Missing No Longer: SKIDOO (1968) and CHAINED HEAT (1983)

Two more Horn Section favorites and review subjects are coming to DVD in July!


In the case of CHAINED HEAT (1983), which was reviewed here as part of our Tamara Dobson 65th birthday Salute, you'd better hurry.  Courtesy of the one and only Mr. Skin, CHAINED HEAT is arriving on July 12th as part of a WIP Triple Feature along with RED HEAT (1985) and JUNGLE WARRIOR (1984).

It's a bit pricey at $29.98 if CHAINED HEAT is the only title you want, but there's excellent value for the money: interviews with actresses Stella Stevens and Sybil Danning (who co-starred in all three films) and the very first UNCUT release of CHAINED HEAT ever; at 98 minutes this release is three minutes longer than the theatrical release and will contain nine full minutes of footage missing from both the VHS release and the print that recently made the Showtime/TMC cable rounds a couple of years back.

Where to order this long-awaited must see?  Synapse Films has it available for pre-order now and, of course, so does Amazon.  As I stated above, you'd better hurry, as rumor has it that the rights will expire at the end of 2011, so this is truly "available for a limited time only".  Is CHAINED HEAT worth the rush, and the price?
Well, let's see: Linda Blair, John Vernon, Henry Silva, Tamara Dobson, Sybil Danning.....I could go on, but why not just read the review and decide for yourself?

CHAINED HEAT isn't the only long-awaited DVD release this month.  On July 19th, SKIDOO (1968) will be arriving via Olive Films, after years of being out of circulation.  In fact, this late 1960's Otto Preminger experiment was never released on VHS and was long-rumored to be withheld for the longest time by the late director's estate.  It isn't a success, but it isn't that big of an embarrassment either.

The Riddler on acid!

It's hard to describe SKIDOO in a concise manner.  So hard that it probably holds the record for The Horn Section's lengthiest review of a film.  (Yes, I'm aware I get long-winded doing the QUINCY, M.E. recaps.  But they ain't films!)  If you have a few days to kill, here's the original review, which was posted when TCM originally dusted SKIDOO off in 2008 for a run on TCM Underground.

More recently, the venerable hippie-era relic made the rounds on Showtime and Flix this Spring, and now it is available for pre-order from, where else, Amazon.

Not much I can add to the review except this, the trailer:

Enjoy!  More reviews to follow, including The Horn Section's participation in a blogathon later this month.  Happy 4th!

Missing No Longer: CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD (1975)

Tamara Dobson's sequel is now out on DVD!

The Warner Archive strikes again and makes us all happy here at The Horn Section with today's DVD release of Number 32 in our series, CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD (1975).

Reviewed here last year as part of our tribute to the late, great Tamara Dobson, CASINO OF GOLD has been arguably the most glaring absence from the blaxploitation era.  It's certainly been a long time coming.  An exciting mixture of James Bond, Run Run Shaw and the aforementioned blaxploitation, it may be flawed, but it is never boring. 

You'll join me in wishing that Cleo had at least as many sequels to choose from as Rocky Balboa and Paul Kersey, and you'll also get to see Norman Fell flashing his famous grin into the camera and playing Cleo's boss, "Stanley"---foreshadowing the signature TV role on THREE'S COMPANY that would follow his fine work here.

Here's hoping the Warner Archive keeps up the fine work, as they've now brought three of the Horn Section's most wanted to DVD for the first time in the past year alone.   Next up, number 47!

Film Review: NORMAN...IS THAT YOU? (1976)

"Why the Hell isn't this on DVD yet?" -- Number 35

NORMAN...IS THAT YOU? (1976 MGM) Starring Redd Foxx, Pearl Bailey, Michael Warren, Dennis Dugan, Tamara Dobson, Vernee Watson, Jayne Meadows, George Furth, Barbara Sharma. Directed by George Schlatter.

Redd Foxx is the owner of a successful dry cleaning business. What, Fred G. Sanford as George Jefferson? Well, not quite...but the "G" stands for "gay son". Foxx is licking his wounds after wife Pearl Bailey runs off with his brother and business partner, so he pays son Michael Warren a surprise visit, not knowing about Warren's alternative lifestyle or his live-in lover, flaming Dennis Dugan.

Being an "old fashioned man in a brand new world", Foxx reacts to this second system shock in as many days as might be expected. No, he doesn't have the Big One....he hires hooker Tamara Dobson in an effort to 'straighten him out', something that Warren's BFF Vernee Watson is already attempting to do on her own.

Foxx's only starring role on the big screen, and also the only film directed by long-time TV producer (LAUGH-IN) George Schlatter, NORMAN...IS THAT YOU? is an oddity in many ways. This Broadway adaptation was shot on video, later transferred to film, and it shows, with the stock looking older than other films of the era, but fitting for the sitcom-level proceedings. Very few films were being made about homosexuality even in the freewheeling, un-PC 1970's, and even fewer films were getting the green light with a Broadway source that lasted only 12 performances.

In adapting the play by Ron Clark and Stan Bobrick, Schlatter (also his only screenplay to date) made several changes, with the play's Jewish family becoming a black family and the setting moving from New York to Los Angeles. One revision mars a pivotal scene, when a drafting becomes a Navy enlistment. Perhaps necessary to modernize the film, as the draft had been eliminated since the play's premiere (1970) but really contrived as presented here given the character's situation.  The biggest flaw is the lack of chemistry between Warren and Dugan, with the former particularly unconvincing in his role and the latter shamelessly stereotypical.  At no time do you believe these two have been a couple for a year.

If you're a Redd Foxx fan, though, you're in for a treat. The salty comedian gets several long monologues, priceless scenes in a bookstore (buying 8 books on homosexuality) and park (as he reads the books out loud to himself) and spends a big chunk of the film bantering with Dugan as he attempts to understand Warren.  Foxx and Dugan actually have more chemistry than either of the film's romantic couples.

Bailey, wonderful in ST. LOUIS BLUES and THE LANDLORD, sadly has little to do here and doesn't even show until the final third of the film. Tamara Dobson gets her one outright comedy role (unless you're counting CHAINED HEAT) but little screen time. She's charming and expressive enough to make you wish she'd had more and better screen opportunities. With Madame in tow, Wayland Flowers has two bizarre scenes early and later gets 5 minutes of screen time for his unfunny nightclub act--about 4 1/2 too many if you ask me.

It's cheap looking, a relic of its time and uneven, and most of the "surprise" twists (i.e. Bailey handling "the news" worse than Foxx, and Foxx and Dugan bonding) won't raise an eyebrow from a modern audience, but damned if Foxx and company don't wring some good laughs out of it. NORMAN...IS THAT YOU? has a following due to the subject matter, dated campiness and offbeat cast.  It also boasts a solid soundtrack featuring Smokey Robinson and Thelma Houston.

So.....why isn't this on DVD yet?

Has a really cheap look due to the video-to-film transfer, was a box office flop when released, and the source material was also a big stage flop as well.

Considered a relic of its time that hasn't aged well at all by many, and like many films of its era, very un-PC. Director and screenwriter Schlatter was much more at home producing variety shows for television, and is out of his element here. He bats .500 in using LAUGH-IN alumni, using Barbara Sharma to good effect in the bookstore scene, but forgetting that even a little Wayland and Madame goes a looooong way.

Foxx and Bailey have little chemistry as a romantic couple, and Warren and Dugan have no chemistry at all. Matter of fact, Adam Sandler and Kevin James were more convincing in I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY---incidentally, directed by Dennis Dugan.

Why it should be on DVD:

What a great cult cast of performers who made very few features: Foxx, Bailey, Dobson, and Dugan. Fans of Foxx's standup and SANFORD AND SON in particular will want to see his lone starring role on the big screen.

Dobson may not have that much screen time, but she wears the skimpiest outfit she ever wore onscreen.  Less is definitely more.....

A definite curio with some laugh out loud moments from Foxx and Dugan, this is at least an interesting failure. It's also worth a look for the choices made by writer-director Schlatter in adapting the stagy source to the screen.

There was enough of a following for this to receive two different releases on VHS, the second as part of the Soul Cinema series in 1999. This is one of the few in the Soul Cinema series not on DVD yet--and why the Hell not?

Film Review: CHAINED HEAT (1983)

"Why the Hell isn't THIS on DVD yet?" -- Number 34

CAMP CLASSIC EDITION!

CHAINED HEAT (1983 Jensen Farley Pictures) Starring Linda Blair, John Vernon, Stella Stevens, Tamara Dobson, Sybil Danning, Henry Silva, Michael Callan, Monique Gabrielle, Edy Williams, Nita Talbot. Directed by Paul Nicholas.

Linda Blair is a naive teenager sentenced to a women's prison after a manslaughter convinction from an auto accident. Once there, she finds a very corrupt administration. Cocaine-snorting, drug dealing warden John Vernon enjoys a jacuzzi in his office and shares it with inmates willing to demonstrate "good behavior" with the caveat that he be allowed to videotape the proceedings. Guard Stella Stevens is in cahoots with pimp Henry Silva, skimming from Vernon's cocaine supply and selecting the prison's finest for escort work.

In order to preserve the profitable status quo they keep the prisoners segregated in a "divide and conquer" strategy, fanning the flames of racial tension between the prison's white and black factions, respectively led by Sybil Danning and Tamara Dobson. Danning consorts with Silva behind Stevens' back, while Dobson takes a dim view of the drug trade and warns Danning and company not to let it spill over to her side.

CHAINED HEAT is everything that we've all come to expect in a women-in-prison flick, only even more over the top and reveling in the tastelessness like no other 1980's entry. You want sleaze? Vernon takes Gabrielle to his jacuzzi and brags about the size of his homemade porn collection. How about nudity? Gabrielle, Danning and Blair display their wares during the obligatory shower scenes. Catfighting?  Dobson and Danning duke it out with knives, chains and racial slurs during exercise period. You want lesbianism? Danning also thinks Blair is the cat's meow. You want a revolt? You got one of the best at the end of this one. Hope I'm not spoiling anything there.

You want sensitivity? Well, you've come to the wrong place on that one, although Vernon does show his tender side after a favorite inmate is murdered. "She was the best piece of ass I ever had in here!" he notes with sadness.

CHAINED HEAT is commendably ridiculous from start to finish, with the boom mike making what may be a record number of appearances in a theatrical release and an incredible number of men AND women finding Blair attractive. The acting of the bit players is downright excruciating, but the big genre names here all know how to overplay shamelessly with style. Vernon has the best lines and manages to deliver them with a straight face, Silva smiles fiendishly as only he can, and Vassar graduate(!) Dobson makes up for her unbecoming language ("Bullfuckingshit!") by calling Danning a "chalk-faced whore" prior to the big fight.

CHAINED HEAT has a dream exploitation cast, every genre cliche in the book, and arguably more jaw-droppingly hilarious moments than any other WIP flick. A bit of trivia: this was the only wide release that anyone dared to send out there against the highly anticipated RETURN OF THE JEDI on Memorial Day weekend in 1983. Sure, CHAINED HEAT lost the box office battle that weekend, but 25 years later, which film would you rather watch, right now?

Yeah, that's what I thought!

Ok, this is a lotta pics of Sybil.  Would you prefer Vernon?  Didn't think so.

So....why isn't this on DVD?

It keeps getting announced, then postponed. I'm not sure what the holdup is at this point, since the vastly inferior sequel CHAINED HEAT 2 (with Brigitte Nielsen) has been out for several years.

Why it should be on DVD:

It's probably the best WIP film of its decade, with a dream exploitation cast to rival the Jack Hill classics of the early 1970's and more laughs than any of those films.

A true cult classic, with a devoted following that keeps turning up in widescreen (with some violence edited out) on Showtime and Flix. Speaking of those edits, a restored version would be yet another reason to get this out.

Who wouldn't want a commentary, with the likes of Blair, Danning, Silva and Stevens all available to participate?

A great double feature could be made available with its nominal "prequel", 1982's THE CONCRETE JUNGLE, which is a more serious approach (what wouldn't be?) and is even harder to find, but does star Jill St. John.

The HORN SECTION Salutes: Tamara Dobson (1944-2006)

Thursday would have been Tamara Dobson's 65th birthday. Sadly, the forever foxy 1970's icon passed away from multiple sclerosis and pneumonia in October 2006.

Many people first took notice of Tamara Dobson with her breakthrough role in 1973's CLEOPATRA JONES as she karate chopped her way through drug kingpins worldwide. Others first noticed Ms. Dobson as one of the most highly sought after fashion models of the late 1960's and 1970's, including a long-running stint as the face of Faberge's Tigress. Children of a certain age (say, mine) remember her fondly on JASON OF STAR COMMAND and BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY, and 1980's movie cultists came to know her as the commanding Dutchess in perhaps the ultimate WIP camp classic, CHAINED HEAT.

However it was that you first noticed Ms. Dobson, the point is that you certainly noticed her. The 6'2" beauty came to prominence as a model in the late 1960's.  The photo at left is from a 1969 issue of LIFE.  After some 25 national television commercials and countless magazine print ads, her film career began in 1972 with supporting roles in COME BACK CHARLESTON BLUE and FUZZ.

Tigress ad, 1978

It was Dobson's third role that would establish her as a star. She looked fantastic in no less than 15 different outfits (by Georgia de Saint Angelo) and should have done for the Corvette what Burt Reynolds did for the Trans Am and Steve McQueen did for the Mustang. The novel twist of CLEOPATRA JONES was that in an era of great distrust for authority, Cleo worked for the government and still managed to be incredibly cool.

Ms. Dobson's time at the top of the film world was brief: sadly, there would be only one more Cleopatra Jones adventure. The ambitious and image-conscious Dobson (who did not do nude scenes) pushed for more challenging roles and lamented the lack of scripts being written for black women, especially after the blaxploitation genre faded out around 1976. The December 23, 1976 issue of JET reported that Dobson was working on her own screenplays, including a romantic film to co-star Jim Brown, a third JONES vehicle, and an album for MCA records under Van McCoy's production, but unfortunately none of these projects came to full fruition (there is a rare 45 RPM of Tamara singing "It Ain't Easy" b/w "Jungle Girl" that occasionally pops up on ebay for you hardcore collectors -- wish I had a copy!).

Dobson continued her highly successful modeling career, with ads for the likes of Revlon and Faberge (replacing Lola Falana as Tigress spokesperson in 1978), but her post-Cleo acting career was mainly limited to Amazonian sci-fi supporting roles in series like JASON OF STAR COMMAND and her swan song, the telefilm AMAZONS (appropriately enough) in 1984 for ABC. She left acting behind at that point, still stunning as ever, but no doubt frustrated over lack of opportunity and typecasting. Hollywood's myopia was once again our loss. There were occasional rumors that Ms. Dobson might be returning to the screen, but AMAZONS remained her swan song.

Her acting career lasted barely a full decade, but Tamara Dobson still set the standard for supermodels in the movie world.  She became a far bigger box office attraction than Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, or Cindy Crawford. Even the durable Lauren Hutton never had a peak period of popularity like Dobson enjoyed in the mid-1970's.

As part of The Horn Section's birthday salute to the original foxy Cleopatra, two more reviews of her films that have yet to make it to DVD are forthcoming. Enjoy!

Dobson in 1969

Film Review: CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD (1975)

"Why the Hell isn't THIS on DVD yet?" -- Number 32










CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD (1975 Warner Brothers) Starring Tamara Dobson, Norman Fell, Stella Stevens, Tanny, Albert Popwell, Caro Kenyatta. Directed by Charles Bail.


U.S. agents Popwell and Kenyatta are missing in Hong Kong following an unsuccessful sting on ruthless, drug-dealing lesbian casino owner Stevens. Dobson's title character arrives to investigate, with nominal assistance from government superior Fell and more substantial help from sympathetic local Tanny. Once Dobson realizes who's behind the disappearance, she plots to turn the tables on Stevens, but it won't be easy--she's rich, powerful and an expert with a sword.

The second and (sadly) final CLEOPATRA JONES has, on the surface, much in common with the classic first film. Once again we have a blonde lesbian drug lord (though Stevens is a lot easier on the eyes than Shelley Winters) for Cleo to battle while she's working overseas to undermine the drug trade in the United States. Dobson, Popwell and Kenyatta all reprise their roles, and Dobson continues wearing outrageous 1970's fashions and displaying proficiency in martial arts.

The change to the sexier but equally campy Stevens as villainess is only one indicator of an increase in the Bond influence and a lighter tone this time around. Max Julien is out and William Tennant takes over full writing duties and there's no scene as gritty as the first film's disturbing portrayal of withdrawal symptoms. In addition, J. J. Johnson (SHAFT, TROUBLE MAN, THE FUZZ BROTHERS, WILLIE DYNAMITE among others) is out and western/TV specialist Dominic Frontiere (BARQUERO) is in as composer, and the theme song "Playin' with Fire" sounds nothing like the typical soundtrack for a Dobson (or Grier, or Williamson...) film. CASINO OF GOLD feels more like a Run Run Shaw production (he co-produced with Tennant) than a blaxploitation entry and if not for Dobson's presence, this one likely wouldn't get lumped into the genre at all.

Not to say this is a bad film, not at all---just an odd duck. I'd estimate it at 2/5ths Bond, 2/5ths Shaw and 1/5th blaxploitation. It's still a lot of fun to see Dobson being such a wiseass to everyone (especially Fell) and there are nifty action sequences on a ship, in the titular casino, on a deserted street and inside Tanny's apartment. Just be sure to suspend your disbelief a few times: I can't understand why Tanny would leave her door unlocked and open before taking a shower (she and Dobson have been followed already!) and the 'insurance' that Popwell and Kenyatta take with the money seems like overkill to me, for starters.

Dobson's clothing is always a highlight, but the gorgeous 6'2" model isn't looking quite as foxy as she did in the first JONES---too much unnecessary silver eye shadow IMO. The actress did her own makeup according to the credits, so Cleo isn't perfect. Still, Dobson winks to the camera almost as effectively as Roger Moore and seems to be having a lot more fun with the role the second time around. It is a real shame that Dobson didn't have the opportunity to star in a third JONES adventure. But with this film, FRIDAY FOSTER and SHEBA, BABY all disappointing at the box office within a few months in 1975, Dobson and Pam Grier were both back in supporting roles in their subsequent features.

So....why isn't this on DVD yet? (In the U.S.)

Dobson never did nudity, and pushed for a reduction in sex and gore in her films, so CASINO OF GOLD doesn't quite have the titillation factor of Pam Grier's films. Coincidentally or not, all of Grier's 1970's AIP-ers are out on DVD, with 3 available in the "Fox in a Box" set. In addition, Cleopatra doesn't even have a boyfriend this time out, so all exploitation elements are left to the "adopted daughters" of Stevens, in brief scenes as they attend to the needs of Popwell and Kenyatta.

A rather ambitious mixture of genres exploring the global nature of Ms. Jones' job, CASINO OF GOLD was misleadingly promoted as blaxploitation when released, which may have contributed to subpar box office returns--the genre was fading commercially by 1975.

Why it should be on DVD:

The first CLEOPATRA JONES film is slightly better IMO, but they should both be on DVD for sure. Dobson is no Pam Grier in terms of acting ability, but she is charismatic and statuesque, and her only two starring vehicles should be widely available--though the 1973 original is out on DVD, it's not easy to find.

It's just too easy to picture this one on Wal-Mart shelves as part of a "2 for 1" with the first CLEOPATRA JONES. I mean, why hasn't this happened yet? Come on!

The out of print VHS is full screen only, and this unique, exciting film could use a widescreen digital remastering.

It's a lot of fun to see: Stella Stevens' camping (Shelley Winters was over the top in the first film; Stevens is a big improvement); Norman Fell giving us an early version of the 'Fell Take' at the conclusion of his first scene

and further foreshadowing his immediate future by playing a character named...Stanley; and Dobson's wisecracking, particularly in the casino scene, in which Cleo tells the intrigued Stevens what brought her there: her "beautiful money!".