delores)

Nancy Ashe (Waitress)

John Bellah (Pickup Truck Driver)

Frank Belt (Man in Restaurant)

Ed Cambridge (Police Captain)

Vic Canupe (Bartender)

Bobby Clark (Man in Bar Fight)

Douglas Forward (BMW Driver)

Richard Hale (Man in Park)

Stuart Herschman (Messenger on Beach)

Joyce Hutton (Girl in Park)

Peaches Jones (Woman in Station Wagon)

Richard Kennedy (Man in Bar Fight)

Natascha Kotto (Carol Southern)

Fred Krone (First Drunk)

Buddy Panisary (Gas Station Attendant)

Jack Perkins (Second Drunk)

Frank Roh (John Woods/Mr. America)

John Roh (Boy with Kite)

Diane Regis (First Virgin Girlfriend)

Uma Tresoff (Second Virgin Girlfriend)

CREDITS

Producer/Director: Yaphet Kotto

Assistant Director: Hansen

Associate Producer: Frank Roh

Assistant to Producer: Douglas Forward

Production Coordinator: Kelly White

Original story: Yaphet Kotto

Screenplay: Sean Cameron

Director of Photography: Fenton Hamilton

Camera Operators: Manny Whitaker, James Edwards

Camera Assistants: Franko Guerri, William Forte

Film Editor: Norman Schwartz

Assistant Film Editor: Freeman Davies, Jr.

Sound Technician: Jack Reed

Script Supervisor: Patricia Motyka

Lighting Gaffer: George Rumanes

Lighting Assistant: Canton McMillian

Best Boy: Skip Troutman

Key Grips: William Raleigh, Bud Schindler

Grip Technician: William Leven

Costumer: Nancy Brown

Action Coordinators: Gary Littlejohn, Troy Melton

Chrysler Automobiles courtesy of Chrysler Corp.

BMW courtesy of Ocean View Motors, Santa Monica, Ca.

Mr. Kotto's wardrobe furnished by Mr. Guy, Beverly Hills.

Miss Jones' wardrobe furnished by Gazebo, Beverly Hills.

Hospital sequence made possible through the cooperation of Parkwood Community Hospital

Running time: 90 mins.

Color

MPAA rating: PG

PLOT

High tension builds from the outset when Mark Johnson (Yaphet Kotto) and Jeff McMillan (Quinn Redeker) have their first encounter with the chopper gang, the Virgins.

Mark, black and Jeff, white, are Los Angeles motorcycle police officers, close friends both on and off duty. But Mark has no way of knowing that this chance meeting with the Virgins will one day nearly cost him his life.

The Virgins, like most motorcycle gangs, are a motley group. Their leader, Big Donnie (Ted Cassidy), has been riding a long time and beginning to feel, inwardly, that there is a better way of life. With him on his chopper is his pregnant girl friend, Judy (Corinne Cole). Most hostile of the group is rebellious Kenny (Virgil Frye) who is scheming to replace Big Donnie as the Virgin's leader.

Mark is an extremely strong person who seldom loses his cool. When, during their first confrontation, Mark advises Judy to give up riding or risk endangering her unborn child, Big Donnie senses Mark's gentleness as well as strength and begins to look at him in a different way and with a new respect.

Big Donnie's respect for Mark becomes more evident after each encounter between the Virgins and the two cops. He finally confesses to Judy, who has taken Mark's advice and stopped riding, that he would like to quit the gang.

However, as Big Donnie's admiration for Mark grows, so does Kenny's hostility. This, coupled with his envy of Big Donnie's position as gang leader, finally manifests itself and endangers both Mark's girl friend Margret (Pamela Jones) and Judy.

With some of the gang members, Kenny breaks into Margret's house looking for Mark. When he doesn't find him, he vents his anger and frustration by beating Margret. He follows this up by persuading Judy to break her promise not to ride a chopper until after her baby is born. Rashly, she seats up behind Kenny, who roars off at full throttle.