1950s American-International Cult Faves on Region 2 DVD!

In 2003, DVD UK, Ltd. released ten 1950s cult fave films on DVD in England (region 2). All ten are now available in two low-priced 5-disc boxed sets, and are highly recommended for fans with all-region players (and in this 21^st century, there’s no reason not to have an all-region player). With shipping to the U.S., each box’ll only set you back about $35 American from amazon.co.uk. All of the discs have trailers for the other films in the series, and a lengthy audio piece with Sam Arkoff.

(And if you want to know about where to get an all-region DVD player, don’t think you have to spend big bucks on one: those cheap $35 Sampos you see at Target and Wal-Mart are easily convertible to all-region with a few clicks on the remote. Do a google search for more info.)

Arkoff Vaults, Vol. 1:

War of the Colossal Beast (1958)
Dir. Bert I. Gordon - 68 min.
The Amazing Colossal Man is found alive in Mexico, but his mind and half of his face are missing and he spends most of his time chasing bread trucks through the mountains. A rare ‘50s horror sequel, but a pretty good one. The cast includes Sally Fraser, Russ Bender, and Dean Parkin as the Colossal Man. The DVD is excellent, and the climax is in color!
Original co-feature: Attack of the Puppet People. Tagline: "TOWERING TERROR! What can society do with a sixty-foot monster?"

The Spider (1958)
Dir. Bert I. Gordon - 72 min.
A town's teens are attacked by a towering tarantula. One of the better giant bug movies. Also known as Earth vs. the Spider. Cast: Ed Kemmer, June Kenney, Sally Fraser.
Original co-feature: The Brain Eaters
Tagline: "Bullets... won't kill it! Flames... won't burn it! Nothing... can stop it! The Spider will EAT YOU ALIVE!"

How to Make a Monster (1958)
Dir. Herbert L. Strock - 73 min.
When a movie studio fires its long-time makeup man, he sends some of his fiendish creations, including the Teenage Werewolf and Frankenstein, on a mission of revenge. The fiery climax is shown in full color. Cast: Robert H. Harris, Gary Conway, Gary Clarke, Morris Ankrum. Original co-feature: Teenage Caveman. Tagline: "It will scare the living YELL out of you!"

Blood of Dracula (1957)
Dir. Herbert L. Stock - 71 min.
Hypnosis creates another monster (cheaper than building a laboratory set); this time, a troubled girl turns into a vampire. One of the best of the "teenage monster" series, with an hilarious musical number at a pajama party. Cast: Sandra Harrison, Louise Lewis, Jerry Blaine. Original co-feature: I was a Teenage Frankenstein Tagline: "In her eyes? DESIRE! In her veins? The blood of a MONSTER!"

The Brain Eaters (1958)
Dir. Bruno VeSota - 60 min.
Parasites from the center of the earth are boring into people's necks and taking over their brains. Wow! And it's based on the novel THE PUPPET MASTERS by Robert A. Heinlein! Cast: Ed Nelson, Joanna Lee, Jody Fair, Leonard Nimoy. Original co-feature: The Spider. Tagline: "Crawling, slimy things – hell bent on destroying the world!"

Arkoff Vaults, Vol. 2:

Day the World Ended (1956)
Dir. Roger Corman - 80 min.
A group of post-nuclear holocaust survivors bunk together in a lone mountain cabin while dodging a radioactive mutant in the woods. A fun film with a good cast (Richard Denning, Lori Nelson, Adele Jergens, Mike Connors). Remade twice, as In the Year 2889 (1967) and a made-for-TV version in 2001. Unfortunately, the film (which was released in “Superscope”) is full-screen on the DVD, and much of the picture is missing.
Original co-feature: Beast with 1,000,000 Eyes. Tagline: "The world attacked! By the creature from HELL!"

The She-Creature (1956)
Dir. Edward L. Cahn - 76 min.
A goofy hypnotist reverts his shapely assistant back to her previous existence as a sea monster. Cast: Chester Morris, Tom Conway, Marla English, El Brendel. Remade as Creature of Destruction (1967) and as a TV-movie in 2001.
Original co-feature: It Conquered the World
Tagline: "Reincarnated as a monster from HELL!"

The Undead (1957)
Dir. Roger Corman - 70 min.
Well, another woman is hypnotized into a past life -- but this time it's a hooker who discovers she used to be a witch. One of Corman's best. Cast: Pamela Duncan, Richard Garland, Allison Hayes, Billy Barty.
Original co-feature: Voodoo Woman
Tagline: "A dark story revealing a thousand years of naked TERROR!"

Voodoo Woman (1957)
Dir: Edward L. Cahn - 77 min.
A mad scientist's experiment turns bad, resulting in a monster rampage deep in the jungle. The "voodoo woman" is composed of mostly spare parts from the costume of the She-Creature! Cast: Tom Conway, Marla English, Mike Connors. The DVD is too dark.
Original co-feature: The Undead
Tagline: "A woman by day.... a MONSTER by night!"

Reform School Girl (1957)
Dir. Edward Bernds - 72 min.
When a young punk steals a car and hits a pedestrian, he pins the rap on his ex-girlfriend, who is sent to a woman's prison. Cast: Gloria Castillo, Edd Byrnes, Yvette Vickers, Luana Anders.
Original co-feature: Rock Around the World
Tagline: "Caged boy-hungry wildcats gone mad!"

The DVD releases were so successful that DVD UK, Ltd. contacted me last year and wanted my help in selecting additional titles for release. The options were as follows:

Crime and Mystery: The Bonnie Parker Story, Daddy-O, The Female Jungle, Jailbreakers, Machine Gun Kelly, and Rock All Night.

Horror and Fantasy: Teenage Caveman, Viking Women and the Sea Serpent, The Cat Girl.

Action and Teenage Rebellion: The Cool and the Crazy, Dragstrip Girl, Girls in Prison, Motorcycle Gang, Roadracers, Runaway Daughters, Shake Rattle & Rock, and Sorority Girl.

War: Hell Squad, Jet Attack!, Operation Dames, Paratroop Command, Tank Commandos, Submarine Seahawk, and Suicide Battalion.

Based on those options, I issued the following recommendations:

Rock All Night: Roger Corman lists this as one of his favorite of his own films, and I have to agree with him. A good cast, including Abby Dalton. The Platters are kind of just dumped in at the beginning of the film for no reason other than to justify the film’s title. Originally released as a co-feature with Dragstrip Girl. Highly recommended.

Machine Gun Kelly: Another favorite of mine, and an important film, too, as it presented Charles Bronson with an important early starring role. Morey Amsterdam is in it, and he gets eaten by a tiger, for the most part. Original co-feature: The Bonnie Parker Story. Highly recommended.

The Female Jungle: Where did you dig THIS one up? Jayne Mansfield, in her film debut, was only paid $150 for the two-week shooting. Less than an hour long, and I can’t even find any notes on what co-feature it played with. Still, with Miss Mansfield, how can you go wrong? Recommended.

Teenage Caveman: With a title like that, how bad could it be? Corman’s original title (Prehistoric World) was changed by Arkoff, who wanted something “more commercial.” The L.A. Times reviewer said, “Despite its 10-cent title, this is a good picture.” Early starring role for Robert “The Man from UNCLE” Vaughn, who at 25 was hardly a teenager. Very cheesy special effects that aren’t very special. Co-feature: How to Make a Monster. Recommended.

The Saga of the Viking Women and their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent: Yes, that’s the actual title, all right. Would I lie? Corman later admitted that trying to make an “epic” for $110,000 was a big mistake: “When working on a low budget, you are better off with material that does not depend primarily on spectacular special effects.” Still, it’s a fun picture with an attractive cast. Co-feature: The Astounding She-Monster. Recommended.

Shake, Rattle, and Rock: One of the first and best of the 1950s rock ‘n’ roll movies. Stars Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Fats Domino and Big Joe Turner, and such old favorites as Margaret Dumont (foil of the Marx Brothers in so many films), Sterling Holloway (the voice of Winnie-the-Pooh), and old-time cowboy star Raymond Hatton. Co-feature: Runaway Daughters. Highly Recommended.

(Confessions of a) Sorority Girl: Corman filmed on the campus of the University of Southern California, and there sure are a lot of beautiful California girls in this movie. Released in England as The Bad One (do they not have sororities in England?). Co-feature: Motorcycle Gang. Recommended.

Roadracers: I’ve never seen this one, but I’ve heard it has some great racing footage. Co-feature: Daddy-O. Recommended.

The Cat Girl: A British production financed by AIP. An unofficial remake of the classic The Cat People. Co-feature: The Amazing Colossal Man. Recommended (at least it’s got a monster in it!)

Dragstrip Girl: If American Graffiti had actually been filmed in the 1950s, the result would have been Dragstrip Girl, one of my favorite films of the era. Fast cars, fast girls, fast rock ‘n’ roll. Co-feature: Rock All Night. Highly Recommended.

Girls in Prison: In case you didn’t know, American-International Pictures’ promotion department used to think up a title and poster, show it to a test audience of teenagers, and ask them how interested they’d be in going to see the film in question. If the kids approved, a script was commissioned and the film got made. That’s why AIP films invariably have sensational titles (and posters that feature bosomy women in negligees). More fun low-budget filmmaking: a terrible storm sweeps through town while you’re filming? Hey, you can’t afford to lose a day’s shooting. They just re-wrote Girls in Prison to include a storm! Co-feature: Hot Rod Girl. Recommended.

Motorcycle Gang: I like this movie a lot, too. I wonder what’s wrong with me? Anyway, it’s got a good motorcycle gang vs. a bad motorcycle gang, fighting it out for turf. Lots of comedy in this one. Co-feature: (Confessions of a) Sorority Girl. Recommended.

Daddy-O: Well, THIS film covered all the bases (that’s an obscure American baseball term that means “tries to do everything at the same time”). A truck driver becomes a singer (just like Elvis), goes drag racing (just like James Dean) and gets mixed up with mobsters (just like Frank Sinatra). It’s fairly terrible, even by cheap old movies of the 1950s standards. Co-feature: Roadracers.

The Bonnie Parker Story (1958) Dir. by William Witney

The true story of the Bonnie & Clyde, the two vicious thrill-killer bank robbers of the 1930s. (Unable to reach an agreement with Clyde’s family, AIP changed Clyde Barrow’s name to “Guy Darrow”.) This version was overshadowed, of course, by the Warren Beatty/Faye Dunaway version of a decade later, but it’s a classic of its type. This commercial title should even appeal to movie fans that aren’t particularly interested in most of the other titles. Highly Recommended. Cast: Dorothy Provine (who later went on to starring roles in It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and The Great Race), Jack Hogan, Joe Turkel. Original co-feature: Machine Gun Kelly .

The Jailbreakers (produced in 1959, not 1961 as your email indicated). Dir. by Alexander Grasshoff

A handful of nutso gunmen take over a small town and terrorize a family on vacation. A very obscure film and not very highly regarded. I asked several film buffs I know, and none of them could remember it. Imdb.com says it was produced in 1961, Sam Arkoff’s book lists it as being released in 1960, and the lobby card I have says copyright 1959! So apparently NOBODY knows much about this film! Cast: Robert Hutton, Mary Castle. Original co-feature: Why Must I Die? (Nobody can remember THIS film, either!)

The Cool and the Crazy (1958) Dir. by William Witney

A young punk puts the “high” in high school by selling marijuana to teens. Filmed on location in Kansas City, and its realistic locale, goofy 1950s view of the evils of drugs, and commercial title make this one Highly Recommended. Cast: Scott Marlowe, Gigi Perreau, Dickie Jones. Original co-feature: Dragstrip Riot.

Runaway Daughters (1956) Dir. by Edward L. Cahn

To escape troubled home lives and overbearing parents, three teenage girls drift into trouble. Whereas most American-International Pictures of the 1950s are 65 to 75 minutes long, this one’s a leisurely 92 minutes, and it could’ve used some editing. Still, it has a great cast of 1950s favorites. Cast: Marla English, Anna Sten, Adele Jergens, Gloria Castillo. Original co-feature: Shake, Rattle and Rock.

Okay, let’s talk about the AIP war movies for a second. These were a rare attempt to appeal to adult audiences while still keeping the drive-in fare, and they weren’t too successful. Over the years, they were rarely revived in theatres or on television, and when they finally made it to video about 15 years ago, they were paired as “double features” on one inexpensive tape. I still doubt if many people (besides me, of course) bought them.

Quality-wise, they range from the super-cheap (Hell Squad) to the merely cheap (the other titles) and they all use an awful lot of stock footage from WWII newsreels. Some of them have good directors: Edward L. Cahn was effective with low budgets, and William Witney and Spencer Bennet had both created some excellent action films and serials in the 1940s.

I don’t know how popular low-budget American war films of the 1950s would be with British audiences, so I’m not going to recommend any of these films. If you do acquire them, I suggest you consider releasing them together as a “War is Hell!” collection or something like that, perhaps in a boxed set with two films on one disc (similar to the recently released Will Hay Collection in the UK). People who might not buy them individually might be tempted to buy a collection. If these films end up boring your customers to death, well, that’s not MY fault!

Hell Squad (1958) Dir. by Burt Topper

According to Sam Arkoff, Burt Topper handled all duties behind the camera and this cheapie was brought in for a budget of only $20,000! A pack of American soldiers are lost in Tunisia during WWII, giving them plenty of opportunity to wander around the Southern California landscape. Original co-feature: Tank Battalion

Jet Attack! (1958) Dir. by Edward L. Cahn

A group of Americans head behind enemy lines in Korea to rescue a nuclear scientist who’s been shot down. Jet Attack! is a proud winner of the “Golden Turkey” award and was officially named one of the 50 Worst Movies of All Time. The cast includes John Agar, who has been in more rotten movies than any actor in history. He was also married to Shirley Temple. Original co-feature: Suicide Battalion.

Operation Dames (1959) Dir. by Louis Clyde Stouman

A USO troupe of entertainers is lost behind enemy lines in Korea. Released in England under the title Girls in Action. (What’s the matter, don’t you Brits know what “dames” are?) The cast includes Eve Miller, former Playboy centerfold. Original co-feature: Tank Commandoes.

Paratroop Command (1959) Dir. by William Witney

A soldier brings bad luck to his platoon, and they shun him for it. I’ve seen this movie, and can’t remember a damn thing about it. What does THAT tell you? Original co-feature: Submarine Seahawk.

Submarine Seahawk (1958) Dir. by Spencer Gordon Bennet

The new commander of a U.S. submarine in WWII faces mutiny when he refuses to attack Japanese destroyers; he can’t tell the crew that their ship is actually to be part of a top-secret attack. Director Bennet (make sure you spell his name right if you take this film!) was a great action director in serials going back to the silent movie days, so it’s too bad that this film doesn’t give him much room to maneuver. Original co-feature: Paratroop Command.

Suicide Battalion (1958) Dir. by Edward L. Cahn

A pretty good action film with an interesting cast; a group of American soldiers are sent behind Japanese lines in WWII to destroy some top-secret papers left behind when the U.S. fled the Philippines. Typical AIP cast includes Mike “Touch” Connors, John Ashley, and Russ Bender. This is probably the best of the war films on your list. Original co-feature: Jet Attack!

In the end, they accepted my recommendations, except for The Cat Girl: while U.K. rights were available, continental rights were not. They accepted my suggestion of Daddy-O as a replacement.

All 15 discs were issued in 2004 and are available to order separately from England.