Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The Endangered List (Case File #14) - FOUND!



THE DIRTY DOLLS
(1973)

An Edward E. Paramore Production

Starring
JOHN ALDERMAN
and
DENISE DRAKE

with
Sharon Kelly, Chris Schwarzer, Cindy Summers, Jeff Marlow,
George Pursell, Esther Abbott, Lyllah Torena [uncredited],
Gary Graver as Charlie
and
C. D. LeFleure (George "Buck" Flower)

Director: GODFREY DANIELS (Stu Segall)
Associate Producer: MURRAY M. PERLSTEIN
Production Manager: JOHN HERSHEY
Assistant Director: LARRY LABIDO
Cameraman: GARY GRAVER
Assistant Cameraman: ROGER NELSON
Grip: GLENN JACOBSON
Script Girl: MARIA LEASE
Stills: CHET NORRIS
Make-up: RAY SEBASTIAN
Sound: GEORGE MASTERS
Production Secretary: SUSAN McDOWELL
Released by The Film Makers Company


PLOT
(from the pressbook)

Johnny Feral, a ruthless clever psychopath, has recruited a band of young girls to commit robberies for him. These nubile disciples include even his own younger sister and his domination of this group is absolute. They will do anything for him.

After successfully heisting a bar, Feral sends his girls out on their next job, a diamond exchange, without him. The girls accomplish their objective, but are forced to take a courier and a female witness as hostages.

Feral's girls return to their hide-out and despite his pleasure with their diamond haul, he is furious at the intrusions of unwanted captives. He has good reason. Later on that night the gang's fence backs out of the deal because he wants nothing to do with kidnappings. Feral's fierce temper is partially mollified by an orgy of sex arranged by three of his girls who spice up the occasion with the unwilling participation of Linda Phipps, the female prisoner. Feral even devises another way of converting the jewels into cash and for the moment, his tight little world seems well under control.


Dee Dee Feral, Johnny's sister, does not share her brother's satisfaction. The gang's other hostage, the courier, has correctly diagnosed that Dee Dee does not belong with this group and is only with them because of her love for her brother. The courier works on her to free him and after Johnny kills the other hostage who tries to escape, Dee Dee confronts her brother in a final effort to have him disband the gang and free the courier. A furious argument ensues in which old sibling passions rise to the surface. In a blinding flash of lust Johnny proceeds to rape his own sister, only to find that she is more than willing to break the taboos of incest!

Later on, deeply shamed at her actions and knowing only too well that her brother plans to kill the courier, Dee Dee steals a gun from one of the other girls and sets the courier free. Their escape is discovered, however, and they are forced to shoot their way out to freedom.


BILL LANDIS says...
Playing with THE CONCRETE JUNGLE on 42nd Street is one of Times Square's staple second features, THE DIRTY DOLLS. This shot in L.A., early 70s softcore porn effort combines an interesting sexual situation with execution that's the quintessence of sleaze. Unstable, macho Johnny (softcore superstar John Alderman) leads a band of four slutty-attractive girls, including his sister, who commit various thefts and robberies. During a bungled diamond heist, two office workers are kidnapped. While the girls amuse themselves sexually with the hostages, Johnny panics and becomes increasingly unglued. THE DIRTY DOLLS defies any sort of normal standards of filmmaking so thoroughly and consistently it's a delight to any trash aficionado. The dialogue is laughable, the lighting is as loud as the overacting, the camera placement reeks of short shooting schedule, the sex scenes are strictly heavy breathing, and movie muzak accompanies the proceedings. Amazingly, this all works, lending THE DIRTY DOLLS the authenticity of the unintentional. -- (Sleazoid Express, Vol. 3, No. 3, February 1983)

RICHARD GREEN says...
Still playing at 42nd Street's Selwyn Theater as the co-feature to THE CONCRETE JUNGLE is THE DIRTY DOLLS, an outrageously cheap ultra trash soft core film from what appears to be the late 60's or early 70's. Its only discernible feature is star John Alderman who has made dozens of soft core low rent films like this one over the years. DIRTY DOLLS has the basic elements typical of soft core films: long drawn-out non-explicit sex scenes coupled with a who-cares plot. Its main emphasis is on sex, not violence, as when someone gets shot they just fall down, no blood. What plot there is to speak of is involved with a girl gang led by Alderman, responsible for the holdups of local bars and a botched attempt at a diamond heist. One somewhat compelling aspect is Alderman's fear-induced control of the gang members (including his sister), which eventually leads to his downfall. It's never really interesting, but I always find a strange fascination about this type of film. (When was it made? Has anyone else ever seen or heard of it before? What's the releasing company? Who is the director? Who are the stars? Is this the only print in existence? Where was it made? I must find out, etc.) It's surprising to see DIRTY DOLLS playing in this day and age, especially when the market is so saturated with hard core product. Trash fiends are strongly advised to check this one out (check out those opening credits) even though it's pretty awful stuff, mainly as a point of history. You never know when (or if) this stuff will surface again. I want to see more no matter how bad it is! This is trash in its purest form. -- (Confessions of a Trash Fiend, Vol. 1, No. 14)

4 comments:

Arbogast said...

If only they hadn't shortened the family name from Feraldini at Ellis Island things might have been different.

Hardtop's Stuff said...

Has anyone ever found a copy of this flick? I'd love to add it to my Sharon Kelly collection!

Hardtop's Stuff said...

Has anyone ever found a copy of this flick? I'd love to add it to my Sharon Kelly collection!

(Sorry if this is a duplicate post - the web interface reloaded so this may be a duplicate)

Temple of Schlock said...

Hardtop: There's a print in the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) in Austin.