WALK THE WALK 1970

     One of the more fascinating personalities on the periphery of motion picture history was producer Kroger Babb (who billed himself as "America's Fearless Showman"). A husker showman in the vein of the more famous Dave Friedman, Babb specialized in sex education films and mondo-style travelogues with his best-known effort being MOM AND DAD. First released in 1945 MOM AND DAD was infamously known for its graphic birth-of-a-baby footage and continued to play theatres well into the 1970s (eventually grossing upwards of $50 million) and was even added to the National Film Registry in 2006.
    In 1970 Babb released WALK THE WALK in what might have been an attempt to cash-in on an A.I.P.-type counter-culture film but in its marketing seems to harken back to REEFER MADNESS with a warning about the evils of drug use while also providing a head-ups to the older generation to the hippie movement.

    Directed by Jac Zacha whose only other directorial credit is the early gay sexploitation film THE STUD FARM from 1969, WALK THE WALK was produced by Babb's Ohio-based Hallmark Productions (formally known as Hygienic Productions when Babb was marketing sex-education films) and it seems to have gotten a decent amount of play around the country (with a lot of Midwest playdates) based upon newspapers ads. It disappeared after its release becoming a lost film for decades until several copies were found in an out-of-business film lab. It's available for streaming on director Nicolas Winding Refn's excellent byNWR website which is a treasure trove of cult & forgotten films.

      WALK THE WALK has 40-something old seminary student Mike (Bernie Hamilton - brother of jazz great Chico Hamilton and best remembered as Capt. Dobey on STARSKY AND HUTCH) who wanders through a bizarre collection of characters and settings in Los Angeles on his quest for heroin to feed his habit.  Starting with Mike ravenously licking various spots in his room where he had previously stashed his dope he heads out to score. Arriving a club with an unnamed psychedelic rock band wailing in the background he meets up with an equally long-in-the-tooth Judy (Honor Lawrence) who seems to have some sort of mystical status among the plots counter-culture characters. For a film supposedly dealing with the "youth movement" most of the actors (including many of the extras) appear to be at least 20 years too old for their respective parts??

     Moving from one random sequence to the next, Judy sets up "Toke" (Eric Weston THE IRON TRIANGLE) to take the fall for a drug deal for unexplained reasons, she and Mike hang out at her house where she goes into monologues concerning Warner Brothers cartoons and there's a stolen chalice lurking about. Most of the dialogue seems to ad-libed on the spot and the characters all engage in endless conversations that have nothing to do with the plot. Along the way we witness a hippie wedding overseen by Judy, a clown car-like assemble of people (and dogs) exiting a car, and a climatic endless lopping chase that starts in the city but switches to the desert suddenly. The film has three(!!) credited cinematographers which might mean an on-again/off-again shooting schedule. 

    Filmed around a decapitated and dingy-looking Venice the film features some excellent and bizarre location work that fits in with the proceedings with a very grungy post-Manson/Gimme Shelter end-of-the-hippie-dream atmosphere pervading everything. The acoustic folk soundtrack is by Kevin Dwyer and Eric Zohn (credited as Kevin and Eric).

   The director Jac Zacha based the film on much of his own experience (there are some period articles from trade publications over at Chris Poggiali's Temple of Schlock blog) and there was originally a filmed prologue with Zacha that is missing from the surviving prints. 

   Most often meandering and boring this a cinematic oddity, to say the least, but it's always nice to have a previously missing piece of film history appear and I find these weird little bits from the dark recesses of cinema endlessly fascinating. 

ANGEL, ANGEL, DOWN WE GO 1969

aka CULT OF THE DAMNED

"Drugs, thugs and freaked-out starlets, ritual murder and 

cannibalism, dedicated to the proposition that all men are created evil !"

    Produced by Sam Katzman and originally released in 1969 by A.I.P. as ANGEL, ANGEL, DOWN WE GO, this combination of counter-culture drama/musical & (very) black comedy was directed & written by screenwriter Robert Thom. After failing at the box office it was re-released as CULT OF THE DAMNED with a much more lurid advertising campaign that played up the "hippie cult murder" plotline in order to tie into the Manson case, which at the time was turning into a niche genre for low budget/drive-in filmmakers. Unfortunately, it once again tanked and except for a few late-night cable showings it disappeared from view. Drifting into obscurity (it was championed by Michael Weldon in his Psychotronic film book which helped build the film's deserved cult status) and never showing up on any video format, it was recently rescued from oblivion courtesy of  Kino/Scorpion and their spiffy new blu-ray release (anytime we can get more A.I.P. released, its a good thing).

   One of A.I.P's excursions in the then-current youth counter culture it falls somewhat into the same category as the company's earlier jaunts into "hippiesploitation" such as PSYCH-OUT (1968), THE TRIP (1967), and WILD IN THE STREETS (1968), but in other ways is an altogether different beast. A.I.P. had always courted the youth market and its fascinating to watch how they were constantly trying to keep up with the changing times as only a few years before they were still cranking out beach pictures until 1966's THE WILD ANGELS skewed them in more counter-culture direction.

  Thom had written the "beat" drama THE SUBTERRANEANS (1960) and later worked in television. In 1968 he wrote WILD IN THE STREETS for A.I.P. and was given a shot at directing. In spite of ANGEL, ANGEL DOWN WE GO's failure at the box office Corman hired Thom as a writer for New World where he was responsible for the classics BLOODY MAMA (1970) and 1975's DEATH RACE & CRAZY MAMA. He would pen the very weird & creepy (and worth seeking out) THE WITCH WHO CAME FROM THE SEA in 1976 and the 1974 T.V. movie THE PHANTOM OF HOLLYWOOD. He sadly passed away at the age of 49 in 1979.

    Debutant Tara Nicole Steele (future folk singer Holly Near - who gained considerable weight for her role here) arrives back home after being abroad at school and her parents which include ex-cigarette girl/porn star (and most likely hooker) mother Astrid (Jennifer Jones from DUEL IN THE SUN) and closet homosexual/ billionaire stockbroker father Willy (busy T.V. actor Charles Aidman) throw her a coming-out party. It's obvious from the beginning that Tara has some emotional baggage as her mother admits that the party is really for her and in a flashback sequence we see as a child Astrid & Willy abandoning her at a restaurant on the eve of her leaving for school as the father throws money at the waiter and tells him to take of her. Later we discover that the waiter took her home to play poker with his young boys (with some later not too subtle references to a sexual assault).
    At the party Tara hooks with the entertainment in the form of rock star Bogart Peter Stuyvesant (Jordan Christopher from WILD IN THE STREETS) who while wearing leather pants and shirtless withers around on stage seeming to channel Jim Morrison. Stealing away from the party with Bogart (who is named that as he was conceived while his mother was watching THE MALTESE FALCON), Tara very quickly jumps feet first into his decadent world along with his new group "The Rabbit Habit" which consists of Joe (soul singer Lou Rawls - who ironically doesn't sing here), 40 something-year-old hippie Santoro (Roddy McDowell) and the pregnant Anna Liva (Davey Davidson from THE STRANGLER). Tara immerses herself full force into Bogart's world (complete with weird sex & trippy negligee dancing), but Bogart himself has bigger plans has he integrates himself into Tara's family by proposing to her and like an avenging angel leaves a trail of death and destruction along the way.

    Along with the opening credits the movie also uses collages at certain points to illustrate dialogue and narration that features photographs of the cast along with historical & entertainment figures juxtaposed over psychedelic LSD inspired art. As to be expected with a movie directed by a writer CULT OF THE DAMNED is a very dialogue-driven film (along with narration and the songs there are barely any nonverbal moments) with the characters spewing out their words like bile-laced beat poetry. The movie surprisingly enough also has elements of a musical with Bogart's songs all relating to the plot or characters in the film. The songs are written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and their pseudo-psychedelic contributions are reminiscent of the duo's work for Paul Revere and the Raiders.
    Academy Award winner Jennifer Jones as the mother follows in then-current trend of famous Hollywood leading ladies who were dipping their toes into lower budget horror thriller movies (which can be traced back to 1962's WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE) such as Lana Turner dropping acid in THE BIG CUBE (1969), Joan Crawford and a missing link in TROG (1970) and the above mentioned BLOODY MAMA with Shelly Winters. To 50-year-old Jones credit, she jumps into her role here with gusto as she prances about in see-thru dresses uttering such unforgettable lines as "I made thirty stag films and never faked an orgasm" & "In my heart of hearts, I'm a sexual tramp", plus engaging in some semi-nude lovemaking with Jordan Christopher as he nuzzles her breast. At one point Astrid mentions to her daughter that she was named after GONE WITH THE WIND which is ironic as Jones at one time was married to producer David O' Selznick.

    Ava Gardner and Robert Stack were the first choices for the mother and father roles and Jeanne Crain turned down the role of Astrid, although she did appear later in the Manson-esque THE NIGHT GOD SCREAMED from 1971. Nancy Sinatra is mentioned once in a bit of dialogue and if I'm not mistaken she shows up in a quick shot at the party.  
   Upon viewing this now, it's easy to see why A.I.P. had trouble marketing it (the strange poster art for the ANGEL, ANGEL version surely didn't help matters much) and why the box office was such a disaster. Although easy to label nowadays as just a dated curiosity with its psychedelic trapping, hallucinatory imagery, and bizarre sequences (skydiving, Near's dialogue while mysteriously attached to a ceiling, and a cryptic ending), there is something oddly compelling & weirdly hypnotic about it, and it does require attentive viewing in able to absorb the dialogue-heavy plot.

PSYCH-OUT 1968

"These are the PLEASURE LOVERS !"

"They'll ask you for a dime with hungry eyes..but they'll give you love for NOTHING"

    A pony-tailed Jack Nicholson helps flower child in training Susan Strasberg search for her missing brother in an A.I.P. version of 1960's hippie San Francisco. Produced by Dick (American Bandstand) Clark this was based upon an earlier script titled THE LOVE CHILDREN written by Nicholson. It was later re-worked seemingly enough not to have Jack credited as a writer, but he was able to get himself cast into what is essentially the male lead (although Dean Stockwell is top billed). One of those movies that's instant fodder for jokes and "so bad its good" viewing recommendations its actually a lot better then its reputation and plus where else are you going to get to see Jack fronting a psychedelic rock band in 1960's San Francisco ?? Sure its a bit hokey at times, but does feature a well written script with some depth to it, beautiful cinematography by Laszlo Kovacs, earnest work by its leads and best of all there's an almost impossibly cute Susan Strasberg.

    Straight off (literally) the bus deaf runaway Jenny Davis (Strasberg) arrives in the midst of counter culture 1968 'Frisco to search for her missing brother. Wandering into a coffee shop she makes the acquaintance of "Stoney" (Jack Nicholson) who along with his friends Ben & Elwood (Adam Rourke & Max Julien) head up a rock group known as Mumblin' Jim. Hiding her from the police in their Mumblin' Jim day-glo painted Chevy van they take her back to their commune located in an old Victorian house that comes complete with hippies lounging around and making love on pillows, plentiful drugs and trippy lighting. As it turns out Jenny's missing brother Steve is a local street corner preacher and sculptor known as "The Seeker" who's disappeared from his apt. after sending Jenny a postcard that reads mysteriously reads "JESS SAES God is alive and well and living in a sugar cube".

    After being informed that local artist Warren (who also designs Mumblin' Jim's concert posters) is "freaking out" on STP Jenny and the boys arrive just in time to stop him from cutting off his supposedly rotting hand with a circular saw and plus he imagines everybody as festering zombie-like creatures !  There Jenny recognizes a sculpture as her brothers work which leads them to guru Dave (Dean Stockwell) who's the "oracle and speaker of the truth" character that's always around in hippie films. Dave was also a past member of Mumblin' Jim but quit because he thought the band was too concerned with success and "playing games for the man". He's standoffish to Stoney but seems attracted to Jenny (with motives that don't seem all that "truth seeking") and is eager to help her whereupon he gives them information that leads Jenny and the boys to a local junkyard for clues to the missing Steve.

 Watch out for that bad acid !!

  Mumblin' Jim jammin' at the ballroom !!

    Once there they see a Jesus Saves sign with a couple of letters missing which ties into Dave's cryptic postcard to Jenny. They also run into into gang of short haired thugs who attempt to rape Jenny (and as it turns out are looking to put an ass whoppin' on The Seeker). Luckily during the fight a stoned Elwood hallucinates that the junkyard thugs are knights and dragons and proceeds to wipe them out with a hunk of metal pipe.
   Meanwhile Mumblin' Jim seems to headed for the big time as they get an offer from a promoter to perform at "the ballroom" (a reference to the Avalon or Fillmore) on a bill with The Strawberry Alarm Clock and as Stoney says "maybe be as big as the Airplane". This causes a major rift between Stoney and guru Dave as he feels the band is "selling out" and "chasing the dollar" (Hey !, where's my official band sanctioned Mumblin' Jim t-shirt !). Stoney's preoccupation with making it big also hurts his burgeoning love affair with Jenny (which was punctuated by some stoned out blurry love making) and this allows Dave to start putting some non-guru like moves on Jenny and trick her into drinking some acid laced Kool-Aid (with resulting dire climatic consequences including hallucinatory exploding fireballs, flashbacks to evil moms and Golden Gate Bridge freak-outs). To top everything off it seems that "The Seeker" is a somewhat crazy and wacked out Jesus like figure and is played by everybody's favorite crazy and wacked out actor Bruce Dern. Holy Crap !

    In addition to the appearance by The Strawberry Alarm Clock (who also supply several songs to the soundtrack) there's also Sky Saxon and The Seeds preforming at a mock hippie funeral. Although there is some great documentary style footage street footage of San Francisco (complete with a quick appearance by Jerry Garcia) the majority of PSYCH OUT was filmed in Los Angeles, including Jack Nicholson's actual house. This might explain the presence of two Los Angeles bands in the form of The Seeds and Strawberry Alarm clock rather then San Fran based bands. Director Richard Rush's original cut was 101 minutes (and this was mistakenly issued on video cassette by HBO), but was cut down for release to 82 minutes - which is now the cut available on DVD from MGM. I've never seen Rush's 101 minute version, but seemingly how there is some filler here the shorter version probably works best.
    The cast were all in their late 20's with this seemingly most apparent with Nicholson as his looks practically scream out NARC (!) and would probably be pretty much guaranteed to clear out a hippie pad in no time. As mentioned Kovac's photography is beautiful (this would look gorgeous on blu-ray) such as the opening close-up of a wistful Strasberg gazing out of the bus window while coming into San Francisco and the film makes great use of the bright psychedelic color scheme of the time.

Hey, Mumblin' Jim have even got themselves a flute playin' hippie chick ! Far Out !

   With its in the open drug use (plus showing its sometimes ugly after result) along with Nicholson's presence make this an interesting companion to Peter Fonda and 1966's THE WILD ANGELS as precursors to EASY RIDER. The pretty girl stringing beads all over the commune at one point is played by Mireille Machu who was Jack's girlfriend at the time and played "The Pleasure Girl" in The Monkees HEAD (billed as I.J. Jefferson). Pretty cool stuff !  

  

 LOOK OUT ! Some more trippin' on that nasty ol' bad acid !