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Writer's pictureNicholas E. Lauer

Movie Fact #289 - August 31st, 2021

 

The 1969 musical film Paint Your House was not exactly a classic nor was it an easy film to make. The film's initial budget was $10 million, before it eventually ballooned to $20 million, partially due to the daily expense of $80,000 that was incurred to transport cast and crew to the filming location, as the closest hotel was nearly 60 miles away. Not to mention the elaborate camp used in the film cost $2.4 million to build and, according to Robert Osborne, lead star Lee Marvin drank heavily during the filming. While this may have enhanced his screen appearance, it led to delays and many retakes. All this was in conjunction with the film being made at a time movie musicals were going out of style, especially with younger audiences and the film was nearly three-hours in length to boot! All that being said, one good thing did come from it.


While the film's overblown budget and nearly three-hour length became notorious in the press, the film actually featured an early performance by famed actor/director Clint Eastwood who plays Sylvester Newel/"Pardner". Eastwood actually spoke later how his experience making this particular film, while frustrating to make with the long delays, strengthened his resolve to become a director. So, in other words, this one bad film may have been responsible for the numerous great films that Eastwood would take the helm of down the line. A true silver lining! Stay tuned!

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