Exploitation and "B" Movies

[Amy Jeanne]

Is anyone else in here interested in low-budget, "poverty row" movies and/or "educational" exploitation movies? What are some of your favourites from the 20s to the 50s? What's the most shocking thing you've seen in these movies?

 

[Sweet Polly Purebred]

I love 'em. There's a few really good "anti-perversion" films over at the Prelinger Archives and lot's of Sex Education films from the 50's.

Which do you like? Might turn me on to something new!

My recent interest, though it's not Golden Era, are the Yakuza 'sploitation films from Japan. Just got the Pinky Violence Collection and have ordered a few from Atomic Cinema and The Video Beat. The worst I've ever seen are contained in Troma films, but those are modern.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I adore archive.org!! I also like cheapie Alpha Video DVDs (oldies.com) and Something Weird Video.

I pretty much have the whole oldies.com 1930s "Exploitation" film inventory and lots from Something Weird. I have way too many here to list, but I'll go over the most "shocking"!!

-Sex Madness (1938) shows graphic footage of the effects of syphillis.

-Both Maniac (1934) and Marihuana (1936) show nudity.

-Narcotic (1933) shows graphic drug usage.

-I was a bit embarrassed after I watched Child Bride (1938)!! *blush*

-The Violent Years (1956) made me raise my eyebrows more than once while watching! And the best part about this film is that you end up feeling sorry for and sympathizing with the girl gang!

I still have too many DVDs of these types of films that I haven't even watched yet! Like Hooked (1956), Secrets Of A Co-Ed (1942), and Delinquent Daughters (1941).

I'm also very keen on "B" movies made on poverty row. The kind where you can see the set moving and hear an echo after every line of dialogue! And cheesy acting! I love those movies more than Hollywood films. There's something very "cozy" about them. Thaey're wonderful to curl up to at 3am. I love that feeling.

 

[jake_fink]

Dwain Esper, who made Maniac and quite a few other exploitation films, was one of the producers of Freaks, the Tod Browning film which probably qualifies for this thread. If so, it is my favourite of the genre; it's an interesting, even fascinating, sometimes almost great film in any case.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

ahhh Gambling with Souls....1936

Mae Miller wants the finer things in life, luxuries that she feels her husband, a doctor, cannot provide for her. She begins to gamble in order to ring in spending money for herself, but winds up deep in debt. To pay her dues, she is reduced to the shame of selling herself.



It ends with murder....

Its just stunningly oddly funny.

go find it...

That reminds me...need to get my copy back from Mr. Wildroot....

 

[funneman]

Where have you been all my life?

I adore archive.org!! I also like cheapie Alpha Video DVDs (oldies.com) and Something Weird Video.

I pretty much have the whole oldies.com 1930s "Exploitation" film inventory and lots from Something Weird. I have way too many here to list, but I'll go over the most "shocking"!!

-Sex Madness (1938) shows graphic footage of the effects of syphillis.

-Both Maniac (1934) and Marihuana (1936) show nudity.

-Narcotic (1933) shows graphic drug usage.

-I was a bit embarrassed after I watched Child Bride (1938)!! *blush*

-The Violent Years (1956) made me raise my eyebrows more than once while watching! And the best part about this film is that you end up feeling sorry for and sympathizing with the girl gang!

I still have too many DVDs of these types of films that I haven't even watched yet! Like Hooked (1956), Secrets Of A Co-Ed (1942), and Delinquent Daughters (1941).

I'm also very keen on "B" movies made on poverty row. The kind where you can see the set moving and hear an echo after every line of dialogue! And cheesy acting! I love those movies more than Hollywood films. There's something very "cozy" about them. Thaey're wonderful to curl up to at 3am. I love that feeling.

Where have you been? Probably curled up with a good/bad movie.

BTW, I believe that's a young Rue McClanahan of "Golden Girls" fame in "Child Bride."

Also, there's a guy on Ebay selling lots of old High School hygiene, Driver's Ed and other fun films.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

The "Child Bride" is an actress named Shirley Mills. She didn't do anything outstanding in her career, but she's still alive!

It would have been very interesting had it been Rue, though. I do have a Something Weird disc of Rue movies from the 60s! In one she plays a "burlesque performer"!! The movies aren't so great because they try too hard to be dramatic (while losing some camp quality!), but they're interesting because of Rue's presence -- she could actually act and she's way too good to be in these films. She looked pretty good in them, too.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Rue's autobiography came out recently and it's cute. My First Five Husbands. I recommend it.
When my best friend was my boyfriend we loved watching B and below movies on VHS. I'll try to remember some good titles to add to the excellent list.

 

[Sweet Polly Purebred]

Oh my goodness! I can go mad shopping at oldies.c .. I took total advantage of the 5 for 25 .. I'm embarrassed to have even piped up in this thread, such a silly novice am I .. but not for long! <wrings hands in evil glee> cheers!

 

[Amy Jeanne]

Oh my goodness! I can go mad shopping at oldies.c .. I took total advantage of the 5 for 25 .. I'm embarrassed to have even piped up in this thread, such a silly novice am I .. but not for long! <wrings hands in evil glee> cheers!

Oh don't be embarrassed! We all have to start somewhere

May I ask what DVDs you ordered?? Also, I don't know if it would be the same where you are, but sometimes you can find oldies.com DVDs on amazon.com, used, for waaaaaaaaaay cheap!

 

[Senator Jack]

Odd, but Netflix actually carries a number of Something Weird titles. The eye-popping sequence in 'Maniac' i found disturbing, and the thumb-cutting sequence in '2,000 Maniacs' even moreso. No-budget horror movies always freaked me out more than the high-budget of Hollywood did.

 

[Sweet Polly Purebred]

Oh don't be embarrassed! We all have to start somewhere

May I ask what DVDs you ordered?? Also, I don't know if it would be the same where you are, but sometimes you can find oldies.com DVDs on amazon.com, used, for waaaaaaaaaay cheap!

I got these to start:

Mad Youth
Damaged Lives (Plus Bonus "VD" Short Film)
Child Bride
Gambling With Souls (aka Vice Racket)
The Flesh Merchant

If you like the Grindhouse sort of stuff, "42nd Street Forever" Vol. I & II (and there's a 3X version) are a complete gas!

Yea, I buy a lot of used flicks at Amazon, and maybe I shouldn't say this, but if you're <cough> 'clever' </cough> you can find a lot of rare stuff online. I just downloaded Guy Debord's "Hurlements en faveur de Sade" and "La Soci?©t?© du Spectacle" ..

.. all of which I can't wait to watch!

 

[Senator Jack]

I just downloaded Guy Debord's "Hurlements en faveur de Sade" and "La Soci?©t?© du Spectacle" ..

Wow! I read Debord's works twenty years ago and I don't recall there were films made. I'll have to find these. Thanks, Thora Zine.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Amy Jeanne]

If memory serves me correctly, that bonus VD short film on the Damaged Lives disc is HILARIOUS!! It's from the 50s, I believe!! lol lol lol

 

[Senator Jack]

VD! How wonderfully 'Golden Era'!

 

[Matt Deckard]

Some of the best movies are those with messages trying to thwart the sins of humanity.