Cassandra Peterson Movies
A pretty, conservative-looking redhead, Cassandra Peterson made a name for herself in sexy, extroverted roles. Her first film, 1973's Working Stiff, offered a rare glimpse of Cassandra el buffo; afterwards, she preferred to tease her audience with provocative costuming. Throughout the 1980s, she could be glimpsed in such comedy cameo roles as "Biker Mama" in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985). Cassandra climbed to cult status in the early 1980s when she donned the black wig, vampiric makeup and tight floor-length gowns of "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark." As hostess of the weekly horror-flick series Elvira's Movie Macabre, Ms. Peterson offset her spooky sensuality with a steady stream of raunchy one-liners and horrendous puns. The popularity of the Elvira persona peaked around 1988 (a feature film based on the character took a nosedive at the box office), but Cassandra Peterson continued to make personal appearances as the Mistress of the Dark into the late 1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1981
- PG
Harry Hamlin stars as the self-styled "King of Mulholland Drive," the leader of a group of men who get drunk and then race their cars at high-speed along a perilous Los Angeles roadway. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Hamlin, Joseph Bottoms, (more)
- 1980
- PG
Comedy falls as flat as a blowout in this film by Joseph Sargent about a down-to-earth trucker (Robert Blake) and the rich and looney witch (Dyan Cannon) he is forced to take on a haul from New York to L.A. Madie (Cannon) is running away from her money-grubbing husband who is conniving to get the most inexpensive divorce he can. Charlie (Blake) the trucker is under pressure from a ruthless creditor and is in desperate need of cash. As the mismatched duo continues in a stressful journey across country, sparks fly but fail to ignite much of anything along the way. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dyan Cannon, Robert Blake, (more)
In an unfunny, scattered sequel to their successful Up in Smoke, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong reprise their roles as carefree men who do inhale. But this time around Cheech is out of a job and trying to dodge his bilious neighbor while chasing the lovely Donna (Evelyn Guerrero) with anything but honorable intentions. Meanwhile, Cheech's cousin Red (also Cheech Marin) and Chong go tooling around Hollywood in a luxury sports car looking for adventure. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, (more)
- 1975
In this sexy comedy, three luscious women try to make an honest living in male-dominated LA. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Fellini's Roma is a virtually plotless autobiographical tribute to Rome, Italy, featuring narration by Fellini himself and a mixture of real-life footage and fictional set pieces. It flows from episode to episode, beginning with the director's early years arriving in Rome in 1931 during the time of Mussolini. Played by Stefano Mayore as a child, he visits the city with classmates and becomes infatuated. Played by Peter Gonzales at age 18, the young Fellini moves in to a tenement building and explores the wild characters living in neighborhood. The events that follow switch between the past and contemporary times, including a story line that involves a 1970s film crew making a movie about Rome. He also incorporates segments of Roman history and problems in the government, including an improvised speech from Gore Vidal. Throughout this journey there are visits to an outdoor restaurant, a movie theater, a music hall, and a brothel. In one famously surreal segment, groups of clergymen gather together for a Catholic fashion show spectacle. After a visit to a street festival and some on-camera interviews, the film concludes with shots of motorcycles driving by the Colosseum. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Britta Barnes, Federico Fellini, (more)
