The Film Detective upped its game this past week with news
that not five, but ten new film restorations will be ready for the DVD
collectible market on June 20.
When it comes to collecting films on DVD everyone has an
opinion. So we will reach into the hat
and draw out one priced-to-collect selection and start there … drum roll
please!
Ah ha, we begin the June 20 hit parade with director Gordon
Wiles’ summer of 1974 independent theatrical release of Ginger in the Morning,
which stars Sissy Spacek as the title character, Ginger. This film was between Terrence Malick’s Badlands
(which was her theatrical release after debuting Prime Cut) and her
signature role of Carrie White in Brian De Palma’s 1976 film release of Carrie.
Ginger is a “free spirit” who is picked up hitchhiking by a
middle aged, recently divorced advertising executive named Joe (Monte Markham),
who is attracted to her carefree nature.
They hit it off, but Ginger has a secret and her affection for Joe is
packed with ulterior motives!
Others in the cast include Susan Oliver, Slim Pickens and
Fred Ward (he was just starting out here).
Also in the June 20 mix is writer/director Andy Milligan’s
1970 horror flick, Guru, the Mad Monk.
This hard to find rarity, which was released theatrically by Nova
International Productions (which came and went faster than you can say Guru,
the Mad Monk), stars Neil Flanagan as a 15th Century priest
named Guru, who is the titular religious figure at an island prison.
He takes pleasure in torturing and killing anyone he takes a
disliking to … and is ably assisted in his crimes by Olga (Jaqueline Webb), a necrophiliac,
who fancies herself a vampire, and Igor (honest, Igor), his one-eyed hunchback
sidekick (played by Jack Spencer). The
movie itself is so bad that it is considered a cult classic (Ed Wood would be
proud).
Director Robert Tansey’s 1950 film release of Forbidden
Jungle, starring veteran character actor Don C. Harvey as Tom Burton, a
famous big-game hunter, who is hired to find a young boy who has gone missing
the jungle. There is a lot of money on
the table, but the crusty Burton has a change of heart and covers up the secret
of the boy’s (played by Robert Cabal) new found home with Trader Kirk (Forrest
Taylor) and his adopted daughter, Nita (Alyce Lewis).
Other adventure-themed films in the June 20 mix include Call
of the Forest (1949, with Robert Lowery, Chief Thundercloud and Ken
Curtis), Men of the Plains (1936, with Rex Bell and Joan Barclay) and
director Harold Daniels’ 1953 son of the Count of Monte Cristo tale, Sword
of Venus, teaming Robert Clarke with Catherine McLeod.
On the Western front on June 20, the Film Detective has the
Hoot Gibson 1935 film release of Frontier Justice and director John
English’s 1937 film, Whistling Bullets, starring Kermit
Maynard as Texas Ranger who is sent to prison in order to infiltrate a gang of
thieves.
Rounding out the June 20 release calendar are Damaged
Lives and Miracle in Harlem.
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