Hal Warren
Encyclopedia
Harold P. Warren better known as Hal Warren, was an insurance and fertilizer
salesman who lived in the El Paso
, Texas
area. He is best remembered for writing, directing and producing the 1966 movie Manos: The Hands of Fate
. The film is noted as one of the worst films of all time.
Warren made the film on a bet. He had met Stirling Silliphant
, who was in the area scouting locations for a film. Warren bet Silliphant (who would later write the award winning screenplay for In the Heat of the Night) that he could make a successful horror movie on a limited budget.
Warren raised about $19,000. He managed to find an old 16-millimeter Bell & Howell camera to use on the film. Because the camera was spring wound, it could only shoot just over 30 seconds of film at a time. After casting himself in the starring role of Michael, he approached locals to play the other roles, as well as fill crew positions. He did not pay anyone, instead promising people a percentage of the profits. Warren and two others also dubbed all the voices, as the camera was not capable of capturing sound.
For two months, Warren, the cast and crew filmed at County Judge Colbert Coldwell's ranch. Warren's prima donna
attitude caused much friction among those working on the film, who began calling the film Mangos: The Cans of Fruit behind his back.
When the time came to premiere the film in El Paso, Warren turned the premiere into a media event. He hired a limousine to carry the cast to the theater. But a few minutes into the film, the audience began heckling it, and soon broke down into hysterics. Warren and the others who worked on the film snuck out before the film was over.
Warren did manage to convince Emerson Releasing Corporation to distribute the film. As a result, the film had a short run on some drive-in theaters in West Texas. Afterwards, the movie was largely forgotten until it was featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000
in 1993. A film titled Sueño: The Dream of Hall Warren, starring George Hardy of Troll 2
as Warren is in pre-production from Mind Bender Motion Pictures.
.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
salesman who lived in the El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
area. He is best remembered for writing, directing and producing the 1966 movie Manos: The Hands of Fate
Manos: The Hands of Fate
Manos: The Hands of Fate is an American horror film written, directed, produced by, and starring Harold P. Warren. It is widely recognized to be one of the worst films ever made...
. The film is noted as one of the worst films of all time.
Production
Although Warren is often referred to as a fertilizer salesman, he was in fact manager of the American Founder's Life Insurance Co. in El Paso at the time he made Manos: The Hands of Fate.Warren made the film on a bet. He had met Stirling Silliphant
Stirling Silliphant
Stirling Dale Silliphant was an American screenwriter and producer. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, moved to Glendale, California as a child, graduated from Hoover High School, and was educated at the University of Southern California...
, who was in the area scouting locations for a film. Warren bet Silliphant (who would later write the award winning screenplay for In the Heat of the Night) that he could make a successful horror movie on a limited budget.
Warren raised about $19,000. He managed to find an old 16-millimeter Bell & Howell camera to use on the film. Because the camera was spring wound, it could only shoot just over 30 seconds of film at a time. After casting himself in the starring role of Michael, he approached locals to play the other roles, as well as fill crew positions. He did not pay anyone, instead promising people a percentage of the profits. Warren and two others also dubbed all the voices, as the camera was not capable of capturing sound.
For two months, Warren, the cast and crew filmed at County Judge Colbert Coldwell's ranch. Warren's prima donna
Prima donna
Originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady." The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano...
attitude caused much friction among those working on the film, who began calling the film Mangos: The Cans of Fruit behind his back.
When the time came to premiere the film in El Paso, Warren turned the premiere into a media event. He hired a limousine to carry the cast to the theater. But a few minutes into the film, the audience began heckling it, and soon broke down into hysterics. Warren and the others who worked on the film snuck out before the film was over.
Warren did manage to convince Emerson Releasing Corporation to distribute the film. As a result, the film had a short run on some drive-in theaters in West Texas. Afterwards, the movie was largely forgotten until it was featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
in 1993. A film titled Sueño: The Dream of Hall Warren, starring George Hardy of Troll 2
Troll 2
Troll 2 is a 1990 horror film directed by Claudio Fragasso and starring Michael Stephenson, George Hardy, Margo Prey, Connie Young , Deborah Reed, and Jason Wright...
as Warren is in pre-production from Mind Bender Motion Pictures.
Later life
Warren worked as a fertilizer salesman for some time after making Manos. He tried pitching a sequel to Manos and another script named Wild Desert Bikers but failed. Warren then tried turning the script of Wild Desert Bikers into a book named Satan Rides a Bike, but was unable to find a willing publisher. Hal Warren died in December 1985. His widow moved to ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.