Mystery Movie: CYCLE GIRLS (ca.1973)

THUNDER ON WHEELS is actually THUNDER IN CAROLINA (1960), a Howco International release starring Alan Hale, Jr. and Rory Calhoun, while BURNING RUBBER is a retitling of our friend William Grefe’s racing movie THE CHECKERED FLAG (1963), but the real "mystery movie" of this vehicular triple header is CYCLE GIRLS. The ad art is ripped from Ted V. Mikels' THE GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS (1968) -- not exactly a movie that screams "Cycle Girls" to us, but less accurate retitlings have been known to happen. More likely it's SHE-DEVILS ON WHEELS or something else involving chicks and bikes. The folks at Reel Distraction say it's a re-release of Peter Perry's THE YOUNG CYCLE GIRLS, an impossibility considering that movie was made circa 1976 and the ad in question is from '73. Any other ideas?

Movie Ad of the Week: ITALIAN GRAFFITI (1974)

World Premiere - May 24, 1974 - Syracuse, NY

The roaring '20s-era comedy TUTTI FIGLI DI MAMMA SANTISSIMA / ALL SONS OF THE SAINTEST MOTHER (1973) was written and directed by Alfio Caltabiano, who also co-starred under his "Alf Thunder" pseudonym (Others in the cast include Pino Colizzi, Ornella Muti and Christa Linder). In the U.S. it was re-titled ITALIAN GRAFFITI when released by K-Tel International in 1974.

For some reason, the U.S. one-sheet erroneously credited co-star Luciano Catenacci as the producer/director.

ITALIAN GRAFFITI opened in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on June 14, 1974.

“Hard to Say Which Fad ‘Italian Graffiti’ Exploits”

by Doc Halliday
Cedar Rapids Gazette
June 15, 1974, p.6

It is difficult to say just which American fad “Italian Graffiti” is trying to exploit. There is the title, of course. But on top of that is a wealth of 1920s paraphernalia reminiscent of “The Great Gatsby,” an underworld godfather who resembles Marlon Brando, and the sort of slapstick fistfights which have made the “Trinity” pictures so popular. Unfortunately, it has very little else to offer.

The movie begins as Salvatore Mandolea arrives in Chicago – a poor boy from Sicily who is determined to make good. Naturally, he joins the local underworld mob led by Bugs Morano. (Obviously, this is the sort of gangster film that Italian-American civil liberties groups find so terribly delightful.)

The Morano gang is locked in a mortal struggle with “the Holy Terror,” a rival gangster who uses a Salvation Army soup kitchen as a front.

There follow the standard bootleg whiskey heists and speakeasy busts. Morano’s henchmen come out on the short end of these encounters largely because they refuse to listen to Salvatore. Frustrated, he goes over to “the Holy Terror’s” side and kidnaps Morano’s beloved daughter. He then betrays “the Holy Terror” by offering to sell the daughter back to Morano.

This enrages both gangs and presently every gangster in Chicago is looking for Salvatore.

All this would be reasonably entertaining were it not for the bewildering meanderings of plot which mark these Italian comic shoot-em-ups.

In addition, the only consideration give to the dialog is that it matches the lip movements of the cast.

Attempts at farce amount to little more than sophomoric puns, dopey sight gags and trick camera shots.

A director the likes of Richard Lester can get away with this sort of thing. The makers of “Italian Graffiti” apparently cannot.

Movie Ad of the Week: TOO HOT TO HANDLE (1977)

World Premiere - February 18, 1977 - Atlanta, GA

Movie Ad of the Week: FUEGO (1969)

World Premiere - October 10, 1969 - New York, NY

Isabel Sarli's personal appearances at the two Rialto theaters were only ballyhooed in this ad from El Diario and not in the other New York newspapers.

PREVUES FROM HELL is Back For Gore!

Fear Ye, Hear Ye!

PREVUES FROM HELL Is Back For Gore!

And It Will Be A CELLULOID BLOODBATH!

Special Spooktacular News & Grues

from Temple of Schlock

by Terry Blass

Fear Ye, Fear Ye! It is with the gravefest of pleasure Temple of Schlock announces the world scream-fear of the advance trailer to MORE PREVUES FROM HELL, the sequel without eeek!-quell to MAD RON'S PREVUES FROM HELL, itself the world's beast ever Kongpilation of monsterous horror movie trailers, ever. Fans of the gore-iginal can catch the first showing of CELLULOID BLOODBATH: MORE PREVUES FROM HELL's own preview on Youtube this very night, I SAID this scary fright, with gutmunch more tomb follow in the coming wEEEK!s.

"B" there and "B" scared!



Meanwhile, you can read our two-part review of the first PREVUES FROM HELL here and here.

Movie Ad of the Week: STONY ISLAND (1978)

Compiled by Chris Poggiali & Jon Putnam

Filmed on the gritty streets of Chicago's south side, STONY ISLAND (1978) tells the story of Richie Bloom (Richie Davis), the only white kid on the block, as he forms an R&B band with his best friend, Kevin (Edward 'Stoney' Robinson). With the help of their mentor, aging sax legend Percy (Gene 'Daddy G' Barge), they pull together a funky supergroup, stealing practice time at night in the local funeral home. Despite few resources and heavy losses, this resilient group of dedicated musicians -- armed only with wit, sleight of hand and outrageous Chicago bravado -- must come together to finally make their smash debut. Directed by Andrew Davis (THE FUGITIVE, ABOVE THE LAW, CODE OF SILENCE), photographed by Tak Fujimoto, and co-starring Rae Dawn Chong, Dennis Franz and The Bangles' Susanna Hoffs, this talked-about but rarely-seen indie gem is now available on DVD and digital platforms for the first time ever, from Cinema Libre Distribution!

Village Voice says...
While JOE AND MAXI has papered the Village with enough posters to make the folks south of 14th Street expect the second coming of GONE WITH THE WIND, STONY ISLAND, a vital example of fictional independent filmmaking, has crept into town like a thief in the night. Andrew Davis’s 1978 film, featuring virtually unknown Chicago rhythm-and-blues performers, can be found by the adventurous moviegoer in one of the kung-fu tracks around town. This racially integrated movie is thus facing the fate of its last worthy predecessor, SHINING STAR (THAT’S THE WAY OF THE WORLD), in which “integrated” in the minds of distributors equaled “blaxploitation.” STONY ISLAND deserves a fighting chance in a Manhattan specialty house. The movie is youthfully exuberant and, as cut to pop rhythms, the pacing and narrative are zestfully unpredictable. STONY ISLAND belongs among a small handful of rock films from A HARD DAY’S NIGHT to AMERICAN HOT WAX that flow genuinely to a contemporary sound. The characters, including an Appalachian window washer and a black chauffeur in a Cook County limo fleet, are as sweet as their music is mellow. You get an inexhaustibly hectic collage of Chicago locations, a sampling of more bar bands than you knew existed, and a movie that shuffles into a heartfelt homage to Gene Barge as a patriarchal black musician, which are three reasons to catch it, catch it, catch it.

                   -- from “Declarations of War and Independents”
                       by Tom Allen (Village Voice, March 24, 1980, 25:48)

STONY ISLAND was re-released by World-Northal in 1981 as MY MAIN MAN FROM STONY ISLAND.

Official website

This Week on 42nd Street: 1980

Here are the double and triple features that played the Deuce thirty-two years ago this week. Theaters are listed in east-to-west order.

North Side of the Street

Victory: EASY / ANGEL ABOVE, DEVIL BELOW / TEENAGE COEDS

Lyric: DEATH SHIP / THE MANITOU

Times Square: FFOLKES / THE BRINK'S JOB

Selwyn: SITTING DUCKS / KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE


South Side of the Street

New Amsterdam: DELIRIUM / BLACK BELT FURY

Cine 42
Theater I: PENITENTIARY / KUNG FU OF THE EIGHT DRUNKARDS
Theater II: BRUCE IS LOOSE / BROTHERS

Harris: RICHARD PRYOR, LIVE IN CONCERT / KUNG FU HEROES

Liberty: CRUISING / LAST EMBRACE

Empire: TIGER FORCE / BLACK DRAGON VS. THE YELLOW TIGER / THE CHINATOWN KID

Anco: KING OF KUNG FU / THE REAL BRUCE LEE / THE DRAGON STRIKES BACK