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Jack the Ripper Overview:

Jack the Ripper (1959) was a Crime - Horror Film directed by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman and produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman.

Jack the Ripper BlogHub Articles:

Billy Wilder and Jack the Ripper Take on Sherlock Holmes

By Rick29 on Oct 28, 2013 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

James Mason as Watson and Christopher Plummer as Holmes. The 1970s featured two revisionist takes on Sherlock Holmes: The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes was released in 1970 and Murder By Decree appeared at the end of the decade. While neither film is wholly successful, they each boast a lot of st... Read full article

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Jack the Ripper Quotes:

Dr. Tranter: Cut deeply, John. That's the secret of surgery nowadays: cut deeply.
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Jack the Ripper Facts
Although the film was made by Mid Century Film Productions Ltd., of Great Britain, the ending credits of the U.S. version claims it was an "Embassy Pictures Production."
For the US trailer, voice specialist Paul Frees looped the voice of Jack the Ripper. For the film itself, Frees did the opening narration over the Paramount logo.
This film was well remembered by horror and thriller fans from this period. The massive advertising campaign generated huge ticket sales and a high number of holdover dates. But, according to Joseph E. Levine, the film was a failure in the U.S. He claimed, "We dropped dead in every one! You'd think somewhere, a small town maybe, someplace, it would have done business. But no. That's a record they'll never come close to."
Joseph E. Levine tried to duplicate the success he had with Le fatiche di Ercole (U.S. title: "Hercules") in the U.S. by using the same techniques. He spent $1 million (an extraordinary sum in 1959) on the promotional campaign that included extensive use of TV spots. This was backed up with the saturation booking of 643 prints.
Joseph E. Levine held a luncheon for major distributors to kick off the campaign for his U.S. release of this film. For this event, he borrowed $1 million in cash which was brought into the room with a cadre of Brinks guards. The cash was to demonstrate to the exhibitors how much he was going to spend in the U.S. to promote the film.
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