Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

You've heard of Hollywood, a town of tinsel and glamour, the town of Paramount, Columbia and MGM.  But there is another Hollywood, a place where maverick independent EXPLOITATION FILMMAKERS... See full summary »

Director:

Ray Greene

Writer:

Ray Greene

Stars:

F.X. Feeney, Maila Nurmi, Michael Copner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
F.X. Feeney	...	Himself
Maila Nurmi	...	Herself
Michael Copner	...	Himself
Samuel Z. Arkoff	...	Himself
James H. Nicholson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dick Miller	...	Himself
Roger Corman	...	Himself
Forrest J. Ackerman	...	Himself
Joseph McBride	...	Himself (as Joseph P. McBride)
David F. Friedman	...	Himself
Michael J. Bowen	...	Himself (as Michael Bowen)
Doris Wishman	...	Herself
Harry H. Novak	...	Himself (as Harry Novak)
Kroger Babb	...	Himself (archive footage)
Herschell Gordon Lewis	...	Himself (archive footage)

Storyline

You've heard of Hollywood, a town of tinsel and glamour, the town of Paramount, Columbia and MGM.  But there is another Hollywood, a place where maverick independent EXPLOITATION FILMMAKERS went toe to toe with the big guys and came out on top! "SCHLOCK! THE SECRET HISTORY OF AMERICAN MOVIES" takes you behind the scenes with the legendary EXPLOITATION and SEXPLOITATION filmmakers of those golden "DRIVE-IN" MOVIE days.  It's sexy!  It's strange!  And every word is true!

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Plot Keywords:

2000s | secret history | exploitation filmmaking | grindhouse film | grindhouse filmmaking | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

La historia secreta del cine estadounidense

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cover illustration used for Schlock! was influenced by Agony of Love (1966).

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Connections

References Gutter Girls (1963)

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Soundtracks

Your One and Only Original Lizard Brain
Arranged and Produced by Johnny English
Words and Music by Ray Greene
Greene/Protagonist Productions

User Reviews

The Birth of the Independent Film and the Discovery of an Untapped Audience

Generally well-done, highly introspective detailing of the birth, evolution, rise, and demise of all those exploitation films of the fifties and sixties primarily. Ray Greene narrates, produces, and directs with obvious love for these films and those that made them. Along for informative interviews are Roger Corman, Samuel Arkoff, Harry Novak, David Friedman, and Doris Wishman. The film looks at the rise of these films in an almost clinical/historical approach. Greene tries to relate the film types - gore, nudie cutie, roadshow, etc... - within the historical context surrounding the times. While this undertaking might not seem all that complicated, the films and their distinctive types are legion. Greene does address most of them with enthusiasm and applicable film clips. It was very interesting hearing Corman and Dick Miller reminisce about some of their work in particular, and the documentary definitely got me excited about seeing some films I might not have otherwise seen. That is always a strength of any medium. The DVD has lots of very cool extras which include more interviews and even a weird short from a power company. I wish further examination had been explored into the 70s, perhaps the heyday of these films as far as I am concerned. And though the documentary has a distinct academic nature for a subject you would think could not lend itself to such treatment, everything provided is done so in a most entertaining way. If you love any of these films from the period, the documentary is definitely worth a look or two.