Stanley (1972)

Director:

William Grefe

Writers:

William Grefe (story)
Gary Crutcher (written by)

Release Date:

28 April 1973 (Japan)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

...will make your skin crawl.

Plot:

A young Seminole Indian uses his rattlesnake to take revenge on all those he believes have wronged him. |

Plot Keywords:

Rattlesnake | Animal Trained To Kill | Swamp | Airboat | Quicksand

Cast

Chris Robinson	...	Tim Ochopee
Alex Rocco	...	Thomkins
Steve Alaimo	...	Crail Denning
Susan Carroll	...	Susie Thomkins
Mark Harris	...	Bob Wilson
Rey Baumel	...	Sidney Calvin
Paul Avery	...	Psycho Simpson
Marcia Knight	...	Gloria Calvin (as Marcie Knight)
Gary Crutcher	...	Dr. Everett
Mel Pape	...	Guard
Milton 'Butterball' Smith	...	Stage Manager (as Butterball Smith)
Pamela Talus	...	Girl Friend
William Marquez	...	Wachula (as Bill Marquez)
Charles Kaufman	...	Nightclub Drunk
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Weed	...	Rattlesnake Milker (uncredited)

Directed by
William Grefe		(as William Grefé)

Writing credits
William Grefe		(story) (as William Grefé)
Gary Crutcher		(written by)

Produced by
John H. Burrows	....	executive producer
William Grefe	....	producer (as William Grefé)

Cinematography by
Clifford H. Poland Jr.		(director of photography) (as Cliff Poland)

Film Editing by
Julio C. Chávez		(as Julio Chavez)

Set Decoration by
Don K. Ivey		(as Don Ivey)

Costume Design by
Dyke Davis		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Marie Del Russo	....	makeup artist (as Marie del Russo)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gayle DeCamp	....	assistant director (as Gayle de Camp)

Art Department
Harold Collins	....	construction supervisor
Don K. Ivey	....	set designer (as Don Ivey)
Jack Johnson	....	property master

Sound Department
William Johnson	....	boom operator (as Bill Johnson)
Howard Warren	....	sound director

Camera and Electrical Department
William Carr	....	key grip (as Bill Carr)
Mike Davis	....	camera technician
Guy Del Russo	....	grip crew coordinator (as Guy del Russo)
Walter G. Morris Jr.	....	gaffer (as Walter Morris Jr.)
Stephen Wever	....	still photographer (as Steve Wever)
Al Reiners	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Corky Busman	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Steve Alaimo	....	music producer
Bobby Radeloff	....	music producer

Transportation Department
Bob Hall	....	transportation
Oscar Wilson	....	transportation

Other crew
Belle Choate	....	production secretary
Christine M. Loss	....	script supervisor (as Christine Minsky)
Charles Minsky	....	assistant to producer (as Chuck Minsky)
Frank Weed	....	snake trainer

Distributors

• Crown International Pictures (1972) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures of Canada (1972) (Canada) (theatrical)
• BCI Eclipse (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Code Red DVD (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Neon Video (VHS)
• Rhino Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• VCI Home Video (VHS)
• VidAmerica (VHS)

Other Companies

• McLeod Films Inc.  sound
• Moviemobile  location equipment
• Post Production Associates  music score
• Visual Productions  titles
• Warren Sound Systems  sound

Also Known As:

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Everglades National Park, Florida, USA

Trivia:

According to director William Grefe, the actual 'Stanley' was made into a wallet that he owns to this day. Guess that rattler really was money in the bank.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dark Side of Eden: The Making of 'Stanley' (2008) (V)

Soundtrack:

Sparrow

Not a Great Film, But Somehow Mesmerizing

Tim Ochopee (Chris Robinson), an embittered Vietnam veteran of Native American descent, retreats from society into the Florida Everglades and becomes inseparable companions with a pet rattlesnake (Stanley)... a pet he teaches to kill on command.

A happy light rock soundtrack about saving trees opens the film, giving it a hippie nature vibe that is hard to reconcile with the actual picture (though, I guess, in some ways it's a pro-snake and anti-hunting film).

At 106 minutes, it runs a bit long, but is oddly enjoyable. That's 106 minutes on the Mill Creek disc. From what I hear, the BCI disc is only 96 minutes and some versions are only 92. I cannot tell you what is cut on each one.

Gloria the dancer (Marcie Knight) says, "any kind of love is better than any kind of hate", echoing the Indian warning that Tim's hatred is a cancer on his soul. I think that must be the theme, though it's really hard to say for sure.

I suppose this film could be scary if you're terrified of snakes, but they aren't really presented in a scary manner. The acting is good, besides over-acting Susie Thomkins (Susan Carroll) ruining an otherwise talented cast. Oh, and the drunk guy in the burlesque house provided the ten seconds of comic relief I needed.

This film isn't terrible. In fact, I found myself staring at the screen quite a bit. I suspect it would be a good flick for a small group of friends and some beers, maybe Milwaukee's Best Ice.