Fifty years ago, every studio told Joe Camp — who died Friday after a long illness — he was barking up the wrong tree with Benji.
While working in advertising, the Texas-based Camp dreamed of telling a Lassie-like story from the dog’s point of view, and so he penned a script about a beloved stray pooch attempting to rescue two kidnapped children. Naming the film after his own dog, Camp secured independent financing and helmed the project himself.
“He screened it for every single studio, and each one passed,” recalls Camp’s son, filmmaker Brandon Camp, to The Hollywood Reporter. “They all said, ‘No one is interested in this movie.’ ”
Without a distributor, Joe Camp formed Mulberry Square Productions with Ed Vanston to release the film, which starred Peter Breck, Patsy Garrett and mixed-breed canine Higgins. They managed to book Benji at a single Dallas theater in 1974, and more locations followed as word-of-mouth grew.
While working in advertising, the Texas-based Camp dreamed of telling a Lassie-like story from the dog’s point of view, and so he penned a script about a beloved stray pooch attempting to rescue two kidnapped children. Naming the film after his own dog, Camp secured independent financing and helmed the project himself.
“He screened it for every single studio, and each one passed,” recalls Camp’s son, filmmaker Brandon Camp, to The Hollywood Reporter. “They all said, ‘No one is interested in this movie.’ ”
Without a distributor, Joe Camp formed Mulberry Square Productions with Ed Vanston to release the film, which starred Peter Breck, Patsy Garrett and mixed-breed canine Higgins. They managed to book Benji at a single Dallas theater in 1974, and more locations followed as word-of-mouth grew.
- 3/15/2024
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hollywood has seen success with reviving popular films and TV shows rather than inventing new ideas. One 1960s TV Western ripe for a reboot, The Big Valley, was set to be remade as a feature-length film. Some parts had already been cast, including A-list actors. However, the director landed in hot water over previous indiscretions, and the movie never began shooting. Here’s what happened to the failed Big Valley reboot.
‘The Big Valley’ reboot had big names lined up ‘The Big Valley’ TV show cast portrait | Bettmann via Getty Images
A theatrical reboot of The Big Valley was proposed in 2010. Susan Sarandon was first considered for the lead role. Jessica Lange was also considered for the part. Other actors slated for the cast were Ryan Phillippe, Richard Dreyfuss, and Bruce Dern. It was to be remade as an indie feature by filmmakers Daniel Adams and Kate Edelman Johnson, MeTV reported.
‘The Big Valley’ reboot had big names lined up ‘The Big Valley’ TV show cast portrait | Bettmann via Getty Images
A theatrical reboot of The Big Valley was proposed in 2010. Susan Sarandon was first considered for the lead role. Jessica Lange was also considered for the part. Other actors slated for the cast were Ryan Phillippe, Richard Dreyfuss, and Bruce Dern. It was to be remade as an indie feature by filmmakers Daniel Adams and Kate Edelman Johnson, MeTV reported.
- 4/18/2023
- by Angela Ward
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
It’s not uncommon for co-stars to have crushes on each other or even enter relationships. Actors spend long hours on set and tend to get pretty close to those they work with. This happened to Lee Majors and Linda Evans, who both starred in The Big Valley. Their characters may have had a brother-sister bond, but Majors and Evans briefly dated in real life.
What was the plot of ‘The Big Valley’?
Running from 1965-1969, The Big Valley was a popular Western. According to IMDb, the series followed the lives of the Barkley family, who resided in Stockton, California, on the Barkley Ranch. Victoria Barkley is the family matriarch, and she has two sons, Jarrod and Nick, and her daughter Audra.
Victoria’s husband, Thomas, died six years before the show’s beginning but is often mentioned, and the family is one of the wealthiest in town. They are...
What was the plot of ‘The Big Valley’?
Running from 1965-1969, The Big Valley was a popular Western. According to IMDb, the series followed the lives of the Barkley family, who resided in Stockton, California, on the Barkley Ranch. Victoria Barkley is the family matriarch, and she has two sons, Jarrod and Nick, and her daughter Audra.
Victoria’s husband, Thomas, died six years before the show’s beginning but is often mentioned, and the family is one of the wealthiest in town. They are...
- 4/17/2023
- by Lisa Geiger
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
For as long as American media has existed, so too has the allure of a Western. Stories set in the Wild West play an outsized role in the country’s self-mythology, and one of the genre’s favorite tropes is the duel between two opposing gunfighters. These duels often came down to one simple question: who was the fastest in the West? It turns out that few had the reflexes or mental sharpness of Nick Barkley, a character on the show The Big Valley played by Peter Breck.
Breck was one of many actors who learned to fire their weapons accurately in no time. But who was the quickest? It’s a question without a definitive answer.
Peter Breck played the young hothead in ‘The Big Valley’
The Big Valley took place in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The show followed the lives of the Barkley family. They were wealthy owners...
Breck was one of many actors who learned to fire their weapons accurately in no time. But who was the quickest? It’s a question without a definitive answer.
Peter Breck played the young hothead in ‘The Big Valley’
The Big Valley took place in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The show followed the lives of the Barkley family. They were wealthy owners...
- 4/16/2023
- by Sam Hines
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
A beloved Western drama series that ran on TV for five years, The Big Valley is still fondly remembered by many fans of a certain age. With a star-studded cast, including the iconic actor Barbara Stanwyck in a leading role, The Big Valley is often considered a precursor to shows such as Yellowstone.
Even though the show was only on TV for a few years, which isn’t terribly long compared to other Western dramas like Bonanza, the series made an impact. These days, many fans are discovering The Big Valley for the first time and diving deep into the life stories of some of the show’s cast members. That includes Charles Briles, whose tenure on The Big Valley was short but impactful.
What is ‘The Big Valley’ about?
Go outside in the cold? Nahh…we'd rather watch #TheBigValley today at 10a Et. pic.twitter.com/tTWRnCxhi2
— Insp (@insp...
Even though the show was only on TV for a few years, which isn’t terribly long compared to other Western dramas like Bonanza, the series made an impact. These days, many fans are discovering The Big Valley for the first time and diving deep into the life stories of some of the show’s cast members. That includes Charles Briles, whose tenure on The Big Valley was short but impactful.
What is ‘The Big Valley’ about?
Go outside in the cold? Nahh…we'd rather watch #TheBigValley today at 10a Et. pic.twitter.com/tTWRnCxhi2
— Insp (@insp...
- 4/8/2023
- by Christina Nunn
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The Big Valley was one of the last prominent TV shows of the Western craze that swept Hollywood for decades. Waning viewer interest in the genre cut the four-season drama short. Yet even with a truncated run, the show launched several Big Valley cast members to stardom and embedded itself in the public consciousness via syndication.
Without The Big Valley, audiences might never have gotten iconic shows like The Six Million Dollar Man. There are actors still working today whose careers benefitted from appearances in the Western series. But are any main cast members from The Big Valley still alive?
The Western series was a big hit in syndication ‘The Big Valley’ cast portrait | Bettmann via Getty Images
The Big Valley was a primetime drama that aired on ABC from Sept. 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969. While each episode wore the traditional Western genre trappings, the plot’s core was the multi-generational family drama of the wealthy Barkleys.
Without The Big Valley, audiences might never have gotten iconic shows like The Six Million Dollar Man. There are actors still working today whose careers benefitted from appearances in the Western series. But are any main cast members from The Big Valley still alive?
The Western series was a big hit in syndication ‘The Big Valley’ cast portrait | Bettmann via Getty Images
The Big Valley was a primetime drama that aired on ABC from Sept. 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969. While each episode wore the traditional Western genre trappings, the plot’s core was the multi-generational family drama of the wealthy Barkleys.
- 3/9/2023
- by Agustin Mojica
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Chuck Bail, the Hollywood man of action who portrayed the stunt coordinator in the Peter O’Toole-starring The Stunt Man and directed frenetic films including The Gumball Rally and Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold, has died. He was 85.
Bail died Wednesday in a hospital in Tyler, Texas, his friend and fellow former stuntman Gary Kent told The Hollywood Reporter. Bail had heart and gall bladder issues and then contracted Covid-19, he said.
A strapping 6-foot-4, Bail served as the stunt double for Max Baer Jr. on The Beverly Hillbillies and for Peter Breck on The Big Valley, and he threw punches as henchmen ...
Bail died Wednesday in a hospital in Tyler, Texas, his friend and fellow former stuntman Gary Kent told The Hollywood Reporter. Bail had heart and gall bladder issues and then contracted Covid-19, he said.
A strapping 6-foot-4, Bail served as the stunt double for Max Baer Jr. on The Beverly Hillbillies and for Peter Breck on The Big Valley, and he threw punches as henchmen ...
- 11/26/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Chuck Bail, the Hollywood man of action who portrayed the stunt coordinator in the Peter O’Toole-starring The Stunt Man and directed frenetic films including The Gumball Rally and Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold, has died. He was 85.
Bail died Wednesday in a hospital in Tyler, Texas, his friend and fellow former stuntman Gary Kent told The Hollywood Reporter. Bail had heart and gall bladder issues and then contracted Covid-19, he said.
A strapping 6-foot-4, Bail served as the stunt double for Max Baer Jr. on The Beverly Hillbillies and for Peter Breck on The Big Valley, and he threw punches as henchmen ...
Bail died Wednesday in a hospital in Tyler, Texas, his friend and fellow former stuntman Gary Kent told The Hollywood Reporter. Bail had heart and gall bladder issues and then contracted Covid-19, he said.
A strapping 6-foot-4, Bail served as the stunt double for Max Baer Jr. on The Beverly Hillbillies and for Peter Breck on The Big Valley, and he threw punches as henchmen ...
- 11/26/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gavin Jasper Sep 9, 2019
Hey, hepcats! It's time to take a groovy look back at the teensploitation and high school movies that made for regular fodder on MST3K.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 has made fun of so many movies and a lot of the movie types are what you’d expect from such a goofy science fiction show. Movies about guys in rubber monster suits? Check. Movies about mad scientists playing God and it being their undoing? Check. Movies about dumpy white guys going to space? Check. Cheap ripoffs of James Bond? Check. Japanese superheroes who look absolutely ridiculous at every given moment? Check.
But then there’s one genre of movie that’s felt off-brand despite the fact that they’ve covered it a ton of times, as early as the first season. I’m talking about teensploitation. Very old movies about teenagers being dangerous jerks and destroying their own lives,...
Hey, hepcats! It's time to take a groovy look back at the teensploitation and high school movies that made for regular fodder on MST3K.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 has made fun of so many movies and a lot of the movie types are what you’d expect from such a goofy science fiction show. Movies about guys in rubber monster suits? Check. Movies about mad scientists playing God and it being their undoing? Check. Movies about dumpy white guys going to space? Check. Cheap ripoffs of James Bond? Check. Japanese superheroes who look absolutely ridiculous at every given moment? Check.
But then there’s one genre of movie that’s felt off-brand despite the fact that they’ve covered it a ton of times, as early as the first season. I’m talking about teensploitation. Very old movies about teenagers being dangerous jerks and destroying their own lives,...
- 9/8/2019
- Den of Geek
Starring: Peter Breck, Constance Towers, Larry Tucker, Gene Evans, Hari Rhodes, James Best | Written and Directed by Samuel Fuller
The prolific Samuel Fuller carved a niche – or perhaps a gutter – in making exploitation shockers just outside the Hollywood studio system. His had an ability to elevate trash material to something approaching art. Writer and producer on most of his movies, he undoubtedly wielded enough control to be regarded as an auteur.
He also had high-minded ideas. Shock Corridor opens and closes with a quote from the controversial Greek tragedian Euripides: “Whom God wishes to destroy He first makes mad.” Sandwiched between is an absurd thriller, nonsensical and enjoyable and almost certainly allegorical.
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island saw a detective enter a mental asylum to solve a case. Here, the guy going deep is a Pulitzer-pursuing journalist named Johnny (Peter Breck), who’s there to solve the murder of a man named Sloan.
The prolific Samuel Fuller carved a niche – or perhaps a gutter – in making exploitation shockers just outside the Hollywood studio system. His had an ability to elevate trash material to something approaching art. Writer and producer on most of his movies, he undoubtedly wielded enough control to be regarded as an auteur.
He also had high-minded ideas. Shock Corridor opens and closes with a quote from the controversial Greek tragedian Euripides: “Whom God wishes to destroy He first makes mad.” Sandwiched between is an absurd thriller, nonsensical and enjoyable and almost certainly allegorical.
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island saw a detective enter a mental asylum to solve a case. Here, the guy going deep is a Pulitzer-pursuing journalist named Johnny (Peter Breck), who’s there to solve the murder of a man named Sloan.
- 9/2/2019
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
It’s a powerful plea against the death penalty, but also an Oscar bid for a fiery actress. And don’t forget the cool jazz music score. On top of this Robert Wise adds a formerly- taboo sequence, a realistic depiction of an execution in the gas chamber. Of such things were gritty, hard-hitting reputations made.
I Want to Live!
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1958 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 121 min. / Street Date November 15, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring Susan Hayward, Simon Oakland, Theodore Bikel, Virginia Vincent, Wesley Lau, Philip Coolidge.
Cinematography Lionel Lindon
Original Music Johnny Mandel
Written by Nelson Gidding, Don M. Mankiewicz
Produced by Walter Wanger (for Joseph Mankiewicz)
Directed by Robert Wise
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Robert Wise’s I Want to Live! from 1958 is a Can of Worms movie… start discussing its subject matter, and opinions immediately become a stumbling block. So I’ll...
I Want to Live!
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1958 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 121 min. / Street Date November 15, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring Susan Hayward, Simon Oakland, Theodore Bikel, Virginia Vincent, Wesley Lau, Philip Coolidge.
Cinematography Lionel Lindon
Original Music Johnny Mandel
Written by Nelson Gidding, Don M. Mankiewicz
Produced by Walter Wanger (for Joseph Mankiewicz)
Directed by Robert Wise
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Robert Wise’s I Want to Live! from 1958 is a Can of Worms movie… start discussing its subject matter, and opinions immediately become a stumbling block. So I’ll...
- 12/13/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
1963 is our "year of the month". Here's Sean Donovan on Shock Corridor
In Robert Polito’s Criterion Collection essay on Samuel Fuller’s 1963 film Shock Corridor, the firebrand filmmaker Fuller is quoted saying “it is not the headline that counts, but how hard you shout it.” This spirit of loud, unabashed aggression perfectly epitomizes Shock Corridor, a singular, strange entry in the cinema of 1963. The film follows an ambitious journalist Johnny Barrett (Peter Breck) who gets himself committed to a mental hospital (after faking incestuous urges in a meeting with psychiatrists) to crack a mysterious murder case from the inside-out, hoping to get the secrets from the inmates on their own level. If it sounds like the makings of a sleazy pulp fiction novel, that’s exactly what is.
Shock Corridor is pure b-movie Hollywood gutter trash, but with Samuel Fuller at the helm, it becomes something fascinatingly independent and bizarre.
In Robert Polito’s Criterion Collection essay on Samuel Fuller’s 1963 film Shock Corridor, the firebrand filmmaker Fuller is quoted saying “it is not the headline that counts, but how hard you shout it.” This spirit of loud, unabashed aggression perfectly epitomizes Shock Corridor, a singular, strange entry in the cinema of 1963. The film follows an ambitious journalist Johnny Barrett (Peter Breck) who gets himself committed to a mental hospital (after faking incestuous urges in a meeting with psychiatrists) to crack a mysterious murder case from the inside-out, hoping to get the secrets from the inmates on their own level. If it sounds like the makings of a sleazy pulp fiction novel, that’s exactly what is.
Shock Corridor is pure b-movie Hollywood gutter trash, but with Samuel Fuller at the helm, it becomes something fascinatingly independent and bizarre.
- 9/7/2016
- by Sean Donovan
- FilmExperience
Do you like my choice of leading image? 'We're the Glory Guys! Eee-Yow!' What is surely the most generic cavalry western of all time is actually from a screenplay by Sam Peckinpah. Twilight Time's extras have a lot to say about that, and so does Savant. The Glory Guys Blu-ray Twilight Time 1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 113 min. / Street Date September 6, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95 Starring Tom Tryon, Harve Presnell, Senta Berger, James Caan, Andrew Duggan, Slim Pickens, Peter Breck, Jeanne Cooper, Michael Anderson Jr., Adam Williams, Wayne Rogers, Michael Forest, Paul Birch, Stephen Chase, Claudio Brook. Cinematography James Wong Howe Cinematography Ernst R. (Tom) Rolf, Melvin Shapiro Original Music Riz Ortolani Written by Sam Peckinpah from the novel by Hoffman Birney Produced by Arthur Gardner, Arnold Laven, Jules V. Levy Directed by Arnold Laven
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The Glory Guys is as generic and standard-issue...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The Glory Guys is as generic and standard-issue...
- 9/5/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Special Mention: Shock Corridor
Written and directed by Samuel Fuller
USA, 1963
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Shock Corridor stars Peter Breck as Johnny Barrett, an ambitious reporter who wants to expose a killer hiding out at the local insane asylum. In order to solve the case, he must pretend to be insane so they have him committed. Once in the asylum, Barrett sets to work, interrogating the other patients and keeping a close eye on the staff. But it’s difficult to remain a sane man living in an insane place, and the closer Barrett gets to the truth, the closer he gets to insanity.
Shock Corridor is best described as an anti-establishment drama that at times is surprisingly quite funny despite the dark material. The film deals with some timely issues of the era, specifically the atom bomb, anti-communism, and racism. It features everything from a raving female love-crazed nympho ward,...
Written and directed by Samuel Fuller
USA, 1963
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Shock Corridor stars Peter Breck as Johnny Barrett, an ambitious reporter who wants to expose a killer hiding out at the local insane asylum. In order to solve the case, he must pretend to be insane so they have him committed. Once in the asylum, Barrett sets to work, interrogating the other patients and keeping a close eye on the staff. But it’s difficult to remain a sane man living in an insane place, and the closer Barrett gets to the truth, the closer he gets to insanity.
Shock Corridor is best described as an anti-establishment drama that at times is surprisingly quite funny despite the dark material. The film deals with some timely issues of the era, specifically the atom bomb, anti-communism, and racism. It features everything from a raving female love-crazed nympho ward,...
- 10/9/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
News.
The Best-of-the-Year lists keep rolling in, so here's a batch of worthwhile entries unveiled in the past week: Film Comment - 50 Best Films | 20 Best Undistributed Films Indiewire - Critics Survey Glenn Kenny Scott Foundas Slant Magazine Michael Sicinski's "The Best of the Rest" Village Voice Film Poll The latest issue of Cineaste is on shelves now and includes, among other pieces, an article on rom-coms today by Adrian Martin, and a feature by David Sterritt on "Beats, Beatniks, and Beat Movies." Also make sure to look online for exclusive content from Aaron Cutler and Celluloid Liberation Front. Above: one of our favorite journals, La Furia Umana, is now shipping its fourth print edition, featuring multiple pieces on Nicholas Ray and Brian De Palma. The 18th online edition is due out by the end of the month, so we'll be checking up on Lfu again soon. On digital shelves is...
The Best-of-the-Year lists keep rolling in, so here's a batch of worthwhile entries unveiled in the past week: Film Comment - 50 Best Films | 20 Best Undistributed Films Indiewire - Critics Survey Glenn Kenny Scott Foundas Slant Magazine Michael Sicinski's "The Best of the Rest" Village Voice Film Poll The latest issue of Cineaste is on shelves now and includes, among other pieces, an article on rom-coms today by Adrian Martin, and a feature by David Sterritt on "Beats, Beatniks, and Beat Movies." Also make sure to look online for exclusive content from Aaron Cutler and Celluloid Liberation Front. Above: one of our favorite journals, La Furia Umana, is now shipping its fourth print edition, featuring multiple pieces on Nicholas Ray and Brian De Palma. The 18th online edition is due out by the end of the month, so we'll be checking up on Lfu again soon. On digital shelves is...
- 12/18/2013
- by Adam Cook
- MUBI
Every year, we here at Sound On Sight celebrate the month of October with 31 Days of Horror; and every year, I update the list of my favourite horror films ever made. Last year, I released a list that included 150 picks. This year, I’ll be upgrading the list, making minor alterations, changing the rankings, adding new entries, and possibly removing a few titles. I’ve also decided to publish each post backwards this time for one reason: the new additions appear lower on my list, whereas my top 50 haven’t changed much, except for maybe in ranking. Enjoy!
****
Special Mention:
Shock Corridor
Written and directed by Samuel Fuller
USA, 1963
Shock Corridor stars Peter Breck as Johnny Barrett, an ambitious reporter who wants to expose the killer at the local insane asylum. To solve the case, he must pretend to be insane so they have him committed. Once in the asylum,...
****
Special Mention:
Shock Corridor
Written and directed by Samuel Fuller
USA, 1963
Shock Corridor stars Peter Breck as Johnny Barrett, an ambitious reporter who wants to expose the killer at the local insane asylum. To solve the case, he must pretend to be insane so they have him committed. Once in the asylum,...
- 10/28/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
As a new year dawns, a tribute to those we've lost in the year now ending is merited ... and in 2012, those sad milestones have encompassed some of the most popular personalities in television history.
Andy Griffith: The actor-producer who put Mayberry on the map forever will be remembered as one of television's most genial personalities, also extending to his run as wily lawyer Matlock.
Dick Clark: The number of music stars who owe at least part of their success to the "American Bandstand" maestro is incalculable. Thanks to him, people also enjoy "New Year's Rockin' Eve," receive American Music Awards and have a greater appreciation of bloopers. Here's a "so long" salute to you, Dick.
Larry Hagman: The truly unfortunate irony of the veteran actor's recent death is that he was just starting his second round of "Dallas" success as master schemer J.R. Ewing. He'll also...
Andy Griffith: The actor-producer who put Mayberry on the map forever will be remembered as one of television's most genial personalities, also extending to his run as wily lawyer Matlock.
Dick Clark: The number of music stars who owe at least part of their success to the "American Bandstand" maestro is incalculable. Thanks to him, people also enjoy "New Year's Rockin' Eve," receive American Music Awards and have a greater appreciation of bloopers. Here's a "so long" salute to you, Dick.
Larry Hagman: The truly unfortunate irony of the veteran actor's recent death is that he was just starting his second round of "Dallas" success as master schemer J.R. Ewing. He'll also...
- 12/31/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Throughout the month of October, Editor-in-Chief and resident Horror expert Ricky D, will be posting a list of his favorite Horror films of all time. The list will be posted in six parts. Click here to see every entry.
As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.
****
Special Mention:
Shock Corridor
Directed by Samuel Fuller
Written by Samuel Fuller
1963, USA
Shock Corridor stars Peter Breck as Johnny Barrett, an ambitious reporter who wants to expose the killer at the local insane asylum. In order to solve the case, he must pretend to be insane so they have him committed. Once in the asylum, Barrett sets to work, interrogating the other patients and keeping a close eye on the staff.
As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.
****
Special Mention:
Shock Corridor
Directed by Samuel Fuller
Written by Samuel Fuller
1963, USA
Shock Corridor stars Peter Breck as Johnny Barrett, an ambitious reporter who wants to expose the killer at the local insane asylum. In order to solve the case, he must pretend to be insane so they have him committed. Once in the asylum, Barrett sets to work, interrogating the other patients and keeping a close eye on the staff.
- 10/28/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
This week American Horror Story returned (to record-shattering numbers) for a new season of insanity - set, appropriately enough, in a sanitarium for the criminally insane. Insane asylums have been hotbeds of movie drama for decades, and bring with them their own set of tropes, cliches, and plot devices. We've compiled a few of our favorite asylum fixtures here, and the film that we feel did each the best.
Best Hallucinations: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
You gotta give it to Freddy and Co. for pulling out all the stops in this truly twisted and beloved postmodern slasher classic. Philip's puppet death and the Zha Zha Gabor and Dick Cavett cameos make this one tops for pure Wtf? hallucinatory imagery.
Best "Welcome to the Asylum" Speech: Twelve Monkeys
If I ever get committed to a mental institution, I want Brad Pitt to be my orientation advisor. This...
Best Hallucinations: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
You gotta give it to Freddy and Co. for pulling out all the stops in this truly twisted and beloved postmodern slasher classic. Philip's puppet death and the Zha Zha Gabor and Dick Cavett cameos make this one tops for pure Wtf? hallucinatory imagery.
Best "Welcome to the Asylum" Speech: Twelve Monkeys
If I ever get committed to a mental institution, I want Brad Pitt to be my orientation advisor. This...
- 10/19/2012
- by brian
- The Backlot
The actor best known for playing hot-headed Nick Barkley on The Big Valley TV series has died.
Peter Breck was 82 years old and died on Monday, February 6th. He passed away after a long illness in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he and his wife Diane were longtime residents. According to his widow, Breck had been in the hospital since January 10th.
Born in Rochester, NY, Breck served in the Us Navy and studied drama at the University of Houston. He appeared in several film and stage productions during his career, but worked mostly on the small screen.
He had recurring roles on Maverick and Black Saddle and guest-starred on dozens of others, like 77 Sunset Strip, Perry Mason, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Fantasy Island.
Breck took great pride in his work on The Big...
Peter Breck was 82 years old and died on Monday, February 6th. He passed away after a long illness in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he and his wife Diane were longtime residents. According to his widow, Breck had been in the hospital since January 10th.
Born in Rochester, NY, Breck served in the Us Navy and studied drama at the University of Houston. He appeared in several film and stage productions during his career, but worked mostly on the small screen.
He had recurring roles on Maverick and Black Saddle and guest-starred on dozens of others, like 77 Sunset Strip, Perry Mason, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Fantasy Island.
Breck took great pride in his work on The Big...
- 2/12/2012
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Mohammad Reza Moini and Mohammad Rasoulof
at La Cinémathèque française last September
"To be quite honest, I don't know what the current status of my sentence is," Mohammad Rasoulof tells Scott Lucas in an interview for EAWorldView. "For example, in the end, my friend Jafar Panahi, who was sentenced to six years in prison last year, only spent two months in jail. My own sentence has been reduced to one year, but for the time being I am still being issued with visas so I can attend festivals like Cannes and the Iffr. I have no idea what will happen next…. Iran is like an alcoholic father. You can't change your father, but I can see him hurting himself, myself and others. But I still love him."
More reading. David Lynch is "a religious or spiritual artist in the same loosely categoric sense that one might apply the term to William Blake or Tarkovsky,...
at La Cinémathèque française last September
"To be quite honest, I don't know what the current status of my sentence is," Mohammad Rasoulof tells Scott Lucas in an interview for EAWorldView. "For example, in the end, my friend Jafar Panahi, who was sentenced to six years in prison last year, only spent two months in jail. My own sentence has been reduced to one year, but for the time being I am still being issued with visas so I can attend festivals like Cannes and the Iffr. I have no idea what will happen next…. Iran is like an alcoholic father. You can't change your father, but I can see him hurting himself, myself and others. But I still love him."
More reading. David Lynch is "a religious or spiritual artist in the same loosely categoric sense that one might apply the term to William Blake or Tarkovsky,...
- 2/11/2012
- MUBI
Actor Peter Breck (right, in Shock Corridor), best known for his role as the short-tempered Nick Barkley in the 1960s television series The Big Valley, died Monday, Feb. 6, in Vancouver. Breck, who had been suffering from dementia, was 82. Though mostly a TV actor (Black Saddle, Maverick, The Fall Guy), Breck also appeared in about 20 movies. The most notable among those was probably Samuel Fuller's thriller Shock Corridor (1963), in which he plays a journalist who commits himself to a mental institution in order to solve a murder. Additionally, Breck was featured in Joe Camp's blockbuster Benji (1974), about a stray dog who rescues two kidnapped children. Breck's other features were minor fare. Those included Herbert L. Strock's The Crawling Hand (1963), about the hand of a dead astronaut that spends its time strangling the living, plus Highway 61 (1991), Decoy (1995), Lulu (1996), and Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004). Breck is the third The Big Valley...
- 2/10/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Peter Breck, known for his roles in "The Big Valley" and "Maverick" has passed away at the age of 82. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Breck's wife made the announcement at "The Big Valley" fan fiction forum, The Big Valley Writing Desk.
Throughout "The Big Valley's" four seasons -- from 1965 to 1969 -- Breck played Nick Barkley, the son of Victoria Barkley, Barbara Stanwyck's character.
Breck's other TV roles include multiple TV Westerns. He appeared on several episodes of "Maverick" as Doc Holliday, "Lawman" and "Black Saddle." Following "The Big Valley," Breck made guest appearances on several shows including "General Hospital," "Fantasy Island" and "The Incredible Hulk." His last credited role is the 2004 film "Jiminy Glick in Lalawood."
According to THR, Breck had been suffering from dementia and had been hospitalized since early January.
Many of the notable deaths from 2011:...
Throughout "The Big Valley's" four seasons -- from 1965 to 1969 -- Breck played Nick Barkley, the son of Victoria Barkley, Barbara Stanwyck's character.
Breck's other TV roles include multiple TV Westerns. He appeared on several episodes of "Maverick" as Doc Holliday, "Lawman" and "Black Saddle." Following "The Big Valley," Breck made guest appearances on several shows including "General Hospital," "Fantasy Island" and "The Incredible Hulk." His last credited role is the 2004 film "Jiminy Glick in Lalawood."
According to THR, Breck had been suffering from dementia and had been hospitalized since early January.
Many of the notable deaths from 2011:...
- 2/10/2012
- by Chris Harnick
- Huffington Post
Peter Breck, known for his roles in "The Big Valley" and "Maverick" has passed away at the age of 82. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Breck's wife made the announcement at "The Big Valley" fan fiction forum, The Big Valley Writing Desk.
Throughout "The Big Valley's" four seasons -- from 1965 to 1969 -- Breck played Nick Barkley, the son of Victoria Barkley, Barbara Stanwyck's character.
Breck's other TV roles include multiple TV Westerns. He appeared on several episodes of "Maverick" as Doc Holliday, "Lawman" and "Black Saddle." Following "The Big Valley," Breck made guest appearances on several shows including "General Hospital," "Fantasy Island" and "The Incredible Hulk." His last credited role is the 2004 film "Jiminy Glick in Lalawood."
According to THR, Breck had been suffering from dementia and had been hospitalized since early January.
Many of the notable deaths from 2011:...
Throughout "The Big Valley's" four seasons -- from 1965 to 1969 -- Breck played Nick Barkley, the son of Victoria Barkley, Barbara Stanwyck's character.
Breck's other TV roles include multiple TV Westerns. He appeared on several episodes of "Maverick" as Doc Holliday, "Lawman" and "Black Saddle." Following "The Big Valley," Breck made guest appearances on several shows including "General Hospital," "Fantasy Island" and "The Incredible Hulk." His last credited role is the 2004 film "Jiminy Glick in Lalawood."
According to THR, Breck had been suffering from dementia and had been hospitalized since early January.
Many of the notable deaths from 2011:...
- 2/10/2012
- by Chris Harnick
- Aol TV.
Now I realise that this film is not exactly forgotten, indeed it has just been re-released by the Criterion Collection in a lavish DVD/Blu-ray edition, but it isn’t an Easy Rider or Bonnie and Clyde, it’s not a picture that comes straight to mind when one thinks about 1960s American cinema, but it should be. Samuel Fuller’s Shock Corridor is a primitive, angst ridden allegory, fusing a noir inflected style with intense psychodrama which is still shocking and relevant today, “it has to be seen to be believed” wrote Andrew Saris in the American cinema, such a phrase is simply apt.
With a performance as smouldering as hot coals, Peter Breck plays investigative journalist Johnny Barrett, an ambitious and daring reporter with his eyes on a Pulitzer Prize. Johnny envisions his prize winning piece as an exposé on a recent murder at a local mental hospital,...
With a performance as smouldering as hot coals, Peter Breck plays investigative journalist Johnny Barrett, an ambitious and daring reporter with his eyes on a Pulitzer Prize. Johnny envisions his prize winning piece as an exposé on a recent murder at a local mental hospital,...
- 12/1/2011
- by Tom Day
- Obsessed with Film
Update: It seems if you relied on streaming Criterion titles on Netflix that option will not be available by the end of 2011 as Criterion has posted on their Facebook page that all of the Criterion titles streaming on Netflix will be gone by the end of the year. They will, of course, continue to provide their titles through physical DVD and Blu-ray rental.
Today Criterion announced they have debuted more than 150 titles on Hulu Plus and over the coming months, that number is expected to swell to more than 800 films. Hulu is also expecting to bring the best aspect of Criterion's titles, the commentaries, documentaries, interviews, original trailers, essays and more to the service as well. This is being perceived as a big deal by everyone and their mother, but I wonder how many subscribers it will actually bring.
Looking over Peter Becker's post at Criterion, the best aspect...
Today Criterion announced they have debuted more than 150 titles on Hulu Plus and over the coming months, that number is expected to swell to more than 800 films. Hulu is also expecting to bring the best aspect of Criterion's titles, the commentaries, documentaries, interviews, original trailers, essays and more to the service as well. This is being perceived as a big deal by everyone and their mother, but I wonder how many subscribers it will actually bring.
Looking over Peter Becker's post at Criterion, the best aspect...
- 2/15/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
By the time Samuel Fuller had made his first film, he'd been a copy boy, fought in the second world war, written a number of pulp novels and screenplays and worked as a crime reporter. His directorial debut, I Shot Jesse James [1] (1949), was already informed by a lifetime's worth of real world experience. His films are personal -- even autobiographical -- and his storytelling is aggressive. His themes are often presented in an austere nature and his imagery can be heavy handed (White Dog [2]), but his earnestness leaves me smiling rather than cringing. It makes sense that Criterion would re-release two Samuel Fuller classics, The Naked Kiss and Shock Corridor, on the same day with matching cover artwork (provided by Ghost World author/illustrator Daniel Clowes). The films share a deep rooted pulp narrative that examines two of cinema's most prototypical social outcasts: hookers and schitzos. The Naked Kiss Directed...
- 1/28/2011
- by Jay C.
- FilmJunk
DVD Playhouse: January 2011
By
Allen Gardner
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (20th Century Fox) Sequel to the seminal 1980s film catches up with a weathered, but still determined Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas, who seems to savor every syllable of Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff’s screenplay) just out of jail and back on the comeback trail. In attempting to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter (Carey Mulligan), Gekko forges a reluctant alliance with her fiancé (Shia Labeouf), himself an ambitious young turk who finds himself seduced by Gekko’s silver tongue and promise of riches. Lifeless film is further evidence of director Oliver Stone’s decline. Once America’s most exciting filmmaker, Stone hasn’t delivered a film with any teeth since 1995’s Nixon. Labeouf and Mulligan generate no sparks on-screen, and the story feels forced from the protracted opening to the final, Disney-esque denouement. Only a brief cameo by Charlie Sheen,...
By
Allen Gardner
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (20th Century Fox) Sequel to the seminal 1980s film catches up with a weathered, but still determined Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas, who seems to savor every syllable of Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff’s screenplay) just out of jail and back on the comeback trail. In attempting to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter (Carey Mulligan), Gekko forges a reluctant alliance with her fiancé (Shia Labeouf), himself an ambitious young turk who finds himself seduced by Gekko’s silver tongue and promise of riches. Lifeless film is further evidence of director Oliver Stone’s decline. Once America’s most exciting filmmaker, Stone hasn’t delivered a film with any teeth since 1995’s Nixon. Labeouf and Mulligan generate no sparks on-screen, and the story feels forced from the protracted opening to the final, Disney-esque denouement. Only a brief cameo by Charlie Sheen,...
- 1/21/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
I have had my introduction to the films of Samuel Fuller... and I want more. However, the wanting I'm experiencing has little to do with the films on Criterion's two recently released Blu-rays for Fuller's Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss as much as it has to do with the selection of special features available on these two discs. Limited as they may be, the selection of interviews, short films and documentaries available across these two discs paint the picture of an artist of a bygone era. As director Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas) says in one of them (from a 1983 interview), "The B-picture is finished. For ten, fifteen years already. It doesn't exist anymore, and Sam's whole work was inside that genre. Sam never made a film that took more than four weeks to shoot and cost more than a million-and-a-half."
I've chosen to review these two releases together because...
I've chosen to review these two releases together because...
- 1/18/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Hey Fiends! Happy Monday! Got another list of flicks on the format of your choice.
Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Triple Feature (Attack of the Crab Monsters / War of the Satellites / Not of This Earth)
Format: DVD
———————————–
Three Films Produced And Directed By Honorary Academy Award Recipient And King Of B-Movies, Roger Corman: With All New Film Transfers From The Negative!
In Attack Of The Crab Monsters, a group of scientists become marooned on an island while investigating the disappearance of researchers who were looking into atomic activity in the Pacific. They quickly fall prey to giant, mutant crustaceans that have the ability to absorb the minds of their prey. Starring Russell Johnson (Gilligans Island), Richard Garland and Mel Welles (Little Shop Of Horrors).
An alien comes to Earth, masquerading as a human, to scout our planet for a new blood source in Not Of This Earth. He needs...
Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Triple Feature (Attack of the Crab Monsters / War of the Satellites / Not of This Earth)
Format: DVD
———————————–
Three Films Produced And Directed By Honorary Academy Award Recipient And King Of B-Movies, Roger Corman: With All New Film Transfers From The Negative!
In Attack Of The Crab Monsters, a group of scientists become marooned on an island while investigating the disappearance of researchers who were looking into atomic activity in the Pacific. They quickly fall prey to giant, mutant crustaceans that have the ability to absorb the minds of their prey. Starring Russell Johnson (Gilligans Island), Richard Garland and Mel Welles (Little Shop Of Horrors).
An alien comes to Earth, masquerading as a human, to scout our planet for a new blood source in Not Of This Earth. He needs...
- 1/18/2011
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
Before he became known as Nick Barkley on TV's "The Big Valley", actor Peter Breck starred in Samuel Fuller's Shock Corridor, co-starring the lovely singer/actress Constance Towers. Not familiar with the film? Then read on for the details and Trembles' take on it.
The flick is being re-released as a Criterion Collection DVD and Blu-ray this January 18, 2011, and its synopsis follows:
Synopsis:
Maverick film director Samuel Fuller was doing some of his best work in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and in the years since its release in 1963, Shock Corridor has become a B-movie classic and a prime example of Fuller's gritty tabloid style. Never hesitant to explore the darkened corners of contemporary life, Fuller depicts the chambers of an insane asylum as a microcosm of American society, telling the story of a cynical, ambitious journalist (Peter Breck) whose obsessive quest for a Pulitzer Prize leads him into the depths of madness.
The flick is being re-released as a Criterion Collection DVD and Blu-ray this January 18, 2011, and its synopsis follows:
Synopsis:
Maverick film director Samuel Fuller was doing some of his best work in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and in the years since its release in 1963, Shock Corridor has become a B-movie classic and a prime example of Fuller's gritty tabloid style. Never hesitant to explore the darkened corners of contemporary life, Fuller depicts the chambers of an insane asylum as a microcosm of American society, telling the story of a cynical, ambitious journalist (Peter Breck) whose obsessive quest for a Pulitzer Prize leads him into the depths of madness.
- 12/2/2010
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
After speaking with Lee Majors, TV Guide reports that Stephen Moyer may have to drop out of The Big Valley, the upcoming feature film that's based on the classic 1965 TV show.
It seems that filming for Big Valley has been delayed a couple times and won't start until the end of November in Louisiana. That's about the same time that Moyer is due back in Los Angeles to begin filming the next season of True Blood. Moyer was cast as eldest son Jarrod Barley, the role that Ryan Phillippe was initially reported to have been landed.
Majors will be playing Tom Barkley, the clan's patriarch. In the original series, Tom has been dead for six years before the first episode begins. Following his death, the Barkley Ranch was run by matriarch Victoria Barkley (Barbara Stanwyck), her three sons (Richard Long, Peter Breck,...
It seems that filming for Big Valley has been delayed a couple times and won't start until the end of November in Louisiana. That's about the same time that Moyer is due back in Los Angeles to begin filming the next season of True Blood. Moyer was cast as eldest son Jarrod Barley, the role that Ryan Phillippe was initially reported to have been landed.
Majors will be playing Tom Barkley, the clan's patriarch. In the original series, Tom has been dead for six years before the first episode begins. Following his death, the Barkley Ranch was run by matriarch Victoria Barkley (Barbara Stanwyck), her three sons (Richard Long, Peter Breck,...
- 11/13/2010
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
In the '50s and '60s, TV westerns often dominated the primetime schedules, but by the early '70s, they all seemed go by the wayside. Attempts to revive them haven't been met with much success, save for the Maverick feature film starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner.
Now The Big Valley, the western series that launched the careers of Linda Evans and Lee Majors, is going to take a stab at a remake, with Susan Sarandon, Ryan Phillipe, Richard Drefuss, and Bruce Dern in key roles.
The Big Valley originally ran on ABC from 1965 to 1969. Barbara Stanwyck plays a widowed matriarch running a ranch in California. She has three sons and a daughter (Richard Long, Peter Breck, Charles Briles, and Linda Evans). Her late husband's illegitimate son (Lee Majors) joins the clan as the series begins. The family's youngest son,...
Now The Big Valley, the western series that launched the careers of Linda Evans and Lee Majors, is going to take a stab at a remake, with Susan Sarandon, Ryan Phillipe, Richard Drefuss, and Bruce Dern in key roles.
The Big Valley originally ran on ABC from 1965 to 1969. Barbara Stanwyck plays a widowed matriarch running a ranch in California. She has three sons and a daughter (Richard Long, Peter Breck, Charles Briles, and Linda Evans). Her late husband's illegitimate son (Lee Majors) joins the clan as the series begins. The family's youngest son,...
- 3/29/2010
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Ryan Phillippe was down at South By Southwest last weekend to promote "MacGruber," in which he plays a relatively straight role to Will Forte's MacGyver-like running joke. While chatting MTV's Josh Horowitz up with fellow star Kristen Wiig about the film, Phillippe mentioned another project that he'll soon get started on.
"I think I'm doing a Western in May, with Susan Sarandon, Billy Bob Thornton, Richard Dreyfuss [and] Bruce Dern," he said. "It's called 'The Big Valley,' which was a [television] series in the '60s, and so it's sort of based on that."
Of the director, Phillippe said, "He's a young guy and this is his first film, so you wouldn't know him yet." This is at odds with the movie's IMDb listing, which as Daniel Adams down as the writer and director of "Big Valley." While he's only directed a handful of films, his first was 1989's "A Fool and His Money,...
"I think I'm doing a Western in May, with Susan Sarandon, Billy Bob Thornton, Richard Dreyfuss [and] Bruce Dern," he said. "It's called 'The Big Valley,' which was a [television] series in the '60s, and so it's sort of based on that."
Of the director, Phillippe said, "He's a young guy and this is his first film, so you wouldn't know him yet." This is at odds with the movie's IMDb listing, which as Daniel Adams down as the writer and director of "Big Valley." While he's only directed a handful of films, his first was 1989's "A Fool and His Money,...
- 3/19/2010
- by Adam Rosenberg
- MTV Movies Blog
Susan Sarandon as Victoria Barkley. Sarandon won’t make me forget Barbara Stanwyck, but that would be a great casting coup. I’m talking about a big-screen remake of the 1960s Western series Big Valley, in which Stanwyck played the widow matriarch of the Barkley Ranch in California’s San Joaquin Valley of the 1870s. Her grown children were Richard Long, Peter Breck, and a pre-Dynasty Linda Evans, and there was also a pre-Six Million Dollar Man Lee Majors as Big Mama Barkley’s stepson. According to The Hollywood Reporter / Reuters (via Cinematical), Sarandon is "in talks" to play the tough widow who feared nothing. Kate Edelman Johnson, daughter of one of the show’s creator, producer Louis F. Edelman (writer A.I. Bezzerides was [...]...
- 2/12/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
With CBS Films working on a feature film version of Gunsmoke, it seems Hollywood has classic '60s TV Westerns squarely in its crosshairs.
The latest Western that's headed for the big screen is The Big Valley, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the 1965-69 series that starred Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Long, Peter Breck, Lee Majors and Linda Evans.
According to the trade, Susan Sarandon is in talks to play the role of Victoria Barkley, the character originated by Stanwyck in the ABC television series.
Stanwyck's Victoria Barkley was the matriarch of a ranching family in California's San Joaquin Valley during the 1870s. Together with her three sons — one of whom was illegitimate — and her daughter, Victoria Barkley ran the ranch, assisted those in need, and often found herself embroiled in controversy of one kind or another.
Guest stars on the series included Charles Bronson, Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Dennis Hopper,...
The latest Western that's headed for the big screen is The Big Valley, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the 1965-69 series that starred Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Long, Peter Breck, Lee Majors and Linda Evans.
According to the trade, Susan Sarandon is in talks to play the role of Victoria Barkley, the character originated by Stanwyck in the ABC television series.
Stanwyck's Victoria Barkley was the matriarch of a ranching family in California's San Joaquin Valley during the 1870s. Together with her three sons — one of whom was illegitimate — and her daughter, Victoria Barkley ran the ranch, assisted those in need, and often found herself embroiled in controversy of one kind or another.
Guest stars on the series included Charles Bronson, Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Dennis Hopper,...
- 2/11/2010
- CinemaSpy
.The Big Valley. is headed to a much bigger screen.According to Variety, the 1960s television Western that starred Barbara Stanwyck is being adapted into an independent feature by Kate Edelman Johnson and Daniel Adams through their Panther Entertainment banner.Adams will direct the film from his own script, whose storyline was developed with series creators Louis F. Edelman and A.I. Bezzerides. Plot borrows elements from the show.s pilot and several episodes.Roles have not yet been cast.In the show, Stanwyck played the widowed matriarch of the wealthy Barkley family living in 19th-century Stockton, Calif.The series, which ran from 1964-69 on ABC, also starred Richard Long, Peter Breck and Charles Briles, and launched the careers of Linda Evans and Lee Majors.Pre-production on .The...
- 7/14/2009
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
As any horror fan worth their salt knows, back in 1974, a little film was released (or unleashed) upon the public with the off-putting yet intriguing title, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Most horror folks have heard all the stories about the film including The Dinner Scene shoot and about the deal with Bryanston, which led to years of legal wrangling. The cast has, to one degree or another, stayed in the public eye and director Tobe Hooper, Dp Daniel Pearl and Production Manager Ron Bozman all moved on to other films, even an Oscar win.
But one cast member has remained mysteriously quiet. And she is the most iconic of them all – Pam, the girl on the hook. Every TCM poster has her image along with Gunnar Hansen’s Leatherface, but no one really knew what happened to her once the film was wrapped. Now, Teri McMinn, who so memorably played Pam,...
But one cast member has remained mysteriously quiet. And she is the most iconic of them all – Pam, the girl on the hook. Every TCM poster has her image along with Gunnar Hansen’s Leatherface, but no one really knew what happened to her once the film was wrapped. Now, Teri McMinn, who so memorably played Pam,...
- 6/4/2009
- by thebellefromhell
- DreadCentral.com
The art-house crowd will hitch if they have to, but they'll find a way to get to a theater showing this soon-to-be cult favorite. And the fact that this journey takes us from Canada down to New Orleans, treating us to a broad taste of music in the process, might widen its appeal to include non-metropolitan dwellers. While certainly not mainstream, "Highway 61'' does have an allure that might entrance a wider spectrum of potential viewers.
As written by, and starring, Don McKellar, this opus has the feel of what a "Northern Exposure'' episode directed by Jim Jarmusch would be like. It has a likable quirkiness to it that keeps the viewer in a contented state throughout.
McKellar plays Pokey Jones, a small-time barber in a small-time Canadian town. Pokey, who thinks he can play the trumpet, has larger ambitions, though you'd never know it by looking at him. His calm demeanor is one step above death. Still, he throws his belongings into the back of his '63 Ford Galaxy 500 and heads out for the open road, only to return immediately. Apparently, Pokey does this a lot.
One morning he finds a dead body in his backyard and tries to revive it with a blow dryer. He then meets thrill-seeking rock 'n' roll roadie Jackie Bangs (Valerie Buhagiar), who claims the dead guy is her brother and that she must take him to New Orleans for his funeral.
Jackie's lying. She just wants to use the body to transport some illicit drugs. But innocent Pokey believes her and since he's always wanted to visit the birthplace of the Blues, he gives her and her casket a lift to New Orleans. It's an eventful ride.
Meanwhile, Mr. Skin (Earl Pastko), a guy who may or may not be Satan, is buying souls left and right. He claims the guy in the casket is his, and chases after Pokey and Jackie. Pastko, who looks like a cross between Keith Carradine and a young Jack Elam, is a sleazy charmer as the guilt-free devil who loves to play bingo.
Along the way they meet a pair of strange U.S. Customs guards, a scary-looking Peter Breck as a deluded single father of three tone-deaf singing girls, and a drugged-out, whacked-out rock 'n' roll couple who hunt chickens in their mansion.
These well-written bizarre characters are what make this film so memorable. There is an unpredictability about the film, in general, that is as refreshing as it is unusual. "Highway 61'' may make a wrong turn here and there, but just getting lost within this funky film is a trip in itself.
HIGHWAY 61
A Skouras Pictures Release
Director Bruce McDonald
Writer Don McKellar
Story Bruce McDonald, Don McKellar, Allan Magee
Cinematographer Miroslaw Baszak
Editor Michael Pacek
Original music score Nash the Slash
Color
Cast:
Key Jones Don McKellar
Jackie Bangs Valerie Buhagiar
Mr. Skin (aka Satan) Earl Pastko
Mr. Watson Peter Breck
Otto Art Bergmann
Customs agent No. 1 Jello Biafra
Customs agent No.2 Hadley Obodiac
Running time -- 102 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
As written by, and starring, Don McKellar, this opus has the feel of what a "Northern Exposure'' episode directed by Jim Jarmusch would be like. It has a likable quirkiness to it that keeps the viewer in a contented state throughout.
McKellar plays Pokey Jones, a small-time barber in a small-time Canadian town. Pokey, who thinks he can play the trumpet, has larger ambitions, though you'd never know it by looking at him. His calm demeanor is one step above death. Still, he throws his belongings into the back of his '63 Ford Galaxy 500 and heads out for the open road, only to return immediately. Apparently, Pokey does this a lot.
One morning he finds a dead body in his backyard and tries to revive it with a blow dryer. He then meets thrill-seeking rock 'n' roll roadie Jackie Bangs (Valerie Buhagiar), who claims the dead guy is her brother and that she must take him to New Orleans for his funeral.
Jackie's lying. She just wants to use the body to transport some illicit drugs. But innocent Pokey believes her and since he's always wanted to visit the birthplace of the Blues, he gives her and her casket a lift to New Orleans. It's an eventful ride.
Meanwhile, Mr. Skin (Earl Pastko), a guy who may or may not be Satan, is buying souls left and right. He claims the guy in the casket is his, and chases after Pokey and Jackie. Pastko, who looks like a cross between Keith Carradine and a young Jack Elam, is a sleazy charmer as the guilt-free devil who loves to play bingo.
Along the way they meet a pair of strange U.S. Customs guards, a scary-looking Peter Breck as a deluded single father of three tone-deaf singing girls, and a drugged-out, whacked-out rock 'n' roll couple who hunt chickens in their mansion.
These well-written bizarre characters are what make this film so memorable. There is an unpredictability about the film, in general, that is as refreshing as it is unusual. "Highway 61'' may make a wrong turn here and there, but just getting lost within this funky film is a trip in itself.
HIGHWAY 61
A Skouras Pictures Release
Director Bruce McDonald
Writer Don McKellar
Story Bruce McDonald, Don McKellar, Allan Magee
Cinematographer Miroslaw Baszak
Editor Michael Pacek
Original music score Nash the Slash
Color
Cast:
Key Jones Don McKellar
Jackie Bangs Valerie Buhagiar
Mr. Skin (aka Satan) Earl Pastko
Mr. Watson Peter Breck
Otto Art Bergmann
Customs agent No. 1 Jello Biafra
Customs agent No.2 Hadley Obodiac
Running time -- 102 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
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