In Praise of Rimpau Films

 

Rimpau Films released sexploitation fare in the 60s and 70s.  They even dipped their toe in porn, but no other body parts.

Their inaugural release was a nudist film called PAINT ME A NUDIST (1962).

PLOT:  A painter starving for inspiration is urged by a friend to join a nudist colony, hoping that the sights will be a spark of motivation to paint again.  Does it work?  Well, you know those paintings of nude people playing volleyball in the Louvre. . .

Filmed over seven days at the Sun & Fun nudist colony in Barrington, IL., with a budget of $7,000.  $200 went to getting the official blessing of the American Sunbathing Association.

While PAINT ME A NUDIST was somewhat a paint by numbers nudist film, Rimpau’s next release was anything but.  A nudie roughie that explored the peculiar sexual hang-up of a woman who falls in love with a dummy . . . Not a man with a low IQ, but a ventriloquist dummy!

ALL MEN ARE DUMMIES (1965), filmed in black and white on the grimy streets of winter in New York.

Plot:  Shelly, a curvaceous and somewhat vacuous burlesque dancer, is abruptly dumped by her manager/boyfriend. Feeling down, she strikes up a friendship with a new act at the theater—a ventriloquist duo featuring Roscoe Pike and his dummy, Buzzy. While Roscoe develops feelings for Shelly, she ends up falling for Buzzy, creating one of the quirkiest love triangles in movie history.

Roscoe Pike (the human) and Buzzy (the doll) were an East Coast ventriloquist duo known for their risqué humor, performing mostly in burlesque houses and seedy strip joints. They served as Winter MCs for eight years at the Empire Room Supper Club in Winter Park, Florida, until Buzzy insulted the owner's wife by comparing her vagina to the black hole of Calcutta.

Little is known about Pike & Buzzy, with all of the available information coming from Peter McMurray’s detailed articles in Mouth-Flap Monthly, which shined a light on obscure ventriloquist acts.

From MAY '74 issue:

Altoona, Penn. based act Roscoe Pike & Buzzy had a top-notch act, the trouble was that each were represented by their own agent.  They were constantly bickering over billing, pay, who would get the bigger dressing room.  Buzzy had much better representation and usually ended up with a sweeter deal than his human partner.  In a bizarre murder/suicide, Roscoe Pike ran Buzzy through a mulcher, then while racked with guilt, overdosed on Clorets.

1967 brought THE DEGRADERS, a roughie that featured whippings, beatings, rape, torture, sexual deviancy and even a little bit of plot, that doesn't impede on the whippings, beatings, rape, torture and sexual deviancy.

PLOT:  A closeted, alcoholic, on the take detective, runs cover for a group of white slavers, who keep him in their pocket through blackmail.

1969 was a big year for Rimpau Films as they release had three new features hitting screens.  First up was a perverse cat and mouse psycho-sexual drama called FILTHY PHONE CALLS (1969) aka RING ME UP SOME TIME.

PLOT:  A lonely woman (Lucy Nevins) starts to receive filthy phone calls, but instead of being disgusted by the dirty talk, the calls turn her on.  She starts to make filthy calls on her own, which leads to an in-person encounter that turns her live upside-down.

PSYCHEDELKICKS (1969) featured naked hippie chicks posing and dancing in the midst of a liquid light show with nit much plot to speak of.  

HITCHING FLOWER CHILDREN (1969) is fluffy sexploitation following the exploits of young ladies who use their thumbs and other strategic parts of their bodies to bum rides from one adventure to another.  

WOWZA WOWZA (1970) was a hip sex comedy, that unfortunately wasn't hip, comedic or sexy.

Next up was a double dose of sexy shenanigans with THE EASIEST GIRL I KNOW aka THE EASIEST BIRD I KNOW and SHANTY TOWN AFTER DARK.

THE EASIEST GIRL I KNOW (1970) was a British production about a small-town girl trying to make it as a model in swinging London.  She encounters a variety of kooks, freaks and weirdoes along the way the lower middle.

SHANTY TOWN AFTER DARK (1970) is a grubby, shot in North Carolina hillbilly film, directed by Michael T. Clodhopper which is a pseudonym for Michael H. Clodhopper.

 

 By 1971 the climate was changing around sex in film and Rimpau released TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

In this comedy, a twenty-year-old virgin's female friends decide to give him a birthday that he will never forget.  Directed by Walter Peabody who also directed a necrophilia-based film called LUST AFTER LIFE (1973).

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE pushed the limits of what was acceptable on screen. While not a pornographic feature, it still faced resistance in several cities, and prints were even seized during a few raids.

Rimpau was not happy dealing with the busts and lawyer and court costs, so their next feature toned the heat down a few notches.

GIRLS WHO OWN THE DARK (1975) was a West German psycho-sexual thriller that featured three cabaret performers who may or may not be vampires.  Though their thirst for human blood may be a dead giveaway.  Released in West Germany under its original title NACHT DER TANZENDEN VAMPIRES aka CABARET NOCTURNA.

Rimpau returned to the road with their second female hitchhiker-based film THE FUNAWAYS (1976),

STRAßENGEPRÜFTE MÄDCHEN aka ROAD TESTED GIRLS is a West German sex comedy road picture.

Director Heinz Fackler also helmed HEIßE SOMMERNÄCHTE IN BAYERN (1975) aka HOT SUMMER NIGHTS IN BAVARIA and MADCHEN, DIE LIEBE MACHEN, UND DIE MANNER, DIE IHNEN ZUSEHEN aka GIRLS WHO MAKE LOVE AND THE MEN WHO WATCH THEM (1977).

 

Rimpau would release a full-blown pornographic feature in 1978. 

THE WICKER WOMEN is a New York lensed porn treat, especially for those of us who enjoy looking at pretty women on wicker furniture.  Or well-constructed wicker furniture being lounged upon by pretty women.  Suffice to say, that if these are your thing, this is the one movie that you need to see.  This was briefly released as WANDA THE WICKER WOMAN.

Talented lead actress Marla Lanning was a triple threat, an abuser of alcohol, pills and cocaine.

THE WICKER WOMEN was bankrolled by Sam Jarvis. who owned a chain of clothing stores, he opened up a one-off clothing store that specialized in wicker clothing for men, women and children.  Reportedly priding themselves on having a large Husky Section.

RIMPAU’s final release was a return to sexploitation with a West German schoolgirl comedy called EIN APFEL FÜR DEN PROFESSOR, EINE BANANE FÜR DIE STUDENTEN aka AN APPLE FOR THE PROFESSOR . . . A BANANA FOR THE STUDENTS, a risqué title that RIMPAU would rename GED GIRLS.

And that was that.

In Praise of New Blood

 

IPOE is excited to welcome Bert and Mimi Cortman as the newest writers to our humble blog.

We met the Cortmans when they were among a group of infected trying to break into our compound.  We were able to fend off the other interlopers with garlic and flaming arrows, but we struck up a conversation with Bert and Mimi and discovered that they are big fans of exploitation movies.

Before the plague killed off and turned the majority of Earth's population into undead, blind vampires, Bert was an electrician and Mimi was a social worker.  They loved horror and sci-fi prior to the plague and continued so into their shambling, bloodsucking afterlife.

Bert is a true wordsmith, gifted with a love for puns and a talent for crafting clever, witty turns of phrase.

Mimi infuses her writings with an undead humanist perspective and approaches her work as a meticulous researcher. Some might say her craving for knowledge is matched only by her craving for the blood of the uninfected.

We promise you’ll be seeing plenty of contributions from this talented couple.

Here’s to a long partnership filled with plenty of blog posts ahead—or a stake through their hearts, whichever comes first.

In Praise of The Clones of Bruce Lee Part VIII

 

They say that the world of Bruce Lee Clones is like a flour sack . . . The more you shake it, the more falls out.

Here is another new one to us.  Bruce Pele.

In THAT DRAGON FROM RIO (1977), rumors are swirling along the beach that a local crime boss has joined forces with an Asian terrorist group.  Bruce (code name Dragon), an INTERPOL agent, is dispatched to Brazil, going undercover as a spirited maraca player in a samba group. His mission is to stop any dangerous schemes that might come out of the evil alliance.

Filmed in Rio on the cheaper side of cheap, THAT DRAGON FROM RIO is not top tier clone goodness, but a lively actioner.  

In Praise of New Neighbors

 

One small but odd chapter in sexploitation history involved three brothers who produced three films.  A loosely related trilogy, though that was not in the original plan.

The Moretti brothers were rumored to have mob ties.  Though these accusations were never proven.

Tony “The Ice Pick” Moretti, Guido “The Blow Torch” Moretti, and Joseph “The Loofah” Moretti were Jersey boys who, instead of starting a singing group, ended up making X-rated films.

First up was THE DIVORCEE NEXT DOOR (1969).

PLOT:  The new tenant in a drab apartment complex brings excitement to the otherwise dull lives of the current residents, from the skimpy, suggestive outfits she wears to her boldly forward demeanor.

THE DIVORCEE NEXT DOOR did well enough for the Moretti brothers to encourage them to make a second feature.

THE BACHELOR NEXT DOOR (1971) involves a young lothario who moves into an apartment complex and immediately has a constant flow of young wantons coming and going from his bachelor pad.

One older neighbor describes him thusly:  "He has broads showing up day and night.  Sometimes one.  Sometimes two.  A few nights ago, a bus full of female Japanese tourists visited him. . . Taking pictures all over the place."

It would take a few years, but the Moretti brothers released their last movie in 1977.

 

The Crater Lake Monster Next Door tells the story of a distant cousin of the Loch Ness Monster who relocates to a swanky apartment complex on the Upper East Side.  His neighbors are rightfully shocked and frightened by his appearance but soon fall under his reptilian charms.

The only character to appear in all three films is Harley the handyman, played by Fred Nelson. In Divorcee, he gets teased; in Bachelor, he gets jealous; and in Crater Lake, he gets eaten.

In Praise of a New Book Release

 

Something special this time out.  

We’re thrilled to announce the release of a new book, and even better, we’ve scored a not-so-exclusive interview with the author.

IPOE:  Can you tell our readers your name and why we are interviewing you.

WG:  My name is Walter Glimpling and I have just authored a book called The Essential Guide to Cars Flying off Cliffs and Exploding On-screen.

IPOE:  That title is a mouthful.

WG:  Try remembering the title and saying it while doped up on massive amounts of anti-depressants.

IPOE:  Maybe after dinner.

WG:  What's for dinner?

IPOE:  I don't know.  You're buying.

WG:  I thought that this was just an interview. . .

IPOE:  What was the impetus for you to write the book?

WG: I always aim to write about a subject that no one else has explored. I mean, how many more books do we need about Alfred Hitchcock, Universal Horror, or Koo Stark?  Once I discover a topic that hasn’t been covered, I dive straight into my research, talking to dozens of screenwriters, directors, actors, stunt performers, and mechanics.  This latest book took about two years from start to finish.

IPOE:  We all enjoyed the book here.  Your hard work has definitely paid off.

WG:  I'm very happy with the end product, especially the cover, which is an original drawing that I did when I was younger.

IPOE:  Yes, it brings a child -like innocence to an impending violent death.

WG:  That is exactly what I was striving for.

WG:  I'm not happy with the photo that they used on the back cover.

IPOE:  What is the story behind that photo.

WG: I made some poor choices in my life, and in the early seventies, I drifted to San Francisco, where I ended up in trouble with the law.  I served a six-month stint in prison, but it was there that I discovered my passion and a talent for drawing, writing and avoiding prison rape.  I spent all my free time in the prison library, and let me tell you, that’s not a place where you want to have an overdue book.

IPOE:  I would imagine.  What are you going to about promotion for the book?

WG:  I’m lucky to have a publisher, Dutch Angle Publishers, that really believes in me and my books. I’ll be doing a series of book signings at independent bookstores across the country—though I won’t be signing my own book.  I’ll happily autograph any book people bring me.  They’ve lined up over four hundred movie podcast appearances to help spread the word and even got me a super high-powered bullhorn so I can shout about the book to people on the streets.

IPOE:  Give our readers the skinny on your book.

WG:  As the title states!!!!

IPOE:  You don't need to use the bull horn.

WG:  As the title states, this book covers every single car crash over a cliff with an explosion in films released from 1931 through 1980.  The first entry from 1931 is from an American release called ROLAND'S SUNDAY DRIVE.  This was the oldest example of the art that I could find.

PLOT:  Roland Pike has just purchased his first automobile.  Through a series of flashbacks, we see the hard work that he had to undertake to earn the money for his dream car.  With great pride he sets out on a drive through the country.  His idyllic day trip ends with his brakes going out and his car crashing through the wooden barrier, going over a cliff and exploding at the bottom of a ravine.

WG:  There are a few instances of cars driving off of cliffs prior to that, but they didn't explode or catch on fire.  The book also contains examples from all corners of the globe. 

IPOE:  The book is labeled a Volume one.  Are there plans for a second volume?

WG:  The possibility is there, but we shall see.  The heyday of cars going off cliffs and exploding was the latter period of the sixties to the late seventies.

IPOE:  In addition to cars going off cliffs and exploding, you are quite the authority on other film genres.  Tell our readers about your previous books.

WG:  This is actually my fifth book with Dutch Angle Publishers.  I previously authored The Essential Guide to Cat Scares in Horror Films, The Not-So Essential, But Still Worth Buying Guide to Acromegaly and General Deformities in Film, The Practically Useless Guide to Red Herrings in the Giallo film and finally, The Completely Unnecessary Guide to Mise-en-scène in Seventies West German Pornography.

IPOE:  We wish you great success.  Any parting words for our readers?

WG:  I appreciate the interview.  I hope that your readers that purchase the book enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  

In Praise of Deep Foot

 

There are rare films and then there are RARE films.  One of the REAREST is . . .

PLOT:  A group of shaggy, commune living hippies film a porn movie.  They encounter the mythical creature who joins in on the filming . . . And not just as a crew member.

The sparse credits are pseudonym city . . . Directed by Torpedo Jones and starring Sunshine Sullivan, Lois Lannie and Alice Ambrosia.  DEEP FOOT was also released as BIG FOOT AT BIG SUR.

Filmed in 1971 but released in 1973 to take advantage of the insane brouhaha surrounding DEEP THROAT (1972).

In Praise of Bertrum "Bert" Palmer

 

Bertrum “Bert” Palmer was a regional film maker based out of Dallas, Texas.  He is largely forgotten, so we would like to shed some light on his career, brief as it was, to hopefully spark more interest in his work.

During and after high school Palmer worked odd jobs at KTVT, a VHF television station where both his parents were employed. Over the next few years, he learned the ropes while attending a local community college and joined the film society, which opened his eyes to the vast world of cinema.  He then started to write and direct short films with his friends for a few years, and creating these became his passion.

Then in 1972, tragedy struck twice, his mother passed away due to acute Noxzema poisoning.  Distraught with the intense grief over the love of his life, Palmer's father hooked up with a "long in the tooth" burlesque dancer and hit the road to manage her career.

After seeing a rerelease of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) Palmer was inspired to make his own horror film.

Shot in 16mm on an eighteen-thousand-dollar budget under the title SHOP CLASS PSYCHO, it was made around the same time -Summer of 1973- as its far more famous Lone Star counterpart, THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974). The production went smoothly, and although the film is rough in many aspects—acting, sound, lighting, plot, and direction—Palmer was satisfied with the final result.

PLOT: Students in the eccentric Mr. Carson’s shop class start turning up dead with their skin shaved off with a planer.  Detectives are zeroing in on Mr. Carson as the prime suspect, but could the real culprit be his twin brother, who just escaped from a mental institution?

After completing the film, Palmer tried to land a distribution deal, but naturally, all the offers heavily favored the distributors.  He eventually went with Whitford Film Distributors & Farm Supply, a company that had previously only dealt in pornography and seed drills.  Whitford explained they were aiming to break out of the “porno ghetto” by moving into horror and general action films.  Shortly after Whitford filed bankruptcy and all of their assists, including the SHOP CLASS PSYCHO film negative and a warehouse full of manure spreaders were frozen.  Palmer was distrait and helpless, as he had to wait for things to run their course.

Not letting the delay in the release of SHOP CLASS PSYCHO get him down, Palmer went into production of his second and last horror film.

But before we get to that. . .

Fast forward two years, when in a bankruptcy sale, Forest Farm Equipment purchased all of Whitford's assists including the negative or SHOP CALL PSYCHO along with dozens of porno movie prints.  Forest Farm Equipment wasn't interested in the movie business, so they sold all of the film related materials to Aloysious Films, who struck ten prints of SHOP CLASS PSYCHO, but changed the title to THE PLANO PLANER MASSACRE to jump on the still popular TEXAS CHANSAW MASSACRE.

This was all unbeknownst to Palmer, as the re-titled film never played in Texas and he busy editing stage of his second horror feature THE A CAPELLA MURDERS (1978).

PLOT:  Somebody is killing the not-so-great barber shop quartets of Texas during a weekend jamboree. 

Audience enjoyment might depend on their love for barbershop music, since the film showcases performances of "Ain’t She Sweet," "Coney Island Baby," and four versions of "Oh You Beautiful Doll!"

The featured quartets are The Four Lazy Lads, The Tone Deaf Four and The Four Dill Weeds.

His sophomore effort is stronger in every aspect, with improved direction, performances, and an effective original soundtrack.  

Much like his directorial debut, the release of THE A CAPELLA MURDERS was delayed for two years, and when it finally came out, it was mostly limited to random screenings on double or triple bills and late-night shows.

Feed up and dejected, Bertrum “Bert” Palmer stepped away from the film business, spending a few years drifting before opening and running a successful pest control company, which he managed until his passing in 2017.