'The Sinister Urge' - Ed Wood's film no headliner in newspaper ads

"The Sinister Urge," Ed Wood's first (sort of) barely nudie film, certainly his final helm as director of a close-to-mainstream film, hung around for bookings. The above is from a Hartsville, Ala. daily dated Sept. 6, 1967. The film was released in late 1960 by Headliner Productions, run by Roy Reid. Not surprisingly, it often ran with other Headliner releases. On this day it was paired with Headliner's "The Violent Years," scripted by Wood, that was close to five years older than "The Sinister Urge!" 

You can read a review I wrote a while back of "The Sinister Urge" here. I recall reading in Rudolph Grey's "Nightmare of Ecstasy" that "Sinister Urge" was an introduction to adult films. I thought that was an exaggeration for years, but I finally realized that the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version -- the only version I saw for a long while -- was edited. There is brief nudity in the film, semi-explicit sex murder scenes, and explicit bondage photos showed, and seen in full prints, by actor Harvey B. Dunn playing a father complaining to cops Kenne Duncan and James Duke Moore. Duncan and Moore are no Friday and Gannon. They are bland and earnest but with no humor. Still, they are Ed's actors and who can't love them!

Above are a couple of newspaper clips of "The Sinister Urge" playing with "The Violent Years," swapping top billing (it usually was a co-feature to "Violent Years," and another Headliner film, "Married Too Young." But, as mentioned, "The Sinister Urge" played adult theaters. Above it's featured with "Case of the Stripping Wives" and "College Affair" in El Paso, Texas, in 1966. This shows that as a director Wood was already familiar with seeing his films in the nudie theaters, likely before "Orgy of the Dead."

Above we see "Married Too Young" a headliner over "Sinister Urge" in 1963. Wood also wrote some of "Married Too Young." He got some work in the 50s and 60s from Reid's Headliner Productions. According a newspaper clipping source for this blog, my friend David Grudt," Roy Reid's LA Times 1987 obituary said he booked vaudeville acts in Long Beach, Calif., early in his career. When booked at Adult theaters, "The Sinister Urge" often headlined. Examples are above with Ed Wood's film above "His Wife's Habits" in Texas in 1965 and above "Heat of the Summer" in an Illinois theater. I find it fascinating that at that Ilinois adult theater, Roman Polanski's classic "Repulsion" is slated to play there in the future. By the way, "Heat of the Summer" was a (presumably) sexy French film import made in 1959.

Above are a couple of more clips. In one "The Sinister Urge," playing by itself in Texas, is the sole film advertised. In the other, from Alabama, it's below "Violent Years" but is soon to be replaced by something title "Water Hole No. 3." My favorite part of "The Sinister Urge" is a fight scene between Ed Wood and Conrad Brooks lifted out of the aborted "Hellborn" production, which was started but never finished.

NOTES: Another reason to see "The Sinister Urge" is for the crazy, over-the-top performance of poured-into-her clothes Jean Fontaine as a "godmother" of porn, but with mostly unseen demanding crime bosses. (I have often, just half seriously wondered if her gravel voice was dubbed). She was great fun in this film. Wood semi-regular Carl Anthony plays her producer/director. You expect Fontaine to chew and spit nails at any point of the film. An interview with Fontaine would be fascinating. Harry Keaton, (Keatan in credits) who plays a grizzled old porn cameraman, was in comedy shorts 40 plus years ago. I've never been sure if he has some relationship to Buster Keaton. A young acting student named Dino Fantini plays the sex killer, and he's actually pretty believable, even frightening.

-- Doug Gibson