Cliff Robertson originated the role of “Charlie Gordon” (later spelled “Charly Gordon”) in the made-for-television production “The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon,” which aired on 22 Feb 1961 as part of the dramatic anthology series The U.S. Steel Hour (ABC/CBS, 27 Oct 1953—12 Jun 1963), and resulted in Robertson’s nomination for an Emmy for Outstanding Single Lead Actor Performance. On 21 Apr 1961, DV announced the actor had acquired film rights to “The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon,” written by Daniel Keyes and based on Keyes’s short story, “Flowers for Algernon,” first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in Apr 1959. Robertson, who planned to reprise the titular role, was motivated by the fact that he had originated several other roles in productions that had gone on to become feature films starring other actors (i.e. his turn in “Days of Wine and Roses” on Playhouse 90 [CBS, 4 Oct 1956—19 Sep 1961], which was recreated by Jack Lemmon in the film version [1962, see entry], and his portrayal of “Sam Lawson” in a stage version of James Lee’s Career, played by Anthony Franciosa in the 1959 film [see entry]).
       The 6 Oct 1963 NYT announced director Ralph Nelson’s involvement in the picture, then titled Flowers for Algernon, and noted that Nelson’s Rainbow Productions would produce. Daniel Keyes was said to be at work on the screenplay and also planning to adapt his story into a novel. Robertson, who spent $50,000 of his own money on development, later enlisted William Goldman to adapt the script, as stated in the 9 Apr 1964 DV. An article in the 24 Sep 1967 NYT claimed that early attempts at the screenplay didn’t “jell,” and Goldman was eventually replaced by Stirling Silliphant, as reported in the 28 Sep 1966 DV. Although a 25 May 1967 DV item listed James Yaffe as the screenwriter, Jaffe received no onscreen credit in the final film.
       Funding was difficult to come by due to Charly’s theme of mental disability, as noted in various contemporary sources including the 12 Jun 1968 Var. Ralph Nelson claimed that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) had briefly been interested, and that United Artists had rejected the picture due to the recent failure of its 1963 film about mentally disabled children, A Child Is Waiting (see entry).
       British actress Anne Heywood was cast in the role of “Alice Kinian,” as reported in the 9 Aug 1967 LAT. However, as noted in the 27 Sep 1967 Var, she dropped out around the time principal photography began on 25 Sep 1967 in Boston, MA. A representative of Selmur Pictures, Inc. blamed the actress’s departure on a “disagreement over major changes in concept and [her] role in the final screenplay.” Claire Bloom was hired to take her place, the 4 Oct 1967 Var reported. After several weeks of shooting, cast and crew moved from Boston to Los Angeles, CA, in early Dec 1967. The 14 Dec 1967 DV stated that shooting was scheduled to take place that day and the following day at a Pacific Palisades home being leased by Robertson, and final scenes were scheduled be shot on Monday, 18 Dec 1967, at MGM studios in Culver City, CA.
       Selmur Pictures, whose involvement was announced in the 25 May 1967 DV, had recently been formed as a subsidiary of American Broadcasting Company (ABC). At the time, seventy-five percent of ABC subsidiaries’ output was slated to be released by Cinerama Releasing Corp., including Charly. A world premiere took place on 28 Jun 1968 at the Berlin Film Festival. A New York City opening followed on 23 Sep 1968 at the Baronet Theatre, and the Los Angeles opening occurred one month later at the Beverly Hills Music Hall Theatre.
       As quoted in the 12 Jun 1968 Var, Stirling Silliphant was excited about the film’s use of “innovative visual effects” such as “multi-screen montages” and the employment of a split-screen in place of cross-cutting in certain dialogue scenes. Silliphant acknowledged that the “visual tools” had been used by foreign filmmakers like François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, but lamented that Hollywood had failed to embrace the techniques.
       Reviews in the 3 Jul 1968 Var, 24 Sep 1968 NYT, and 25 Oct 1968 LAT were largely negative. However, a slow release plan devised by Cinerama allowed the film to gain traction due to positive word-of-mouth and active involvement from Robertson, who spent months promoting the picture. On 25 Apr 1969, an article in LAT projected that Charly, which cost an estimated $1.3-1.5 million, would gross between $9 and $10 million. Robertson, who had received a “token salary of $25,000,” had initially owned fifty percent of the picture, but had given Nelson twenty-five percent. Nevertheless, he was due to earn an estimated $2.25 million, as stated in the 14 May 1969 Var.
       Robertson was named Best Actor by the National Board of Review, and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Robertson was unable to accept the Academy Award – the only one he would win in his lifetime – because he was busy filming Too Late the Hero (1970, see entry) in the Philippines. Stirling Silliphant won a Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture, and the film was nominated for Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Drama (Robertson). According to a 23 Oct 1968 DV item, Charly also won a “Bell Ringer” award from Scholastic magazine.
       An 18 Mar 1968 DV brief noted that Buddy Kaye would write lyrics for the picture’s theme song, with music by Ravi Shankar. According to the 24 Sep 1967 NYT, Charly marked Shankar’s first American feature film score.
       A sequel, titled Charly II, was shot in Boston in the fall of 1980, according to items in the 1 Oct 1980 and 29 Oct 1980 Var. Robertson directed and starred in the picture, which was jettisoned before release, as noted in the 21 Jul 1982 Var.