Would be nice to see Dead and buried-81- pop up somewhere. Saw it in the movies when it opened, Was very impress with the film which stars Jack Albertson and James Farentino, but after showing up on cable a year or two after it's theatrical run, it has just about vanished from the airways for decades,, Any DVD?
Would be nice to see Dead and buried-81- pop up somewhere. Saw it in the movies when it opened, Was very impress with the film which stars Jack Albertson and James Farentino, but after showing up on cable a year or two after it's theatrical run, it has just about vanished from the airways for decades,, Any DVD?
DEAD AND BURIED is available from Blue Underground on DVD and Blu-ray.
Would be nice to see Dead and buried-81- pop up somewhere. Saw it in the movies when it opened, Was very impress with the film which stars Jack Albertson and James Farentino, but after showing up on cable a year or two after it's theatrical run, it has just about vanished from the airways for decades,, Any DVD?
DEAD AND BURIED is available from Blue Underground on DVD and Blu-ray.
Den
I just watched DEAD AND BURIED last month. It's a pretty good horror flick that kept delivering surprises all along the way, right up to the last scene.
I just watched DEAD AND BURIED last month. It's a pretty good horror flick that kept delivering surprises all along the way, right up to the last scene.
Yes, the horror genre was still going strong well into the 80's, not only financially, but artistically as well. After that........
To Quiller 007- So you think that genre films made since 1990 are not as good. interesting i thought the 80's were pretty weak and then there was improvement. However we must be open minded, unless we have seen at least 75% of all genre films in each decade the assumption would not be fair. The trouble with so many viewpoints they are done by people who are pretty narrow minded on the subject at hand, Dig this , a co worker of mine back in the 80's at work one day , said to me , i saw a Faye dunaway film last night. He went on to rave how he felt she was the best actress around. I ask him, well how many films have you seen this year that you would say she's the best around? He said in a sought of sheepish way, 3, in which he admitted all those 3 films were with Faye Dunaway, People are people, but it reminds me of that classic Saturday night live skit with Bill Murray playing a movie critic.
Finding obscure films is never so nice then when you find a seldom seen film and it turns out it is a very well done film and you realize how many good films are missed by many simply because of the issue of films that for years lay in limbo without much or any distrubution in different markets.Such was a film i came upon a few nights ago on YOU TUBE - THE UNEARTHLY STRANGER-63- A movie that showed up on free tv in 1970 on a WABC local station in New York][ch -7] and on a few other local stations in America,then vanished from sight. Never to show up on free tv or cable in over 40 years.It is a well done effort right up there with the best of the Scifi thrillers of that era.Any comments?
Finding obscure films is never so nice then when you find a seldom seen film and it turns out it is a very well done film and you realize how many good films are missed by many simply because of the issue of films that for years lay in limbo without much or any distrubution in different markets.Such was a film i came upon a few nights ago on YOU TUBE - THE UNEARTHLY STRANGER-63- A movie that showed up on free tv in 1970 on a WABC local station in New York][ch -7] and on a few other local stations in America,then vanished from sight. Never to show up on free tv or cable in over 40 years.It is a well done effort right up there with the best of the Scifi thrillers of that era.Any comments?
To Quiller 007- So you think that genre films made since 1990 are not as good.
Not just "genre films"....films in general. Actually, the ONLY genre that seemed to survive (financially, as well as artistically) well into the 90's with great aplomb was the "erotic thriller" or "neo-noir thriller" that BODY HEAT and DRESSED TO KILL spawned in the early 80's. There were still dozens of good ones being churned out in the 90's, and they were always entertaining.
AFTER DARK MY SWEET THE HOT SPOT BASIC INSTINCT SHATTERED CHINA MOON COLOR OF NIGHT TRIAL BY JURY TRACES OF RED FINAL ANALYSIS L.A. CONFIDENTIAL MULHOLLAND FALLS THE COOL SURFACE PALMETTO BOUND BAD INFLUENCE BLINK DREAM LOVER EYE OF THE BEHOLDER CONSENTING ADULTS MALICE NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS SINS OF THE NIGHT JADE THE EX BODY OF EVIDENCE THE LAST SEDUCTION RED ROCK WEST ROMEO IS BLEEDING SUNSET GRILL UNDER SUSPICION WHISPERS IN THE DARK
The list is seemingly endless. But unfortunately by the end of that decade this ADULT genre also fell by the wayside - another casualty in the mindless CGI-Comic Book take-over of current cinema. With only a few exceptions - Brian De Palma's FEMME FATALE (2002) being a good example, there really hasn't been very many of these in the last 12 years.
What can you dig up on THE LEGEND OF HILLBILLY JOHN (1973)?
Den
THE LEGEND OF HILLBILLY JOHN was a film that played in most of the U.S. in 1973. The film's semi-allegorical stories were based on Manley Wade Wellman's 1963 short story collection, Who Fears the Devil?, which was a compilation of Appalachian folklore featuring Wellman’s most familiar character, “Silver John” or “John the Balladeer.” Indeed, the film was produced and originally exhibited under the title of WHO FEARS THE DEVIL. For 30 years beginning in the 1950s, Wellman mystified readers with his spooky backwoods horror tales that were intuitively drawn from real-life mountain legends. The film’s screenplay, by newcomer Melvin P. Levy, was based upon two of Wellman’s stories: “The Desrick on Yandro” and “O Ugly Bird.”
THE LEGEND OF HILLBILLY JOHN was the final feature film production of Barney Rosenzweig, who had been an associate producer on Marlon Brando’s MORITURI (1965) and Doris Day’s CAPRICE (1967). Rosenzweig had also produced several seasons of the TV series “Daniel Boone.” The film was directed by John Newland. Newland had started as an actor in the late 1940s, first in features and then in television. He began television directing in 1953, and was most famous for directing and hosting the entire 3-year run of the series “One Step Beyond” (1959-61). He was in constant demand as a director during the 1960s, directing for such series as “Dr. Kildare,” “Peyton Place,” and “Daniel Boone.” Newland also had directed one of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” two-part episodes that had been released theatrically in the U.S.: THE SPY WITH MY FACE.
Starring in THE LEGEND OF HILLBILLY JOHN was folk singer Hedges Capers, his only feature film appearance. Although Mickey Rooney was originally set to co-star in the picture, Capers was ultimately supported by an array of other name character actors, including Percy Rodriques, Susan Strasberg, Denver Pyle, Severn Darden, Harris Yulin, Val Avery, and R.G. Armstrong. In the film, Capers played a folk singer and the grandson of Pyle, both of whom set out to do battle with the Devil. Most of the songs in the film were written by Hedges Capers, with the credits song--"The Devil (Song of the Defy)"--written and sung by Hoyt Axton. Roger Kellaway did the background score, only his second feature score after 1968’s PAPER LION.
Here’s a scene from the film in which Hedges Capers sings a folk song while walking through the countryside.
The film began production in early October 1971. Filming was conducted primarily in North Carolina’s mountainous Madison County, but also in Arkansas and Washington, D.C. Under the title of WHO FEARS THE DEVIL, the PG-rated film had its world premiere at the Carolina Theater in Chapel Hill, NC, on 20 July 1972. The film next played in Raleigh and Durham, NC, and was shown at the 1972 Atlanta Film Festival, where it won a Gold Medal. When Jack H. Harris Enterprises picked up the film for national distribution in 1973, it was re-edited from 89 to 86 minutes, re-titled THE LEGEND OF HILLBILLY JOHN, and re-rated as G by the MPAA.
Boxoffice magazine found the film to be “refreshingly simple and entertaining” while noting that Hedges Capers “plays John as a likeable enough lad, though coming across as perhaps a bit too simple-minded for what he has to do.” The reviewer found the special effects for the “Ugly Bird” sequence “blurry, but gripping.” (Special effects in the film were by Gene Warren, who had done the effects for M-G-M’s THE TIME MACHINE and THE POWER.) Modern reviewers also find merit in the film. Leonard Maltin gives it three stars, calling it an “odd, intriguing, surprise” that is “most deserving of its cult status.” The Motion Picture Guide gives the “interesting and novel film” three stars , adding that “There’s some real imagination in this independent production, well cast with some talented character actors. The direction is a little slow to start, but once the unusual story and characters hit their stride, the film picks up and becomes most enjoyable.”
Although there is an illegible copyright statement in the onscreen credits, the picture was not registered for copyright. THE LEGEND OF HILLBILLY JOHN was issued on a now-rare 1991 cassette by New World and laserdisc by R&G/Image Entertainment. It has never been released on DVD, but is available from some gray market retailers, no doubt sourced from that laserdisc.
Barney Rosenzweig would continue producing for television through 2000, with his most famous work coming as executive producer of the long-running series “Cagney and Lacey.” John Newland directed in television until he retired in 1983, doing such series as “Harry O” and “Police Woman.” He died in 2000 at age 82. Roger Kellaway continued composing for films, and in 1976 was nominated for an Academy Award for his score for Barbra Streisand’s A STAR IS BORN. He also composed scores for LEGACY (1975), RUNNING SCARED (1981), and THE DARK (1979). Although Kellaway has retired from composing music for films, he still records jazz records and owns his own music company.
Like so many films LEGEND OF HILLBILLY JOHN, has been very obscure on the tube. both on free TV and cable for decades. I heard a indie station in L,a show it in the late 70's once or twice. Never was on in the New York market.
Once again, a big thanks to Bob! I've never seen THE LEGEND OF HILLBILLY JOHN, but it looks like something I'd definitely like. Plus it stars several actors who appeared in two early 70's fantasy tv series: NIGHT GALLERY (Susan Strasberg, Severn Darden), and THE SIXTH SENSE (Percy Rodrigues, R.G. Armstrong). In fact, John Newland directed episodes of both series. I'm going to track down a copy of this film.
TO QUILLER 007- My friend sometimes and i say this as a compliment to Bob, it seems like he is a robot, because it is hard to believe sometimes how fast and prolific any human could be giving out such comprehensive info on this board, He is really something.
1973’s THE CLONES concerns a scientist working in a nuclear accelerator laboratory who barely escapes an explosion, only to find that a duplicate of him is running at large. Two agents sent out to kill the clone mistakenly latch on the scientist’s trail instead, and the pursuit and evasion begin. This film may have been the first to use the term “clone,” a word which had been coined by biologist J.B.S. Haldane in 1963.
THE CLONES was produced and co-directed by Paul Hunt. Hunt began making experimental films in 1965 under the pseudonym H.P. Edwards. Over the next 3 years he made nearly 60 such films, and was also the cinematographer and editor on most of them. His company, Canyon Films, became one of the largest distributors of underground films in America. The first film produced under his own name was SURFARI (1967), a surfing docudrama starring Ricky Grigg. Hunt also directed the violent western MACHISMO: 40 GRAVES FOR 40 GUNS (1971). In 1970, Hunt began working with Orson Welles on THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND (1972). Co-directing THE CLONES with Hunt, in his directorial debut, was Lamar Card. Card and Hunt also co-wrote the story for THE CLONES. Card also appears in the picture in the role of “Dr. Jim Bradigan,” and co-director Paul Hunt appears as a physician.
Starring in THE CLONES were Michael Greene, Gregory Sierra, and Otis Young. Greene had started acting in television in 1960, primarily in westerns, and also had a few small roles in features like the biker flick NAKED ANGELS (1969) and PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM (1972). Gregory Sierra was a recognized Hispanic face on television in the early 1970s, with a recurring part in “The Flying Nun.” He had also appeared in BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES (1970) and in Paul Hunt’s MACHISMO. Black actor Otis Young had acted in television since 1963, and had co-starred with Don Murray as bounty hunter partners in the 1968 western series “The Outcasts.” THE CLONES also marked actor Bruce Bennett's (1906-2007) last appearance in an American film.
Under the various working titles of “Dead Man Running,” “The Cloning of Dr. Appleby,” and “The Cloning,” the film went into production on 19 June 1972 in and around Los Angeles. Location shooting took place at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, and in Frazier Park in south-central Kern County. Filming wrapped up in late September 1972. The 95-minute, PG-rated film was released by Film-makers International Releasing Corp. THE CLONES had its opening engagements in late August 1973 in Texas and Florida, where the film broke the house record at the Northgate Theatre in Orlando.
Here’s the trailer for the film:
In its review of the film, Boxoffice magazine called THE CLONES “a well-made science fiction thriller.” Boxoffice noted that “There are plenty of action sequences—roof-top manhunts, tire-squealing car pursuits down torturous mountain roads—and Gregory Sierra (looking a bit like Martin Landau of TV’s ‘Mission Impossible’ but more demonic) is quite effective as the kill-crazy CID agent Nemo; he is surely one of the worst shots in the history of cinema. Michael Greene handles his double role with tight-lipped precision, although there are really few moments when he has time enough to stand still and act. Production values are good.”
Modern reviewers have been less kind. Steven H. Scheuer’s Movies on TV and Videocassette calls THE CLONES “A strange sci-fi thriller that tries, without much luck, for laughs.” The Motion Picture Guide labels it a “routine thriller” with “a few decent moments . . . but the overall effect is tedium.” And while the Martin-Porter DVD & Video Guide feels that “the film is made watchable by the believable performances of Michael Greene and Gregory Sierra, and there’s a terrific roller-coaster chase finale,” the majority of critics side with The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Movies which calls THE CLONES “An exploitation quickie” that “veers uneasily between self-parody and ponderous action. . . . Once the plot proper gets underway, the film goes steadily downhill.”
THE CLONES was broadcast on CBS in 1975. Although onscreen credits include a 1973 copyright statement for Hunt-Card Productions, the film was not registered for copyright at the time of its release. A videocassette of the film was registered for copyright in May 1985, when THE CLONES was released on cassette by Lightning Video. The film has not otherwise been available for the past 25 years.
Paul Hunt continued to work with Orson Welles on all his films (F FOR FAKE (1973), THE MAGIC SHOW (1983)) until Welles' death in 1985. During that time he served as Welles' production manager, gaffer, sound recordist, actor, and editor. He also made several other low-budget, independently made films, including the horror film TWISTED NIGHTMARE (1987) as well as producing the horror film DEMON WIND (1990). The last film he produced and directed on his own was a 1993 version of MERLIN, which was not shown in the U.S. Hunt died in 2011 at age 67.
Lamar Card dabbled in filmmaking through the mid-1990s. He directed several low-budget films, including genre efforts such as SUPERVAN (1977) and SHADOW WARRIORS (1996), as well as produced the “nature amok” film SAVAGE HARVEST (1980), the slasher film TERROR TRAIN (1980), the action film IMMORTAL COMBAT (1994) and the werewolf film PROJECT: METALBEAST (1994). But his most notable credit was as executive producer of 1983’s HEART LIKE A WHEEL, the story of world champion drag racer Shirley Muldowney.
Michael Greene would continue acting until 2001, with notable roles in TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (1985) and *BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED (1987). Gregory Sierra would act until 2006, primarily in television. He is most familiar to fans of “Barney Miller” as Detective Sergeant Chano Amenguale, and as Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbor on “Sanford and Son.” Otis Young’s next role would be co-starring with Jack Nicholson in THE LAST DETAIL (1973). He never had such a high-profile part again. He went back to television, and left screen acting in 1985.
What do you know about the film The Third Solution, a forgotten thriller with Treat Williams?
THE THIRD SOLUTION is a little-seen international suspense film that was released in the U.S. in 1989. The story finds the Roman Catholic Pope planning a reconciliatory meeting with the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, an event awaited for many generations. But while the Pope is addressing the crowds gathered in the Piazza Navone, an American nun is assassinated by a Ukrainian, placing the upcoming talks between the two leaders in jeopardy. A member of the American diplomatic corps is assigned to investigate the killing, which leads the young man to investigate the Russicum, a center for the study of Russia within the Vatican City. The intrigue begins in earnest.
THE THIRD SOLUTION was a production of the Italian company Tiger Cinematografica, only its second film. Mario Cecchi Gori produced, along with his son Vittorio. Cecchi Gori had been producing since the mid-1950s, but probably only a tenth of his films had been released in the U.S. Among the best known of his American releases was 1967’s THE TIGER AND THE PUSSYCAT with Ann-Margret and Vittorio Gassman. Directing and co-writing the screenplay for THE THIRD SOLUTION was Pasquale Squitieri, who had directed twice before for Cecchi Gori, on 1978’s CORLEONE and 1985’s THE REPENTER. Squitieri was also the long time lover of actress Claudia Cardinale, with whom he had a daughter. Starring in the film were Treat Williams, F. Murray Abraham, Danny Aiello, and Rosanno Brazzi.
Danny Aiello
THE THIRD SOLUTION was based upon Enzo Russo’s 1979 novel The Tuesday of the Devil. The film opened in Italy as “Russicum: I giorni del diavolo” on 17 March 1988. An English language version of the R-rated, 113-minute film was released in the U.S. on 3 November 1989 by Tri-Star Pictures. While the English version expectedly dubbed the Italian supporting cast, it also inexplicably dubbed Rosanno Brazzi with another actor, rather than having him voice his own English-language dialogue as he had in a number of other films.
When the film was released in Britain, as RUSSICUM, Tom Milne of the Monthly Film Bulletin declared that it was “clearly destined to drop straight into the dustiest oubliette in film history.” And Tom Charity of Time Out magazine had no charity for the film, calling it an “incompetently directed, incredibly tedious espionage thriller” with “good actors wasted by the execrable process of dubbing. Although in sync, the line readings are all wrong: heavy pauses in mid-sentence, emphasis misplaced, the voices flat and unnatural. Trying to unravel the incomprehensible plot could be dangerous.” Modern reviewers also take THE THIRD SOLUTION to task. Leonard Maltin gives it one and a half stars, noting that a “good cast is wasted in this overbaked spy melodrama.” And Halliwell’s Film and Video Guide terms it a “dull, lifeless thriller in which it becomes difficult to discover who is doing what to whom.”
THE THIRD SOLUTION was released on a 1990 letterboxed cassette and laserdisc by RCA/Columbia Home Video, but it has not had a DVD release. It is available from some suspect download sites, undoubtedly sourced from these earlier videos.
Mario Cecchi Gori would go on to have a number of higher profile U.S. releases, including Dario Argento’s horror thriller OPERA (1991), Roberto Benigni’s JOHNNY STECCHINO (1992), Lina Wertmüller’s CIAO, PROFESSORE! (1994), and Best Picture nominee (and winner for Best Score) IL POSTINO: THE POSTMAN (1995). Several of these were not released in America until after Cecchi Gori died in 1993 at age 72. In all he produced about 160 films. Pasquale Squitieri would direct another half dozen films before retiring at age 65.
Actually, the ONLY genre that
