Wild Guitar (1962).
The Scoop:
Only the colossal team-up of Arch Hall Jr. and Ray Dennis Steckler could combine to produce this piece of ridiculousness.
Arch is Bud Eagle, a guitar slingin’ hick from South Dakota who motorcycles into Hollywood and stumbles into a girlfriend (Nancy Czar) and teen idol stardom in the most improbable way possible. Of course, it goes sour just as quickly as he discovers that show business is a dirty business full of greedy bloodsuckers. The only surprise in the plot is how absolutely stupid it is.
Both artistes bring their trademark styles to “Wild Guitar.” From Steckler, in his directorial debut, comes the overblown slapstick humor, endless musical numbers and the shifty costarring presence of his alter-ego, Cash Flagg. Hall brings his lunkheaded lack of charisma, another handful of bad songs and the slimy costarring presence of his father, Arch Hall Sr. The combination is bad movie heaven.
The script, by Arch Sr. and Bob Wehling, purports to blow the lid off of corruption on the music business. In reality, it’s just a parade of show biz movie cliches, delivered with such fast paced earnestness and silliness that it’s hard to keep up. You don’t want to miss it.
Best Line:
“Deerfish? Deerfish?? DEERFISH?!?!?”
Side Note:
This was the Halls’ second movie of 1962. The other, “Eegah,” also featured the song “Vickie.”
Companion Viewing:
For more by the Halls, check out “The Chopper” (1961) and “Eegah” (1962). For some Steckler fun, look for “The Thrill Killers” (1964) and “Rat Pfink a Boo Boo” (1966).
Links:
IMDb.
Take a Look:
The trailer:
Bud Eagle works his musical magic:
Movie-A-Day #21: Hercules (1958).
Happy birthday, Steve Reeves! He was the movie muscleman to end all movie musclemen, and his masterpiece was the first “Hercules” flick. Not only was it Reeves’ finest moment, but this Italian import also kick started the sword and sandal genre that was so popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It’s earned it’s special place in the B-movie heavens.
Movie-A-Day #20: Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989).
Today is National Camcorder Day. While you can be forgiven for not thinking much anymore about an obsolete form of media, it’s hard to deny the pop culture impact of putting video technology in the hands of average consumers. It brought about a lot of changes, not the least of which was in the way modern technology has come to mediate our personal interactions. It’s a phenomenon Steven Soderbergh examined in his debut feature, “Sex, Lies and Videotape,” where the introduction of a camcorder is enough to ignite the powder keg of emotions beneath the surface of a seemingly placid relationship. It was powerful stuff at the time, but it seems almost quaint now in our wired 21st century world. Much like the camcorder itself.
Movie-A-Day #19: The Birds (1963).
Happy birthday, Tippi Hedren! The former model was discovered by Alfred Hitchcock, who cast her as an unknown in his nature-run-amok film
“The Birds,” which is still her greatest role. The following year she also starred in Hitchcock’s “Marnie” before settling into a long career of minor television and film roles. She may have peaked early, but doing so in classic style like in “The Birds” is the way to do it. And, of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t point out that Hedren is also the mother of another memorable actress, Melanie Griffith.
Movie-A-Day #18: His Girl Friday (1940).
Archie Leach was born into an unhappy childhood in Bristol, England, on Jan. 18, 1904. But luckily for us he grew up to become Cary Grant, the most suave motherfucker on the planet. There are all sorts of absolutely classic movies you could revisit to celebrate his birthday – “Bringing Up Baby,” “Notorious,” “Charade” or “The Philadelphia Story” to name just a few – but my favorite of the bunch is “His Girl Friday.” An update of the classic Ben Hecht play “The Front Page” for the screwball comedy cycle, the hilarious dialogue flies a mile a minute from Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy and cast full of classic character actors. It’s on my short list of all-time favorite films.
Desuko Movie Spot. 