Clark's Angels

 

 (internet movie cars database)

ANGELS REVENGE-1979-Las Vegas singer Michelle Wilson (Susan Kiger) ends her engagement at the palace. For some reason, Arthur Godfrey is in the audience. He goes backstage to congratulate her (he seems stoned). Then her manager (Alan Hale) tells her she's booked for Johnny Carson. She drops everything when her drug using brother Bobby gets beat up by a dealer. Bobby's teacher April (Jacqulin Cole; wife of the director) visits Michelle and in less than a minute she convinces Michelle that they can bust up the drug ring with a little help. They assemble a group of consisting of Terry Grant (Sylvia Anderson), a stunt woman, Karate teacher Kako (Lieu Chinh), ex-junkie-model Maria (Noela Velasco), policewoman Elaine Brenner (Robin Greer) and high schooler Trish (Liza Greer). They buy a van from Pat Buttram, then visit a comical right wing group lead by Lindsey March (Jim Backus) and steal their munitions. They torture a pusher (Darby Hinton) for info. The two guys behind the drugs are Mike (Jack Palance) and Burke (Peter Lawford). Neville Brand is listed in the credits but the version I saw cut his role. There are several comical fights in this useless “Charlie's Angels” rip-off directed by Greydon Clark (SATAN'S CHEERLEADERS (1977).

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Castle!

 

 (imdb)

MACABRE-1958-Most people in town don't like Dr. Rodney Barrett (George Prince) because they believe he's indirectly responsible for the death of a blind woman Nancy. Sleazy police chief Tyloe (Jim Backus) tells him to leave town. Only his nurse Polly (Jacqueline Scott), his girlfriend Sylvia (Susan Morrow) and his housekeeper Miss Kushins (Ellen Corby) seem to like him. Then someone kidnaps his daughter and says she's been buried alive. Mr. Wetherby (Phillip Tonge), Nancy's ailing father joins them in the hunt. Flashbacks reveal that Nancy (Christine White) was kind of a slut who got pregnant from an affair with the sheriff or her chauffeur (unbilled Robert Colbert). But Dr. Barrett is hiding a secret too. 

Not half bad, if strange, murder mystery directed by the one and only William Castle.

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Zotz!

ZOTZ!-1962-This is fun black & white comedy from “gimmick director” William Castle (he made MR. SARDONICUS the year before).

A mild mannered professor (Tom Poston) comes in possession of an ancient coin that gives him special powers. When he says the word “zotz” things go in slow motion. When he points his finger at a person they feel intense pain. When he combines them they cause death! He makes most of his friends think he’s crazy and fails to make a US general (Fred Clark) believe him. He’s eventually captured by communists (a henchman is played by Mike Mazurki) but battles his way out and becomes a hero.

Jim Backus plays another professor and rival for the affections a female prof. (Julia Meade). The dean of the college where they teach is played by Cecil Kellaway and his wife is Margaret Dumont! (in her second to last film) 50’s-60’s TV comedian Louis Nye has a cameo. Poston was later in another Castle film, a remake of THE OLD DARK HOUSE.

When I was little kids used to go around pointing their index finger and saying “zotz” a lot. You were of course suppose to slow down when they did that but since I didn’t see this film till years later I was never really in on the joke! It’s based on a novel by a guy who wrote scripts for TV’s VICTORY AT SEA!

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