Blue Sunshine (1978)

Director:

Jeff Lieberman

Writer:

Jeff Lieberman (written by)

Release Date:

12 May 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

At a party, someone goes insane and murders three women. Falsely accused of the brutal killings, Jerry is on the run...

Plot Keywords:

LSD | Murder | Blood Splatter | Falling From Height | Baldness

Cast

Zalman King	...	Jerry Zipkin
Deborah Winters	...	Alicia Sweeney
Mark Goddard	...	Edward Flemming
Robert Walden	...	David Blume
Charles Siebert	...	Detective Clay
Ann Cooper	...	Wendy Flemming
Ray Young	...	Wayne Mulligan
Alice Ghostley	...	O'Malley's Neighbor
Stefan Gierasch	...	Lt. Jennings
Richard Crystal	...	Frannie Scott
Bill Adler	...	Ralphie
Barbara Quinn	...	Stephanie
Adriana Shaw	...	Barbara O'Malley
Bill Sorrells	...	Ritchie Grazzo
Jeffrey Druce	...	Junkie (as Jeffry Druce)
Meegan King	...	Gun Salesman
Argentina Brunetti	...	Mrs. Rosella
Laura Booker	...	Samantha
David Schwartz	...	Jason
Steve Tannes	...	Joe (as Steve Tannen)
Brion James	...	Tony
Jim Storm	...	Tommy
Sandy Robertson	...	Margaret
Mary Moon	...	Francine
De Ette Adams	...	Tina (as Deette Adams)
Bill Cameron	...	John O'Malley
Brandy Carson	...	Campaign Worker
Marcy Hanson	...	Campaign Girl
Phyllis Glick	...	Hospital Receptionist
Rock Riddle	...	Bouncer
Richmond Johnson	...	Guard
James Carroll	...	Pete (as James Lough)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jeff Lieberman	...	O'Malley's Parrot (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Jeff Lieberman

Writing credits
Jeff Lieberman		(written by)

Produced by
Joseph Beruh	....	executive producer
Edgar Lansbury	....	executive producer
George Manasse	....	producer
Nan Pearlman	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Charles Gross

Cinematography by
Don Knight

Film Editing by
Brian Smedley-Aston

Casting by
Joan Barnett

Art Direction by
Ray Storey

Makeup Department
Norman Page	....	makeup artist

Production Management
R.R. Thomas	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stephen P. Dunn	....	second assistant director (as Stephen Dunn)
Richard T. Schor	....	first assistant director (as Richard Schor)

Sound Department
William B. Kaplan	....	sound mixer (as William Kaplan)
Dan Sable	....	sound editor
Earl Sampson	....	boom operator
William S. Scharf	....	sound
William S. Scharf	....	supervising sound editor (as Bill Scharf)
Dick Vorisek	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
R. Bruce Steinheimer	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Speed Stearns	....	stunt coordinator
David S. Cass Sr.	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Dana Christiaansen	....	first assistant camera
Hank Grattan	....	gaffer
Ben Haller	....	electrician
Len Hekel	....	still photographer
Willy Horner	....	grip (as William Horner)
Douglas Olivares	....	second assistant camera
Alton Walpole	....	key grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Pamela Sellman	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Lois Freeman	....	assistant editor
Russ Kingston	....	assistant editor (as Russell Kingston)

Other crew
Bill Bowden	....	production assistant
Brian Brosnan	....	production assistant
Darrell Jonas	....	production office coordinator
Sandy King	....	script supervisor
Gary Lieberman	....	medical consultant
Max Mendes	....	location manager
Bonnie Sher	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• Ellanby Films

Distributors

• Cinema Shares International Distribution (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• Filmways Australasian Distributors (1970s) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Another World Entertainment (2007) (Denmark) (DVD)
• CMV Laservision (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1981) (USA) (TV)
• Firebox (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Mr. Horror Presents #9)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (19??) (Finland) (VHS)
• Shout! Factory (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Siren Visual Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Synapse Films (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Vestron Video International (19??) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) | USA:R | Finland:K-18 | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Ellanby Films

Trivia:

The voice of the O'Malley's parrot, who first says 'blue sunshine', was that of director Lieberman.

Quotes:

Wendy Flemming:[in tears] Stephanie, something's wrong with me and I don't know what it is. I've been having these awful nightmares, these headaches, the hair, it's driving me up the wall.
Stephanie:Have some coffee.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Midnight Movie Review: Halloween Horror Top 25, nr. 24: Satan's Little Helper (#1.2)" (2010)

Soundtrack:

Blue Sunshine

Can't beat an old blue classic...

Some films have a way of sticking out that is inexplicable. Explaining the plot of this movie (hippies took bad acid in the 60's and the delayed effect 10 years later is making them all homicidal bald lunatics who go berserk and kill, and only one guy can stop it all but he's on the run) is NOT the way to point out the joys of this film experience that keep one returning for more. This can only be done in one way, listing the movie's virtues:

**a memorable, creepy and weird theme song **a high level of tension even though there's no "mystery" to be solved **Zalman King's loony and inappropriate "method" acting **homicidal bald lunatics who go berserk and kill **puppets of Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand **a man going insane in a '70's disco **a cameo by one of the witches from "Bewitched" **camp humor.

There's something really satisfying about watching a woman in a robe with a bald cap on chasing around ugly, bad acting little kids with a knife. There's something wonderful about Zalman King screaming and pounding his arms against a door frame for no known reason, then walking around going "Huff! Huff! Huff!" forever after. I love how a good chunk of time is spent on a fetish-y moment when King buys a gun and is taught how to use it. If you've seen this you know what I mean. Like...hunhhh? Or why does King's girlfriend enunciate her sentences wrong, she says "I wanna GO with you!" instead of what she means, "I wanna go WITH you." She's a terrible actress, this Deborah Sweeny, but she's so spunky and has such an interesting face I can't look away. The same with King--his intensity was better suited to raping schoolgirls in "Trip With The Teacher" or being hostile in "Galaxy Of Terror," and who encouraged his "acting choice" of constantly stuffing his hands in his pockets every few seconds? There's also very little logic, conclusions are reached too quickly and what in HELL is with the junkie in the park? It all just comes out of nowhere and leaves just as quickly...

...and that's why I love this movie. Anyone can make a solid mystery, this flick is a quirk-fest. When I was young watching this on t.v. the tension of the last 20 minutes about gave me a heart attack, now it's sleep-inducing. Movies have changed a bit since then, obviously, and this probably doesn't "work" anymore. But I return to it again and again, I'm glad they gave it a good DVD re-master and included that weird and wonderful soundtrack. Oh, and did I mention the PUPPETS??