A Bucket of Blood (1959)

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

Charles B. Griffith (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 October 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

A Comedy of Errors! A Comedy of Terrors!

Plot:

A frustrated and talentless artist finds acclaim for a plaster covered dead cat that is mistaken as a skillful statuette. Soon the desire for more praise leads to an increasingly deadly series of works.

Plot Keywords:

Cat | Busboy | Dead Cat | Artist | Employer

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)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alex Hassilev	...	Singer-Guitarist (uncredited)
Paul Horn	...	Beatnik Saxophonist (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Art Exhibit Patron (uncredited)
Sheila Noonan	...	Yellow Door Patron (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Art Exhibit Patron (uncredited)
Henry Travis	...	Art Critic (uncredited)

Directed by
Roger Corman

Writing credits
Charles B. Griffith		(screenplay)

Produced by
Roger Corman	....	producer
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	executive producer (uncredited)
James H. Nicholson	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Fred Katz		(music by)

Cinematography by
Jacques R. Marquette		(director of photography) (as Jack Marquette)

Film Editing by
Anthony Carras

Art Direction by
Daniel Haller		(as Dan Haller)

Makeup Department
Bob Mark	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jack Bohrer	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paul Rapp	....	assistant director

Art Department
Richard M. Rubin	....	properties (as Dick Rubin)

Sound Department
Leonard Corso	....	sound editor
Wallace Nogle	....	sound (as Wally Nogle)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marjorie Corso	....	wardrobe (as Marge Corso)

Music Department
Paul Horn	....	musician: saxophone solo
Jerry Irvin	....	music editor

Production Companies

• Alta Vista Productions

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1959) (USA) (theatrical)
• Rhino Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• SlingShot Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• E-Realbiz.com (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• E-Realbiz.com (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Marengo Films (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Gotham Distribution (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• Boulevard Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Punto Zero (2008) (Italy) (DVD) (as Enjoy Movies)
• Toppraffel! DVD (2009) (worldwide) (DVD)
• Étoile Distribution (1968) (France) (theatrical)
• DTP Entertainment (2012) (Germany) (DVD)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Llamentol (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• T:mi Venäläinen Mika (2002) (Finland) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Bach Films  French subtitles: Bach Films DVD
• Ryder Sound Services  sound services

Also Known As:

Runtime:

66 min | Argentina:75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:15 (video rating) (1996) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | USA:Unrated | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-18 (DVD) | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2012) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | France:-12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Alta Vista Productions

Trivia:

The entire film was shot in five days.

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:Walter has a clear mind. One day something will enter it, feel lonely... and leave again.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011)

Soundtrack:

The Ballad of Tim Evans

What do you call this piece of art?

Walter Paisley is a dim-witted busboy who works at a coffee shop that's populated by beatniks reciting their poetry, playing their jazzy music, throwing around their words of wisdom and praising each others' work. Walter really wants to be part of this crowd, but they don't take him seriously. So he goes home to make something out of clay, but his stopped because of the constant meowing from the landlady's cat that's stuck in the wall. Trying to get it out, he accidentally kills it, so he decides to cover with clay and take it to the coffee shop to show off his work. Everyone is impressed, but they want more. Which, Walter does deliver.

Now this is what you call an entertaining horror/comedy B-movie that delivers on what it promises. Thank you Roger Corman for such an humorlessly offbeat offering that has personality. 'A Bucket of Blood' is a drive-in quickie that mocks that of the art society in the late 50s to 60s with such blackly laced humour in a tongue-in-cheek approach. The spoof elements seem to fuse impeccably well with the amusing satirical attacks on the beatnik culture. It's hard not to grin at how pompous this lifestyle is with them finding masterpieces in the strangest things, then labelling the artist some sort of master who's got to continue his budding work. Also there's their intellectual lingo that supposedly has a deeper meaning to it all… far out! You could say that this beatnik generation lives in their own little world, but their artistic shallowness definitely moulds itself into the picture.

Now you're probably wondering when does the horror come in. Well, the wry humour might be heavy, but the violence has a rather bitter and twisted feel as it becomes an obsession for Walter to knock off people to advance his social status in the art world and to please those artists who see big things in him. The deaths are executed rather well, actually. They do hold such a chilling and grisly sting, because the victims are obliviously to what's going to happen and we see the cold, obsessed transformation of Walter taking hold. Dick Millar nails down the part beautifully in depicting a character that might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but it's his unstable patterns that come to the forefront. Millar's performance was very memorable, but the rest of the cast were very good too with a nice mixture of animated characters ranging from the variety of zesty beatniks to Walter's interfering landlady. The cheap budget seems to do wonders on the dreary atmosphere. That of Walter's gloomy, but cosy apartment where he does the finishing touches (the nitty gritty stuff) to his work, which shows the true loneliness and why he wants to be accepted.

Surrounding the film is a hip and jazzy score that manages to spice up proceedings by gelling together with its artistic context. Director Corman manages to keep things moving at a reasonable pace with it flying by quick enough. He succeeds in making a fun satire that has whole range of surprising developments and he knows when to tighten the screws with some razor edge thrills, which makes way for a satisfyingly, ingenious outcome. No way is life imitating art here.

A delightfully dark and quirky premise with many memorable performances, but no more than Dick Millar. A very well done production all round by Corman and co.

Side-note: 'The Little Shop of Horrors' was made on the back of 'A bucket of blood' with basically most of the same cast and sets.