The Flesh Merchant

THE WILD AND WICKED is another educational/exploitation flick from W. Merle Connell, who handled a string of sensationalist fare along the lines of TEST TUBE BABIES. This one's much like an earlier entry I watched (in the same Mill Creek box set) entitled GAMBLING WITH SOULS, except without the gambling angle.

In essence, the film charts the journey and moral degradation of a pretty young woman who finds herself cast adrift. She unwisely falls in with a crowd of men who run an establishment dedicated to the art of pleasure, in other words a brothel. Will she ever manage to escape their clutches?

Wow. The plot is certainly an arresting one and the calibre of the acting is a little better than the norm in this low-budget quickies. And THE WILD AND WICKED certainly contains plenty of the latter, some truly scuzzy characters in support. The abrupt non-ending is the worst part of it, but there are some fun moments along the way like the manhunt for the criminal.

Naive Nancy comes to Hollywood from her dull small town to visit her glamorous sister in hopes of becoming a model. Her sister tells her its no life for her, but Nancy is determined. In less than 48 hours Nancy ends up working at a high priced house of prostitution! In an incredible coincidence, she works at the same house of ill repute as her older sister. Nancy decides selling herself for money is not for her but the mobsters who run the place won't let her go.

THE FLESH MERCHANT is a no budget "exploitation" picture with bad acting, silly dialogue, and a script loaded with coincidences. There is also some very brief nudity. There is one really weird character called "Joker", who plays the mobsters all around "go for." He has a Brooklyneese accent and delivers malaprops ala Leo Gorcey, but physically resembles latter day Bowery Boy Eddie Leroy. There is one funny line when one of the "older" girls starts giving trouble. The boss says he going to send her to work at the "hotel" in the city. When she protests, he says "Hey! Even winos need a few thrills."

Joy Reynolds, who plays Nancy, is quite an eyeful if may say so myself.

Those who enjoyed Dance Hall Racket, Gun Girls, and the like should enjoy this early 50's L.A. exploitation film about prostitution. This isn't as sleazy or exciting as the above-mentioned films, but it's got the same hard-boiled dialogue, high-school play level acting, flat lighting, and static camera you expect from these gems, and it's also got an uncomfortable, "dirty" feeling throughout, which is an acceptable substitute for the lack of nudity. You'll recognize some of the cast and the canned music from Phil Tucker's Broadway Jungle, and it's directed by W. Merle Connell, veteran of countless exploitation and burlesque features. If you like a hard-boiled, sordid film that plays like a bus-station sleaze paperback, this is it. Enjoy! I did...

Young, innocent Nancy Sheridan (Joy Reynolds) tires of dull, small-town life and heads for the big city. There, she meets up with her older sister Paula (Lisa Rack) who, in Nancy's eyes, is living the high life. Nancy soon winds up in an "art" studio, where a group of slimy, seedy men attempt to direct her "modeling job".

Nancy is sent to a club called "The Colony" -run by even slimier men- for her new, higher paying "career".

It only gets worse from here.

THE FLESH MERCHANT is another semi-exploitation film posing as a cautionary tale. While it's not completely wretched, it's not very exciting or entertaining either. This is one of those "naughty" movies that great-granddad used to sneak off to see. It's only "shocking" if a fleeting glimpse of a female posterior gives you the vapors! In reality, it's tamer than a neutered tomcat...

This is a vastly entertaining antique from l952 that probably did great business in the grind houses on 42nd Street. But what really amazed me was the performance of the long forgotten actress, Lisa Rack! She portrays the older sister whose younger sibling, a very vivacious and attractive, Joy Reynolds, who comes to Hollywood to make it big. Although the production values are typical of these exploitation movies, the acting was way above average for this no-name cast.

As I've mentioned, Lisa Rack delivers a powerhouse speech at the end of this tale, shouting and denouncing all the sleaze-balls who've ensnared women to become prostitutes under the guise of nude modeling. Lisa Rack really let's them have it in a passionate, gusty denunciation. As far as I can tell, Rack made no other pictures, which is a shame. If this had been a big studio effort, she would have won all kinds of accolades. Just watch this one, though, with your eye on Lisa Rack and be amazed at what she did with her part in this long forgotten exploitation gem.