rich_d
Senior HTF Member
Reggie:
I doubt that you'll get much reaction at all. Everyone can put their own two films together and make their own grindhouse double feature. And truth be known, often grindhouse theatres showed an 'A' feature (well after its initial run was over) along with a B film. Thus if someone wants the grindhouse experience, realize that it is a varied experience depending upon the theatre and even the part of the country you were from.
The only thing you might hear about (and I think is legitimate) is that someone may want on DVD the exact films that were presented on the big screen i.e. the same movies at the same length etc. I must admit there is a lot to be said for extended or director's cuts, but not at the expense of the original release. That said, I never saw the original releases so don't have a viewpoint.
Ah yes, the good old days.
It seems that you and Joe Corey were no strangers to what was going on.
Truth be told, the grindhouse period on 42nd street in NYC was more the 60's into the early 70's. The period ended, for the most part, with Deep Throat, with most of these theatres going to porn and porn with live sex shows for a while ... then back to porn through most of the 80's, at least those that were still open.
The few theatres STILL showing 'legitimate' films were more likely showing Martial Arts films like Shaw Brothers stuff or blaxploitation, sexploitation or horror films. So you could see FOXY BROWN released with COFFEY or SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM released with BLACULA or NAUGHTY STEWARDESSES playing with one of the many Russ Meyer films.
Speaking only for the Northeast, films cited by Tarantino such as DIRTY MARY, CRAZY LARRY and GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS ... these were not grindhouse films upon first release. These films had legitimate and extensive first run releases, not something that you had to go to a grindhouse to see. So, if they showed up at a grindhouse it was on later release. That's why these prints would be scratchy.
Probably the best view of that grindhouse period can be viewed in the film MIDNIGHT COWBOY where the section between 42nd street and 8th Ave. is pretty well covered and a decent number of street scenes of the theatres are shown including many of the films playing and listed on theatre marquees at that moment in time.
Of course, what Tarantino CAN'T show (because it wouldn't be commercially viable) is the real grindhouse experience. I'm NOT talking about the seedy folks in the audience, I'm talking about the scum up on the projection booth. If you really wanted to see a 1st RUN B film in the 70's as it was originally intended by the filmmaker you had better get there in the first few days. Otherwise, the 'good' parts would be cut out by the projectionist for his own private collection. I'm not talking about missing reels, I'm talking about 20 seconds of film clipped off.
I doubt that you'll get much reaction at all. Everyone can put their own two films together and make their own grindhouse double feature. And truth be known, often grindhouse theatres showed an 'A' feature (well after its initial run was over) along with a B film. Thus if someone wants the grindhouse experience, realize that it is a varied experience depending upon the theatre and even the part of the country you were from.
The only thing you might hear about (and I think is legitimate) is that someone may want on DVD the exact films that were presented on the big screen i.e. the same movies at the same length etc. I must admit there is a lot to be said for extended or director's cuts, but not at the expense of the original release. That said, I never saw the original releases so don't have a viewpoint.
Ah yes, the good old days.
It seems that you and Joe Corey were no strangers to what was going on. Truth be told, the grindhouse period on 42nd street in NYC was more the 60's into the early 70's. The period ended, for the most part, with Deep Throat, with most of these theatres going to porn and porn with live sex shows for a while ... then back to porn through most of the 80's, at least those that were still open.
The few theatres STILL showing 'legitimate' films were more likely showing Martial Arts films like Shaw Brothers stuff or blaxploitation, sexploitation or horror films. So you could see FOXY BROWN released with COFFEY or SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM released with BLACULA or NAUGHTY STEWARDESSES playing with one of the many Russ Meyer films.
Speaking only for the Northeast, films cited by Tarantino such as DIRTY MARY, CRAZY LARRY and GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS ... these were not grindhouse films upon first release. These films had legitimate and extensive first run releases, not something that you had to go to a grindhouse to see. So, if they showed up at a grindhouse it was on later release. That's why these prints would be scratchy.
Probably the best view of that grindhouse period can be viewed in the film MIDNIGHT COWBOY where the section between 42nd street and 8th Ave. is pretty well covered and a decent number of street scenes of the theatres are shown including many of the films playing and listed on theatre marquees at that moment in time.
Of course, what Tarantino CAN'T show (because it wouldn't be commercially viable) is the real grindhouse experience. I'm NOT talking about the seedy folks in the audience, I'm talking about the scum up on the projection booth. If you really wanted to see a 1st RUN B film in the 70's as it was originally intended by the filmmaker you had better get there in the first few days. Otherwise, the 'good' parts would be cut out by the projectionist for his own private collection. I'm not talking about missing reels, I'm talking about 20 seconds of film clipped off.
