COUNT YORGA , VAMPIRE -Twilight Time Blu Ray Limited edition (3,000)

COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE -Twilight Time (limited run 3,000 copies) 1970 – 93 mins- original rating GP (now PG-13) BLU RAY $29.95     http://www.twilighttimemovies.com/count-yorga-vampire-blu-ray/

On June 10, 1970, A.I.P. released a low budget pick up vampire film. The movie had cost about $64,000 (costs vary) and had begun life as a soft core porn film. The lead actor agreed to play the role on his time away from a big budget film (WUSA) which meant weekends and weekday evenings.  The actor, who thought it was a nice way to make a few extra bucks (only $1,249 for starring, plus a $350 bonus), felt it would come and go while the big budget film would help his career.

A.I.P. submitted the film several times to the ratings board, until they got the GP rating they so desperately wanted, excising a few minutes of gore (most infamously, the suggested killing of a kitten).

No one expected the film to do the box office that it did, but, in the year that LOVE STORY ruled the roost, a small indie film that began life as “The Loves of Count Iorga” earned about $8 million.

COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE was not the first vampire to be set in contemporary times (the original DRACULA (1931) seems to be set in then present day )but after all the Gothic horrors that Hammer had popularized , YORGA was seen as innovative.    Most compelling was the performance by  then 45 year old actor Robert Quarry . With his strong good looks and mesmerizing voice, his vampire could be either charming or deadly in a moment .

When I myself played Dracula, I asked the star how does one play a vampire ,and he gave me a superlative bit of advice.  “ You’ve lived a long time, so you have picked up a lot of knowledge .You are charming ,witty, and have only one bad habit.  Also , move slowly unless you are attacking. Let others come to you-a spider in the web.”

When you watch his performance, you know that he consciously made such choices in playing Yorga. In the film he appears mysteriously without explanation where he came from. Instead what we presume to be his coffin is brought from the docks to a California mansion. We then jump to a party wherein a Donna (Donna Anders) is holding a séance, presided over by the mysterious Count Yorga. When things get a bit out of hand, Yorga hypnotizes Donna to calm her.  Later, Erica (played by Judy Lang) and her boyfriend Paul (Michael Murphy) drive Yorga to his home. The couple decide to make love within their van but are soon attacked by a now ferocious Yorga .Paul was knocked out but did not see his attacker and Erica recalls nothing of the attack the next day.

Erica begins to act differently, listless and odd, and finally found drinking the blood from her dead kitten (a scene cut to near a near subliminal shot in its original release). Friend Dr. Hayes (Roger Perry) performs an emergency blood transfusion in hope of helping Erica.

Yorga meantime amuses himself in his mansion, watching his undead “brides” engage in sex for his amusement (a quick cut away to Quarry watching but the implication is there. In the original softcore version I am sure it was far more explicit). One of the brides, implied to be Donna’s mother whom she was trying to contact via the séance, is played by Marsha Jordan, a soft core star of the 1960s.

Dr. Hayes, Paul, and Michael (Michael Macready, also the film’s producer .He is the son of George MacReady ,  Prof. Ernst from MONSTER & THE APE (Columbia,1945 ).George provides his beautiful voice as the film’s opening and closing narrator . ) begin to believe Erica’s behavior is caused by a vampire and suspect that Yorga is the leader.  Erica is drained of blood by Yorga, brought to his home as his new “bride’. Paul goes there and is quickly killed by Yorga and his servant Brudah (Edward Walsh).

Near the finale, Dr. Hayes is confronting Yorga. The Doctor repeatedly calls out for help from Michael. Yorga, in a magnificent display of power, mockingly echoing his cries of “Michael!”and laughing more and more maniacally. This scene is Quarry at his villainous best.

The film ends with a downbeat fashion, in that although Yorga is slain, evil apparently wins.

The Blu Ray release from TWILIGHT TIME is, in a word, amazing.  The image quality has been cleaned up and sharpened so much that film looks and sounds clearer than it did in its original theatrical release. The original Thorn EMI VHS release was very muddy and dark (by that time AIP had folded shop and Orion had obtained the AIP library). MGM later acquired the library, and cleaned up the prints quite a bit.  When they released the two films as a Midnight Movie co-bill DVD, the bloody kitten scene had been restored and the sharpness of the picture was much cleaner.  The new Blu Ray makes that previous copy look obsolete.

For that alone I would recommend people pick up the BLU RAY. However, they go the extra mile with extras. For visual comparison on what the film used to look like, go to the original trailer included here.  The film can be watched with just an isolated score track. Also, most fun and informative is listening to film historian David Del Valle and filmmaker Tim Sullivan’s informative commentary track .Also included is a still gallery both from MGM and Tim Sullivan’s private collection , several of the stills are private moments with an older Bob goofing about with Tim, as well as rare production stills ,including a few which show several of the sex scenes that were shot but abandoned .Also a recreation by Del Valle  & Sullivan recreating a lost audio interview between Quarry & Sullivan. Finally, a radio interview with the horror actor and Sullivan is included.  The cover art is the same artwork from the MGM DVD release. Inside is a small booklet with a beautiful Yorga illustration that contains a  story summary by Julie Kirgo  Only 3000 copies of this BLU RAY are being made, so don’t miss out on getting this definitive version of the vampire classic.

HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!!! –  GET IT. -KEVIN G SHINNICK

MAN ON THE PROWL / NIGHT OF EXECUTION

MAN ON THE PROWL / NIGHT OF EXECUTION (Alpha Video $ 7.98 available directly at http://www.oldies.com/product-view/7721D.html)

MAN ON THE PROWL is a thriller that seems to have come and vanished quickly after it was released on December 1, 1957 . It is a shame as this a superb example of a noir thriller that also predated psycho thrillers like CAPE FEAR (Universal,1962) and THE SADIST (Fairway Int.,1963).

MAN ON THE PROWL dvd cover

In the 1950s a lot of indie films were picked up and distributed by United Artists. They played as co bills with various features, but a lot of indie producers who made one or two films came and went and often their film vanished with them.

This is a perfect example of that sad reality of film distribution. The movie seemingly vanished and all prints and negatives seemed to have disappeared. The only mention of this film were on IMDB and a few film books.

Man on the Prowl (Alternate Title: Man on a Motorcycle) was directed by Art Napoleon and written by Art Napoleon and Jo Napoleon. Art & Jo Napoleon created TV’s syndicated series “The Whirlybirds” (1957-1960) as well as writing /directing the 1958 Warner Brothers biopic, TOO MUCH TOO SOON , about John Barrymore(Errol Flynn) and his estranged daughter Diana (Dorothy Malone). This film seems to be the only release from their indie production company Jana Films (in cooperation with longtime producer Sol Lesser.

For a low budget film, it boasted cinematography by Nicholas Musuracha (CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, RKO, 1944), and music by Ernest Gold (WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, UA, 1958).
As to the DVD itself, Alpha took their copy from the only print known to be still in existence, it had obviously sat neglected and had been well used .That said we should be grateful for any copy of this at all. Alpha did a bit of a clean-up on the title but a full restoration I am sure was beyond their budget, especially on a film that will have a limited market. The opening titles look to have been recreated by Alpha for the release. The picture quality is soft but acceptable at time there is image waver and scratches but again not enough to distract from the film. Most interesting is that the film is supposedly missing a reel. If so, I didn’t notice any jump in continuity. The IMDB database lists an 86 minute running time, while this print runs just 79 minutes.

The movie has a prevailing sense of menace almost from the very beginning.
Doug Gerhardt ( James Best , later the star of THE KILLER SHREWS , McClendon-Radio Pictures Distributing Company ,1959) brutally murders local girl Dottie (Eugenia Paul, also in THE DISEMBODIED, Allied Artists,1957 )in his car with his bare fists when she refuses to go “all the way “.

The local police have no clues but the report of “a dreamy guy in a flashy convertible “who was seen with her. A lot of the film involving the detectives plays like a police procedural in the Dragnet style. Very matter of fact, very much into the minor details that go into police work.

Meanwhile our killer Doug it seems works as a flunky at a local garage, and that the car he had been in for the killing was “borrowed” from work. He delivers the car to the home of Alma Doran (Peggy Maley, THE INDISTRUCTIBLE MAN, A.A., 1956).

She is sunning herself by her pool and hardly acknowledges his presence except to insult him. Angered, he moves toward her but leaves angrily on his motorcycle when he realizes her maid is also on the grounds.

In his angry haste he nearly runs over a Marlan Wood (Mala Powers, THE UNKNOWN TERROR, Fox, 1957) and her child Jeff (Jeff Freeman, son of the producers). The only damage is to their groceries and he apologizes. She rebukes his apology, and he leaves, but not before pocketing the boy’s yo – yo, which he will use as an excuse later on to gain access to their home.

The Wood household is a bit tense between mother and her husband John (producer Josh Freeman), so when Doug reappears on pretext of returning the boy’s toy, Malan is more open to having him come in. He hints that he went to high school with the absent husband. With that connection, he fixes her washing machine and takes her out to dinner, but when he tries to take it to another level, she stops him. However we have seen that Doug does not take kindly to “no”.

Meanwhile, the police have identified the vehicle in which the girl was murdered as an El Dorado, of which there is only one of that model in the area (Alma’s).

From here on in the film becomes a very tense affair, with Doug threatening both mother and child. There is a strong sense of menace throughout the film with the possibility of rape and murder hanging strongly over the film’s second half.

There is also a precursor of the controlling mother a full two years before the publication of “Psycho” by Robert Bloch (Simon & Schuster, 1959). Doug’s mother (played by Vivi Janiss ) seems to have been partially responsible for the attitude that Doug has toward women. The closest parallels I can think of are the Karswells in the classic CURSE/NIGHT OF THE DEMON (Columbia, 1957).

To fill out the shorter running time, Alpha has added “NIGHT OF EXECUTION “, A September 22, 1955 Climax TV episode starring Vincent Price. The nearly one hour show has Price as a sadistic husband and father whom everyone would like dead and soon he ends up so. Nina Foch costars.

Alpha is to be commended for saving this film, in whatever condition from obscurity and being completely lost forever.
Trivia: This film’s working title was Man on a Motorcycle (copyright 3/12/57 by Jana Films).
. A September 13, 1956 LA Mirror-News article stated that the husband-and-wife team of Art and Jo Napoleon used the exterior and interior of their home at 122 S. Maple Drive, Beverly Hills for several sequences in the film. The article detailed the congestion inside the house and stated that it resembled “a mob scene in a telephone booth.” Additionally, the Napoleons’ two young sons, Josh and Jeff, who are billed as Josh and Jeff Freeman in the onscreen credits, played “Marian’s” sons in the film. Bob Yeakel, a Southern California Cadillac dealer, permitted filming in his showroom and appeared in the picture as himself in exchange for free advertising. Hollywood Reporter news items include Joy Stoner in the cast, but her appearance in the completed film has not been confirmed.
-Kevin G Shinnick
SCARLET THE FILM MAGAZINE

(Note part of this review is taken from information compiled earlier by the author to announce the film’s release).

STILL ROCKIN’ ON MUSCLE BEACH! A Conversation with the First Mr. Olympia, Larry Scott By Rod Labbe

STILL ROCKIN’ ON MUSCLE BEACH!

 

A Conversation with the First Mr. Olympia, Larry Scott

 

By Rod Labbe

 

 

In 1960, American International Pictures released House of Usher, an ambitious, sumptuously mounted horror film “experiment.”

Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story, Usher paired Vincent Price with director Roger Corman, delivering a Technicolor/Cinemascope knockout that surpassed just about everyone’s expectations. Box-office numbers soared, and Usher also earned kudos for its literary slant. Corman, Price and screenwriter Richard Matheson had struck cinematic gold.

Now, at last, AIP possessed the ammo to challenge upstart Hammer Studios for disposable teenage dollars. Cheap black and white double-bills were passé; crumbling, cobwebbed mansions; basement crypts, and Price’s swooning protagonists ruled.

One bite of the exploitation apple wasn’t enough, however; AIP–specifically, executive producers James Nicholson and Sam Arkoff–wanted more. So, they dusted off the pretty-much-ignored teen musical, stirred in a few spicy ingredients, and out popped a delectable confection called Beach Party (1963).

Beach Party’s potent mix of surfers, bikinied babes, slapstick, gyrating dancers, motorcycles and jammin’ rock and roll hit the right gongs. Disney ingénue Annette Funicello and singer Frankie Avalon were refreshing romantic leads, Harvey Lembeck created a memorable villain in “Eric Von Zipper,” and director William (I Love Lucy; Bewitched, etc.) Asher orchestrated the comedy expertly, moving things along at a lively clip.

And that’s not all…to win over concerned parents, movie vets Bob Cummings and Dorothy Malone shared the wacky shenanigans and added a comfortable, reassuring slice of “old Hollywood.”
Whadaya know. AIP scored another bull’s eye!

Muscle Beach Party (1964) was entry #2 in a very profitable eight-movie canon. No need to change the basic formula, merely up the ante and add musical guest-stars (13 year-old Stevie Wonder; Dick Dale and the Del-tones), a hunky, bulging beefcake brigade, and acerbic comic Don Rickles, as their annoying trainer, “Jack Fanny” (patterned, undoubtedly, after fitness guru, Jack LaLanne).

Fanny’s gleaming muscleboys showed us mortal weaklings how it’s done. Included were Peter (Mission: Impossible) Lupus; Mr. Americas, Chet Yorton (“Hulk”) and Gene Shuey (“Riff”); Dan (of Grizzly Adams fame) Haggerty (“Biff”), and Bodybuilding supernova, Larry Scott (“Rock”). By comparison, Frankie and the other beach bums looked positively anemic!

Larry Scott then reigned as Bodybuilding’s crown prince. Joe Weider’s Muscle Builder and Mr. America magazines featured him endlessly; he won Mr. California (’60); Mr. America (’62); Mr. Universe (’64) and the first Mr. Olympia contest, held on September 18, 1965.

One year later, at age 28, Larry defended his Olympia title, won again, and put competition far behind him. That opened the door for a young Austrian named Arnold

Schwarzenegger, and Bodybuilding would never be the same.

As an observer and participant in AIP’s frothy teenage dream, Larry surfed a pop culture tsunami. Here’s how that madness went down, straight from the studliest Rock on Muscle Beach.

 

LARRY SCOTT

 

1. Larry, give us all the scintillatin’ details about your involvement with Muscle Beach Party!

LARRY: Gladly, Rod. One day, a casting agent from American International Pictures called Vince’s Gym in Studio City. They needed approximately a dozen Bodybuilders for their newest film, starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. I was always looking to supplement my income, either by modeling or doing ads…and this opportunity dropped out of the blue. Making a movie and getting big bucks? Wow. No one told us it had a beach theme.

2. Frankie, Annette, and AIP–you didn’t connect any of the dots?

LARRY: Honestly, I didn’t. You’re talking to a naïve country boy from Pocatello, Idaho (laughs). I’d never even seen the first one!

3. When that fateful break came your way, what happened?

LARRY: I went for it! We showed up at a tiny studio on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, second level. Dan Haggerty drove over with me. Neither of us knew what to expect. I considered it an adventure and kept an open mind.

4. Besides yourself and Dan, any other big names try out?

 

LARRY: Chet Yorton and Gene Shuey, both Mr. Americas, were there, along with the legendary Bill Pearl (Mr. America/Mr. Universe). We all knew one another. The

Bodybuilding community was a small and friendly one, back then.

5. Bill’s an icon, a true Bodybuilding pioneer.

LARRY: Oh, yeah, big time! The man’s physical condition can only be described as phenomenal. I’ll never forget what he asked the producers: ‘Is this gonna be one of those movies where Bodybuilders are made to look like morons?’ They quickly answered, ‘no, no, of course not, heh-heh’.

6. Which probably explains why Bill isn’t in Muscle Beach Party!

LARRY: I don’t think AIP expected trouble from their Bodybuilders. Nobody else said a word!

7. You read from a script?

LARRY: Nope, none of us read. They just had us strip off our shirts, flex (laughs), and sign a three-week contract. Those three weeks almost ruined my career. I’d been employed as an engineer, and suddenly, I was being paid to hang out with a bunch of gorgeous women in bikinis!

8. Weren’t you also training for competition?

LARRY: Yes, the 1964 IFBB Mr. Universe. I’d lost the year before and had to eat humble

pie. Hunger is what it’s all about in Bodybuilding. You’re a champ one day and a runner-up, the next.

9. I could tell you were close to contest shape.

 

LARRY: I was focused on the prize–steely-eyed and determined.

10. Don Rickles played Jack Fanny, your fitness guru. A subdued soul?

LARRY: Ha, ha! Definitely not subdued! Don spared no one; he even unleashed on poor Annette! Non-stop wisecracks.

11. All of the Beach Party flicks were directed by William Asher, then-husband to Elizabeth (Bewitched) Montgomery. You were indeed in capable hands, Larry! His I Love Lucy candy factory episode is unforgettable comedy.

 

LARRY:  Alas, my naiveté prevented me from realizing Mr. Asher’s remarkable credentials. I remember his attitude best: congenial, supportive, and easy-going. No shouting or throwing fits. I’m not one for conflict, so I appreciated the homey set.

12. Any acting challenges?

 

LARRY: The biggest hurdle? We had no talent (laughs)! Mr. Asher drew on what little we could do. It became important for us to watch others. Learning as you go, so to speak.

13. Define what little you could do.

LARRY: Let’s see…we stood at attention and moved from side to side. Threw fake punches and marched in formation. When scenes got intense, I chewed gum, flexed my biceps, and puffed out my chest (howls with laughter).

14. Pete Lupus, of Mission: Impossible fame, was “Mr. Galaxy,” Jack Fanny’s head Bodybuilder. They’d billed him as “Rock Stevens!”

LARRY (laughs): Yeah! Pete went by Rock Stevens until his run on MI. A great guy, Pete is. We’ve been friends for years and years. I’m very happy he’s had such an amazing career.

15. You guys wore pink shorts and matching capes. Yeep!

LARRY (sighing): Tenor of the times, pal. Tenor of the times. The general public in 1964 was clueless when it came to comprehending Bodybuilding as a sport and lifestyle. Back then, muscles had to be functional, not aesthetically pleasing.  Lifting weights for looks struck them as extremely odd behavior.

16. If you enjoyed taking off your shirt and flexing, red flags went up?

LARRY: Strange to say, but yes, that’s very true. Athletes lifted for football and other endurance sports, but if you lifted to build a great-looking body, people questioned your reasoning.

17. Bluntly put, a weight-trained physique without the requisite sports connection meant you

were either incredibly narcissistic or gay?

LARRY: Yep. Thank God perceptions have changed. Arnold Schwarzenneger helped Bodybuilding out immeasurably in that regard.

18. Bill Pearl was essentially right then, about the producers’ intent. As a real-life Bodybuilder–and competitor–you weren’t turned off by such blatant stereotyping?

 

LARRY: To a degree, I was…but I’ve always felt comfortable in my own skin and understood how those perceptions developed. I saw it as satire, more than anything. Up till Muscle Beach Party, the only Bodybuilder who’d ever successfully crossed over into the mainstream was Steve Reeves.

19. Yeah, but Reeves presented a positive, masculine image…

LARRY: And he created bigger than life characters. Your average Bodybuilder wasn’t a demigod who fought lions, so the public cut him slack.

20. His influence, nonetheless, cannot be underestimated.

LARRY: Steve had a staggering influence, I won’t deny it, but his movies couldn’t touch the Beach Party franchise for popularity. Muscle Beach Party had saturated booking in thousands of theatres across the US. Even today, I’m asked about the film, my weight-training techniques and what kind of diet I followed while shooting.

21. Easy to understand why. You were in awesome shape!

LARRY: Thanks. If my example encourages one person to abandon his or her sedentary lifestyle and join a gym, I’ll wear pink shorts and a matching cape every day. Ok, maybe not every day, and maybe not the cape, but you get my drift (laughs).

22. What beach was used for exteriors?

 

LARRY: We shot the outside scenes first, on Mae West’s private beach, next to her house. She’d given us permission.

23. I heard a conflict arose between your muscle posse and the surfer dudes.

 

LARRY:  Oh, those guys. They had absolutely no use for us. They were champions and clearly impressed with themselves. Our imposing size created tension so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

24. Ever try breaking the ice?

LARRY: Sure. I asked one, ‘hey, how tough is it to catch a wave?’ He sneered at me like I was an idiot and said, ‘man, you just catch it. Get with the program.’

25. How rude. He expected you’d know the finer points of surfing?

LARRY: Or he was a jealous jerk. Take your pick.

26. Luciana Paluzzi went on to become a Bond Girl. Your impression?

LARRY: Luciana had no body, only a pair of breasts. Other than that, I’ve no lasting memory of her.

27. Uh-oh. Let’s hope she’s not reading this.

LARRY: Yipe (laughs)! My apologies, Luciana, if you are!

28. Isn’t there a sequence that went awry?

 

LARRY: Better to ask, what sequence didn’t go awry? Entire scenes were ad-libbed!

29. This one involved a helicopter.

LARRY: Oh, yeah, that one! Hmm. Ok, we’re on the beach, acting like lunkheads. Buddy Hackett, Luciana’s manager, warns her about getting involved with Bodybuilders, but she’s stubborn, takes a helicopter off the yacht and flies off toward the beach…

30. I dig the set-up!

LARRY: There’s a shot from above as the helicopter approaches. We’re looking up and slowly walking away–as Mr. Asher instructed us to do.

31. Not so complicated.

LARRY: Oh, no, not for an experienced group of Bodybuilders like ourselves (laughs). Except sand, helicopter blades and oily Bodybuilders don’t mix! There we were, all in our tight little shorts, and the sand kicked up and blasted us. Someone hollered, ‘who cares about this stupid movie? Run!’ What a riot.

32. Owch!

LARRY: Haha! Sand can be very painful, especially on exposed body parts. We were literally running for our lives!

33. The Beach Party films used a lot of “classic Hollywood.” What was it like, mixing it up with Greats like Peter Lorre?

 

LARRY: Wonderful. We met Morey Amsterdam, Buddy Hackett and Mr. Lorre. All of them were gentlemen of the old school–courteous and charming.

34. And the beach guys and gals?

LARRY: Aside from the surfers and their nastiness, we were treated respectfully, like world-class Bodybuilders. John Ashley was real nice, very friendly and welcoming. Annette and I double-dated. She had a sparkling personality, sweet and genuine. I also liked Frankie Avalon.

35. Annette recently passed away, as you know.

LARRY: Yes. My condolences go out to her family and loved ones.

36. Peter Lorre’s cameo turned out to be his next-to-final film appearance–Jerry Lewis’ The Patsy (1964) was the last. He seem unwell to you?

 

LARRY: I wouldn’t say unwell, as in deathly ill. Short of breath, maybe, but it certainly had no effect on him as a performer. Stars like Lorre knew how to turn it on, once the director said “action.” And what a storyteller! Great tales about Bogie, Sydney Greenstreet and the Warner Brothers days. We loved listening to them. That’s real history.

37. Please tell me you had a chance to watch Steve Wonder in action!

LARRY:  We were all on-set when he performed. Stevie was just a kid and already an entertainer of the highest caliber. Astounding energy! A very, very talented guy and so self-effacing.  Look at the career he’s had! Unbelievable.

38. MBP’s climactic bar brawl makes me chuckle. Difficult to choreograph?

LARRY: That fight was the real deal, man. The surfers hated our guts, so Mr.

Asher knew a fight would let off steam. They’d rigged the set with balsa wood furniture; he told us to go for it, and bam! We knocked the beach boys on their backsides and banged heads together. A free-for-all! What’s caught on film is only part of the shenanigans.

39. You were sent flying through a brick wall! That had to hurt.

 

LARRY: They actually pulled me into the wall with a hidden harness. I was supposed to rush out, growl, and charge Frankie. He’s holding a surfboard, and Mr. Asher wanted me to smack the board and stick my head through a pre-cut hole. For comedic effect, I’d turn, face the camera, and cross my eyes.

40. All that planning, and it isn’t even seen.

 

LARRY: I know! My big cinematic moment ended up on the cutting room floor. Oh, well, that’s show biz for ya (laughs).

41. Are you pleased with your performance?

LARRY: My performance? As in emoting? You’re kidding me. I strutted, posed, grunted, chewed gum and tossed surfers around. Not exactly Laurence Olivier. I will say this, it was fun to do a movie!

42. You weren’t bitten by the acting bug?

LARRY: I gave acting some thought and even attended classes with my buddy and roommate, Bill McArdle (also a Bodybuilder). Their scripts were full of bad language! Being a Mormon, I avoided using four-letter words…but the teacher said we shouldn’t limit ourselves; we needed to grow. I finally let go of my inhibitions, a serious lapse in judgment.

43. Lapse of judgment? Explain!

 

LARRY: On my first audition at Fox, the director asked us to do an emotional scene from Death of a Salesman. In the middle, he stopped me. “Stick to the script and stop using profanity!” he yelled. “This isn’t a stag film!”

44. What, you’d ad-libbed?

LARRY: Yes! I very brazenly used expletives, and the director had a fit. Our acting coach wanted us to express emotions fully. Guess I went a little too far in expressing them (laughs).

45. At least you didn’t go shirtless!

LARRY: Maybe I should’ve done a scene from A Streetcar Named Desire. Then, I’d finish by tearing out of my shirt and flexing! Stellaaah!

46. MPB wasn’t your only movie. What about Project: Power?

LARRY: Project: Power was Dick Tyler’s baby, before Muscle Beach Party. If memory serves me, Dick narrated the film and said something like, ‘you see the weirdest stuff in Hollywood.’ The camera shifts to a convertible, and I’m standing up, doing a double-biceps! Did you know Dick wrote for the early Bodybuilding magazines and played Henry Aldrich on TV?

47. Yes, I am aware of that. He was also in The Bells of St. Mary’s and Make Room for Daddy.

 

LARRY: Dick’s a diversified artist.  And a super person.  Still sharp as a tack, too.

48. Why no more film work, Larry? You had that all-American boy look down.

LARRY: Rod, movies just fell into my lap. My real goal was Bodybuilding. It was my sport of choice since high school. Nothing else kept me half as motivated.

49. Ever regret your decision to retire from competition so early?

LARRY: I’ve rarely regretted my Bodybuilding decisions. Wish I could say the same about Life! Bodybuilding stardom is an illusion. I’m a firm believer that true happiness is found in marriage and family. No, I don’t regret early retirement. After my second Olympia win, the kicks were gone.

50. You were only 28!

LARRY: Mr. Olympia was a brand-new contest, and I’d won the first two. That put me in the history books. Why climb that mountain again?

51. Your physique. A product of its time?

LARRY: 100%. If I competed nowadays, my situation would be very different. I’d get eaten alive (laughs)!

52. Whatever happened to Bill McArdle? I’ve seen plenty of his pictures but no movies.

LARRY: Acting didn’t interest Bill much. He loved art and painted gorgeous landscapes and murals. That was his true calling. I knew he had an artist’s soul. We eventually lost touch, and Bill passed away at a relatively young age.

53. But you, my friend, have persevered. Thanks for sharing your Muscle Beach Party memories with us. Rock on, Rock!

LARRY: I plan to, pal. From then till now, it’s been a wild ride, one I wouldn’t trade for a million surfboards.

Check out Larry’s website at: larryscott.com

This is the last interview Larry gave for publication prior to his very sad death on March 8, 2014.  He was my childhood hero, and we shared many laughs, good times and great conversations over the years. I miss him terribly.

 

LARRY SCOTT

October 12, 1938 – March 8, 2014

Mr. America, Mr. Universe, Mr. Olympia

 

 

LARRY SCOTT’S COMPETITIVE RECORD

1960

        Mr. California – AAU, Winner

Mr. California – AAU, Most Muscular, 1^st

Mr. Los Angeles – AAU, Most Muscular, 3^rd

Mr. Los Angeles – AAU, 3^rd

1961

Mr. Pacific Coast – AAU, Most Muscular, 1^st

Mr. Pacific Coast – AAU, Winner

1962

Mr. America – IFBB, Medium, 1^st

Mr. America – IFBB, Overall Winner

1963

Mr. Universe – IFBB, Medium, 1^st

1964

Mr. Universe – IFBB, Medium, 1^st

Mr. Universe – IFBB, Overall Winner

1965

Mr. Olympia – IFBB, Winner

1966

Mr. Olympia – IFBB, Winner

remembering where we come from REST IN PEACE , RICHARD VALLEY

OCTOBER 12, 2007  -publisher RICHARD VALLEY passed away after a two year battle with cancer.

From 1991 to 2006 ,  he was the publisher and soul of SCARLET STREET :the magazine of Mystery & Horror ,though it covered various other genres as the subject interested the writers and staff.

The title was a reference to SHERLOCK HOLMES (” A STUDY IN SCARLET’) and film noir (SCARLET STREET ).

The magazine ceased publication with Richard’s passing .

In January 2008, several of the magazine’s staffers announced their intention to publish a new magazine “in the tradition of Scarlet Street,” entitled SCARLET THE FILM MAGAZINE .The new magazine debuted in June 2008 .

SCARLET ran until Feb 4, 2014 release of issue 11. Shortly after it was beginning to ship,  a terrible fire engulfed the home of editor Harry H Long, destroying all stock of the magazine and files and computers, as well as completely destroying Harry’s home. Harry was left with third degree burns from which he is still recovering .

The print magazine has been put on hold for awhile but we hope to raise funds to get back to publishing .

In the interim, we have been publishing review on FACEBOOK under SCARLET THE FILM MAGAZINE REVIEWS .

Now we hope to begin publishing here as well .

We hope Richard would be proud .

-Kevin G Shinnick

scarletthefilmmag@yahoo.com