Movies That Fell Through the Cracks # 74

One of the creepiest movies I've ever seen is the little known 1972 horror movie, NIGHT CHILD aka WHAT THE PEEPER SAW. Clearly made on a low budget, this film is essentially an exploitation film made with a prestige cast. Young Mark Lester, still angelic several years past his Oscar-winning OLIVER, is the title character. He's home from boarding school, still reeling from the recent accidental death of his mother, when he meets his new stepmother, played by Britt Ekland, and takes…shall we say an unUSUAL interest in her. 

In time he begins to demonstrate inappropriate touching and she discovers a peephole where he's been able to watch her with her husband in bed. She finds reason to question whether he might know more than he's let on about his mother's "accident" as well. In her efforts to get him to tell her what he knows, she allows herself to be blackmailed into stripping in front of him. 

He then tells her everything only to have her be the one the psychiatrist goes after. She's locked up for treatment for months. Upon her release, her inappropriate relationship with her stepson takes a truly bizarre turn leading toward a genuinely shocking ending! 

With its vague incest undertones and some surprisingly explicit scenes involving the young teenage boy and his naked stepmother (at least one of which appears to be a double for him but another clearly not), one feels a bit dirty even watching it. The matter of fact violence, although there isn't really that much, adds another layer of "Ewww" to the psychological horror that builds throughout. 

Lester's performance is appropriately emotionless. The biggest problem with the picture is that everyone else's performances are also emotionless when they shouldn't be. Hardy Kruger as the husband/father is just "there." Lilli Palmer, classy as always as the doctor, shows the most life but not much. Oddly, the film's weakest point is Ekland. Gorgeous and normally not a bad actress, here she seems not only walking through the role but having trouble with the English language, even mispronouncing a couple of words. This was around the time of her biggest fame with her appearance as a Bond girl and her memorable performance in THE WICKER MAN and yet…

Still, as emotionless as everyone is, it's the emotions the narrative stirs up that carry this film along to its nightmarish stop. And that's what it is. More a stop than an ending. A stop that leaves the viewer spinning with conflict and needing a quick shower. Beware of cut versions.

Review--The Art of Betty and Veronica

THE ART OF BETTY AND VERONICA is a new book co-authored by Craig Yoe and Archie's Victor Gorelick and it is almost stunningly stylish and gorgeous! In a sense, it can be looked at as about 150 bonus pages to the Archie history I worked on with Craig a couple of years back, all of these dealing with Archie's legendary girlfriends.

You'll find the usual collection of essays and stories you expect from this type of book but, as the title gives away, this is an art book. As such, you get lots of examples, both from the comics themselves as well as from original art, of Good Girl Art. You get interpretations of Betty and Veronica by everyone from Irv Novick, Harry Lucey and Dan Parent but mainly and most importantly, Dan DeCarlo!

Dan DeCarlo wasn't the first good Archie artist and he certainly wasn't the last but for several generations of Riverdale fans, Dan DeCarlo was and remains the BEST Archie artist. THE ART OF BETTY AND VERONICA spotlights a lot of wonderful pages from him from several decades.

The book is, in fact, set up by decade, showcasing the changes in the girls over the years while highlighting the look and personalities that have made them last in popularity with boys, girls, men and women throughout the years since World War II.

Victor Gorelick, a veteran of more than fifty years at Archie in various capacities, offers reminiscences and his take on the continued popularity while Yoe offers historical and artistic insights.

Technically this is NOT a Yoe Book, seeing as how it's published by Archie directly but nonetheless Craig brings to it the award-winning design work for which his Yoe Books are known.

And while this is, as stated above, most definitely an art book, the stories are fun and nostalgic as well.

At the end of the day it's a fun and light-hearted look at two iconic fictional females who have dominated their corner of pop culture history for quite a bit more than half a century now...and they still don't look their age!

Basil Wolverton Ads-1970's

It's A Frame-Up!

Back in the early eighties, Michael Schlesinger co-hosted (with Larry Thomas and C. Fred Baum) a local Cincinnati TV movie show on weekends, was co-owner of the best repertory theater Cincinnati has ever had (also with Larry Thomas) and also co-hosted (with Dave Dugle) a fast-paced call-in trivia show on the radio. I prided myself on knowing a lot about movies. Michael knew more.

In 1981, I was flattered when SCREEN TEST, a movie and TV game show on Cincinnati-based QUBE network, sought me out by reputation as someone who would be a good opponent for Michael Schlesinger on their show.

I lost. Luckily, Michael left town that same week to seek fame and fortune in Hollywood and I got to continue on the show.

Michael's adventures in Hollywood deserve an article all their own. Today, though, I'm here to bring to your attention his current Kickstarter campaign.

Michael, as I have said, knows movies. He has an amazing ear for detail and a great love of the classics--the good ones and the bad ones. His goal here is to create what he calls a "calling card" to show what he can do to potential future investors on bigger projects. As you can imagine, then, he's pulling out all the stops here to make the best possible comedy short subject in the Old Hollywood tradition. Did I mention that--bar none--Michael is also the single funniest individual I've ever known? This is a man who once wanted to cast Steve Martin in a GODZILLA flick as a reporter named Raymond Burr. If you know your Big G history, that is one of the most hilarious concepts EVER!

Anyway, click the link below to read all the details of exactly what he's up to and then, if you're of a mind, slip him a few bucks. In spite of all of our ongoing financial issues, I managed to pledge ten dollars. If I can do it, you can.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1479434141/its-a-frame-up

Miss Wallywood 2012

We've been having an old-fashioned beauty contest over at HOORAY FOR WALLY WOOD and now's the time to vote for the winner. There are 9 contestants, all from various Wood projects. You can vote through Saturday at http://wallywoodart.blogspot.com/?zx=922799af174c3b91

Early Seventies NCS Profiles

Snoopy, Root Beer and Bill Mauldin

Somewhere in the seventies Charles Schulz began the tradition in PEANUTS. Snoopy, his by then beloved dog with the overactive fantasy life, had imagined himself as a World War I flying ace for years. It stood to reason then that he would be a veteran. In one Veteran's day strip, Snoopy made reference to going over to Bill Mauldin's house to "quaff a few root beers." Teenage me didn't get it. But my Dad did. He explained to me that Mauldin was himself a cartoonist, creator of Willie and Joe, the two everyman soljers who helped him and thousands of others get through World War II. More or less every year after that, Snoopy would start his annual trek for root beer quaffing.

Schulz passed in 2000 and PEANUTS went into reruns. When Mauldin himself passed in 2003, Snoopy got one last chance to quaff a few.

To all our veterans from all our wars and other altercations, thank you, and a root beer toast from Booksteve on tomorrow's Veteran's day.