Andy Milligan's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me! - Domestic discord

 

The recent Severin Gutter Auteur Blu-Ray release features two previously thought-lost films from cult director Andy Milligan: The Degenerates and Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me! a filmed-in-1966 soft-core domestic -- New York City -- melodrama that was released in Britain in 1968; and in the United States a year later.

Kiss Me ... was a hit for William Mishkin, Milligan's tight-fisted producer and money man. The tale of a brassy, adulterous, sometimes-alcoholic housewife (Natalie Rogers) was reviewed by the New York Times (below) and Boxoffice Magazine trade publication (further below). Even Variety gave it a plug.

 

The plot: Rogers and Don Williams are lower-middle class couple Jean and Stan Novak -- with one child -- living in a cramped '60s tenement. They're a dysfunctional pair, with Stan -- consumed with self-pity -- occasionally beating his loquacious wife.

 

Jean appears to love her husband despite his abuse. But beneath her Type A personality and chattiness there are unsatisfied sexual needs that result in affairs, particularly with her husband's close friend, Eddie (Peter Ratray). Eventually Stan and Jean introduce Eddie to Stan's sister, Ellen (Joy Martin). Eddie and Ellen fall in love. That leads Jean to alcohol binging when she realizes Eddie won't sleep with her anymore. Chaos results. The final 15 minutes is pure Milligan screaming, violent dysfunction that ends darkly.

This was not a film that Milligan wrote the script for. Josef Bush, a screenwriter who also acted in two currently lost Milligan '60s films, Depraved and The Naked Witch, wrote the screenplay. As a result, this is more restrained Milligan through most of the film. Non-Milligan touches include a montage, a long scene in an art gallery, and another with our four principles enjoying a double date at the beach. Also, as Milligan historian Alex DiSanto notes, there is little of the long Milligan-style dialogue stretches between characters.

Still, it's a Milligan film, with in-depth, close-up shots of the characters with the wheezing Auricon 16-mm camera. The crowded tenement life is well captured. The film also beautifully shows New York City of that era. Outside shots, including the beach, the tops of the tenement, its crowded stairway, beds on the floor, sleazy cafes, and trips to street stores capture the era. Several Milligan "troupe" actors have small roles, including Gerald Jacuzzo, Veronica Radburn, Robert Dahdah, Matt Baylor, and even Ron Keith. The Novak's small child, Jimmy, is played by Sean Martin, Joy Martin's son.

This is Natalie Rogers' film. Finding this movie provides a glimpse at her considerable acting talent. Rogers was a method actor, and her portrayal of Jean dominates. Her character is a full-of-life overt who nevertheless is struggling to maintain her sanity in an environment she clearly wants to change. The cord that keeps her relatively sane eventually snaps. Her relationship with her husband Don is dysfunctional but fascinating. They argue, he beats her but there are still intimacy and comfort between them through most of the film. It's certainly a sinister form of enablement. According to DiSanto, Rogers was paid $500, twice the amount of the other main actors received. Today, $500 would be about $5,000.

Producer Mishkin saw the handsome Peter Ratray as a Marlon Brando type, and Natalie Rogers as a Marilyn Monroe type. That's not a bad interpretation but I'd argue Rogers is a combination of Monroe, Judy Holliday and Barbara Nichols. Ratray moved on from low-budget films and has enjoyed a distinguished career since. Nichols married, helped run the Dove theater in New York City, and entered academia. Her accomplishments include writing a best-selling book on public speaking.

Watching this low-budget, soft-core (R-rated today) chaotic drama, one might think today that it might have been a film that an up-and-coming director would make before moving to A features. But we know that didn't happen with Milligan. On the bright side, however, had he moved up we likely would never have enjoyed the rest of his considerable, unique cult films.

I hope more Milligan lost films can be discovered. I believe they will be.

-- Doug Gibson

Thanks to Alex Disanto for providing the images of the New York Times and Boxoffice Magazine reviews.

'Becoming Dracula: Volume 2' charts Bela Lugosi's rise in the USA

 

Review by Doug Gibson

There's an interesting photo of an advertisement in "Becoming Dracula: Volume 2," BearManor Media, 2021 (Amazon link). It's a 1928 ad for Listerine mouthwash, published in Photoplay magazine. On the right, inconspicuous, is definitely Bela Lugosi, already known as a Broadway, and feature film actor. Lugosi must have been paid for the subtle modeling act. Authors Gary D. Rhodes and Bill Kaffenberger wonder if there are other, still-yet-to-be-discovered ads with Lugosi of that era. I'd wager yes.

The photo underscores two essential truths about Bela Lugosi's three-plus decades in America. He was both -- by all rational assessments -- a successful actor, and a man nearly always in need of money. Even when he had achieved successful working-actor status in America, he made regular forays into the U.S. Hungarian stage scene, often taking the role of director or headlining for a night. These gigs were partially motivated by money, the authors surmise. 

"Becoming Dracula 2" is, like its predecessor, "Becoming Dracula: Volume One, the Early Years of Bela Lugosi," a marvelous mixture of dedicated research and enjoyable style. Through old media sources, many very obscure (long-gone U.S. Hungarian newspapers) and I'm sure not easy to track down, the authors chart Lugosi's slow but steady emergence as a respected stage and screen actor through the 1920s and early 1930s (up to "Dracula" film).

Bela may have arrived in America penniless, but he already had a reputation as an actor in Europe, and quickly found work in various Hungarian stage groups. The Hungarian presence in the United States was large enough to support acting troupes, and Hungarian U.S. newspapers were around to cover it all. Hungarian works, such as "The Tragedy of Man," were featured.

It wasn't long before Bela's skill made him an attractive option for English-speaking theaters. One of his more significant early plays was "The Red Poppy," which featured a popular star of the era, Estelle Winwood. Lugosi's scenes with Winwood were noted by critics.

Bela appeared on the stage with co-stars who would also achieve huge success, including Leslie Howard and Fredric March. One of his Broadway plays, "Arabesque," in which his character shared passionate scenes with actress Hortense Alden, shocked audiences. (See Lugosi and Alden below). 

Besides staying busy on the stage, the authors detail Lugosi's resumption of a movie career in the 1920s. His earlier films, from mid-size producers, include "Silent Command," "The Midnight Girl," "The Rejected Woman,'" and "Daughters Who Pay." Watching these films reveal an actor with strong screen presence, one who attracts the camera's attention, whether playing a hero or villain. 

Playing "Dracula" on Broadway led to Bela getting that defining film role. The journey to filming "Dracula" is interesting. Rhodes and Kaffenberger provide a detailed log of events, including Bela accompanying the play to the West Coast and its continued success there. A host of actors were considered. Lugosi gradually became a Los Angeles-based actor, a move that would last the rest of his life. The authors detail Bela's persistent efforts to retain his coveted role for the film, including shrewd marketing efforts. He made sure he was playing Count Dracula for a brief stint in Oakland as final casting was being set. 

Lugosi also parleyed his stage success with more films, including a contract with Fox for a few pre-Dracula films. He also had a major role, although inexplicably billed seventh, in "The Thirteenth Chair." It was for MGM, and directed by Tod Browning, who would helm "Dracula."

Despite being busy as an actor between the play, "Dracula," and the film version, Bela was still feeling financial pinches. The authors include correspondence from the actor where he expresses displeasure with his finances and career. Lugosi would find ways to make money providing Hungarian dialogue for U.S. films. He also appeared in short films, some of which are likely lost. He may have had some roles where his scenes were deleted.

The authors capably detail much of Lugosi's personal life, including two failed marriages and his well-known affair with screen star Clara Bow. One marriage, with an heiress named Beatrice Weeks, provides insight into the actor's mind. He was likely prone to impulsive decisions. He also had a traditional, for the time, Hungarian male perspective of marriage, with the man working and the woman serving. This led to a quick divorce with the independent Weeks, who was apparently also prone to impulsive acts.

"Becoming Dracula: Volume 2" is a joy for genre purists; as Volume 1 was. Volume 2 respects the first volume by starting with, Chapter 21. We revel in the minutia that Rhodes and Kaffenberger have painstakingly logged; the footnotes are dessert. There's 10,000 facts to learn that I have not included in this review. 

But the ease of reading and good-natured occasional observations from the authors also make this a wise choice for the casual reader. It provides a primer for how actors moved through the stage and film worlds 90-plus years ago. I think both "Becoming Dracula" volumes would be valuable texts for film classes. I'd love to see this writing style used for other famous actors, say Boris Karloff. The poring over of obscure, mostly forgotten publications -- a healthy percentage only saved with crumbling print -- guarantees that new scholarship is logged.

A Tribute to Bettie Page

BETTIE PAGE: The Sultry Smile of a Nashville Girl

By Steve D. Stones

Just what is it about a sexy girl with jet-black hair dressed in a bikini and nylon stockings that gets our heart rate pumping so rapidly? When it comes to pin-up queen Bettie Page, it’s the sultry smile and look of innocence mixed with naughtiness that really sweeps us off our feet.

Bettie Mae Page was born April 22nd, 1923 in Nashville, Tennessee to Walter Roy Page and Edna Mae Pirtle. She was the second of six children. After the stock market crash of 1929, the Page family struggled to survive like so many other American families. This caused a break down in the Page home. Edna was forced to place Bettie and her two sisters in an orphanage while she worked as a laundress and hairdresser to save enough money to bring the family back together. Bettie soon learned to cook and sew, which proved to be very useful when she made many of herown dance costumes for her 1950s performances.

From a very young age, Bettie exhibited great talent and excellence in everything she did. She was voted "most likely to succeed" at her High School and became the co-editor of the school’s newspaper and yearbook. She also served as program director of the drama club and secretary-treasurer of the student council. At the time of her graduation, she was at the top of her class academically and received a $100.00 scholarship to Peabody College, where she majored in Education. She married Billy Neil in 1943.

After a brief period of teaching, Bettie decided to move to San Francisco to pursue her first passion; acting. While in San Francisco, she landed her first modeling job and was able to travel all over the world for her work. She developed a strong interest in Haitian culture, which would later have a large impact on her "bondage and discipline" work in the 1950s.

In 1947, Bettie divorced Billy Neil and headed to New York City. At this time, New York had become a Mecca for young people trying to make it in the entertainment industry. The post-war era of the late 1940s and early 1950s saw an economic boom in the United States. Television was the new medium, and opportunities to be a part of the entertainment business were endless.
Also at this time, an off duty police officer with an interest in photography named Jerry Tibbs spotted Bettie on the boardwalk at Coney Island and asked her to pose for some pictures. Tibbs suggested she cut her bangs, which has become the trademark look of Bettie’s now iconic appearance.

Bettie soon met Irving Klaw and his sister Paula, who were running a small mail order business to market photographs of pin-up girls. During her brief time with Klaw, Bettie created some of her most memorable photos and films that were thought to be lost or destroyed forever as a result of the McCarthy era witch hunts that took place in the 1950s. Both Bettie and Klaw were subpoenaed to testify before the U.S. Senate because of these "lewd materials." This was a time of strict moral restrictions in American culture, and Klaw’s photographs and films strayed outside those strict codes of the time. Feeling the pressures of the McCarthy inquisitions, Klaw eventually gave up his mail order business for good.

After Bettie’s appearance in the January 1955 issue of Playboy, and some photos taken by Bunny Yeager on a beach in Florida, Bettie seemed to disappear forever. In 1958, she had a religious conversion, and decided to devote her life to her newfound faith. That may have been the end of Bettie’s former life and her photos, as far as she was concerned.

Then, the 1960s ushered in a new generation of sex entertainment that immediately became mainstream culture. Audiences were treated to "nudie cutie," nudist camp and other soft-core features, which were rapidly becoming popular forms of enterainment. The strict moral codes of the McCarthy era were breaking down very quickly. The films of Barry Mahon, Harry Novak, Doris Wishman, Russ Meyer and David F. Freidman were popular drive-in fare at this time. Collectors were also seeking out the Irving Klaw films made with Bettie a decade earlier.

The 1970s saw entertainment becoming even more liberal by introducing hard-core sex films. Stars such as Linda Lovelace, John Holmes and Marilyn Chambers all were new names familiar to a sex-starved public.

Soon a cult following developed around Bettie Page and her photos. Her image could be seen everywhere, including posters, t-shirts, trading cards, comic books, fine art paintings, and even lunch boxes. Bettie became familiar to a whole new generation of fans. Collectibles of Bettie Page are a sought after commodity.

Sadly, Bettie passed away on Thursday December 11th, 2008 of heart failure at the age of 85. She was not able to achieve her life long goal of living until the age of 100, but her images and films will live on forever in the hearts and minds of her devoted fans all over the world. Her sultry smile and sexy girl with the jet-black hair image will live on forever.