Golan, Menahem 1929-

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GOLAN, Menahem 1929-

PERSONAL: Born Menahem Globus, May 31, 1929 (some sources say 1931) in Tiberias, Palestine (now Israel); changed name, 1948; immigrated to United States, 1978; son of Noah and Deborah (Goldman) Globus; married; wife's name, Rachel; children: Ruth, Naomi, Yael. Education: Attended Old Vic Theatre School, London, England.

ADDRESSES: Office—New Cannon, Inc., 304 North Edinburgh Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90048.

CAREER: Producer, director, screenwriter, and actor. Owner of film production companies, including Golan-Globus and Cannon. Director of films, including El Dorado, 1963; Dalia vehamalahim (also known as Dalia and the Sailors), 1964; What's Good for the Goose (also known as Girl Trouble), National Showmanship, 1969; Katz v'Carasso (also known as The Contract and Katz and Carrasso), 1971; Shod hatelephonim hagadol (also known as The Great Telephone Robbery), 1972; Sababa (also known as Lemon Popsicle and Private Manoeuvres), 1983; (and executive producer) Mack the Knife (also known as The Threepenny Opera), 1989; Dead Center (also known as Crazy Joe), 1994; The Versace Murder, VMP, 1998; and Breaking the Silence, Martien Holdings, 1998.

Producer of films, including Nes b'ayara (also known as A Miracle in Our Town, A Miracle in the Town, and A Miracle in the Village), 1968; Abu el banat (also known as Daughters, Daughters), 1973; The No Mercy Man, 1975; Mishpahat Tzan'ani (also known as Tzanani Family), 1976; Lupo b'New York (also known as Lupo Goes to New York), 1976; Cheerleaders' Beach Party, 1978; Lemon Popsicle (also known as Eskimo limon), Noah, 1979; Yotzim kavua (also known as Going Steady and Lemon Popsicle II), 1979; Nisuin nusah Tel Aviv (also known as Marriage Tel-Aviv Style), 1979; Imi hageneralit (also known as My Mother the General), 1979; Shifshuf naim (also known as Hot Bubblegum and Lemon Popsicle III), 1981; Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Gawain and the Green Knight, 1982; Sapihes (also known as Lemon Popsicle IV and Private Popsicle), 1982; Ahava ilemeth (also known as Mute Love and Secret of Yolanda), 1982; Roman za'ir (also known as Baby Love and Lemon Popsicle V), 1984; Edut me'ones (also known as Forced Testimony and Forced Witness), 1984; Deja Vu, 1985; Ha-me'ahev (also known as The Lover), 1985; Harium ogen (also known as Lemon Popsicle VI and Up Your Anchor), 1985; Le soulier de satin, 1985; Un complicato intrigo di donne, vicoli e delitti (also known as Camorra: A Story of Streets, Women, and Crime, Camorra: The Naples Connection, and A Complex Plot about Women, Alleys, and Crimes), 1986; Malkat hakitah (also known as Prom Queen), 1986; Alien from L.A. (also known as Odeon), 1987; Puss in Boots, 1988; Manifesto (also known as A Night of Love), 1988; Hero and the Terror, 1988; The Phantom of the Opera, 1989; Sinbad of the Seven Seas (also known as Sinbad), 1989; Cyborg, 1989; The Rose Garden, 1989; O quinto macaco (also known as The Fifth Monkey), 1990; Delta Force II: Operation Stranglehold (also known as Delta Force II: The Colombian Connection), 1990; Killing Streets, 1991; The Finest Hour (also known as Desert Shield), 1991; Dance Macabre, 1991; Mad Dog Coll (also known as Killer Instinct), 1992; Captain America, 1992; Delta Force One: The Lost Patrol, Frontline Entertainment Group, 1999; and Gunga Din, 2000.

Executive producer of films, including Cauldron of Blood, 1968; Sam's Song (also known as Line of Fire and The Swap), 1969; Guess What We Learned in School Today?, 1970; Jump (also known as Fury on Wheels), 1971; The Jaws of Death, 1976; The Passover Plot, 1976; Incoming Freshman, 1979; Lady Chatterley's Lover, 1981; The Seven Magnificent Gladiators, 1982; Ordeal by Innocence, 1984; Nine Deaths of the Ninja, 1985; War and Love, 1985; K'fafoth, 1986; Lightning—The White Stallion, 1986; A Cry in the Dark (also known as Evil Angels), 1988; Messenger of Death, 1988; Haunted Summer, 1988; Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects, 1989; Bad Jim, 1989; Young Love: Lemon Popsicle VII, 1989; The Forbidden Dance (also known as Lambada, the Forbidden Dance), 1990; Night of the Living Dead, 1990; Bullseye!, 1990; Street Hunter, 1990; The Black Cat, 1991; The Masque of the Red Death, 1991; Prison Planet, 1992; Invaders, 1992; Desert Kickboxer (also known as Desert Hawk), 1992; Three Days to a Kill, 1992; Teenage Bonnie and Klepto Clyde, 1993; Death Wish V: The Face of Death, 1993; Midnight Witness, 1993; Deathfight, 1994; American Cyborg: Steel Warrior, 1994; Cattle Call, 1999; Speedway Junkie, 1999; After Sex, Cutting Edge Entertainment, 2000; and Escape to Grizzly Mountain, 2000.

Director and producer of films, including Shemona b'ekevot ahat (also known as Eight against One and Eight in the Footsteps of One), 1964; Fortuna (also known as The Girl from the Dead Sea, and Seduced in Sodom), 1966; 999 Aliza mizrahi (also known as 999 Aliza: The Policeman), 1967; Ha-pritza hagdola (also known as The Big Escape, Eagles Attack at Dawn, From Hell to Victory, Hanesharim pashtu im schachar, and Hostages in the Gulf), 1970; Lupo!, 1970; Hit the Dutchman, 1992; Crime and Punishment, Twenty-first Century Film Corp., 1993; Silent Victim, 1993; Deadly Heroes, 1994; Crime and Punishment, 2000; DeathGame, 2001; and Ha-shiva mehodu (also known as Open Heart and Return from India), 2002.

Producer, with Yoram Globus, of films, including Sallah (also known as Sallah shabati), Palisades International, 1964; (and director), Trunk to Cairo (also known as Mivtza kahir and Cairo Campaign), American International, 1966; (and director) Tuvia vesheva benotav (also known as Teyve and His Seven Daughters), Noah, 1968; (and director) My Margo (also known as Margo sheli and My Love in Jerusalem), Noah, 1969; (and director) Escape to the Sun (also known as ha Bricha el hashemesh), Cinevision, 1972; I Love You, Rosa (also known as Ani ohev otach Rosa), Noah, 1972; The House on Chelouch Street (also known as Ha-bayit berechov Chelouche), Noah, 1973; The Four Deuces, AVCO-Embassy, 1974; (and director) Kazablan, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists (MGM/UA), 1974; (and director) Diamonds (also known as Diamond Shaft and Yahlumim), AVCO-Embassy, 1975; (and director) Lepke, AmeriEuro/Warner Bros., 1975; God's Gun (also known as A Bullet from God), Irwin Yablans, 1977; Kid Vengeance (also known as Take Another Hard Ride and Vengeance Vendetta), Golan-Globus/Irwin Yablans, 1977; (and director) Operation Thunderbolt (also known as Entebbe: Operation Thunderbolt and Mivtza yonatan), Cinema Shares International, 1978; (and director) The Uranium Conspiracy (also known as Kesher ha'uranium), Golan-Globus, 1978; Savage Weekend, Golan-Globus, 1978; It's a Funny, Funny World (also known as Yisraelim matzhikim), Golan-Globus, 1978; (and director) The Magician of Lublin (also known as Ha-kosem mi'Lublin), Golan-Globus, 1979; Death Wish II, Columbia/EMI/Warner Bros., 1982; Revenge of the Ninja (also known as Ninja II), Cannon/MGM/UA, 1983; Hercules, Cannon/MGM/UA, 1983; The Wicked Lady, MGM/UA, 1983; Sahara, MGM/UA, 1984; (executive producer) Breakin' (also known as Breakdance), Cannon/MGM/UA, 1984; The Ultimate Solution of Grace Quigley (also known as Grace Quigley), Cannon/MGM/UA, 1984; Making the Grade (also known as Preppies), Cannon/MGM/UA, 1984; Ninja III—The Domination, Cannon/MGM/UA, 1984; Breakin' II: Electric Boogaloo (also known as Breakdance II—Electric Boogaloo and Electric Boogaloo Breakin' II), Cannon/Tri-Star, 1984; Lifeforce, Tri-Star, 1984; (and director) Over the Brooklyn Bridge (also known as Across the Brooklyn Bridge and My Darling Shiksa), MGM/UA, 1984; (executive producer) Maria's Lovers, MGM/UA, 1985; Cobra, Warner Bros., 1986; (and director) Over the Top, Warner Bros., 1987; Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Warner Bros., 1987.

Producer of films with Yoram Globus at Cannon Studios, including (and director) Malkat hakita (also known as Malkat hakvish, Prom Queen, and The Highway Queen), 1971; (and director) The Apple (also known as Star Rock), 1980; The Happy Hooker Goes to Hollywood (also known as Hollywood Blue), 1980; Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype, 1980; (executive producer) The Godsend, 1980; New Year's Evil, 1980; Schizoid (also known as Murder by Mail), 1980; Seed of Innocence (also known as Teen Mothers), 1980; Body and Soul, 1981; (and director) Enter the Ninja (also known as Ninja I), 1982; Hospital Massacre (also known as Ward 13, X-Ray, and Be My Valentine, Or Else …), 1982; The Last American Virgin, 1982; That Championship Season, 1982; Treasure of the Four Crowns, 1983; (executive producer) 10 to Midnight, 1983; Nana (also known as Nana, the True Key of Pleasure), 1983; I'm Almost Not Crazy … John Cassavetes: The Man and His Work, 1983; The House of Long Shadows (also known as House of the Long Shadows), 1983; The Ambassador (also known as The Peacemaker), 1984; (executive producer) Bolero: An Adventure in Ecstasy, 1984; Exterminator II, 1984; The Naked Face, 1984; Missing in Action, 1984; Hot Resort, 1984; Love Streams, 1984; (and director) The Delta Force, 1985; The Assisi Underground, 1985; Hot Chili (also known as Hot Summer), 1985; Interno Berlinese (also known as The Berlin Affair), 1985; Missing in Action II—The Beginning, 1985; Rappin', 1985; (executive producer) Thunder Alley, 1985; American Ninja (also known as American Warrior), 1985; (executive producer) Mata Hari, 1985; Death Wish III, 1985; King Solomon's Mines, 1985; Runaway Train, 1985; Fool for Love, 1985; Invasion U.S.A., 1985; (executive producer) Murphy's Law, 1986; (executive producer) The Naked Cage, 1986; P.O.W.: The Escape, 1986; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2, 1986; Invaders from Mars, 1986; 52 Pick-Up, 1986; Link, 1986; Firewalker, 1986; Dumb Dicks (also known as Detective School Dropouts and Private Detectives), 1986; The Nutcracker: The Motion Picture, 1986; Avenging Force, 1986; Hashigaon hagadol (also known as Funny Farm), 1986; Journey to the Center of the Earth, 1986; (executive producer) Salome, 1986; Otello, 1986; America 3000, 1987; American Ninja I2: The Confrontation, 1987; Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold, 1987; Assassination, 1987; Beauty and the Beast, 1987; Down Twisted, 1987; Duet for One, 1987; The Emperor'sNew Clothes, 1987; The Hanoi Hilton, 1987; The Barbarians, 1987; Dutch Treat, 1987; Masters of the Universe, 1987; Number One with a Bullet, 1987; Rumpelstiltskin, 1987; Street Smart, 1987; Under Cover, 1987; The Assault, 1987; Hansel and Gretel, 1987; Going Bananas (also known as My African Adventure), 1987; Snow White, 1987; Sleeping Beauty, 1987; Tough Guys Don't Dance, 1987; Shy People, 1987; Dancers (also known as Giselle), 1987; Red Riding Hood, 1987; King Lear, 1987; Braddock: Missing in Action III, 1987; Too Much, 1987; Die Papierene Brucke, 1987; Field of Honor, 1987; Salsa, 1988; Freedom Fighters (also known as Mercenary Fighters), 1988; and (and director) Hanna's War, 1988.

Executive producer of films at Cannon Studios, including Dangerously Close, 1986; Barfly, 1987; Surrender, 1987; Mascara (also known as Make-up for Murder), 1987; Death Wish IV: The Crackdown, 1987; Gor, 1987; Business as Usual, 1987; The Kitchen Toto, 1988; Doin' Time on Planet Earth (also known as Comin' down to Earth), 1988; Bloodsport (also known as Kick Boxer), 1988; Appointment with Death, 1988; and Powaqqatsi, 1988. Military service: Israeli Air Force.

AWARDS, HONORS: Seven Harp of David awards for best director (Israel), 1970s; Operation Thunderbolt and Sallah nominated for Academy awards and Golden Globe awards; Theatre Prize for Best Theatrical Production (Israel), 1997; Prize of Israel, 1999.

WRITINGS:

SCREENPLAYS

El Dorado, 1963.

Fortuna (also known as The Girl from the Dead Sea and Seduced in Sodom), 1966.

999 Aliza mizrahi (also known as 999 Aliza: The Policeman), 1967.

Tuvia vesheva benotav (also known as Tevye and His Seven Daughters), 1968.

Margo Sheli (also known as My Love in Jerusalem and My Margo), 1969.

Ha-Pritza Hagdola (also known as The Big Escape, Eagles Attack at Dawn, From Hell to Victory, and Hostages in the Gulf), 1970.

Lupo!, 1970.

Malkat hakita (also known as The Highway Queen and Prom Queen), 1971.

Katz v'Carasso (also known as The Contract and Katz and Carrasso), 1971.

Shod hatelephonim hagadol (also known as The Great Telephone Robbery), 1972.

Escape to the Sun, Cinevision, 1972.

Kazablan, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1974.

Mitsva Yonatan (also known as Operation Thunderbolt and Entebbe: Operation Thunderbolt), Cinema Shares International, 1978.

(With Irving S. White) The Magician of Lublin, Golan-Globus, 1979.

The Apple (also known as Star Rock), 1980.

Enter the Ninja, Cannon, 1982.

The Delta Force, Cannon, 1985.

Hashigaon hagadol (also known as Funny Farm), Cannon, 1986.

Business as Usual, Cannon, 1987.

Under Cover, Cannon, 1987.

Going Bananas (also known as My African Adventure), Cannon, 1987.

Hanna's War, Cannon, 1988.

Mack the Knife (also known as The Threepenny Opera), 1989.

The Versace Murder, VMP, 1998.

Armstrong (made-for-television movie), Home Box Office, 1998.

Crime and Punishment, 2000.

Also author of stories for films Commandos (also known as Sullivan's Marauders), 1968; What's Good for the Goose (also known as Girl Trouble), National Showmanship, 1969; Diamonds (also known as Diamond Shaft and Yahlumim), AVCO-Embassy, 1975; and Sahara, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1984.

SIDELIGHTS: The Israeli team of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, cousins from the town of Tiberias, took Hollywood by storm when they bought the ailing Cannon film production company for a mere $350,000 in 1979. Golan was already an established director and screenwriter in Israel, and with Globus handling the business side the two made a small fortune churning out low-budget films, often in the action genre, faster and more efficiently than the large, union-bound studios could. The "Go-Go Boys," as other Hollywood producers called them, produced twenty-three films in 1985, more than any other production company in theUnited States that year, and by 1986 the company had $150 million in revenue. Cannon fell apart amid accusations of shoddy bookkeeping in 1989, but since then Golan has continued to produce, direct, and occasionally to write films with other companies. In 2001 Golan established the New Cannon, Inc. production company.

Among the most notable films Golan wrote while with Cannon are Delta Force and Mack the Knife. The former, an action flick about an airline hijacking, stars Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin as leaders of a Delta Force team charged with rescuing the passengers; the latter is an adaptation of The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television, Volume 35, Gale (Detroit, MI), 2001.

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, fourth edition, Volume 4: Writers and Production Artists, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 2000.

Katz, Ephraim, The Film Encyclopedia, Crowell (New York, NY), 1979.

PERIODICALS

Business Week, April 15, 1985, Aaron Bernstein, "The Kings of Schlock Shoot for the Big Time," pp. 121-122; June 16, 1986, Ellen Farley, "What do Sly, Al, and Whoopi Have in Common?," p. 114; December 8, 1986, Ronald Grover, "Cannon Loses the Star on Its Door," p. 40; March 13, 1989, "Puzzle in Movieland: The Case of the Mystery Moguls," pp. 80-82.

California Magazine, November, 1983, Rian Malan, "Two Guys from Israel," pp. 109-112.

Film Comment, January-February, 1981, Patricia Erens, "Israeli Cinema," pp. 60-65; December, 1983, Barry Rehfeld, "Cannon Fathers," pp. 20-24.

Forbes, June 30, 1986, "The Boys from Tiberias," p. 10; July 25, 1988, Lisa Gubernick, "Cannon Rises Again," pp. 43-44; April 25, 1994, "Schlockmeister," pp. 12-13.

Glamour, February, 1990, David Denicolo, review of Mack the Knife, p. 130.

Life, April, 1987, "Is the Go-Go Gone? This Prolific Duo Finds Itself in Hot Water," p. 102.

Los Angeles Magazine, September, 1986, Sue Horton, "The Cannon's Roar," pp. 118-125; March, 1990, Dick Lochte, review of Mack the Knife, p. 175.

Los Angeles Times, August 29, 1983, Linda Gross, review of Hercules, p. 6; March 3, 1984, Linda Gross, review of Sahara, p. 3.

Maclean's, February 23, 1987, Lawrence O'Toole, review of Over the Top, p. 52.

Moscow News, April 16, 1993, Yelena Vesyolaya, interview with Golan, p. 12.

New Republic, February 12, 1990, Stanley Kauffmann, review of Mack the Knife, pp. 26-27.

Newsweek, October 31, 1983, David T. Friendly, "Hollywood's Rug Merchants," p. 60; August 11, 1986, David Ansen, "Hollywood's New Go-Go Boys: Golan and Globus Have Turned Cannon Studios into a Big-League Player," pp. 54-55.

New York, September 12, 1983, William Wolf, "The Sunshine Boys," pp. 89-90.

New York Law Journal, March 9, 1984, Neil Hirsch, review of Over the Brooklyn Bridge, p. 24, C6.

New York Times, March 2, 1984, Vincent Canby, review of Over the Brooklyn Bridge, p. 24; February 14, 1986, Vincent Canby, review of The Delta Force, pp. 14, C14, Janet Maslin, review of Hannah and Her Sisters, pp. 14, C8; February 23, 1986, Vincent Canby, review of The Delta Force, p. H19; February 12, 1987, Janet Maslin, review of Over the Top, p. 23; March 1, 1987, Walter Goodman, review of The Magician of Lublin, p. H32; September 18, 1987, Lawrence Van Gelder, review of King Lear, p. 24; March 1, 1989, Geraldine Fabrikant, "Golan Quits at Cannon, Ending Era," p. C16; February 2, 1990, Janet Maslin, review of Mack the Knife, p. B8.

People, February 27, 1984, Monty Brower, review of Bo-Bolero, pp. 20-23; March 17, 1986, David Hiltbrand, review of The Delta Force, p. 13; March 2, 1987, Tom Cunneff, review of Over the Top, p. 6.

Rolling Stone, February 8, 1990, Peter Travers, review of Mack the Knife, p. 32.

Time, January 13, 1986, Gerald Clarke, "Bring Back the Moguls!," p. 72.

Times Literary Supplement, January 28, 1988, David Nokes, review of King Lear, p. 112.

Variety, May 28, 1980, review of The Apple, p. 43; February 17, 1982, review of Death Wish II, p. 20; August 31, 1983, review of Hercules, p. 18; November 9, 1983, review of Hospital Massacre, p. 24; December 28, 1983, review of Sahara, p. 14; February 29, 1984, Hy Hollinger, "Indie 'Rebels' Weather the Hollywood Storm," pp. 41-42; May 16, 1984, review of Making the Grade, p. 26; October 24, 1984, "Many Irons in the Fire: Golan and Globus Workaholics of Industry," p. 333; February 11, 1987, review of Over the Top, p. 16; November 11, 1987, Thomas Quinn Curtiss, "Golan Completes Hungarian Shoot on Hanna's War," pp. 27-28; April 27, 1988, review of Hanna's War, p. 12; April 26, 1989, Don Groves, "After Split from Parretti, Golan Sez He's Reborn," pp. 11-12; May 24, 1989, Frank Segers, "Golan on Globus: It's Like Divorce," p. 18; October 18, 1989, review of Mack the Knife, p. 30; April 6, 1992, Charles Fleming, "Golan Getting Back on the Go," pp. 5-6; March 22, 1993, Richard Natale, review of Silent Victim, p. 53; October 17, 1994, Rex Weiner, "Catching Up with Golan's Fresh Act," pp. 15-16.