Stan Brooks
Appearances
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
You don't, as a TV movie producer, ever get near anything this hot, ever. You just don't.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
Arnold's trailer was like a house on wheels. It was literally like you'd look at it from the outside and you'd say, wow, that's got all kinds of pop outs and the roof went up and everything. But when you got inside, it was literally like you had just walked into like the Greystone Mansion.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
I don't know. Here's some soap, sweetie. Here's the soap.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
You know, it was a trip to Oz that I knew was short-lived, but it was something I was going to take in and enjoy as much as possible.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
First of all, TV movies don't have screenings. If we have a screening, it's like 10 people and you're in a screening room somewhere. This was the big theater at the DGA, which holds, I don't know, a thousand people, massive screen, and there's a huge red carpet and a press line.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
According to Stan, Ivan Reitman and James Cameron were there, along with a whole slew of Hollywood royalty. The screening was in L.A. It was a media sensation.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
And then he goes, I think we want to screen it again. That was too much fun. I go, okay. I go, I'll see if I can organize. He goes, no, I want to screen it in Washington with my friend Jack Valentich. So now we all fly to Washington. And it was a who's who of Washington. And it was senators and members of the cabinet. It was a seated dinner. And I remember my wife and I sit down.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
We wouldn't work in the room, so we sit last at our table. And the guy next to me has got like a dress uniform on. And I say, hey, Stan Brooks, I'm the producer. And he goes, hey, Oliver North.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
We, nobody had any, oh my God, we're making It's a Wonderful Life.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
So when he became governor, he was in about a year and he called me and he said, how would you like to be on the film commission? And I said, well, that's a dumb idea. He goes, why? I said, well, because I don't shoot movies in California. I said, I'm like the worst person you could put on the film commission because I take my movies out of state. He goes, no, that's why we want you.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
It was a hard fight. And so I ended up making a short film, a short documentary film, where we interviewed some of the families that left on why. And that ended up being more powerful than any speech we could make in their office.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
He said to me one night, we finished around 7 or 8, and he goes, what are you doing? And I said, I'm going home. He goes, Maria's making dinner. You want to come to the house? So, oh, yeah. So we both jump in our cars, and we drive to Pacific Palisades. And at that dinner, I remember Arnold turned to me, and he says, I don't understand why you don't do big features.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
And I said, to be honest, I didn't get in the business to make big, famous movies. I got in the business to make movies, and I get to make
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
I've told this story many times. I've never told it on the record. It's a big story. So if you've got the time, I will tell it to you.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
So I'm developing movies and a friend of mine goes and gets the job at TNC. And I make the very first movie for him.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
And he calls me, he goes, what do you want to do next? So they said, in a million years, would you ever let me do a remake from the MGM library? Because that's what Ted owned. And he said, yes, just pick one.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
And I had known the Barbara Stanwyck movie. And so I said, well, this could be a good one. It was right as Martha Stewart was exploding. I thought, well, what if this is Martha Stewart? What if she's on TV and has an empire and it's all fake? And so they loved that take. And so off we went to the races.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
And we turn it in and they go, this is good. This is good. We need a Christmas movie. So now I have and I have a nice little Christmas programmer and nothing more.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
Now understand, I'm in the television movie business. These guys are never calling me. So if they do call me, it's never good. And he gets on the phone and he says, do you have a director for your Christmas in Connecticut movie? And I said, well, almost, yeah, we have an offer out. And he said, okay, well, if he doesn't say yes, I want you to consider my client.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
And I go, okay, I'm waiting to hear the name. And I go, who? And he goes, Arnold Schwarzenegger. And I burst out laughing.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
I go, I'm Schwarzenegger's not doing a Christmas movie for TNT.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
I go, Lou? Why on earth would Arnold Schwarzenegger? He says, well, here's why.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
And so he was kind of tired after T2, and he said to Lou, I would like to direct a movie.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
He goes, no, no, no. I want low risk. If I do a terrible job, I don't want anyone to be upset. I don't want a big budget. And I want it to be family friendly because I don't want anything to be controversial. Nothing. I just want something very simple. And the only one that fit the bill was Christmas in Connecticut. So I said, OK, I'll I'll I'll call you if this guy passes. And I have the phone.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
I pick it up and I hear, Stan Brooks, yes, please hold for Arnold Schwarzenegger. And now I'm serious. I can see my heart beating. And he goes, hello. I go, uh, Arnold, are you the guy with this Christmas script? I said, yes. He says, it's fantastic. I'd love to direct. I go, okay. He goes, but I have to shoot in Los Angeles and I have to do it in these days.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
And he goes, and I have some notes on the script. I go, okay. Can you be here in an hour? And I go, uh, no. He goes, can you be on Wednesday? I go, yes, I can be there on Wednesday.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
So now I'm going to be on Wednesday and you walk in and there's this giant lobby. And the first thing you see is the exoskeleton, the metal thing with the red eyes from the
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
terminator so there's no doubt i mean the posters are up on the wall but there's no doubt when you walk in and you see this seven foot thing you go oh crap i know where i am my heart's beating and i go in and he's in his office which is massive and it's like you know signs of a football field and he's on one you walk in on this end and he's on the other end so you gotta walk past all the you know the props and stuff and then he's at a big huge desk with a big giant chair and behind him
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
is a bookshelf, but with all of the Mr. Universe awards, not film stuff. It's all his bodybuilding awards. And I remember we were going through the script and I said, hey, I want to use the restroom. And he pointed to me by putting up his bicep and pointed like this. His bicep comes clean. He goes, it's that way. And I go, was that just to show me your bicep?
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
And he goes, I have to show the guns whenever I can. And I'm like, okay, so this guy definitely has a sense of humor about himself.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
He wanted more humor and a little more jeopardy. And so we added in this sort of big action sequence at the beginning where he rescues the kid.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
He wanted more humor. And as it happened, my best friend in the world had written Commando.
Revisionist History
A Very Terminator Christmas
And Arnold loved them and said, if you think you can get him to do a comedy past