Thoughts On Why The Admirable Rob Reiner's Film "LBJ" Didn't Do Well At The Box Office?

[Joe Bauer]

LBJ film has been laid to rest next to "Parkland."

Although nothing could truly compare to "Parkland" as a box office bomb failure.

Dec 1-3 Gross ... $13,070 ?   

LBJ Budget $35,000,000.

Barely made 1/15th of that.

2017 Date (click to view chart) Rank Weekend Gross % Change Theaters Change / Avg. Gross-to-Date Week # Nov 3–5 14 $1,110,565 - 659 - $1,685 $1,110,565 1 Nov 10–12 21 $486,285 -56.2% 608 -51 $800 $2,062,231 2 Nov 17–19 35 $90,564 -81.4% 135 -473 $671 $2,359,952 3 Nov 24–26 45 $25,545 -71.8% 33 -102 $774 $2,419,149 4 Dec 1–3 54 $13,070 -48.8% 26 -7 $503 $2,443,358 5

• Latest

 

 

Edited December 6, 2017 by Joe Bauer

[Robin Unger]

[Joe Bauer]

OMG...that Air Force 1 swearing-in scene film photo is perversely cringing!

Woody Harrelson looks like he is wearing a stiff wooden LBJ mask!  An amateurish Holloween type one at that. And those elephant sized ears! 

And the Jackie Kennedy actor. The power of the real photo is the absolutely traumatized terror expression on the face of the real Jackie Kennedy.  A photo of Jackie that stays in your memory forever because of it's almost unfathomable grief and shock. This LBJ film photo depicts Jackie as if she was merely uncomfortable and bored.

 

And why don't we see the infamous reproduction of Albert Thomas's sick smiling congratulatory wink he gives LBJ when the swearing-in ceremony is over and LBJ turns toward him?

Edited May 23, 2018 by Joe Bauer

[Steve Jaffe]

On 11/11/2017 at 4:37 PM, Roger DeLaria said:

I got this from my local library earlier this year. It was well done and entertaining, but King took a Oswald lone nut stance, so as far as the assassination goes, it was worthless.

I've always liked Executive Action, pretty good for it's time, even now I think.

Roger,

As one of the producers/packagers of "Executive Action", I thank you for that. Your statement, "...for it's time," is an important observation. We had no way of making a film with major distribution unless we could convince the "suits" that our film was a fantasy, totally fictional, a "what if?",kind of story. And even with that argument, it took as strong a producer as Edward Lewis (check his credits at IMDB), to get it done. It didn't hurt that we got Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan and Will Geer as stars. Once we had the film shot, I created a marketing campaign for the film. I suggested to producer Lewis that we publish a newspaper and hand it out to all the people who attended the film. The theme of the newspaper was, "what if the newspaper published after the assassination had TRUE stories in it?" Then, after budget concerns, it was decided that we'd hand it out to those who saw the film on the first day only. I think I was able to keep one and have seen a few of these newspapers on Ebay. I took every scene -- broke it down in terms of what evidence we had to support the central theme of the scene and added photographs. I then used citation from the WC and we made it possible for anyone to go to a library, get the 26 volumes out and look up the documents. Other than photos I had taken myself, for Garrison, who was my boss at the time, or interviews I had conducted (such as one with N. J. Daniels, an off duty DPD on 11/24/63 who was at the ramp entrance when Ruby entered), the evidence was accessible to anyone who wanted it. That film grossed approximately five times what it cost to make. I was at a dinner at a friend a year later and Lancaster came up to me and thanked me profusely. He had taken a percentage instead of a salary in order to help us with the budget. He ended up making over $1.5M as his fee. Thanks for calling attention to "Executive Action." It was nearly impossible to make it in 1973. Stone had similar problems years later and overcame them with his own clout and all those stars in the cast. You will see him discuss that in a future documentary on the topic that my long time partner, Mark Lane and I produced. No distribution deal yet.

Edited May 21, 2018 by Steve Jaffe
had to add an important clarification

[Steve Jaffe]

On 11/6/2017 at 12:30 PM, James DiEugenio said:

Neither of the films were about JFK.

Kennedy still has a pull over the public, as we saw from that blitz from about October 20 to the 26th.  There must have been about 30 video segments on the case and the documents.

There are still newspaper stories and in fact it was on the cover of the National Enquirer last week.

That was an important story, not for the story itself, which was based on the alleged McCone/Rowley document--which I think is a fake--but because the editor of the rag is a good friend of Trump's.  And he actually gave Trump credit for that declassification.   This should tell us something. Namely that either Trump, or his close friends, think they can use the JFK case to win favor with the public.

If that is true, then we have a shoehorn with which we can work with.  And we should do so.  I am going to be doing Coast to Coast in a couple of weeks, so I am going to ask the listeners to fax and email and phone the White House and tell Trump we want the documents with no deletions, no missing pages, no illegible pages and no pages completed whited out.  Which is what is happening in defiance of the law.  And the jerk off MSM is not reporting on this.  And I do not believe they are not aware of it.

Contrary to the idiot box, and contrary to what some people are saying within the community, there is some really interesting stuff in these documents.  The fact that they are covered up eliminates the possibility that we can know what else is there.  And that is the ultimate triumph of the bad guys.

Jim, et al: You are so right. I'm one of the few people writing many of those stories for the National Enquirer (as they are the only publication with that kind of readership size that will publish my words and not edit them without my permission). I've done six or seven and am doing another one now. They often get the cover and have tremendous reception. I haven't been criticized once for getting my articles published in the NE. Ironically, many serious researchers don't read the NE articles. "LBJ," the film, which I saw several times, was extremely important and a real gift to those of us who care. Certainly it was flawed but, as you said, it wasn't about JFK. It took guts for an A-list filmmaker like Rob Reiner to do all that work. Reiner is, at present, other than Stone, the only major director with worldwide respect, who is dedicated to the truth on the JFK assassination as is Stone who made his "JFK" and brought the subject back to a MSM intense debate. It woke up some of those still being paid to support the WR. Even got the Congress to act. Watch for Reiner to do something major in the future. "Mark Felt" was important.  It all helps us. The media was forced to cover the NA document dump in October '17 though they had little to work with and even less to say of any merit. I've been reading the docs until my eyes burn. But what did we expect. The point is that thanks to Reiner, Stone,  and John Barbour's documentaries, we are getting traction. As a professional pr person, the more information that gets out in films and documentaries, the broader the audience is for books of substance, like yours. Serious researchers and authors, journalists and news producers, must continue to support each other and work to accomplish a common goal. The truth. See LBJ and notice Reiner's attention to detail. He will be heard from again. As for the topics of the articles I've written for the N Enquirer, there's much more behind them. I will put that in my book. I assure you the use of the McCone-Rowley memo was not done without years of research. I sought and received strong confirmation that it is not a fake. I just couldn't put it all in there. As for the NE references to Trump, the owner's friendship with him, all I can say is that we're living in more difficult times than ever. If, in 1967, you would have ever told me that I'd be pulling for the FBI and CIA today (as the agents today are totally different than in '60-64 and know what Garrison meant by "in the looking glass,") I'd have never believed it. We must work with what we have. 

Edited May 21, 2018 by Steve Jaffe
Important clarifications

[James DiEugenio]

Steve:

I remember that flyer you put together for Executive Action.  I thought it was quite good.  And the thing is, I actually was intrigued by the references and looked some of them up and they were accurate.

Its amazing that film got made at all.  But if I recall correctly, Lancaster and Robert Ryan were both pretty liberal guys all their lives.  And was not Ed Lewis the producer for Kirk Douglas on some of his films, like Spartacus?  So that gave you some torque.

Its really something about those NE stories.  Millions of people get to see the headlines every week at the supermarket.  When is the one about the John Hurt call coming out?

Edited May 21, 2018 by James DiEugenio

[Don Jeffries]

Steve Jaffe,

It's great to see you posting here. I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates having someone with your history contributing on this forum. 

I'm intrigued by your comments about Rob Reiner. I assume you must have an insider's knowledge, because I've never heard any comments regarding the assassination from Reiner. So he knows there was a conspiracy? 

 

[David Andrews]

Congratulations, Steve - Executive Action is a courageous picture.

[Steve Jaffe]

4 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

Steve:

I remember that flyer you put together for Executive Action.  I thought it was quite good.  And the thing is, I actually was intrigued by the references and looked some of them up and they were accurate.

Its amazing that film got made at all.  But if I recall correctly, Lancaster and Robert Ryan were both pretty liberal guys all their lives.  And was not Ed Lewis the producer for Kirk Douglas on some of his films, like Spartacus?  So that gave you some torque.

Its really something about those NE stories.  Millions of people get to see the headlines every week at the supermarket.  When is the one about the John Hurt call coming out?

Jim -- Edward Lewis was a great producer with real politics. Among his classic films were Spartacus, Missing, Lonely Are the Brave,  and Seven Days in May, as well as Executive Action. And as "Technical Adviser" I had the honor of working for months with Dalton Trumbo on the script. What a special time that was. 

And yes, the NE stories are reaching millions of people. The one about John Hurt call came out about three weeks ago. I'll send it to you. Thanks for the mention of the EA newspaper. Wasn't easy to do without any staff. However, Mary Ferrell, no less, helped me with the annotation. What a mind she had. - SJ

[Steve Jaffe]

3 hours ago, Don Jeffries said:

Steve Jaffe,

It's great to see you posting here. I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates having someone with your history contributing on this forum. 

I'm intrigued by your comments about Rob Reiner. I assume you must have an insider's knowledge, because I've never heard any comments regarding the assassination from Reiner. So he knows there was a conspiracy? 

 

He does indeed. Reiner is a courageous filmmaker, a meticulous researcher and he knows a lot about the conspiracy which resulted in the assassination of President Kennedy. You might follow him on Twitter as he is a frequent contributor there, though, as one might expect, he is constantly distracted about the abuses of power in our government today. I suppose we should be grateful that there will never be another J. Edgar Hoover. 

[Ron Bulman]

Wow.  Take me back in time.  I don't know when I first saw Executive Action (early 80's?) but it spurred my questioning of the official story even at that late date, way back then.  You worked with Burt Lancaster.  Wow.

https://www.amazon.com/Executive-Action-Donald-Freed/dp/B00005JMA5

[Joe Bauer]

On 5/21/2018 at 8:22 PM, Steve Jaffe said:

He does indeed. Reiner is a courageous filmmaker, a meticulous researcher and he knows a lot about the conspiracy which resulted in the assassination of President Kennedy. You might follow him on Twitter as he is a frequent contributor there, though, as one might expect, he is constantly distracted about the abuses of power in our government today. I suppose we should be grateful that there will never be another J. Edgar Hoover. 

Yes, welcome to the forum.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 24, 2018 by Joe Bauer

[Joe Bauer]

S. Jaffe.

Any general personal thoughts on the JFK assassination?

Where were you when you heard the news of JFK dying on 11,22,1963?

Edited May 24, 2018 by Joe Bauer

[Steve Jaffe]

Joe: I'm just getting used to this forum format. I was wondering what "quote" means
below your comments with the plus sign in front of it.

In any event, I don't have any general comments on the assassination of President John Kennedy
other than, as a journalist, I hope history will record the truth and not bury the lead. I hope that Oswald
will one day be relegated to his rightful place as "scapegoat" and "patsy" and the real assassins will be
put in the books as they should be. 

As for me, I'll try to finish my book as soon as possible and make my modest contribution to the history
of this, as yet, unspeakable crime. There are so many really courageous investigators, researchers, authors
and filmmakers who have devoted so much time and blood sweat and tears to this. I want them to get the
respect of historians. And I want Garrison to get the respect he deserves. I believe he gave his life for justice
in this case.

I was at home getting ready for a class a film class at UCLA after breakfast. 

Edited May 24, 2018 by Steve Jaffe
Forgot one point

[Steve Jaffe]

ROB REINER'S "LBJ" WAS NOT A FLOP! As someone who has spent five decades in two very relevant areas about films and as a former NOLA DA's assistant I know about this topic. Just because a film doesn't ring the money bell is no reason to call it a flop! Not if you really care about history and truth. Rob Reiner is one of our greatest living filmmakers, and one of the greatest of all time. It's not about the money at the box office. He told a story that had never been told in that way on a big screen. Reiner is developing something now on the subject of JFK's assassination with Paramount Pictures. For people who have been waiting for over 50 years to see the historical record corrected -- No more Oswald Lone Assassin Bull xxxx -- Rob Reiner is preparing to tell that story and what did happen as it has never been told before. When we made "Executive Action" in the early 78's I couldn't get anyone interested. Not because it wasn't commercially sound, but because it was considered poison for anyone who wanted to differ with the OSWALD-LONE ASSASSIN bull xxxx. People were actually afraid their careers were in jeopardy. Some worried about their lives. You can imagine how it was after RFK was also assassination in downtown L.A! However one major star, Donald Sutherland who was Canadian and who had just become a major star, had the guts to challenge the status quo. Sutherland paid for the development of the project. He sent me a check each month for my partner, Mark Lane.  Lane, who was writing the "Executive Action" script with a friend. Lane's "Rush To Judgment" was the beginning of the breakthrough for critics. He was the first and his impact was powerful. He had worked for JFK's election. And Lane and his friend were rewritten by Dalton Trumbo. I spent about six weeks with Trumbo, after he asked me to "teach him  everything."  Edward Lewis was a big name producer. He got Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan and Will Geer involved. Sutherland just paid to make the first step. With that cast Lewis managed to make a deal for the money to make the film. It had to be around $500K with the cast and director deferring any payment. I imagine even Trumbo didn't see any money from it until later, maybe even after he died. Lancaster made millions! Our film came out in December, 1973. I did all the poster art and marketing materials. I have written here but I also wrote a newspaper we would publish which was as if a true, honest and factual report was done about the assassination. It's articles are all true! It was a great success all over the world and people liked that we were telling the true story of JFK's assassination, "at last" (!). We really had to pull the wool over so many people's eyes but the film got out and was an instant hit and then we started to have trouble. The studio and the producer, Lewis, made millions. The picture probably grossed $18 million but most of us had only a small percentage of the net profits. With that you can't buy groceries. But what troubled me was that a former or current Dallas cop, Roy Vaugh, sued. I had interviewed DPD officer (off duty on 11/24/63), N. J. Daniels was at the top of the ramp with Ruby entered. He was off duty but Vaughn  was there to guard, Oswald, the most important suspect in the world. But they let underworld, mob capo, Ruby in. The only people in the basement were cops and press. And Vaughn let Ruby in and he murdered Oswald seconds later. Daniels told me the truth. Vaughn has lied from that day on. Not surprising, he'd be legally culpable.  --- Anyway, if you are reading this or anyone else, I'll answer any questions as I'm putting this in my book.

Edited May 27, 2018 by Steve Jaffe
clarification only