Wild, Wild Podcast Season 3: Episode 12 - MAGNUM COP (1978)

Put on your best pair of denim dungarees, a big busy mustache and head to Austria with Adrian and I as we try to understand why this film is called Magnum Cop when he's not a cop and he doesn't own a magnum. This is a strangely comedic yet harrowing late entry in the cycle featuring the powerhouse coupling of Marizio Merli and Joan Collins. What more could you ask for? Maybe a bottle of J&B?

 

We would love to hear from you if you have any favorite Poliziotteschi films. You can contact us on Twitter and Instagram or by email at wildwildpodcast@gmail.com. Please remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice!

Saturday Morning Cartoon Ads

Anyone else miss the excitement of Saturday morning TV? 

 

The Monster Mash Anniversary!

On this date in 1973 Bobby "Boris" Pickett's song "Monster Mash" went gold!

The Bloody Pit #155 - THE CANDY SNATCHERS (1973)

John Hudson and Bobby Hazzard return for a roundtable discussion of THE CANDY SNATCHERS (1973).

 

Typical of exploitation cinema of the 1970’s this is a grimy, mean-spirited tale of crime and consequences. The story follows a trio of not-quite-as-smart-as-they-think low lives as they kidnap a jewelry store manger’s daughter. Expecting an easily scored diamond ransom their scheme goes sour and, when they start trying to turn their busted plan into a success, things get quickly worse. The sweat, fear and desperation combine to make for a tense, uncomfortable film experience with an ending that stamps this as one of the darkest American films of the period. I once thought of this as a one-time watch but my opinion has changed.

 

We briefly discuss the terrible crime that inspired the film and how the long-term details point out the folly of most criminal activity. We talk about the cast and crew with some fantastic information from the two main female actors. Writer/director Guerdon Trueblood is also on the record about the entire history of the production and we share a few of his amusing tales as we go along. Bobby expresses his dislike of the reoccurring theme tune and neither John or I can really disagree with his assessment. Of course, that means you get to hear it as part of the show. Sorry.

 

If you have any comments or suggestions or comments thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to write. We’ll be back to cover STUNT ROCK eventually. We end the show with a new song from Chagall Guevara. Thank you for listening! 

Trailers From Hell - THE CANDY SNATCHERS (1973)

I first caught this on DVD about 15 years ago and it still packs a punch. Podcast on the way! 

Hammer Poster Art From Around the World

Getting the itch to rewatch a few of these!

Vintage Captain Scarlet Ads

 

Wild, Wild Podcast Season 3: Episode 11 - HEROIN BUSTERS (1977)

In this episode Adrian and I go deep undercover to bust open an international drug-smuggling ring. Thankfully Fabio Testi is on hand to all the heavy lifting and the ‘being handsome’. Yes, it's our penultimate film in this action-packed poliziotteschi season! With a Goblin-heavy soundtrack and more stunts than the entire James Bond back-catalogue, The Heroin Busters is not to be missed. Of course, because Sherry Buchanan is featured Adrian takes the opportunity to bring up ESCAPE FROM GALAXY 3 again. Are these the first steps in the making of a stalker? And, how did it take us this long to finally cover an Enzo Castellari film? We must cover more of his movies. Maybe all of them!

We would love to hear from you if you have any favorite Poliziotteschi or Enzo Castellari films. You can contact us on Twitter and Instagram or by email at wildwildpodcast@gmail.com. Please remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice!

What I Watched in July 2022

THE BLACK PHONE (2022) is a very well done variation on a type of story most horror fans have seen before. Primarily about a late 1970’s small town serial killer fixated on young boys the film is smarter than the average tale of this type. The focus is on one young lad named Finney who is taken by The Grabber (as he is called by the local media) and locked in a basement cell. The masked villain is not motivated by sexual frustrations and once his victim is awake doesn’t even come close enough to touch him. We watch as the boy attempts to escape and learns that the black telephone on the wall seems to be a conduit for the spiritual remains of past residents of this makeshift prison.

While the film is based on a short story by Joe Hill director Scott Derrickson relies on the strength of his cast for what is needed to get the job done and they are up to the task. Ethan Hawke, hidden mostly behind a series of masks, vacillates between eerily friendly and creepily threatening relying on his voice to communicate the strange nuances of his mysterious character. The young actor at the center of the story named Mason Thames convincingly carries the heavy emotional weight of the terror and desperation of the situation. He is excellent as he comes to terms with his position and finds the strength to fight. Also, the young actress Madeleine McGraw is a real stand out Finney’s slightly psychic sister trying her best to force her unreliable ability to help the police. The character is angry about her family’s broken nature which comes out in bursts of harsh profanity directed at ineffective adults and McGraw plays the often conflicting emotions effectively.

It's good to have Derrickson back in the horror genre where he excels.

THE LIST

TAFFIN (1988) – 6 (rewatch) (Brosnan’s Irish crime thriller)

CAVALRY SCOUT (1951) – 6 (color Monogram western)

SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH (1943) – 6 (rewatch)

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME (1949) – 8 (excellent musical with Kelly, Sinatra and Esther Williams)

SANTO IN THE ANONYMOUS DEATH THREAT (1975) - 6 (Santo vs Nazis!)

THE ADVENTURES OF GERARD (1970) – 4 (failed attempt – needed a different director)

SKY MURDER (1940) – 6 (solid Nick Carter mystery)

TEXAS LAWMAN (1951) – 6 (Johnny Mack Brown B-western)

THE SEX OF ANGELS (1968) – 6

THE MASTER (2012) - 8

THE MYSTERIOUS DR. FU MANCHU (1929) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

THE RETURN OF DR. FU MANCHU (1930) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

MONTANA (1950) – 6 (Flynn sheep vs cow western) (rewatch)

THE NIGHT OF THE DAMNED (1971) – 7 (gothic mystery)

FLAT TWO (1962) – 7 (Edgar Wallace adaptation)

HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND (1960) – 5 (rewatch on Blu)

THE BOB’S BURGERS MOVIE (2022) – 8

THE SHE-CREATURE (1956) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

YOUNG, VIOLENT AND DANGEROUS (1976) – 7 (rewatch)

OKLAHOMA JUSTICE (1951) – 6  (Johnny Mack Brown B-western)

THE SECRET OF THE RED ORCHID (1962) – 7 (gangster krimi)

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER (2022) – 7

SCREAM OF THE DEMON LOVER (1970) – 7 (rewatch)

THE GREEN ARCHER (1961) – 6 (rewatch)

TOMORROW AT SEVEN (1933) – 6 (pre-code ‘crime in an old dark house’ w/Chester Morris)

THE BLACK PHONE (2022) – 7

THE MAN FROM PLANET X (1951) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

FREE HAND FOR A TOUGH COP (1976) – 7

HEROIN BUSTERS (1977) – 7 (rewatch)

LIBIDO (1965) – 7

MARDI GRAS MASSACRE (1978) – 3 (terrible but fascinating)

A PLACE CALLED GLORY (1965) – 7 (German/Spanish western w/Brice and Barker)

THE VAULT (2021) – 7 (Spanish heist film)

Trailers - SCREAM OF THE DEMON LOVER (1970)

The Bloody Pit #154 - Mail Bag and Announcements

Other projects have thrown off my podcasting schedule so I present this short episode as a bridge to our next full show.

Troy joins me to respond to a couple of emails addressing some questions about THE MECHANIC. This includes some fascinating insight into director Michael Winner’s reputation from someone who has interviewed him! Exciting. We hint around about some of the projects that have been occupying our time recently without giving away any information we shouldn’t. I think. And we go into detail about the amazing box set GOTHIC FANTASTICO: FOUR ITALIAN TALES OF TERROR as well. 

 

I also make public my plea for a certain genre of adventure films to get more love and attention from Blu-Ray companies. We dart off in odd directions a few times with Ken Russell movies and lesser known Michael Caine films getting some discussion.

 

If you want to be a part of future mailbag segments thebloodypit@gmail.com is the address. Let us know what you think and we’ll be back soon. 

Gerry Anderson Dinky Toy Ads

 

A Request for 'Knights & Knaves' Blu-Rays

I've been very happy over the past few years to see that several of the boutique Blu-Ray companies are starting to move further afield in their desire to license obscure movies. I’m not sure that we need the fifth or sixth release of every Fulci horror film (now in 4K!!) before we get a decent release of literally hundreds of worthy pieces of cinema history. 

Later this year several companies are putting out a number of fascinating movies that have never been given the care and attention they deserve and I’m thrilled. But there are a couple of genres that still seem to be ignored and I’d like to make a short plea for one of the most obscure.

I’m a big fan of swashbucklers from any decade. This can be traced back to youthful television viewings of a couple of classic Errol Flynn movies – THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) and CAPTAIN BLOOD (1935) - that dovetailed perfectly with my early reading of adventure stories of all types. And while I could make a loud argument that both Robin Hood and pirate movies are underrepresented in the current Blu-Ray market there is another genre with even fewer examples on retailer’s e-shelves. I refer to what I call the Knights & Knaves classification of adventure tales in the vein of IVANHOE (1952), KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE (1952), THE WAR LORD (1965) or PRINCE VALIANT (1954). And, of course, what I am most interested in seeing receive the Blu-Ray ‘special edition’ treatment are the films made in Europe during the period from the late 1950’s to the 1970’s. 

The Hollywood made films of this type are well represented these days but the lower budgeted follow-on productions are nearly invisible. There are a number of fascinating movies made in various countries that are worth considering. These were once staples of cheap television film packages sold to stations looking to fill up weekend afternoon slots but in the last few decades they have fallen into such obscurity that often the only option to see them is a poor copy posted on YouTube. This is a crime against film!

If I could have my way, I would ask that this fertile field of Sword & Armor cinema be explored by enterprising Blu-Ray companies. There are dozens of fascinating movies worthy of rediscovery. I know that they wouldn’t sell as many copies as a horror film from the 80’s or a giallo from the 70’s but there is a market out there. Well, unless I am the only lunatic calling for this, which might be possible. After all, these movies are considered rather juvenile entertainments with limited modern day appeal but the same could be said of peplum adventures made in the same years and they are finally getting some attention.

Here’s a list of a few examples that could be explored –

THE REVENGE OF IVANHOE (1965)

CHARGE OF THE BLACK LANCERS (1962)

THE BACK ARCHER (1959)

REVOLT OF THE MERCENARIES (1961)  

THE SEVENTH SWORD (Le sette spade del vendicatore) (1962)

L'AVVENTURIERO DELLA TORTUGA (1965)

ATTACK OF THE MOORS (1959)

CAVALIER IN DEVIL’S CASTLE (1959)

REVENGE OF BLACK EAGLE (1951)

THE NIGHTS OF LUCRETIA BORGIA (1959)

THE MYSTERIOUS SWORDSMAN (Lo spadaccino misterioso) (1956)

THE LION OF ST. MARK (1963)

KNIGHT OF 100 FACES (Il cavaliere dai cento volti) (1960)

IVANHOE, THE NORMAN SWORDSMAN (1971)

THE CASTILIAN (1963)

THE BLACK DUKE (1963)

THE AVENGER OF VENICE (1964)

THE INVINCIBLE MASKED RIDER (1963)

 

In this partial list there is some crossover with other swashbuckler kinds of tales but the flavor is the same. This type of adventure cinema deserves more than to be relegated to the rescued 16mm prints that pop up online or on cheap streaming services. These are interesting, entertaining movies that could find a receptive audience if given the right push. I hold out hope that some home video producer out there will see the wisdom of exploring these this mostly unexamined genre.

Savage Sword of Conan Cover Gallery