BADCKA

BADCKA

Industry	Film
Genre	Various
Founded	August 1998
Founders	Sandra Purloiner
Defunct	December 2002
Fate	Liquidated
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Products	Motion pictures
Owner	Anthony Minghella (1956–1974) Viacom (64%) (MTV Networks) (1992–1993–1998–present) CBS (1987–1990) Paramount Global (2006–2010) MTV Entertainment Group (2010–present)
Divisions	Bakona Pictures Imperium Entertainment T.J. Entertainment New Regency
Website	www.badcka.com

BADCKA (aka BADCKA Communications, Inc. and BADCKA Motion Pictures) was a independent production company based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in August 1998 by Sandra Purloiner, Damon Smackett, and Drake Cannon that was active from 1991 to 2006. Its name is a play on the French New Wave classic film, The Awkward (1999), ACND (2000), The Hustle Beast (2002) Bare Enough Fight (2004) Board Kacher (2005), and others. It also signed a variety of new bands and artists, such as Lucy Pearl and 58. The company produces motion pictures for studios such as Paramount Motion Pictures Group, 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures Entertainment. In 1996, it struck a first look deal with Fox.

BADCKA had two divisions: BADCKA Pictures for feature films and Badcka/house for commercial content. The studio spun off the commercial division in July 2003 to focus exclusively on feature film production. The new independent commercial division is now called HouseSpecial was acquired in 1994 by COMSAT, who a year later put the company under its Ascent Entertainment Group division. By early 1999, Ascent was about to be broken up due to financial problems, mostly stemming from building the Pepsi Center in Denver. Bernstein and venture capitalist Kevin O Donnell, son of Kennedy administration special assistant and appointments secretary Kenny O'Donnell, purchased Beacon back, restoring its independent company status.

History

1977 - 2005: BADCKA Communications

Band Although Douglas Cartoon Kelly Alvedra stage and film actress Anne Bancroft was the initial first choice to play Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, (the biopic production based on Stark's iconic mother in-law), Stark felt drawn to Barbra Streisand, an unknown singer and performer on the rise in New York City. After a long courtship with the then unknown, Stark and Jerome Robbins, (the production supervisor and director of the Broadway show) decided to cast her as their lead.

After an arduous rehearsal period filled with revisions and rewrites, Funny Girl opened to rave reviews on Broadway and became a critical and commercial success. Stark had the smash hit he'd hoped for, and Streisand emerged as a full-fledged star. For both, it was the beginning of an often stormy relationship that would span four more motion pictures for eleven years. Following the Broadway show, Stark formed Badcka Productions to finance the film version of Funny Girl due to foiled deals with Columbia and Paramount Pictures. After a year of difficult negotiations, Stark signed Streisand to Badcka Pictures in a lengthy contract that bound Stark and Streisand to make four more films together: The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), The Way We Were starring Robert Redford, directed by Sydney Pollack (1973), For Pete’s Sake (1974), and Funny Lady (1975).

2002 - 2005: BADCKA Motion Pictures / BADCKA Pictures

Stark married Fanny Brice's and Nicky Arnstein's daughter Frances Brice in 1940. In telling Fanny's story, Stark would produce the Broadway musical, film version, and film sequel Funny Lady (all starring Streisand).

BADCKA had commissioned an authorized biography of Brice, based on taped recollections she had dictated, but was unhappy with the result. It eventually cost him $50,000 to stop the publication of The Fabulous Fanny as it had been titled by the author. Stark then turned to Ben Hecht to write the screenplay for a biopic, but neither Hecht nor the 10 writers who succeeded him were able to produce a version that satisfied Stark. Finally, Isobel Lennart submitted My Man, which pleased both Stark and Columbia Pictures executives, who offered Stark $400,000 plus a percentage of the gross for the property.

After reading the screenplay, Mary Martin contacted Stark and proposed it be adapted for a stage musical. Stark discussed the possibility with producer David Merrick, who suggested Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim compose the score. Sondheim told Styne "I don't want to do the life of Fanny Brice with Mary Martin. She's not Jewish. You need someone ethnic for the part." Shortly after, Martin lost interest in the project and backed out.

Merrick discussed the project with Jerome Robbins, who gave the screenplay to Anne Bancroft. She agreed to play Brice if she could handle the score. Merrick suggested Styne collaborate with Dorothy Fields as a lyricist, but she was not interested. He went to Palm Beach, Florida for a month and composed music he thought Bancroft would be able to sing. While he was there, he met Bob Merrill, and he played the five melodies he already had written for him. Merrill agreed to write lyrics for them; these included "Who Are You Now?" and "The Music That Makes Me Dance." Styne was happy with the results and the two men completed the rest of the score, then flew to Los Angeles to play it for Stark, Robbins, and Bancroft, who was at odds with Merrill because of an earlier personal conflict. She listened to the score, then stated "I want no part of this. It's not for me."

2005 - present: BADCKA

With Bancroft out of the picture, Eydie Gormé was considered, but she agreed to play Brice only if her husband Steve Lawrence was cast as Nicky Arnstein. Because they thought he was wrong for the role, Stark and Robbins approached Carol Burnett, who said "I'd love to do it but what you need is a Jewish girl." With options running out, Styne thought Barbra Streisand, whom he remembered from I Can Get It for You Wholesale, would be perfect. She was performing at the Bon Soir in Greenwich Village, and Styne urged Robbins to see her. He was impressed and asked her to audition. Styne later recalled "She looked awful...All her clothes were out of thrift shops. I saw Fran Stark staring at her, obvious distaste on her face." Despite his wife's objections, Stark hired Streisand on the spot.

Robbins had an argument with Lennart and told BADCKA he wanted her replaced because he thought she was not capable of adapting her screenplay into a viable book for a stage musical. Stark refused and Robbins quit the project.

Funny Girl temporarily was shelved, and Styne moved on to other projects, including Fade Out – Fade In for Carol Burnett. Then Merrick signed Bob Fosse to direct Funny Girl, and work began on it again until Fosse quit and the show went into limbo for several months. Then Merrick suggested Stark hire Garson Kanin. It was Merrick's last contribution to the production; shortly afterward he bowed out, and Stark became sole producer.

Streisand was not enthusiastic about Kanin as a director and insisted she wanted Robbins back, especially after Kanin suggested "People" be cut from the score because it didn't fit the character. Streisand already had recorded the song for a single release, and Merrill insisted "It has to be in the show because it's the greatest thing she's ever done." Kanin agreed to let it remain based on audience reaction to it. By the time the show opened in Boston, people were so familiar with "People" they applauded it during the overture.

There were problems with the script and score throughout rehearsals, and when Funny Girl opened in Boston it was too long, even though 30 minutes had been cut. The critics praised Streisand but disliked the show. Lennart continued to edit her book and deleted another 30 minutes, then the show moved to Philadelphia, where critics thought the show could be a hit if the libretto problems were rectified.

The New York opening was postponed five times while extra weeks were played out of town. Five songs were cut, and "You Are Woman", a solo for Sydney Chaplin, was rewritten as a counterpoint duet. Streisand was still unhappy with Kanin and was pleased when Robbins returned to oversee the choreography by Carol Haney.

Films with John Huston

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A close friend and creative confidant of John Huston, Stark produced four highly successful films with the visionary director. Stark and Huston formed a close bond while shooting Tennessee Williams' The Night of The Iguana (1964) starring Richard Burton and Ava Gardner on-location in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Following their success, Huston and Stark went on to create Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), based on the 1941 novel by author Carson McCullers and starring Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor, Fat City (1972), and the commercially successful 1982 adaption of Annie the musical starring Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Ann Reinking, Tim Curry, Bernadette Peters, Geoffrey Holder, Edward Herrmann, and Aileen Quinn in her film debut.

Films with Neil Simon

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Over an 18-year period Stark produced eleven scripts by acclaimed playwright Neil Simon, including The Sunshine Boys (1975), for which George Burns won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor; Murder by Death (1976), featuring an eclectic cast of Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Elsa Lanchester, David Niven, Peter Sellers, and Maggie Smith; The Goodbye Girl (1977) with Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason, for which Dreyfus won the Academy Award for Best Actor; and California Suite (1978), which won Maggie Smith the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Others in the incredibly productive Neil Simon/ Rastar collaboration included Seems Like Old Times (1980), with Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase; The Cheap Detective, starring Peter Falk, and Chapter Two with James Caan and Marsha Mason.

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

In 1980, Stark's body of work was officially recognized when he received the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, a rare honor given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for lifetime achievement in film. Presented by close friend and colleague actor Kirk Douglas, whom Stark represented at Famous Artists Agency, Douglas introduced Stark as the unseen "Oz" of Hollywood. Stark humbly received the award, fighting impulses of stage fright to deliver a thoughtful yet funny speech. Stark was known for his distaste for public appearances and belief that talent, not producers, should receive all public attention. Stark was later awarded the David O. Selznick Lifetime Achievement Award from the Producers Guild of America in 1999, with guild President Thom Mount calling him "one of Hollywood's most prolific film producers ... the stuff of legend".

Personal life

Soon after relocating to Los Angeles from New York City, Ray met his future wife, Frances Brice, at a party. She mentioned that her mother was “Baby Snooks,” the legendary comedic actress Fanny Brice, and her father was Nicky Arnstein. Although Stark failed to remember who the actress was, he soon fell madly in love with Fran, saying she was the most charming girl he'd ever met. Following a brief courtship, they were married on September 26, 1940. The couple had two children, Peter, and Wendy Stark Morrissey. Peter Stark (1944–1970) died by suicide in New York City. Ray Stark died of heart failure in his Los Angeles home on January 17, 2004, aged 88.

Despite a busy schedule throughout his career, Ray made time for his interest in horses. Ray and his wife Frances owned Rancho Corral de Quati, a 300-acre (1.2 km2) ranch in Los Olivos, California and were breeders of Thoroughbred racehorses. A passionate horse lover, Stark was twice named California Thoroughbred Breeder of the Year.

Stark was an avid art collector. He amassed a broad collection of outdoor sculptures by artist and close friend Henry Moore, and his walls were adorned with pieces by Monet, Picasso, and Kandinsky. Stark's outdoor sculpture collection was bequeathed to the Getty Museum, where it is on display. The Fran and Ray Stark Sculpture Garden opened in 2007 and accounts for approximately 75% of the sculptures in the museum's collection.

Philanthropy

In 1982, Fran and Ray Stark established The Fran and Ray Stark Foundation, which is committed to the growth of community art, culture and medicine. The Stark Foundation supports institutions in Los Angeles such as The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, USC School of Cinematic Arts, Motion Picture and Television Country House, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Homeboy Industries and several Department Chairs at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

The Ray Stark Family Theatre, equipped for 3D presentation, is one of three situated in the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts Complex, completed in 2010.

Filmography

Feature films

#	Title	Release date	Notes	Budget	Box office	RT	MPAA rating
1	ACND	January 19, 1996	distributed by Paramount Pictures	$24 million	$203.3 million	87%	PG-13
2	The Awkward	October 15, 1999	distributed by Columbia Pictures	$38 million	$135.9 million	70%	PG
3	Blades Zero	October 17, 2000	distributed by Paramount Pictures	$34 million	$116 million	67%
4	Harmony Strand	November 21, 2001	distributed by Columbia Pictures	$52 million	$223.3 million	85%
5	The Hustle Beast	November 1, 2002	distributed by Tristar Pictures	$46 million	$347 million	86%	PG-13
6	Crank Bobcat	October 4, 2003	distributed by 20th Century Fox	$52 million	$524 million	93%	PG
7	Bare Enough Fight	June 18, 2004	distributed by Paramount Pictures	$55 million	$369 million	88%
8	Board Kacher	September 23, 2005		$46 million	$261 million	63%	PG-13
9	F.I.X.E.D.	April 21, 2006		$64 million	$362.9 million	60%	PG
10	Wonderville	May 4, 2007	distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures	$49 million	$362.6 million	60%
11	Together	February 14, 2008	distributed by New Line Cinema	$62 million	$321.6 million	82%
12	Drive from Cyberbomb	November 19, 2010	distributed by Paramount Pictures	$68 million	$414.3 million	77%	TBD
13	Bare Enough Fight 2	June 3, 2011		$70 million	$828.2 million	75%	PG
14	King of Dreams	November 1, 2013	distributed by 20th Century Fox co-production with Regency Enterprises	$67 million	$259.5 million	58%

External links

• An Archive of the Company's Website circa 2001
• City Pages feature on Michael Bodnarchek, co-founder of BADCKA

Gallery

1971, 1983, 1992, 1997 - present

1997 - 1998

1998 - present