Carolyn Brandt Movies
- 1980
Ray Dennis Steckler (aka Wolfgang Schmidt), purveyor of such unfathomable oddities as The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies and Rat Pfink-A-Boo Boo, foisted this gem on an unsuspecting drive-in public not once but twice in a single decade, first as The Chooper in 1971, then again in 1980 (with a pointlessly-padded runtime). The story (a word used very generously here) features a brooding Carolyn Brandt as the sole heir to a piece of dustbowl property which is allegedly haunted by a mincing figure known as "The Chooper" -- not actually one of Steckler's patented title typos, but the name of a vengeful Indian demon (or something). While the camped-up menace prances around "chooping" people with his trusty saber, a sleazy land developer tries to convince Brandt to sell the property and git while the gittin's good... well, any viewer that hasn't figured it out by now should be made to sit all the way through this tedious, post-dubbed groaner, made even more insufferable by several minutes of stock rodeo footage. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1979
A psychotic photographer is on the hunt for a pure woman. To this end he sets up photo sessions at the homes of ladies he meets through a local sex newspaper, but they invariably disrobe, pose in provocative ways, and attempt to seduce him. Each time his fury is aroused and he strangles them, believing that he's doing a good thing by ridding the world of loose women. He becomes fixated on the owner of a local bookstore, a prim, proper woman who he believes might be the one he's looking for. Little does he know that she's a serial killer as well, stabbing local winos to death in back alleys late at night. Since they share a similar distaste for weakness in the opposite sex, when they finally come together the only possible outcome is violence and death for them both. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Cover Girls isn't really a Charlie's Angels rip-off. Honest! Look: there are three girls in Charlie's Angels and only two girls (Jayne Kennedy and Cornelia Sharpe) in Cover Girls. Besides, the Angels are private eyes, working on behalf of boss John Forsythe; the Cover Girls are fashion models, doubling as secret agents on behalf of boss Don Galloway. Just because Cover Girls premiered on May 18, 1977, six months into Charlie's Angels' fabulous first season, doesn't mean that there was any conscious copycatting. Does it? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jayne Kennedy, Cornelia Sharpe, (more)
- 1971
- R
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This is a bawdy burlesque of the famous fairy tale. Instead of Gepetto, the old man wood-carver, we have Geppeta (Monica Gayle), an apparently frustrated nubile young virgin. Geppeta carves Pinocchio (Alex Roman) for herself as a gorgeous young hunk. Geppeta's fairy godmother, a bawdy blonde played by Dyanna Thorne, magically transforms the young stud Pinocchio into a living man, who is quickly brought to work in the local whorehouse as a prize stud and exhibitionist. Nothing — not even sex — is taken seriously in this fairy tale for grown-ups.
A lackadaisical gumshoe is caught between a glamorous thief, a gang of ruthless hoodlums and a handful of vicious drug peddlers in this quirky crime drama from cut-price auteur Ray Dennis Steckler. Carrie Erskine (Carolyn Brandt) is a beautiful cat burglar who late one night cracks the safe of Big Mack (Bernard Fein), a powerful underworld boss. However, before she can make off with the bag he's locked inside, Erskine is attacked by Frankie (Gary Kent), a burly crook who knows what's inside the satchel -- a fortune in heroin. Big Mack isn't the least bit happy about losing his goods, and gives Brett (Brett Pearson), one of his underlings, three days to find the dope and deliver the thief or else. Meanwhile, Ferguson (Alan Smith), another one of Big Mack's goons, wants to get back in the gangster's good graces by finding the dope; knowing that Erskine was after Mack's valuables, he persuades Charlie Smith (Ray Dennis Steckler), a private eye who is short on money, to help him find her and the bag. Smith learns that one of Erskine's best friends is Frankie's boyfriend, and is drawn into the seedy world of drugs and crime in Hollywood as he discovers Erskine is more of an ally than a criminal. Steckler (who has also acted in films as Cash Flagg) took over as leading man in Body Fever (aka Super Cool and The Last Original B Movie) after three days of shooting due to disagreements between himself and the actor initially cast as Charlie Smith, with Steckler donning the toupee originally purchased for his male star. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1966
In this crazy horror comedy, a streetwise gang of teens (patterned after the Bowery Boys) get involved in a race and find assorted weirdos and monsters waiting for them at the finishline. This feature is comprised of two short films spliced together. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
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)
Joe Saxon (Brick Bardo) is an unsuccessful actor in Hollywood who refuses to accept defeat. His wife, Liz (Liz Renay), is fed up with his dreaming, not to mention the wild parties he throws to suck up to movie industry bigwigs. Worried over their finances, Liz leaves him and goes to stay with her cousin, Linda (Laura Benedict), at the roadside café she runs, but Joe follows with a movie producer in tow who wants to give him a break. Meanwhile, a trio of lunatics has escaped from a mental hospital, cutting a swath of mayhem across California. The axe-wielding psychopaths murder a pair of newlyweds, dispatching their victims with cackling glee. The paths of all these characters cross inevitably at the café, and the fugitives hold the diners hostage. But even after escaping from her captors, Liz is abducted by Mort "Mad Dog" Click (Cash Flagg aka director Ray Dennis Steckler), the brother of one of the killers, and he is more dangerous than all three put together. A lengthy chase scene through Topanga Canyon featuring a station wagon, a motorcycle, and a horse leads to a violent conclusion. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cash Flagg, Liz Renay, (more)
- 1963
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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)
This low-budget, mediocre teen rock 'n roll tale features a raft of unknowns, headed by Arch Hall, Jr. as Bud Eagle who leaves on a motorscooter from Spearfish, South Dakota with his guitar and dreams, and heads toward Hollywood. Soon after he arrives, a comely young woman, Vicki, manages to get Bud a spot on a TV show and the response is wild. Crafty wheeler-dealer Mike McCauley cons Bud into taking him on as a manager and then does everything he can to exploit Bud and pump up his popularity -- and income. Since ethics are no consideration, Bud soon wants out of his contract. Several mishaps later, he and his brother come up with a devious plan. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Watters, Cash Flagg, (more)
Considered by many to be one of the worst films ever made, Eegah! is the story of a gigantic Neanderthal who has managed to survive into modern times living in California's Mojave desert, and who falls in love with and kidnaps the teenage girl who discovered him in a cave. A handsome young man (Arch Hall, Jr., the director's teenage son) proves to be her savior and while he and his rock & roll band play, the police shoot the caveman to bits. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Kiel, Marilyn Manning, (more)
