Menahem Golan, who started his film career as Roger Corman’s apprentice before going on to gain a foothold in some of Hollywood’s most lucrative franchises, has passed away in his home country of Israel aged 85. With his cousin and business partner Yoram Globus he oversaw some of the Eighties’ most highly-regarded “bad” movies. Via Cannon Films they brought us cheap and relatively cheerful productions such as SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE (famously shot in Milton Keynes), DEATH WISH 2 – 4 and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2. There was also a proposed version of SPIDER-MAN that fell by the wayside with only teaser material released. The unused sets and costumes were eventually utilized for CYBORG with Jean-Claude Van-Damme. Action stars Van-Damme and Chuck Norris have paid tribute to Golan, crediting him with launching their careers.
He was reportedly one of the more flamboyant characters of the industry with a fiery temperament, courting other strong personalities like director Michael Winner and actors Shelley Winters and Charles Bronson, who regarded him as akin to the old bosses of the studio system. While easy to categorize Golan as an exploitation producer (a reputation he lived up to frequently, with one self-directed effort cashing in on the death of Gianni Versace), he also had artistic ambitions. Cannon went on to produce A CRY IN THE DARK starring Meryl Streep and RUNAWAY TRAIN with Jon Voight, collaborating along the way with John Cassavetes and Jean Luc Godard.
The company owned cinemas and even bought Elstree and Thorn EMI Studios before financial juggling and mounting debts brought an end to this colourful chapter of filmmaking history. Two new documentaries, THE GO-GO BOYS (that played at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, a venue where Golan could often be found) and ELECTRIC BOOGALOO have been produced and I’d be willing to bet a dramatization will soon follow.
Source: Variety
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