Test Drive for Toby!

This is The Horn Section's offering to the Classic Movie Dogathon, which is hosted by a blog that is one of my frequent online visits, Classic Film and TV Cafe.  We contributing bloggers are paying tribute to our favorite cinematic canines, so if you're a dog lover or a film lover, be sure to check out all the movies featuring memorable moments from man's best friend!

"Peanuts" per the credits, but known and loved to film cultists everywhere as "Toby".

Participating in the Classic Movie Dogathon gives me the opportunity to wax poetic on the film I consider to be the funniest movie ever made.  Yes, my favorite comedy of all time, a film I've watched literally one hundred times without ever getting sick of it. Yet this is the first time I've blogged at length about director Robert Zemeckis' 1980 masterpiece, USED CARS.

Notice I said, "at length".  Long time Horn Section readers (or those scanning "Divvying up the Posts") will notice I did post about the legendary Marshal Lucky commercial in a 2008 post.  (WARNING: The video clip of said commercial ain't safe for work!) I shouldn't be calling attention to this because I didn't deliver, but I kinda sorta promised a detailed review at the end of that post.  I know you're wondering what excuse I have for not coming through.

Toby wants to know why you didn't write it, don't you Toby?

Well, for one thing, it was available on DVD long before I started blogging in 2006, happily making it unnecessary for me to ask "Why the Hell" it isn't.  For another, I don't think I could improve on the many reviews that are already out there.  Click on these links for two terrific takes on USED CARS: from Marty McKee at Johnny LaRue's Crane Shot and Ivan Shreve of Thrilling Days of Yesteryear.

Those two reviews pretty much covered most of my thoughts on the greatness that is USED CARS, but I'll add one.  It seems appropriate that a film that repeatedly tweaks the corruption of the political process by money is strengthened by spreading its laughs out so democratically.  Everyone gets multiple punch lines from the uproarious Bob Zemeckis/Bob Gale script.  If it seems like Jack Warden gets a few more, keep in mind that the great character actor was a master improviser, responsible for much of his own dialogue during the "landscaping" scene as well as his true feelings about the camel assisting him with his "good old fashioned, homespun entertainment".

While USED CARS had a highly quotable script, it also had a tremendous contribution from a character with no lines at all.  Unless "woof" counts.  Yes, I'm talking about Toby (credited as "Peanuts"), the beagle owned by the late Lucas Fuchs, proprietor of the New Deal Used Car lot. 

Hitchcock's philosophy is invoked early on in the DVD's commentary track, that being that the audience can identify with any character if he's good at his job.  Well, being a dog, Toby has a built-in lovability already, but he also fits the criteria set forth by the old master of suspense.  In addition to being a damned good watchdog (watch him protect the territory repeatedly from Roy L. Fuchs, the Evil Twin brother), Toby proves himself equally adept at assisting mechanics and car salesmen.

In fact Toby is performing the former duty when we are introduced to him, dutifully responding to Luke's request for a Phillips screwdriver.  The little fella isn't infallible, as he comes back with a flathead on his first trip before correcting his error.  It's still an impressive feat for a pooch, and it took trainer Tony Shields two months of work with Toby before that trick was ready for filming.

After the first of two legendary setpieces involving illegal (and FCC violating) commercials, every available man is needed to help sell cars on the packed lot the following morning,  Toby is ready for action, teaming up with Gerrit Graham to help put a family in their dream station wagon.  Rather than try to describe it, I'll just let you witness Toby's most famous scene:

Of course, no acting animal could possibly play that dead that convincingly without a helping paw, and Zemeckis admitted Toby was lightly sedated for the scene (with the Humane Society monitoring filming and a DVM on set at all times).   Juiced a little, sure, but that hasn't wiped Canseco's home runs or Clemens' K's off the books yet, so it certainly shouldn't negate Toby's spot-on support of Graham's salesmanship.

Other sites identify Graham's superstitious Jeff as Toby's owner instead of my assumption that it is Luke.  Granted, Toby seems to be best buds with Jeff during the bulk of his screen time, but I base my theory on the fact that Toby is with Luke Fuchs at the outset and only bonds with Jeff after Luke demonstrates that $50 (well, that and a perilous ride with his brother's henchman) can kill somebody.  Toby is also noticeably upset later when Luke is truly about to drive over the curb for the last time.

Truthfully it's hard to say who's right on this.  It is never revealed which man is truly Toby's best friend in the Gale-Zemeckis shooting script, and the DVD's otherwise highly informative commentary track is no help either.  It remains one of the mysteries of USED CARS, right up there with the source of Jim the Mechanic's legal expertise ("That's the most blatant case of false advertising I've ever heard!") and how workaholic Roy has the time to follow routine cases like the People v. Billy Joe Washington.

Toby's second most famous scene is the setpiece fight between Roy L. Fuchs and Jeff after "Marshal Lucky" goes huntin' high prices at the lot across the highway.  The surviving Fuchs brother is outraged enough to temporarily overlook his fear of Toby (not to mention the possibility of a trespassing arrest) and invades the New Deal lot.  Unfortunately for Jeff, his loyal four legged friend ends up locked in a room and unable to help while Fuchs completely routs him.  In a display of Toby's extraordinary intelligence that is often overlooked, he manages to open the window.

Jeff is unconscious, Rudy is away, so mechanic Jim (who deals with threats ranging from Roy's henchman to protesting nuns) is the only person to go to for help.  Jim is in the garage sleeping off a bout of post commercial battle fatigue (PCBF?).  Face licking doesn't wake the slumbering giant played by former Chicago Bear DT Frank McRae (48 HRS.) so Toby has to kick it up a notch.  I'll be as tactful as I can:

No, Toby didn't really tee tee on him.  This was another clever trick Shields taught Peanuts, working with him to just stand on one hind leg, then run off.   Zemeckis ran the film in reverse to get the desired effect.  In a subsequent display of more beagle brilliance, check out this reaction shot.  Many human actors can't get the point across as effectively.

Toby consistently exhibits the traits we recognize in all our wonderful dogs.  Loyalty, bravery, affection, communication....but Toby goes above and beyond in all categories, impressing and occasionally amazing with his acumen.  I could go on all day about USED CARS and Toby, but it's about time for me to wrap this up.

I know, I know, but there's only so much time in your day to check out the other posts, right?  And not only do I think you should check out the rest of the films in the Classic Movie Dogathon, but Toby does too, don't you Toby?

ROO-OOF!

Film Review: THE SLAMS (1973)

 


"Why the Hell isn't this on DVD yet?" -- Number 74






THE SLAMS (1973 MGM) Starring Jim Brown, Judy Pace, Roland Bob Harris, Paul Harris, Frank deKova, Ted Cassidy, Frenchia Guizon, Quinn K. Redeker, Dick Miller, Betty Cole.  Directed by Jonathan Kaplan.

Brown is a small time criminal looking to jump into the big leagues by making off with a cool $1.5 million in cash plus heroin over seven dead Mafia bodies.  Correctly sensing a double-cross afterwards, Brown dispatches his attackers but is wounded in the process.  Brown still manages to stash the booty before he is arrested, making him a person of much interest after his incarceration.  There's a price on his head and the Feds, corrupt guard Harris, and imprisoned mafia enforcer DeKova all want to know where he's keeping the ill-gotten gains.  Facing only a short sentence for the provable charges, Brown turns a deaf ear to all offers of protection (despite the imposing presence of DeKova's racist 6'9" henchman Cassidy) but develops a greater sense of urgency when he learns his hiding spot is scheduled for demolition.

Long before moving on to Oscar bait like THE ACCUSED and HEART LIKE A WHEEL, Kaplan cut his teeth doing action films like THE SLAMS, his third feature.  As you'd guess from the synopsis, there are no real good guys here, but Brown's shady protagonist has an intriguing sense of morality. He has no qualms about killing, as he is responsible for nine homicides during the opening heist alone.  But Big Jim draws the line at profiting off heroin, throwing the smack in the ocean and citing the drug's impact on his community.

Script by Richard L. Adams (Brown's I ESCAPED FROM DEVIL'S ISLAND) leaves much to be desired in terms of plausibility and character motivation.   In front of the Warden and Brown, the Feds address the aforementioned killings thusly: "We don't give a shit about the murders."  Really?  You would think they'd have to at least bluff a continuing investigation considering they badly need leverage against the only man who knows where the $1.5 million is stashed and Brown's "only facing a one to five".  (Some evidence gathering, by the way.....nine corpses and that's it?)

Cole turns up as Brown's mother for one brief hospital scene early that adds nothing to the plot and next to no insight to his motivation or background, then disappears completely.  His lady Pace is a television personality doing rather well for herself, so much so that you wonder why either is taking these risks.  One big chance taken by the meticulous (and as established earlier, anti-smack) Brown is trusting a recreational snorter with the key role during his escape plan.  Oh well, at least Adams does explain why the inmates more or less run the asylum (corruption, overcrowding, understaffing) if not their incredibly easy access to lethal substances during every work detail.

Suffice to say THE SLAMS will fall apart if you give it much thought, so Kaplan wisely sticks to the meat and potatoes with a concise 91 minute running time packed full of brutal bloodshed.  The often unsettling violence includes homicides via cyanide gas and drowning (to name two), disfigurement by acid, and Pace being assaulted in her home.  Racial and sexual slurs abound, with Cassidy's basso profundo delivery of the former rivaling Nichelle Nichols' gutter talk in Kaplan's TRUCK TURNER for unintentional giggles.  You can see Brown's inevitable showdown with Cassidy coming a mile away, but it is a surprise to see elder statesman DeKova (F TROOP) joining the fisticuffs at one point.  In one of the screenplay's few instances of a backstory, we learn that DeKova never carries a weapon, preferring to "kill with his bare hands".

That's right, my bare hands!  "Hekawis not fighters"  my ass!

Despite Kaplan's best efforts and a good cast, the story and characters are both badly underwritten, leaving THE SLAMS undistinguished as both blaxploitation and prison flick.  But it is zippy and shockingly vicious at times, making it a watchable (if not terribly memorable) vehicle for Brown.  Ubiquitous genre actor Thalmus Rasulala (WILLIE DYNAMITE) was the assistant director, and speaking of ubiquitous actors, Dick Miller cameos as a cabbie.

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

The underdeveloped script hurts, one reason THE SLAMS is less remembered today than Brown's THREE THE HARD WAY, SLAUGHTER and BLACK GUNN.

Why it should be on DVD:

One of Kaplan's early films, and starring one of the enduringly popular action stars of the era, THE SLAMS should really be on DVD by now.  Kaplan's TRUCK TURNER is, and MGM distributed numerous Soul Cinema entries, so the omission of THE SLAMS is a puzzler.

Your only chance to see Pace (COTTON COMES TO HARLEM) as Brown's leading lady.  She also starred in MGM's COOL BREEZE (1972) with Rasulala.  Speaking of which, COOL BREEZE is also missing from DVD, so that's another film MGM has dropped the ball on so far.  Come on Metro, what do you have against the gorgeous Ms. Pace? 

 (update: Marc kindly informs me in the comments below that Warner now owns the rights.  Thanks Marc!  Given that.....) 

THE SLAMS may not be a classic, but it would be a great fit along with the aforementioned BREEZE for a Warner Archive Urban Action Collection II---the four-pack Collection I included THREE THE HARD WAY.

Film Review: BRING ME THE HEAD OF DOBIE GILLIS (1988)

 



"Why the Hell isn't THIS on DVD yet?" -- Number 73






BRING ME THE HEAD OF DOBIE GILLIS (1988 CBS-TV/Twentieth Century Fox) Starring Dwayne Hickman, Bob Denver, Sheila James Kuehl, Connie Stevens, Scott Grimes, William Schallert, Tricia Leigh Fisher, Kathleen Freeman, Steve Franken.  Directed by Stanley Z. Cherry.


Hickman returns as the titular character from the 1959-1963 sitcom.  Now married to Kuehl (as Zelda) and running the Gillis Grocery and Pharmacy, he no longer pines for a creamy, dreamy girl. Instead, newly widowed and wealthy Stevens (taking over for Tuesday Weld as Thalia) wants him---and wants him badly enough to single-handedly solve the town’s considerable economic woes if he’ll reciprocate. When Stevens is rebuffed, she puts a $50,000 bounty on his head, hence the title.

If that isn’t enough to send a man back in front of the town park’s statue of THE THINKER again, there’s the return of good buddy Denver (successful enough to have his own chauffeur) and the romantic entanglements of son Grimes. Grimes is truly a chip off the old block: chasing a blonde beauty while brainy Fisher, the daughter of wealthy banker Franken (Dobie-Do’s high school nemesis Chatsworth) chases him.  Sound familiar?

The major strength of BRING ME THE HEAD OF DOBIE GILLIS is its faithfulness to the source material.  After James Komack's thoroughly misguided 1977 attempt to revive the series, this second reunion benefited from greater creative control by Hickman (at the time semi-retired from acting as a CBS production executive).  Denver, James, Franken and Schallert all returned, and while first choice Rod Amateau was not approved by Fox, director Cherry helmed multiple episodes of GILLIS (and GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, with Denver).

The REAL "Bobby D".  Take that, DeNiro!

As a result, the distinctive and familiar style of the 1959-1963 series returned intact.  Hickman breaking the fourth wall, the malapropisms and bongos from Denver, the short clipped scenes...all here, along with the never ending battle over the cash register, handed down from father (Frank Faylen had passed away) to son.  The plot itself is even lifted from the fourth season episode "A Little Murder Between Friends", which was Weld's swan song on DOBIE.

Weld was the lone living cast member (unless you count Warren Beatty) not to return, and while Stevens does a decent job, she isn't Tuesday.  BRING ME THE HEAD OF DOBIE GILLIS also suffers from the feeling of being padded at 100 minutes, a common problem for all sitcoms with half-hour stories stretched out to feature length.  Denver's hippy-dippy song is dopey fun, but Grimes' was already dated when the film aired and the proceedings get mighty silly during the final reel, even by the original series' often surrealistic standards.  Speaking of Grimes, how did Dobie and Zelda produce a red-haired child?  I know, I'm nitpicking.

As a one-shot reunion, this one is an agreeable time-passer.  There was talk of reviving GILLIS on a weekly basis when the reunion aired in February 1988, but no revival came to pass, and BRING ME THE HEAD ended up being the show's final word.  Probably just as well.  After seeing Dobie as the quintessential romantic for 147 episodes in his youth, it would have been a little disheartening to see him lecturing son Grimes to "go for the money" on a weekly basis in his middle age.  Plus a full-time revival clearly would have focused on the teenagers in the youth-obsessed prime time of its era.
   

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

Probably the same thing keeping THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS itself off DVD: the Max Shulman estate and Fox haven't been able to come to terms.  As is always the case in these situations, the fans are the losers.

Why it should be on DVD:

Okay, so BRING ME THE HEAD OF DOBIE GILLIS isn't any great shakes as a standalone movie and is overlong at 100 minutes.  It's still a reasonably enjoyable visit with old friends, and if RETURN TO THE BATCAVE (the 2003 BATMAN reunion) can be released as a standalone while issues with the original series get sorted, why not DOBIE?

THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS itself in full season sets is a far better candidate for a DVD release.  Since I brought that up, this reunion movie would be a perfect bonus feature for a season set.  THE PATTY DUKE SHOW's third and final season included a similar add-on, with 1999's STILL ROCKIN' IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS reunion telefilm included in the set.

Fox, surviving Shulmans.....get this resolved already!  We DOBIE fans are getting tired of worn out VHS tapes and YouTube searches.

Film Review: WILD ON THE BEACH (1965)

"Why the Hell isn't THIS on DVD yet?" -- Number 72






WILD ON THE BEACH (1965 Twentieth Century Fox) Starring Sherry Jackson, Frankie Randall, Booth Colman, Sonny and Cher, Gayle Caldwell, Russ Bender, Jackie Miller, Cindy Malone, The Astronauts. Directed by Maury Dexter. 


California college student Jackson is left a beach house in her late uncle's will and intends to transform it into a boardinghouse for girls. Her motivation is twofold: to alleviate a campus housing shortage and help finance her tuition.  Arriving to claim her inheritance, she learns that squatter's rights have already been asserted by Randall, who insists that Jackson's uncle gave him permission to turn it into lodging for the unnamed college's young men.  None-too-alert Dean Colman ends up giving them both a permit, which ignites a battle of the sexes over the pad (since a co-ed living arrangement won't cut it with the bluenoses).  While Jackson and Randall bicker their way to a mutual attraction, hip oldster Bender tries to woo the ladies by promising recording stardom and lots of swingin' musical acts play for the kids.

Randall and Jackson are cast as the ersatz Frankie and Annette in Dexter's second and last knockoff of A.I.P's BEACH PARTY series. Lovely Jackson, who began acting when she was seven, is appealing and assured in front of the camera.  Randall, a musician by trade (he would make only one more film) isn't, which doesn't help the tired slapstick humor during Colman's house inspection or the sterile courtship scenes with Jackson.

Russ Bender SINGS! Crazy, man, crazy!

Dexter (SURF PARTY) again filmed in black and white, rare for a genre that usually relied on bright sunshine and bikinis.  Usually, that is--not here.  WILD ON THE BEACH might not be the absolute worst of the decade's BEACH variations, but it is almost certainly the cheapest.    Forget about surfboards and bikinis. Unpopulated two-second establishing shots contain the only sands we see until after the one hour mark of this 77 minute quickie, and even then Jackson and Randall are fully clothed as they walk the seaside.

So, no skin (though Malone, playing herself, does look good in her turtleneck), no volleyball and even less sex than, say, BEACH BLANKET BINGO.  While veteran ace Bender gives it the old college try, there's also lesser character actors overall than Paul Lynde or Morey Amsterdam.  Is there anything here to keep the target audience from feeling ripped off?  If there is, it's gotta be the music, highlighted by the screen debut of a future Best Actress winner.

Mary Ann and Gilligan...I mean, Sonny and Cher

You read that right, WILD ON THE BEACH boasts the first screen appearance of Sonny and Cher, but only to sing "It's Gonna Rain" from LOOK AT US, their first LP.  They're backed by The Astronauts, who return from Dexter's SURF PARTY and get to perform four of their own songs, the best of which is "Little Speedy Gonzalez".  Malone sings one song, Randall performs two, and even Bender surprisingly gets in on the act with the fun "Yellow Haired Woman".  Take out the songs and the film would be about forty minutes, tops.

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

Despite the historical interest generated by seeing eighteen year old Cher making her big screen bow, WILD ON THE BEACH is cheap, forgettable and the title is blatantly misleading--there's no real wildness and barely a beach.  For genre completists only. 

Cher at 18

Why it should be on DVD:

I can't really make a compelling case for watching it more than once, but fans of The Astronauts will at least get to see a lot more of them here than in SURF PARTY. 

Cindy Malone, one more time!

WILD ON THE BEACH occasionally airs on Fox Movie Channel.

Ringing in the New Year at Rupert Pupkin Speaks!

Happy 2012 to all of my readers new and old!

Just in case the Mayans are right and I won't get a chance to do it again next year, I have accepted Rupert Pupkin's gracious offer to guest post my favorite older films seen for the first time in 2011.  Last year I provided a list only, without further explanation, but this year I have provided short reviews of a dozen goodies ranging from 1935 to 2010 and from Israel to the African continent to Australia and ending up on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami.  Please check out my musings here:

http://rupertpupkinspeaks.blogspot.com/2012/01/hal-horns-favorite-older-films-seen-1st.html

And while you're at Mr. Pupkin's excellent blogspot, please note that many reviewers shared similar lists with him, including Ned Merrill, Josh Johnson, Lars Nilsen, and B.T.S. Junkie.  Most likely more will be sharing their lists in the coming days.

Happy reading!  And have no fear, Why the Hell isn't THIS on DVD yet? will be back with a new entry very soon.

Film Review: THE GONG SHOW MOVIE (1980)

 



"Why the Hell isn't THIS on DVD yet?" -- Number 71






THE GONG SHOW MOVIE (1980 Universal) Starring Chuck Barris, Robin Altman, James B. Douglas, Brian O'Mullin, Jack Bernardi, Jaye P. Morgan, Pat McCormick, Rip Taylor, Mabel King, Lillie Shelton, Phil Hartman, Murray Langston, Della Barris.  Directed by Chuck Barris.


The host and creator of TV's highly successful GONG SHOW, Barris is on top of the game show universe.  He seems to have it all, but there's a down side: constant battles with the network via Douglas (sort of a kinder, gentler version of PRIVATE PARTS'  "Pig Vomit"), high-stress tapings of five shows at a time and virtually non-stop unsolicited public auditions.  Eventually wife Altman gets fed up and walks out, adding to his cumulative stress. It's enough to make a man want to get away from it all, and Barris does---via a one way ticket to Morocco and the world's biggest desert.

Want me to show 'em?

1980 brought not one, but two variations on Fellini's 8 1/2, with Barris' far less cinematic GONG SHOW MOVIE beating Woody Allen's STARDUST MEMORIES to theatres by four months.  Legendary game show producer Barris was directing a film for the first (and only) time, but ceded little control in bringing his most famous creation to the big screen.  In addition to appearing in every scene, Barris cast real life wife Altman (her only imdb credit), executive produced, co-scripted (with PUTNEY SWOPE auteur Robert Downey Sr.) and composed the soundtrack for THE GONG SHOW MOVIE.

Yeah, Jaye P! Show 'em!

Okay, for his MOVIE, Chuckie Baby wore almost as many hats behind the camera as he did in front of it, but this isn't the ego trip that many detractors claimed.  Over the course of ninety minutes Barris is insulted numerous times, misidentified, physically assaulted and even literally pissed on.  He doles the biggest laughs out to his supporting cast (the best sight gag: The Unknown Comic's bedroom).  The TV magnate cheekily kept his GONG SHOW unpolished and unprofessional, and it appears Barris' intent was to preserve those same qualities for the feature version, not to stake some claim to filmmaking genius.  Wife Altman and daughter Della are both just as uncomfortable in front of the camera as the man himself.

This is not to say that being purposely slapdash makes THE GONG SHOW MOVIE some kind of lost subversive classic--just that it doesn't entirely deserve the outright savaging reviewers gave it.  Certainly it was gonged for the wrong reason.  My best guess is that the original idea was Barris and Downey teaming up to satirize the high-pressure showbiz world of films like ALL THAT JAZZ (as Barris' TV productions had done to various game show subgenres).  However, the man without the filmmaking experience had (or took) total creative control, and the result seems more like one long montage periodically interrupted by a few minutes of plot.  Kind of like ROCKY IV, only far less pretentious.

Speaking of the frequent montages: not the collection of the show's greatest hits that you might anticipate.  Instead, you get the greatest misses---the acts that were then too raunchy for prime time, almost all including nudity or profanity.  The editing of the bits also should have been much better.  For example, the infamous Popsicle Twins (reportedly missed by the entire West Coast the first time) get less than ten seconds while other less notable (and G-rated) acts make it to the gonging.  A better mixture might have made the videotaped Show footage more accessible for the uninitiated, but it is still fun spotting familiar faces like Kitten Natividad, Taylor Negron, Tony Randall and Vincent Schiavelli.  And if you're wondering if you'll finally see Jaye P. Morgan's boobs: you do, and while they are real, I'll stop short of the other half of the famous SEINFELD quote.

Universal never allowed Andy Kaufman to realize his dream of bringing THE TONY CLIFTON STORY to the big screen at the peak of his popularity, but they spent $6 million bankrolling Chuck Barris two years past his.  Go figure.  Oh well, Barris courted audience rejection almost as brazenly as Kaufman, and while GONG SHOW MOVIE couldn't match the legendary Clifton screenplay in sheer surrealism, it did have its mind-bending moments.  Not to mention more solid laughs than you'd expect underneath the wreckage.  In its own way, THE GONG SHOW MOVIE defies criticism: made exclusively for fans of Barris and the show and more likely to bewilder newcomers than convert them.  And really, critics, come on. "Worst Movie of All Time?"  Hell, it wasn't even the worst movie released during that month (May 1980) IMO: that honor has to go to G.O.R.P.*.

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

As noted above, GONG SHOW's moment had passed by the time this feature-length version hit the big screen.  The show had been off NBC for nearly two years, and the syndicated version was only a few months from cancellation.  Barris had created and produced several knockoffs (THE $1.98 BEAUTY SHOW, THE CHUCK BARRIS RAH RAH SHOW) in the wake of GONG SHOW's success, and all had come and already long gone.  The overexposure meant that "Barris backlash" was in full force when THE GONG SHOW MOVIE premiered in 1980, so it was every bit as timely when it was released as COOL AS ICE and guaranteed a critical savaging.  And, as mentioned a time or two, it is terribly made.

Why the Hell didn't we get more than 10 seconds?

Why it should be on DVD:

That was then, this is now.  The show that Barris (THE DATING GAME and THE NEWLYWED GAME are his other, more durable hits as producer) is still best known for has maintained its cult following for 35 years now, and even picked up new fans during the past decade with GSN airing reruns and CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND becoming a well-received feature courtesy of director George Clooney.   Barris, who wrote Freddy Cannon's hit "Palisades Park" in his pre-TV days, concocted the tunes himself.  They're actually kinda catchy, especially the showstopping "Don't Get Up".  Since Chuckie Baby wrote 'em all, music rights shouldn't be an issue.

Of course, it is possible that Barris himself would rather just forget about this venture.  Assuming he doesn't, this one would likely find an audience today, and a commentary with the man himself and Downey Sr. would be one a must-listen if there ever was one.  A DVD release would also be a great excuse to include a complete GONG SHOW episode or two as extras.  What gives on this one, Universal?  Inquiring dangerous minds want to know.

Film Review: LEADBELLY (1976)

 



"Why the Hell isn't This on DVD yet?" -- Number 70

LEADBELLY (1976 Paramount) Starring Roger E. Mosley, Paul Benjamin, Madge Sinclair, Albert Hall, Art Evans, Lynn Hamilton, James Brodhead, John Henry Faulk.  Directed by Gordon Parks, Sr.

Mosley is the titular blues legend, whose life is covered from the time he departs the family farm (one step ahead of the law) to his 'discovery' by musicologist Brodhead (as John A. Lomax) in prison a quarter century later.  After bidding adieu to his parents (Benjamin and Hamilton) he finds a Shreveport benefactor in Madam Sinclair, who connects him with his first gigs.  But Mosley isn't one to be a kept man.  He leaves her and the red light district behind, drifting between Louisiana and Texas, incarceration and freedom during the segregated Roaring Twenties with defiance, turbulence and music as the constants in his life.

Gordon Parks Sr. comes full circle with his final feature, LEADBELLY.  In bringing Hudie Ledbetter's life to the screen, the director returned to the same time period he explored in his landmark debut, THE LEARNING TREE.  While TREE was set in Kansas, LEADBELLY takes place in the South, and the guitar virtuoso confronts bigoted hostility in a two fisted style reminiscent of TREE's Marcus for much of the film.  Racist whites aren't the only ones to run afoul of Mosley's hot temper.  The high strung talent is willing to fight anyone over women, pride and music.  Especially music---his introduction to Evans (as Blind Lemon Jefferson) is a near knife-fight after Evans trash talks Mosley's playing on a passenger train.

Yes, he was that close to a violent confrontation with a blind man.  But seconds after he's poised to strike over an insult, he's laughing and forming a musical partnership with his would-be opponent.  He may have a fiercely competitive nature, but Mosley repeatedly shows a healthy respect for his fellow musicians and impetuousness towards virtually everyone else.

WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY mercilessly skewered every time-honored cliche in the music biopic formula.  Thirty years earlier, Parks painstakingly avoided almost all of them.  There's no substance addiction for Mosley to overcome: those in the audience drink more than he does.  Mosley doesn't leave home over parental rejection of his music: Benjamin sends him away to keep him out of jail, and later tries to ensure that the junior Ledbetter will always have his favored guitar.  A tearful reconciliation with his family near the end?  Nope.  The aged Benjamin locates Mosley's prison, but leaves without seeing him once he learns it isn't possible to buy his son's freedom.

Parks eschews commercialized revisionism as decisively as the genre's conventions, so forget about finding the progressive white character who assists the protagonist.   Mosley's Leadbelly encounters bigotry of some form from every Caucasian he meets.  The only "friendly" white face is that of governor Faulk, and only outwardly so---his obnoxiousness and ignorance recalls Warren Oates' character in the same year's DRUM.  Faulk allows Mosley to sing his way to freedom, thoroughly humiliating him in the process.  This is the subtlest racism Mosley encounters.  The rest is blunter and more often than not reinforced by shotgun.  The Lomaxes?  They're merely stone-faced song collectors on a mission.

The titular character's nomadic ways are interrupted only by legal trouble so covering his life requires LEADBELLY's episodic nature.  As a result, this is Mosley's show all the way.  He solidly essays Ledbetter's egotism, antagonism, and (after aging a bit) pragmatism in often demeaning situations.  This is easily Mosley's best opportunity to carry a feature film, but he doesn't carry the tunes: his singing was dubbed by Hi Tide Harris.  Sinclair, Benjamin and Evans have the most prominent supporting roles, yet all have less than ten minutes of screen time.

Parks' opportunity to direct came after a groundbreaking thirty year career in photojournalism.  He was 57 when he brought his novel THE LEARNING TREE to the screen, 59 when SHAFT became his biggest commercial success.  LEADBELLY was clearly a labor of love by its talented maker.  Reportedly, his disappointment over Paramount's failure to promote it was a factor in Parks' disinclination to make another big screen project.  It's a real shame it isn't better known. In its own way, LEADBELLY is as rewarding as his better known works.  Executive produced by David Frost.  Yep, that David Frost.


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

Yeah, why the Hell not????

No earthly idea from me.  Poor studio support was the major factor in the film's under-performance in 1976.  Continuing interest in both Leadbelly and Parks would seem to ensure sales for a legitimate DVD as bootlegs have been plentiful in recent years.

Why it should be on DVD:

Gordon Parks Sr. made precious few films, and THE LEARNING TREE (preserved by the National Film Registry in 1989) and SHAFT are undisputed classics.  LEADBELLY is his lone effort that is still missing from DVD, an oversight that needs to be corrected.

The extras alone would make a release more than worthwhile.  A commentary with Mosley would be particularly interesting.

And now, one purely gratuitous reason.  This is the most revealing outfit that Horn Section favorite Madge Sinclair ever wore onscreen.  You'll never see more of her than you do in this film:



Ms. Sinclair almost pops out of her top, but not quite.  Dammit!

LEADBELLY is currently available for viewing at Netflix Instant.

You're a perv, Hal!