The Phantom of Hollywood

There have been so many remakes and ripoffs of "The Phantom of the Opera" that they all tend to blend together, though the made-for-TV "The Phantom of Hollywood" carries the distinction of showing us the end of an era taking place as we watch. It follows the original story fairly closely, but translates it to a Hollywood movie studio that is on the verge of selling off its backlot property to developers, since nobody uses the ramshackle sets anymore. The studio in question is called "Worldwide," but it is really MGM. It was filmed at MGM, it utilizes old film clips from MGM classic movies, its music score is peppered with classic songs from MGM films, and there's even a reference to Andy Hardy's house on the backlot, "Andy Hardy" being a long-running MGM series. Why they didn't call it MGM and be done with it is anyone's guess. As for the plot, a mysterious hooded figure living under the backlot desperately fights against its destruction, because it is his home. Who he is, and why he is hiding, is all part of the mystery. "The Phantom of Hollywood" is not a spoof, though it has its humorous and ironic moments, and a few standard clichés found in all films set in a movie studio, such as the ubiquitous shot of exotically dressed extras wandering around in between the soundstages, and the fact that none of the film executives ever seem to do any actual work. There is also an in-joke in making leading lady Skye Aubrey the daughter of the studio head, since Aubrey herself was the daughter of James Aubrey, the head of CBS, which aired the picture. It features a good cast of veterans, including Peter Lawford, Jackie Coogan, Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Corinne Calvet, Regis Toomey, Kent Taylor, and even former Dead End Kid Billy Hallop in a bit. Peter Haskell is the nominal hero and Jack Cassidy, in heavy makeup, plays the mysterious studio historian...could he be the masked killer? Well, not really; the mystery goes a little deeper than that. While it has its creepy moments, the film isn't all that scary. The real horror is watching the old, very recognizable MGM backlot sets being bulldozed to the ground on camera. By this point in time nothing could have saved them, but for film buffs, it's a bit like watching a snuff film. But that is the whole point of "The Phantom of Hollywood"...that era of movie-making was by that point as obsolete as a silent film.

One of our Hollywood fantasy streets and towns, the MGM backlot, where many a "Twilight Zone" victim, sometimes "Out of Limits" victim lived or wound up, crumples up like old wet cardboard before our very eyes. But, as seen in other scenes in the movie, sadly, perhaps it was too much of a mess to save. But we do get a tour of the backlot sets before it is torn down. And, Jack Cassidy Is the only other reason for looking at this.

The famed MGM back lot is home to a million memories of movies gone by. It's also secret home to a masked killer who goes on the rampage when the lot is threatened with redevelopment.

Inspired by the Phantom of the Opera, this is an interesting thriller that melds the sinister with moviemaking nostalgia. You sort of feel sorry for the phantom who is trying to stop the backlots from being torn down. Well-photographed and located, the phantom of Hollywood is atmospheric, fun and boasts a tour de force performance from Jack Cassidy.

This is, frankly, a rather awful movie.

Despite that, however, it is (as some other commenters have noted) a very interesting piece for anyone who enjoys old movie history or wants to learn a little bit more about it. The shots of MGM's back lots and the clips from a plethora of classic movies are nostalgia-provoking even in the layman, and it's hard to avoid a little tug at your heartstrings when the sets are destroyed at the end of the film.

Beware, however, to those who are looking for a Phantom of the Opera retread: this will likely disappoint you. Very few of Leroux's original ideas survive, since the Phantom here is a vehicle to show the destruction of old Hollywood rather than a story point unto himself. There's no love story and no examination of social morals, and the things that do carry over are mostly reworked to suit the new purpose of the film.

That said, the dialogue is terrible, the action cartoonish and in some cases outlandishly unrealistic, and the plotting slipshod. It's not Plan 9, but it's definitely not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination.

If you're a die-hard Phantom of the Opera fan, feel free to add it to your collection (though it's extremely hard to find nowadays), but the real reason to watch this film is to reflect on the milestones of the film industry and to watch the last moments of a bit of movie-making history before its destruction. Even if the writers borrowed Leroux's framework for their story, it is all about Hollywood and its legacy.

Interesting little TV-movie, obviously inspired by the more famous Phantom Of The Opera. Nice behind-the-scenes shots of decaying MGM sets, some even in the act of being demolished. Peppered with old stars, Jackie Coogan, etc. A nice companion piece to the William Castle's Ghost Story/Cirlce Of Fear episode "Graveyard Shift" which aired the previous year (1973) featuring John Astin and a pregnant Patty Duke Astin. Both seem to hit upon the same note - a sign of the times - the despair of the end of the Hollywood magic factories and a longing for a return to times and people lost. MGM was becoming a hotel chain and record label as Universal was devolving into television and theme parks.