Quentin Tarantino believes that “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is his best movie, and there are many film fans out there who probably agree with him. While it’s hard to decide which Tarantino joint ranks at the top of the list, the 2019 period drama is arguably the most mature and contemplative film in his entire back catalogue. Not only that, but it also serves as a love letter to a bygone era of Tinsel Town that died long ago, which is reflected in the movie applying some revisionist history to the pilot episode of the ’60s TV Western “Lancer.” What’s more, a walk-in bathtub made this storyline possible.
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In “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Leonardo’s DiCaprio Rick Dalton appears as a villain in the aforementioned episode of “Lancer,” which was released during a time when the actor’s career was on a downward turn. Meanwhile, Luke Perry and Timothy Olyphant star as Scott Lancer and Johnny Madrid, aka the characters originally portrayed by Wayne Maunder and James Stacey in the real-life show. Tarantino, in general, loves using his flicks to geek out about pop culture, but “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” takes the nerding to another level.
“Lancer” might not be as popular as “Gunsmoke” or other classic TV Westerns, but using it in the movie still required Tarantino and his production team to get permission. Fortunately for them, it wasn’t that difficult after they tracked down the relevant party.
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The Lancer rights owner was happy to help Quentin Tarantino realize his vision
Quentin Tarantino and author Jay Glennie are set to release a series of books featuring behind-the-scenes stories for each of the director’s movies. As documented by Deadline, “The Making of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” will be the first book of the bunch, and some interesting details about how Tarantino acquired the rights to use “Lancer” have already been shared ahead of its release.
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According to the report, the rights to “Lancer” were owned by the widow of the show’s original creator, Samuel A. Peeples. However, she was more than happy to let Tarantino and his reps use her husband’s series in their movie, and she didn’t even ask them for money. Nevertheless, Tarantino’s reps made sure she received some compensation in the form of a high-end walk-in shower, which they paid for and had installed for her. Sadly, Peeples’ widow passed away before the film was released, but she was reportedly ecstatic about the gift she received in exchange for letting Tarantino rewrite the pilot episode of “Lancer.”
As of this writing, David Fincher and Brad Pitt are working on a “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” sequel for Netflix. Whether or not the film applies more deep-cut pop culture references to its narrative remains to be seen. Still, the story apparently takes place in the 1970s, suggesting that the New Hollywood movement could factor into the proceedings.
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