The Cycle Savages (1969)

With its sleazy violence, psych-rock soundtrack and wooden acting, The Cycle Savages (1969) ticks all the boxes of the outlaw biker gang film. Trashy even by the standards of this trashy genre, it wheels along without a hope of being a leader of the bikesploitation pack – unlike The Wild One (1953), with its iconic performance from Marlon Brando, or The Wild Angels (1966), featuring Peter Fonda’s famous nihilistic ‘we wanna get loaded’ speech. The Cycle Savages instead brings up the rear alongside roadhogs such as The Born Losers (1967), She-Devils on Wheels (1968) and Satan’s Sadists (1969).


Yet it is also a film about the power of art. Clean-cut, law-abiding Romko (Chris Robinson) is an artist who witnesses a sadistic biker gang called Hell’s Chosen Few terrorizing customers at a local diner. He makes speedy sketches of the criminals at work. The drawings are formally stiff, heavy on workman-like shading, but made remarkably quickly given the circumstances. Rumour of his sketches reaches Keeg (Bruce Dern), the gang’s psychotic leader. A local bartender warns Keeg about Romko. ‘He’s been drawing pictures alright. Plenty of ’em. You give him any trouble, he’s got pictures of you and your whole gang he can take to the cops.’ Hell’s Chosen Few are involved in running a prostitution ring and Keeg’s paranoia grows: ‘What’s gonna happen when The Man gets hold of these, huh?’ he asks his greaser hoods. ‘If they get hold of these pictures they’re gonna start connecting things up, right? The automobiles, the trips to the border, even the girls! Now you think we want pictures like this, huh, hanging all over town?’ He hatches his cruel revenge: ‘We gotta find a way to get these man’s hands, and wreck ’em. ’Cos without his hands, he ain’t gonna make any more drawings.’

Remarkable throughout is the bizarre and unquestioning belief on the part of everyone involved – from bikers to cops – in the veracity of the drawings. Never is it suggested that the artist may have made up the scenes he depicts. Romko’s art is treated as hard evidence, his pencil and paper as good as any photographic proof. The Cycle Savages is, in its own schlocky way, about art speaking truth to power, a fantasy of art having a clearly defined and practical social role.

Romko is fearless, and stands by what he makes, as all artists should. When the gang tries to intimidate him outside his apartment, and Keeg pulls out a flick-knife, the artist, unafraid, sneers at him: ‘My friend, the art critic.’ -Dan Fox -  frieze



THE CYCLE SAVAGES
BILL BRAME  (1969)
MOURICE SMITH PRODUCTIONS
82 MIN / USA

Hells Angels on Wheels (1967)

Hells Angels on Wheels is a 1967 American biker film directed by Richard Rush, and starring Adam Roarke, Jack Nicholson, and Sabrina Scharf. The film tells the story of a gas-station attendant with a bad attitude who finds life more exciting after he is allowed to hang out with a chapter of the Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle club.

The Angels first take note of "Poet" (Jack Nicholson) after one of them inadvertently damages his motorcycle and breaks its headlight. Poet, with far more guts than brains, challenges the Angel that hit his motorcycle. This is an act that would traditionally result in every Angel present participating in a group beating of the attacker. "When a non-Angel hits an Angel, all Angels retaliate." But the leader of the Angels, Buddy (Adam Roarke), intervenes and tells Poet that the Angels will replace the headlight. In the meantime, he's welcome to ride with them while they take care of business—which turns out to be going to a bar and beating up the members of another club who previously beat an Angel. Poet is told to wait outside, but ends up helping the Angels. Later that night, the Angels return the favor by hunting down and beating four sailors who beat Poet four-against-one after he parted company with the group. Poet accidentally bumps into one of the sailors and speaks rudely to him before he realizes that the sailor has three other sailors with him. The four sailors then refuse to accept his apology—but the Angels only know that four sailors beat up Poet, and he doesn't tell them how the earlier fight started. One of the sailors pulls a knife on the Angels and is then killed accidentally in the fight that follows.

Poet is allowed to ride with the Angels and is eventually elevated to "prospect" status. He is attracted to Buddy's some-time girlfriend (Sabrina Scharf) who toys with him while remaining hopelessly committed to Buddy. Much of the story that follows consists of scenes of the Angels partying or being provoked to violence by "squares." Although the Angels are shown as being loud and generally irreverent, they are never shown starting trouble except when taking revenge on members of other motorcycle clubs.

Eventually, Buddy's girlfriend succeeds in provoking a confrontation between Buddy and Poet with only one surviving. - From Wikipedia

HELLS ANGELS ON WHEELS
RICHARD RUSH  ( 1967)
FANFARE FILM PRODUCTIONS
95 MIN / USA

The Wild Angels (1966)

The Wild Angels is a 1966 Roger Corman film, made on location in Southern California. The Wild Angels was made three years before Easy Rider and was the first film to associate actor Peter Fonda with Harley-Davidson motorcycles and 1960s counterculture. It was also the film that inspired the outlaw biker film genre that continued into the early 1970s. The Wild Angels, released by American International Pictures (AIP), stars Fonda as the fictitious Hells Angels San Pedro, California chapter president "Heavenly Blues" (or "Blues"), Nancy Sinatra as his girlfriend "Mike", Bruce Dern as doomed fellow outlaw "the Loser", and Dern's real-life wife Diane Ladd as the Loser's onscreen wife, "Gaysh." Small supporting roles are played by Michael J. Pollard and Gayle Hunnicutt and, according to literature promoting the film, members of the Hells Angels from Venice, California. Members of the Coffin Cheaters motorcycle club also appeared.

In 1967 AIP followed this film with Devil's Angels, The Glory Stompers with Dennis Hopper, and The Born Losers.

In between sprees featuring drugs, fights, sexual assault, loud revving Harley chopper engines and bongo drums, the Angels ride out to Mecca, California in the desert to look for the Loser's stolen motorcycle. They blame a group of Mexicans in a repair shop, and the two groups brawl. The police arrive, chasing the Angels on foot, and the Loser escapes by stealing a police motorcycle. After a chase on mountain roads, one of the officers shoots the Loser in the back, putting him in the hospital. Blues leads a small group of Angels that sneaks him out of the hospital, and one of them begins to sexually attack a black nurse until Blues pulls him away. The nurse identifies Blues to police though he stopped the attack. Without proper medical care, the Loser goes into shock and dies. His cohorts forge a death certificate and arrange a church funeral in the Loser’s rural hometown. Blues interrupts the service and, the Angels have a "party." The Angels remove the Loser from his Nazi flag-draped casket, sit him up and place a joint in his mouth, knock out the minister, place him in the casket, and two Angels drug and rape the Loser’s grieving widow, Gaysh, while Blues is apparently having sex with another woman.Later, the Angels proceed to the Sequoia Grove cemetery to bury the Loser. There, the locals throw stones at the Angels and provoke a fight. As police sirens approach and everyone scatters, Mike begs Blues to leave immediately, but he refuses and tells her to leave with another member of the gang. Blues stays behind, and before burying his friend on his own, says with resignation, "There’s nowhere to go. - From Wikipedia


THE WILD ANGELS
ROGER CORMAN (1966)
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES
95 MIN
USA

The Rebel Set (1959)

The Rebel Set is a 1959 American film directed by Gene Fowler Jr. Mr. Tucker (Platt), proprietor of a Los Angeles coffee house, hires three down-on-their-luck patrons - out-of-work actor John Mapes (Palmer); struggling writer Ray Miller (Lupton); and George Leland (Sullivan), the wayward son of a movie star - to participate in an armored car robbery to take place during a four-hour stopover in Chicago during the trio's train trip from Los Angeles to New York. Tucker and his henchman Sidney (Glass) fly ahead to set up the robbery, which goes off without a hitch. However, once back on the train, Leland's greed gets the better of him, but Tucker double crosses the trio, eliminating Leland and Miller, leaving Mapes as the only one left to stop Tucker from getting away with murder - along with the entire haul.
- From Wikipedia

THE REBEL SET
GENE FOWLER JR.  (1959)
ALLIED ARTIST
USA
72 MIN

Beat Girl (1960)

Beat Girl is a 1960 British film about late-fifties youth-rebellion. The title character is played by starlet Gillian Hills, who later went on to have numerous small roles in 1960s and 1970s films, such as Blowup and A Clockwork Orange, and became a successful "ye-ye" singer in France. The music was performed by The John Barry Seven & Orchestra. It was the first British soundtrack album to be released on an LP. The film also features Christopher Lee as a strip-joint operator, Oliver Reed, and Nigel Green. It features the film debuts of Adam Faith and Peter McEnery. The film was released in America under the title Wild for Kicks.


BEAT GIRL
EDMOND T. GREVILLE  (1960)
RENOWN PICTURES
85 MIN
UK

The Road to Ruin (1934)

Road to Ruin is a 1934 exploitation film directed by Dorothy Davenport, under the name "Mrs. Wallace Reid", and Melville Shyer, and written by Davenport with the uncredited contribution of the film's producer, Willis Kent. The film, which is in the public domain, is about a young girl whose life is ruined by sex and drugs. The Road to Ruin is a sound re-make of a 1928 silent film of the same name, written and produced by Willis Kent and also starring Helen Foster.

To promote the film, the producers advertised that it was not to be shown to anyone under eighteen, implying that it contained salacious material. Film censors in Virginia required a "record number" of cuts in the film before clearing it for release, according to Film Daily, while in Detroit, the film was boycotted by the Catholic Church, but was cleared by the local censors after some cuts. A novelization of the film was put out by the producers, apparently intended for use by school and civic groups as an aid to discussion of the social problems presented in the film: teenage drinking, promiscuity, pregnancy and abortion.

From Wikipedia

THE ROAD TO RUIN
DOROTHY DAVENPORT  (1934)
TRUE LIFE PHOTOPLAYS
62 MIN
USA

The Sinister Urge (1960)

The Sinister Urge is a 1961 crime drama film that was written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr.

The film revolves around a series of murders of young women. The killer, Dirk, works for a pornographer named Johnny Ryde. It is outright stated that Dirk's impulsive murders are a direct result of viewing pornographic pictures and films. This is stated both by Ryde's boss, Gloria Henderson, and the police (represented by Lt. Carson, Sgt. Stone and Officer Kline). Several subplots attempt to emerge during the course of the film: the ongoing police investigation into underground pornographic distribution (in one scene, a fight breaks out between two rivals, one of whom is played uncredited by Wood himself); Ryde's attempts to shoot porn (accompanied by his director Jaffe, an elderly man who is somewhat elfin in appearance); Gloria's rising concern about the out-of-control Dirk, which comes to a head when her overlords in "the Syndicate" order her to remove Dirk permanently; and in an obvious attempt to interject pathos into the film, the tribulations of a young girl from a small Midwestern town who starts out seeking a career as a legitimate actress, but who ends up making porn for Ryde and Gloria, before becoming one of Dirk's victims.

The film reaches its climax when Gloria and Ryde attempt to get rid of Dirk by putting him in a car with faulty brakes. Dirk survives, and forces Ryde to blackmail Gloria. Dirk then murders Ryde, before being shot in the dark by Gloria, who assumed that she was shooting Ryde. The film ends with Gloria's disbelief that she shot the wrong man as the police arrest her.



THE SINISTER URGE
ED WOOD JR  (1960)
USA
71 MIN

Teenage Devil Dolls (1955)

Teenage Devil Dolls (aka One Way Ticket to Hell) is a 1955 American black and white teen crime drama film about a high school graduate whose life spirals out of control when she becomes addicted to heroin.

Pert and pretty high school teen Cassandra Leigh opts for the easy life of a pot-smoking biker in order to avoid the demands of her neurotic career mom. When Cassandra's grades slip and her college plans fall by the wayside, she marries a love-smitten high school swain. The devotion of her husband bores the young bride: she looks up her old thrill-seeking buddies and splits from home. It isn't long before she's peddling dope on the streets in order to finance her growing list of addictions. A young Mexican takes the wayward girl under his wing and makes her not only his partner-in-crime but his woman With the police on their heels, Cassandra and her lover are forced to ditch a stolen car in the desert and take refuge in a shallow cave. With the posse closing in, the Mexican abandons Cassandra and the deputies nab the semi-conscious heroine. The court sends Cassandra to a Federal Narcotics Hospital.

From Wikipedia

TEENAGE DEVIL DOLLS
B. LAWRENCE PRICE JR. (1955)
58 MIN
USA

Chained for Life (1951)

Chained for Life is a 1951 exploitation film directed by Harry L. Fraser featuring the famous conjoined ("Siamese") Hilton Twins, Daisy and Violet. It features several vaudeville acts, including juggler Whitey Roberts, a man doing bicycle stunts, and a man who plays the William Tell Overture at breakneck speed on an accordion. The movie incorporates aspects of the twins' real life, including their singing act, a futile attempt by one sister to obtain a marriage license, and a publicity-stunt marriage.

The movie opens with a judge (Norval Mitchell) begging the audience for help in resolving a terrible dilemma. The action moves to a courtroom, where Vivian Hamilton is on trial for the shooting death of her sister's lover. The story unfolds in flashback as various characters are called to testify. Conjoined twins Dorothy and Vivian Hamilton (Daisy and Violet Hilton) have a successful vaudeville singing act, but their manager Hinkley (Allen Jenkins) thinks a publicity stunt will reinvigorate their career. He pays stunt shooter Andre Pariseau (Mario Laval) to fake a romance with one of the twins. Vivian, the brunette, dislikes Andre and wants nothing to do with the scheme, but Dorothy, the blonde, quips that she is too old to turn down a chance at love, and agrees to serve as Andre's love interest. The ploy works, with "the girls" singing for standing room only crowds. But Dorothy actually falls in love with the scheming Andre, though he is secretly involved with his shooting-act partner, Renee (Patricia Wright). Andre proposes marriage, but the couple is unable to obtain a marriage license due to allegations that the marriage would constitute bigamy. A desperate Dorothy convinces Vivian to seek separation surgery, even at the risk of their lives, so that she can pursue her dreams of love. Doctors, however, inform the women that such surgery is impossible. But, the doctors stress, there is no physical reason that Dorothy can not marry. By consulting with a blind minister, Dorothy and Andre are able to obtain their marriage license. The wedding ceremony is performed on-stage before an audience of dignitaries including the mayor. But the next day, Andre leaves Dorothy, claiming that he could not adjust to life as the husband of a conjoined twin. Vivian knows differently, because she has seen Andre and Renee kissing passionately and her suspicions of Andre are confirmed. Vivian is outraged that her sister was mistreated.During Andre's shooting performance, Vivian seizes one of Andre's guns and shoots him dead before a horrified audience.The film returns to the judge, who can not decide how to dispose of the case. Justice for Andre requires that his murderer, Vivian, be executed. But this would cost the life of the innocent Dorothy. The film ends with a plea for the viewer to resolve the dilemma.

The twins' voices are featured in three duets, including "Every Hour of Every Day" and "Love Thief".

From Wikipedia

CHAINED FOR LIFE
HARRY L. FRASER  (1951)
CLASSIC PICTURES INC
USA
69 MIN

"She Shoulda Said No" (1949)

"She Shoulda Said 'No'!" (also known as Wild Weed; Marijuana, the Devil's Weed; The Story of Lila Leeds and Her Exposé of the Marijuana Racket; and The Devil's Weed) is a 1949 exploitation film that follows in the spirit of morality tales such as the 1936 films Reefer Madness and Marihuana. Directed by Sherman Scott and starring Lila Leeds, it was originally produced to capitalize on the arrest of Leeds and Robert Mitchum on a charge of marijuana conspiracy. The film was issued under many titles; it struggled to find a distributor until film presenter Kroger Babb picked up the rights, reissuing it as The Story of Lila Leeds and Her Exposé of the Marijuana Racket. Its relative success came only after the promotional posters were redone and a story fabricated that the film was being presented in conjunction with the United States Treasury.


Leeds' character is "Anne Lester", a young orphan who is trying to pay for her brother's college education. After meeting Markey, a drug dealer, Anne begins to believe that she must smoke marijuana to fit in with her friends. She then goes to a "tea party", where she tries the drug for the first time. She is unaffected by the initial experiment, and loses her fear of drugs as she continues to smoke. Anne's drug use results in the loss of many of her inhibitions, and the film shows her actions under the influence, including scenes implying sexual promiscuity. As the film progresses, she is fired from her job and begins selling drugs for Markey. Her brother hangs himself when he learns of her new job, and she is arrested and given a tour of the various psychiatric wards and jails that drug users end up in. Finally, after 50 days in jail, she is released, cleaned up and ready to cooperate with the authorities regarding Markey.

The film itself is semi-biographical, its story following what Leeds herself experienced. The film was inspired by the highly-publicized arrest of movie stars Robert Mitchum and Leeds for marijuana possession. On September 1, 1948, the actors, along with two others, were arrested after being caught smoking marijuana at the home of Leeds in the early morning, and were charged with the felony of narcotics possession. Public empathy for Mitchum resulted in the charge being downgraded to the lesser one of conspiracy to possess marijuana, and his sentence of sixty days in jail was set aside in 1951. Leeds, however, was sentenced to sixty days in prison and placed on probation for five years. Upon her release, Leeds struggled to find work in Hollywood, and signed on to star in Wild Weed, a film that was, according to producer Richard Kay, "based on the circumstances of the arrest of Lila Leeds and Robert Mitchum." During publicity for the film in 1949, Leeds, who had been 21 at the time of the arrest, said that appearing in the picture would keep other people her age from trying drugs, but in 1952 she confided in Collier's that she "only had one offer . . . which was an obvious attempt to capitalize on the Mitchum case notoriety. I took it. I was broke." The film gained approval from the Federal Bureau of Narcotics to use the drug references, a standard practice at the time even though the Bureau had no power to censor the films. The film used its plot to push many of the beliefs of the time: that drug-using youth would turn to crime and the theory of "marijuana as a gateway drug". The latter was a leading argument for drug prohibition during the era, and an argument that Leeds herself made, based on her own history with marijuana and heroin. She Shoulda Said 'No'! released as The Devil's Weed.Via Franklin Productions, Kay filmed the production in six days, a common occurrence given that most films of the era were shot with a quick turnaround. Eureka Productions initially distributed the film, but it struggled to find an audience until Kroger Babb's Hallmark Productions acquired the rights for distribution. Babb initially marketed the film under the title The Story of Lila Leeds and Her Exposé of the Marijuana Racket, but failed to achieve success with that title and eventually changed it to "She Shoulda Said 'No'!". He pushed the sensuality of Leeds with new promotional photographs and a new tagline: "How Bad Can a Good Girl Get...without losing her virtue or respect???", while sending letters to local communities falsely claiming that the United States Treasury Department implored Hallmark to release the film "in as many towns and cities as possible in the shortest possible length of time" as a public service. The square-up misleadingly stated that the producers wished to "publicly acknowledge the splendid cooperation of the Nation's narcotic experts and Government departments, who aided in various ways the success of this production. . . . If its presentation saves but one young girl or boy from becoming a 'dope fiend' – then its story has been well told."

Babb, who gained notoriety for his various marketing gimmicks, occasionally had Leeds make appearances and give lectures at showings of the film. Babb often booked the movie as a midnight presentation twice a week in the same town; David F. Friedman, who would later use the film in his own double-billings, attributed the distribution plan to a film that was so low in quality that Babb wanted to cash in and move to his next stop as fast as possible According to Friedman, Babb's presentations of the film made more money than any other film the same theater would showcase over a typical film's full booking. While actual dollar figures are not available because of the nature of the genre (which was known for poor record keeping and unconventional distribution practices), the general financial success of "She Shoulda Said 'No'!" prompted producers, in 1951, to import a similar film from Argentina titled The Marihuana Story. That film, about a doctor who goes undercover into the world of drug addicts to learn about his wife's death only to become addicted to marijuana himself, was not as successful as other exploitation-style efforts as the public was more concerned about drug use by younger people.


"She Shoulda Said 'No'!" was not well-received critically upon its initial release, with The New York Times saying "[n]ever did vice seem so devoid of enchantment." Production and distribution of drug films slowed considerably following the film's run until Frank Sinatra's The Man with the Golden Arm forced changes to the Production Code, which was a studio-based system which regulated various aspects of objectionable content in films. The film achieved some attention due to its B movie status over the years,being featured in a number of film compilations while continuing to focus on the salacious material as a selling point. In 1993, a VHS version was released as part of "David Friedman's Roadshow Rarities", the twenty-ninth volume in the Something Weird video series. In 2006, Alpha Video Distributors produced the first stand-alone DVD release of the film, which continued to include exploitation-style advertising.

From Wikipedia

"SHE SHOULDA SAID NO"

SHEMAN SCOTT  (1949)

HYGIENIC PRODUCTIONS

70 MIN

USA

Hells Angels 69 (1969)

Hells Agels 69 is U.S. exploitation film . One of the best biker movies starring real-life Oakland Hells Angels Sonny Barger and Terry the Tramp; and other members of the original Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels. It's a sure bet the Angels didn't rehearse their lines or spend any time in the makeup chair!
Two rich, snot-nosed brothers plot to knock off Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. They infiltrate the Oakland, Hells Angels but must endure violent and painful initiation rituals. They dupe the Angels into being a distracting cover for their robbery. The Angels find out and seek revenge and chase the two brothers through the desert on their way back to California. The film had a good plot, builds nicely, keeps suspense and gives an insider's view into what the Hells Angels scene was like back in '69.

Sonny Barger and Tramp where actually nominated for best supporting actors for their roles and attended the Oscar Awards accompanied by Zsa Zsa Gabor and Doris Day! Look for scenes on Van Ness in San Francisco, old downtown Mountain View, CA and the "old strip" (Fremont St.) in Las Vegas. The club house shown at the start of the film was the actual one for the Daly City Angels chapter. Tom Stern, Jeremy Slate, Conny Van Dyke, Steve Sandor, Sonny Barger, Terry the Tramp, Jerry Randail, Bob Harris, Bub E. Rins, G. D. Spradlin, Buddy Joe Hooker, Eddie Mulden, Bobby Hail, The original Oakland Hells Angels M/C.



HELLS ANGELS 69
LEE MADDEN   (1969)
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES
97 MIN
USA

The Trip (1967)

The Trip (1967) is a cult film released by American International Pictures, directed by Roger Corman, written by Jack Nicholson, and shot on location in and around Los Angeles, including on top of Kirkwood in Laurel Canyon, Hollywood Hills, and near Big Sur, California in 1966. Peter Fonda stars as a young television commercial director, Paul Groves. In this drama, Paul Groves (Peter Fonda) takes his first dose of LSD while experiencing the heartbreak and ambivalence of divorce from his beautiful but adulterous wife, played by Susan Strasberg. He starts his trip with a "guide," John (Bruce Dern), but runs away and abandons out of fear. As Paul experiences his trip, he wanders around the Sunset Strip, into nightclubs, and the homes of strangers and acquaintances. He considers the roles played by commercialism, sex, the role of women in his life. He meets a young woman, Glenn (Salli Sachse), who is interested in people who take LSD. Having learned from Paul recently that he would be taking LSD, she has been looking out for him. Glenn drives Paul to a beach house, where they have passionate intercourse. As the sun rises, Paul steps out to the balcony to get some air. Glenn asks him whether his first LSD experience was constructive. Paul defers his answer to "tomorrow." His face is frozen in close-up, and his image cracks like glass through an animation special effect.

The Trip also features Dennis Hopper as Groves' dealer Max, who appears here with Fonda in a precursor role to Easy Rider (1969). Contrary to their characters in Easy Rider, though—and for obvious reasons—Fonda's Paul Groves acts paranoid and anxious in The Trip, while Hopper's Max appears calm and collected. Corman wildly edited some scenes for The Trip, particularly the exterior night scenes on the Sunset Strip, to simulate the LSD user's racing mind. The Trip features photographic effects, body paint on seminude actresses to lend atmosphere, and colorful patterned lighting, during sex scenes and in a club, which imitates LSD-induced hallucinations. Finally, Corman included inscrutable fantasy sequences including one where Fonda is faced with revolving pictures of Che Guevara, Sophia Loren and Khalil Gibran in a wildly lit room. For no apparent reason, a midget riding a merry-go-round in the background blurts "Bay of Pigs!!" The story plays over a musical backdrop of improvisational jazz, blues rock of the band The Electric Flag, plus an exotic musical score with an organ and horn-drenched theme. Jack Nicholson wrote the original screenplay. Corman encouraged Nicholson's experimental writing style and gives between 80 and 90 percent credit to Nicholson for the shooting script in the director's commentary appearing on the DVD of this film. Corman slightly modified the story to stay within budget. -  From Wikipedia


THE TRIP
ROGER CORMAN  (1967)
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES
79 MIN
USA

The Violent Years (1956)

The Violent Years is a 1956 American exploitation film starring Jean Moorhead as Paula Parkins, the leader of a gang of juvenile delinquent high school girls. The film is notable for the input of Ed Wood, Jr. as author of its screenplay.


Paula Parkins, the spoiled daughter of a well-to-do newspaper editor, gets her kicks by organizing and directing a gang of bored young women like herself. The gang dresses in men's attire, robs gas stations, and terrorizes habitués of a local lovers' lane—even raping a young gentleman (off camera) after tying up his girlfriend. As a newspaperman, Paula's father has some inside information on police plans to capture the gang, so the girls are able to avoid capture with Mr. Parkins' unwitting complicity. After a make-out party with a few local gangsters, Paula and her pals agree to wreck a few classrooms — and destroy the American flag — in a public school at the behest of a female crime boss (it is implied that this is part of an anti-American Communist plot). The girls perform the job with gleeful competence until the police arrive and a deadly shootout takes place. Paula is captured and dies in the hospital giving birth to the child she conceived during the rape.


The cynical tag line "So what?" is used repeatedly by the girls to underscore their uncaring, nihilistic attitude.



THE VIOLENT YEARS
WILLIAM MORGAN  (1956)
HEADLINER PRODUCTIONS
65 MIN
USA

The Village of the Giants (1965)

Village of the Giants is a 1965 science-fiction/comedy movie with many elements of the beach party film genre. It was produced, directed and written by Bert I. Gordon, and based loosely on H.G. Wells's book The Food of the Gods. The story revolves mostly around a chemical substance called "Goo", which causes giant growth in living things, and what happens after a gang of rebellious youngsters get their hands on it. The cast was mostly teens, or young actors playing teens, and The Beau Brummels and Freddy Cannon make musical guest appearances. The movie was a low-budget exploitation film and not a huge hit (released mostly to drive-ins as part of a double bill), but had some notable use of special effects and undoubted sex appeal, and went on to become a cult classic. The movie proved far more successful years later, when released on home video. Village of the Giants takes place in fictional Hainesville, California. After crashing their car into a roadblock during a rainstorm, a group of partying, big-city teenagers (Fred, Pete, Rick, Harry, and their girlfriends Merrie, Elsa, Georgette and Jean) first indulge in a vigorous, playful mud-wrestling fight, then hike their way into town. Fred remembers meeting a girl from Hainesville named Nancy, and they decide to look her up. Nancy, meanwhile, is with her boyfriend Mike, while her younger brother "Genius" plays with his chemistry set in the basement. Genius accidentally creates a substance he names "Goo", that causes animals, including a pair of ducks, to grow to gigantic size. The out-of-town teens break into the local theater and clean up from the rain, then go to a nearby club where The Beau Brummels are performing. Shortly, the giant ducks turn up, followed by Mike and Nancy. Everyone is astounded by the size of the ducks, wondering how they got so big. Mike explains that it's a secret, but following a suggestion made by their friends Horsey and Red, they host a picnic in the town square the next day, roasting the ducks and feeding everybody. Freddy Cannon is featured singing a song in this scene. Fred and his friends also see potential in whatever made the ducks grow, but their minds are purely on profit. They scheme to learn the secret, and are ultimately successful, escaping with a sample. Back at the theater, the gang argues over what to do with the Goo, now that they have it. Feeling peer pressure, Fred slices up the Goo, giving everyone a piece each, which they consume a moment later. As the Goo takes effect, they each grow to over thirty feet tall, ripping right out of their clothes. At first everyone is shocked and regretful, but realizing their newfound power at their new size, the gang decide to take over the town.


Overnight, the giants decide to isolate Hainesville from the rest of the world. They rip out the telephone lines, overturn broadcasting antennas, and block the remaining roads out of town. When the sheriff and Mike arrive to deal with them, they discover that the giants have no plans to leave – and are literally holding the sheriff's daughter, as "insurance" that they won't have any trouble. While the town's adults seem paralyzed, the teens decide to fight back. An attempt to capture Fred results in Nancy being taken hostage. Meanwhile, Genius continues to work, trying to produce more Goo. Mike asks Genius to forget the Goo for awhile, and make them a supply of ether – having noticed the giants only leave one guard on the hostages, Mike and Horsey plot to subdue that guard, recover the guns, and free Nancy and the sheriff's daughter. Having led the giants outside the theater, Mike plays David to Fred's Goliath, to distract them while Horsey and the others effect the rescue. Genius' newest attempt at Goo results in an antidote. He rides over to the square on a bicycle with a pail full of the fuming antidote. As the giants breathe in the fumes, they all return to normal. Mike cold-cocks the surprised Fred, and promptly runs him and his friends, looking silly in their now-oversized clothes, out of town. From Wikipedia



VILLAGE OF THE GIANTS
BERT I. GORDON
EMBASSY PICTURES
81 MIN
USA

Machine Gun Kelly (1958)

Machine-Gun Kelly (1958) is a film directed by Roger Corman, chronicling the criminal activities of the real-life George "Machine Gun" Kelly. The film was considered low budget, but received good critical reviews.[1] The film was the first lead role for actor Charles Bronson. Following the 1967 success of Bonnie and Clyde, American International Pictures rereleased the film as a double feature with The Bonnie Parker Story.The film starts by showing a bank robbery orchestrated by Kelly and other partners, including his love interest. It then examines Kelly's personality and events that lead to discord among his group. A botched bank robbery causes one of his partners, Michael Fandango, portrayed by typical jokester Morey Amsterdam, to lose an arm. Kelly, perhaps goaded on by his girlfriend, kidnaps the daughter of a wealthy businessman for ransom, which leads to the climax of the film. The film was the first lead role for actor Charles Bronson who would later be acclaimed for roles in Once Upon a Time in the West,The Magnificent Seven, and the Death Wish series. Susan Cabotwas the female lead, as part of her agreement with director Roger Corman, for whom her roles would be the end of her film career


Machine-Gun Kelly, the famous bank robber, seldom without his Thompson machine gun. The story opens with great jazzy music and a murder shown in shadows. His moll is the driving force behind his exploits. He has an exaggerated fear of death and death symbols. The sight of a coffin makes him freeze during a bank job, causing his lieutenant to lose his arm. Finally, the gang kidnaps a little girl along with her nurse and hold them for ransom.


MACHINE GUN KELLY
ROGER CORMAN  (1958)
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES
75 MIN
USA

Highschool Ceasar (1960)

High School Caesar is a 1960 American film directed by O'Dale Ireland. Handsome, wealthy teenager Matt Stevens leads a gang of ruffians comprised of Slick, Dusty, Matt's girl friend, Lita Owens, and his young, adoring sidekick, Homer "Cricket" Davis. Matt runs a lucrative business charging "protection" money and selling stolen tests to the students at his high school. He also hopes to win the position of student body president, and to ensure his victory, Matt intimidates the students and tears up the posters of his challenger, Kelly Roberts. In the library, Cricket spots pretty newcomer Wanda Anderson and asks Matt to arrange a date with her. Wanda is also noticed by Kelly's best friend, Bob Williams, who is too shy to ask her out. Lita hears Matt talking about Wanda and reacts jealously, but is pleased when Matt orders her to arrange a date between Wanda and Cricket. At a student dance Matt has organized, Bob finally asks Wanda to dance, while in the principal's office Matt's flunkies stack the votes to ensure that Matt is elected student body president. After he is announced the winner of the election, Matt names Cricket treasurer and announces that dances, with a door fee, will be held each week. Although the profits are supposed to go toward buying a bulldog puppy as a school mascot, Matt and his boys secretly pocket much of the cash. At home, Matt has all the money and belongings he could desire but wants only the attention of his parents, who travel constantly. Although he bullies his servants, when alone in his room, Matt cries and clutches his prized possession, the gold coin his father once gave him. At the next dance, Lita informs Wanda that she is to be Cricket's date, but Wanda rebuffs her. The principal calls Matt in to ask for his help in identifying the school bullies, after which Matt, confident that he can get whatever he wants, promises Cricket that he will procure Wanda for him that evening. At the soda shop that night, however, Wanda dances with Bob, and Cricket urges Matt to break in on them. When Wanda once again refuses to dance with Cricket, Matt insults her, prompting Bob to punch him. Their fight is halted by the manager, and Bob walks Wanda home, where she kisses him. That weekend, the teens enjoy wholesome car races, but when Matt appears and offers his coin as prize money, the races turn competitive and dangerous. Kelly manages to beat Matt's expensive car and wins the coin, to Matt's irritation. Hoping to intimidate Kelly into returning the coin, Matt grabs Cricket and follows Kelly in the car. They are trying to force him off the road when Kelly's tire blows and his car careens off a cliff. Matt runs to check the wreckage and, upon finding Kelly dead, retrieves his coin and instructs a distraught Cricket to keep quiet. When Kelly fails to appear at the soda shop, his friends search for him and find the body. Meanwhile, Matt tries to call his father but cannot reach him. Matt then holds a meeting of his gang, during which he attempts to increase his popularity by offering them free access to the stolen tests and presenting them with the bulldog puppy he has purchased. He also instructs Slick and Dusty to steal the latest biology test from the principal's office, with keys Matt has painstakingly stolen and copied. The boys are spotted by the principal, and although he cannot identify them, he quickly changes all the locks, effectively ruining Matt's business. While Bob calls a meeting at his house that evening to generate support to challenge Matt's power, Cricket asks Matt why he has failed to get Wanda to date him. In response, Matt approaches Wanda, but she calls him repulsive. That night, he and Cricket follow Wanda as she is walking to Bob's and, when she refuses to join them, throw her in the car. They drive to the lake, where Cricket grows distressed as Matt forces himself on Wanda. After Matt throws Cricket out, Wanda spots the coin in Matt's pocket and, realizing he killed Kelly, flees and hides in the bushes until she can run to Bob's house with the news. Meanwhile, Cricket goes to the soda shop in hysterics and announces that Matt caused Kelly's accident. When Matt arrives at the soda shop, the teens surround him threateningly. He begs for mercy as Bob punches him, then throws the coin in the dirt. Matt collapses in tears, the coin clutched in his hand, as the police arrive.


HIGH SCHOOL CEASAR
O'DALE IRELAND  (1960)
76 MINUTES
USA

Ma Barker's Killer Brood (1960)

Ma Barker's Killer Brood is a crime film, released in 1960. The low budget film was directed by Bill Karn and starred Lurene Tuttle as the title character, Ma Barker, and Tristam Coffin as Arthur Dunlop.


The film was mainly about Ma Barker and her four sons who terrorize the South and Midwest in the 1930s, with a string of kidnappings, robberies, and murders. The gang members also meet with John Dillinger (Eric Sinclair), and Baby Face Nelson (Robert Kendall).


MA BARKER'S KILLER BROOD
BILL KARN (1960)
PRC
89 MIN
USA

The Fast and the Furious (1954)

The Fast and the Furious is a 1955 film starring John Ireland and Dorothy Malone. It was the first film produced by American International Pictures production company. The black-and-white B-movie was co-directed by the film's leading man, John Ireland. The story was written by Roger Corman and the screenplay by Jean Howell and Jerome Odlum. Except for the title, the film bears no relation to the 2001 film of the same name.


Frank Webster (John Ireland) has broken out of jail after serving time for a murder he didn't commit. While on the run, and the subject of radio news reports, he becomes cornered in a small coffee shop by a zealous citizen. This forces him to commit battery to escape, and to kidnap a young woman named Connie (Dorothy Malone) as he gets away. Frank drives off with Connie in her Jaguar. But she soon proves a difficult hostage, trying to escape a few times, which leads him to treat her more roughly than they both would prefer. This mutual struggle soon leads the two to fall in love with each other. Continuing to elude police, the couple slips into a cross-border sports car race, which Frank plans to take advantage of in order to escape into Mexico. But out of sympathy for Frank and a desire to be with him, Connie informs the police of the plan so he might face trial and be acquitted. And at the last moment he too decides it's better to turn himself in. The film ends with his capture by police imminent.


THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS
JOHN IRELAND  (1954)
ARC
73 MIN
USA

The Wild Ride (1960)

The Wild Ride is a 1960 American film directed by Harvey Berman and starring Jack Nicholson as a rebellious punk named Johnny, of the Beat generation, who spends his days as an amateur dirt track driver in between partying and troublemaking. The film has become part of the public domain and is considered by some to be a cult classic.

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THE WILD RIDE
HARVEY BERMAN  (1960)
FILM GROUP
59:06
USA

The Acid Eaters:Trailer (1968)

The Acid Eaters is a 1968 exploitation film written and directed by David F. Friedman
Buxom skin-goddess Pat Barrington (Mantis in Lace) is just one of THE ACID EATERS, a bunch of 9-to-5 working stiffs who become drug-crazed bikers on the weekend! After Miss Barrington kills a gal pal in catfight and the deceased inexplicably returns as a girlfriend for wacky artist Artie, the group enters a pyramid made of giant LSD sugar cubes (!) which is also the entrance to Hell (!!) where Artie suddenly turns into The Devil (!!!) and everything explodes into one big Acid Orgy...whoa. Easily the Sixties' most insane mix of sexploitation and psychedelia, David F. Friedman's THE ACID EATERS is soooooo out there that even the strongest of minds may become unhinged. - from Something Weird Video


THE ACID EATERS : TRAILER
DAVID F. FRIEDMAN
BOX OFFICE SPECTACULARS
USA
3:04