Poor Patty

 

 (imdb)

THE SHAME OF PATTY SMITH-1962-Average girl Patty (Dani Lynn) is raped by three grease balls while her boyfriend Allan (Carlton Crane) is forced to watch (off screen). Then an on-screen narrator (Frank Biro) tells us this is a movie about illegal abortion. Patty doesn't want to tell the police or see a doctor. It's obvious her boyfriend just wants to get away from her. Her roommate Mary (Merry Anders) sends her to a doctor later on, who tells her she's pregnant. He can't help because abortion is illegal. Another doctor says he can do it for $600, but she gets fired from her job. She goes to a priest for help but he condemns her. A Swedish doctor tells her abortions are legal in Sweden. Then Allan puts her on to sleaze rag Colbert (Bruno VeSoto) who says he can get someone who can do it for $200 but she has to pawn her gold cross. She gets the abortion from an “unemployed pharmacist” and winds up in the hospital. Dr. Miller (J. Edward McKinley) and Lt. Powell (Jack Haddock) investigate and close down the illegal clinic. Despite that, it ends tragically.

 I wasn't really prepared for the seriousness of this low budget, pro-abortion, anti-illegal abortion black & white drama. This is the only film directed by Austrian born Leo Handel, the executive producer of PHANTOM PLANET (1961).

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The Stoned Movie

 

 (imdb)

CURSE OF THE STONE HAND-1965-Jerry Warren took two Chilean horror films (one from 1945, the other from 1946!)) and combined them into this kooky anthology using an abandoned house for its connection.

The first story is based on the short story "The Suicide Club" by Robert Louis Stevenson. A heavily in debt man joins a gambling club with some very deadly rules. He finds himself in bigger trouble with his own life at stake.

 In the second story, a guy named Charles dominates the home life of his sister. When brother Jamie returns from school, he finds Charles has married his fiancée, Ruth. A handyman (spliced in John Carradine) talks to his partner about a secret room in the basement. Meanwhile Jamie kisses Ruth and she admits she doesn't know why she married his brother. This isn't really a supernatural tale and the "Dorian Gray" like ending seems tacked on. 

Warren regular Katherine Victor also appears in some Warren added scenes.She was in Warren's THE WILD WORLD OF BATWOMAN the next year.  Bruno Ve Sota is the uncredited narrator.

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Warren Strikes Again!

 

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ATTACK OF THE MAYAN MUMMY-1964-Dr. Munson relates to a newspaper publisher (uncredited Bruno VeSota) the strange case of Dr. Redding (Ramon Gay) and his regression experiments with one Ann Taylor (Rosita Arenas), a reincarnated Mayan princess. They visit a Mayan tomb and are chased away by a scary looking mummy. 

If this all sounds familiar, it should. This is actually the first Aztec mummy movie reedited by Jerry Warren. He added around 30 minutes of new footage which is basically American actors (including Warren regular Steve Conte) talking endlessly about nonsense. 

The final shot is a wastepaper basket. Rafael Portillo was the original director.

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Heinlein Sues!

 

 (imdb)

THE BRAIN EATERS-1958-In the town of Riverdale, IL., a huge cone shaped object is discovered. Hick senator Powers (Cornelius Keefe) takes charge of the investigation and meets the mayor's son Glen Cameron (Alan Frost aka Alan J. Factor) who informs Powers there have been 3 murders since the discovery of the cone and his dad is missing. Dr. Kettering (co-producer Ed Nelson), Dr. Wyler (David Hughes) and Alice Summers (Joanna Lee) are studying the cone. After Kettering goes into the cone and finds nothing, the mayor (Orville Sherman) shows up, goes crazy and is shot to death. He seemed to have some kind of parasite on his neck that destroyed his nervous system. And there are more! While one guy roams around recruiting victims, Kettering tries to come up with a solution. He hardly has time to mourn when Alice is taken over and just as suddenly a missing scientist emerges from the cone. Later Kettering and Cameron go into the cone and meet another missing scientist (Leonard Nimoy). 

This is a nice low budget sci-fi film with some unusual camera angles by Bruno VeSota. Co-star Joanna Lee was in Ed Woods' PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE the next year. Author Robert Heinlein sued the film company saying the script was based on his novel “The Puppet Masters”. Uncredited executive producer Roger Corman settled out of court with Heinlein.

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It's A Jungle Out There

 

 (imdb)

FEMALE JUNGLE-1955-Police investigate the murder of a Hollywood actress Monica Madison (Jean Lewis aka Eve Brent). Meanwhile Al (Burt Kaiser) and Peggy (Patricia Crowley) are having marital problems. He's a bitter boozing caricaturist and she's an unhappy nightclub waitress. An alcoholic police Sgt. Jack Stevens (Lawrence Tierney) also investigates the killing as it seems he could be the murderer. 

Peggy gets involved with the mysterious Claude Almstead (John Carradine) who says he wants a caricature but has some other motive. Although Al is having an affair with the floozy Candy (Jayne Mansfield in her movie debut) he really gets concerned when he can't find Peggy and gives Candy the brush off. The real killer is revealed in the talky finale of this low budget sleazy crime drama directed by Bruno Ve Soto, who also has a small role. Connie Cezon from 3 Stooges shorts is also in it.

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Transmissions From Planet Haas

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BAIT-1954-The devil disguised as Sir Cedric Hardwick introduces this tale of two gold prospectors Marko (director Hugo Haas) and Ray (John Agar) looking for a lost goldmine. Peggy (Cleo Moore) an unwed mother who works at a grocery comes between them. The religiously bent Marko thinks Peggy was sent by the devil. The duo find the mine and both get gold fever. While Ray stays behind, Marko romances Peggy and winds up marrying her. Dumbly, he takes her to the mine to live with him and Ray but he has his reasons. 

Pretty low grade even for Hugo Haas, king of the senseless low budget morality tale. Bruno Ve Sota is also in it.

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Evil Cult

 

(imdb)

 

THE DEVIL'S HAND-1961-A man named Rick Turner (Robert Alda) has mysterious reoccurring dreams about a beautiful woman. His fiancee Donna (Ariadna Welter) seems supportive until they visit a doll shop and see a doll that resembles his dream girl. The owner Mr. Lamont (Neil Hamilton) says Turner ordered the doll but he denies it. Then they see a doll that resembles Donna. She gets upset. Lamont seems to be practicing voodoo as he sticks a pin in the Donna doll and she winds up in the hospital. Finding out who it's for, Turner delivers the dream girl doll and meets Bianca Milan (Linda Christian), a breathy beauty who knows all about him. "You're evil but fascinating and beautiful…" he says. She belongs to a cult that worships "Gamba, the devil god of evil". Turner falls under her spell and dumps Donna. Although he's pledged his allegiance to Bianca and Gamba, he sneaks into their basement temple one night and removes the pin from the Donna doll. When Lamont finds out, he and Bianca plan to sacrifice Donna to their god (Bianca really just wants her out of the way) but Turner shows who he really cares about in the fiery finale where he saves Donna and frees himself from Bianca's spell...or does he?

 Little black & white supernatural thriller is like an overlong episode of 'Thriller". Not bad but drawn out. Director William Hole Jr. also made THE GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW (1959) and worked mostly in TV. Bruno VeSota and Jeanne Carmen have small roles. Lead actresses Christian (who was once married to Tyrone Power) and Welter were sisters. Screenwriter Jo Heims later wrote PLAY MISTY FOR ME.

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William Whitney

 

THE CAT BURGLAR-1961-Jack Coley (Jack Hogan, later in the TV series “Combat!”) is a cat burglar who steals a suitcase with valuable papers from Nan Baker (June Kenney from EARTH VS. THE SPIDER). She gets help from a wino (Bruno VeSota) and a pawnbroker (Gene Roth) to get it back but an important notebook is missing. Since Jack threw away the plans he tries to forge a new copy. The guys who want the papers Reed (Gregg Palmer) and Leo (Will White) beat Jack up. Nan's boyfriend Alan (John Baer; NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST) is mixed up in a spy ring. Everyone but Nan dies in the final shootout. 

A seldom seen little crime drama directed by veteran William Whitney who was doing lots of TV at this time but also made MASTER OF THE WORLD the same year. Actor Leo Gordon wrote it.

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I Don't Need Your Rules or Your Uniform,Man!

HELL'S ANGELS ON WHEELS-1967-A recently fired gas station attendant named Poet (Jack Nicolson) gets in with the LA branch of The Hell's Angels when his motorcycle's headlight is busted by one of the bikers. In a bar he helps them beat up another gang. He hangs out with them and takes a shine to Shill the "old lady" (Sabrina Scharf; later in EASY RIDER) of their leader Buddy (Adam Rourke). Some sailors beat him up at a carnival. After the Angels get revenge on the sailors the whole gang has a drug and sex party. When the cops come the spray the room to eliminate the grass aroma and cry harassment. Later they have a weird wedding ceremony at a church where Bruno VeSoto is the pastor. They also tangle with some frat boys (led by future director John "Bud" Cardos) and act mostly like drop-out hippies than an actual motorcycle gang. A falling out between Poet and the leader spells the end of Poet's membership and a firery crash caps the end of the movie. Real life Angels (including leader Sonny Barger) play themselves.

WHEELS is a dated but amusing biker film with lots of guys saying "man". Not much really happens but it should make you laugh!

In addition to Bud Cardos (and Nicolson) WHEELS features three other future directors Jack Starrett, Gary, Bob Kelljan and (unbilled) Gary Kent, who was also did stunts. The same year Nicolson had a bit role in THE ST. VALENTINE'S MASSACRE and was on THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW twice!

In 1968 director Richard Rush made PSYCH-OUT with Nicolson but since then he's only made 6 films.

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Arch Halls

THE CHOPPERS-1961-A group of juvenile delinquents strip cars for kicks in this seldom seen low budget teenage crime drama. The leader of the group is spoiled rich kid Cruiser (Arch Hall Jr. in his film debut), assisted by Torch (future director Robert Paget), Snooper (Larry Buchanan regular Burr Middleton), Ben (Chuck Barnes; later OJ Simpson's agent) and Flip (Rex Holman from MA BARKER'S KILLER BROOD). Parts of it are narrated by a reporter named Jim Bradford (producer/writer Arch Hall Sr. in an un-billed role) concerned because  "our greatest national resource is in danger".The gang uses a truck full of chickens and a guitar case full of tools to disguise their operation.

They do business with junk man Moose (Bruno VeSota who had a cameo role in NIGHT TIDE the same year) and harmonica playing Cowboy (Britt Wood who also sings a song). Insurance investigator Tom Hart (Tom Brown) tracks them down with the help of his blonde secretary Liz (Marianne Gaba; also in MISSILE TO THE MOON) and police Lt. Fleming (William Shaw). Cruiser uses a two way radio (while lounging in his cool hot rod) to warn his gang when "the bandits" are closing in.

Arch performs "Monkey In My Headband" and another of his compositions "Konga  Joe" plays on the radio. No matter what anyone says, these songs are cooool! Eventually their car stripping leads to a massive shootout in a junk yard where, after two cops are killed  Cruiser wants to give up but Torch refuses. The cops resort to using a bulldozer to get the gang. After his arrest Cruiser  dejectedly says: "We had a ball. A real ball".

There's a lot of jive talk and it's fairly violent for the time. It was the last movie directed by Leigh Jason who's career started in the late '20's. By the time of THE CHOPPERS he'd been working mostly in TV.

Next up for the father and son Hall team would be EEGAH!

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The Original

THE FAST & THE FURIOUS-1955-Roger Corman's second production (after THE MONSTER FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR) is a low budget hot rod crime drama.

John Ireland (who co-directed with the film's editor Edward Sampson) wrongly convicted of murder escapes from jail and is the subject of a state wide manhunt. At a diner run by Iris Adrian he meets Connie Adair (Dorothy Malone). He beats up Bruno Ve Sota and steals Malone's Jaguar (taking her as hostage in the process). After arguing and avoiding the police and roadblocks he realizes the only way he can escape to Mexico is by joining a hot rod race that ends south of the border. Unfortunately he knows nothing about racing. Fortunately his hostage does. Her "boyfriend" (Bruce Carlisle) is suspicious and Ireland strong arms Malone several times but eventually they fall in love. He locks her in an old shack and joins the race. He and b.f. duel it out and later the lovers are reunited and Ireland decides to give himself up. Former silent screen comedian Snub Pollard has a brief role. It's very shoddy and preposterous but lives up to half it's name and moves along fast enough. Corman and Jonathan Haze have cameos.

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The Horror! The Daughter of Horror!

DEMENTIA/DAUGHTER OF HORROR-1955-”Come with me into the tormented haunted half lit night of the insane. This is my world. Let me lead you into it. Let me take you into the mind of a woman who is mad”. 

So says the unnamed narrator of this weird low budget quickie (this version runs 55 mins.) that seems to have inspiration from both German expressionism and Ed Wood! It features no spoken dialogue, only narration (dementedly provided by Johnny Carson's future late night sidekick Ed McMahon!)

An insane woman called The Gamin (we know she's insane because the narrator says so) wakes up in bed fully clothed. She goes to a dresser draw, pulls out a stiletto and smiles. After encountering a child and seeing a wife beater arrested in the hall of her apartment she buys a newspaper from a smiling dwarf (who else but Angelo Rossitto?) with the headline: “Mysterious Stabbing”. The look on her face seems to say she knows all about it already. She walks down a dark alley and when a street drunk harasses her a police detective (Ben Roseman) viciously beats the drunk with a blackjack while she laughs insanely. Then she encounters a well dressed sleaze with a pencil thin mustache who tries to put the moves on her. After buying a flower from a haunted looking flower lady the detective introduces her to The Rich Man (Bruno Ve Sota). The Rich Man takes her to dinner, then a bar and finally a nightclub (the police detective is also hanging out there) where The Rich Man stares  obsessively at a dancer. This all goes on with no dialogue what so ever. Only music and a few sound effects! The mysterious narrator then returns while the pair are driving in The Rich Man's car to inform us that The Gamin is going to have a flashback about her parents. And what a flashback! 

It takes place in a graveyard! Here we learn how her abusive drunken father (who looks like the police detective) murdered her slutty mother after he finds a cigar in an ashtray (apparently dad doesn't smoke) and then she stabs her father to death! We also meet a hooded figure in a suit with a lantern who calls himself (?) "the demon who possesses your soul". He has the voice of the narrator so now we know who's relating the whole thing...

Later she and the Rich Man go to his apartment (the detective is watching them the whole time). He plays the piano and she fixes him a drink but he's more interested in the meal his butler brings him. After nourishment it's time for hanky-panky. But our heroine will have none of it. When he tries to kiss her she stabs him and pushes him out a window. His butler doesn't seem bothered. He just laughs. She runs away but then realizes when she stabbed the Rich Man he grabbed a pendant she was wearing around her neck. Fortunately, she happens to run right into his dead body with the pendant still clutched in his hand! Despite the corpse being surrounded by "the ghouls of insanity" she gets the medallion back but only after cutting off the hand that holds it. She runs away again but the police detective is following her. She escapes him and ditches the severed hand in the flower lady's basket. 

When she is finally trapped in an alley, she is saved by the sleazy guy with the pencil thin mustache who takes her into a night club he owns. He magically dresses her in a gown while Shorty Rogers and His Giants play on stage. She goes out to meet the denizens of the club who are either passed out drunk or jiving spasmodically. Comedian Shelly Bergman (perhaps the only one still alive associated with the production...?) appears briefly as a very frantic one. The Gamin gets into the groove and joins the band on stage. Then the police detective shows up and displays some handcuffs. Once again her madness takes over and everyone in the club accuses her. The Rich Man (minus his hand) even shows up to mock her! Everyone crowds in on her with clutching hands and bizarre close-ups and flashbacks occur. Suddenly she wakes up in bed. Was it only a dream? She opens the dresser draw and there is her pendant wrapped in a severed hand and it's alive!

For years the only thing I knew about DOH is the clutching hand scene which is being shown on screen in the movie theater (the marquee also says BRIDE OF THE MONSTER is showing) in THE BLOB. It's really a weirdly avant garde film noir that's saved by it's short running time. The images presented are strange and must have taken many an audience in the 50's by surprise. 

I read a number of stories about credited director John Parker the most persistent being that he didn't actually exist and featured player Bruno Ve Sota actually made DAUGHTER OF HORROR. But more recent research seems to say that Parker was real and wrote and produced it while Ve Sota "probably" directed it. 

Lead Actress Adrienne Barrett may have been Parker's secretary. IMDB says she made only one more movie THE MORE THINGS CHANGE...31 years later! But since that movie is an Australian production I wonder if it's the same actress? A lot can happen in 31 years I guess. Jazz trumpeter Shorty Rogers was a very well known musician and later became a composer and arranger. He even arranged Ex-Monkee Mike Nesmith's first solo album in 1967. Ve Sota (who's real life wife Jebbie plays the flower girl) appeared in low budget movies and TV. He is the credited director on 3 films including the much maligned but great THE BRAIN EATERS! 

Whew! Thanks for reading (if you read this far!)!

Corman Strikes Again!

THE WASP WOMAN-1959-Cosmetics CEO Janice Starlin (Susan Cabot with old age make-up) is worried her company is going down the tubes but she's more concerned about getting old.

She hires a scientist (Michael Mark) who's experiments with queen wasps produce a formula that makes her young. Unfortunately the treatment has some unwanted side effects. She turns into a hairy bug eyed insect with claws that prays on humans!

Barboura Morris is her secretary and Fred (later Anthony) Eisley is on her staff. They become suspicious when their pipe smoking colleague (William Roderick) becomes the first victim. Bruno VeSota plays a night watch man victim.

This THE FLY inspired horror is a very short and fast paced. It almost seems like an episode of a TV anthology show! Producer/director Roger Corman (who appears briefly as a doctor) made it between BUCKET OF BLOOD and SKI PATROL. It was written by actor Leo Gordon whose wife Lynn Cartwright appears as a switch board operator.

Both Cabot and Morris had appeared in Corman's SORORITY GIRL in 1957. Morris (who appeared in other Corman and /or AIP films) died of a stroke at 43 in 1975. Cabot (in 5 Corman directed features) was killed by her son in 1985. She was 59. WASP WOMAN was her last feature.

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Giant Leeches

ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES-AIP-(1959)-Enjoyable nonsense produced by Roger Corman and written by actor Leo Gordon. Giant leeches terrorize a swamp and capture locals. They are taken back to the leech lair and sucked dry of their blood. The monsters are kind of hysterical looking, like sleeping bags with suction cups but Yvette Vickers (from ATTACK OF THE THE 50 FOOT WOMAN) gives a great performance as the local swamp slut. Her cuckold husband is played by low budget vet Bruno Ve Sota. A pretty dull hero (Ken Clark, who'd had a role in LOVE ME TENDER and later worked a lot in Europe) tries to figure it all out. TV actress Jan Shepard (also in KING CREOLE with Elvis) and Tyler McVey help out. Gene Roth and George Cisar co-star.

Director Bernard Kowlaski made NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST the year before for AIP and later directed movies like KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA and MACHO CALLAHAN while also working on several TV shows including THE UNTOUCHABLES and THE WILD WILD WEST.

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