BRAIN OF BLOOD 1971

     In 1971 after the successful run of Hampshire produced/Filipino shot Blood Island movies, Sam Sherman & Al Adamson's American Independent Productions (who had distributed Hampshire's product in the U.S.) discovered the Filipino production company's schedule booked solid and decided to produce an American version of the studios patented low budget horror.
    With the title alone (and maybe the presence of Kent Taylor from BRIDES OF BLOOD) attempting to tie it into the earlier Blood Island series, Sherman and Adamson created a Southern Calif. produced horror product that that in a strangely opposite kind of way tried to hide its American origins and be passed off as a foreign production.
     Zooming in on a still photo of Middle Eastern-type palace we're introduced to King Abdul Amir (character actor Reed Hadley in his last role) of the fictional Middle Eastern nation of Kahlid. Dying of cancer, he's attended by Dr. Robert Nogserian (Grant Williams THE MONOLITH MONSTERS) who revels to Amir's aide Mohammed (Zandor Vorkov DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN) and his "# 1 secret agent"(!!) Tracy (the wonderful Regina "Freak-Out Girl" Carrol from ANGEL'S WILD WOMEN and SATAN'S SADISTS sporting a massive blonde hair-do & white go-go boots) that he has a plan to save the beloved ruler. Explaining that he has a "mostly discredited"(!!) doctor colleague in the U.S. who can perform a brain transplant that would allow Amir's brain to live on in a new body, Nogserian proposes flying Amir immediately upon his death to the U.S. for the operation by his doctor buddy Lloyd Trenton (Kent Taylor from BRIDES OF BLOOD and BLOOD OF GHASTLY HORROR) as he explains there's a 15 hour (!!) window in which to remove the brain and successfully transplant it.

  

     In the blink of an eye, Nogersian and Mohammed are driving through the canyons of So. California in a station wagon on their way to Trenton's lab with Amir laying in back wrapped in tin foil. Upon arriving at the lab Trenton informs them that he has no ready donor body but insists that this presents no problem as he can remove the brain and keep it alive with his nifty brain life support machine. Operating with his assistant Dorro (small person Angelo Rossitto from MESA OF LOST WOMEN & MAD MAX: BEYOND THUNDERDOME - and who must push a chair up next to the operating table to assist) he removes the brain and sends his other henchman Gor (7' 4" John Bloom THE DARK and THE INCREDIBLE TWO-HEADED TRANSPLANT) out to procure a body. Gor has a horribly scarred face which we're shown in flashback as the result of a run-in with beer-swilling bullies & battery acid.
    Heading off to a hotel (seems Doc Trenton doesn't have guest quarters) Nogersian and Mohammed are forced off the road by an unknown shaggy-haired assassin driving a big 'ol Cadillac in a chase that seems to take up a 1/4 of the movies running time. Nogersian alone survives and thinking there's something fishy going on contacts secret agent Tracy to come over and help (and gets a buxom blond in line for some monster terror).

     Unfortunately, Gor finds a suitable body donor by catching a burglar in act and pitching him off a roof. Scolding Gog after finding the body unusable Trenton comes up with the idea of transplanting Amir's brain into the hulking body of the acid-scared Gor (Hey, what can go wrong here??). Trenton also keeps a couple of women chained up his dungeon as he periodically needs blood for his experiments along with Dorro being able to terrorize them ever so often (in addition the scene provides for a memorable publicity still).
     Unlike most of Adamson's other films BRAIN OF BLOOD was filmed as a complete movie and is minus his usual trademark of mis-matched footage cobbled together from other acquired and/or aborted projects. This all leads to a kind of cohesive storyline that while more like an actual film is missing the daffy of wackiness of HORROR OF THE BLOOD MONSTERS (which is a true mind bogglingly experience to sit through).
      Complete with a bloody brain operating sequence and that along with the presence of Tito Arevalo's score for MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND used throughout, BRAIN OF BLOOD does get some atmosphere of the Blood Island mayhem it was trying to emulate with Regina Carrol more than ably filling in for Angelique Pettyjohn or Beverly Powers. The fetid humid jungle atmosphere is missing however along with blood soaked bare female flesh (and John Ashley).
     Grant Williams (who started out singing in the New York City Opera) was a Universal contract player in 1950's and along with MONOLITH MONSTERS is most famous for the title role in THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN in 1957. Later he opened an acting class in Hollywood with BRAIN OF BLOOD being his last screen credit.
     After being reported missing in 1995 Adamson was found brutally murdered and buried under his hot tub with his contractor later being arrested & convicted for the crime. Along with his horror output he directed some hugely entertaining and brutal biker films including SATAN'S SADISTS (1969), ANGELS' WILD WOMEN (1972) and HELL'S BLOODY DEVILS (1970) along with the Russ Meyer inspired I SPIT ON YOUR CORPSE.

THE LOSERS 1970

aka NAM'S ANGELS

Ultimate Bad-Ass William Smith & His Biker Gang 
Channel Some Dirty Dozen Style Action in Vietnam !!

"THE ARMY HANDED THEM GUNS... AND A LICENSE TO KILL !"

      During the Vietnam war, the U.S. Army is faced with a risky mission in forbidden Cambodia and unable to send regular U.S forces they do the next logical thing and recruit a biker gang to carry out the mission. Combining plot elements of THE DIRTY DOZEN mixed with the biker movie genre and adding in tough guy William Smith along with cycle flick regular Adam Roarke, the weaslley Paul Kolso (in a rare semi- sympathetic role) and direction by the great Jack Starrett which when all combined together would seem to create instant drive-in alchemy.
     Although any biker movie with William Smith is pretty much an automatic thumbs up the problem with THE LOSERS is that it doesn't seem to have much of an idea with what to do with itself before the climactic attack sequence. Filmed entirely in the Philippines it probably would have benefited from some more recruitment and back story plot workings (ala' THE DIRTY DOZEN) but most likely because of budget and the ease and economics of using Filipino filming exclusively for the entire film this was not to be.

      Opening with a bang and a roar, we're shown a U.S. Army truck convoy being ambushed as they travel along a jungle road and then upon arriving in camp, gang leader "Link" (William Smith) and his cohorts (who are all fitted out in full biker regalia) chamber off the back of the trucks. The gang which includes "Duke (Adam Roarke DIRTY MARY AND CRAZY LARRY), "Dirty Denny" (Houston Savage),"Speed" (Eugene Cornelius RUN ANGEL RUN) and "Limpy" (Paul Koslo MR. MAJESTYK) have been recruited by an Army major (who happens to be Link's brother) for a secret mission. A diplomat/CIA agent has been captured and is being held in Viet Cong prison located just over the Cambodian border. Seeing how American forces aren't allowed to cross the border, the U.S. Army hires a gang of bikers (!) to complete the rescue as there's obviously no problem with a group of denim and leather-clad bikers from the U.S.A. tearing into the war and blowing up tons of stuff.

     Several of the gang members are ex-military and upon arriving in camp they find themselves under the leadership of ramrod straight Capt. Jackson (Bernie Hamilton from STARSKY AND HUTCH), along with his right-hand man Sgt. Winston (John Garwood HELL'S ANGELS ON WHEELS). Immediately they jump into things bikers from biker movies do best - including the requisite fighting, drinking and messing around with women, all of which leads to a lengthy wait until the film's climax. In the meantime, they do get to hang out at a bar complete with a rock band and a woman in her underwear go-go dancing.
     To the film's credit, it does attempt to give a bit of depth to the characters as Roarke's "Duke" hooks up with his old girlfriend from his service days and Limpy falls in love (in the space of about two minutes) with a young Vietnamese widow, developing a bond with her and her young child. Luckily Dirty Denny is around to keep the biker credo alive by jumping into his old business of running a bar/whorehouse and engaging in orgies with his girls.

You can't have a sweaty Filipino drive-in flick without Vic Diaz !!

     It's here that the proceedings get s a bit bogged down as there's not a whole lot of action to move the plot along, but the film in the place of this does try for some character development that differs from most biker films (plus, there's a nifty sequence involving the gang customizing their cycles's into combat mode complete with armor plating and rocket launchers !). As with most biker films there lots of footage of motorcycles rolling down the road (although down a jungle road here) and the sequences with Roarke and Koslo's romantic interludes while giving the depth of the character does slow things down a bit. As mentioned Koslo's transformation from grungy biker to caring family man seems to happen literally from one scene transition to the next.

    The cast helps with this immensely as with lesser actors in these roles the lengthy middle sequences would suffer even more. Although he often played tough roles Roarke always lent a bit of pathos to his characters and was always undervalued as an actor. Paul Koslo has spent his career playing weaselly spineless characters so it's a bit of a change here to see him playing a more honorable guy (albeit a biker) and is one of those actors that seems to quietly steal whatever movies he appears in.

     And then there's William Smith as "Link". Without a doubt, blessed with one of the greatest on-screen presence in the history of movies he seems to engulf the entire film just by standing there and when he's not around you can almost hear the air deflating from the plot.  Here playing an ex-serviceman returning to Vietnam, he quietly convoys a man who once believed in the cause but now is disgusted to see what its becomes and becomes increasingly suspicious of their mission's murky reality. In reality, Smith has an actual life biography that's even more impressive than his IMDB page!

      Director Starrett was one of the true icons of 70's drive-in movies. Although best known to most people as the sadistic deputy in 1982's FIRST BLOOD he directed such classics as RACE WITH THE DEVIL (1975), CLEOPATRA JONES (1973) and A SMALL TOWN IN TEXAS (1976). He sadly passed away in 1979 at the age of only 52 before his career could be fully appreciated.
      The film ends with a suitably rousing finale with lots of explosions with bodies & motorcycles flying about and those typical Filipino stunts that make you wonder what the real-life casualty rate was during the film's production. The climax also features a cameo by Jack Starrett as the raving paranoia-fueled CIA agent whose object of the rescue.  

  

Happy Birthday Margaret Markov !! BLACK MAMA WHITE MAMA 1973

Shackled together Margaret and Pam kick and claw their way

thru the Filipino jungles in this sweaty 70's drive-in classic !

"Chicks in chains...on the lam from a prison hell - 

manacled together by hate and the strange ideas 

a woman gets after 1000 nights without a man !!"

"Nothing behind but prison bars....Nothing ahead but trouble !"

    Featuring two of the most beautiful women ever to flicker across a drive-in screen and one of the true highlights of the Filipino exploitation genre this low budget homage to Stanley Kramer's 1958 classic THE DEFIANT ONES was directed by the ubiquitous Eddie Romero and produced by John Ashley who was both behind many films from the "wild east". Released by A.I.P., who were venturing into Roger Corman's New World milieu, it was based upon a story by Jonathan (SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) Demme who would later work for New World as a writer and/or director on ANGELS HARD AS THEY COME (1971), THE HOT BOX (1972 - also with Margaret), CAGED HEAT (1974), CRAZY MAMA (1975) and FIGHTING MAD (1975).
    Most often lumped in with the blacksploitation genre (MGM released it on DVD as part of their "Soul Cinema" line), BLACK MAMA WHITE MAMA is more closely aligned with the woman in prison (WIP) flicks that New World was cranking out at the time. Starring both Margaret and Pam Grier as a pair of mismatched inmates who find themselves shackled together and on the run through the usual nameless New World-type tropical hellhole (i.e. The Philippines). All the while they're being perused by various pimps, drug dealers and revolutionaries along with other assorted bad-asses including grungy rapists and a sadistic prison matron played by the wonderful Lynn Borden from FROGS and DIRTY MARY CRAZY LARRY.
    Clocking in at 87 minutes and containing what would seem to be a much too convoluted plot BLACK MAMA WHITE MAMA literally packs every woman behind bars cliche into its first 20 minutes of running time and sets up a large cast of intertwined characters and their minions (which after a while you just give up trying to sort out).

    Opening with a pair of new inmates at women's prison (or as its called here "Women's Rehabilitation Center") we're introduced to Karen Brent (Margaret) a political prisoner who's closely aligned with a ragtag group of militants looking to overthrow the government and Lee Daniels (Pam) a prostitute and drug runner for big-time baddie Vic Ching (the ever-present Vic Diaz). Sent immediately to the showers (!!), the prisoners are overseen by Matron Densmore (Lynn Borden) who enjoys inviting the girls up to her office for some sexual favors and spying on them through a peephole as they wash down.
   Lee wants nothing to do with her, but Karen cozies up to her, which causes a rift between the two inmates which later cumulates in a fight during mealtime. The two are manacled together and thrown in the hotbox and later while being transferred to a maximum-security prison an attack by some of Karen's brothers in arms allows the pair to escape, Unfortunately, they become separated from the rebels during the battle and still manacled together attempt their escape cross country.

   Immediately finding themselves at odds on their destination with Karen wanting to go to a prearranged meeting with some gun runners to purchase arms for the revolution while Lee has designs on heading to a boat where she has $40,000 waiting for her that she absconded from Vic. They stop long enough for a most excellent catfight and later appropriate some nun outfits as a disguise while along the way coming across a veritable who's who list of Filipino character actors.
   The police captain perusing them (Eddie Garcia from The Blood Island movies) hires local bandit and fashion nightmare Ruben (a typically deranged Sid Haig from THE BIG DOLLHOUSE - whose look here ranges from psychedelic pimp to urban cowboy) to capture the pair. Garcia is more interested in Karen for her rebel connections while at the same time you have rotund pimp/drug dealer (and nude massage & pedicure fetish fan) Vic Diaz chasing Lee for the theft of his money and thirdly there's the rebel leader tracking the duo and hoping to catch up with Karen.

     One of the more entertaining entries in the Filipino exploitation genre BLACK MAMA WHITE MAMA delivers what you'd expect with gusto serving up heaps of nudity and a satisfyingly bloody and downbeat ending. Margaret and Pam have wonderful chemistry together and watching them run up & down hills, roll around in the dirt while kicking & clawing, beating the crap out of and/or killing various lowlifes and authority figures is a highlight of 70's drive-in cinema (and what better way to celebrate Margaret's birthday !)

     Born in 1948 in Stockton, Ca. Margaret Markov with her long blonde hair and legs that seem to go on forever was a striking figure in 70's exploitation cinema. She appeared in only a handful of films and few TV appearances but made a lasting impression in all of her roles.
     Along with BLACK MAMA WHITE MAMA, she also appeared in the Filipino lensed THE HOT BOX along with the quirky PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROW, the biker flick RUN ANGEL RUN (1969) and New World's WIP motif transferred to ancient Rome THE ARENA from 1974 (with Rosalba Neri and Pam Grier !!).
    On the set of THE ARENA she met producer Mark Damon (THE DEVIL'S WEDDING NIGHT) and they were later married (and remain so to this day). Her last acting appearance was a small part in an episode of DAYS OF OUR LIVES in 1997. She showed up in interview footage in the documentary MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED where she now sports short hair (and still looks very beautiful).