THE LIFE OF BRIAN (1979)

The year is 1975…and…

 I cut out and pasted movie advertisements in a spiral notebook during that transitional movie year all those many, many movie years ago. Looking at it now, much of the print from the faded pages has yellowed, but yes, I still have it! So I’ve decided this month to stroll down memory lane and comment on some of the film ads from my movie scrapbook.  I’ll also try to fit in a suitable 1001 movie entry at the end of each post since that is still the point of this blog.

Post 10 1975 Movie Scrapbook (Post 7: Comedy Giants)
Brooks, Allen, Sellers, Wilder and Monty Python. The 70's was truly the cinematic comedy renaissance.

1. Return of the Pink Panther

Nice ad featuring a giant shadowed Inspector Clouseau looking through a magnifying glass at the actual cartoon Pink Panther. I remember being excited when this movie came out and still think it’s the best of the Peter Sellers/Blake Edwards Panther films.

2. Blazing Saddles

from the people that brought you The Jazz Singer! It took me awhile to realize what they meant by this was that Warner Brothers put out both The Jazz Singer and Blazing Saddles, though it is rarely seen a double feature to my knowledge. The colorful ad featuring Mel Brooks in full Indian headdress wasn't necessary to lead me to want to see this movie when it came out. I bugged my dad until he took me to see it. He also took me to see Young Frankenstein that year. Thanks, dad.

3. Love and Death

First Woody Allen movie I ever saw at the theater (Emory Cinema, a movie house that tragically died in a fire in 1978) and still one of my favorites of Allen’s. This nice big ad includes the memorable picture of Woody in the countryside with Death.

4. The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother

Funny thing about this movie. It featured three members of the cast of Young Frankenstein (Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn) which was a definite favorite of mine from a year before. I also bought the book (actually a novelization) for Smarter Brother. The only problem is that I never got around to seeing the movie! Still haven’t seen it.

5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Of course Holy Grail, may indeed be the Holy Grail of 70’s quotable movies. (It’s just a flesh wound. She turned me into a Newt! We are the Knights who say… NI.) The ad is pretty good too-Makes Ben Hur look like an Epic! SEE-*The Trojan Rabbit*The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch *Sets the Cinema Back 500 YearsKnight of Niek! *And Much, Much More!

Tonight's 70's comedy giants movie experience is:

Monty Python's Life of Brian

Monty Python seemed to come out of nowehere with this strange British sketch comedy television show that came on PBS during the mid 70's. A few lumberjack, dead parrot, and office of silly walks skits later, they came out with one of the ulimate cult movies of all-time, Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

But let us not forget the movie Monty Python ended the 70's with, The Life of Brian, a comedy of a man whose life parallels the life of Jesus. It received a lot of flack from religious groups despite the claims that this was not supposed to be the story of Jesus.

Oh well, my advice to those who might take offense is,

If life seems jolly rotten there's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you're feeling in the dumps don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing

And always look on the bright side of life

Plus it's just as funny as Holy Grail!

BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA (1974)

The year is 1975…and…

I cut out and pasted movie advertisements in a spiral notebook during that transitional movie year all those many, many movie years ago. Looking at it now, much of the print from the faded pages has yellowed, but yes, I still have it! So I’ve decided this month to stroll down memory lane and comment on some of the film ads from my movie scrapbook.  I’ll also try to fit in a suitable 1001 movie entry at the end of each post since that is still the point of this blog.

1975 Movie Scrapbook (Post 6: Bombs)

1. Mandingo

Expect the savage. The sensual. The shocking. The sad. The powerful. The shameful. Expect all that motion picture screen has never dared to show before. Except the truth. Now you are ready for Madingo.

The whole ad for Mandingo is trying to make the potential moviegoer think of Gone With the Wind with lots (and lots) of sex…Interracial sex at that! I do remember this as an infamous movie of its day, but never saw it. It did have a prominent display in the 1975 Playboy Sex in Cinema review...or so I am told. Ahem.

2. The Great Waldo Pepper

Not really a bomb, but according to writer William Goldman, this Robert Redford/Geroge Roy Hill follow up to The Sting didn’t really didn’t live up to expectations either. What I still remember about the ad is the quote from Albert Weis (the film was playing at his Weis Cinema in Atlanta.) “I Love Waldo! Money back guarantee! If you don’t agree, your money will be cheerfully refunded” I still wonder if he had any takers for those who didn’t find Waldo all that appealing.

3. Gable and Lombard

They don’t make love like this anymore..but two of Hollywood’s greatest stars did and this is their hilarious and touching story.

I couldn't find a copy of the ad in my scrapbook on the Internet, so I just posted a Spanish language poster for no reason in particular. A much ridiculed movie in its day in any language before being pretty much forgotten as time passed. At least Jill Clayburgh went on to have a successful movie career and James Brolin went on to marry Barbara Streisand.

4. Whiffs

Speaking of Streisand husbands…let’s look at Elliot Gould. Definitely a prime example of William Goldman’s being a star doesn’t last long adage. MASH and Bob and Carol Ted and Alice made him a front line star…and a few movies like Whiffs took him down just as quickly. “The most hilarious military farce since MASH!” “It’s a real gasser.” The ad does feature some neat animated pictures of the cast, but nifty animated renderings of Harry Guardino and Godfrey Cambridge do not necessarily make a hit. Do you know anyone who has actually seen Whiffs?

5. The Fortune

When I was reading the book on 70’s cinema, Easy Riders and Raging Bulls, it discussed in some detail the making of The Fortune. Apparently they had a script that made very little sense and nobody involved with the film understood what was going on. The film’s pedigree of Mike Nichols directing Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty probably looked good on paper, but obviously didn’t work out that way. The ad says “You may never stop laughing!” But given this films reputation, the ad probably should read, “You may never stop scratching your head in confusion.”

Today’s 70’s movie "Bomb" experience is...

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

 

I first became aware of Sam Peckinpah, as with many other things, through the jokes and cartoons that mentioned him in MAD magazine. Usually these jokes referred to violence and bloodbaths in his movies. I later watched and certainly would list as two of my favorites of this director as The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs. But I could never bring myself to watch Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. Possibly because it was listed in Harry and Michael Medved's 1979 book The 50 Worst Movies of All Time. This is why I am listing it here under the bomb category. My old original Leonard Maltin movie guide didn’t think much of it either. But something apparently happened to the reputation of the film. Due to my past bias toward the film, I was pretty surprised to see it in the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. “The book” even states that “this is one of those rare films that divides audiences into those who rate it a five-star classic and those who see it as a one-star dog.” After finally seeing it, I have to admit that this story of a bartender who attempts to fetch a decapitated head from a Mexican graveyard and deliver it for a bounty really is something that I enjoyed watching. And yes, I know it sounds like quite the feel-good movie! The bartender is played by character actor Warren Oates (Race With the Devil, Two-Lane Blacktop and Stripes). His prostitute/singer/girl friend/ is played by the often topless Ilesa Vega. I don’t recall seeing a couple quite like them ever on the screen before, and I appreciated that. Once again, I have to give the 1001 movie book some credit for pushing me to watch something I probably would have never bothered with otherwise.

By the way, if you get the DVD, it includes an audio commentary by no less than 3! Peckinpah scholars. I’d just like to say it somehow warms my heart that there are any Peckinpah scholars, let alone three on one commentary track!

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (1977)

The year is 1975…and…

I cut out and pasted movie advertisements in a spiral notebook during that transitional movie year all those many, many movie years ago. Looking at it now, much of the print from the faded pages has yellowed, but yes, I still have it! So I’ve decided this month to stroll down memory lane and comment on some of the film ads from my movie scrapbook.  I’ll also try to fit in a suitable 1001 movie entry at the end of each post since that is still the point of this blog.

1975 Scrapbook (Post 5: Teen and Young Adult)
Can you remember the days when only certain movies were geared for a younger audience? Of course, now practically ALL movies are geared for a younger audience, but that's another story.

1. Aloha, Bobby and Rose

Bobby has a ’68 Camaro. Rose has a five year-old kid. On their first date they become lovers and fugitives.

So it’s Bonnie and Clyde meets Two-Lane Blacktop maybe? The Camaro (which I’m guessing is the real star of the film) is featured in the ad in front of the Hollywood sign where Bobby and Rose are leaning against the car talking about, you know, life and stuff.

2. Return to Macon County

The main thing I remember about this sequel to the Max Baer hit Macon County Line is that I got in the theater to see it on a free pass when my brother reviewed movies for the Valley Times News in Lannett, Alabama. The ad features a young Nick Nolte and Don Johnson and reads, “Macon County-Six Years Later: Nothings Changed But the Faces. Strange things still happen to strangers-especially kids like Bo, Harley and Junell.”

A different ad for this film that I found to the right seems to be trying to promote this as more of a Burt Reynolds good ole boy movie than the somber ad that I have in my scrapbook. Whatever sells I guess.

 


3. Cornbread, Earl and Me

Cornbread, Earl and Me was probably one of the few Hollywood films with a black cast during the early to mid 70's I can remember that wasn't a Dolemite/Superfly Blaxploitation film.

Hold it High and Let it Fly was his motto...but if you cut him, you cut yourself some big trouble!

The movie ad I have promotes basketball star Keith (Jamaal) Wilkes as Cornbread, in his first (and last) starring role.

I kept think Kotter kid Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs was in this one, but soon realized I was thinking about Cooley High instead. Haven't we all gotten Cornbread, Earl and Me and Cooley High mixed up at least once?

4. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz-

How not to do a movie ad. The ad starts with the question What make Duddy run? The ad should answer something like: Because the law is on his ass! To prevent his girl from marrying another man! Or Just for the hell of it!” Instead the ad gives us a five paragraph explanation in small type that even now I can’t get to the bottom of. Goodbye, Duddy, I’ll think I’ll go watch something a little less long winded like Vanishing Point instead.

Clearly the ad to the right isn't the one I'm talking about. This one just has Duddy just giving us the finger. Much better than the other one. They should have gone with this one all along.

5. The Other Side of the Mountain

Basically a mid-70’s version of something that would have been written by Nicholas Sparks if he had been around then.

The ad claims that

It takes a rare and special movie to each week attract larger audiences than in each preceding week!

The above description really isn’t exciting enough for me. Just say instead that-Mountain gets bigger and bigger and there aint’ no stoppin’ this behemoth! ...or something to that effect.

Today’s 70’s teen and young adult movie experience is...

Saturday Night Fever

When you discuss Saturday Night Fever, you can talk about how it is a strong urban drama among young friends in the big city, or about John Travolta's breakout role of Tony Manero, the loser by day, who achieves meaning in life only on the dance floor at night, or how director John Badham captures the essence of disco during the late 70's. But if you were in high school during the time this movie was released, the thing you will mostly take away from Saturday Night Fever is the soundtrack. If you listened to top 40 radio you really couldn't get away from it. But for me, the "soundtrack" of Saturday Night Fever extends beyond what was on the actual movie soundtrack to other disco songs of the era that represent the time.

So here is my list of 30 songs that best represent the Saturday Night Fever (extended) sountrack

1.Stayin' Alive by The Bee Gees (Song I heard a million times, but never quite got the lyrics down until remade by the geriatric singers from the documentary Young @ Heart about thirty years later.)

2.Night Fever by The Bee Gees (The other big one by The Bee Gees that isn't Stayin' Alive.)

3.How Deep is Your Love by The Bee Gees (They had to have something to play during Saturday Night Fever's sentimental scenes)

4.You Should Be Dancing by The Bee Gees (Probably the best of the Bee Gees contributions to the film and also provides the background to Travolta's best moments on the dance floor.)

5.More Than a Woman by The Bee Gees/Tavares (Heard plenty of both versions of this song back in the time. Tavares makes me think of former Pittsburgh Pirate Frank Tavaras, which I mention for no reason in particular.)

6.Hot Stuff  by Donna Summer (One of the more catchy disco tunes and accentuated by the fact that Donna Summer was pretty hot stuff herself at the time)

7.A Fifth of Beethoven by Walter Murphy (When this came out, I remember critics often using the terms "Beethoven" and "spinning in his grave" together more than once.)

8.If I Can't Have You by Yvonne Elliman (Yvonne's other claim to fame was playing Mary Magdelene in the film version of Jesus Christ, Superstar. And who says Mary Magdelene can't be Hawaiian?)

9. Emotion by Samantha Sang (This top ten hit with the Bee Gees singing backup vocals sure seemed like it was in Saturday Night Fever, but wasn't)

10. Disco Inferno by The Trampps (I always loved the line, "The funk was flaaaminnn' outta control!)

11. Groove Line by Heatwave (Before looking this up, I had thought it had been recorded by Peter Brown. See #29)

12. Boogie Shoes by K. C. and the Sunshine Band (I admit that  K. C. and the Sunshine Band wasn't my thing, but I did see them in concert at the Gulf State Fair about ten years ago and I admit they were pretty good. Maybe I'm just getting soft in my old age.)

13. Shake Your Booty or That's the Way I Like It by K. C. and the Sunshine Band (I know there's a difference between these songs, but I can't think of one without the other.)

14. You Make Me Feel Like Dancing by Leo Sayer (Definitely a signature Disco song, sung by "the guy who often dressed like a clown, sang falsetto looked a little like Richard Simmons")

15. Fire by The Ohio Players (I just read where there is only one surviving member of The Ohio Players. That's just not funky at all.)

16. Disco Duck by Rick Dees (I'm all for novelty songs, but I never got or liked Disco Duck. Listening to it now...I neither get or like Disco Duck.)

17. Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind and Fire (Just watched the video for this, remember now how damn flashy these guys were! I guess I'm just going to have to live with the reality that I'll never be nearly as funky as Maurice White. Sigh...moving on.)

18. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor (Yeah, yeah. I know. Your boyfriend just left you and you played this song a gazillion times until you stopped thinking about him. Whatever helps, Gertrude.)

19. Funky Town by Lipps Inc (Don't think there ever was an album called Lipps Inc's Greatest Hits. Just a hunch.)

20. Heart of Glass by Blondie (Editorial: Madonna couldn't carry Debbie Harry's panty hose. End of editorial.)

21. Dancing Queen by ABBA (Yes, I like ABBA. So sue me.)

22. I Love the Night Life by Alicia Bridges (The only person on this list I met. During the early 90's she worked at a "gay variety store" next to veterinary clinic where I worked. Nice lady.)

23. Car Wash by Rose Royce (Can't remember if the song came before the movie or the other way around. I know I could look it up, but I'd rather it just remain a mystery.)

24. Shake Your Groove Thing by Peaches and Herb (Was never sure what my groove thing was or if I wanted to shake it, but I sure heard this one a lot during the late 70's)

25. Don't Leave Me This Way by Thelma Houston (Can't think of this song without picturing spinning disco balls.)

26. Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry (I still remember Wild Cherry had a memorable album cover with giant red lips eating a cherry.)

27. Le Freak by Chic (Seems like when the radio wasn't playing Shake Your Groove Thing, they were playing Le Freak.)

28. We Are Family by Sister Sledge (Popularized by the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates. Ok, I'm up to two Pittsburgh Pirates references on one blog entry)

29. Dance With Me by Peter Brown (Peter Brown may not have done Disco Inferno, but he for sure did this one.)

30. Last Dance by Donna Summer (And the last listing has to go to the undisptued queen of disco.)


I never thought I'd ever have a desire to compile a list of disco songs, so never say never.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975)

The year is 1975…and…

I cut out and pasted movie advertisements in a spiral notebook during that transitional movie year all those many, many movie years ago. Looking at it now, much of the print from the faded pages has yellowed, but yes, I still have it! So I’ve decided this month to stroll down memory lane and comment on some of the film ads from my movie scrapbook.  I’ll also try to fit in a suitable 1001 movie entry at the end of each post since that is still the point of this blog.

1975 Movie Scrapbook (Post 4: The Campy and Cheesy)

1.Bug

Bug is a film by the self proclaimed master of horror William Castle. I admit that I went to see this movie when it came out. From what I remember, Bradford Dillman was a science teacher who unearthed some deadly firebugs who cause havoc and eventually achieve the ability to spell. Which if I remember correctly was  a much scarier scene than I just described. The ad has a screaming woman holding a telephone that a bug has just ignited with the tagline, “The Picture to See With Your Eyes Closed!”

The clever ad also advices you to check your car, neck, hair and bed after leaving the theater. (I can't remember if I did all that after I saw it.)

2. Mysteries From Beyond Earth

Thanks to Erik Von Daniken (or no thanks to) and his book Chariots of the Gods? There were an awful lot of psuedo-documentaries during the mid-70’s about UFO’s, the Lock Ness Monster and Big Foot, Noah’s Ark or The Seach for the Historic Jesus. And yes, we the mid-70’s viewing public paid to see these movies! I admit I kind of liked them at the time, though today they would just stick something on these topics at 2 a.m. on The History Channel.

The ad for Mysteries From Beyond Earth asks, “What is the message from beyond the stars which has been kept secret from our world until now?” The picture on the ad features a meditating guru, drawings of Ed Wood imagined spaceships and something in little glass cases which look like the robot maid from The Jetsons, though I’m pretty sure that isn’t what it’s supposed to be.

3. Mysterious Monsters

Yet another of those docu-dramas (and yes, I did go to see it at the theater!) that features the search for Bigfoot and proclaims "PROOF! There are giant creatures living at the edge of our civilization!" Narrated by Peter Graves (Ever seen bigfoot naked?)

4. Sisters

The most highly acclaimed THRILLER of the decade! the ad booms for this interesting early Brian DePalma effort which features Siamese twins and 70's party girls Margot Kidder and Jennifer Salt next to a knife that is about six feet long! Or maybe that’s just the perspective. Anyway, I see the knife as six feet long! 

The ad to the right doesn't include the knife, but sometimes you just can't find a copy of an ad on the Internet that looks like the one you had pasted into your scrapbook 38 years ago!

5. Black Christmas

I give the advertisement for this film credit. If this movie doesn’t make your skin crawl…It’s On TOO TIGHT! is a pretty good tagline. And the picture of Santa, who actually looks like a cross between, St. Nick, the demon from The Exorcist and a Lhasa Apso is pretty scary. The cast is interesting: Olivia Hussey (Romeo and Juliet), Margot Kidder (Superman), Keri Dullea (2001: A Space Odyssey) and John Saxon (seemingly every other B horror movie ever made). The movie is also directed by Bob Clark, who later made a less scary movie for the season called A Christmas Story.

Today’s 70’s Campy and Cheesy movie experience is...

 

 The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The first time I saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show was actually at a rare afternoon showing in Atlanta. Some of the regular Rocky crew began reapeating lines back to the screen like they are supposed to do, but some in the audience took exception and started yelling for them to shutup. The dispute ended when a neutral party said, "Let them speak. It's part of the show!" The audience applauded and the naysayers were cast aside. I've seen it a few times since, though I've never put on high heels and experienced the Rocky Horror experience fully. So It goes.

It's a pretty silly movie, but like many cult movies, it grows on you after awhile. The music is catchy and I love the song "Science Fiction Double Feature."