A couple of things from the Internet Archive tonight. One good one and one bad one. Hot Rod Girl is a 1956 American International film about kids that race hot rods in the San Fernando Valley. Chuck Conners plays a cop who supports the local race track as a place to keep the kids off the street. His boss is putting pressure on him, the citizens of the Valley aren't likin' all these hot rods runnin' around their streets. Someone might get killed. The track keeps the kids from illegal street racing. Most of them anyway. Some are just too stupid and immature. Steve, an immature young man, gets all riled up when another young punk in a hot rod won't leave him alone on the ride home. Steve is killed in the street race. I guess those citizens were right. Steve's brother Jeff, a mechanic, blames himself for making the car and getting his brother into racing. If only he could have made his brother less hot headed. Jeff gets all bummed out and that takes a while to get worked through. He nearly looses his gal.
Not a great movie but entertaining enough. It's a good capture of the time with lots of shots of the streets and lots of nice hot rods. It's worth a gander and unlike the next film I watched re-watchable.
The Fat Spy is a 1966 spy/beach movie that really sucks. Don't watch it. There's not much story, the script is nearly non-existent, and the whole movie is packed with insipid teen pop songs. It tries to be funny but the jokes are weak. Did I mention the music? Terrible. There's a few names in the cast, Brian Donlevy, Jayne Mansfield, Phillis Diller, Jack E. Leonard, but none of them are doing anything worth watching. Poor Brian, he's got so little to do. Hope there was a good paycheck. Phyllis just shrieks and Jayne Mansfield, whom I never found that attractive, looks well padded from being 5 months pregnant. What ever acting ability she ever had, it's gone. That poster lies, she's not ever in a bikini.
That's Jack E in the Fink University Sweatshirt. He plays two roles in the movie. That doesn't help. I know I have seen him on the Ed Sullivan show but I don't really remember him. Normally I'm saddened by the loss of memories, but this time, it's a good thing. Phoebe Cates dad, Joseph Cates, directed the movie. He mostly produced the Oscars on tv and a cute daughter. The kids in the movie, and some of the girls are cute and in bikini's, are on a deserted island. They're on a scavenger hunt. There's legend of a fountain of youth. Low and behold they find it, in a flower (?), and people grow young in a crappy scene lacking any special effects. It's nearly 80 minutes of crappy scenes strung between crappy songs. Don't download it or watch it. Remember: terrible boring music.
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