A Bucket of Blood (1959)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

Charles B. Griffith (writer)

Release Date:

21 October 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A Comedy of Errors! A Comedy of Terrors!

Plot:

Walter Paisley, nerdy busboy at a Bohemian café, is jealous of the talent (and popularity) of its various artistic regulars...

Plot Keywords:

Busboy | Artist | Sculptor | Sculpture | Beatnik

Cast

Dick Miller	...	Walter Paisley
Barboura Morris	...	Carla
Antony Carbone	...	Leonard de Santis
Julian Burton	...	Maxwell H. Brock
Ed Nelson	...	Art Lacroix
John Brinkley	...	Will
John Herman Shaner	...	Oscar (as John Shaner)
Judy Bamber	...	Alice
Myrtle Vail	...	Mrs. Swickert (as Myrtle Damerel)
Bert Convy	...	Lou Raby (as Burt Convy)
Jhean Burton	...	Naolia
Bruno VeSota	...	Art Collector (as Bruno Ve Soto)
Lynn Storey	...	Sylvia (as Lynne Storey)

Runtime:

66 min | Argentina:75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | UK:15 (video rating) (1996) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Alta Vista Productions

Trivia:

Though Dick Miller is a recognizable veteran actor whose appeared in well over one hundred films, 'A Bucket of Blood' remains Miller's only starring role.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Carla and Walter and the others are sitting at the table Carla's hands and arms repeatedly change position between shots.

Quotes:

Maxwell H. Brock: Where are John, Joe, Jake, Jim, jerk? Dead, dead, dead! They were not born, before they were born, they were not born. Where are Leonardo, Rembrandt, Ludwig? Alive! Alive! Alive! They were born!

Movie Connections:

References House of Wax (1953)

"Walter Paisley Is Born"

Purportedly made in five days, A Bucket of Blood is one of those films that just seems to grow on you after each viewing(beginning with the first!). Dick Miller plays his most substantial role in his long and varied career as a very stupid, amoral busboy for a beatnik cafe. His name is Walter Paisley and he wants to "fit" in with all the other cool cats at the cafe like the pompous Maxwell who recites poetry, the two clowns higher than kites that just take space and never order any coffee, the cafe owner Leonard that wears the trappings of being a beatnik but is more concerned about making a buck, the lovely artist Carla that wants to be surrounded by creative and artistic people, and a host of other beatnik types. Walter, by a set of bizarre and ridiculous circumstances, takes a cat he accidentally killed and covers it with clay. He brings it in to his "friends" and that laud him as a great and gifted artist. From there Walter works his way up to human sculptures. The story is filled with loads of black humour including a heavy dose of fun poked at the beatnik culture. Miller plays Paisley wonderfully with a certain innocence. All the acting is pretty good with a few stand-outs. Anthony Carbone as Leonard adds a lot of credibility to the film with his more realistic performance, and he has some of the best lines and facial expressions. Barboura Morris is beautiful and credible. But the top acting honors easily go to Julian Burton(where is this guy now?) as Maxwell. He is the poet that makes every word sound as if art were dripping from his tongue. He recites lines like, "Life is an obscure hobo bumming a free ride on the omnibus of art" and "ring rubber bells, clang cotton gongs, strike silken cymbols." He is wonderfully over-the-top in his whole portrayal and always makes me laugh with that garbage he utters. Director Roger Corman has little budget to work with here, but he makes a minor masterpiece with what he did have to work with. Walter Paisley is Born. And he lives on in video and dvd!