FILMS OF 1972
The 1001 Book lists 18 (19 with the later addition of The Lady Vanishes) Alfred Hitchcock movies on the
essential viewing list-by far the most of any director. The first is Blackmail (1929) and the last is Frenzy
(1972). Quite a time span of influence! I’m pretty sure I first saw Frenzy on TV during the 70's. Watching
it now, I do like the film, though I wouldn't put it in the top echelon of
Hitchcock films on the list. It feels like a good BBC procedural, with little
extra twists of violence thrown in.
Here is the 1001 Hitchcock list:
Blackmail (1929)
The 39 Steps (1935)
Sabatoge (1936)
The Lady Vanishes (1937)
Rebecca (1940)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Spellbound (1945)
Notorious (1946)
Rope (1948)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Rear Window (1954)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
The Wrong Man (1957)
Vertigo (1958)
North by Northwest (1959)
Psycho (1960)
The Birds (1963)
Marnie (1964)
Frenzy (1972)
After you've gone through the 19 films on the 1001 list,
there are plenty of others left (To Catch a Thief, Lifeboat, I Confess etc.), and try to catch a couple of episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents while you're
at it!
A crowd of people stood and stared...
Mr. Hitchcock (with the bowler hat)
looks over the crime scene in Frenzy
Gordon Parks Jr.'s Super Fly is about as far away from Frenzy as you can get, other than the
fact they came out the same year. Though Super Fly is part of the culture of the 70's
cinema, (Blaxplotation cinema specifically), I had never actually seen it
before! The plot involves Youngblood Priest (Ron O'Neal), a drug dealer trying
to get out of the business and go legit. It is essential seventies viewing,
enhanced by Curtis Mayfield's score and ongoing chorus-like descriptions of the
actions. Maybe the first movie use of the phrase “pops a cap on your ass,"
but I have no historical documentation of this. My favorite quote from the
film, "Eight-track stereo, color TV in every room and can snort half a
piece of dope every day! The American dream!"..."Cadillac, El
Dorado...You always got some super fly shit!"
Ron O' Neal and Sheila Frazier discuss the American Dream
in Super Fly
Here are 25 movies released in 1972 not on the 1001 movie
list that I have seen at some point. I've listed where or when I first saw them
as far as I can recollect.
1. 1776
Where or when did I first see it? At
an Atlanta theater during the 1976 school year.
Our middle school had a field trip during the
bicentennial year to see the then four-year old musical film adaptation of the
Broadway musical 1776. Our class really
did get into it applauding and cheering at the appropriate times (I
remember special applause for the home state Georgia boy Lyman Hall!).
Since that time, I've seen the film many times and it is one of my favorite
musicals. Who wouldn't love a musical about the founding fathers, eh? Well,
I've always loved the songs. The picture below is my own poster of 1776. You have one too, don't you? Well, don't
you?
2. Blacula
Where or when did I first see it? I'm hazy on the facts on this one.
I'm sure I've seen this 70's black version of Dracula…I think I have anyway. Or maybe
I'm thinking about the David Niven movie Old Dracula, where Niven becomes black
at the end. to mate with his mate Teresa Graves? But I digress.
3. Everything
You Ever Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask
Where or when did I first see it? Midnight
movie at Perimeter Mall theater.
Woody Allen comedy of vignettes has many highlights: Gene
Wilder falling in love with a sheep, a mad scientist movie re-imagined with the
mad scientist (John Carradine) as a sex researcher and the inner workings of
what goes on in your body while you are in the state of arousal.
4. Play
it Again, Sam
Where or when did I first see it? Network TV premiere.
Based on Woody Allen's play and starring Allen, but
directed by Herbert Ross. Lonely schlep Allen is haunted by the ghost of
Humphrey Bogart to show him how to deal with women in a more effective way. Another
Allen favorite from the 70’s. First teaming of Allen and Diane Keaton.
5. Man
of La Mancha
Where or when did I first see it? TV
in the 70's.
There are some great songs in Man of La Mancha, with The
Impossible Dream being the signature song. A local production I saw actually
made a greater impression on me than this film did.
6. Now
You See Him, Now You Don't
Where or when did I first see it? Atlanta's Plaza
Theater, 1972
Another one of those Disney/Kurt Russell movies from the
early 70's. The real story of this movie for me was the trip back home from the
theater on the bus. I was riding home with my brother when I noticed a woman a
couple of seats ahead of me who seemed to be very upset. She left her seat and
went to complain to the bus driver (a big fellow from what I remember) about a
man that was harassing her. The bus driver pulled the bus over and
confronted the man. The driver called the police in and locked the doors so the
man couldn't escape. The man tried to kick his way out of the door to no avail.
The police came quickly and took the man away. This event obviously made a strong
impression on a nine-year-old for me to remember it so vividly so many years
later.
7. Kansas City Bomber
Where or when did I first see it? TV
in the 70's
A growing boy in the 70's is going to take notice of sex
symbol superstar Raquel Welch. And I suppose Raquel as a roller derby queen was
probably as good a vehicle as she ever had (Other than the cavewoman in One Million Years B. C.).
8. Private Parts
Where or when did I first see it? Silver Screen
Theater in 1980.
I can't remember what was on the second part of this double
feature, but Private Parts is a
weird, campy and strange movie. Since I was seventeen when I saw it, it would
be interesting to see it again through a slightly
older lens.
9. Snoopy, Come Home
Where or when did I first see it? Pretty
sure on CBS television.
I watched an awful lot of Peanuts during the 70's. It
does seem the seasonal Peanuts specials have had more staying power than the feature
films.
10. What's Up, Doc?
Where or when did I first see it? TV during the 80's.
It seems like an updated screwball comedy from devoted
movie lover Peter Bogdanavich would have resonated with me more, but I remember
being a bit disappointed in it. It may be one to see again.
11. Canterbury
Tales
Where or when did I first see it? The
Silver Screen Theater in 1980.
Pier Pasolini's Canterbury Tales is a movie I went to see during the
period I was reading it in school, which was interesting. My teacher found the bawdy
tale offensive, but I found it rather ribald and funny.
12. Butterflies Are Free
Where or when did I first see it? Televison during the 70's.
I wish I had more memories of this cute Goldie Hawn
falling for the blind Edward Albert vehicle other than it's about the cute
Goldie Hawn falling for the blind Edward Albert, but so it goes.
13. The Candidate
Where or when did I first see it? TV
during the 80's.
I believe I watched this “How to market a political
candidate” movie while I was taking similar classes in college. Jerry Larner
won a Best Screenplay Academy Award for his insightful screenplay.
14. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Where or when did I first see it? TV
during the 70's.
I went to a panel at last year's Dragon Con that
celebrated the 45th anniversary of Conquest
of the Planet of the Apes. The Panel made some good observations about the
film. It really does come across in retrospect being about revolution with revolutionary
ape Roddy McDowell leading the way
There are actually books in the series based on Conquest of the Planet of
the Apes that sound interesting.
15. The Cowboys
Where or when did I first see it? Ed
Howell’s Halloween party
What better movie to dress up for Halloween and go to than a John
Wayne Western! I guess it's okay
if you happened to be dressed like a cowboy (I wasn’t. I
was dressed as a little league baseball player). Enjoyed The Cowboys at the time. Basically known as John Wayne trying
teach a bunch of kids to be grown up cowpokes. Movie also
featured Roscoe Lee Browne playing a character with the wonderful name of Jebediah Nightlinger…And
Bruce Dern taking an interesting turn as a particularly slimy villain who
SPOILER...shoots
John Wayne in the back.
I also remember the short-lived television series based on the film which
didn't have Wayne, Dern or Browne return. It did have a lot of the kids...and
was short lived…so it goes.
16. Deep
Throat
Where or when did I first see it? The
Playboy Channel in the late 80's
Oh, those innocent days of The
Playboy Channel where you got to see R-rated versions of X-rated films if you
set your antennae just right! I knew about Deep Throat (Not the Watergate informer) long
before I was old enough to see it. I remember looking at the Atlanta
Constitution movie page and seeing the same add for Deep Throat playing at the
New Glenn Art Cinema for the 50th...100th...200th...week! Though I've only
seen the R-rated version (which must have been a really short feature now that
I think about it.) I don't have any desire to see the unedited and (ahem) uncut
version.
Not the exact Deep Throat
ad
I'm referring to-but pretty close
Where or when did I first see it? Orlando, Florida, 1976.
Went to Disney World with a church youth group and what did we do after visiting The Hall of
Presidents and riding on The Dumbo ride during the day? Why spending that night
watching a campy horror film about killer frogs! I can't remember much of the
plot...but it certainly was no Night
of the Lepus!
Note to film buffs: Disney had a great
attraction in those days where you could go in and watch silent films. It was
replaced I'm guessing by something a little more commercial. Damn society.
18. The
Getaway
Where or when did I first see it? Pretty
sure it was on Network TV sometime in the 80's.
Sam Peckinpah and Steve McQueen in an action thriller
seems like a great combination, though memory on this is a bit hazy. I feel
this is one I need to revisit.
19. The
King of Marvin Gardens
Where or when did I first see it? Part of a film class at West Georgia College, 1981.
Presented in that class as typical of 70's loner type
films, I really thought this was an excellent and underrated film. Definitely need to
revisit this one because some films you should watch at LEAST once every 35
years!
20. Night
of the Lepus
Where or when did I first see it? TV during the 70's, also saw the version on
Rifftrax.
The best way to catch giant killer bunnies is to build a
giant Elmer Fudd...I think this was one of the lines on this movie from
Rifftrax. The film was also featured in an influential movie book (At least for
me) The Golden Turkey Awards. It's
pretty silly stuff and if you’re looking for weightier rabbit fare,
I'd recommend Harvey or Watership
Down instead.
Star Trek alert: Night of the Lepus features Dr. McCoy
(DeForrest Kelley) and Paul Fix who played the ship's doctor in the pilot of that series.
21. The Poseidon Adventure
Where or when did I first see it? Network
TV premiere.
By the time I got into going to see disaster movies at
the theater, The Poseidon Adventure
had already passed its theatrical run. But I was ready for the
TV premiere!I hear the song "The Morning After" being triggered
in my brain as I type! I know with these disaster films it was often a sort of
scorecard game keeping track of which celebrities will live and who
will die, but the concept of a ship turning upside down and people trying
to make their way to the bottom is still a pretty cool concept to me. I still
don't understand the thinking behind Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979), but
that's another story.
21. Silent Running
Where or when did I first see it? At
the Silver Screen Theater in the early 80's, might have been on a double
feature with Slaughterhouse
Five.
The ecologically friendly outer space botany epic Silent Running, has more in common with
the cerebral 2001: A Space Odyssey than future adventuresome space epics like
Star Wars, but I'm pretty sure George Lucas got his cute droid idea from Silent Running.
Note: A nice trio of 1972 film roles for Bruce Dern: the
villain in The Cowboys, a
fine acting turn in The King
of Marvin Gardens and the
botanist hero in Silent
Running.
22. Slaughterhouse Five
Where or when did I first see it? At the Silver Screen Theater in the early 80's, might
have been on a double feature with Silent
Running.
Kurt Vonnegut's off-beat time travel Tralfamodore/ World
War II cerebral book seems unlikely to spawn a successful feature but George
Roy Hill manages to pull it off quite well in my estimation. This is still one
of my favorite films. So it goes.
23.
Marjoe
Where or when did I first see it? Library
DVD recently.
The first time I remember seeing former child TV
evangelist turned actor in was as a closeted homosexual in Earthquake. Or maybe it was as
one of the macho motorcycle gang in the campy but fun macho TV movie, Pray for the Wildcats? He later starred in such 70's
"classics" as Viva
Knievel!, Sidewinder One and Food of the Gods.
But you can't join the
Marjoe appreciation society unless you watch the Academy Award
winning documentary about his rise as a boy televangelist simply
titled Marjoe. It's a
fascinating look at his life in front of the audience as a kid and later as
someone just trying to manipulate the masses for a buck as a young adult before
he got the call to Hollywood. I know he has plenty of detractors, but I can't
help but like the guy. So it goes.
And Marjoe's record album
Bad, but Not Evil
(How he defines himself in the documentary)
has got to be a collector's item.
24. The Legend of Boggy Creek
Where or when did I first see it? Recently
on YouTube
There have been several Boggy Creek movies about the
Fouke monster or a Bigfoot type creature throughout the
years, but only one original Legend
of Boggy Creek. It was certainly a buzzworthy movie from my elementary
school class, thought I don't think many of of us actually ever saw
it at the time! I'm surprised it took me this long to see it and in a way I
have to admit I kind of like it. It has an I can't decide if it's a documentary
or a feature film feel to it and it often veers way off the subject to just
show some of the locals talking..but this does provide some interesting context
and atmosphere. We also get to here "The Ballad of Travis
Cunningham," though young Travis doesn't seem to have a lot to do with the
overall plot. Charles B. Pierce is the auteur behind this odd franchise which
includes Charles and his often shirtless son Chuck starring in Boggy Creek II: The Legend
Continues (1985) which was
riffed on MST3K and the awful but not in a good way Return to Boggy Creek
(1977), which is colossally boring despite a rare starring role for Dawn (Mary
Ann) Wells.
25. Jeremiah Johnson
Where or when did I first see it? Recently
on DVD
One of the most popular movies of 1972 and one that I
never got around to seeing before, I finally popped it in the DVD player and
thought it was a pretty good starring role for Robert Redford and another in a
series of films of the era about a guy just wanting to get away from it all. He
meets good injuns, bad injuns, falls for native American girl (eventually) and
adopts a son, meets a wise mountain man, an eccentric mountain man, seeks
revenge on those that harmed his family...a lot of the usual tropes. I thought
it was well done, though.
Oh, those long ago days of 1972
when a game of Chess could make
the cover of TIME magazine
Until next time!
