As a Halloween treat, presented here is a favorite coming-of-age movie of mine from 1976, Kenny and Company. Produced, scripted, and directed by Don Coscarelli; this film features several folks who would also go on to work with the director again in his career making horror classic from 1979 Phantasm. Perfect for this time of year and universal in appeal, this movie will especially resonate with those of us whose childhood included the 1970s.
Kenny and Company highlights a chunk of time in the life of Kenny (Dan McCann) leading up to Halloween. Along the way this comedy/drama finds Kenny interacting with his family, neighborhood bullies, first crushes, nerdy tagalong neighbor kid Sherman, his sympathetic teacher (Reggie Bannister), a foreign transfer student, an ailing beloved pet, and his mischievous best pal Doug (A. Michael Baldwin) plus his fun loving Dad Big Doug. The boys get into all sorts of other escapades culminating with an exciting Halloween night in which they get revenge on their tormenting bully by involuntarily involving the neighborhood scary/cranky old man played by Phantasm's big bad Angus Scrimm.
Director Jeff Lieberman's worm revenge tale Squirm (1976) is one of those movies that I could watch a zillion times (and probably already have) and still dig it, so adding the ongoing commentary from our MST3K pals adds to the entertainment factor. Enjoy!
Directed by James Goldstone (The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, Rollercoaster, When Time Ran Out...)1976s Swashbuckler was unfortunately a flop at the box office when originally released. It's not a perfect film, but by my estimation the first 15 minutes (not to mention the film in it's entirety) of the movie better captures the spirit and excitement of The Pirates of the Caribbean ride than what's found in the recent big budget, cgi bloat-fests bearing the rides name.
Filmed in Mexico, the set pieces are incredible and the action keeps coming at a fairly steady pace. The cast is loaded with great actors. Fresh from Jaws, Robert Shaw looks to be having a blast as the pirates leader, James Earl Jones is his often shirtless right hand man, and a bewigged Peter Boyle is the corrupt and evil governor. Also on hand are: Geneviève Bujold, Beau Bridges, Geoffrey Holder, Avery Schreiber, Anjelica Huston, Tom Clancy, and a favorite character actor of mine, Sid Haig.
Written and directed by Larry Cohen (Bone, It's Alive, Black Caesar, The Stuff), 1976s God Told Me To (aka Demon) is a thought provoking horror/science fiction hybrid.
Tony Lo Bianco stars as a NYPD detective who tries to figure out the motives behind a series of seemingly random bursts of deadly violence which are connected by all of the perpetrators stating the reason for their transgression was that "god told them to." Eventually he traces everything back to a cult like organization headed by the always intriguing Richard Lynch. Things get darker and more complicated from there, ultimately leading to an explosive climax.
Keep an eye out for Andy Kaufman's first film appearance as a NYPD patrolman who becomes motivated to commit violence during a parade detail.
Released in 1976, Adiós Amigo was created following Richard Pryor's negative experience on the film Blazing Saddles. He had collaborated with Mel Brooks on the Blazing Saddles script and had planned on being cast as the town's new sheriff but his on screen involvement was snubbed. Pryor expressed this frustration to Fred Williamson, who disliked Brook's film for being too silly. Williamson wanted to provide Pryor a vehicle that would spotlight his comedic talents while also being an action packed western.
Proving very committed to the project,Williamson served as the screen writer, producer, director (this being the second feature he directed), as well as taking on a lead acting role. Allegedly the initial script was very brief, only a few pages in length, with Williamson hoping that Pryor could fill in the blanks with ad-libbed, improv comedy. Unfortunately, neither of the two principals were very enthusiastic about the completed film with Pryor even apologizing for it in a 1976 Ebony interview.
Repost with working links for the trailer and feature.
If you enjoy watching Christopher George chew the scenery and kick ass in his cinematic roles as much as I do, then 1976s Grizzly is worthy of at least a single viewing. Shot in Georgia and directed by William Girdler (Abby, Sheba Baby, Day of the Animals, The Manitou) Grizzly is one of several "animals on the attack" films that emerged after the blockbuster success of 1975s Jaws.
Directed by Dan Curtis (Dark Shadows, The Night Stalker, Trilogy of Terror, The Winds of War), 1976s Burnt Offerings is remembered by many who caught a viewing of the film during the 1970s. According to IMDb.com trivia "Burnt Offerings is one of Stephen King's favorite horror movies."
Folks familiar with films from the 1970s (and earlier) will recognize many of the actors involved here: Karen Black, Oliver Reed, Burgess Meredith, Bette Davis, and Anthony James as a frightening chauffeur. They are long standing rumors that Bette Davis felt slighted by Karen Black for not affording enough respect to her standing as a veteran actress. This rift caused some minor trouble on the set.
For budgetary reasons the Long Island, New York setting of the novel was moved to California and the Dunsmuir House located in Oakland, California became the principal location for filming. Burnt Offerings was the first film to be allowed the opportunity to film on site. A few years later, director Don Coscarelli would also make great cinematic use of the Dunsmuir House when he used it extensively in Phantasm. Since the story basically concerns a "haunted" house, having such a ready made and impressive set helped flesh out Burnt Offerings.
It was through his working relationship (primarily as a cameraman) with Russ Meyer that Rene Daalder was recommended by Meyer to direct 1976s Massacre at Central High. According to IMDb.com trivia, it was Daalder who conceived and created the well known portion of The Great Rock 'n Roll Swindle where Sid Vicious sings "My Way".
Massacre at Central High tells the story of David, a new student at a California high school whose strong minded independence puts him in direct conflict with the popular kids clique. The "in" crowd rules the school with violence and intimidation but when they seriously injure David, they push him to exact ultimate revenge. But with one "in" crowd gone, another materializes to take it's place.
Always enjoyed this film and have gone through a couple vhs copies through the years, but am currently without this in my movie library. Definitely more thought went into the storyline than your average exploitation flick and I have an early episode of the Gene Siskel and Robert Ebert show Sneak Previews to thank for turning me on to this one. Both the trailer and feature are presented below.
Even for the exploitation sub-genre of biker movies, 1976s Northville Cemetery Massacre is an odd one.
Initially filmed around Michigan locations during 1972, it took several more years to make it into theaters. Allegedly ex-Monkee Mike Nesmith provided not only songs for use on the soundtrack, but money to help finish the post-production. The film makers hired two actual Detroit area biker clubs, The Scorpions and The Road Agents, for the film which adds a dose of realism.
It was co-written and directed by then newcomers William Dear and Thomas L. Dyke. Dear would go on to a still flourishing career including shorts for Saturday Night Live in the early 80s and directing increasingly family friendly feature films such as: Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann, Harry and the Hendersons, and Angels in the Outfield.
The bikers in Northville Cemetery Massacre play against type, even aiding an elderly couple with auto trouble in the first few minutes. But this doesn't gain them any favor with the local sheriff who promptly frames them for a rape which was committed by the cops and sets up wrong headed reprisals. Gritty, violent, and ultimately rather down beat the film delivers much for the modest budget.
Andrea True (born in Nashville - July 26, 1943) moved to New York City in the early 70s to seek work as a movie actress, finding small parts in films such as The Way We Were. When conventional roles proved too difficult to be found, she began working in adult features under stage names such as Inger Kissin, Andrea Travis, Catherine Warren and Singh Low.
While working on commercials in Jamaica, she found herself stuck on the island due to political unrest. Wanting to make the best of the situation, she worked with her friend, record producer Gregg Diamond who had a song ready and True added the lyrics, creating the song "More, More, More" which became a favorite at nightclubs and discos, eventually charting at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 1976. She quickly followed that up with a full length record as the Andrea True Connection.
Andrea True pursued a music career with two more records, but further chart success proved elusive. Afterwards she then briefly returned to the adult industry.
Below is a video for "More, More, More" which was sampled in the 1999 song "Steal My Sunshine" by Canadian group Len.
Aside from the noteworthy and plentiful charms of Uschi Digard (billed here as Elke Vann), 1976s C.B. Hustlers is a competent, but not entirely spectacular, mid-70s dose of sexploitation cinema. The plot concerns hookers with hearts of gold, plying their trade over cbs with big rig truckers in shagtastic vans and 18 wheelers, versus the morally uptight lawman. For the curious and genre fans, it's presented below.
The 1976 film The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane
has been out of print on vhs since 1989 and dvd since 2005.
Was talking about this film today and realized
I had not seen it in years...
Presented here by horror hostess Elvira is 1976s Blue Sunshine, which is written and directed by Jeff Lieberman. Mr. Lieberman also directed these unconventional horror film standouts: an invasion of angry worms in Squirm (1976) and Just Before Dawn (1981) a kids menaced by a slasher in the woods film that transcends the genre.
Blue Sunshine takes an mid 70s look at the horrific consequences of acid gobbling in the 60s. Those who enjoyed the "blue sunshine" lsd years ago are revisited by homicidal, hair losing flash backs throughout the double knit, deep shag and Earth toned surroundings. Softcore/exploitation favorite Zalman King has a lead role with Mark Goddard from Lost in Space and Robert Walden from Lou Grant also appearing. According to the trivia listings at IMDb.com "the street that was used for the O'Malley's neighborhood would later be the same street used for A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)."
Posted this mainly for the skit in the first five minutes with Paul Lynde as Santa Claus. The Donny and Marie Christmas medley is curious as a period piece, but to catch the always entertaining Mr. Lynde in his mid 70s television appearance glory makes this clip worthwhile for yuletide yuks.
a big fan of reading books, all kinds of art, J.G. Ballard, autumn, Dr Pepper, listening to records, women wearing skirts and high heels, exceptionally weird movies, bike riding, diners and other stuff...
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As a Halloween treat, presented here is a favorite coming-of-age movie of mine from 1976, Kenny and Company. Produced, scripted, and directed by Don Coscarelli; this film features several folks who would also go on to work with the director again in his career making horror classic from 1979 Phantasm. Perfect for this time of year and universal in appeal, this movie will especially resonate with those of us whose childhood included the 1970s. 
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