Movie Ad of the Week: SEDUCE AND DESTROY w/ ANGELS' BRIGADE (1982)

The Aaron Spelling/Leonard Goldberg series CHARLIE'S ANGELS enjoyed three wildly successful seasons on ABC before the ratings went south at the start of the fourth, mostly in response to the departure of Kate Jackson (whose Sabrina Duncan character was certainly our favorite Angel). The show ran for another two seasons but was gone from prime time for almost a year when this cash-in double feature rolled into six Atlanta-area theaters on March 12, 1982. Ironically, SEDUCE AND DESTROY is a retitling of Ted V. Mikels' THE DOLL SQUAD (1973), the snail-paced tale of an all-girl commando team's mission to stop a rogue government agent from stealing U.S. missiles, which Mikels claimed for years was the uncredited blueprint for the Spelling/Goldberg show (One of the characters is even named Sabrina). The second feature, Greydon Clark's ANGELS' BRIGADE (a.k.a. SEVEN FROM HEAVEN) -- about seven young women in a customized van who wage war against drug dealers led by Peter Lawford and Jack Palance -- was sold as a CHARLIE'S ANGELS knock-off when first released in 1979, but it also predates the hit TV show. Announced in the trades in January 1973 as a blaxploitation film titled SEVEN SOUL SISTERS, it was originally to star R&B singer Ginji James in the role that eventually went to leading lady Susan Kiger (Playboy's Miss January 1977), and Aldo Ray as a corrupt cop in business with the drug dealers.

Movie Ad of the Week: FIRECRACKER w/ BAMBOO DOLL HOUSE (1981)

This double bill of Philippines-shot exploitation from New World Pictures opened at the Rialto Theater (Atlanta, GA) in May 1981. Cirio H. Santiago's first directorial effort for New World since COVER GIRL MODELS six years earlier, FIRECRACKER was a remake of Santiago's own TNT JACKSON (1974) and starred Jillian Kesner, "1981 Winner of the North American Black Belt Olympics" (Similarly, the publicity for TNT JACKSON claimed that star Jeanne Bell was an "Ebony Fist Award" winner). The music is mostly taken from SHOGUN ASSASSIN (1980) and the film's most memorable setpiece was shot in L.A. by director Allan Holzman and cinematographer Don Jones.

BAMBOO DOLL HOUSE is a re-release of WOMEN IN CAGES (1971) that utilizes the ad campaign for THE BIG DOLL HOUSE (also '71).

The Endangered List (Case File #110)

HEROINA (1965)

Starring
Kitty de Hoyos (Laura)
Jaime Sánchez (Chico)
Otto Sirgo (Marcos)
Jeddu Mascorieto (Tito)
Marta Casanas (The Mother)
José de San Antón (The Father)
Nydia Caro (Nina)
Félix Monclova (Nick)
Olga Guillot (The Singer)
Freddie Baez (The Addict)

Produced and directed
by
Jeronimo Mitchell Melendez

Screenplay by
Enrique de la Torre

Story by
Jeronimo Mitchell Melendez

Music by
Charlie Palmieri

Cinematography by
Luis A. Maisonet

Film Editing by
Gloria Piñeyro

Released by
Royal Films International

Also released by
Columbia Pictures
(to Spanish language theaters)

Black-and-white
Running time: 105 minutes

Shot in Spanish
entirely on location
in New York, NY

Special thanks to John W. Donaldson

Contest winners announced

1. Eric Geggus -- Congratulations! You won the Party Animals for Hire comic book! We'll contact you tonight for your address.

Runner-up winners
2. Michael Irelan
3. Jill Hunter
4. Matthew St. Cyr

(Quasi-Schlocko thought we had 4 copies of Party Animals for Hire to give away, so he pulled another 3 names out of the pickle barrel before we could stop him. We're not exactly sure what the runner-up winners have won, but we'll figure something out).

Bob Chinn book signing/reading this Friday in L.A.!

Friday, July 8 · 7:30pm

Spring Arts Tower, 453 South Spring Street,
Mezzanine, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (Enter through
The Last Bookstore, acceessible via 5th Street)

Join legendary adult film industry icon Bob Chinn (Johnny Wadd series creator/director and author of Flesh of the Lotus), filmmaker Julia St. Vincent (director of EXHAUSTED), John Holmes biographer Jill Nelson (John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches) and host Bill Margold for the 30th Anniversary of EXHAUSTED and publication party for Bob Chinn’s first Johnny Wadd mystery novel, Flesh of the Lotus. The evening will feature readings by Bob Chinn and Jill Nelson, followed by an intimate screening of EXHAUSTED and more.

Suggested donation is $5.00. Proceeds from book sales and donations will benefit Japan Disaster Relief.

For more information, please contact Rare Bird Lit directly at (213) 623-1773 or , or visit Rare Bird Lit.

The Endangered List (Case File #109)

THE PLASTIC DOME OF NORMA JEAN (1966)

Starring

Sharon Henesy (Norma Jean)

Robert Gentry (Vance)

Marco St. John (Bobo)

Sam Waterston (Andy)

Skip Hinnant (Francis)

Arthur Hughes (Chris)

Henry Oliver (Mayor)

Jack Murray (Announcer)

Jerry Serempa (Spelunker)

Emma Cody (Mrs. Meekas)

Gilbert Elmore (Chance Lawson)

Stanley Tiffany (Johnny)

Karl Wallace (Sheriff)

George Jackson (Elmer)

Roger Krieger (Finch)

Written and Directed

by

Juleen Compton

Produced by

Juleen Compton

and

Stuart Murphy

Cinematography by

Roger Barlow

Music by

Michel Legrand

Edited by

Stuart Murphy

Set Decoration by

Sterling Merritt


Filmed in 1965

Premiered at
the San Francisco Film Festival
October 1966

Released in 1974 by Compton-Murphy Productions

Movie Ad of the Week: "The Holy Smoke Show" (1976)

In 1973, New Line Cinema acquired a trio of 1930s "scare" films -- COCAINE FIENDS (1935), REEFER MADNESS (1936) and SEX MADNESS (1938) -- and reissued them as campy cult films on the college/art house circuit. Here's an ad from January 1976, where they're together on a triple bill advertised as "The Holy Smoke Show."

Big Dusk-to-Dawn Drive-In Show this weekend in Pennsylvania!