The Bloody Pit #231 - TRUCK TURNER (1974)

John Hudson and I take on a classic Blaxploitation film!

 

TRUCK TURNER (1974) stars the great Isaac Hayes as the titular character, a modern-day bounty hunter in Los Angeles. Along with his partner he tracks down people for bail bondsmen which is a far more dangerous job than you might expect. Sadly, this is the only lead role Hayes was ever afforded and it was offered to him so the producers could also get him to provide the film’s score. Luckily for fans, he handles both creative opportunities well. In fact, I find the music he supplies for this film to be superior to his Oscar winning SHAFT score. Check it out and let us know what you think.

There has been an ongoing conversation about the best Blaxploitation films for decades but nearly every fan will put this film in their top five. It plays like a western set in the 1970’s with bad guys getting their comeuppance in suitable, violent ways. The story is fast paced and exciting with plenty of colorful characters peppering the trail Truck follows while dealing with scumbags. The film was originally written with a very different cast in mind but, once the change was made, the collaborative spirit of the production made for a satisfying film. Besides Hayes as Mack ‘Truck’ Turner the cast is stacked with excellent character actors such as Scatman Crothers, Charles Cyphers, Dick Miller, Sam Lewis and a brilliant villain role for the great Yaphet Kotto. Plus, if you ever wondered what it would be like to see Lt. Uhura from Star Trek whip a stable of prostitutes into line, this is your chance. Whew!

If you have any comments about this movie or any other film we’ve covered on the show thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon. 

Video - Feeling Gravity's Pull by REM

A painful injury has my mind swirling into places it hasn't ventured in some years. Couldn't get this tune out of my head while I was visiting doctors today. I have no idea what made this one relevant beyond the obvious. 

Video - Carol of the Bells (Belles ?)

While this is not my favorite version of this wonderful Christmas carol, it might be the sexiest! 

Video - I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas!

Every few years I am reminded of this wacky Holiday song and can't get it out of my head. And now I pass it on to you!

Space:1999 Japanese End Titles for Season One

Of all the things I might change about the first season of Space:1999 the music is not one of them. What an odd choice! I would love to get a translation of the vocals. 

Music from ZENABEL (1969) by Bruno Nicolai

Here is a piece from the fine score for this early Ruggero Deodato sexy comedy. We'll be podcasting about the film soon and the score just might be my favorite part!

Video - MURDER IN THE BLUE ROOM (1944)

For those that want to follow along with the podcast, here is the best print of the most recent subject that I can find online. Check it and enjoy!

The Bloody Pit #218 - MURDER IN THE BLUE ROOM (1944)

Universal’s output in 1944 was packed with horror tales and MURDER IN THE BLUE ROOM seems a likely addition to that list of chillers. At least until you realize that a firm 20% of the film’s scant running time is taken up by song & dance numbers! Yes, its a musical horror comedy with a script that started life as a Ritz Brothers feature, but don’t let that scare you off. The chills may be lacking but the entertainment value is surprisingly high. And there is a ghost enlivening the proceedings. Oh! And a murder as well. 

Troy Guinn and I take a run through this humorous creeper and find ourselves having more fun than expected. The credit for that goes to the talented cast so we spend a lot of time talking about the stars and a few of the amazing bit players as well. Where else other than in this movie are you going to hear actor Ian Wolfe say the word ‘Zut’? 

The film has several great songs and I include Troy’s favorite tune in the show because it is far too catchy to ignore. We discuss the plot shenanigans and the script’s careful skipping past a subject usually forbidden by the Hays Code. Mention is made of the award-winning career of one of the screenwriters and we point to areas in the dialog where his efforts might be heard. Also, we point the curious to the first English language version of this tale, THE SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM (1933), as a better source of horror thrills if not toe-tapping fun. This 1944 version might serve as a good pairing with that minor classic but only if we can ever get a better-looking print. Come on, Universal.

If you have any song recommendations from a scary film thebloodypit@gmail.com is where to send them. And let us know what you think of this film and the podcast in general too. Thank you for listening! 

Video - Music by Francesco Lavagnino from SNOW DEVILS (1967)

Every now and then I just need to listen to this fantastic piece of music! And now I need to rewatch the film, too. 

The Bloody Pit #211 - THE CLIMAX (1944)

We take a trip to Vienna to see what Boris Karloff looks like in color! Or is that colour?

 

Troy and I discuss THE CLIMAX (1944), Universal’s attempt to craft a follow-up to their 1943 hit remake of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. They took a 1909 stage play, grafted on some Phantom elements and used the same sets from the previous year’s film to create a beautiful looking final product. They even carried over some of the cast in similar roles. But did they make a good movie?

 

We dig into the things we like and dislike about this often overlooked entry in the horror films of the 1940’s. Both of us marvel at the opulent sets while being impressed by Susanna Foster’s singing talents. We examine some of our favorite cast members including Gale Sondergaard and Thomas Gomez. The multiple audiences that the film was trying to appeal to comes under scrutiny as we lament the fact that the horror portion of the mix seems to get little attention. Sometimes striving for broad appeal results in a work that pleases no one. As the episode goes on we give voice to our many questions about the story’s details that require an almost supernatural suspension of disbelief.

 

If you have any comments about THE CLIMAX thebloodypit@gmail.com is the address. If you want to hear me ramble on about movies and media even more my Patreon page is active. Thank you for listening!

Video - THE DREAD CREW OF ODDWOOD - Leather Ship

I have only recently discovered the genre of Pirate Metal and I am so glad that I have! How did I miss out on this incredibly fun type of music? I'm trying to let others know about it and I am using this wild band as a good starting point. So, cue up the above video and get ready to rock! With acoustic instruments. Trust me. 

Video - Great Molasses Disaster by The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets

I've been a fan of the band The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for a while now but I struggle to choose my favorite of their songs. Although I love their attention to Lovecraft and Lovecraftian themes I have to admit that it is when they stray away from those subjects that I find myself more intrigued. Take this blast of a song about a terrible historical event that happened in 1919. You can read the details on this Wikipedia page but the video above does a good job of laying out some information from the newspaper headlines of the times. 

Trailer - SONS OF STEEL (1988)

If you've never seen this Australian cross between The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Mad Max this trailer will give you an idea of what to expect. Podcast on the way! 

Video - Star Wars Crossed with Space: 1999!

A friend alerted me to this amazing combination of the classic season one opening theme from Space: 1999 and the original STAR WARS (1977). Barry Gray's music has always been a heart-pumping thrill ride and this edit of scenes works very well. Kudos! 

Video - 8 Hours of Vintage Department Store Christmas Music

I have memories from my childhood that kick in when I hear this kind of Christmas tune mix. I get a nostalgic wave of warmth and mental image flashes of wandering around K-Mart-like stores and staring in wonder at the things I would beg Santa to bring me. 

Music - STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984) Score

Here is the full James Horner score for The Search for Spock. I've been listening to it recently as prep for our next podcast and it is much more impressive than I remembered it being.

 

Music - Giallo in tensione (From "Frankenstein '80")

Today on my Patreon page I talk about FRANKENSTEIN '80 (1972) as the sleazy, nasty piece of Euro-Trash that it is. I understand how it can be a difficult film to like as it has a pretty high WTF factor, but I think almost anyone can enjoy this amazing cue from the Daniele Patucchi score. It wouldn't be the first time the music from a movie was more loved than the film itself. 

Video - DC Superhero Theme Songs

I warn you now - these can become earworms if you aren't careful!

Brief Thoughts - LOLA COLT (1967) (a.k.a. The Black Tigress)

I’m not going to tell you that I think this Spaghetti Western is great. In fact, I don’t think it is actually very good at all, but I am glad that I was able to see it. The film has several points of interest starting (and almost stopping) with the American star Lola Falana in the title role. Miss Falana was a singer and dancer who got pulled before the camera to appear in a few movies and television shows over about twenty years. In the early 1960’s she was discovered by Sammy Davis Jr. and launched her successful musical career in 1965. Falana became a major star of Italian television in 1966 and cinema in 1967. In Italy, she learned to speak fluent Italian while starring in three movies and this is the first I’ve ever seen. The film is also known as The Black Tigress but that is a less effective title than Lola Colt, I think. Her character does serve to inspire reluctant townspeople to stand up to the local bad guy landowner but Tigress seems a little much.

 

Miss Falana is used in the film primarily for her beauty as she plays the leader of a troupe of showgirls on their way west. She also has three singing scenes which show off her vocal skills or at least her lip-synching ability. The songs in two cases are hilariously modern and out of place sounding like a couple of pop singles plucked right off the radio. As soon as the music started I laughed as the five members of the onstage band were missing at least four musical instruments audible on the soundtrack, unless there was a hidden drummer and horn section behind a barroom wall. Still, the songs were fun although I did begin to wonder what the other ladies she was travelling with actually did as part of the stage show.

 

The non-Lola parts of the film that I enjoyed were a couple of pretty well-done fistfights that felt surprisingly visceral. During these sequences the movie takes on a life it otherwise is missing. But other than that, the film is mostly a collection of standard western scenes scattered around the running time culminating in a gun battle that wraps things up happily. One small surprise is the fate of a barefoot urchin running around the town but that isn’t enough to make this more than a barely passable 77 minutes best left for the genre curious. 

The Bloody Pit #173 - STUNT ROCK (1978)

I’m joined by Bobby Hazzard and John Hudson for our long-delayed discussion of STUNT ROCK (1978). Is it a movie with an actual narrative or is it an episodic mockumentary about stunts and rock & roll? And why is there a stage magic act happening at the same time? We go from the ‘shower thoughts’ genesis of the film all the way through a listing of our favorite moments. Since the film’s director has called it the worst film he ever made, we briefly talk about his other work for contrast and lament his inability to ever secure a big budget Hollywood project. But we also discover that he directed an almost completely hidden third sequel to a very popular 80’s teen comedy that none of us were aware existed. Some things might be better left unexplored.

 

STUNT ROCK can be called many things but it can’t be called boring. It feels like two different movies clumsily mashed together forcing each viewer to decide which half they prefer. Is it the hard rocking magic stage show of Los Angeles band Sorcery or watching Australian stuntman Grant Page defy death in about two dozen different ways? I know which way I lean but this movie is a bit of a Rorschach test so you end up seeing what your expectations lead you to see. And that is more philosophy than I ever thought I would attribute to STUNT ROCK. It has to be a mistake. But you should check it out for yourself.

 

If you have any comments or suggestions thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon.