Where's My Piranha?

 

 (imdb)

PIRANHA-1972-Art (TV actor Tom Simcox) & Terry (Ahna Capri; had a role in ENTER THE DRAGON the next year), brother and sister photographers go to the Amazon with an American guide Pendrake (Peter Brown). She doesn't like guns even after Pendrake saves her life killing an attacking snake. After riding around and semi-exploring they meet a guy named Caribe (William Smith) at a bar. For some reason, Brown challenges Caribe to a motorcycle race. This takes up a good portion of the movie and still no PIRANHA! Then they all go to a diamond mine. Then an endless scene of people panning for gold. Then a sloth climbs a tree. We learn a lot about the characters background but not much about piranha. Not much happens until Caribe shows his true colors and rapes Terry. The killer fish do make an appearance in the finale. 

AKA “Piranha, Piranha”, it was filmed in Venezuela by someone named Bill Gibson. Smith and Brown had co-starred together on the “Laredo” TV series and had been in CROME AND HOT LEATHER the year before.

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Rockne

 

 

 (imdb)

BLACK SAMSON-1974-Samson (Rockne Tarkington) is a righteous dude who owns a bar and a pet lion. White mobster Johnny Nappa (William Smith) wants to take over the turf despite opposition from his uncle (Titos Vandis). Samson's main squeeze is played by Carol Speed and John Alderman and Marilyn Joi have small roles, There's a lot of stupid fights and way too much talk. Gene LeBelle gets beat up. 

This interesting time capsule of a movie was directed by Charles Bail (also an actor) who went on to make CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD (1975) and THE GUMBALL RALLY (1976). Star Tarkington was well known to some for his role in “Danger Island”, a segment of TV's “The Banana Splits Show (1968-69).

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William Smith

 

 (imdb)

HOLLYWOOD MAN-1976-Rafe (William Smith, also in the TV mini-series RICH MAN, POOR MAN the same year), a Hollywood stuntman/actor needs $375,000 to complete his biker movie but his producer won't give it to him, so he gets involved with mobster Mr. Russo (Angelo Farese) who's thug partner Tony (Carmine Caridi) wants to sabotage Rafe's efforts. Tony hires Harvey (Gene Griarden) and his goons to do the job but they are no match for Rafe. Later Harvey goes crazy and kills most of his gang including his girlfriend (Jennifer Billingsley; THE THIRSTY DEAD). He tries to shoot Rafe but kills his stuntman friend (Don Stroud) instead. There's a surprise ending in store for Rafe and his girlfriend Julie (Mary Woronov) in this low budget, seldom seen action drama directed by Jack Starrett (CLEOPATRA JONES).

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"Gabriel, can't you see we're menacing somebody?"

 

 (wkipedia)

CHROME AND HOT LEATHER-1971-Casey (Michael Hayes), a member of The Wizards motorcycle gang led by TJ (William Smith) kills the finance of Green Beret Mitch (Tony Young). To get revenge Mitch recruits his army buddies (including Marvin Gaye) to hunt down the gang. Mitch tries to infiltrate the gang but is found out. Fortunately his buddies save him. Later while TJ and Casey fight for the gang leadership the Berets attack. After the gang gets its ass kicked TJ is forced to finger Casey as the culprit and they all go to jail. Big band singer Herb Jeffries is a bartender. Bobby "Boris" Pickett is Sweet Willy. 

Director Lee Frost was a force in exploitation films in the 60's and '70's (MUNDO BIZARRO, THE ANIMAL, LOVE CAMP 7) but the next year made the notorious THE THING WITH TWO HEADS. Co-star Michael Hayes co-wrote the script and was also a stuntman in many movies. This is one of two movies singer Marvin Gaye appeared in. The other was a TV movie in 1969 called THE BALLAD OF ANDY CROCKER.

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Moon in Scorpio...How Did it Get There?

 

MOON IN SCORPIO-1987-This begins with a woman in a straitjacket saying “Moon in Scorpio. What does it mean?”. After the credits a patient escapes from a mental hospital killing two people. Then the police investigate a boat drifting at sea. They find a woman who stabs a cop. Later she's interviewed by the head of the hospital (Robert Quarry) and she talks about ghouls, assassins and a death ship. Flashback to Vietnam: Mark (Lewis Van Bergen), Burt (William Smith) and Allen (John Phillip Law) kill some villagers. Later Allen marries Linda (Britt Ekland). Burt invites Allen and Linda and her friends on his boat. Allen agrees though it's clear he's traumatized and doesn't like water. Besides Burt and his alcoholic wife Claire (Julian Kesner; FIRECRACKER) their mutual friends Mark and his weird girlfriend Isabelle (April Wayne) go along. This flashback is interrupted by an idiotic police officer talking about the escaped patient (the actor is terrible). Back in the past: Before the group leaves an unseen killer does in a fisher-man. Despite all being buddies no one seems to get a long. Also it's apparent the killer is on board using a crossbow. One by one everybody is killed. The killer turns out to be Isabelle the escaped patient. She goes insane. You might too.......

Director Gary Graver was a cinematographer on over two hundred projects including work with Orson Welles and Al Adamson and a lot of porn (some which he directed under a pseudonym). This crazy murder mystery is a miserable paste up job. 

Nominal male lead Van Bergen was in the star of the short lived TV show "Sable". 

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Hammer Time

HAMMER-1972-B.J. Hammer (Fred Williamson) is fired from his longshoreman job and becomes a boxer for mobster Big Sid (Charles Lampkin). He knows Sid is no good but he only cares about success. He falls in love with Lois (Vonetta McKee), Sid's secretary. 

Meanwhile a philosophical cop (Bernie Hamilton) dogs his trail. At a party Hammer is called a “bourgeois negro” and is ridiculed by his friends at a pool hall. Sid's out of control bodyguard Brenner (William Smith) stupidly kills anyone who gets in Sid's way. Of course Sid is really working for a white guy boss. Lois is kidnapped by Brenner so Hammer will take a fall but in the end Hammer beats his opponent when he learns Lois is safe. In the finale the evil whiteys are beat up by the soul brothers and Hammer clobbers Brenner. 

The acting, direction, fight scenes and make-up are sub-par. Also featured are D'Urville Martin, Stack Pierce and Johnny Silver. Australian born Bruce D. Clark later made GALAXY OF TERROR. 

This was a big hit and establish former NFL football player Williamson as a “blaxploitation” star.

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Boss

BOSS NIGGER-1975-Two black bounty hunters Boss (Fred Williamson also the screenwriter) and Amos (D'Urville Martin) who hunt only white people become sheriff and deputy of a town and basically harass all the white people and give the mayor (RG Armstrong) a hard time. Later Williamson is kidnapped and tortured by Jed Clayton (William Smith) but Amos and Clara Mae (Carmen Haywood) rescue him. A doctor (Don “Red" Barry) patches him up. Later after Clayton kills Clara the townspeople help fight off Clayton's gang and Boss kills Clayton but he seems to be killed at the end (I think...??) 

Despite being directed by the great Jack Arnold (as noted previously he was doing lots of TV shows around this time), BN seems to tread a thin line between drama and parody. Many critics seem to think it's a set up. I personally think it's a disaster and the filmmakers had no idea where they were suppose to take the film.

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Praise The Lord!

SWEET JESUS, PREACHERMAN-1973-Roger E. Mosley (who was in THE MACK the same year) stars as a hit man who pretends to be a Baptist preacher in Watts to fix up the criminal activities of a mobster (William Smith, who was in INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS the same year). Michael Pataki is a racist senator trying to get the black vote. His assistant is played by Marla Gibbs (soon to be the smart talking maid on TV’s THE JEFFERSONS). The dialogue and some of the acting is laughable at times but there’s some action to keep the story interesting.

Director Henning Schellerup was also a cinematographer on many films and made some pseudo-docu-dramas (like IN SEARCH OF HISTORIC JESUS) for Sunn Classics. Smith and Pataki were in GRAVE OF THE VAMPIRE the next year.

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