“Deucember” Continues!
It’s my favorite month of the year: for an entire month, the terrific Grindhouse Cinema Database website is showcasing “Deucember” – a month of classic Grindhouse films!
And who was better at selling the “Grindhouse” dream to moviegoers around the world than this guy!
Meet “The Sultan of Sexploitation”!
How is that for a job title! One Producer was famous for some of the wildest movies to ever hit the grind house circuit, like “Wham Bam Thank You Spaceman” and so many more! Time to celebrate the life of Producer Harry Novak!
Harry Novak started Boxoffice International Pictures in 1964, and hit the grind house circuit soon after with the sex romp “Kiss Me Quick” – check out this poster!
Vintage exploitation movie poster like this one were successful unpromising a more “adult” and “candid” filmgoing experience than viewers had ever seen before. These movies were designed to titillate male audiences who were eager to see a new permissiveness on screen…
As a Producer, Novak filled America’s grind houses with a non-stop series of trashy sexploitation movies like these – all with terrific movie posters as well:
Novak’s genius was to capitalize on the explosion of sex and violence in films in the late 60’s, and maximize both for profit into the 70’s, with films like these!
The Secret Sex Lives Of Romeo & Juliet!
One notorious sexploitation stunt was to take a classic story and “perv it up!” So Novak told the story of the “secret sex lives” of history’s most enduring love story, and he knocked off other hit films as well!
I Am Curious Tahiti!
In the late 60’s, “I Am Curious (Yellow)” shocked America with its candid and frank look at sex in Denmark. Novak saw a good thing and did a version from Tahiti!
Remember when Marlon Brando shocked the world with his demand for butter?
Well, Novak knew that moviegoers wanted more of a good thing, so he rushed out this knock off:
Novak also knew how to titillate audiences with his look into the dark corners of the US, like these classic comedies about country girls:
Sassy Sue!
“Sassy Sue” and “The Pigkeeper’s Daughter” were classic software sex romps, full of tons of nudity and action…and speaking of action, Novak also loved to document the country’s road to ruin…
A Scream In The Streets!
These films were made quickly and cheap, and they jumped on whatever was happening in the real world – so “a city ripped apart by sin and lust!” was his way to look at the criminal underworld in America’s cities…
But perhaps Novak’s greatest claim to fame has one of the greatest movie titles of all time:
“Wham! Bam! Thank You Spaceman!”
What else needs to be said: have you ever heard of a wackier name for a movie?
Now THAT’S entertainment! Movies don’t get this wacky anymore! The plot is simple: Two aliens from a dying planet are on a mission to impregnate Earth women – of course they are!
Here’s a funny fact about the quality of this film:
When the spacemen are ready to land, the globe stops and zooms into the center of South America – the interior of Brazil. When they get out of their spaceship, they are in Hollywood!
“Wham Bam” is another example of the raucous era of filmmaking in the 70’s…and we are all better off for it!
And look who starred in it!
Maria Arnold was a great cult actress – appearing in “Wham Bam” and so much more – who can forget her in this Ed Wood classic?
What a career she had!
See them all by clicking on my story here:
One of cult cinema’s legends also appeared in “Wham Bam”:
Dyanne Thorne was known as “Ilsa”, but she acted in so much more!
Click here to see her most provocative films!
Producer Novak died a few years ago, but left us with so many classic sexploitation films – that helped turn New York’s Times Square into the legendary “The Deuce!”
Here are some of my favorite films from this era, and their wildly suggestive posters like this:
I mean, need I say more? Well I do, right here:
Let me know if you’ve seen “Wham! Bam! Thank You Spaceman!”
Categories: 70's Films, Books / Media, Camp Cult Classics, Classic Action Films, Classic Horror, Cult Classics, Exploitation Films, Grindhouse, JRsploitation, Nudity, Sexploitation Films, Uncategorized
JR-Sploitation! 
I finally got a chance to catch ‘Invasion Of The Bee Girls’. (Actually, I haven’t watched it yet, it’s recorded)
It was showing on a film channel specialising in old films, and I managed to record it. 🙂
All thanks to your great blog!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Well Pete, it’s NOT “Citizen Kane”, but then again, Orson Welles didn’t have “Bee Girls” in his films so there you go!
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