James Bowie Movies
Together with Orson Welles' Citizen Kane and John Singleton's Boyz 'n the Hood, director Peter Bogdanovich's Targets is among the most impressive first features ever made. When Bogdanovich's cinematic mentor Roger Corman suggested that Bogdanovich might want to make his directorial debut, he offered to "donate" 20 minutes' worth of footage of the Corman-directed The Terror and the services of Boris Karloff, who owed Corman two days' worth of work (at a cost of 22,000 dollars). Karloff became so caught up in the 29-year-old Bogdanovich's enthusiasm that he agreed to work an additional two days at a bare-minimum salary.
The script, by Bogdanovich and his then-wife, Polly Platt, was inspired by the 1966 shooting spree of Texas Tower sniper Charles Whitman. Karloff, as Byron Orlock, more or less plays himself: an aging horror star, consigned to low-budget drive-in fare. Unlike the workaholic Karloff, Orlock wants to retire from films, noting that his movies seem inconsequential in light of the real-life horrors occurring every day. As Bogdanovich, playing young-and-hungry director Sammy Michaels, desperately tries to convince Orlock to star in just one more picture, the film's attentions shift to Vietnam veteran Bobby Thompson (Tim O'Kelly). An otherwise amiable, normal-looking lad, Bobby seems to harbor an inordinate fascination with guns, particularly high-powered rifles. One bright and sunny morning, Bobby suddenly and unexpectedly shoots and kills his wife, his mother, and an unlucky delivery boy. He leaves behind a note confessing to these crimes, noting that, while he fully expects to be captured, many more will die before the day is over. From this point onward, the film switches from Bobby's day-long bloodbath (from the vantage point of an oil storage tank, calmly picking off passing freeway motorists) to Orlock's grumbling preparations to make a personal appearance at a local drive-in movie.
Inevitably, Bobby also shows up at the drive-in, hiding himself behind the huge screen and shooting down the patrons as they sit complacently in their cars, watching the latest Byron Orlock film (actually The Terror, in which Karloff also starred). Once the reality of the situation sets in, panic ensues, leading to the ultimate confrontation between the escaping Bobby and the bewildered Orlock. ("Is this what I was afraid of?" Orlock ruefully exclaims as Bobby cowers at his feet.) The tension never lets up throughout Targets' jam-packed 90 minutes. The film was virtually thrown away by its distributor, Paramount Pictures, which was uncertain about packaging a film about a sniper in the wake of the King and Kennedy assassinations. Only when it was reissued to college campuses and film societies did Targets begin building up its much-deserved reputation. Though Targets was not, technically, Boris Karloff's last film, it serves as a worthy valedictory for this cinematic giant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The script, by Bogdanovich and his then-wife, Polly Platt, was inspired by the 1966 shooting spree of Texas Tower sniper Charles Whitman. Karloff, as Byron Orlock, more or less plays himself: an aging horror star, consigned to low-budget drive-in fare. Unlike the workaholic Karloff, Orlock wants to retire from films, noting that his movies seem inconsequential in light of the real-life horrors occurring every day. As Bogdanovich, playing young-and-hungry director Sammy Michaels, desperately tries to convince Orlock to star in just one more picture, the film's attentions shift to Vietnam veteran Bobby Thompson (Tim O'Kelly). An otherwise amiable, normal-looking lad, Bobby seems to harbor an inordinate fascination with guns, particularly high-powered rifles. One bright and sunny morning, Bobby suddenly and unexpectedly shoots and kills his wife, his mother, and an unlucky delivery boy. He leaves behind a note confessing to these crimes, noting that, while he fully expects to be captured, many more will die before the day is over. From this point onward, the film switches from Bobby's day-long bloodbath (from the vantage point of an oil storage tank, calmly picking off passing freeway motorists) to Orlock's grumbling preparations to make a personal appearance at a local drive-in movie.
Inevitably, Bobby also shows up at the drive-in, hiding himself behind the huge screen and shooting down the patrons as they sit complacently in their cars, watching the latest Byron Orlock film (actually The Terror, in which Karloff also starred). Once the reality of the situation sets in, panic ensues, leading to the ultimate confrontation between the escaping Bobby and the bewildered Orlock. ("Is this what I was afraid of?" Orlock ruefully exclaims as Bobby cowers at his feet.) The tension never lets up throughout Targets' jam-packed 90 minutes. The film was virtually thrown away by its distributor, Paramount Pictures, which was uncertain about packaging a film about a sniper in the wake of the King and Kennedy assassinations. Only when it was reissued to college campuses and film societies did Targets begin building up its much-deserved reputation. Though Targets was not, technically, Boris Karloff's last film, it serves as a worthy valedictory for this cinematic giant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Boris Karloff, Tim O'Kelly, (more)
Lonnie Lord (Vin Saxon) is a rock & roll star who sells millions and loves to sing, anywhere and anytime. When a trio of psychotic hoodlums kidnaps his girlfriend, Cee Bee Beaumont (Carolyn Brandt), Lonnie and his faithful gardener sidekick, Titus Twimbly (Titus Moede), know it's time for action. They step into a closet and emerge as Rat Pfink and Boo-Boo, two costumed crime fighters who bear more than a passing resemblance to Batman and Robin: "Together they blaze a four-fisted campaign against the enemies of truth, justice and the American way of right!" They track down the evil doers and rescue the distressed damsel, but an escaped circus gorilla is on the loose and soon Cee Bee is in danger again. This bizarre low-budget mixture of crime drama and superhero spoof features great rockabilly non-hits like "Big Boss A-Go-Go-Party" and "Running Wild." ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carolyn Brandt, Vin Saxon, (more)
- 1963
- Add The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies to QueueAdd The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies to top of Queue
For all of its inexplicable weirdness, this monster musical from cult filmmaker Ray Dennis Steckler is not only the director's best-paced film, but also his most entertaining. Visiting a carnival with friends, happy-go-lucky Jerry (Steckler appearing as "Cash Flagg") is hypnotized by evil gypsy fortune-teller Madam Estrella (Brett O'Hara) and turned into a zombie murderer. Surprisingly, the most competent parts of this film are the dance numbers at the carnival's nightclub, The Hungry Mouth, with pretty showgirls and flashy costumes, some good singing, and a fun strip act by Erina Enyo. Estrella scars her victims with acid and keeps them in a cage, but they break loose, strangling her and her ugly assistant Ortega (Jack Brady). Jerry, now a scarred killer, escapes to the beach where he is shot by police. Cult-film regular Titus Moody (Pit Stop) appears as a hobo, and rumor has it that James Woods is in the film somewhere as an extra. Steckler's leggy erstwhile wife Carolyn Brandt, who stars in most of his films, plays Marge, an alcoholic dancer who gets so drunk that she falls down during her routines. Incomprehensible Greek actor Atlas King and co-screenwriter Gene Pollock also appear in this odd film, presented in "Hallucinogenic Hypnovision." When it was re-released as Teenage Psycho Meets Bloody Mary, men in zombie masks ran through theaters trying to scare people. Among the cameramen on this cheesy, but exceptionally good-looking production were such luminaries as Joseph V. Mascelli, Vilmos Zsigmond, and Laszlo Kovacs. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cash Flagg, Brett O'Hara, (more)
