Video on Demand!

I wood like this to become a regular feature here on my blog. It is inspired by all those customers who throughout the years would often ask me when the John Wayne film, The High and the Mighty would be released on VHS. If I had a dollar for every person who asked me that during my time behind the counter, I would be quite wealthy now. The film made in 1954, is considered by many to be the granddaddy of all airline disaster films. For some reason the Wayne estate would not make it available, and for two decades bootleg copies would sell for enormous prices. Just last year the film was finally made available on DVD. I am sure the majority of the folks who were looking for it have long since past away, many were elderly men with an affection for "the duke". So in that spirit this recurring column will be a chance to gripe about good and bad films that are not available on DVD. Made in 1972, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds was based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play by Paul Zindel. It was directed by Actor Paul Newman and starred his wife Joanne Woodward and daughter Nell Potts. It tells the story of young Matilda (Potts) preparing for the school science fair, an exhibit showing how radiation sometimes kills helpless marigolds, but sometimes causes them to grow into beautiful mutations. It mirrors Matilda's life, who grows even amidst the drunkenness of her mother and ignorance of her sister. Woodward won the 1973 Best Actress award at the Cannes film festival, but failed to receive an Oscar nomination for her outstanding work. This role is as different from the real Joanne Woodward as you will ever see. Big and brassy with a sometimes affectionate yet abusive handling of her two children. Young Potts is quite impressive as the young prodigy trapped in a seemingly hopeless situation at home. The film has a stark, real quality that was popular in films of the 1970s and is directed by Newman with much restraint. He understands great writing and great acting and simply lets the camera capture it all. IMDB lists this title as being on DVD. It is not at this time but it could mean that it has been announced for release in the future. It never had a VHS release but maybe it will see the light of day via DVD.

Joanne Woodward Movies

Adult Tail!

Being a suburban video store one might think there would be a limit to what we could carry in the form of adult movies. Well, actually we had a pretty impressive selection of what one customer once referred to as, "cinema-erotique!" Male titles, bondage, amateur, soft x, you name your fetish and we had it! That is so I thought! One bright sunny morning (the usual time of day for porn customers to make their pilgrimage to our store) a nice Italian man in a wheelchair rented a few adult titles on VHS. As he began to leave I went ahead to open the door for him. As he rolled through I said my goodbyes, only to be asked a question from the departing man in the chair. "Younga Man!" he asked in a thick Italian accent! "Do you got any of the video anda' animal!" I was stunned! I think I knew what he was asking, but I played dumb and said.."Excuse me?" "Do you got any of da' video anda' animal? I know it's illegal, but do you got ..You know, where the girls hava' sex wit' da chickens and da' goat?"... He inquired. I was speechless. After a few awkward minutes I said a simple no and went back into the store. Needless to say it was the last time I held the door for him.

Black Magic

Besides working at the video store, I also worked as an actor. Mostly in regional theater and theme park venues, but in the last few years I've had some success with tv commercials and industrial films. One of my earliest influences for becoming an actor was seeing Orson Welles in a forgotten film of his called, Black Magic. Made in 1949, Black Magic tells the story of Count Cagliostro, a Gypsy charlatan & master of the black arts, who during the reign of King Louis VX, seeks revenge against those who were responsible for publicly executing his mother. A horrible murder he witnessed as a child. Welles is absolutely mesmerizing in the role of Cagliostro. One scene in particular which had influenced me as a child, takes place at the foot of the King's thrown. Cagliostro is brought before the King and Marie Antoinette to demonstrate his healing powers. A group of "cripples" are brought into the room screaming and moaning and begging for Cagliostro's magical cure. Before he can speak a word one of the afflicted stands and declares ..."No need to speak Cagliostro, one look from you and we are all cured!" The former patients then begin to rise and dance a minuet bringing much laughter and ridicule to Cagliostro. It is then the great actor in Welles can be seen taking the floor and announcing to the crowd, first quietly and then with a roar..."If I have the power to heal! I can also afflict!" What follows is pure Welles in all his scene-chewing glory. With nothing but words and that magnificent baritone voice he reduces one of the masquerading patients to a lifeless mound of flesh on the floor before the King. In what has been dismissed as a B picture, the scene is riveting and like the rest of the film keeps your eyes glued to the screen. The film was directed by Gregory Ratoff who also worked as an actor in such films as All About Eve and Exodus. But it was one of the many films in which Welles was said to have had a hand in the directing process without taking on-screen credit. The cast also includes Akim Tamiroff (a Welles Regular), Frank Latimore, Berry Kroeger, Raymond Burr, Nancy Guild and Valentina Cortese. The film also has an effectively eerie musical score by Paul Sawtell. The film was available on VHS in the early 1980s but has been out-of-print and is unavailable on DVD at this time. You may want to check Turner Classic Movies or Ebay listings for old VHS copies that may be around.

Guy Guy!

It's not what you think! Well, kinda'! This is a first in hopefully what will become a series of "strange-but-true" tales from my days at the video store. Over the 18 years of my employment in video retail, I have met a lot of wonderful people, strange people, and downright bizarre people. You be the judge about this poor fellow. One day while behind the counter at the store, a man approached inquiring about a movie called "Guy-Guy". Did we have it? Was it available on VHS and where would it be on the floor. My co-workers and I looked at each other and no one spoke at first. I then tried typing the title in the computer data-base, thinking it would register with one of our "male adult" titles. No match! So I began to question the customer. "Is this an adult title? Do you know who stars in the film?" The man looked embarrassed. "Adult film?" .. he asked! "No, it's a musical with that french actor Louis Jordan!" Well, then it immediately clicked in my head. "Gigi!, the musical Gigi, is that what you want?" .. I inquired. "Yes, is that how it's pronouced? Gigi?" the man responded. Well, there you have it! I guess the subtle differences between the English and French languages can be difficult at times.

The First Movie I ever Rented on VHS was....

The first movie I ever rented on VHS was John Carpenter's first feature film, Dark Star . It was 1983 and I didn't even own a VCR, but my best friend Dave did. It was one of those early top-loading Panasonic machines. This thing was built like a tank and it lasted for over 15 years. They really new how to make them back then. It wasn't too long after that when the market was flooded with cheaply made machines lasting no more than 5 years.
Made in 1974 on a shoestring budget, Dark Star told the story of a ship of hippie astronauts roaming the galaxy for unstable planets to destroy. Dan O'Bannon who would later write the 1979 sci-fi classic, Alien wrote the script along with director, Carpenter. Intended as a spoof on modern sci-fi films, it owes much to Stanley Kubrick's 1968 classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. A talking bomb with an ability to rationalize finds its inspiration in Odyssey's HAL-9000 computer with hilarious results. O'Bannon appears on-screen as the films reluctant hero, Sgt. Pinback a stowaway in another man's uniform. O'Bannon's battle with an obviously painted beach ball filling in as an alien pet is a classic in 1970s cult film lore. The effects are low-budget but executed with a wink towards the camera, allowing the viewer to accept them even in today's world of digital perfection. Carpenter, who just four years later would hit-it-big with his horror classic, Halloween shows much promise in this early work that was expanded from a short he and O'Bannon created together in college. Carpenter even provides the music for the film, a contribution he would make throughout his career as a director. The DVD available for this film includes two versions. What started out as a 68 minute college film, was expanded with 15 minutes of additional footage and released theatrically by producer, Jack Harris. When it was re-issued on VHS in 1983 as a "Special Edition", much of the extra footage was cut by O'Bannon and Carpenter. The DVD gives you both versions to enjoy. I recommend the original longer cut for any first-time viewer to this film. You can find this and thousands of other titles by following the link to my former employer, Movies Unlimited on the links portion on this page or by clicking the titles below.
Dark Star [VHS](1974) VHS
This quirky tale of "Californians in Space" was the senior project for film students John Carpenter ("Halloween") and Dan O'Bannon ("Alien"). A ship equipped to blow up unstable planets with talking bombs is nearing the end of its mission, but the crew's nerves have been stretched to the limit. Stars O'Bannon, Dre Pahich. 91 min.

Dark Star [DVD](1974) DVD
This quirky tale of "Californians in Space" was the senior project for film students John Carpenter ("Halloween") and Dan O'Bannon ("Alien"). A ship equipped to blow up unstable planets with talking bombs is nearing the end of its mission, but the crew's nerves have been stretched to the limit. Stars O'Bannon, Dre Pahich. Includes the director's cut and original theatrical version. 91 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital 5.1; biographies; interactive menus; scene access; theatrical trailer.