Brandon Chase's Group 1 Films (also known as V.I. Productions, Ltd. and BLC Services, Inc.) was a distribution company that specialized in sleazy European imports (AMUCK!, THE SENSUOUS THREE, NAZI LOVE CAMP #27) that frequently sported cool Robert McGinnis artwork and claimed to be banned in 27 countries but rarely had opening credits or billing blocks to identify the actual movies being ballyhooed. We've solved a couple of these Group 1 mystery movies (like THE MODELS) but there are at least two we have yet to ID.
But before we deal with those, let's get one we have solved out of the way first. The IMDb claims THE GIRLS WHO'LL DO ANYTHING (Group 1 release: 1976) is an Israeli film directed by Boaz Davidson...
...but after a thorough investigation we've come to the conclusion that it's actually Tonino Cervi's LA NOTTATA (1975).
OK, now to the unsolved mystery movies. We know that THE FOUR OF US was rated R by the MPAA in 1974, and earned a domestic gross of $3,276,000 during its first eight months in release in '75.
We also know that there's a print in the American Genre Film Archive, so we reached out to AGFA head archivist Sebastian del Castillo and he sent us the following frame grabs...
We're hoping someone recognizes this movie, or at least the actor in the shots, because we're stumped.
The second unsolved mystery movie is GIRLS IN TROUBLE.
It's a 1974 Group 1 release mistakenly cited everywhere as the West German abortion report PARAGRAPH 218 - WIR HABEN ABGETRIEBEN, HERR STAATSANWALT (1971), which we reviewed as IN TROUBLE, but that film was released in the U.S. as THE JOY OF LOVE in 1974 by United International Pictures. Same year, different movie.
Here's a newspaper ad for THE JOY OF LOVE...
...and this is the trailer for GIRLS IN TROUBLE, which contains not a single shot from PARAGRAPH 218/IN TROUBLE/THE JOY OF LOVE.
Can anyone identify THE FOUR OF US or GIRLS IN TROUBLE, or any of the performers in these movies?
they look like great movies. I hope you solve this one. I wish I could see craig denneys the astrologer the most I most want to see. DVD planet Pakistan says they have the craig denney movie the astrologer I dont believe it. I've pictures of a french vhs online. I hope they solve the music issue I've never wanted to see a more, and the farmer with gary conway.
ReplyDeleteThe snippet of Giorgio Moroder's early hit single "Son of My Father" in the GIRLS IN TROUBLE trailer is an excellent searching clue. I'm not 100% on this, but based on cursory research of movies that song has been featured in, I'm deducing GIRLS IN TROUBLE is the 1972 German SCHOOLGIRL REPORT knockoff "Die Klosterschülerinnen", English export title SEX LIFE IN A CONVENT, directed by Eberhard Schroeder.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068377/reference