A limited
number of unedited and autographed copies of Out On A Limb are available
at Shirley MacLaine's official
site!
UFO: http://www.the-fbi-files.com/ufos/index.html
Directed by: Robert Butler
Written by: Shirley MacLaine & Colin Higgins
Music by: Lalo Schifrin
Shooting started on: November 15, 1985
Filming Locations: California, Hawaii, China (Hong Kong), England
(London), Peru, Sweden
Released on: originally schedule for May 1986, it could only
be aired on January 18, 1987 (on ABC)
Running Time: 234 minutes
Budget: $13 million
Box-Office: $ million in the U.S., $ million worldwide
A limited
number of unedited and autographed copies of Out On A Limb are available
at Shirley MacLaine's official
site!
Shirley MacLaine
was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Mini-Series, for
her own portrayal in Out On A Limb!
Asked if Shirley
MacLaine’s story convinced him, Charles Dance explained: “I try to keep
an open mind,” he said diplomatically. “I had lots of discussions with
Shirley, but most of them went round in circles. She’s almost a theologian
now, you know. She’s read her Bible and her Koran and she can back up everything
she says with data. It’s quite hard to have a rational conversation. Personally
I think it’s quite brave of her to have done this. She is laying herself
on the line.”
In an early
1987 interview, Charles Dance admitted he had still not watched the completed
miniseries, and allowed that its supernatural subject matter "invites cynicism."
Nevertheless, by late 1987, he commented further that working with Shirley
was a very happy experience for him: "Shirley is extraordinary. More than
a little eccentric! It was marvellous, and a great pleasure to work with
her. A STAR in the proper sense of that word," he said. "Shirley works
from the gut. Meryl [Streep, with whom he worked on Plenty] is much
more cerebral. That's the essential difference between them. But both are
consumate artistes. Shirley has been at it longer. She has come up the
hard way, having started out as a chorus girl. That's not to say Meryl
hasn't worked hard for it. But Shirley is from the days of the old Hollywood
star system, and is a wonderful product of it. Yes, working with her was
an enormously enjoyable experience!"
Colin Higgins
and Shirley MacLaine started working on the screen adaptation of her book
Out On A Limb in June 1985. They completed a first draft in
a couple of days!
The day the
project was greenlighted by ABC -who wanted an emphasis on cosmic justice
and the fact that we all create our own reality, which the producers thought
was really what the audience was interested in-, co-writer Colin Higgins,
creator of "Harold and Maud", learned the death of his (inspiration for)
Maud.
Colin was
to direct the TV series, but dropped out when he realized he would not
have the flexibility to work at his own pace with TV -Robert Butler, who
directed the pilot episodes for Moonlighting and Hill Street
Blues.
Robert Butler,
first sceptical when approached, was convinced after attending a seance
of spiritism organized by Shirley:
Bob Butler
was so thrilled about what he heard that he was convinced he should direct
the mini-series after this seance! Nevertheless, he considered himself
the only sane person on the project -until that is he went scouting locations
in Peru with three other members of the filming crew. They took a
cab to find the UFO sign Shirley mentions in her book. They all fell
asleep at the same time, and when they woke up, asked the driver how far
the sign was -it turned out they actually went there, took pictures, and
talked about it a lot but could not remember any of it.
The entity
Tom McPherson wanted to dance an Irish jig with Shirley in the movie, to
bring some humor and remind him of his previous incarnation as an Irish
pickpocket in the 16th century -when he spent time with pirate Shirley
and was the mentor of her now daughter Sashi. Though they rehearsed
it to the joy of both "actors", it was cut from the final version.
Shirley felt
very strongly like she needed to bring some suspense to the script.
Tom McPherson revealed that this was actually Alfred Hitchcock trying to
help her out (he directed her first movie, The Trouble with Harry)
in order to even out his incorrect behavior during the shooting of the
movie 30 years ago. Tom maliciously added that Hitch was now paying
for his past actions by having to endure terrible remakes of his old movies,
bearing his name, headed by stars he once directed and mistreated (including
Anthony Perkins' Psycho sequels).
Shirley's
agent Mortimer Viner wanted a big star to portray him -but neither Paul
Newman nor Clint Eastwood were available. Jerry Orbach (Dirty
Dancing, Crimes and Misdemeanors , Law & Order) finally
landed the role.
Tom Hulce
(Amadeus) insisted to read for a part in the project, though he
never shot anything.
The character
of Gerry was created to protect the private life of Shirley's famous ex-lover.
It really was Sweden's then Prime Minister, Olaf Palme, who was gunned
down in Stockholm during the shooting of Out On A Limb, on February
28, 1986, as he was walking home from a cinema with his wife.
The spiritism
scenes were the first ones to be rehearsed, even before casting began for
the other characters. Medium Kevin Ryerson was much less comfortable
in front of the camera than entities John & Tom turned out to be!
The role of
Gerry -the smart, intellectual, charming and tall British politician- was
written with Albert Finney (Erin Brokovitch) in mind. But
though Shirley is a good friend of the talented actor, she couldn't convince
him to take on the role. She tried to picture who she would like
to be in bed with -Richard Harris, James Fox and Gabriel Byrne were all
approached and successively turned down the role.
Trying to
lift up her spirits, Colin Higgins commented that they were simply not
the actors destined to portray Gerry's character, and that someone out
there was dancing in the air waiting for his chance. Shirley then
remembered a then unknown British actor that impressed her in a movie she
had seen recently, and that she had originally considered as a back-up
for Albert Finney -luckily, Charles Dance (Alien 3, The Last
Action Hero, Michael Collins), was available and willing to
take on the role of Gerry.
Though Shirley
was very happy with Charles' readings in spite of his cold attitude during
their first meeting, she was concerned about the age difference -Dance
being 13 years younger than her, while Gerry's character was supposed to
be 5 years older. When she asked him if he could look older than
his real age, he responded "You'll have to take me as I am or take another
actor"; when she further asked if he really wanted to play the role of
Gerry, he admitted that he would "very much like so, and I'd be very disappointed
if you chose any other actor", which confirmed to Shirley that this
was her Gerry!
The casting
of David was also a difficult one -though Shirley always had her mind set
on John Heard (Betrayed,
Beaches,
Home
Alone, The Pelican Brief), he proved to be very difficult to
deal with. He showed up at a first meeting late, unshaved, and starting
out saying he didn't even bother opening the script because "it was too
heavy". When asked why then he showed up, he simply commented that
"my dentist cancelled the appointment I was supposed to go to". After
some mind games, he started a very impressive reading of David's lines,
with an easiness, talent and intelligence that convinced Shirley this was
their man. John's agent called up Shirley a couple of minutes after
the actor walked out of the room nonchallently: "John just told me he wasn't
good and you'll likely turn him down, is it true?" to Shirley's astonishment,
who admitted she adored his audition and realized the big insecurity behind
the wall of agressivity and indifference that John Heard had built between
them.
Shirley's
politician friend Bella Abzug was very determined to play her role, since
she wanted to have total control over it -but as described in the screenplay,
Bella's character was secondary and just helped move the story forward.
Bella's tests proved convincing but too strong for the role, overshadowing
Shirley's story and distracting the viewer. She was very unhappy
with the choice of Anne Jackson to portray her -and only let herself be
convinced when Shirley promised she'd try to have the TV movie released
around May to vehicle a positive image of the politician in time before
the November elections.
Official FBI
files about UFOs are available online!
Olof Palme: Worldly Premier of Sweden
1927-1986
By Mia McKeehan
Bellaire H. S., Grade 11, Teacher C. Quaite
If one thinks of Sweden in the last 30 years, the name Olof Palme will probably come to mind. An energetic and imaginative politician in his day, Premier Olof Palme introduced Sweden to the modern international arena and dedicated himself to themes of "Socialism, Peace, and Solidarity." He refused to be bound by the narrow-minded cold war mentality, taking a strong stand against the Vietnam War and fighting for liberation of oppressed people in third world countries. Yet Olof Palme’s controversial character eventually led to his demise. On a seemingly calm evening in 1986 his brutal murder shocked Sweden and the rest of the world.
Olof Palme was born to an upper-class family in Sweden in 1927. His childhood and early life play a large role in the formation of his passion for social justice. He traveled as a child to visit his grandfather in Latvia, where the poverty scenes became engrained in his mind. When he was six years old his father died and his mother was left to raise her children alone. He graduated from high school at 17, did military service, then began to travel. His travels brought him to Ohio, where he attended Kenyon College for two terms and received his B.A. degree for politics and economics.
His experiences after graduating had a large influence on his political views for the rest of his life. In 1948 he hitch-hiked across the United States to Mexico with nearly no money in his pocket. Like many of the period, he saw the current realities associated with the long-term American dream. He became convinced that a Swedish welfare state might be the better path to the dream compared to American capitalism and Soviet-style communism.
Upon returning to Sweden, Palme joined the Social Democratic party and became active in student politics at Stockholm University. In 1951, after receiving his law degree, he became president of the National Swedish Union of Students. Premier Tage Erlander took a liking to Palme and hired him as secretary and speech writer in 1953. From then to 1963 he came to be known as a young leader and speaker with a flair for oratory and debate. His affiliation with the prime minister helped him become an active political figure in the years to come.
In 1963 he joined the Cabinet of Premier Erlander. In this post, he supervised the switching of traffic from left to right, took a strong stance against violence in motion pictures, and supervised education reform. He began to make the more conservative members of political parties uneasy. In 1968 he appeared in the highly controversial Swedish film, I Am Curious (Yellow), and personally demonstrated in Stockholm against American intervention in Vietnam. His radical reputation made him quite popular among the young leftist voters and proved advantageous to his political aspirations. "The key to political power in Sweden lies in the radical young voters, who must be wooed from the Liberals on the right and Communists on the left," as Roland Huntford observed in a Washington Post article.1
Premier Erlander announced his retirement in September of 1969. Palme was unanimously elected to succeed him. As prime minister, Palme immediately saw the political dangers of his radical reputation and attempted to tone down his image by dressing more conservatively and "curbing what one critic called his ‘mocking smile.’"1 As he took office, Palme said, "The soup will not be eaten as hot as it’s cooked," as a metaphor to suggest that his policies may not be as radical as his first impression. As such, he began to address the problems facing Sweden as the country approached the 1970s.
In office Palme continued to tone down his radical reputation as he brought Sweden into the international arena from her historic isolationism and unprincipled, self-serving neutrality (some believe Sweden may have sold weapons to Nazi Germany and allowed her railroads to be used to transport Nazi supplies to Norway.) He was certainly an interesting character, if not charismatic and contradictory. He was outspoken on American involvement in Vietnam, the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, and African liberation movements. He dedicated himself to causes of principle such as peace, freedom, and humanity. E.S. Reddy in his website describes Olof Palme’s unrelenting dedication to the African liberation movements: "In 1969 the Swedish government decided to give direct assistance to the movements, and was the only Western country to do so for several years."4 In this way Sweden became involved in these movements and sparked other smaller Western countries to follow the example.
The Palme government gave asylum to many refugees from political oppression in many countries, including refugees from the Vietnam draft in the United States. Palme also took a courageous stance on U.S. war actions, comparing the U.S. bombing of Hanoi to the Nazi bombing of Guernica. In 1970 young Swedish members of left-wing political groups threw eggs at the American ambassador, Jerome H. Holland. All of these factors angered the United States, and soon President Richard Nixon told the Swedes that their Ambassador was no longer welcome in Washington. However, relations improved after the American withdrawal of troops from Vietnam.
In 1976 the Social Democrats lost their position in the Swedish government and were replaced by a center-right party under Thorbjörn Fälldin. However, it was during these years that Olof Palme personally became very active in the international arena. He joined the Brandt international commission on North-South problems, chaired his own commission on Common Security, and became the United Nations mediator in the Iran-Iraq War. In 1977 he made several important addresses on African liberation, as well as leading the Socialist International mission to southern Africa. In 1978 he was awarded a gold medal from the United Nations in recognition of his great contribution to the international campaign against apartheid.
One of the major themes in Olof Palme’s political career was solidarity, or unity. He made several speeches on the importance of freedom and democracy. "In order to live and survive a society must have a comprehensive solidarity, the ability to recognize the conditions of other people, a feeling of joint responsibility and participation. Otherwise, sooner or later, society will fall apart into petty, egotistical interests."6 Palme’s imagination and energy brought Sweden to an internationally respected status.
In 1982 the Social Democrats returned to power. "We’ve won the victory for the welfare state," Palme triumphed. He continued to lead Sweden with a fervor and even started some controversial economic reforms.
On February 28, 1986 Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was gunned down on a Stockholm street, as he was walking home from a cinema with his wife. While there are various theories about who could have been behind the murder, the identity of the culprit remains a mystery.
The murder came as a brutal shock to Swedish society. "As numb and disbelieving Swedes gathered last week to stare at the small pool of blood in the snow where their leader had been gunned down, they wept not just in grief at the death of a shrewd and compassionate man, but at their unwelcome entry into the era of political terrorism."8
The murder of their prime minister sent Swedes into uncharted territory. It was a terrible blow because the society had long boasted of being a model--lacking the political violence and terrorism of other societies. Swedes placed red roses and candles on the murder site, and even a large banner reading: Why murder a true democrat? Condolences came to Sweden from all over the world. People realized how great a man they had lost. "From Vietnam to Nicaragua, from El Salvador to Palestine, from Sahara to South Africa, across the face of the globe, the flags hang limp and half mast in loving memory of this giant of justice who had become a citizen of the world, a brother and a comrade to all who are downtrodden."7
To this day the Palme murder has not been solved, although there has been much speculation and investigation for over ten years. A man named Christer Pettersson was arrested for the murder in 1988, but was later acquitted. Suspects range from Swedish right-wing party members to Kurds to a mass operation of over 80 South African secret police agents. It is obvious that there has been a lack of organization on the Swedish investigation’s part, and some believe a cover-up.
Sven Anèr, a freelance investigator and author in Sweden, speculates that Swedish political officers were involved. He points out that Hans Holmèr, originally the lead of murder investigations, pretended that blame lay with the Kurds while he knew that the murder was from the inside. Anèr says, "The fact that Holmèr lies about his whereabouts during the night of the murder (a faked alibi in the town of Borlänge, upheld by the state police!) should have toppled Holmèr long ago."2 He raises the question of whether the Swedish Government was directly involved in the murder.
Another speculation on the Palme murder was its association with the secret police of South Africa. An editorial in the Workers World News Service observes: "Eugene de Kock, head of a police hit squad, provided grisly details about how his agents deliberately massacred whole families of those opposing the apartheid system…they say that the 1986 assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was part of an operation called ‘Long Reach,’ carried out by a unit of the South African secret police."9 This consideration is indeed probable, as Palme was murdered one week after he spoke at an anti-apartheid rally.
Investigators have also looked into Croatian nationalists, West German terrorists factions, Kurds, and other groups. Indeed there are many possible suspects in the Olof Palme murder. Olof Palme’s diverse associations in the international arena complicates the murder investigation. It also may have made him more susceptible to an assassination, especially with the outspoken and brave stance he took on many controversial world issues.
Sven Olof Joachim Palme was the foremost and most internationally renowned leader of Sweden in modern times. He was a controversial figure throughout his life, and remains so even after his death. His contribution to international peace will be a lasting gift to the world. February 28, 1986, the date of his murder, turned the tables for Sweden’s open society. The murder case may never be solved. Like John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Olof Palme’s legacy as a gifted leader, speaker, and freedom-fighter will linger long after his unfortunate demise and likely be even larger in death than it was in life.
Works Cited
"Palme, (Sven) Olof (Joachim)." Current Biography. 1970. 336-338.
Anèr, Sven. The Palme murder a Swedish trauma. [Online] Available
http://www.lls.se/aner, March 7, 1998.
Archer, Clive. "Olaf Palme 1927-1986." Contemporary Review 22 Mar 1986:
205.
Ed. Reddy E. S. Selected Speeches of Olof Palme. [Online] Available
http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/solidarity/palme-a.html, 1989.
Hadenius, Stig. Swedish Politics During the 20th Century. Sweden: The
Swedish Institute, 1985.
Olof Palme. [Online] Available http://topaz.kenyon.edu/depts/anth-soc/palme.htm,
February 27, 1998.
Reddy, E. S. Olof Palme – Introduction. [Online] Available http://www.anc.org.
za/ancdocs/history/solidarity/palme-b.html, 1989.
Serrill, Michael S. "Bloody Blow to an Open Society." Time 10 Mar.
1986: 53.
Workers World News Service. Editorial--The Olof Palme murder: Who covered
it up? [Online] Available http://www.workers.org/ww/palme.html, Oct. 10,
1996.
Or:
Olof Palme:
Born 1927; assassinated 1986; Swedish politician and prime minister;
studies law in the US and in Stockholm; joins Social Democratic Labour
Party (SAP) in 1949; enters government in 1963 and helds several ministerial
posts before assuming the leadership of the Party and becoming prime minister
in 1969; although losing his parliamentary majority in 1971, he successfully
carries out major constitutional reforms; defeated in 1976; return to power
in 1982, heading a minority government; re-elected in 1985; shot and killed
while walking home with his wife after a visit to a cinema.
