Head

HEAD-1968-Deranged out-dated psychedelic non-movie from the once popular TV pop band. Written by Jack Nicholson, who has a cameo and Bob Rafelson, who also directed, the whole thing is designed to make fun of their "pre-packaged" image. It's chaotic and off the wall (loyal fans of the show, if there were any left, might have been disappointed) but it does feature faded Hollywood star Victor Mature as the villain and appearances by Frank Zappa (pulling a donkey), Sonny Liston, Timothy Carey & Tiger Joe Marsh (not Tor Johnson). 

Nicholson and Rafelson's next project together would be FIVE EASY PIECES in 1970. 

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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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Cry Baby Jack

THE CRY BABY KILLER-1958-A confused juvenile delinquent named Jimmy (skinny Jack Nicolson in his film debut) gets beaten up by a sleazy dude named Manny (Bret Halsey, one year before RETURN OF THE FLY) and his two punk underlings. Manny's new girl Carole (Carolyn Mitchell) is Jimmy's old one and he wants to get her away from Manny. They go out into the parking lot and somehow Jimmy gets his hand on Manny's gun and shoots Manny and one of the punks. Thinking he's killed them, Jimmy takes a kitchen worker (Smoki Whitfield) and a lady (Barbara Knudson, who died in March of 2014) with a baby hostage. Police lieutenant Porter (familiar TV actor Harry Lauter) investigates. A TV reporter (Ed Nelson) does a live report as a large crowd gathers. There's a lot of expounding on kids, family and growing up while the police (and his mom) try to talk Jimmy (now called "the boy with the gun") out but everything seems to go wrong. Frank Richard is Gambelli, the uptight owner of the bar (character actor Herb Vigran plays his lawyer) and Lynn Cartwright is a proselytizing waitress.

NIcolson is pretty funny as Jimmy, desperate, then crazed then sorry. It's really not that much of a role as most of the rest of the cast has the best lines. It's interesting that there is a sympathetic black character who tries to talk Jimmy into surrendering but by the end of the story he's not even thanked. The lieutenant just gives him a blank stare.

Actor Leo V. Gordon (who was married to actress Cartwright) wrote the screenplay (he performed this chore for Corman several more times) and appears in some crowd scenes (with Bruno Ve Sota). Producer Roger Corman (who's seen briefly as a TV technician) claimed this was the only movie he ever released that didn't make money!

I think this is the only feature film directed by Justus Addiss who usually worked in TV. His last work was for Irwin Allen in the '60's.

The great theme song is sung by Dick Kallman.

To read more about featured actress Carolyn Mitchell go here: 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0593198/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

The version I saw was just called THE CRY BABY.

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Early Jack

BACK DOOR TO HELL-1964-Three army intelligence operatives land in Manila just before McArthur to try and destroy a Japanese communications outfit. It was filmed in The Philippines by Monte Hellman so the few Japanese soldiers are played by Filipinos. The leader of the trio is played by singer Jimmie Rodgers. John Hackett (who co-wrote the screenplay) and still unknown Jack Nicolson (who speaks Japanese…?) are the other two. They get help from a local guerilla outfit and torture a Japanese general. The dialogue is rather stilted and there’s not much action. Nicolson was also in RIDE THE WILD WIND and FLIGHT TO FURY for Hellman. Hackett was later a stand-in for Nicolson.

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Savage Seven

THE SAVAGE SEVEN-AIP-(1968)-How good could a 60's biker flick produced by Dick Clark be? Well...not bad actually! Adam Roarke is Kisum, the leader of a violent beer drinking, pot smoking motorcycle gang that invades a town of impoverished American Indians (led by Robert Walker Jr. and Max Julien!).

At first they cause a lot of trouble but later on decide to help out against the town boss and his underlings. Things go their way pretty much until a local girl is raped and killed. After the suspected gang member is crucified by some locals The Bikers attack for an allegorical (sometimes unintentionally funny) "cowboys vs. indians" style battle until the real kiler is exposed!

THE SAVAGE SEVEN's director Richard Rush had made another biker movie HELL'S ANGELS ON WHEELS (1967) which starred Roarke (and Jack Nicholson) and several other SAVAGE SEVEN actors: Richard Anders, John Garwood and John "Bud" Carlos. He also made the bizarre PSYCH-OUT (with Julien, Roarke and Nicholson).

After this Rush's output slowed down considerablely. He made only 5 movies between 1970-2000. His most well known film THE STUNTMAN was plagued with trouble.

THE SAVAGE SEVEN also marked the screen debut of Penny Marshall. The soundtrack features songs by Iron Butterfly and Cream.

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After The Trip...

PSYCH-OUT-1968-A year after THE TRIP Jack Nicolson re-teamed with Bruce Dern and Susan Strasberg to star in this psychedelic peace and love drug movie for director Richard Rush (made between HELLS ANGELS ON WHEELS (also with Nicolson) and THE SAVAGE SEVEN).

Strasberg is Jenny a deaf runaway looking for her brother (Bruce Dern) in Haigt-Ashbury. She gets help from level headed hippie Stoney (Nicolson) and his two pals (Adam Roarke; also in the aforementioned two Rush movies and Max Julien, 5 years before THE MACK) who are also in a rock band.

While looking for her brother (nicknamed The Seeker) they ran afoul of a gang led by John “Bud” Cardos and Gary Kent (they were also part of the crew) and have a fight in a junkyard. Dean Stockwell is the philosophical stoner with a headband. Director Henry Jaglom is a gallery owner who freaks out and imagines his hand is rotting. Nicolson is pretty funny but Strasberg’s bad trip on STP is the highlight. TV producer Garry Marshall is a cop in the opening scene and Sky Saxon, The Seeds and The Strawberry Alarm Clock perform.

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