Friday, March 30, 2007

THE DAMNED


March, 1970 screening of Luchino Visconti's La Caduta degli dei (1969) at the Cinema Delaware, which is thriving today as the Spectrum, Albany's local art theatre (with eight screens).

Thursday, March 29, 2007

CORRUPTION / PAYMENT IN BLOOD


Proctor's Theatre in Schenectady screened this double-feature in January, 1969. CORRUPTION was a 1968 UK horror flick with Peter Cushing. PAYMENT IN BLOOD was Columbia Pictures' US title for the Italian western Sette winchester per un massacro (1968) with Edd Byrnes (!). Neither film has made the transition to legit DVD.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

COP-OUT / JOHNNY YUMA


The State in Schenectady hosted this double-feature in January, 1968. COP-OUT was the Cinerama release of the British STRANGER IN THE HOUSE (1967); was released on VHS by Anchor Bay, but no DVD yet. JOHNNY YUMA (1967) was an Italian western directed by Romolo Guerrieri.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

COME DANCE WITH ME / MA BARKER'S KILLER BROOD


The Turnpike Drive-in hosted this double feature way back in September, 1960. COME DANCE WITH ME was the US release of the French/Italian Voulez-vous danser avec moi? (1959). MA BARKER'S KILLER BROOD (1960) starred Lurene Tuttle.

Monday, March 26, 2007

CLASS OF '74 / BRUTE CORPS / BARBARELLA


Couple of General Film Corp releases plus the Vadim/Fonda classic in this triple-bill from May, 1972 that played the Turnpike Drive-in in Albany and the Latham Drive-in. CLASS OF '74 (1972) was the softcore sex film GABRIELLA (1970) with scenes added. CLASS OF '74 has never had an official release but is available from boot dealers, and GABRIELLA is on tape and DVD-R from Something Weird. BRUTE CORPS (1972) was an action flick with Alex Rocco and Michael Pataki. It's never had an official release to my knowedge, but can be had from the grey market. BARBARELLA (1968) is available on DVD (see link).

Sunday, March 25, 2007

CINDY & DONNA / I, A LOVER


This Crown International double feature played two theaters in January, 1971: The Colony Art in Schenectady, and the Oxford in North Troy, NY, the theater I first remember attending. CINDY & DONNA (1970) was a sexploitationer with Debbie Osborne. I, A LOVER was the US release for the Scandinavian Jag--en älskare (1966). Neither film has yet to see DVD.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

THE CHEERLEADERS / FRITZ THE CAT


January, 1974 double-feature at Studio I; not sure where that was. THE CHEERLEADERS (1973) is the delightfully wacky (and pretty damn sexy) softcore comedy. FRITZ THE CAT (1972) is the Ralph Bakshi adaptation of the Crumb character (which he hated).

Friday, March 23, 2007

CHANGE OF HEART, etc.


Another pair of strange triple-bills at the Tri-City Twin, from January, 1970. CHANGE OF HEART is most likely the 1969 Belgian film Le Témoin; THE HELLFIGHTERS (1968) was the John Wayne oil well firefighter movie; THE LOVE GOD is a 1969 Don Knotts comedy. THE BRIDGE AT REMAGEN (1969) was a WW2 film with George Segal and Robert Vaughn; IF IT'S TUESDAY, IT MUST BE BELGIUM is a mistitling of IF IT'S TUESDAY, THIS MUST BE BELGIUM (1969), with Suzanne Pleshette and Ian McShane; DEATH RIDES A HORSE is of course the Italian western Da uomo a uomo (1967), with Lee Van Cleef and John Phillip Law.


Thursday, March 22, 2007

IN SEARCH OF THE CASTAWAYS / RASCAL


The Mohawk Drive-in on Central Ave. between Albany and Schenectady hosted this Disney double-bill in March, 1970. Surprising 1962's IN SEARCH OF THE CASTAWAYS was still playing this late; RASCAL (1969) starred Steve Forrest and Billy Mumy.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

CARNY GIRL / PRIVATE ARRANGEMENT


The Wak-Art in Zebulon, NC hosted this softcore double-bill in January, 1971. CARNY GIRL (1970), with Sharon Kent and Kim Pope, doesn't seem to have surfaced on home video; PRIVATE ARRANGEMENT (1970), with Uschi Digard, was released by Something Weird on VHS and DVD-R.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

CARMEN, BABY


July, 1968 screening of Radley Metzger's CARMEN, BABY (1967) at the Colony in Schenectady.

Monday, March 19, 2007

BURY ME AN ANGEL / ANGELS DIE HARD / HELLS ANGELS


March, 1971 triple at the New Forest Drive-in. BURY ME AN ANGEL (1971) is the cheap biker flick featuring a three-person gang, ANGELS DIE HARD (1970) with William Smith is a pretty fun watch, and HELLS ANGELS is probably HELLS ANGELS '69 (69), with Jeremy Slate.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

BURN!


A January, 1971 screening at the State in Schenectady of BURN!, the US title for Gillo Pontecorvo's Queimada (1968).

Friday, March 16, 2007

BOOM! / JIGSAW


July, 1968 double-bill at the State in Schenectady. BOOM! (1968) is the British Joseph Losey film, and JIGSAW (1968) was originally planned as a TV movie but released to theaters by Universal. Neither film has received a DVD release as of yet.

Monday, March 12, 2007

THE BODY SHOP


The IMDb lists THE BODY SHOP (aka DOCTOR GORE) as having a 1973 release, but here's an ad for the Tryon Theater in Raleigh, NC that proves it was released in August, 1972. Director J.G. "Pat" Patterson was from the western part of the state.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA, etc.


Down to two movies on each screen for this January, 1974 date at the Tri-City Twin. On the first: the women-in-prison drama BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA (1972) with Pam Grier and Margaret Markov, and the Fred Williamson classic BLACK CAESAR (1973). On the other screen: the sleazy Cheri Caffaro films GINGER (1971) and THE ABDUCTORS (1972).

Saturday, March 10, 2007

BATTLE OF BRITAIN, etc.


The Tri-City Twin Drive-in, in Menands, NY, was the drive-in I went to the most as a kid. Incredibly, for years, you had a choice of two new triple-bills every week. Some of the groupings were truly bizarre and inspired. This ad is from January, 1970 (January in Upstate NY is pretty goddamn cold). One screen hosted a trio of WWII films: the epic BATTLE OF BRITAIN (1969), HANNIBAL BROOKS (1969) with Oliver Reed and Michael J. Pollard, and GUNS OF THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1969). The other screen featured the British comedy LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS (1969), THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH, the US retitling of the UK drama A TOUCH OF LOVE (1969), and the Arthur Dreifuss comedy FOR SINGLES ONLY (1968). The drive-in was torn down and a FedEx warehouse stands in its place.

Friday, March 09, 2007

BATTLE BENEATH THE EARTH / BLOOD BEAST FROM OUTER SPACE / CASTLE OF EVIL


Albany's Turnpike Drive-in hosted this triple bill in June, 1968. BATTLE BENEATH THE EARTH (1967) is the British sci-fi film about a Chinese invasion of the US via tunnels; BLOOD BEAST FROM OUTER SPACE is the US title for the British THE NIGHT CALLER (1965); the low-budget CASTLE OF EVIL (1966) filled out the night.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

BANDOLERO! / WARKILL


June, 1968 double-bill at the State in Schenectady. BANDOLERO! (1968) is the Jimmy Stewart/Dean Martin/Raquel Welch western, while the US/Filipino co-production WARKILL (1968) doesn't seem to have gotten even a VHS release, though it's available on the grey market.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

BACCHANALE / TURNED ON GIRL


The Cinema Art was Troy, NY's long-time art-theatre-turned-adult joint; sometime in the '80s it stopped showing film and became a video booth/store. It stayed that way until about a year or two ago, when the mayor decided he didn't like the place and tore down the historic marquee. It remains closed. This Distribpix double-bill is from January, 1972. BACCHANALE (1970) is from the Amero brothers, and was released on VHS by Alpha Blue and other grey market dealers. TURNED ON GIRL (1970) has yet to show up on VHS or DVD.