I want to thank Jeff, my fellow Morlock, for bestowing onto me a stack of 16mm trailer compilation reels. I usually slap one of these babies on before the feature presentations in my backyard, and they do a great job of setting the mood for the audience. To give readers a taste of the eclectic cinematic bazaar these things can be, here’s what was being pimped on Reel #14:

The Kids Are Alright (Jeff Stein, 1979). Why, oh, why is this badass gem of a rock-doc still not out on Blu-Ray? A damned shame, to be sure, especially since Pete Towshend’s flying slow-mo leap out from a barrage of laser-beams during Baba O’Riley would be a far more electrifying spectacle to behold in high definition than any Michael Bay piece of cra… uh, sorry: … “craftsmanship,” yes that’s what I was going to say. (Either that or “crapsmanship” – but then without the quotes.) One of my all-time favorite tracks, A Quick One, is in the film and cribs its footage from The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. The linear notes for the record adds the following: “Bank-rolled by The Stones themselves to the tune of around 30,000 pounds, it was shelved because Jagger is alleged to have been dissatisfied with his performance. Indeed, at one time wheeler-dealer Allen Klein suggested that the footage be expertly re-edited, sold to The Who and screened as ‘The Who’s Rock and Roll Circus featuring The Rolling Stones.’ Fortunately the world didn’t hold its breath.”

Speaking of the Stones, the next trailer on Reel #14 is for Let’s Spend the Night Together (Hal Ashby, 1983). Yup, the director of Harold and Maude and The Last Detail takes on the Stones – but unlike The Kids Are Alright, which uses a kaleidescope of documentary footage to give you a sense of the band’s journey, this is very much a fixed concert experience. What’s interesting to note here is how much press Martin Scorsese got for using 16 cameras to record the Stones in Shine a Light, while Ashby outdid him here decades earlier by using 21 cameras. But Scorsese’s film gets the upper leg by shooting in a smaller venue whereas Ashby’s footage takes on a football arena.

Now, just when the audience is thinking Trailer Reel #14 is going to be a compendium of music-related films, it gets funky – or perhaps the better word would be “jiggly.” The Great Texas Dynamite Chase (Michael Pressman, 1976) is about two sexy girls who go on a “bank robbing binge” using dynamite as their weapon of choice. It features one-time Playboy Playmate and Drive-In queen Claudia Jennings to map out some terrain between Bonnie and Clyde and The Dukes of Hazard.

Then comes Kid Blue (James Frawley, 1973): Dennis Hopper, Warren Oates, Peter Boyle, … this comedy and western has what J. Hoberman refers to as “a meandering jug band sensibility,” and he also adds:

What’s most impressive about Kid Blue as a statement and a western is its honest hatred of work. No cowboy ever met a more inglorious end—punching a time clock instead of a steer. The hangdog hero requires certain things explained—not just the concept of “ashtray,” but also that of “factory.”

Next: The Legend of Hell House (John Hough, 1973). This trailer has high camp value and is chock full of goodies. I just love that it ends with the Roddy McDowall carpet-flop that I couldn’t help but insert into my recent TCM Underground review:

The Legend of Hell House and The Shining are definitely kindred spirits of the haunted kind. It also speaks volumes that in both you have actors delivering some over-the-top performances while possessed by evil spirits. In The Shining, Jack Nicholson becomes forever burned in our minds as the ax-wielding madman breaking through a door while in Hell House, you have Roddy McDowall flopping onto the carpet with what looks like a tortured yoga pose while emitting a high-pitch squeak. While the Overlook Hotel is more subtly creepy than the Belasco House, both of these places generate a palpable energy that is both intoxicating and hard to escape.

From haunted houses to underdog sports film: Dreamer (Noel Nosseck, 1979). Hey, Big Lebowski fans! Did you know there was another film out there dedicated to the fine art of bowling? No, I didn’t think so. And, yeah, there’s probably a reason for that. Speaking of gutter balls, next up is:

Avalanche (Corey Allen, 1978). Starring Rock Hudson and Mia Farrow, with the latter’s character giving us the following quotable: “You’re like the weather, you just happen.” Huh, that’s weird… watching this trailer made me think of another quote that’s very similar to that.

Far from the affluent ski resorts we next move to the hot and seedy back-rooms visited by Nashville Girl (Gus Trikonis, 1976). I love the user comment on IMDB for this: “Exploitation with heart.” I have to admit, this clip had just the right amount of sleaze and grit to make me curious about maybe checking it out sometime. Maybe.

The next clip moves us from Nashville to Chicago: Capone (Steve Carver, 1975). Ben Gazzara (Al Capone), Sylvester Stallone (Frank Nitti), John Cassevetes (Frankie Yale) and, heck, why not toss in another Frank – but this time Frank Campanella (Big Jim Colosimo). Chicago-native Roger Ebert hated this one, giving it one star, and ads that “if you’re ready for it, there is even a brief outdoor love scene in which Al Capone and his new girlfriend run dreamily past soft-focus trees and flowers.”

The Black Marble (Harold Becker, 1980) This romantic detective comedy was scripted by Joseph Wambaugh (adapting it from his own novel) and Variety says that “Much of the credit for making the picture work goes to Harry Dean Stanton as the dognapper, driven to his dirty deed by debt.”

Three Tough Guys (Duccio Tessari, 1974). Tagline: The Black Moses, The Hammer, and The Preacher Man. They’ve got their own kind of mean game.” It’s listed in IMDB under Tough Guys, and TheFilmFiend.com adds another element of numerical complexity with his observation:

Since Isaac Hayes’ panty melting theme song to Three Tough Guys is entitled TWO Tough Guys, a fair amount of rudimentary speculation is in order. Was Fred “The Hammer” Williamson so completely consumed with unchecked pretty boy rage that he forced the film’s producers to add yet another numeral to the title? Is Lino Ventura such a destructive force of nature that many consider him to be two distinct individuals as opposed to just one? The latter is probably the most sound argument, as Williamson’s character isn’t exactly the toughest of nuts to crack wide open. In fact, he’s quite the pushover, felled in the final showdown by a single white bowling pin. Pitiful.

The Mephisto Waltz (Paul Wendkos, 1971). Alan Alda is a pianist who gets entangled with black magic practitioners. This particular trailer has all the elements  of a Rosemary’s Baby knock-off and wasn’t particularly grabbing our attention but then it did something that spooked the hell out of us; it came to an end with a scene that was completely M.O.S. that featured a dog with a human’s head. It was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, so only in retrospect was I able to piece together the fact that it was a dog wearing a mask – and fascinating to note that it was essentially the same William Shatner mask that Michael Meyers would vault later vault into the iconic horror-film stratosphere via Halloween.

The Nickel Ride (Robert Mulligan, 1974). Mulligan is primarily revered for directing To Kill a Mockingbird, but by all accounts this neo-noir is criminally overlooked. Nick Pinkerton of The Village Voice gives it the following colorful praise:

The Nickel Ride is a seldom-seen drama of white-collar workaday criminal drudgery to make you believe the best of ’70s cinema will never fully be quarried out. Jason Miller plays a mob middleman whose grip on the square block of downtown L.A. he’s held down for 19 years is slipping, harassed by insomniac hallucinations and Bo Hopkins’s strappin’ “Cadillac cowboy.” The atmosphere is one of musty hallways, sour stomach, and looming late middle age with no retirement plan in sight.

A Different Story (Paul Aaron, 1978). With recent stories of religious groups carrying on exorcism rituals to rid boys of their homosexual tendencies, here’s a drama that ought to appeal to them as it hinges around the following plot: “A homosexual woman marries a gay male friend to prevent his deportation, but they soon fall in love.” (IMDB)

Trouble Man (Ivan Dixon, 1972). “Mr. T is cold hard steel!” While I love horror film trailers, I gotta give it up for the blaxploitation titles – they bring it on and almost always get the crowd revved up for more. This particular title gets decent reviews, and also features a Marvin Gaye score. But my favorite blaxploitation trailer has yet to be topped: Darktown Strutters (William Witney, 1975). Although the trailer seems to be M.I.A. on YouTube, here’s a decent clip to give you a flavor: