Weird and Forgotten Movies

[Edward]

Happened to remind myself of this today: Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. Off beat little film which imagines the origin of the surreal photos taken by her in the fifties - total fiction, but nicely drawn. Probably appeals to the same part of me as loved Freaks, but it's a much more three-dimensional, more human portrayal of those who are different. More thought about how they might have lived day to day back when it was much harder to be different. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fur_(film)

ETA... I chanced across that film on TV one night about six or seven years ago - it's what led me to fall in love with the style of the Rolleflex cameras.

 

[Two Types]

I hadn't spotted this thread before. The oddest i have ever seen is 'The Baby' (1973). here's the description from IMDB:

"A social worker who recently lost her husband investigates the strange Wadsworth family. The Wadsworths might not seem too unusual to hear about them at first - consisting of the mother, two grown daughters and the diaper-clad, bottle-sucking baby. The problem is, the baby is twenty-one years old."

Truly, truly odd.

And from the same period 'Let's Scare Jessica to Death' haunted me.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Alice in Wonderland (1933)
I always thought the strangest part was W.C. Fields as Humpty Dumpty.

[video=youtube;KcxEukZZM0c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcxEukZZM0c[/video]

 

[Stanley Doble]

Years ago I saw part of a movie on TV then never heard of it again. Maybe you can help me.

It was a typical Hollywood comedy made between 1946 and the early 1950s. Black and white of course.

The story is about a young widow with two adorable boys, about 6 or 7 years old. She is being wooed by an athlete and health nut. She is not interested but the boys think he is great.

There is one scene that sticks in my mind. She reluctantly agrees to go on a date after much persuading. He takes her to his favorite health food bar where he offers her a "potassium cocktail" at which she looks dubious. Until he assures her "it's non alcoholic" at which she looks even more dubious

Does this ring a bell? Can anyone remember this film?

 

[Doctor Strange]

Happened to remind myself of this today: Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. Off beat little film which imagines the origin of the surreal photos taken by her in the fifties - total fiction, but nicely drawn. Probably appeals to the same part of me as loved Freaks, but it's a much more three-dimensional, more human portrayal of those who are different. More thought about how they might have lived day to day back when it was much harder to be different. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fur_(film)

ETA... I chanced across that film on TV one night about six or seven years ago - it's what led me to fall in love with the style of the Rolleflex cameras.

A very, very interesting film. I've never seen something that plays so much like a documentary but keeps insisting that it's fictional. More of a fantasia based on Arbus's internal creative life than a biopic. Exellent performances by Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr., and great late-50s styling.

And personally - having grown up in a mom and pop commercial photo studio north of NYC in the early sixties - it was gas seeing "the Arbus Studio". My parents were much lower-rent than these Manhattan sophistos, and their clients were a lot less glammed-up, but it still had a shock of recognition for me.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I can't believe this thread has gone on 33 pages with no mention of "The Great Gabbo," a 1929 paeleotalkie starring Erich von Stroheim as a demented vaudeville ventriloquist who is able to express kindness only thru his dummy, Otto. It's been called the first of the "evil ventriloquist posessed by his dummy" movies, but it really isn't that -- it's actually a very absorbing psychological drama unfortunately sabotaged by the clumsiness of its execution, particularly the surreal musical numbers that represent the stage show where Gabbo is the star. Well worth seeing if you can put yourself into a 1929 "ain't talkies amazing" frame of mind.

"Undt now Otto vill zing a zong, eh?"

 

[Rathdown]

In Space, No One Can Hear You Gag...

Okay, allow me to add Prison Ship aka Star Slammer aka Prison Ship Star Slammer starring (among others) Aldo Rey... just imagine a women's prison on a space ship.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

I can't believe this thread has gone on 33 pages with no mention of "The Great Gabbo," a 1929 paeleotalkie starring Erich von Stroheim as a demented vaudeville ventriloquist who is able to express kindness only thru his dummy, Otto. It's been called the first of the "evil ventriloquist posessed by his dummy" movies, but it really isn't that -- it's actually a very absorbing psychological drama unfortunately sabotaged by the clumsiness of its execution, particularly the surreal musical numbers that represent the stage show where Gabbo is the star. Well worth seeing if you can put yourself into a 1929 "ain't talkies amazing" frame of mind.

"Undt now Otto vill zing a zong, eh?"

I've always liked the music from the movie. The musical numbers from The Great Gabbo was filmed at the L.A. Shrine Auditorium which in later years was used variously as the site of the Academy Awards prior to its move to its permanent home at the Kodak Theatre.

Every Now And Then
[video=youtube;SKxOktkz6yA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKxOktkz6yA[/video]

I'm In Love With You
[video=youtube;_ym7xy8h8eQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ym7xy8h8eQ[/video]

 

[bunnyb.gal]

I hadn't spotted this thread before. The oddest i have ever seen is 'The Baby' (1973). here's the description from IMDB:

"A social worker who recently lost her husband investigates the strange Wadsworth family. The Wadsworths might not seem too unusual to hear about them at first - consisting of the mother, two grown daughters and the diaper-clad, bottle-sucking baby. The problem is, the baby is twenty-one years old."

Truly, truly odd.

And from the same period 'Let's Scare Jessica to Death' haunted me.

Crikey, how the heck did I miss this thread??? Past my bedtime now, but I'll definitely be perusing this one!

Yes, The Baby. I've seen it a couple of times, and I wonder, was the idea of a "target audience" not a concern when that was made? It definitely held my attention, though! I love the 70's for films; it's truly a decade which was not light on experimentation...

I've always liked the music from the movie. The musical numbers from The Great Gabbo was filmed at the L.A. Shrine Auditorium which in later years was used variously as the site of the Academy Awards prior to its move to its permanent home at the Kodak Theatre.

Every Now And Then
[video=youtube;SKxOktkz6yA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKxOktkz6yA[/video]

I'm In Love With You
[video=youtube;_ym7xy8h8eQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ym7xy8h8eQ[/video]

I still get The Lollypop Song going through my head sometimes!

 

[Widebrim]

Spider Baby...

 

[Edward]

Spider Baby...

[video=youtube;5AB7IDw3PNI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AB7IDw3PNI[/video]

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

I hadn't spotted this thread before. The oddest i have ever seen is 'The Baby' (1973). here's the description from IMDB:

"A social worker who recently lost her husband investigates the strange Wadsworth family. The Wadsworths might not seem too unusual to hear about them at first - consisting of the mother, two grown daughters and the diaper-clad, bottle-sucking baby. The problem is, the baby is twenty-one years old."

I remember that film -- that was one seriously disturbing movie.

 

[Mocheman]

Bad Ronald - 1974
"Scott Jacoby, a nerdy high school youth, accidently kills a neighbor's young daughter. Panicking mother, Kim Hunter, fears the police will not believe that it was an accident. She moves her son into a bathroom that she turned into a secret hiding place. After her death, a new family moves in. In the mean time, Ronald has gotten lost in a fantasy world created in his own head from being hidden away for so long."

A terrible made for tv movie I saw in the early 80's on I believe channel five out of NYC. The same channel that use to show horror movies in the afternoon and Kung Fu Theater on Saturday afternoon.

Other channel five greats:

Kingdom of the Spiders - 1977
Starring William Shatner
"Investigating the mysterious deaths of a number of farm animals, vet Rack Hansen discovers that his town lies in the path of hoards of migrating tarantulas. Before he can take action, the streets are overrun by killer spiders, trapping a small group of towns folk in a remote hotel."

Anything with the Shat is must see as far as I'm concerned. Cheese at its finest.

The Food of the Gods - 1976
"Morgan and his friends are on a hunting trip on a remote Canadian island when they are attacked by a swarm of giant wasps. Looking for help, Morgan stumbles across a barn inhabited by an enormous killer chicken. After doing some exploring, they discover the entire island is crawling with animals that have somehow grown to giant size. The most dangerous of all of these, however, are the rats, who are mobilizing to do battle with the human intruders."

Very loosely based on the H.G. Wells Book. I can't stress how bad this movie is.

Empire of the Ants - 1977
Starring Joan Collins
"Sleazy scam artist Joan Collins tries to sell phony real estate deals down in the Florida everglades. What she and her unsuspecting buyers don't know is the area has been taken over by giant ants!"

This movie scarred the crap out of me as a kid. And yet I now live in Florida so go figure.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973)

 

[Undertow]

I can't believe this thread has gone on 33 pages with no mention of "The Great Gabbo," a 1929 paeleotalkie starring Erich von Stroheim as a demented vaudeville ventriloquist who is able to express kindness only thru his dummy, Otto. It's been called the first of the "evil ventriloquist posessed by his dummy" movies...

You beat me to it.

Let me also mention Magic (1978), which is a splendid film starring Sir Anthony Hopkins. The great thing about Magic, besided Hopkin's usual ability to absorb a character so thoroughly, is the cinematography. Lot's of shadow play and double-personality metaphor in the camera work. Really well acted and directed.

 

[Widebrim]

Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973)

"and THE BEE GIRLS."

 

[Widebrim]

[video=youtube;5AB7IDw3PNI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AB7IDw3PNI[/video]

That's a different Spider Baby film, Edward. The one I was referring to "starred" Lon Chaney, Jr.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058606/

 

[bunnyb.gal]

That's a different Spider Baby film, Edward. The one I was referring to "starred" Lon Chaney, Jr.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058606/

I loved Jill Banner and her "game" in that. It's a shame she didn't do more; I thought she had a lot of presence.

Which makes me think of the stunning Laurie Zimmer in "Assault On Precinct 13". Not too weird, but not as well-known as it should be.

Has anyone mentioned Dwain Esper's "Maniac"?

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Andy Griffith as Bad Guy

Pray for Wildcats (1974)
Good ole Andy supported by a star-studded cast (William Shatner, Robert Reed and Angie Dickinson) is a sadistic biker in this made-for-TV movie. Gotta love the leftover Star Trek shirts.

[video=youtube;ZNuU2BFaU-c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNuU2BFaU-c[/video]

And also from 1974

Savages

[video=youtube;ruphN5A-s50]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruphN5A-s50[/video]

 

[LizzieMaine]

Griffith was doing all kinds of crazy stuff in the '70s: "Salvage" -- the story of an enterprising junkman who builds his own moon rocket out of scrap metal. We could have used a guy like him around my neighborhood.