“Svengoolie” presents “Barracuda” (1978), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be interested in the return of a cult seaside thriller that was independently produced and released in the late 1970s.

“Svengoolie” presents: “Barracuda” (1978) 

Original 1978 trailer for “Barracuda.”

1978 poster art for “Barracuda.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based horror/thriller film host will present the return of “Barracuda” (1978), this Sat., July 21 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1978 thriller was directed by Harry Kerwin*, who also worked as an actor throughout his brief cinematic career (“Barracuda” was Kerwin’s final production, he died on June 2, 1979).   The Atlas International film was released theatrically in the United States by Republic Industries under the “Republic Pictures” moniker.  The aforementioned incarnation of Republic Pictures had no connection to the original Republic Pictures corporation and the original Republic film catalog, which was acquired by National Telefilm Associates/NTA in 1967 (NTA purchased the Republic trademarks in 1984 and renamed themselves after the former studio).

This will mark Sven’s second broadcast of “Barracuda” (1978) on Me-TV.  He had previously showcased the Harry Kerwin feature back in Nov. 2017.

 

 

Who was in “Barracuda” (1978)?

The players who appeared in Kerwin’s feature were Wayne David Crawford (as Mike Canfield; Crawford also served as director for the underwater sequences and co-wrote the screenplay), Roberta Leighton (as Liza Williams, Leighton later appeared in Ivan Reitman‘s 1981 comedy, “Stripes” w/ Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and John Candy), Jason Evers (as Dr. Elliot Snow), Barbara Keegan (as Maggie Snow, Keegan received screen credit as as Bobbie Ellyne Kosstrin in the film), Cliff Emmich (as Deputy Lester, Emmich later appeared in Rick Rosenthal‘s “Halloween II” w/ Jamie Lee Curtis in 1981), William Kerwin (as Sheriff Ben Williams; William was Harry Kerwin’s older brother and appeared in Herschell Gordon Lewis‘ thriller features), Bert Freed (as Papa Jack), Denise Taylor (as a student), a cameo appearance by Harry Kerwin (as a government agent) and Rick Rhodes (as a government agent).

“Svengoolie” to showcase “Barracuda” (1978), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals from coast-to-coast will be looking forward to his upcoming premiere of a cult underwater cinematic thriller entry.

“Svengoolie” presents: “Barracuda” (1978)

Original theatrical trailer for “Barracuda” (1978).

1978 poster art for “Barracuda.”

The iconic Berwyn/Chicago-based horror film host will showcase his premiere of “Barracuda” (1978) on Sat., Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

“Barracuda” was directed by Harry Kerwin, who was also an actor and a film producer.  This was Kerwin’s last feature film; he died on June 2, 1979 (according to IMDB). At the time, “Barracuda” was one of many cinematic underwater thrillers that were released to capitalize on the success of Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” (1975).  Some of the other “Jaws-style” thrillers included “Mako: The Jaws of Death” (1976), “Tentacles” (1977), “Orca” (1977) and “Pirhana” (1978).

Who was in “Barracuda” (1978)?

The players who appeared in “Barracuda” were Wayne David Crawford (as Mike Canfield), Jason Evers (as Dr. Elliot Snow), Roberta Leighton (as Liza Williams), Cliff Emmich (as Deputy Lester), William Kerwin (as Sherriff Ben Williams), Barbara Keegan (as Maggie Snow, Keegan was credited as Bobbie Ellyne Kosstrin in the film), Bert Freed (as Papa Jack), Denise Taylor (as a student), Rick Rhodes (as a government agent) and Harry Kerwin (as a government agent).

In addition to playing the role of Mike Canfield in “Barracuda,” Wayne David Crawford also directed the underwater sequences for Harry Kerwin’s film.   Crawford also co-wrote the screenplay with Kerwin, according to additional details from IMDB.

William Kerwin, who played Sherriff Ben Williams in the film was the older brother of Harry Kerwin.  According to his IMDB profile, the elder Kerwin appeared in bit roles in numerous films and television series throughout his screen career, notably in Herschell Gordon Lewis’ horror flicks.

Turner Classic Movies: “From Comics to Film” Classic Serial Showcase

1938 advertisement for Universal Studios‘ line of serials.

“The Perils of Pauline.”  “The Phantom Empire.”  “The Adventures of Captain Marvel.” “Radio Patrol.” “Zorro’s Fighting Legion.” “The Shadow.” “Radar Men From The Moon.”

From 1914 to the late 1950s (due in part to the rise of television), audiences flocked to their neighborhood movie theater every week to catch the latest filmed serial chapter of their favorite heroes in action.

Most of the vintage motion picture serial series were adapted from comic books, newspaper comic strips, western dramatizations, mystery/suspense tales and science fiction novels.  Some of the weekly action/adventure serials were sometimes billed by cinema exhibitors as “kiddie matinees” (for weekend showings).

1936 ad for Columbia Pictures‘ line of serials.

After the decline of the weekly cinema serial in the late 1950s (Columbia and Republic were the last motion picture studios to specialize in the serial format alongside theatrical feature films), some of the older serials would be syndicated to television.

Several motion picture serializations would be re-discovered, due in part to the growth of home and entertainment cable television.  “Mystery Science Theater 3000” hilariously mocked the vintage Republic “Radar Men From The Moon” serials early in the show’s “Comedy Central” era.

AMC (then-known as American Movie Classics) would show several vintage motion picture serial anthologies in the mid-1990s.  Turner Classic Movies has continued to show several vintage movie serials on Saturday morning to emulate the old Saturday morning “matinee” theatrical film showcase.  Legendary Chicago-based horror film host Svengoolie (portrayed by Rich Koz) has mocked the classic Buster Crabbe “Flash Gordon” serials in “Svensurround” on Me-TV (in case the coveted Universal horror/sci-fi feature has a short run time).

“From Comics To Film:” Turner Classic Movies’ All-Night Festival of Classic Serials

In commemoration of the upcoming release of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” TCM will showcase several vintage motion picture serial series based off of several popular comic book and newspaper periodical strips.

The festival will begin with the first two chapters of Columbia Pictures’ “Batman” serial from 1943 at 8 p.m. Eastern.  After that, the network will present the first two chapters of the 1949 serialization sequel, “Batman and Robin” at 9 p.m. Eastern.

At 10 p.m. Eastern, TCM will present the first two chapters of the 1948 serialization of “Superman,” followed by the first two chapters of the 1950 sequel, “Atom Man vs. Superman.”

The rest of the evening will consist of the first two chapters of other movie serials based off of comic books and comic strips from the 1930s and 1940s, including “The Green Hornet,” “Buck Rogers,” “Flash Gordon,” “The Phantom,” “Ace Drummond,” and “Dick Tracy.”

An interesting experience for fans of comic books and classic cinema everywhere (or if you want to “riff along,” a la “MST3K,” “RiffTrax” and “Svensurround.”).

Turner Classic Movies Presents: “From Comics to Film” Classic Film Serial Showcase

Wed., Mar. 23 at 8 p.m. Eastern

Complete list of film serials that will be showcased on TCM

RiffTrax Presents “Batman and Robin” Film Serial Showcase (1949, Snippet from Episode 1- “Batman Takes Over”)

“Cyclotrode X” (1966) Feature-length compilation re-release of the classic 1946 Republic Pictures serial series, “Crimson Ghost” (via Paramount Pictures’ official “vault” YouTube channel, Paramount is the successor-in-interest to the Republic/NTA library)

Take this poll:

Questions/Comments about vintage movie serials?  Drop a line at the comments section!

 

Paramount launches YouTube channel with select vintage and modern flicks

Vintage 1940’s Paramount Pictures opening, from the now-public domain  short, “A Letter from Bataan” (1944). Now available on the Internet Archive.

Long ago, Paramount Pictures boasted their releases with the phrase, “If it’s a Paramount Picture, it’s the best show in town.”

Now, the studio has finally reached the “digital peak.”

Select Paramount features on YouTube… for free!

Recently, Paramount launched its own YouTube channel, titled “The Paramount Vault.”  According to film critic and historian Leonard Maltin, the studio launched this service earlier this year, with various full-length feature films and short clips from vintage (mostly made after 1948) and modern Paramount films.

What full-length features are available on Paramount’s YouTube service for free?

One of many “crown jewels” in Paramount’s free, ad-supported YouTube streaming service is the 1944 Preston Sturges comedy, “The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek*,” featuring Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton.

Other selected films on the studio’s YouTube platform include the 1946 Hal Wallis film noir flick, “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers*” (featuring Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas and Van Heflin) and cult features, including George Pal’s 1955 science fiction fantasy thriller, “Conquest of Space.”

What else is on there?

Publicity ad for “The Devil and Miss Jones” (1941, released by RKO at the time, the film would wind up with Paramount in later years).

In addition to vintage Paramount features on the studio’s YouTube service, select films that the studio acquired (in later years) are also featured.

These include films from the libraries of National Telefilm Associates (“The Devil and Miss Jones” from 1941, originally released by RKO Radio Pictures) and Republic Pictures.  Paramount inherited the Republic/NTA holdings, as part of parent company Viacom’s acquisition of Spelling Entertainment in 1999.

There are also independent features on the channel presented by Paramount, including the 2014 documentary “Turtle Power: The Definitive History of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and the 1999 indie comedy-mystery feature, “Where’s Marlowe?”

 

 

Why you should look to “The Paramount Vault:”

Bottom banner from a 1942 Paramount trade ad, with the company motto (and the print version of the Paramount logo, which was used from 1914-1968).

If there’s nothing on TV, or if there’s not a good (or even obscure) classic/cult film to watch, then Paramount’s newest streaming venture might be the place for you.  Here’s hoping that they will add more classics to their streaming service in the near future.  There’s something for everyone on there!

NOTE: *”The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek” and “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers” are several Paramount pre-48 features that the studio did not sell to MCA in the late 1950’s for television syndication (and re-issue rights).  The majority of the pre-1948 Paramount sound films are with Universal Studios (which was acquired by MCA in 1962, and has been incorporated into Universal’s library since then). 

In addition to the the Republic/NTA holdings (minus Paramount’s past television programs, which have been under the control of CBS since 2006), most features consist of Paramount films made after 1948.  

A WORD OF WARNING: Several films on Paramount’s YouTube channel (notably “The Fighting Kentuckian” and “Where’s Marlowe?”) are available to subscribers of YouTube or Google, since the studio enabled ratings settings on select features.  If you have a Google or YouTube account, you can override those settings to watch those films.

The Paramount Vault: Paramount Pictures’ official YouTube streaming service (Not to be confused with the studio’s other YouTube account, “Paramount Movies,” which consists of clips and modern/vintage post-48 Paramount movie trailers).

Take the poll: Should Paramount’s competitors follow the studio’s foray into streaming films for free on YouTube?

Questions?  Comments? Drop a line at the comments section!