Winter 2009, Thursday 2nd Show • 42^nd Street Forever

A collage of true grindhouse cinema, 1973 to 1983.

Exploitation cinema has been Hollywood’s bastard child almost since the creation of movies. These films and filmmakers always played second to their big–budget studio counterparts, taking the lower spot on countless double features, frequently ignored and poorly reviewed by snobby critics who, in many cases, wrote negative reviews of the films without even attending a screening.

By the late 1950s, exploitation films had become synonymous with drive–ins and sleazy downtown entertainment strips like Chicago’s South State St., Los Angeles’ Hollywood Blvd., and most famously New York’s 42^nd street at Times Square, known as “The Duces.” These theatres, labeled grindhouses, were often open until at least 2 or 3 AM, if not 24 hours, running double and triple features of innumerable sleazy masterpieces raging from gritty, blood filled thrillers to art-house porn. more

With few exceptions, exploitation films were chock full of excessive sex and violence, usually balanced by a helping of pseudo–social commentary. No three films better epitomize this than Alfred Sole’s 1975 shocker Alice Sweet Alice (2/12), skin-flick auteur Armand Weston’s brutal rape n’ revenge saga The Taking of Christina (1/29), and Charles B. Pierce’s big budget period thriller The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1/22). The first is a violent period piece set in 1962 which examines the woes of religious obsession and psychosis and also happens to feature Brooke Shields in her first role. The second, easily Weston’s masterwork, is a powerful hardcore kidnapping drama set in a rural small town and based on true events. And finally, Pierce’s truth-inspired thriller, which defies genre conventions with its large budget and surprisingly exploitative content.

Of course, some exploitation films were simply over–the–top guilty pleasures like Guerdon Trueblood’s ludicrous 1973 film The Candy Snatchers (1/8), about three inept kidnappers who bury their 14 year old victim alive, only to have the crime witnessed by a mute six year old autistic boy. In Joseph Ellison’s trashy Don’t Go in the House (2/26), a Norman Bates–like killer uses a blowtorch to off his unsuspecting victims. William Crain’s Dr. Black & Mr. Hyde (2/5) uses Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic story and recreates it as a blaxploitation film in which a kindly black doctor turns into an evil white serial killer whenever he drinks a magical serum. Nancy Walker’s brilliant disaster, Can’t Stop the Music (2/19) is a beautiful and garish scope biopic of disco group The Village People, featuring all the original band members playing themselves. Former arthouse director turned exploitation maverick Chuck Vincent’s 1973 film, Blue Summer (1/15) takes the popular early 70s “road movie” subgenre and turns it into an over the top, softcore sex comedy featuring a strong homoerotic subtext.

By the early 80s, many of the best grindhouse films were set almost exclusively on “the strip,” a notorious part of Hollywood Blvd. known for its abundance of pimps, prostitutes, and drug dealers. Gary Sherman’s 1982 action packed classic Vice Squad (3/5) and Robert Vincent O’Neil’s 1983 hooker with a heart of gold epic Angel (3/12) present “the strip” in all its long gone seedy glory and also remain two of the finest low budget inner–city thrillers ever made. Vice Squad covers the nightly rounds of a seasoned Hollywood prostitute while, unbeknown to her, she is being stalked by a murderous pimp. By contrast Angel tells the story of a 16 year old streetwalker who must escape the clutches of a murderous necrophile.

With the arrival of video and most major cities attempting gentrification, exploitation cinema floundered. Theatres closed and the movies themselves simply lost their popularity. However, in recent years there has been a slight revival in this most unique sub–genre, most recently noticeable with the release of Quentin Tarantino’s painfully inaccurate film, Grindhouse. So now, here’s a rare chance to relive the true 42^nd St. grindhouse film-going experience (though with cleaner seats and fewer drug dealers) and see some of the best and most obscure exploitation classics. JR close

Thursday, January 8 • 9:30 PM • 94min
The Candy Snatchers
Geurdon Trueblood, 1973 • Three hippies kidnap 14 year old Candy and bury her alive in a makeshift grave with only a tube to breathe through. Their goal is to extort money from Candy’s millionaire father, but their plans don’t go well. Not only does Candy’s father have a few tricks up his sleeve, but the ill–prepared kidnappers also have to deal with an unusual witness to their crime – a mute, autistic 6–year–old boy. Amazing for both its violent and psychosexual excess, and complete with its own theme song, The Candy Snatchers defines early 70s exploitation like nothing else. 35 mm

Thursday, January 15 • 9:00 PM • 80min
Blue Summer
Chuck Vincent, 1973 • Former art house filmmaker and playwright Chuck Vincent directed this whimsical softcore–sex filled road movie. Two high school best friends named Gene and Tracy decide to spend the last week of summer together and embark on a road trip with the intent of having sex with as many women as possible. However, they soon find themselves face to face with thieving hitchhikers, small town hicks, a swindling preacher, and a stalker motorcyclist. Chock full of homoerotic undertones and a terrific early ’70s bubblegum score, Blue Summer is sure to wash away winter doldrums. 16 mm - not available on DVD

Thursday, January 22 • 9:00 PM • 90min
The Town That Dreaded Sundown
Charles B. Pierce, 1976 • Charles B. Pierce’s rarely screened atmospheric period piece and murder thriller is one of the rarest and most sought after big budget exploitation titles. Based on the true story of a potato–sack–wearing serial killer, dubbed “The Phantom,” who stalked couples parked in cars on lover’s lanes, “The Town that Dreaded Sundown” was one of the last major films released by B–Movie giant, American International Pictures. Filmed in Scope and on location in Texarkana, Arkansas (where the murders actually occurred), Town has the ambiance of a Dragnet episode coupled with the brutality of an early slasher. 16 mm- not available on DVD

Thursday, January 29 • 9:15 PM • 85min
The Taking of Christina
Armand Weston, 1975 • One of the most popular exploitation sub’genres was “rape ‘n revenge” films. Often extremely violent, these films were looked at as the grittiest exploitation category. However, Armand Weston’s 1975 hardcore sexploitation R ‘n R work, “Taking of Christina” is a rare exception. Despite its sleazy pretentions, Christina is a well made and surprisingly well acted kidnapping saga set in a small, upstate New York town and based on the true story of a Los Angeles woman named Inez Garcia. In spite of its hardcore sex, “Christina” is a rare and fine example of a non-sensationalizing survival tale. 16 mm - not available on DVD

Thursday, February 5 • 9:00 PM • 85min
Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde
William Crain, 1975 • Blaxploitation films were a staple of ‘70s cinema and black knock–offs of classic horror tales were amongst the most popular. Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale, William Crain’s Dr. Black & Mr. Hyde is a marvelously entertaining example of the blaxploitation genre. Full of over–the–top dialogue and ludicrous plot developments, the film stars Bernie Casey as the titular doctor, a kindly physician who treats prostitutes and the poor until he invents a serum that turns him into an evil white serial killer. The over the top conclusion features a chase up the historic Watts towers. 16 mm - not available on DVD

Thursday, February 12 • 9:00 PM • 108min
Alice, Sweet Alice
Alfred Sole, 1976 • Alfred Sole’s bloody masterpiece takes place in a New Jersey town in early 1962 as young Karen (Brooke Shields in her first role) is about to receive her first communion. On her way to the altar, Karen is murdered by a mysterious killer who is soon believed to be her jealous older sister, Alice. When more murders begin to occur, Alice is brought to an institution for observation, but is there more to these crimes than there appears to be? Alice, Sweet Alice is an unusually straight–faced and brutal exploitation masterpiece distinguished by a clever script, exceptional performances, and outstanding period decor. 35 mm

Thursday, February 19 • 9:00 PM • 124min
Can’t Stop the Music
Nancy Walker, 1980 • Of all the great musical flops, none is as defining of the late ‘70s as Can’t Stop The Music: the one and only Village People musical comedy. Shot in scope, with million–dollar sets and hundreds of extras, Can’t Stop the Music tells the Village People’s “story” and was marketed to be the biggest musical sensation of the ‘80s, which it sadly wasn’t. Here, in this excessive music gem–cum–failure, we can witness Steve Guttenberg, Valerie Perrine, and all six original Village People shaking their hips and delivering some of the lamest humor ever captured on film. Not to mention the YMCA scene… 35 mm

Thursday, February 26 • 9:30 PM • 82min
Don’t Go in the House
Joseph Ellison, 1979 • Movies with “don’t” in their titles were in high demand throughout the ‘70s. Almost always horror tales, “don’t” films were some of the most entertaining grindhouse pics. Joseph Ellison’s Don’t Go In the House might be the best “don’t” film ever made; an ultra sleazy murder thriller about a Norman Bates like serial killer, who offs his female victims with a blowtorch while constantly flashing back to horrifying memories from his past. The film is chock full of blood, nudity and one of the best electronic scores found in a low budget film of the era. 35 mm

Thursday, March 5 • 9:15 PM • 97min
Vice Squad
Gary Sherman, 1982 • Vice Squad is the quintessential masterwork of early ‘80s exploitation cinema. It’s cold, unflinching narrative is set against a lively and often humorous cast of supporting characters and is technically on par with Hollywood films of the period. Season Hubley is Princess, a street-smart prostitute who, upon learning of the murder of a friend by an evil pimp, Ramrod, agrees to help the police entrap him. However, Ramrod escapes custody and goes on the hunt for Princess. Vice Squad is perhaps the best “hooker drama” ever made and ranks as one of the finest cinematic depictions of the sleazy underbelly of LA. 35 mm

Thursday, March 12 • 9:15 PM • 83min
Angel
Robert Vincent O’Neil, 1983 • Exploitation auteur Robert Vincent O’Neil’s Angel is just about the most kindhearted and sweet film you’ll ever see about a 16–year–old hooker, her transvestite best friend, and a necrophiliac serial killer set on murdering prostitutes! Shot with the aesthetic of a late night TV movie and featuring character actor Dick Shawn in drag throughout, Angel is one of the finest low budget thrillers of the ‘80s and serves as a rare and fascinating look at the subculture of Los Angeles in the early part of that decade. Also featuring Dick Shawn, and Rory Calhoun playing an out of work former western star. 35 mm

Winter 2009, Thursday 2nd Show • 42nd Street Forever

Winter 2009, Thursday 2nd Show • 42^nd Street Forever