Last year I happened to see two films on Turner Classic Movies that I'd never heard of or seen before and they were being played back-to-back: Blood Feast, and Two
Thousand Maniacs!
After I finished watching the videotape I'd made of them the following day, because they were aired overnight, I promised myself that if I ever heard they were going to be shown again, I'd do a blog post about them to give you all a head's up.
Well, here it is.
Well, here it is.
Blood Feast was filmed in Miami Beach and in North Miami Beach, and what's now considered the City of Sunny Isles Beach, the latter at The Suez Motel, the site of Trump Royale.
See photos of the Motel and their famous entrance with two sphinxes at http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/commerce/c025170a.jpg
Other info on iconic Motel Row Sunny Isles hotels of the '50's and '60's at
(Before they moved to Hallandale Beach, my father and late step-mother lived for years near the southern tip of Sunny Isles before it was incorporated, while I was living up in Arlington. Their south-facing high rise apt. gave me a great view at night when I'd come down for a visit or for Orioles spring training, since I had an unobstructed view of the ocean, Haulover Beach, and downtown Miami and the Bay in the distance. It was really something to behold!)
If you look closely you'll notice certain tell-tale signs, which I first observed when I watched a tape of this after TCM premiered this film last year, paired with the same book-end film, Two Thousand Maniacs, a very different sort of spring break film, which is really jarring the first time you see it.
In the first film, the police cars used have an old NMB logo on them: North Miami Beach, Gateway to Interama.
In the final climactic scene, filmed on what was scheduled to be the future site of Interama, the Inter-American Center Authority
In the final climactic scene, filmed on what was scheduled to be the future site of Interama, the Inter-American Center Authority
but which is now the FIU Bay Vista campus, pay attention to what's looming in the distance of the city dump during the chase scene.
It's the large gas tanks on W. Dixie Highway and N.E. 159th Street.
As someone who grew-up in NMB from 1968-'79, and who spent lots of time on W. Dixie Highway as a kid, especially at the Aqua Bowl playing baseball (for Harry Rich Carpet)
and the Bowling Alley and the Holiday Theatre on NE 159th Street -second-run films for only $2- I'd know that anywhere.
The settings are so 1960's Miami, especially the front yard and back yard scenes, that you'll almost find yourself constantly looking for familiar landmarks every time there's an exterior
The settings are so 1960's Miami, especially the front yard and back yard scenes, that you'll almost find yourself constantly looking for familiar landmarks every time there's an exterior
scene, and wondering what street it was filmed on.
Each film has the same lead actor and actress William Kerwin and Connie Mason, who were married fro 25 years until his death twenty years ago.
The second film was filmed in Florida near Orlando, but is set near Augusta, GA, and coincidentally, this is Masters Week at Augusta.
Now that's timing!
Now that's timing!
Per the theme of the second film, that reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw on an older car when I came back down here.
Under a drawing of a giant mosquito, it says,
Under a drawing of a giant mosquito, it says,
"Keep sending Northeners, they're delicious!"
| 2:00 AM | Blood Feast (1963) |
| An Egyptian priest uses human sacrifice to bring back his goddess. Cast: William Kerwin, Mal Arnold, Connie Mason. Dir: Herschell Gordon Lewis. C-67 mins, See http://www.tcm.com/2008/underground/movies/index/?cid=209058 and http://www.tcm.com/2008/underground/movies/index.jsp?cid=209110 and http://www.aycyas.com/bloodfeast.htm Video at: http://www.tcm.com/video/videoPlayer/?cid=213425&titleId=69119 | |
| 3:15 AM | Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964) |
| Travelers stumble on a Southern town out for revenge for losing the Civil War. Cast: William Kerwin, Connie Mason, Jeffrey Allen. Dir: Herschell Gordon Lewis. C-84 mins, http://www.tcm.com/2008/underground/movies/index/?cid=209059 Video at: http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=558233&contentTypeId=130&category=movie |
