It Came From Hollywood

Paul McVay over at It Came From Hollywood dug deep to find these radio spots. Here’s what Paul had to say about them.

“Filmways had barely completed their purchase of American International before rushing out massive movie marathon packages to any exhibitor who would take them, and to their credit, it was a pretty smart idea. Attempting to recoup as much money as they could on their investment before they themselves went bankrupt.

“Filmways put together four black-film-oriented movie packages that appealed to every kind of theater and every time of day. Represented here are two of the four packages, Black Classic Unit 2 & Black Classic Unit 4. They include the “All-Day Motion Picture Marathon,” the All-Night Motion Picture Marathon, and the ultra groovy Dusk-To-Dawn Drive-In Movie Marathon. The movies included in the Black Classic Unit 2 package were Truck Turner (1974), Cooley High (1973), Bucktown (1975), and, for some reason, Kung Fu Killers (1974). Each cut is tailored to that specific movie-going experience, be it all night at the Drive-in, all night at your local hardtop or if you weren’t encumbered by a job, all day long in your favorite local theater.

Black Classic Unit 4 included Friday Foster (1975), Slaughter (1972), Cornbread, Earl, and Me (1975), and Black Mamma, White Mamma (1973.) There are three 60-second cuts for each package for a total of six 60-second spots. All are highly polished with film audio drop-ins, sound effects, and some wonderful funky backing tracks. All six spots are different from each other. This was, perhaps, the last time radio advertising for film was this satisfying.”

Black Classic 2-All Day Motion Picture Marathon

Black Classic 2-All Nght Motion Picture Marathon

Black Classic 2-Dusk to Dawn DI Movie Marathon

Black Classic 4-All Day Motion Picture Marathon

Black Classic 4-All Night Motion Picture Marathon

Black Classic 4-Dusk to Dawn DI Motion Picture Marathon

This bare bones pressbook from Commonwealth United Entertainment for Dayton’s Devils, focuses on images of the actors with some minor article-publicity. The poster art also hypes Lainie Kazan (a Brooklyn girl) singing the song Sunny. She also starred in the movie (though I remember her mostly from Columbo). It Came From Hollywood, always one for AIP-related movies, sent this one along because AIP acquired domestic film rights to it in 1971 when Commonwealth’s 80 or so million in debt forced it to shutter. Before that, though, it was a heavy-hitter, with notable films like Venus in Furs, The Ballad of Tam Lin, and The Magic Christian. You also have some great actors in this ensemble heist movie, though I’m not sure robbing an Air Force base of its payroll is a good payday at all. The year is 1968, however, so a little does go a long way, unlike today. Of course, the movie follows the usual seven men, one woman format, and the elaborate plotting of the heist, and the–oops!–didn’t plan for that, did we? moments.

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Dayton’s Devils (1968) PressbookRead More »

These wild, and somewhat timely, radio spots, courtesy of It Came From Hollywood, may be prescient of things to come. This AIP cult favorite, from the story The Day It All Happened, Baby! by Robert Thom, Wild in the Streets may seem preposterous on first viewing, but if you think today’s political landscape isn’t, then you’ve not been paying attention. The movie is a wild riff on the events of the day (in 1968, natch), and how youth’s eternal struggle with the old farts can get down and dirty. The movie may be over the top, but it brings up issues we still grapple with today, sub-texted into its cheeky condemnation of style over substance.

I’ll be blunt. I never liked John Carradine as Dracula. His stagey opera cape and top hat, wild-eyed approach left me thinking more Snidely Whiplash than Count Dracula, royalty to the undead. I will admit to loving one scene, though: in House of Frankenstein, when he hypnotizes Anne Gwynne with his ring, well, that scene is awesome. He plays it perfectly and generates such a sinister persona, I just wish he had carried that throughout his stint as Dracula.

But what an actor for other roles, especially as the bright spot in the bad movies he appeared in. A New York boy, he made his first appearance on stage in Camille, a New Orleans production. He was a painter and got his start working for Cecil B. DeMille, doing scenic art in Hollywood. That led to acting roles in DeMille’s films, branching out to directors like John Ford and Victor Fleming. In the 1940s he moved over to horror films (The Horror People, John Brosnan, St. Martin’s Press).

Billy the Kid vs Dracula was a terrific idea. Horror Westerns are few and far between, but can provide a large landscape for terror. Unfortunately, not much of that landscape is used creatively in this one. If you want to see a really good vintage vampire western, catch Curse of the Undead. Still, with John Carradine involved, I can always watch him in action, even as Dracula.

It Came From Hollywood sent along these cool-looking lobby cards (though the coloration seems more suited for Ib Melchior’s The Angry Red Planet).

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Billy the Kid vs Dracula Lobby CardsRead More »

This double bill pressbook, well, It Came From Hollywood. The Horror of Party Beach kicks some sand into the faces of those wacky beach party movies, having some fun while doing so. In The Curse of the Living Corpse, rich grandpa (okay, I’m taking a bit of license here) comes back from the dead to kill off his relatives who apparently didn’t read the fine print in his will.

Both movies were double billed for balcony-minded teens (or the drive-in types too). In the early days of movies, when the studio system was still viable, you had your A movie usually paired with a B movie, a cartoon, a live stage show, and a newsreel, along with trailers. So double billing wasn’t new. American International Pictures (AIP) took the practice and revived it, and changed it. They made both movies on the double bill equal. They came as a complete package. There was no A or B movie, just two movies advertised equally. That came about more as a defense against television, which was stealing away the audience and locking them up at home. But the pricing scheme and distribution idea worked very well, for both the theaters and AIP.

By 1967 the American theater newsreel was dead since television had the handle on more timely news, and kid shows on the boob tube (I vaguely recall watching Howdy Doody) forced theater cartoons off the screen by the early 1980s. I recall my dad taking me to see a single feature movie (don’t remember which one) and a cartoon popped up, which was a nice surprise. At the end of the cartoon he turned to me and said “I don’t get it. What’s the moral message.” I looked at him. Growing up, for me, and every other kid on the block, moral messages were not a primary goal for watching cartoons. I shrugged my shoulders and we watched the main feature. Sadly, I grew up too. It happens.

Due to the pressbook page sizing, two pages were scanned twice to show tops and bottoms. So no, you’re not seeing double.

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The Horror of Party Beach
and The Curse of the Living Corpse
Double Bill PressbookRead More »

The Ad Pad supplement usually came with the movie’s pressbook. It contained the print adverts for the movie that could be used in newspapers. Newspaper advertising was king before the internet took over movie promotion. Each ad pad contained a range of sizes and alternative poster art and wording to promote the movie. The theater manager would place an order for the flong that matched the advert they wanted to use. Once they had it in hand, it went to the newspaper to print the advert from it.

What makes this ad pad special is the Final Billing Requirements on page 9. The table gives a rare insight into the legal aspects of displaying cast and production credits after contracts are signed. It Came From Hollywood is not only an AIP fan, but they love Disney too and were kind enough to supply these images.

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The Love Bug Ad PadRead More »

Well, it is summer, so here’s a double bill to splash your world: Teenage Rebellion and It’s a Bikini World. America has always been an unruly mess of generational issues, but the 1960s were as turbulent as today’s social and political morass. However, the 1960s got it right, we just didn’t listen: make love, not war. Seems we just love to make war these days. So imagine it’s a warm summer’s evening at your local, nicely air-conditioned theater. It’s the late 1960s all over again, and the double bill is something your date wanted to see, but you could take it or leave it. You really rather see Frankenstein Created Women, but at least It’s a Bikini World has Sig Haig in it, so there’s that. It also was the last gasp, pretty much, for the beach picture genre of sand, songs, and humor. That teenage rebellion had something to do with that. Now, at this point, you’re thinking why pair both movies? Easy answer: Teenage Rebellion spent much of its camera time on girls and bikini’s on girls. Get the picture? And yes, It Came From Hollywood!

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Teenage Rebellion and
It’s a Bikini World (1967) PressbookRead More »