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It Happened in Athens

April 05, 2024

It Happened in Athens is a 1962 American sports comedy-drama film released by 20th Century-Fox. It is directed by Andrew Marton and features Jayne Mansfield, newcomer Trax Colton, Maria Xénia, Nico Minardos, Roger Browne in his debut, and Olympic champion Bob Mathias.

It Happened in Athens
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAndrew Marton
Written byLászló Vadnay
Produced byJames S. Elliott
Robert L. Lippert
StarringJayne Mansfield
Trax Colton
Maria Xénia
Nico Minardos
Bob Mathias
CinematographyCurt Courant
Edited byJodie Copelan
Music byManos Hatzidakis
Production
company
Associated Producers Inc (but credited to 20th Century Fox)
Distributed byTwentieth Century-Fox
Release date
  • June 1962 (1962-06)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.25 million
Box office$1.05 million

Plot edit

In 1896, it is announced the Olympic Games will be revived and played in Athens. Young shepherd, Spiridon Loues (Colton, in a fictionalized but sometimes accurate portrayal of water-carrier Spyridon Louis), decides to enter the 26-mile marathon. Once in Athens he meets Christina Gratsos (Kalogeropoulou) a young woman from his hometown who is now the personal maid to Greece's most famous actress, Eleni Costa (Mansfield). Eleni's lover, Lt. Alexi Vinardos (Minardos), is a powerful man in Greece and a respected runner. Though Spiridon arrived after the entry date, his persistence and athletic prowess so impress the Olympic officials and Coach Graham (Mathias), that he is admitted to compete in the race.

To promote herself, Eleni announces she'll marry the winner of the marathon, having faith that it will be her beloved Vinardos. Her proposal is heavily promoted in the press. However upon meeting Spiridon, Eleni pursues him romantically. Spiridon stays true to Christina, and tries to assuage her fear of being deserted for Eleni.

After starting the race in dead last, and accompanied most of the way by his small dog, Spiridon wins the race. Eleni has a change of heart and tells Spiridon to find Christina and marry her, stating "...she's your girl, not me". Spiridon tries to run to find Christina, but faints. He is revived two hours later and initially believes everything has been a dream. Christina finds Spiridon as he returns to the finishing line to remember his glory, and they share a kiss.

Cast edit

Production edit

Development edit

The project was originally announced by MGM in 1951 from a story by Laslo Vadney which had been turned into a script by Everett Freeman. Sidney Sheldon was to produce with Ricardo Montalbán, John Hodiak or Fernando Lamas to star.[1] It was intended to film in Greece.[2] However MGM did not proceed.

In 1960, it was announced 20th Century-Fox had purchased the script from MGM and were going to make it, with Robert Wagner mentioned as a possible star. The title was now And Seven From America, with the plot revolving around seven Americans who helped Spyridon Louis win the marathon.[3] Spyros Skouras of Fox announced the film would be one of three made in Greece by the studio, the others being The King Must Die and Thermopylae (which became The 300 Spartans).[4]

The film was done under the API banner via producer Robert L. Lippert; API produced low budget films for Fox, although the budget of It Happened In Athens was high by API standards.[5] At one stage Dean Stockwell was announced in the cast.[6] Juliet Prowse was considered for the female lead[7] but Fox decided to go with Jayne Mansfield instead.[8]

At one stage it was called Winged Victory in Athens.[9]

Filming edit

Shot in the fall of 1960 in Greece, the film was Jayne Mansfield's last film with Fox before her career setback to low-budget British and European melodramas and comedies. Although Mansfield appears in only a supporting role, she received top billing.

Newcomer Trax Colton starred in the film. He had been discovered in a drug store and only made one film beforehand – a brief appearance in Marriage-Go-Round.[10]

As a publicity promotion for Colton, Fox cast the unknown actor in the lead and billed him directly below sex goddess Mansfield. During the filming of the feature, Mansfield and Colton had a brief love affair, unknown at the time.

Both Nico Minardos and Bob Mathias were added as supporting characters at the last minute when the appearances of both Lt. Alexi and Coach Graham were lengthened to become more than bit players. Less experienced actors had initially been cast, but when Fox demanded the roles be lengthened, the more experienced Minardos and Mathias were brought in as replacements. Unknowns were cast in smaller and less meaningful parts that rounded out the cast.

Though thought of as one of Mansfield's latter low-budget films, It Happened in Athens was actually made on a large budget and was produced in CinemaScope and DeLuxe color. Like several other Fox films during the early 1960s, the feature was made to bring quick profit to the studio, which was going broke due to the rising costs and expanding production schedule of the expensive historical epic Cleopatra.

The end of the final race in the stadium was shot on 23 October 1960 with over 50,000 extras.[11]

Release edit

Upon release, It Happened in Athens was greeted with negative reviews and was a box office disappointment, making roughly $1 million in ticket sales on a budget of nearly $1.3 million. Not long after the film's failure, Fox released both Colton and Mansfield from their studio contracts.

Both performers were released due to their box office popularity. Though Mansfield was a huge box office star in the late-1950s, her movie career had faded by this point. Colton, an unknown, was released from the studio without having had a fair chance at superstardom. According to Fox, Mansfield had not worked with them full-time due to her repeated pregnancies and they did not have enough time to promote the severely unknown Colton, who lacked faith in his own, somewhat unwanted, career in the movies.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Drama: Piazza, Fabray to Test; Wanger Goes Scientific; Olympics Film Planned Schallert". Edwin. Los Angeles Times. Aug 10, 1951. p. 13.
  2. ^ THOMAS M. PRYOR (Aug 10, 1951). "MODERN OLYMPICS TO BE FILM'S BASIS: Metro Dramatization of Start in 1896, With Action Shot in Greece, Listed for Spring Shortage of Dancers Of Local Origin". New York Times. p. 13.
  3. ^ Hopper, Hedda (May 28, 1960). "Looking at Hollywood: O'Connor Would Re-Do a Memorable Movie". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. n6.
  4. ^ "3 FILMS SET IN GREECE: Skouras Lists 'King Must Die,' 'Thermopylae' and 'Athens'". New York Times. July 12, 1960. p. 38.
  5. ^ "FILMLAND EVENTS: Ritz Bros. Signed as French Cabbies". Los Angeles Times. Aug 12, 1960. p. 24.
  6. ^ Hopper, Hedda (Aug 22, 1960). "Co-Ed Lands Star Role Opposite Elvis". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. b9.
  7. ^ Hopper, Hedda (Aug 31, 1960). "Lemmon Sought for 'Crooked Ship': Glenn Ford to Live on Seine; Finch Off of H.M.S. Bounty". Los Angeles Times. p. B6.
  8. ^ Wolters, Larry. (Sep 17, 1960). "TV TICKER". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. c2.
  9. ^ "Snippets from Hollywood". The Biz. No. 2844. New South Wales, Australia. 23 November 1960. p. 19. Retrieved 23 February 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Bill Holden Still Trotting Over Globe Kilgallen". The Washington Post and Times-Herald. Mar 18, 1961. p. A8.
  11. ^ "The Cinematic Fortunes of Greece: Our 'Method' Correspondent By John Rigos". The Christian Science Monitor. Jan 10, 1961. p. 6.

External links edit

April 05, 2024
happened, athens, 1962, american, sports, comedy, drama, film, released, 20th, century, directed, andrew, marton, features, jayne, mansfield, newcomer, trax, colton, maria, xénia, nico, minardos, roger, browne, debut, olympic, champion, mathias, theatrical, re. It Happened in Athens is a 1962 American sports comedy drama film released by 20th Century Fox It is directed by Andrew Marton and features Jayne Mansfield newcomer Trax Colton Maria Xenia Nico Minardos Roger Browne in his debut and Olympic champion Bob Mathias It Happened in AthensTheatrical release posterDirected byAndrew MartonWritten byLaszlo VadnayProduced byJames S ElliottRobert L LippertStarringJayne MansfieldTrax ColtonMaria XeniaNico MinardosBob MathiasCinematographyCurt CourantEdited byJodie CopelanMusic byManos HatzidakisProductioncompanyAssociated Producers Inc but credited to 20th Century Fox Distributed byTwentieth Century FoxRelease dateJune 1962 1962 06 Running time100 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 1 25 millionBox office 1 05 million Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Development 3 2 Filming 4 Release 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksPlot editIn 1896 it is announced the Olympic Games will be revived and played in Athens Young shepherd Spiridon Loues Colton in a fictionalized but sometimes accurate portrayal of water carrier Spyridon Louis decides to enter the 26 mile marathon Once in Athens he meets Christina Gratsos Kalogeropoulou a young woman from his hometown who is now the personal maid to Greece s most famous actress Eleni Costa Mansfield Eleni s lover Lt Alexi Vinardos Minardos is a powerful man in Greece and a respected runner Though Spiridon arrived after the entry date his persistence and athletic prowess so impress the Olympic officials and Coach Graham Mathias that he is admitted to compete in the race To promote herself Eleni announces she ll marry the winner of the marathon having faith that it will be her beloved Vinardos Her proposal is heavily promoted in the press However upon meeting Spiridon Eleni pursues him romantically Spiridon stays true to Christina and tries to assuage her fear of being deserted for Eleni After starting the race in dead last and accompanied most of the way by his small dog Spiridon wins the race Eleni has a change of heart and tells Spiridon to find Christina and marry her stating she s your girl not me Spiridon tries to run to find Christina but faints He is revived two hours later and initially believes everything has been a dream Christina finds Spiridon as he returns to the finishing line to remember his glory and they share a kiss Cast editTrax Colton as Spiridon Loues Jayne Mansfield as Eleni Costa Xenia Kalogeropoulou credited as Maria Xenia as Christina Gratos Nico Minardos as Lt Alexi Vinardos Bob Mathias as Coach Graham Ivan Triesault as Grandpa Loues Mr Trisapopolis Lili Valenty as Mama Loues Titos Vandis as Father Loues Charles Fawcett as Ambassador Cyrus T Gaylord Jean Murat as Pierre de Coubertin Roger Browne credited as Bill Browne as Drake Marion Siva as Maria Loues Paul Muller as Priest Gustavo De Nardo as George Roger Fradet as Dubois Alberto Rabagliati Greek supporterProduction editDevelopment edit The project was originally announced by MGM in 1951 from a story by Laslo Vadney which had been turned into a script by Everett Freeman Sidney Sheldon was to produce with Ricardo Montalban John Hodiak or Fernando Lamas to star 1 It was intended to film in Greece 2 However MGM did not proceed In 1960 it was announced 20th Century Fox had purchased the script from MGM and were going to make it with Robert Wagner mentioned as a possible star The title was now And Seven From America with the plot revolving around seven Americans who helped Spyridon Louis win the marathon 3 Spyros Skouras of Fox announced the film would be one of three made in Greece by the studio the others being The King Must Die and Thermopylae which became The 300 Spartans 4 The film was done under the API banner via producer Robert L Lippert API produced low budget films for Fox although the budget of It Happened In Athens was high by API standards 5 At one stage Dean Stockwell was announced in the cast 6 Juliet Prowse was considered for the female lead 7 but Fox decided to go with Jayne Mansfield instead 8 At one stage it was called Winged Victory in Athens 9 Filming edit Shot in the fall of 1960 in Greece the film was Jayne Mansfield s last film with Fox before her career setback to low budget British and European melodramas and comedies Although Mansfield appears in only a supporting role she received top billing Newcomer Trax Colton starred in the film He had been discovered in a drug store and only made one film beforehand a brief appearance in Marriage Go Round 10 As a publicity promotion for Colton Fox cast the unknown actor in the lead and billed him directly below sex goddess Mansfield During the filming of the feature Mansfield and Colton had a brief love affair unknown at the time Both Nico Minardos and Bob Mathias were added as supporting characters at the last minute when the appearances of both Lt Alexi and Coach Graham were lengthened to become more than bit players Less experienced actors had initially been cast but when Fox demanded the roles be lengthened the more experienced Minardos and Mathias were brought in as replacements Unknowns were cast in smaller and less meaningful parts that rounded out the cast Though thought of as one of Mansfield s latter low budget films It Happened in Athens was actually made on a large budget and was produced in CinemaScope and DeLuxe color Like several other Fox films during the early 1960s the feature was made to bring quick profit to the studio which was going broke due to the rising costs and expanding production schedule of the expensive historical epic Cleopatra The end of the final race in the stadium was shot on 23 October 1960 with over 50 000 extras 11 Release editUpon release It Happened in Athens was greeted with negative reviews and was a box office disappointment making roughly 1 million in ticket sales on a budget of nearly 1 3 million Not long after the film s failure Fox released both Colton and Mansfield from their studio contracts Both performers were released due to their box office popularity Though Mansfield was a huge box office star in the late 1950s her movie career had faded by this point Colton an unknown was released from the studio without having had a fair chance at superstardom According to Fox Mansfield had not worked with them full time due to her repeated pregnancies and they did not have enough time to promote the severely unknown Colton who lacked faith in his own somewhat unwanted career in the movies See also editList of American films of 1962 List of films about the sport of athleticsReferences edit Drama Piazza Fabray to Test Wanger Goes Scientific Olympics Film Planned Schallert Edwin Los Angeles Times Aug 10 1951 p 13 THOMAS M PRYOR Aug 10 1951 MODERN OLYMPICS TO BE FILM S BASIS Metro Dramatization of Start in 1896 With Action Shot in Greece Listed for Spring Shortage of Dancers Of Local Origin New York Times p 13 Hopper Hedda May 28 1960 Looking at Hollywood O Connor Would Re Do a Memorable Movie Chicago Daily Tribune p n6 3 FILMS SET IN GREECE Skouras Lists King Must Die Thermopylae and Athens New York Times July 12 1960 p 38 FILMLAND EVENTS Ritz Bros Signed as French Cabbies Los Angeles Times Aug 12 1960 p 24 Hopper Hedda Aug 22 1960 Co Ed Lands Star Role Opposite Elvis Chicago Daily Tribune p b9 Hopper Hedda Aug 31 1960 Lemmon Sought for Crooked Ship Glenn Ford to Live on Seine Finch Off of H M S Bounty Los Angeles Times p B6 Wolters Larry Sep 17 1960 TV TICKER Chicago Daily Tribune p c2 Snippets from Hollywood The Biz No 2844 New South Wales Australia 23 November 1960 p 19 Retrieved 23 February 2018 via National Library of Australia Bill Holden Still Trotting Over Globe Kilgallen The Washington Post and Times Herald Mar 18 1961 p A8 The Cinematic Fortunes of Greece Our Method Correspondent By John Rigos The Christian Science Monitor Jan 10 1961 p 6 External links editIt Happened in Athens at IMDb nbsp It Happened in Athens at AllMovie nbsp It Happened in Athens at the American Film Institute Catalog nbsp It Happened in Athens at the TCM Movie Database nbsp Review of film at The New York Times Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title It Happened in Athens amp oldid 1179528697, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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