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Synopsis:
As two ex-cons (Duncan McLeod and Robert Rudelson) wait until closing time to rob the safe of a topless dancing club, the club’s owner (Paul Lockwood) is lured to the home of a madam (Lavelle Roby), where he’s seduced by an Amish woman (Jan Sinclair) as well as Roby herself. Meanwhile, Lockwood’s sexually unsatisfied wife (Anne Chapman) has a guilty affair with the club’s bartender (Gordon Wescourt), and all three end up unwittingly involved in the heist back at the club.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Heists
• Infidelity
• Russ Meyer Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “piggy Russ Meyer film… probably won’t please even his diehard fans”, given that it “has none of the typical Meyer humor” and “even has a cruel edge to it.” He adds the unnecessary comment that “of course, the women have large chests; but they’re not particularly pretty — they’re the types who show up in stag films” (!!!). Vincent Canby’s review for the NY Times is a bit more delicately worded, if similarly dismissive: “Meyer’s sole preoccupation with extraordinarily well-developed female breasts, usually photographed from a low angle and while they’re in some sort of motion, is no longer particularly erotic.” (And kudos to Canby for introducing me to the new term “satyriasis.”) To Meyer’s credit, he perfectly captures the essence of the “male gaze” in the creatively shot and edited opening sequence of this film, which remains its artistic highlight.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• The cleverly filmed opening sequence
  
  
  

Must See?
No; this one is only must-see for Meyer fans.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
An alcoholic boat captain (Frank Bolger) brings three new clients — a man with a briefcase (Ken Swofford), a spineless doctor (John Furlong), and the doctor’s lustful wife (Alaina Capri) — to a broken-down tourist destination where the owner (Jackie Moran), his busty French housekeeper (Babette Bardot), and his pubescent daughter (Adele Rein) are ready to entertain.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Deep South
• Incest and Incestuous Undertones
• Infidelity
• Russ Meyer Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary refers to this memorably-titled exploitation flick — set in “an out-of-the-way tourist trap on a little-traveled Colorado River tributary” — as “one of Russ Meyer’s ‘sweat’ films”. He notes that it “drags in spots, but holds interest due to sexy women… , smutty lines by [the] doctor’s wife(!!!), and [the] gathering of [a] strange group in a strange location.”

He argues that the “existential aspects of the story would have made it an ideal project for some European director; in fact… if it were left intact, and made in a foreign language, it could pass as a masterpiece (that would be a suitable second feature to a film like Knife in the Water).” Oh, Peary — not quite. I actually gave this a try (playing portions of the film without any soundtrack), and was hard pressed to think about how any of these scenes, for instance:

… might be perceived in an “existential” fashion as part of a “masterpiece”.

Note: Swofford (see still below, bottom right) looks remarkably like a combination of Burt Lancaster and Damian Lewis.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Reasonably creative direction
  

Must See?
No; you can skip this one.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
An ex-con (John Furlong) takes a job working for an aging farmer (Stu Lancaster) whose niece (Antoinette Cristiani) is married to a sadistic, alcoholic psychopath (Hal Hopper). As Furlong realizes he’s falling for Cristiani, he tries to distract himself by going to visit two local prostitutes (Rena Horton and Lorna Maitland) and their madam (Princess Livingston) — but Hopper’s rage and jealousy know no bounds, and when a local preacher (Frank Bolger) and his wife (Lee Ballard) treat Hopper like a “poor sinner”, he takes this designation and runs with it.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Deep South
• Domestic Abuse
• Ex-Cons
• Infidelity
• Russ Meyer Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “tawdry tale” may be director “Russ Meyer’s best film” — a dubious designation I can’t agree with, given that Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965) remains his most memorably oddball flick. Peary describes Mud Honey — what exactly does this (or the alternate title, Rope of Flesh) refer to? — as being “set in a small town in Missouri that’s full of stupid but shrewd, sweaty, hypocritical men and stupid, big-breasted women” (an unfair assessment, given that Cristiani is overly loyal rather than stupid), where “everyone is driven by lust, hatred and greed” (again, not entirely accurate — what about Cristiani and Lancaster?).

In his review, Peary reveals a major spoiler that doesn’t occur until the last 15 minutes of the film (unusual for him), thus making it hard for me to quote too much more of his assessment. However, I’ll cite and agree with his statement that this “sleazy fake morality play is surprisingly well made”, with “Meyer’s camera work… fairly creative”:

the acting “satisfactory”, and the dialogue “flavorful”; we really are made to “believe that the characters live in this hellish version of Tobacco Road” — a place we’re oh-so-eager to say goodbye to once the dramatic, violent denouement comes to an end.

Note: Viewers will surely notice the distinctive presence of cackling “Princess Livingston” (what a name!), whose red-wigged, middle-aged dancing in Meyer’s Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) stands out in a veritable sea of surreal, bombarding imagery.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Strong direction and cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No — though naturally, Russ Meyer fans will want to check it out.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
The sexually dissatisfied wife (Lorna Maitland) of a kind salt mine worker (James Rucker) is raped by a violent ex-convict (Mark Bradley), who she then desires as a lover and brings home — but when Bradley and his two co-workers (Hal Hopper and Doc Scortt) come home early that day after Rucker has fought Bradley on behalf of Maitland’s honor, they’re in for an unpleasant surprise.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Deep South
• Ex-Cons
• Infidelity
• Russ Meyer Films
• Sexuality

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “Russ Meyer potboiler” — “his first attempt to make a serious film with a plot and theme” — “recalls those independently made, sleazy, sex-filled fake social dramas of the thirties (i.e., Child Bride).” He notes that “Meyer mixed Erskine Caldwell, John Steinbeck, and [a] phony morality tale to pretty good effect”, “impressively creat[ing] the sweaty, puritanical backwoods environment” and establishing “how a young woman could go crazy trying to repress her sexual impulses in such a ‘hot’ environment”. He points out that “Lorna’s character goes through much of what Hedy Lamarr does in Ecstasy; like Lamarr, she must be punished — according to a male filmmaker — for fulfilling her fantasies.” Given that the film opens with a near-rape — Hopper follows a drunk woman (Althea Currier) home and savagely beats her after she refuses his advances — then Lorna later “gets turned on by a rapist”, this film is clearly made from and for a certain perspective, and is really only must-see for Meyer enthusiasts.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Atmospheric b&w cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No, though of course Russ Meyer fans will certainly want to check it out.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
Three rock performers — Kelly (Dolly Read), Casey (Cynthia Myers), and Pet (Marcia McBroom) — travel with their manager Harris (David Gurian) to Hollywood, where Kelly’s Aunt Susan (Phyllis Davis) introduces her to wild parties led by Z-Man (John Lazar). Soon Z-Man helps the three musicians form a new band called The Carrie Nations, and tensions arise between Z-Man and Harris. Meanwhile, romantic entanglements quickly ensue: Kelly starts an affair with a hunky player named Lance Rocke (Michael Blodgett) while also seducing her aunt’s financial caretaker (Duncan McLeod) into giving her a larger portion of their inheritance; Harris is relentlessly pursued by a bosomy porn star (Edy Williams); Pet falls in love with an aspiring lawyer (Harrison Page) but strays with a prizefighter (James Iglehart); and Casey falls for a lesbian (Erica Gavin).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Hollywood
• Musicians
• Rock ‘n Roll
• Russ Meyer Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “cult favorite” by Russ Meyer — “about a small-town three-woman rock band… who make it big in Hollywood, the land of sex, drugs, moral corruption, and deviance” — was originally “slated to be a sequel to Valley of the Dolls, but instead of expanding on Jacqueline Susann’s trashy best-seller it turned around and parodied the first film and other overblown, cliche-filled Hollywood soap operas.” However, as Peary complains, “there is nothing worse than a multi-million-dollar spoof of movies that are already self-parodies.” He expresses frustration that “when Meyer finally got his chance to make a studio picture (with 20th Century Fox)… he proved to be lazy and conservative” instead of “really inventive”, “opting to make an outrageously campy caricature-populated film rather than attempting to make a serious, solid melodrama”. Peary adds that “critic Roger Ebert’s script is smug and vulgar, and full of violence-against-female scenes (which Meyer films seriously) of the type he has crusaded against as a critic.”

Peary expands upon his frustrations and disappointment with this film in his first Cult Movies book, where he starts by discussing Meyer’s two cinematic “phases” before BTVOTD: Meyer began as “King of the Nudies”, making a “fortune as the independent producer-director-cameraman-editor-writer-distributor of such cheapie harbingers of the Naked Cinema as the ground-breaking The Immoral Mr. Teas (1959)…” Next he made “infinitely more ambitious” “tongue-in-cheek potboilers” that “served as the basis for the pre-Beyond the Valley of the Dolls cult: Lorna (1964), Mud Honey (1965), … Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill (1966) … and [Peary’s] favorite, Cherry, Harry, and Raquel (1969).” Peary describes this second string of films — “set in rugged terrains… [and] inhabited by sexually driven buxom beauties…, strong-jawed, no-nonsense heroes, and an assortment of religious zealots, rapists, and sweaty lowlifes” — as “essentially fake morality plays, in which the numerous sinners either repent or are punished severely.” He argues that “as skin flicks, Meyer’s 1964-1969 films were far superior to those of his competitors”, given they are “extremely well-photographed” and feature “wild, absurd visual humor, dialogue that makes no sense…, and ridiculous plot situations — while his actors play their roles straight.”

Peary goes on to say that while “to many moviegoers who hadn’t seen a Russ Meyer film, BTVOTD was a revelation — a film that they (mostly college students) considered to be their own ‘far-out’ wave length” — Peary and others realized they’d “overestimated [Meyer’s] talents”. Peary refers to BTVOTD as “really a terrible film, energetically but poorly acted by ex-Playboy bunnies Dolly Reed and Cynthia Meyers, model Marcia McBroom, and under-emoting or overemoting stars.” He points out that “cryptic jargon and Meyer’s rapid-fire editing techniques” (your head will seriously spin!) “are meant to camouflage the picture’s emptiness” — but “the holes in the script come through”. He ends his scathing review (which I essentially agree with) by noting “there is little in [it] to recommend”, and that it simply “proved that what [fans] had seen in his early films were everything Meyer had to offer”; “by choice (!), Meyer returned to making independent sex films — in the Vixen mold but not as good”, which “unfortunately [was] the milieu to which he [was] best suited.”

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Colorful sets
  
• Far-out cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, once — but simply for its cult status and notoriety.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Q Network Review
• Spinning Image Review
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
When a lawyer (George Segal) living with his senile mother (Ruth Gordon) falls in love with a beautiful young nurse (Trish Van Devere), he tells his married brother (Ron Leibman) he’s determined not to let anything get in the way of his new romance — including their troublesome mother.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Black Comedy
• Carl Reiner Films
• Elderly People
• George Segal Films
• Grown Children
• Living Nightmare
• Ruth Gordon Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this black comedy by “director Carl Reiner and screenwriter Robert Klane (working from his own novel)” is “a litmus test for viewers that will expose one’s taste for comedy and tolerance for tastelessness.” He suggests you see this film “with an audience rather than alone at home on a cassette” (ah, the ’80s!) given that “one’s laughter is enhanced by the realization that all those around you… are being subjected to the same embarrassing material” (“collective embarrassment can be fun”). He notes that this “haywire world we are presented is unforgettable: Cabbies pick up men in gorilla suits rather than perfectly dressed black ladies. Coaches snatch 10-year-old kids without their parents’ permission… Female prostitutes turn out to be male cops in drag — [and] the one on whom Leibman is forced by a gang to perform a deviant act gets a crush on him (which is reason enough for viewers to have a negative response).” Indeed, “the craziness in the apartment Segal and Gordon share is merely a reflection on the surrounding world.”

Peary points out that “even those turned off by the humor will enjoy the standout performances” by Gordon — who plays Mrs. Hocheiser as someone with “no redeeming qualities” — and Segal, who “gives a remarkable impression of a man who is on his last legs.” He notes that because “both Gordon and Segal were given much freedom”, they “gave performances that are comedic gems”, and he argues that “for them alone, this film is worth seeing.” Equally memorable, however, are Leibman as Segal’s impossibly put-upon brother, and Van Devere (in her film debut) as a traumatized young divorcee clearly willing to wear her heart on her sleeve. I was both deeply discomfited and pleasantly surprised by how boldly this (highly politically incorrect) film stays its course as a movie determined to offend in as many ways as possible — while also providing plenty of uncomfortable laughter. The most distressing sequences involve the depiction of Central Park as “a veritable jungle… ruled by uncivilized ‘tribes’ (black gangs)”; while meant to simply be part of the collective satire, these hit especially hard and may stretch your tolerance.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• George Segal as Gordon
  
• Ruth Gordon as Mrs. Hocheiser
  
• Ron Leibman as Sidney
  
• Trish Van Devere as Louise
  
• Many darkly amusing sequences
  
  

Must See?
Yes, as a cult favorite.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Spinning Image Review
• DVD Savant Review
• TCM Article
• Time Out Capsule Review