Latest news with #WhoKnew
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Robin Williams' ‘Popeye' Had the ‘Most Coked-Up Film Set' and ‘Everyone Was Stoned,' Says Former Studio Boss: ‘They Were Shipping' Cocaine in Film Canisters
Barry Diller's book tour for his recently published memoir 'Who Knew' hit New York City's 92Y, where moderator Anderson Cooper asked Diller during a Q&A to reveal 'the most coked-up film set' he ever visited during his tenure as the CEO of Paramount Pictures. The former studio executive had the answer almost immediately: Robert Altman's 'Popeye' (1980). 'Coked-up film set? Oh, 'Popeye,'' Diller answered (via Entertainment Weekly). 'By the way, you can watch it. If you watch 'Popeye,' you're watching a movie that — you think of it in the thing that they used to do about record speeds, 33 [RPM], whatever. This is a movie that runs at 78 RPM and 33 speed.' More from Variety Making the Public Domain Even More Horrifying: Modest Proposals for Turning 1920s Classics Into Slasher Fare, From Mickey to Hemingway (Column) Robin Williams Called Conan O'Brien After 'Tonight Show' Firing and Sent Him Out on a Bike Ride: 'You're Gonna Be Fine. Ride Around, You'll Feel Better' Robin Williams Was the First Person to Visit Christopher Reeve in the Hospital and Made Him Laugh by Pretending to Be a Russian Colon Doctor Diller served as the head of Paramount Pictures from 1974 until 1984. His illustrious tenure at the studio included the releases of hit movies such as 'Saturday Night Fever,' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' 'Grease' and 'Beverly Hills Cop,' among other classics. But it's Altman's 'Popeye' that earns the distinction of having the most 'coked-up film set.' 'You couldn't escape it,' Diller said about the drug use on the movie's set. 'They were actually shipping in film cans at the time. Film cans would be sent back to L.A. for daily processing film. This was shot in Malta. And we found out that the film cans were actually being used to ship cocaine back and forth to this set. Everyone was stoned.' Robin Williams starred as the title character in 'Popeye,' which marked the comedian's first big-screen acting role after making a name for himself on hit television series 'Happy Days' and its spinoff 'Mork & Mindy.' The film co-starred Altman regular Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl. The movie was a box office success with $60 million worldwide (unadjusted for inflation), nearly double its production budget. Reviews, however, were mixed. Variety wrote in its original 'Popeye' review: 'It is more than faint praise to say that 'Popeye' is far, far better than it might have been, considering the treacherous challenge it presented. But avoiding disaster is not necessarily the same as success. To the eye, Robin Williams is terrifically transposed into the squinting sailor with the bulging arms. But to the ear, his mutterings are not always comprehensible.' Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz
San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
This Robin Williams movie had the most 'coked-up film set,' ex-studio boss says
The filming of Robert Altman's 'Popeye' was powered by a lot more than spinach, according to the man in charge of the studio that produced the movie. The 1980 live-action adaptation, starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall, was the 'most coked-up film set,' according to Barry Diller, the CEO of Paramount Pictures at the time. 'Film cans would be sent back to L.A. for daily processing film. This was shot in Malta,' Diller revealed during a recent onstage conversation with Anderson Cooper at New York City's 92nd Street Y. 'We found out that the film cans were actually being used to ship cocaine back and forth to this set. Everyone was stoned.' Diller is currently promoting his memoir 'Who Knew,' which details his career, including his time in charge at Paramount from 1974-84. 'If you watch 'Popeye,' you're watching a movie that — you think of it in the thing that they used to do about record speeds, 33 (RPM), whatever — this is a movie that runs at 78 RPM and 33 speed,' he said. Cooper then asked Diller if he 'instantly knew' that everyone on the film's set was high when he visited. 'Knew it?' Diller said. 'You couldn't escape it.' 'Popeye' was the big screen debut of Williams, a Redwood High School graduate who was a longtime Bay Area resident until his suicide at 63 in 2014. The stand-up comic had just experienced a breakthrough when he was cast as the alien Mork from Ork in an episode of the sitcom 'Happy Days.' The character proved so popular that it spun off into its own series, 'Mork & Mindy,' co-starring Pam Dawber. His performance as Mork caught Altman's eye when he was casting for the titular sailor man. 'Popeye' was originally a comic strip by Elzie Crisler Segar, which debuted in 1929 and was adapted into a series of short animated cartoons. Williams openly discussed his fight against addiction, which escalated during his rise to stardom in the 1970s when cocaine was prevalent in the entertainment industry. He told People magazine in a 1988 interview that he used cocaine 'to hide' but quit when his first wife, Valerie Velardi, became pregnant with their son, Zachary.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Robin Williams' ‘Popeye' movie ‘made while the set was snowed in cocaine'
Robin Williams' 'Popeye' film was made while the set was snowed in cocaine. The troubled comic, who took his life in August 2014 aged 63 after well-documented battles with drugs, alcohol and depression, starred as the spinach-gobbling sailor in the 1980 Robert Altman movie – and former movie boss Barry Diller has now spoken about the extent of substance abuse that went on behind the scenes. The 82-year-old media mogul, who served as CEO of Paramount Pictures from 1974 to 1984, made the comments during an on-stage conversation with journalist Anderson Cooper at the 92nd Street Y in New York while promoting his new autobiography 'Who Knew', saying there was so much cocaine on the set of 'Popeye' 'you couldn't escape it'. Barry added during the production of the movie, which also starred Shelley Duvall and was shot in Malta, the drug was so prevalent it was being transported alongside reels of film. He said: 'Film cans would be sent back to LA daily for processing the film. 'And we found out the film cans were actually being used to ship cocaine back and forth to the set. Everyone was stoned.' Diller added the influence of the drug may be apparent in the final cut of the film, which he described as playing like a vinyl record at an unnaturally fast speed. 'Think of… record speeds,' he said. 'If 33rpm is the standard speed for playing an LP on a record player, this is a movie that runs at 78 rpm.' The film's orchestrator, Van Dyke Parks, 81, previously recounted similar experiences during the production. In an interview with The Telegraph, he said: 'I was the hero of the regiment for opening up a walkie-talkie to change the battery and finding a bag of cocaine. 'I don't remember how much there was or to whom I gave it. But I remember that I recoiled, because I knew that it would be a component in the way people behaved, and the difficulties of the production right up to the top.' Van Dyke also recalled famed film producer Robert Evans, who was behind 'The Godfather' and 'Chinatown', narrowly avoided arrest when his cocaine-filled luggage went missing during the shoot. Robert was later arrested on unrelated cocaine trafficking charges while 'Popeye' was in post-production. Even though the charge was eventually cleared, Robert told an interviewer in 1994: 'Bob 'Cocaine' Evans is how I'll be known to my grave.' Robin Williams was very open about his struggles with cocaine addiction during the time 'Popeye' was shot.
Perth Now
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Robin Williams' ‘Popeye' movie ‘made while the set was snowed in cocaine'
Robin Williams' 'Popeye' film was made while the set was snowed in cocaine. The troubled comic, who took his life in August 2014 aged 63 after well-documented battles with drugs, alcohol and depression, starred as the spinach-gobbling sailor in the 1980 Robert Altman movie – and former movie boss Barry Diller has now spoken about the extent of substance abuse that went on behind the scenes. The 82-year-old media mogul, who served as CEO of Paramount Pictures from 1974 to 1984, made the comments during an on-stage conversation with journalist Anderson Cooper at the 92nd Street Y in New York while promoting his new autobiography 'Who Knew', saying there was so much cocaine on the set of 'Popeye' 'you couldn't escape it'. Barry added during the production of the movie, which also starred Shelley Duvall and was shot in Malta, the drug was so prevalent it was being transported alongside reels of film. He said: 'Film cans would be sent back to LA daily for processing the film. 'And we found out the film cans were actually being used to ship cocaine back and forth to the set. Everyone was stoned.' Diller added the influence of the drug may be apparent in the final cut of the film, which he described as playing like a vinyl record at an unnaturally fast speed. 'Think of… record speeds,' he said. 'If 33rpm is the standard speed for playing an LP on a record player, this is a movie that runs at 78 rpm.' The film's orchestrator, Van Dyke Parks, 81, previously recounted similar experiences during the production. In an interview with The Telegraph, he said: 'I was the hero of the regiment for opening up a walkie-talkie to change the battery and finding a bag of cocaine. 'I don't remember how much there was or to whom I gave it. But I remember that I recoiled, because I knew that it would be a component in the way people behaved, and the difficulties of the production right up to the top.' Van Dyke also recalled famed film producer Robert Evans, who was behind 'The Godfather' and 'Chinatown', narrowly avoided arrest when his cocaine-filled luggage went missing during the shoot. Robert was later arrested on unrelated cocaine trafficking charges while 'Popeye' was in post-production. Even though the charge was eventually cleared, Robert told an interviewer in 1994: 'Bob 'Cocaine' Evans is how I'll be known to my grave.' Robin Williams was very open about his struggles with cocaine addiction during the time 'Popeye' was shot.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mogul Slams George Lucas: ‘Sanctimonious Hypocrite'
Barry Diller is making his thoughts on Star Wars creator George Lucas known. In a portion of Diller's tell-all, Who Knew, he details working with Lucas on the Indiana Jones franchise back when the mogul was CEO of Paramount Pictures. Diller had doubts about approving Raiders of the Lost Ark, despite studio president Michael Eisner's support. The film, led by George Lucas as co-writer and executive producer and Steven Spielberg as director, seemed risky. Though Diller liked the script and had faith in Spielberg, he was wary of the creators' steep demands. Both Spielbertg and Lucas had reputations for escalating budgets. "After the first twenty or so pages, where Indiana Jones gets chased down the mountain by a giant rock, I thought the opening segment alone would cost more than any movie we'd ever made,' Diller writes. Learning from 20th Century Fox's costly Star Wars deal, Diller insisted on airtight sequel terms. 'I wanted to retch once, and then not have to regurgitate in a new negotiation if the film was a success.' Raiders was made, becoming a massive success in 1981. But when work began on the sequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Lucas demanded more money, to Diller's chagrin. 'This deal, the most generous in history, isn't worth it?' Lucas responded, 'No, not really.' When Diller reminded him of the agreed-upon terms, Lucas replied, 'Yeah, well, it's just not worth it for me unless I get more money.' Diller ultimately renegotiated the terms for the Indiana Jones sequel, but concluded: 'The Hollywood-bashing, take-the-high-ground George Lucas was actually a sanctimonious, though supremely talented … hypocrite" Mogul Slams George Lucas: 'Sanctimonious Hypocrite' first appeared on Men's Journal on May 23, 2025
