The Last Mile (United Artists) (1959)

@® PUBLICITY Homicide Specialist Hits High Spot With ‘Last Mile’ Special Feature) Milt Olsen’s job is to kill actors, in the most authentic and convincing manner possible He is, of course, a special effects man, and his specialty is violent death. Olsen’s most recent assignment —and one he looks back upon fondly because it contained so many fine deaths—was the Mickey Rooney starrer, “The Last Mile,” film adaptation of the powerful Broadway stage hit, opening on at, thesis take Theatre through United Artists release. There is no possible device of the script writer's imagination with respect to homicide that Milt Olsen is not prepared to work out by means of one ingenious device or another. Indeed, he bemoans the fact that so many film deaths are caused by means of bullets, arrows, explosives or fire. He likes to work on something more unusual; it tests his mettle. He admits, though, that sometimes a sheer quantity makes him Realistic Note Keys ‘Last Mile’ Death House Set (Production Feature) “The Last Mile,” a film adaptation of one of the great prison dramas of all times, was filmed in its entirety in New York City, partly in a studio, partly on location. A grim, realistic, story of men in prison, men who are about to die, “The Last Mile” stars Mickey Rooney in the famous role of “Killer” Mears, and opens on..... at the Theatre through United Artists release. The strong supporting cast is heared by Alan Bunce, Frank Conroy, Leon Janney, Red Barry and Frank Overton. “The Last Mile” was produced by Max J. Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky, and directed by Howard W Koch The major portion of “The Last Mile” was filmed on a remarkably realistic prison death house set constructed on the third floor of the Production Center, a studio where a number of television shows are regularly filmed. Two weeks of intensive rehearsal, not unlike the rehearsal for a play preceded the actual shooting. When the cameras started to turn, the entire cast was not only well versed in their roles but were “up’”—at concert pitch. During the filming hours, guards and condemned men snarled and clashed, but at lunch time each afternoon, all would stream out companionably for lunch at an Italian restaurant down the block. Since they were dressed in their “Last Mile” costumes, Director Koch issued special orders to govern their appearance on the busy streets. He suggested that it would be a good idea if the actors in the convict garb walked in the center, with the “guards” outside. It was a precaution to keep any of the convict actors from being arrested in the event a passerby should turn in an alarm for the police. Anniversary! Frank Conroy, the distinguished stage and screen actor, celebrated his 50th anniversary in_ theatre with a champagne party on the set during production of “The Last Mile,” in which he plays the major role of O’Flaherty. Conroy made his debut with a Shakespearian troupe in his native England in 1908. An adaptation of the powerful Broadway stage hit, “The Last Mile” stars Mickey Rooney BNC OWENS OM) ac. oe cute ere ars at BEATS RE cscs Theatre through United Artists release. pace 10 forget his disappointment at haying to contrive a death by conventional means. For this reason he liked “The Last Mile,” very much particularly its famous prison break scene, in which seven convicts and four guards bite the dust in full view of the audience. Olsen, who has worked on many westerns, reckons that in his time he has killed several regiment of cavalry and at least four tribes of Indians. Killing actors with arrows is more difficult than with guns. Olsen uses a hollow arrow which is controlled out of camera range by means of a wire. On “The Last Mile,” Olsen rode herd on the makeup department to make sure that the blood on the prisoners’ jackets was of the proper color (he’s a bug about blood). He used three different colors in the picture, to represent the gore from three different types of wounds. The mere thought of veinous blood issuing from an arterial wound makes him shudder. OS rn ek Blood Tells So realistic is ‘*The Mile” down to the least detail, that three different colors of f‘blood” were used in the production to represent the gore from three _ different types of wounds in the violent prison break sequence of the picture, adaptation of the Broadway smash hit. Mickey Rooney stars in the role of “‘Killer’? Mears in “The Last Mile,” which opens ON ature oes at the uP Mas tear ee cee Theatre through United Artists release. ee ep eee, Comeback Donald “Red” Barry once in the top five in popularity among the screen’s western stars, makes his movie comeback, after an absence of three years in the heavily dramatic role of a sadistic prison guard in “The Last Mile,” opening OneStat at the Theatre through United Artists release. An adaptation of the powerful Broadway smash hit, “The Last Mile” stars Mickey Rooney. Double Duty Alan Bunce, who plays the role of the Warden in “The Last Mile,” opening on Theatre through United Artists release, did his scenes in the New York filmed production in the hours when he was not needed on stage in his role as Al Smith in the Broadway stage hit, “Sunrise at Campobello.” An adapiation of the powerful stage drama about men in prison, “The Last Mile” stars Mickey Rooney in the famous role of “Killer” Mears. Rooney Reflects On His Fabulous, Unusual Career (Mickey Rooney Biography) “T’ye always considered myself the most normal abnormal person in the world.” Thus did Mickey Rooney reflect during a lull in the filming of his latest motion picture, the United Artists release, “The Last Mile,” on the paradox of an acting career that has spanned more than three decades, yet finds him now barely past his mid-thirties and presently climaxing a successful comeback that was launched two years ago. Was it normal to make his first stage entrance at the age of one when he escaped from the dressing room of his vaudeville performing parents, Joe Yule and Nell Carter, and toddled right into the centre of a romantic singing duet? Yes, Rooney smiled impishly, but only for someone as abnormal as himself. “When I was 314,” he recalled, “[ was given a tailor-made suit and would stand outside the theatre, hands in my pockets watching the people go in. ‘Look,’ they'd say, ‘there’s a midget. Look at the little midget’.” Thus, it was only natural for the normal abnormal little boy to make his motion picture debut at the age of five playing a midget in a picture called “Orchids and Ermine.” At the advanced age of 12, the now veteran performer tried vaudeville for a while, then returned to Hollywood and appeared continuously on the screen. Later he was signed to a contract by MGM, an event that led to the memorable Hardy Family series and brought the adolescent actor several Oscar nominations while competing with adult stars for this coveted honor. By 1943 Rooney had won anether Academy Award nomination as best actor for his performance in William Saroyan’s “The Human Comedy.” Inducted into the U. S. Army in 1944, he covered 150,000 miles of Europe with the famous Jeep Shows, playing to more than two million GI’s. Following his return to civilian life, he terminated his 12-year association with MGM to free-lance, but the immediate results were not successful. Rooney’s star was on the wane when he tarted his resurgence with an incredible performance as “The Comedian” on CBS-TV’s Playhouse 90. An Oscar nomination followed for his portrayal of a GI in “The Bold and The Brave.” Then, joining forces with his manager, Red Doff, to form their own production company, he starred in two pictures made under his own banner—‘“Baby Face Nelson,” one of the big money makers of the year, and the as yet unreleased “Andy Hardy Comes Home.” Success of the Baby Face Nelson opus led to the actor’s current assignment as “Killer” Mears in Vanguard Productions’ drama of the death house classic “The Last Mile.” A Success Story! (Howard W. Koch Biography ) When Mickey Rooney agreed to walk “The Last Mile.” which opens at the © 016 were Oe 616 €, 6:8 6 Theatre through United Artists release, he wanted as company a director who had been so kind to him as “Andy Hardy.” His choice was Howard W. Koch who had started in the motion picture industry as a messenger boy, and worked his way up through the ranks as assistant cutter, second assistant director, and finally on to producer-director status. He had directed “Andy Hardy Comes Home.” Rooney felt that what was good for “Andy” could be even better for “Killer” Mears, the famous death house character he plays in “The Last Mile.” Koch didn’t go into movies by accident. He picked it from many other careers open to him even though he had to start as a messenger boy in 1934. He first worked with Aubrey Schenck, as a first assistant director on such pictures a “T-Men” and “They Walked By Night.” From there he went to MGM where he received his further education with such great directing names as Joe Mankiewicz, Clarence Brown, Mervyn LeRoy and William Wellman. Last year Koch directed “Untamed Youth.” “Violent Road,” and “Born Reckless.” End Ot The Road Still LM-44 A MOMENT OF COMPASSION. Mat 2A perhaps the only one, comes over “Killer”? Mears, as played by Mickey Rooney, as he watches his dying friend (Glifford Davis) while priest (Frank Overton) appraises the “The Last Mile,” which opens . . Theatre through United Artists Rosenberg Knows His Moviegoers (Biography ) Max J. Rosenberg co-producer with Milton Subotsky of “The Last Mile,” a United Artists release, has made and lost a _ half dozen fortunes in the movie industry in 20 years. His career started with the buying of a movie called, “I Met A Murderer,” featuring James Mason. Much to the dismay of his family, he had decided while still in college that he wanted to be in the movie industry, instead of being a lawyer. He read everything written about the movie business, and in his early movie ventures walked into theatres with a can of film under his arm. Today this is called, “One Man Vertical Integration” A pioneer in art pictures, he was associated with such pictures as “Blue Angel” “Murder in the Cathedral,” “The Titan,” “Congress Dances,” and “A Man of Erin,” Fifteen years ago he produced his first picture called “The Good Old Days,” which cleaned up at the box office, proving those days really were “the good old days.” Together with Mr. Subotsky his last two pictures have been “Rock, Rock, Rock,” and “Jamboree,” the success of which indicated that they knew how to give the public what they want. Few Successes There have been very few successful prison breaks in the United States, and the one depicted in the exciting drama, “The Last Mile” which opens at the Seer Theatre through United Artists release, shows why. The picture which is based on the famous Broadway play, and starring Mickey Rooney in the role of “Killer Mears,” shows how a sroup of desperate, doomed prisoners attempt to use the lives of prison guards to buy their way to freedom. It doesn’t work, because most wardens (including the one in “The Last Mile”) are so imbued with the responsibility of their position that they will make no “deals,” even though it may involve people they work with and admire. © Bis 0). 106.0) 0 6 ,-@.@ sie: oe 6 @.0 @ grim situation. Scene is from at the ce O27 Oe 6) 1S ee 6 release. Subotsky Arrives Via Army, TV (Biography) Milton Subotsky, co-producer with Max J. Rosenberg, also doubled as the writer of the screen play for “The Last Mile,” a United Artists release starring Mickey Rooney and opening ......... at LUCA patents ss Theatre. Subotsky first got together with Mr. Rosenberg after he had _ received a degree in chemical engineering, and switched to the study of radio and t.v. engineering. This background qualified him, the Army felt, as a screen writer and film editor for the Signal Corps. He had written a number otf top TV shows, and then a 39program children’s educational series called “Junior Science.” He then wrote “Rock, Rock, Rock” for Mr Rosenberg, including nine rock “n’-roll numbers for the film. One was the hit song “Baby, Baby.” He originated “The Curse of Frankenstein,” which started the current cycle of horror films. He wrote the songs for and co produced “Jamboree” with Mr. Rosenberg, before he began plotting the sensational moves by which “Killer” Mears started all the trouble in the death house in “The Last Mile.” ‘Last Mile’ Story “The Last Mile” the motion picture version of which opens...... at the Theatre through United Artists release, came to being because a condemned murderer, Robert Blake, in Huntsville, Texas, prison wanted to pay for his funeral and leave some money for his mother, Ella Blake. He took down the dialogue in the death house and gave it to a minister who sent it to a magazine. It was published after Blake’s death in the July 1929 American Mercury under the title, “The Law Takes Its Toll.” A play was based on it entitled, “All the World Wondered.” An actor in the play at rehearsals said the line “the last mile” . with such force that the producers and author who heard him immediately knew that this was a better title. Thus, “The Last Mile” started and became part of the American folklore.