In Praise of Foxtrot Motion Pictures

Foxtrot Motion Pictures had a diverse array of releases over a ten-year lifespan.  The man behind Foxtrot was Alfred Piven who had previously been with American International Pictures, where for three years, he had worked directly under Samuel Z. Arkoff as the big guy's cigar wrangler.

Foxtrot's first release was a zero budgeted roughie called MORAL TURPITUDE (1968).

Plot:  Husband and wife join the swingers set, but their brand of "love" rubs their new playmates the wrong way.

Alfred Piven:  We released that just to dip our toes in the water.  It was an easily forgettable little film.  We only struck eight prints.  We were talking about releasing a horror film next . . . but then those plans changed. 

On July 1, 1969, Denmark lifted the ban on pornography.

On July 2, 1969, hundreds of photo and movie cameras were filming Danes doing rude things to one another.

This landmark decision opened the preverbal flood gates for a preverbal slew of preverbal sexier fare to be filmed and released preverbally . . .  I mean theatrically.

The most famous of these films were PORNOGRAPHY IN DENMARK:  A NEW APPROACH (1970), which was quickly followed by DOING IT DANISH STYLE (1970), DENMARK: LAND OF LOVERS (1970) and COPENHAGEN LOVE TECHNIQUES (1970).

Faster than you can say "Rollo of Normandy". the other Scandinavian countries got in on the act with SWEDEN: RAW & WILD (1971), SCANDANAVIAN SEX REPORT (1971) and FINLAND:  THE MANY WAYS TO LOVE (1971).

Soon "Denmark". "Sweden". and "Copenhagen" became buzzwords for sex.

Alfred Piven: Scandinavian sex films were hot at the time.  Unfortunately for us, even though the Scandinavians were churning out product, there was nothing available from Sweden or Denmark, so we had to turn to another source for racier content.

In 1971 Foxtrot went behind the Eastern Bloc and was able to purchase the North American rights to SEXUAL PRACTICES IN BULGARIA (1970).

PLOT:  Couples demonstrate sexual techniques with a Slavic flair.

Alfred Piven:  Initially we were upset that we couldn't obtain a Scandinavian film for distribution, but SEXUAL PRACTICES IN BULGARIA turned out to be a big hit for us.  We did replace the original stern male voiceover with a female on this, we scored a coup of sorts, by getting Carol Channing to do the voice over.  She would only do it if it was uncredited, we agreed, but everyone who heard it knew that it was her.  Her voice is so unmistakable.  We eventually added her name to the poster.

SEXUAL PRACTICES IN BULGARIA accomplishes what it sets out to do . . .showing couples having intercourse in various positions, but the talent on display is definitely "Hit and Miss" . . . Some you want to hit, but most you want to miss.

Finally in 1973 Foxtrot was able to pick up two Swedish sex sizzlers for their next releases.  IS THERE SEX AFTER SWEDEN? (1972) and HER SWEDISH SUMMER (1972).

PLOT for ITSAS?:  A young English man travels to Sweden for a summer vacation, while there, he hooks up with a bevy of beautiful ladies and has the time of his life.  Once he returns home, he realizes that there is NO sex after Sweden.

PLOT for HSS:  Similar to its co-feature but reverse the lead to a young German female.

This double bill did well for Foxtrot.  The girls were beautiful.  The locations were picturesque.  The sex, while being soft, was plentiful and hot.

Next up for Piven and Foxtrot Motion Pictures was a sexy adventure film, featuring a globetrotting female agent who fought the good fight by protecting the free by using her ample charm, wit, guile and hard body.

The movie would be based on a series of pulp paperback novels that had some popularity in the underground.  

 

The Girl from C.U.N.T. novels were written by Clyde Holiday.

Maximus T. Byrd (not his real name) is best known for a series of 1970’s paperback novels that he penned under the name Clyde Holiday (not his real name).  The Girl from C.U.N.T adventure books were popular with fans of spy yarns and lonely guys in general.  They followed the exploits of Jillian Raffin, who works undercover for the Containment Unit for National Terrorism, which is a secret branch of the United States Defense Department.  The novels are strictly adult in nature as Jillian violently dispatches and violently screws her foes all in the name of protecting the motherland.  She runs up against Horney Russians, Horney Chinese, Horney Arabs and her chief adversary, a particularly well-endowed French Villain, Constantin Arnaud.

Excerpt from THE GIRL FROM C.U.N.T #2: Kill Me the French Way

 

The roaring fire couldn’t match the heat that Jillian and Constantin created with their unrestrained passion.  Jillian dropped to her knees in front of Constantin.  She unbuckled and then unbuttoned his trousers, and with the giddy expectation of a child on Christmas morning, she slowly pulled down his trousers to unveil her present.  Jillian could not believe her eyes, for what was presented to her was truly the greatest gift that any woman could ask for.  His manhood was on the plus side of ten inches long.  It was as thick as her arm, with a snake like membrane running down the shaft.  As it came to attention, Jillian had to salute, and she silently gave thanks to God.  Constantine was always a man of few words.  He would simply say, “Touch.” “Kiss.” “Lick” . . . Jillian did as she was told. . . with pleasure.

Over the libidinous lifespan of eleven adventures Jillian would have sexual adventures that would make Caligula blush: from blowing an Algerian delegate under a desk at the UN, to having a gangbang with a group of Sherpas, to giving hand jobs to two men situated on either side of the Berlin wall at the same time, to joining the mile high club aboard Airforce one.  When all is said and done Milton T. Abercrombie (still not his real name) has Jillian give up her jet setting life of danger, intrigue and sexual abandon to joining a monastery and becoming a cloistered nun.  This turn of events began new paperback adventures under THE GIRL FROM C.H.A.S.T.E.

Alvin Piven:  We were able to purchase the rights for a good price.

Piven's mother was a big fan of the books, and he knew that he had to drop the C.U.N.T. as advertising the film in newspapers or anywhere else but restroom stall doors would be impossible, so he bandied about other options

Alfred Piven:  We came up with a few ideas; C.U.D.D.L.E.S., L.O.V.E., etc.  These sounded fine, but we needed the acronym to work.  We finally decided on C.H.A.R.M., which was an acronym for Covert High Alert Response Mechanism.  Not great, but good enough for a sexploitation movie.

 

Alfred Piven:  THE GIRL FROM C.H.A.R.M. was intended to be the first of a series, but it only did so-so business.  We double billed it with a Canadian action film called HERE COMES THE NO-NONSENSE MAN (1973).

PLOT:  The no nonsense man is a man of few words . . . most of them monosyllabic, lives up to his name as he doesn't take shit from anyone.  

HERE COMES THE NO-NONSENSE MAN features multiple bar room brawls, dock fights and a particularly nasty melee in a large farmer's market.

 Foxtrot jumped on the kung fu gravy train and released two features.

The most notorious being MAVEN OF THE ANAL AUGER (1975) which has all of the earmarks for a new cult classic; oddball characters, ferocious kung fu and a particularly nasty weapon used by the main bad guy.  This was actually the second appearance of the Anal Auger, as it was previously featured in DEADLY WEAPONS OF THE INVINCIBLE KUNG FU MASTER, which was released by TIP in 1974.

MIGHTY MAC AND THE KUNG FU KID (1976) was a kung fu comedy.

A BUNCH OF HONG KONG DING DONGS

PLOT:  Mighty Mac, a dim, but well-meaning, muscle-bound construction worker befriends the Kung Fu Kid, a Bruce Lee worshipping teen.  Together they take on some local toughs.

Mighty Mac was played by the hulking Lam Tien Chee, who also appeared in HALF WITS OF KUNG FU (1975).

The Kung Fu Kid was played by Max Ging-Man who starred in BLOODY FISTS OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN (1977) and HEROES OF THE GOLDEN TEMPLE (1981).

Foxtrot then released THE DOBERMAN SINGERS (1977) a family film about a trio of dogs who are trained to do a song and dance act.   

Alfred Piven:  Ugh.  That dog movie was the pits.  People told me not to release it.  I decided to move to Hawaii and retire after that.

Alfred Piven passed away in 2001.