Landis the man behind carefree comedies and has also helped to blur the lines between comedy and horror, in addition to crafting such fine-tined social satire.
Landis was born into a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois. When he was four months old. his parents relocated to Los Angeles, California.
Though spending his childhood there, Landis still refers to Chicago as his hometown, and is a big fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team.
As a young boy, Landis watched the 1958 American Technicolor heroic fantasy adventure film 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad'. It was this of which inspired him to become a director.
Years later, Landis began his film career working as a mailbox at 20th Century Fox.
He worked as a gofer and then as an assistant director during filming MGM's 1970 American war film 'Kelly's Heroes' in Yugoslavia in 1969. Landis was replaced the film's original assistant director, who became ill and was sent home.
During that time, Landis became acquainted with actors Don Rickles and Donald Sutherland, both of whom would later work in his films.
Following 'Kelly's Heroes', Landis worked on several films that were shot in Europe (especially in Italy and England) including Sergio Leone's epic 1968 Italian/American Spaghetti Western drama/action film 'C'era una volta il West' ('Once Upon a Time in the West').
Landis also worked on British film director, writer and producer John Guillerman's ('The Towering Inferno') 1970 American western action/romance film 'El Condor'.
The following year, Landis worked on the 1971 American international co-production Spaghetti Western drama/action film 'A Town Called Bastard' (also known as 'A Town Called Hell'). He also worked as a stunt double.
Two years later, Landis made his directorial debut with the 1973 American low-budget horror comedy fantasy/science fiction film 'Schlock'. He was twenty-one years old. The film, which he also wrote and appeared in, is a tribute to monster movies.
The gorilla suit for the film was made by American special make-up effects creator and designer of creature effects Rick Baker—the beginning of a long-term collaboration between Landis and Baker.
Though complete in 1971, it was not released until 1973 that 'Schlock' was released after it caught the attention of Johnny Carson. He was a fan of the film and invited Landis as a guest on The Tonight Show.
Carson showed clips from the film and, in the process, brought attention to it. 'Schlock' has since gained a cult following, but Landis has described the film as "terrible".
Four years later, Landis was then hired to direct 1977 American independent anthology comedy film 'Kentucky Fried Movie'.
This was after American film director, producer and screenwriter David Zucker ('Airplane!', 'Naked Gun: From the Files of Place Squad!') saw his Tonight Show appearance.
The film had been inspired by the satirical sketch comedy of shows like the British surreal sketch comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974) the American anti-Vietnam War roadshow The Free the Army Tour (1970–), The National Lampoon Radio Hour (1973–1974) and Saturday Night Live (1975–present).
It is also notable for being the first film written by the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (abbreviated to ZAZ) team.
American film producer and movie executive Sean Daniel, then an assistant to Universal Studios executive Thom Mount, saw 'Kentucky Fried Movie' and recommend Landis to direct the 1978 American comedy/romance film 'Animal House' based on that.
The script had been written by Harold Ramis, American comedy writer of magazine, novels, radio, television, and film and co-founder of the American humor magazine National Lampoon Douglas Kennedy and American author and screenwriter Chris Miller.
Landis says of the script, "It was really literally one of the funniest things I ever read. It had a nasty edge like National Lampoon. I told him it was wonderful, extremely smart and funny, but everyone’s a pig for one thing."
While 'National Lampoon's Animal House' received mixed reviews, it was a massive financial success. The film, along with 'Kentucky Fried Movie', was largely responsible for defining and launching the gross out film genre, which became one of Hollywood's staples.
The following year, Landis, along with Tim Burton and dozens of puppeteers, appeared in the finale shot of the 1979 American musical road comedy family film 'The Muppet Movie'. Landis had manipulated Grover.
One year later, Landis co-wrote and directed the 1980 American musical comedy/action film 'The Blues Brothers', starring John Belushi ('Joliet' Jake Blues) and Dan Aykroyd (Elwood Blues). Landis makes an appearance in the film, credited as Trooper La Fong.
At the time, 'The Blues Brothers' was one of the most expensive films ever made, costing almost $30 million.
In comparison, Steven Spielberg's 1979 American period war comedy action/adventure film '1941' cost $35 million.
It is speculated that Spielberg and Landis engaged in a rivalry, the goal of which was to make the more expensive film.
The rivalry might have been a friendly one, as Spielberg makes a cameo appearance in 'The Blues Brothers' (as the unnamed desk clerk near the end) and Landis had made a cameo in '1941' as a messenger.
'The Blues Brothers' earned just under $5 million in its opening weekend, and went on to gross over $115.2 million in theaters worldwide before its release on home video. It has since become a cult film.
One year later, Landis wrote and directed another cult-status film, and the one of which he is best known. This was the 1981 British-American fantasy/horror comedy film 'An American Werewolf in London'.
It was perhaps Landis's most personal project; he had been planning to make it since 1969 while in Yugoslavia working on 'Kelly's Heroes'.
The following year, 'An American Werewolf in London' was the first film in cinematic history to win an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling (Rick Baker) at the 54th Academy Awards. This occurred in late March 1982.
The film was yet another commercial success for Landis, and inspired studios to put comedic elements in their horror films.
On July 23, 1982, during the filming of the 1983 American science fiction horror anthology film ‘Twilight Zone: The Movie’, American actor and director Vic Morrow was killed in an accident involving an out-of-control helicopter.
This also involved child extra Myca Dinh Le (age 7) and Renee Shin-Yi Chen (age 6) The three were caught under the aircraft when it crashed.
Afterwards, Landis (who served as co-director) and four other crew members were charged with involuntary manslaughter. Landis was later reprimanded for circumventing California's child labor laws in hiring the two children.
The incident resulted in stricter safety measures and enforcement of child labor laws in California.
The parents of the children sued, and eventually settled out of court with the studio for $2 million per family.
Morrow's children, one of them being actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, who was twenty at the time, also settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
During an interview with New York-based film writer, curator, and programmer Giulia D'Agnolo Vallan, Landis said:
“When you read about the accident, they say we were blowing up huts—which we weren't—and that debris hit the tail rotor of the helicopter—which it didn't.
The FBI Crime Lab, who was working for the prosecution, finally figured out that the tail rotor delaminated, which is why the pilot lost control. The special effects man who made the mistake by setting off a fireball at the wrong time was never charged.”
One year later, Landis wrote and directed the 1983 music video made for Michael Jackson's song Thriller. It references numerous horror films.
It starred Jackson performing a dance routine with a horde of the undead. African-American model and actress Ola Ray co-starred as Jackson's girlfriend.
The following year, Landis appeared in a cameo of the 1984 American musical comedy family film 'The Muppets Take Manhattan'. This was as Broadway producer Leonard Winesop.
He listens to the pitch from Kermit the Frog (disguised as a boffo-socko agent) Manhattan Melodies, but refuses to even give it a read. He promptly tosses the script upon Kermit's immediate departure.
In 1986, the dilapidated Eugene home on East 11th Avenue that was the namesake for ‘National Lampoon's Animal House’ was torn down. Each of the bricks were priced at one dollar.
In the late 1990s the belated sequel, being the 1997 American horror/comedy film 'An American Werewolf in Pars' was released by Hollywood Pictures.
Unlike its predecessor, which had Oscar-winning special make-up effects by Rick Baker, 'Paris' relied heavily on CGI for its transformation effects and chase sequences, a common point of derision from most critics.
'Animal House' was #1 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies". It was #36 on AFI's "100 Years... 100 Laughs" list of the 100 Best American comedies. The line "Toga! Toga!" ranked it at #82 on the list of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Quotes.
Three years after the release of 'Paris', another belated sequel was released. This was the 2000 American musical/comedy film 'Blues Brothers 2000'.
The film is dedicated to John Belushi, Cab Calloway, and John Candy, cast members from the original film who had died prior to the sequel's production, as well as Junior Wells, who died one month before it was released.
Though directed by Landis, Roger Ebert gave the film 2 stars, saying, "The film is lame comedy surrounded by high-energy blues (and some pop, rock and country music)."
In 2001, the United States Library of Congress' deemed 'Animal House' "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
In 2008, Empire magazine selected 'Animal House' as #279 of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time".
In 2009, Michael Jackson's Thriller became the first music video inducted into the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant.
In 2020, 'The Blues Brothers' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Even years later, fans worldwide re-enact its zombie dance and it remains popular on YouTube.
The Library of Congress described it as "the most famous music video of all time", and it has been named the greatest video of all time by various publications and readers' polls.
Landis has been active from 1969–present.
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