Q: The Civil War films "Gettysburg" and "Gods and Generals" from Turner Entertainment were to have a third part, "The Last Full Measure." What became of it? I heard battle scenes were filmed at the same time as the filming of "Gods and Generals;" that was quite awhile back.
A: Entertainment mogul Ted Turner did plan to make a trilogy of Civil War movies based on the books by the late Michael Shaara and his son, Jeff. "Gettysburg" was based on Michael's novel "The Killer Angels" and received considerable acclaim when it was released in 1993. Jeff continued the saga with "Gods and Generals," a prequel to "Gettysburg," and a sequel, "The Last Full Measure." (For more about all this, see the Web site http://www.jeffshaara.com.)
A movie version of "Gods and Generals" was released in 2003. It was not a success; according to Box Office Mojo, it grossed about $12.9 million after costing more than $56 million to make. Now Jeff Shaara has this note on his Web site: "Because of the poor box office results for 'Gods and Generals,' Ted Turner has dropped all plans to finance a film version of 'Last Full Measure.' Someone else may yet step forward, but so far, no one in Hollywood has shown interest. Despite the many rumors to the contrary, I'm sorry to say that no film is now in the works."
Q: A long time ago, I saw a movie with Andy Griffith and he was the bad guy. He and two others on dirt bikes were harassing a couple in a pickup. The film ended with Andy flying (in slow motion) off a cliff on his bike. What is the name of the picture and is it available?
A: You are most likely remembering "Pray for the Wildcats," a 1974 TV movie starring Griffith as a nasty businessman on a motorcycle trip with three other guys (William Shatner, Robert Reed and Marjoe Gortner). I do not know of an authorized DVD release; it did come out on VHS, and I have seen copies for sale on Amazon.com and eBay.
Q: Is there anywhere that I can obtain a copy of the dreadful musical "At Long Last Love?" I need to prove a point.
A: For those of you tuning in late, "At Long Last Love" is a 1975 musical comedy by director Peter Bogdanovich, with songs from the Cole Porter catalog and a cast including Burt Reynolds, Cybill Shepherd, Madeline Kahn, Eileen Brennan and John Hillerman. It was highly anticipated and still a disaster. I remember going to a theater to see it in 1975 and being so fascinated by its awfulness that I sat through it twice.
"At Long Last Love" does have some fans, and there are several clips from it on YouTube. But it has not - as far as I can tell - ever been officially released on VHS or DVD. I did see it for sale on the Subterranean Cinema Web site (http://www.subcin.com) but cannot vouch for the source or quality. (Advisory: The Subterranean Cinema site contains some images that are not suitable for all audiences.)
Q: What state is "Desperate Housewives" supposed to take place in?
A: Fans have noted references to "the Eagle State" and the city of Fairview, neither of which suggests a real location. I would have thought either California or somewhere in the South, given the weather, but even that might be too specific. The show's production designer told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette a few years ago that the location is deliberately ambiguous.
Q: I am looking for two movies, "Molly Maguires" and "I Remember Mama." Has either even been put on tape or DVD? Where could we get copies?
A: Both "The Molly Maguires," starring Sean Connery, and "I Remember Mama," with Irene Dunne, have been released on DVD. If your local video retailer cannot get them, they are both for sale on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com).
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