The other day, someone on one of the message boards started a thread proclaiming 2009 to be the greatest year for movies ever. Once I stopped laughing, I traded a few e-mails with T.O.S. contributor John W. Donaldson and we decided to put together this post to spotlight some of the movies that were in release in 1973, during what is now considered to be the big ticket summer movie season (May through August). Not everything here got a wide release -- some titles only played arthouses and ethnic theaters in big cities, while others played for years in rural drive-ins and never reached New York or L.A. -- but they were all playing somewhere. It's quite a list, not even close to complete, and we didn't even include porn! Keep in mind also that these are just the movies released during the four months covered; Clint Eastwood's HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, Mario Bava's BARON BLOOD, Lucio Fulci's ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER, the original WALKING TALL and others -- released a month or several prior to May -- were probably still making the rounds or were held over in some cities and towns.
It must've been a very exciting time to be a moviegoer.
MAY
AN AUTUMN AFFAIR
BLUE DEMON CONTRA LAS DIABOLICAS
THE DAY OF THE JACKAL
DEEP THRUST
A DOLL’S HOUSE
EMPEROR OF THE NORTH
EXTREME CLOSE-UP
FISTS OF FURY
THE GATLING GUN
GIRLS ARE FOR LOVING
THE HARRAD EXPERIMENT
KID BLUE
LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL
THE MATTEI AFFAIR
THE NEPTUNE FACTOR
THE OFFENSE
PAPER MOON
PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID
POINT OF TERROR
SAVAGE!
THE SOUL OF NIGGER CHARLEY
SOYLENT GREEN
STANLEY
SWEET JESUS, PREACHER MAN
TERROR IN THE WAX MUSEUM
THREE DIMENSIONS OF GRETA
VUELVEN LOS CAMPEONES JUSTICIEROS
A WARM DECEMBER
JUNE
ALL THE WAY BOYS
BAD CHARLESTON CHARLIE
BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
BLUME IN LOVE
CAHILL, U.S. MARSHAL
THE CANDY SNATCHERS
THE CHEERLEADERS
COFFY
DILLINGER
DUEL OF THE IRON FIST
THE EROTIC ADVENTURES OF ZORRO
THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE
THE HAMMER OF GOD
HURACAN RAMIREZ Y LA MONJITA NEGRA
INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS
JONATHAN
THE LAST OF SHEILA
THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE
LITTLE CIGARS
LIVE AND LET DIE
A LIZARD IN A WOMAN’S SKIN
MAN FROM DEEP RIVER
THE MAN WHO LOVED CAT DANCING
NIGHT OF THE CORBRA WOMAN
O LUCKY MAN!
PLAYTIME
SHAFT IN AFRICA
THE STEPMOTHER
SUPER FLY T.N.T.
TERMINAL ISLAND
THIS IS A HIJACK
A TOUCH OF CLASS
TRADER HORN
JULY
AMERICAN GRAFFITI
AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS
BADGE 373
BARBARA, FURIA INFERNAL
BROTHER ON THE RUN
CLEOPATRA JONES
THE DARING DOBERMANS
DEAF SMITH AND JOHNNY EARS
HOT SUMMER WEEK
THE LAST AMERICAN HERO
THE MACKINTOSH MAN
OKLAHOMA CRUDE
UNA ROSA SEBRE EL RING
SCREAM, BLACULA, SCREAM
SSSSSS
SWEET SUZY
SWINGIN' WIVES
WHITE LIGHTNING
AUGUST
BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY
THE BOY WHO CRIED WEREWOLF
CAGED VIRGINS
THE CLONES
COPS AND ROBBERS
DETROIT 9000
ELECTRA GLIDE IN BLUE
ENTER THE DRAGON
GORDON’S WAR
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY – LOVE, GEORGE
HARRY IN YOUR POCKET
HEAVY TRAFFIC
THE HONG KONG CAT
LA INVASION DE LOS MUERTES
JEREMY
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
LADY ICE
LAKE OF DRACULA
THE MAD BOMBER
MAURIE
THE NAKED APE
SLAUGHTER’S BIG RIP-OFF
THE STONE KILLER
SWORD OF VENGEANCE
THE TALL BLONDE MAN WITH ONE RED SHOE
YOUR THREE MINUTES ARE UP
THE VIRGIN WITCH
WHEN WOMEN HAD TAILS
1973 really was a cool movie year! That was the year I started clipping newspaper movie ads and making scrapbooks! Ultimately, I had 28 by the time I retired from it in 1982. I beleive I saw 40+ films that year (not a record for me but still pretty good). By contrast, this year I've paid to see four.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE all these old, sleazy movie ads, Chris, keep 'em coming! ;-)
ReplyDeletedid you just start collecting them as a kid & how many do you have now?!...
Wow. I would take 1973 over 2009 any day of the week. I do love all those ads for the movies. These are so cool.
ReplyDeleteI read that initial post elsewhere about 2009 being the best year for movies. Didn't give it any attention really, so I don't know if the initial poster was kidding around or serious. For all I know it was a 12 year old agog with Michael Bay and Rob Zombie movies. That is their sad starting ground for measuring "greatness", and anything prior to that is completely alien - simply because they know no better.
ReplyDeleteOh, and loved the WICKED, WICKED ad....very clever!
sick and savage selection - what a year for flicks
ReplyDeleteWe still have drive-ins in my area. I always go them to watch movies even though they're playing big studio releases. This year (2009), I haven't been going like I used to because the movies have been more atrocious than usual. And that's saying a bunch. It's sad watching the 2009 junk in those drive-ins where I once saw "Switchblade Sisters" & "Vampire Hookers". If I only had a time machine.
ReplyDelete