It's time to go back in time to the grindhouse or drive in and take a gander at some posters in the lobby. Not really, of course. These are just some more posters I've recently acquired that I'm sharing. The accompanying photos of theaters, drive ins, etc. are taken from the internet. They are not mine and I've never been to these places...with the exception of the first photo for the Sunnyside Drive In. Although I did not take this photo, nor was I around for its gala premiere, I DID see many movies at the Sunnyside. The Sunnyside was (past tense---it's just a big, vacant lot now) died out in the mid-80s. Often times, for me, the treat wasn't watching a movie on (as it was billed long after I'm sure another had the title) "the world's largest screen". The real thrills (or chills) could be had by looking out the back window of our little blue Ford Pinto at the 2nd, smaller screen on the western end of the lot. It was there I got to see snippets of "THE EXORCIST", "JAWS" and other things. On one occasion (seeing a double feature of "ROLLERBALL" and "LOGAN'S RUN", I believe) I was able to look over on the LARGER screen and see boobies galore...one pair in particular having whipped cream licked off of them. It was some stewardess double feature, I think. I'm not sure, but one of the films MAY have been "BLAZING STEWARDESSES". That title stands out in my mind, for some reason. The last double feature I saw at the Sunnyside as VHS was killing the drive ins across the land, was "MOTEL HELL" and "PIGS" in my old, broken down, orange '66 Mustang. Oh well...
On to my new posters...
EYE OF THE EVIL DEAD:
I already have one of these, but this poster for the LUCIO FULCI film was going cheap and I snapped it up. The movie is weird, doesn't make a lot of sense and is just okay. But I do dig the poster.
THE HEADLESS GHOST:
The art of Reynold Brown is the highlight of this AIP poster. Brown's poster art IS the best thing about the movie...as is often the case. The art alone would have gotten my butt in a seat back in the day... This is my "prize" in this batch.
DISCHARGE:
Another impossible-to-find poster for an old 70s gay porn movie. I looked this movie up. Apparently it is also known as "Dishonorable Discharge"--but this shortened version of the title... Uh, yes, I get it. EEEW! Though instead of thinking semen, it makes me think of gonorrhea or something. UGH! Nasty. Anyway, I think I can turn around and sell this puppy for some nice change when I get around to it. I have only seen a handful of posters like this. Although there are tons of regular (straight) adult posters floating around, not many of the old gay porn posters survived. They are super rare.
ILSA: HAREM KEEPER OF THE OIL SHEIKS:
I love my ILSA movies. I probably already have a copy of this one, but I was NOT sure. It wouldn't hurt to have another...just in case. Right? This is the second of four (really only three, but someone wisely re-dubbed and re-titled another flick, so there are four) ILSA films starring Dyanne Thorne...even though Ilsa DIES in the first film, and it takes place 30-some years prior to this sequel (and Ilsa has not aged a bit). But does an Ilsa film need to make sense? And who wouldn't love a gonzo title like this? Ha! Total grindhouse trash of the first order. Fabulous!
MURDERERS' ROW:
I love my James Bond movies. These spy knock-offs (based on the Matt Helm book series) starring Dean Martin are actually pretty good (not great). They're not as over the top as Bond films, but are still fun. I have some of the posters already...but just which ones I have, I don't know (as my thread on APF is a total blank now...). So, I guess I'll start over with this one.
SINGLE ROOM FURNISHED:
I also love my Jayne Mansfield...but for all of the wrong reasons. She was such a publicity whore and she appeared in all of these wonderfully awful movies (such as "THE FAT SPY", "DOG EAT DOG", "LAS VEGAS HILLBILLYS" and my fave "THE WILD, WILD WORLD OF JAYNE MANSFIELD", which was made after her death with home movies, cutting room floor scraps and scenes from some of her movies...and padded out with nudie filler, a Jayne Mansfield stand-in, and fake Jayne Mansfield narration). This was her "last" movie---and she is actually GOOD in it. It's not a goofy comedy---but a drama. Jayne plays all of the parts in the short stories...except for one obvious exception (she died before the film was completed). I have several Mansfield posters...but don't think I had this one yet. So...voila!
THE OMEN (Style E):
Style E is easily the easiest OMEN poster to find...and the cheapest. I'm sure I have a couple of copies of this already. This was part of a "lot" so it was "free" with what I was really buying. The original "OMEN" is still a great piece of horror cinema.
IT'S ALIVE (Style B):
The mutant killer baby saga, "IT'S ALIVE" was a movie I wanted to see sooooo bad back in the day. Alas i was NOT old enough to go see it. The Style A poster, with the baby carriage with the clawed arm hanging out is a classic. I have it, of course. But this alternate poster...It has a whole different vibe. I'm NOT sure I had one of these...
THE CAULDRON OF DEATH (aka RICCO, aka THE MEAN MACHINE):
Yes, this IS a re-release poster...with an alternate title. This wonderfully exploitive title and poster art make the film look like a gruesome horror flick. it's not. It's a crime flick, like a modern day (well, 70s) "GODFATHER" on a budget. While there is a "cauldron of" acid, in a sense, in the flick, no naked woman like this is thrown in...only a man or two. I have this poster already, but who doesn't love a spare of this?
VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED:
Yes, this poster has some flaws, but I am thrilled to finally have a copy of THE VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED poster. Up until now, I've only had a re-release double feature for this and its sequel, CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED. Classic!
WILLARD:
I probably have this already. I'm pretty sure I do. BUT...just in case, here is this copy. WILLARD was THE rat movie back when I was a kid. Now it's mostly forgotten for the most part, I think. When I was a kid, I had a WILLARD standee. I don't know what happened to it. In my eyes, this movie is a B classic.
BEN:
The sequel to "WILLARD", "BEN" featured a song by Michael Jackson (!?!), which was Oscar nominated. Instead of Bruce Davison, we had young Lee Harcourt Montgomery ("Burnt Offerings") taking over as a friend of the rat Ben. It was a flop. Oh well. I'm pretty sure I have this poster as well. But just in case...
WILLARD / BEN (re-release combo):
After "WILLARD" and "BEN"...of course, it's the re-release double feature combo poster for both flicks. Ha! I am sure i must have this as well...but just in case... This is NOT a photo of my poster, but a picture i picked up from the internet to use as an example.
TOMMY:
When I was a kid, movie posters were hard to come by. I had (still have?) a TOMMY poster that I picked up somewhere...but it was in poor shape (torn/missing corners, tape, etc.). I bought/kept it because there wasn't a lot available to me at the time. Beggers can't be choosers. I never actually even saw TOMMY until the late 90s or early 2000s. Forgotten more or less by modern audiences, this really was a cool movie--especially for its day. I'm glad I finally saw it and tracked down a replacement poster.
ZOMBIELAND:
Another poster I am sure I MUST have already---but am not 100% sure. This was a great little movie.
That's it for now. Please be courteous to your neighbor and exit to the left. Be sure to hang your speakers on the speaker pole before doing so. As you'll leave, you may notice I have discovered another photo of the long-gone SUNNYSIDE DRIVE-IN. This was clearly after it had been closed for a while (note the graffiti on the marquee and the fence surrounding the theater is gone). Thanks for your patronage and come again.
CHEERS!
Comments
Post a Comment