| Born on October 27 1946 in Komarno, Slovakia
(eastern part of former Czechoslovakia). [Komarno is not and never
has been Czech, therefore Reitman is not "Czech-born" as other
sources erroneously claim.] His concentration camp-survivor parents fled with him to
Canada at the age of four after the Communists came to power in Czechoslovakia (after
WWII). His nickname Ivanco seems to be related to Ivanko, the typical Slovak diminutive
form of the name Ivan. After majoring in music at McMasters University, Reitman's first
project Columbus of Sex, a 1969 adaptation of the notorious Victorian sex novel My
Secret Life, nearly landed him in jail. The film was considered soft porn and deemed
out of line according to the new Canada's decency laws. He was convicted, fined $300 and
put on probation for a year, despite widespread critical acclaim and support from the arts
community. He went on to direct, produce, edit and score the mildly exploitive Foxy
Lady (1971), then directed and produced the horror semi-spoof Cannibal Girls
(1973). In-between handling the producing chores on several early David Cronenberg movie
projects, Reitman produced Doug Henning's 1974 Broadway musical The Magic Show,
then he helped elevate John Belushi to film stardom with his spectacularly successful 1978
production National Lampoon's Animal House, doing the same for Bill Murray in his
1979 directorial effort Meatballs, which ended up the biggest-grossing Canadian
film of the year. After flirting with the Cinema of the Fantastic in his productions Heavy
Metal (1981) and Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983),
Reitman combined fantasy and comedy with his direction of the 1984 cash cow Ghostbusters.
Though he has earned his comic stripes as a director, Reitman continues to produce and
executive-produce other director's projects, notably the runaway hit Beethoven
(1991). However, not every Reitman's project has turned to box-office gold: After helping
to give Arnold Schwarzenegger a lighter, more amusing image in Kindergarten Cop
(1990), he failed to do same with Sylvester Stallone in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1991). Other of
his major Hollywood movies include Legal Eagles, Dave, Fathers' Day,
and Six Days Seven Nights.
Producer - filmography
Killing Me Softly (2001) (executive producer)
Evolution (2001) (producer)
Road Trip (2000) (executive producer)
Wonder Woman (2000)
... aka Wonder Woman: Legacy (1998) (USA: working title)
... aka Wonder Woman: The Right (1998) (USA: working title)
Doomsday Man (1999)
Six Days Seven Nights (1998)
Mummies Alive! The Legend Begins (1998) (V) (executive)
Fathers' Day (1997)
Private Parts (1997) starring Howard Stern
... aka Howard Stern's Private Parts (1997)
Commandments (1997) (executive)
Space Jam (1996) starring Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan
Late Shift, The (1996) (TV) (executive)
Junior (1994)
Beethoven's 2nd (1993) (executive)
Dave (1993)
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992) starring Sylvester Stallone
Beethoven (1992) (executive)
Kindergarten Cop (1990)
Ghostbusters II (1989)
Twins (1988/I)
Casual Sex? (1988) (executive)
Feds (1988) (executive)
Legal Eagles (1986)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983)
(executive)
... aka Adventures in the Creep Zone (1983)
... aka Road Gangs (1983)
Stripes (1981)
Heavy Metal (1981)
Blackout (1978) (executive)
... aka Black-Out à New York (1978) (France)
... aka Et la terreur commence (1978) (France)
... aka New York Blackout (1978)
... aka New York ne répond plus (1978) (France)
Animal House (1978)
... aka National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
Death Weekend (1977)
... aka House by the Lake, The (1977)
Rabid (1977) (executive) starring Marilyn Chambers
... aka Rage (1977/I)
Shivers (1975)
... aka Frissons (1975) (Canada: French title)
... aka Orgy of the Blood Parasites (1975) (Canada: English title: working title)
... aka Parasite Murders, The (1975)
... aka They Came from Within (1975) (USA) |
Director -
filmography Evolution (2001) starring David Duchovny
Six Days Seven Nights (1998) starring Harrison Ford and Anne Heche
... aka 6 Days 7 Nights (1998)
... aka 6 Days 7 Nights (1998)
Fathers' Day (1997) starring Billy Crystal and Robin Williams
Junior (1994) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito
Dave (1993) starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver
Kindergarten Cop (1990) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
Ghostbusters II (1989)
Twins (1988/I) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito
Legal Eagles (1986) starring Robert Redford, Debra Winger and Daryl
Hannah
Ghostbusters (1984) starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney
Weaver
Stripes (1981) starring Bill Murray
Meatballs (1979) starring Bill Murray
... aka Summer Camp (1979/II)
Cannibal Girls (1973)
... aka Des filles cannibales (1973) (Canada: French title)
Foxy Lady (1971)
Actor - filmography
Ghostbusters (1984) (voice) (uncredited) .... Zuul
Writer - filmography
Legal Eagles (1986) (story)
Cinematographer - filmography
Columbus of Sex, The (1969)
... aka My Secret Life (1969) (USA)
Editor - filmography
Foxy Lady (1971)
Miscellaneous crew - filmography
"Real Ghostbusters, The" (1986) TV Series
(executive consultant)
Rabid (1977) (music supervisor)
... aka Rage (1977/I)
Shivers (1975) (music supervisor)
... aka Frissons (1975) (Canada: French title)
... aka Orgy of the Blood Parasites (1975) (Canada: English title: working title)
... aka Parasite Murders, The (1975)
... aka They Came from Within (1975) (USA)
The Internet Movie Database
Hollywood Movies Shot in
Slovakia
Photos from fan sites, copyright of their authors
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