THE EXOTIC ONES 1968 (NASHVILLE CINEMA PARTNERS)

The title on the DVD is "The Monster And The Stripper".

This is one of the oddest movies I have ever seen. It starts out as a small travelogue for the state of Louisiana and then turns into a 40 minute nudie cutie with various strippers attempting to impress a man named Nemo (Ron Ormond) who owns the club with a variety of routines.

After all of this several men journey into the deep swamp looking for what everyone calls "The Swamp Thing". Nemo wants the attraction for his club. The creature is played by Sleepy LaBeef and is indeed captured and put on display in Nemo's show.

Eventually the monster escapes and goes on a killing spree which includes ripping the breast off of a stripper!! Yes, this is one bizarre film.

There are several scenes which will always stick with me. Some of the strip routines are, well...unforgettable in a bad way and others are pretty good. However, Sleepy LaBeef steals the show as the monster who kills one of the people tracing him, tears his arm off and beats the man to death with it!!. That scene alone is worth the price of admission.

Ron Ormond directed this little gem and also stars as Nemo. His real life wife June Ormond stars as Bunny, the head stripper of the club, and she even gets involved in one routine, which has to be seen to be believed.

Ormond was involved in the Southern film making scene for many years and my first introduction to him was with the 1953 classic "Mesa Of Lost Women". As for Sleep LaBeef, he is still with us today as far as I know. Not much is known about him, at least as far as I am concerned, but I do know he is now 84 and was born in Smackover, Arkansas. He has appeared on several late night talk ahows and does have a few CD's out there in musicland.

The color on the film is beautiful as is often the case with these low budget regional films of the period. The locations are real and add a great flavor to everything.

If you have never seen this film, I suggest you do, if you can find it and take a trip into cinema you'll never forget. Truly, a one of a kind film. RECOMMENDED!!