In Cold Blood (Columbia Pictures) (1967)

Actor John Forsythe's "pork-pie'' type hat which he wears for his role 6s Kansas Bureau of Investigation detective Alvin Dewey in the film version of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," written for the screen and directed by Richard Brooks, was given to Forsythe by the real-life Alvin Dewey. Dewey wore the hat himself while investigating the Clutter murder case which is the basis of "In Cold Blood," a Columbia Pictures release filmed in Panavision. Dewey still is an agent with his headquarters in Garden City, Kansas, where part of the drama was photographed, in some instances with local people playing their real-life roles. * o* * Although admittedly a director who takes advantage of all the modern innovations, writer-director Richard Brooks is still a firm believer of that old standby of the silent film days—"mood music''—to help his actors with their characterizations. Brooks used selections from a large library of "mood" tapes from time to time during the filming of Truman Capote's best-seller, ''In Cold Blood," to set the proper emotional mood for the actors who appear in the Columbia Pictures release in Panavision. * * * Everybody gets into the act when they print up those "wanted" posters they stick on police bulletin boards in the movies. For the motion picture version of Truman Capote's best-seller, In Cold Blood," written for the screen and directed by Richard Brooks, there are the company prop man, head electrician, makeup man and actor John Forsythe in a false beard among the "wanted." The beard was needed for Forsythe because he actually appears in the film as Alvin Dewey, the detective who broke the Clutter murder case about which revolves the story of "In Cold Blood," a Columbia Pictures release in Panavision. * * * With his first major screen break, young actor Scott Wilson found himself in a rut. Wilson hitch-hiked to Hollywood. His break came when he was selected by writer-director Richard Brooks to play one of the two young killers in Brooks' screen version of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood." So what happens? For three months, Wilson literally hitchhiked across country all over again—this time for his scenes as a fugitive in the real-life story which Columbia Pictures is releasing in Panavision. * * * A mobile dressing room especially built for the late Ronald Colman when he starred in the memorable ''Lost Horizon" at the Columbia Ranch in Burbank, Calif., more than 30 years ago, was turned into a "little red schoolhouse" when a group of child actors worked in a sequence for the film version of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," written for the screen and directed by Richard Brooks in Panavision. The elaborate three-room unit served as a temporary school during the time the youngsters were acting in the Columbia Pictures release. Music for "In Cold Blood" was written by Quincy Jones. “IN COLD BLOOD COLUMN ITEMS Mat IF; Still No. 125 Robert Blake as Perry Smith and Scott Wilson as Richard Hickock, left, are featured in the film version of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood." Here they case a clothing store with the intention of cashing a bad check. The Columbia Pictures release was written for the screen and directed by Richard Brooks. Young actor Robert Blake, who plays one of the two fugitives in Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," written for the screen and directed by Richard Brooks for Columbia Pictures release in Panavision, swears he increased his biceps by an inch during filming. The actor credits Brooks, an ex-Marine who is a firm believer in getting players to do pushups and other strenuous exercises just prior to doing a scene where they must display strong emotion. Brooks feels the activity helps the action. * * * While writer-director Richard Brooks was filming a scene at a State Prison for his screen version of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood,'' a Columbia Pictures release in Panavision, an inmate watching the proceedings from behind bars in a cell block four tiers above suddenly yelled "Cut!" Filming came to a quick halt, and the prison humorist promised not to do it again. Other location filming in county and municipal jails was pursued without inmate intervention. * * * Screen newcomer Scott Wilson, who plays a fugitive in the film version of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," made his screen debut with Sidney Poitier in "In the Heat of the Night." There, Wilson played a town youth accused of murder, and jailed after a futile escape try. "In Cold Blood" is a Columbia Pictures release. * * * Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," which has been written for the screen and directed by Richard Brooks, has so far sold more than 8,000,000 copies in its various hard-cover and paperback editions. The Columbia Pictures release of the film is expected to just about double that sensational best-selling mark. * * * If he had filmed all of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" where it actually happened, writer-director Richard Brooks and his actors and crew would have had to follow the fugitives’ trail from Kansas to Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, into Mexico, through California to lowa, back to Kansas, through Missouri and Arkansas to Louisiana and Florida, through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to Nevada. They were captured in Las Vegas and returned to Kansas to stand trial for murder. * * * When an assistant director asked a group of actors in Truman Capote's ''In Cold Blood," written for the screen and directed by Richard Brooks, to light cigarettes for a scene, only four of the 16 complied. The others said they had sworn off smoking and didn't want to light up again even for make believe. Result was, the prop man had to "smoke up" the room artificially for a dramatic scene in the Columbia Pictures release in Panavision. * * * John Forsythe, who plays a Kansas Bureau of Investigation detective in the screen version of Truman Capote's best-seller, “In Cold Blood," collected six honorary police and sheriff badges during location work on the film which was written and directed by Richard Brooks for Columbia Pictures release in Panavision. Four of the honorary badges were from counties in Missouri and Kansas. Two were from Las Vegas. THE CAST Written for the Screen and Directed by....Richard Brooks THE CREDITS Public Relations........ Al Horwits Chief Electrician. Harry Sundby cL) Sea Ree Robert Blake Young Hitchhiker. Teddy Eccles Digks suites ke. Scott Wilson Elderly Hitchhiker Alvin Dewey ...... John Forsythe Reymond isiten Reporter ............ Paul Stewart area eee Renee Harold Nye Nancy Clutter's friend Gerald S. O'Loughlin oe (eg Dick's father ............ Jeff Corey Ss ae ae Al Christy Roy Church ...... John Gallaudet Store salesman.......... Don Sollars Clarence Duntz .... James Flavin Mrs. Hartman...... Harriet Levitt Perry's father..Charles McGraw Insurance man ........ Stan Levitt Officer Rohleder..... Jim Lantz Prosecuting Attorney Will Geer Herbert Clutter... John McLiam Bonnie Clutter .... Ruth Storey Nancy Clutter Brenda C. Currin Kenyon Clutter ...... Paul Hough ‘Good Samaritan’ Vaughn Taylor Young Reporter .. Duke Hobbie Reverend Post. Sheldon Allman Mrs. Smith ...... Sammy Thurman Mrs. Sadie Truitt............ Herself Myrtle Clare 000000000... Herself Based on the book by Truman Capote Director of Photography Conrad Hall WAISIE its alate. Quincy Jones Assistant Director......Tom Shaw Art Director ........ Robert Boyle Film Editor ............ Peter Zinner Script Supervisor... John Franco OFFICIAL BILLING TRUMAN CAPOTE'S 50% IN COLD BLOOD 100% Written for the Screen and Directed by RICHARD BROO KS 50% Music by QUINCY JONES 25% A COLUMBIA PICTURES RELEASE 25% PANAVISION® 25% RUNNING TIME: 134 MINUTES Property Masters... Joe La Bella, Bob Eaton Soura 20°24 Wm. Randall, Jr., A. Piantadosi, Dick Tyler Sound Effects. John H. Newman Set Decorator ........ Jack Ahern Special Effects .. Chuck Gaspar Wardrobe ............ Jack Martell Make-up .............. Gary Morris Assistant Editor ...... Earl Herdan Orchestrations ...... Leo Shuken, Jack Hayes Optical Effects ...... Pacific Titles Filmed with the cooperation of the People and Law Enforcement Agencies of Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, Mexico. Acknowledgment for Technical Assist ance to Dr. Joseph Satten and the Division of Law and Psychiatry, The Menninger Foundation, Topeka, Kans. Filmed in Panavision® Prints by Technicolor A Columbia Pictures Release Page 11