Nazis in America

 

 (imdb)

NO ESCAPE-1943-Nazis in America break a forger Torgut Lane (Dean Jagger) out of jail. A guy named Gerard (Ian Keith) makes a deal with him and has his death faked. He's taken to a secret hideout inside a carnival run by Martin (John Carradine; in REVENGE OF THE ZOMBIES the same year) and Bergen (Sidney Blackmer). When he finds out they are Nazis he doesn't want to do their dirty work. He tries to escape but is whipped and his mother's life is threatened. He tries to convince his young “watchdog” Gordon (Bill Henry) to help him. He uses a woman named Helen (Mary Brian) to soften Gordon up. 

Small Monogram production with good cast directed by Harold Young (THE FROZEN GHOST, THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE (both 1945)). Spanky McFarland has a small role. Carradine also played a mean Nazi in HITLER'S MADMEN the same year. Aka I ESCAPED THE GESTAPO.

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Filmed In Ohio

 

CANDY CORN-2019-A poor geek named Jacob (Nate Chaney) who works at Dr. Death's carnival is killed by 4 asshole punks. His little person boss Dr. Death (Pancho Moler) brings him back to life with some occult mask. He kills his attackers in various ways (he pulls one guy's spine out) and sheriff Sam Bramford (Courtney Gains) investigates. The killer pulls the tongue out of a girl who wasn't even one of the killers in an empty movie theater showing THE PHANTOM CREEPS. The instigator of the whole bullying thing is Mike, the sheriff's son who gets pretty fucked up by Jacob. 

PJ Soles appears as Sam's dispatcher and Tony Todd (an executive producer) has a small role. Bad script and acting doom this gory revenge tale directed by Josh Hasty.

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Carnival

GIRL ON THE RUN-1953-Bill (Richard Coogan) and Janet (Rosemary Pettit) are hiding out in a seedy carnival after he’s been framed for murder. Janet hangs out with the show girls while Bill prowls around the grounds. A corrupt politician Reeves (Harry Bannister) framed Bill for the murder of his newspaper editor boss. Reeves also clashes with Blake (Charles Bolender), the little person cigar smoking carnival manager. 

The story isn't much in this low budget production but there's lots of exotic dancing and keep a sharp eye out for Steve McQueen in his first film appearance. The two credited directors Arthur J. Beckhard and Joseph Lee didn't do much else. 

Star Coogan had been the original Captain Video on TV before being replaced by Al Hodge the actor who became most known for the role. Coogan later starred in the TV western THE CALIFORNIANS.

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Harrington/Hopper

NIGHT TIDE-1961-A lonely sailor named Johnny (Dennis Hopper) roams a seaside carnival. He goes to a Jazz club (where Jim Horn plays the flute in a combo) and meets Mora (Laura Lawson) who plays a mermaid in a local act run by Capt. Murdock (Gavin Muir). Mora also seems disturb by an old woman who follows her around. Johnny learns from the merry go round proprietor's daughter (Luana Anders) that Mora's last two boyfriends were found dead. After the two meet several times, Murdock warns Johnny that in fact Mora is part of a race of mermaids and some day they will come to reclaim her. 

Later he visits an old fortune teller (the always ancient looking Marjorie Eaton from MONSTROSITY/THE ATOMIC BRAIN) and has a dream where he's kissing Mora and is suddenly wrestling with an octopus. This haunting,dream-like fantasy is done very well but some might be disappointed by the conclusion. 

This was cult director Curtis Harrington's first full length feature (he also wrote the screenplay). His next (not counting VOYAGE TO THE PREHISTORIC PLANET) QUEEN OF BLOOD also featured Hopper.

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"That's All Ya Got? Ain't Ya Got No Geek or Nothin'?"

SHE FREAK-1967- After a rather lengthy intro showing scenes from a country carnival (with some dizzying shots from a Ferris wheel) a barker explains "There are only two kinds of freaks . Those created by God and those made by man" when touting their unseen big freak attraction.

The story then goes flashback to Jade (Claire Brennen) an unhappy waitress in a greasy spoon run by Greasy (Claude Earl Jones). When a carnival agent (Ben Moore from HG Lewis' 2000 MANIACS) passes through, Jade decides to join up with the troupe where she becomes....a waitress!

She's befriended by a stripper named Moon (Lynn Courtney) and seems to get along ok until she sees the freaks (all we see is a woman who kisses a python and a sword shallower) and gets upset. Later on she's romanced by the "freak show" owner Mr. St John (Bill McKinney in his film debut) but also has an affair with a roustabout named Blackie (Lee Raymond who later directed THE ADULT VERSION OF DR. JECKYLL AND MR. HYDE). Meanwhile Shorty, (future cousin Itt Felix Silla) hangs around ominously. She and St. John get married but her animosity towards the freaks continues. She also continues her affair with Blacky and when St. John catches them Blacky kills him. Jade takes over the show and her first order of business is to fire Shorty. Finally the unseen "freaks" take their revenge (a fire eater, strange looking old lady, a skinny guy and a wild man) and turn her into "one of them". Greasy has the last laugh in the finale which ends with a Bible quote!

SHE FREAK is obviously an un-credited remake of the Tod Browning classic FREAKS and you know right away once the star freak isn't show at the beginning. The best part is really the actual footage of the carnivals being erected and packed up plus many of the rides and attractions in action. There's some bad acting and dialogue but much of it is long non-dialogue scenes with musical background. The weirdest part is that no "real" freaks are seen till the very end which may have disappointed movie goers.

A lot of exploitation hands were in on SHE FREAK. It was written and produced by exploitation vet David Friedman and Byron Mabe directed and edited it. Don Sonney was a co-producer and Ed Wood associate Harry Thomas did the make-up. Billy Allen did the cool guitar/percussion soundtrack. Director of photography Bill Troiano worked other weird stuff like THE MUMMY AND THE CURSE OF THE JACKALS. William Bagdad (from TV Mikels movies) has a funny role as a tough guy who gets stabbed with a screwdriver.

A real carnival magician, The Great Vanteen has a small role too (according to his website he also played "the wild man" who attacks Jade in the climax). This is just about the only movie star Claire Brennan made (she did some TV later on). According to IMDB she and co-star Felix Silla had a child together. She died of cancer in 1977 at the age of 43. Roadshow legend Donn Davidson created an alternate version called ASYLUM OF THE INSANE which featured one or two added scenes.

Thanks to my pal Tony for getting me this and thanks for reading!

Talking Chimp

CARNIVAL MAGIC-1981-In this low budget family oriented film a struggling carnival is given new life when their main attraction becomes magician Markov the Magnificent (Don Stewart) and his talking chimp named Alex (played by Trudi the chimp). All goes well until a jealous lion tamer sells Alex to a doctor who wants to dissect him! All the circus rubes get together to rescue him. The chimp (who grumbles more than talks but considering the low budget that's about all they could do) drives a car. There's some romantic sub-plots but the acting and script are below average. It was filmed in North and South Carolina.

This was one of the last films directed by Al Adamson (who was killed in 1995) and features his real life wife Regina Carroll (about the only "name" in the cast) in her last role (she died in 1992). I don't think it has ever been released on VHS or DVD making it one of Adamson's least seen films but once again TCM came through and showed at 2 am one night! Adamson made his last film LOST 2 years later.

It ends with the promise of MORE CARNIVAL MAGIC but alas it was never to be...

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