CLASSIC WRESTLING LONE STAR SHOOTOUT (SHOUT TV)

I discovered this classic wrestling series on Shout and really loved it.

This episode looks at some of the classic matches from Southwest Championship Wrestling from Texas. As any classic wrestling fan knows, Texas was once a hot bed for pro wrestling and SCW provided some of the best.

The first match is Ken Lucas and Ricky Morton against Tully Blanchard and Gino Hernandez. It seems to me that every match with Blanchard and Hernandez was classic and out of control, and this is no exception.

Next is Blanchard and Hernandez against Ivan Putski and Terry Funk whcih also quickly gets out of control. The ladies are talked about next as we see a match between Judy Martin and Sherri Martel.

The shows veers off to Memphis Tennessee for a look at the match between Jerry Lawler and Andy Kaufman because both men were involved with SCW back in the 80's.

We then are shown a great match between Lawler and Bob Sweetan which is a "Piledriver Match" from the Hemisphere Arena. Sweetan is then featured in a match against El Santo Negro in which the Mongolian Stomper and his manager Don Carson interfere and create chaos.

Dick Slater goes against the Mongolian Stomper in a classic battle in Dallas and this match is followed by Nick Bockwinkle against Manny Fernandez. The show wraps up with Bruiser Brody going against Nick Bockwinkle for the AWA title.

Most of these classic matches take place at the Hemisphere Arena in and around 1982 which was a time when wrestling was extremely fun to watch and the talent rosters were the best.

I have never heard of the Classic Wrestling Series before, but I am glad I discovered it on Shout, and I will be bringing more of these episodes to the blog very soon.

Very HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to all classic wrestling fans.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Julissa is 76 and Brenda Russell is 71.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Yvonne Lime is 85.

RIP HONOR BLACKMAN 1925-2020

The actress of portrayed Pussy Galore in "Goldfinger" has died.

Blackman started her career in 1947 in a small role in a film called "Fame Is The Spur" and the following year made a great little mystery thriller called "Daughter Of Darkness".

She made quite a few films after this including "The Glass Tomb" and "A Night To Remember". However, international fame came to her when she got the role of Catherine Gale in the TV series "The Avengers" and she never looked back.

In 1964 she was Pussy Galore in "Goldfinger" and that role has been her most remembered role to this day. She also had a great role the previous year as Hara in the classic "Jason & the Argonauts".I will never forget her black leather outfit from "The Avengers" however.

A very beautiful woman who shined very nicely on the big screen and the small screen. Blackman died on April 6th at the age of 94.

RIP JAMES DRURY 1934-2020

One of the last American western movie icons is gone.

James Drury started his acting career in the 1955 movie "Blackboard Jungle" in an un-credited role and never looked back. He appeared the next year in the sci-fi classic "Forbidden Planet".

After starring alongside Elvis Presley in "Love Me Tender" he started making appearances on TV westerns such as "Broken Arrow" and "Man Without A Gun" and many, many more. He again appeared in a classic western directed by Sam Peckenpah's "Ride The High Country.

His greatest claim to fame was in the role of of The Virginian in the long running series of the same name. The series ran for 9 years from 1962 until 1971.

Drury passed away on April 6th, 2020...just 14 days shy of his 86th birthday. A great actor and a fine gentleman in real life.

DATE BAIT 1960 (SHOUT TV)

Independently made juvenile delinquent film.

Gary Clark stars as Danny Logan, a young man in love with a beautiful girl named Sue (Marlo Ryan). Everything seems fine until a junkie named Brad (Richard Gering) shows back up after leaving rehab.

He immediately starts a knife fight with Danny after finding out he is dating Sue. Brad's brother is a top gangster in town and he also assaults Danny and warns him to stay away from Sue.

One things piles on top of another and Danny is fed up with people like Brad as well as Sue's father who considers him worthless for his daughter. After another brutal fight with Brad, the two young people decide to travel to Las Vegas and tie the knot, which they do.

Upon returning they have nothing but trouble. Sue's father wants to annul the marriage and Brad and his brother plan to get even with Danny. All of this leads to a violent confrontation in a park which brings death to some.

This isn't too bad for a small, independent film and it just doesn't seem to be as popular or well known as some other films in this particular genre. If you're a fan of the genre you might want to check it out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Billy Dee Williams is 83, and Roy Thinnes is 82.

THE BONNIE PARKER STORY 1958 (SHOUT TV)

Shout just keeps bringing them on.

Another in a long line of AIP films I have never had the chance to see until now.

Dorothy Provine is simply beautiful as Bonnie Parker, a young woman who wants a lot out of life and is sick of working in dead end jobs and meeting sleazy men.

She gets together with Guy Darrow (Jack Hogan) and together they rob small town liquor stores and gas stations, until Bonnie wants more and decides to take charge.

Guy is a somewhat laid back man while Bonnie is always wanting something. After she takes over they start robbing banks and making much more money, however they are always on the run from the police and one man in particular named Tom Steele (Douglas Kennedy) who has been hired by the US Government to hunt both of them down.

This is a highly fictionalized, but fun account of Parker. The movie is fast paced and it keeps moving along for a very quick 80 minutes. No female gangster ever looked as sexy as Provine does in this film.

The rest of the cast includes Ken Lynch, Richard Bakalyan, Joe Turkel, Pat Houston and Sidney Lassick. Shout continues to turn out these classic little American International Pictures on their Shout TV, and as you can see by some past things I've written here, I'm spending a lot of time catching up with them.

A huge thanks to Shout for putting these out, even in a streaming format so I can at least get a chance to see these little gems. If you're a fan of 50's AIP movies, I'd be heading over there to check things out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Roger Corman is 94, Jane Asher is 74, Michael Moriarty is 79, Roger Davis is 81, Agnetha Faltskog is 70, and Dallas Page is 64.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Simone Griffeth is 70, Chelsea Anne Green is 29, and Noreen Nash is 96.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Eric Braeden is 79, and Lamberto Bava is 76.

TALES FROM THE TRENCHES 2019 EPISODE 13 MEMORIES (SHOUT TV)

This is the final episode of this fascinating series.

In this episode Roger and Julie discuss their memories of their long careers in film. They first talk about the chance meeting on the set of "Von Richthofen and Brown" in 1970 and things just progressed from there.

Roger then talks about "The Terror" and how a hodgepodge of a film became something of a legend in Hollywood and how the film had at least 6 directors. Julie then discusses her film "Lady In Red" and how she really liked it and how the performances were spot on.

Next up they remember how a lot of young people who just wanted a chance in the film business were hired by Roger for "New World Pictures" and how that one company launched many, many careers in Hollywood. They also tell how New World was a fun place to work and one of the most creative small studios in the world at the time.

Julie then tells of Roger and his releasing of Art Films from around the world and how she is still amazed that he managed to get Fellini's "Cries And Whispers" to play on a second bill with "Crazy Mama".

Corman fondly remembers shooting "Atlas" in Greece and not having enough people or money, but he managed to get the film done and it did make money, but it is not one of his favorites.

Lastly they talk about their favorite films and both Roger and Julie admit that Roger's film "The Intruder" is his best film because it's the most heartfelt one he ever made.

If you want you can view all of these on Shout TV and I cannot see any Corman fan passing this up. Simply a wonderful 13 episode program.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Lindy Booth is 41, and Sharon Acker is 85.

BLOOD ON THE ARROW 1964 (SHOUT TV)

Interesting western.

Sidney Salkow directed this 1964 Allied Artists production starring Dale Robertson as an escaped convict named Wade Cooper.

The film opens with Cooper being escorted to prison by members of the US Cavalry. They are attacked by a renegade group of Indians who leave them all for dead. Cooper survives and makes his way to a river before he collapses.

He is then found by a beautiful woman named Nancy Mailer (Martha Hyer) who brings him home where her husband Clint (Wendell Corey) and son Tim (Dandy Curran) are working a gold mine. Clint knows who Cooper is and doesn't want him around, but Nancy wants to help him.

Wade is nursed back to health just in time for the renegade Indians to attack again and kidnap Tim and hold the child hostage until Clint brings them some rifles he has promised them in exchange for he and his wife's lives.

Wade has Clint bring him some friends from his old gang and offers to rescue the boy as well as deliver the rifles. However, some double crosses and other problems throw a wrench into the plans and soon Wade finds himself fighting his gang members as well as Clint and the Indians.

I found myself really enjoying this sometimes confusing western. It has a lot of action and beautiful color. The leads all play their roles very well, but Robertson has always seemed, at least to me, a little out of place in westerns. I cannot explain this feeling I have.

The rest of the cast includes such veterans as Ted de Corsia, Elisha Cook, Jr., Paul Mantee, Tom Reese, Robert Carricart and Boyce Wright.

If you're a westerns fan, you might want to check this out as it doesn't disappoint and Hyer is always worth watching.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Heather Young is 75, and Jonathan Haze is 91.