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Sunday, May 20, 2012

The VHS Archives: Gianni Manera's FEAR IN THE CITY (1981)

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FEAR IN THE CITY
Gianni Manera's Il cappotto di legno (1981)

The VHS Archives Factsheet
Label: Mogul Communications, Inc.
Catalog: MOG1022
Box Type: Clamshell
Year of Release: 1987
Runtime: 101:57
Print: 1.33:1 / English / No subs
Extras: None

About the Film
Director: Gianni Manera
Year of Release: 1981
Country of Origin: Italy
Stars: Michel Constantin, Gianni Manera, Joseph Logan, Fred Williamson, Raffaele Di Mario
AKAs: Wooden Coat, The Wooden Overcoat

Verbatim Box Synopsis
New York is held in the tight grip of a new wave of terror and violence. Rival gangs are on the warpath and gangsters murder each other in broad daylight while the law turns a blind eye.

Don Talascio, a powerful Mafia godfather, is old and tired and wants to retire; before he can leave the other family bosses ask him to eliminate John Dickinson (Fred Williamson), a powerful Black Mafia leader who is building up too much power on the streets of New York.

... Explosive action-filled ... violent and loaded with suspense.

U.S. Mogul Communications sleeve! 

 German Arrow Video sleeve!

Greek NK Video sleeve!

Looking for Fear in the City on VHS? It's available on Amazon here.

Investigate more titles with Project: MOGUL!

For a look at other labels, check out The VHS Archives!

© 2012 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Have Grab Bag, Will Travel! Mystery Photos #56-60!

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Welcome back to the ol' Arcana for another round of Grab Bag Goodies!

As outlined in previous installments, I purchased a few hundred promotional stills that have had their title captions trimmed off. Some I recognize, most I don't. It's up to my faithful readership to help me decipher what they're promoting. Hell, solve enough of 'em and maybe I'll send you some of the duplicates I received!

For those not familiar with promo stills, they occasionally carry a helpful hint or two. Some are branded with a cataloging code of letters and numbers which usually signify an abbreviation of the title (sometimes a retitling) and, if you're especially lucky, maybe the year of release (not to be confused with year of production). And that's pretty much all we have to go on...

The twelfth batch is below; let's see what you've got!

 #56: CTC-10
Thanks to Temple of Schlock's Chris Poggiali for identifying Will Zens' Capture that Capsule! (1961), a cheapo piece of crackpot Cold War propaganda detailing the efforts of the Russkies to retrieve a fallen satellite nose-cone that contains, um... important information. However, the whole thing's a sham, as our homeland Spy Squad (the flick's aka) have dropped a decoy in a ploy to flush the Commies out! Good thinkin', boys. As expected, Something Weird Video are the source for this one, as part of their Johnny Legend's Untamed Video series. (See also: #67.)

 #57: 6666-12

 #58: ST-19
Another score by Chris Poggiali! It's tent revival time for Joseph P. Mawra's (Prieto's?) Shanty Tramp (1967), a sweaty and sleazy slice of '60s Florida sexploitation. Titular tramp Emily has no issues with rollin' around for a few bucks, be it with preacher, biker, or even her old man, but when Pops catches her having some private time with a black dude, good ol' fashioned American racism rears its head. Something Weird Video are probably the best source, though the cheapest and easiest way to check it out is Alpha's DVD double-bill with Larry Buchanan's Common Law Wife (1963).

 #59: 6702-6 © 1976 American International Television, Inc.
Hat trick! The Po-Man's on a roll! This photo belongs to Stephanie Rothman's feature-length debut, It's a Bikini World (1967). A late attempt to cash in on AIP's Beach Party series, this one focuses on self-centered womanizer Tommy Kirk whose determination to hook up with local feminist Deborah Walley compels a not-particularly-clever ruse: he pretends he's his own, imaginary nerdy brother. Of course, this can only last so long, and before you know it it's a full blown Battle of the Sexes. Particularly notable for its showcase of music acts like The Animals, The Toys, The Castaways, etc. along with its supporting cast like Bobby "Boris" Pickett and Sid Haig, Bikini has inexplicably remained MIA on home video, though a nice print has luckily turned up on cable and Netflix streaming.   

#60: No Markings!

Like what you see? Be sure and check out our previous Grab Bag Photos, some of which are still unidentified. Speaking of which, Name that Movie Monday Challenge #24 is still open; I've since added a few worthless hints for frustration's sake. (Challenges #27 & #28 have been solved, but real life keeps interfering with real blog updates! Damn the Man!)

And don't forget, our Upcoming Releases List (the best on the 'net) is constantly updated, so stop by and pre-order some cool stuff!

© 2012 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

The VHS Archives: Alfonso Brescia's CAPTIVE PLANET (1979)

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CAPTIVE PLANET
Alfonso Brescia's Sette uomini d'oro nello spazio (1979)

The VHS Archives Factsheet
Label: Mogul Communications, Inc.
Catalog: MOG1002
Box Type: Clamshell
Year of Release: ?
Runtime: 99:05
Print: 1.33:1 / English / No subs
Extras: None

About the Film
Director: Alfonso Brescia
Year of Release: 1979
Country of Origin: Italy
Stars: Gianni Garko, Malisa Longo, Yanti Somer, Chris Avram
AKAs: Star Odyssey, Metallica, Seven Golden Spacemen

Verbatim Box Synopsis
The World is at war with Aldebrand, a plent in the Astes Galaxy. Kess with his gigantic spaceship proceeds towards Earth. Thanks to the special metal from which the ship is made he breaks through Earth's safety shield. The special metal (Indrium) must be neutralised to end this nightmare of terror.
A spectacular large-scale battle between the star fighters of Earth and the spaceships of Aldebrand commanded by the sadistic Kess follows.
Can the Earthlings survive this massive alien onslaught and send the invaders home?

 U.S Mogul Communications sleeve!

 U.S. Mogul Communications sales sheet, courtesy of Bill Knight! Check out his rare VHS auctions!

 For more info on this release, check out our Metallica listing!

 Japanese Funai sleeve, courtesy of Japanese VHS Hell!

Danish Dana Sound Video sleeve, courtesy of Hans-Jorn Reimer and his Danish Ex-Rental VHS Appreciation Group! 

Danish Silwa Video sleeve, again courtesy of Hans-Jorn Reimer and the DEVAG!

 French VF sleeve, courtesy of Nanarland!

 French CK Video sleeve, also courtesy of Nanarland!

 German Geiselgasteig Video sleeve!

Mogul's VHS art can actually be traced back to the 1983 release of their Commodore 64 videogame, Super Trek. Most of their games were rip-offs of popular arcade hits, but this one appears to ape a text-based Star Trek game. Alterations look to include changing Lt. Uhura to Nubian... 


Some favorite moments, compiled by "Vonyco"! Of special note are the depressed, suicidal robots. They seriously steal the show any time they're on screen! It's eventually revealed that they want to die because they don't have the proper parts needed to "go all the way" and prove their love to each other! Amazing...

Looking for Captive Planet on VHS? It's available on Amazon here. You can also find a budget DVD double-bill from Alpha, paired with Terry Marcel's Prisoners of the Lost Universe (1983).

Investigate more titles with Project: MOGUL!

For a look at other labels, check out The VHS Archives!

© 2012 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

The VHS Archives: Raphael Nussbaum's PETS (1974)

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PETS
Raphael Nussbaum's Pets (1974)


The VHS Archives Factsheet
Label: Imperial Video Corp.
Catalog: IVC102
Box Type: Clamshell
Year of Release: 1983
Runtime: 101:23
Print: 1.33:1 / English / No subs
Extras: None

About the Film
Director: Raphael Nussbaum
Year of Release: 1974
Country of Origin: U.S.A.
Stars: Ed Bishop, Candice Rialson, Joan Blackman, Teri Guzman
AKAs: Submission, Animal Woman

Verbatim Box Synopsis
Pets is the story of three women, one weak and yielding; the second, black and hostile; the third, strong and unbending ... and a man, charismatic, yet frightening. What sinister attraction does the eccentric Vincent have for these women? Why are his girlfriends never seen again?

Once a visitor gets trapped in his castle, she soon learns the secret of his "zoo." Vincent keeps his women in cages to tame them and do his evil bidding.

 U.S. Imperial Video Corp. sleeve!

U.S. BRB Home Video slipcover, courtesy of
Massacre Video's Louis Justin!

German USA Video sleeve!

Danish Panorama / Irish sleeve, courtesy of Hans-Jorn Reimer
and his Danish Ex-Rental VHS Appreciation Group!

U.S. promotional still from the Arcana Archives!

Looking for Pets on VHS? It's available on Amazon here. Code Red also issued it on DVD, but it's out of print and getting a little pricey.

Investigate more titles with Project: IVC!

For a look at other labels, check out The VHS Archives!

© 2012 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

The VHS Archives: Alfonso Brescia's REACTOR (1978)

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REACTOR
Alfonso Brescia's La guerra dei robot (1978)

The VHS Archives Factsheet
Label: Mogul Communications, Inc.
Catalog: MOG1008
Box Type: Clamshell
Year of Release: ?
Runtime: 95:31
Print: 1.33:1 / English / No subs
Extras: None

About the Film
Director: Alfonso Brescia
Year of Release: 1978
Country of Origin: Italy
Stars: Antonio Sabato, Yanti Somer, Malisa Longo, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Patrizia Gori, Venantino Venantini
AKAs: War of the Robots, Cosmos Invasion, Stratostar

Verbatim Box Synopsis
A young space explorer embarks on the trail of two kidnapped scientists who have discovered the secret of eternal life. His ship is attacked by alien craft, hit and badly damaged, the crew have to land the ship on a nearby satellite ... There is more to his mission than saving the scientists and their formula ...

THEY'VE LEFT A GIGANTIC ATOMIC REACTOR ACTIVATED ON EARTH ... AND NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO STOP IT.

 U.S. Mogul Communications sleeve!

 U.K. ADB Video Distribution Pre-Cert sleeve, found at Rolfens DVD!

Danish Dana Sound Video Sleeve, originally scanned by Rare Cult Cinema!

French Horizon Home Video sleeve, found at Nanarland! 

French Dynasty Films sleeve, also from Nanarland! 

Japanese Funai sleeve, courtesy of Bill Knight!  Be sure and check out his rare VHS auctions!

U.K. sleeve, courtesy of VHS Wastleland! Reactor is one of a few films Mogul released on both sides of the pond. 


Bonus clip, uploaded by "brujaria"!

Looking for Reactor on VHS? It's not readily available, but Retromedia Entertainment did issue a 16mm transfer of it on DVD, paired with Brescia's War of the Planets, as The Italian Science Fiction Collection.

Investigate more titles with Project: MOGUL!

For a look at other labels, check out The VHS Archives!

© 2012 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.