More Stuff I Wrote!

I know, I know, how exciting is that?!?

By the way, Bill Cullen is not in this post, but I just adore that picture! How could you not?

Two new articles are up atHorror Yearbook. You can read my oh-so-interesting interview with multi-hyphenated super stud David Heavener. Actually, he’s quite interesting and I always enjoy talking to him. His newest venture is a television series he created called Confessions of an Exorcist and he waxes poetic and stuff all over the joint.

I also have two movie reviews from my visit to this year’s Shriekfest Film Fest. Read my reviews of H.P. Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown & Dark Reel.

Enjoy!

Columns Rule!

First of all, I’m watching Password Plus and the guest stars are Regis Philbin and Audrey Landers. Good stuff!

I have two new reviews up. One is another review for my Lifetime Kills column at Pretty Scary. I take a look back at the Tracey Gold classic The Face of Evil. Enjoy!

Secondly, I have a new column at Horror Yearbook I’m very excited about called Not So Basic Instincts where I’ll be discussing the best and the worst of the erotic thriller genre. I’ll be concentrating mostly on the direct to video stuff from the 90s, so expect to see a lot of Shannon Tweed. Cuz she rules. My first review is for a little ditty called Cover Story, which I really enjoyed.

I am going out of town and will be back sometime next week (how mysterious of me) and I hope to have some stuff up on the blog with SCREEN CAPS! Thanks to Ross at Anchorwoman in Peril, I now have the capability of doing such modern things like capturing images. YAY!

And finally, Ben Murphy is STILL HOT! Seriously. He hasn’t changed one bit since last week!

Have a great TV Movie filled weekend guys!


Goodness!

Jeepers Creepers! TV Features!

About three Halloweens ago I did an article for Film Threat which was essentially a look at every made for television horror/thriller/suspense movie released in the month of October from 1970-1980. It became a huge undertaking and remains one of the articles that I am proudest of. They deleted my introduction to the piece (for space I assume because it was already very long), so I thought I’d post it here with a link to the actual article.

Enjoy!

Jeepers Creepers! TV Features

A Retrospective on classic Made for TV Halloween Horror Movies (1970-1980)

By

Amanda Reyes

Picture it – October, 1970. You’re a latch key kid not yet of age for the grindhouse circuit but old enough to appreciate the horrors of the night. The world still had eight years before John Carpenter would unleash his timeless classic, “Halloween”, which featured by the way, two kids totally engrossed in watching scary movies while lovely babysitters were being slaughtered across the street. That scene featuring little Lindsey Wallace (Kyle Richards) totally terrified of yet still absorbed in “The Thing” actually encompassed the same sort of passion I have with the genre. But like I said, it’s 1970 and there was no “Halloween” and horror hadn’t really gone mainstream yet. Still, the three networks understood the plus of exploiting exploitation. Sure they had to meet the confines of the censors, had to deal with smaller budgets and shorter timelines but working under those conditions produced a creativity that has endured over the last three decades. Some of the best small screen genre films came during that tumultuous decade, so this list will run from 1970-1980. READERS BEWARE: Reading this article may cause massive fits of nostalgia.

Click here to read the full article!

Ben Murphy Galore!

Lordy, lordy, lordy. Ben Murphy still looks good. In fact, he looks better now at 66 than he did some 20 odd years ago when I first saw him on Lottery. I know, how can he look better? He does, trust me (see above picture for reference).

Ben was such a mainstay on television back in my formative years and I have always enjoyed watching him. Yeah, he is so handsome he could melt the chrome off a pipe just by looking at it, but aside from that, he's a good actor, lots of fun to watch and he made some great TV.

With Pete Duel on Alias Smith & Jones - I do like a man in a cowboy hat!

My fondest television memory of him is on the short lived series Lottery! which ran for one all-too brief season from 1983-1984. I was all of 12 then and he must have been one of my first big crushes because I still think about him. Yup. He's in good company too, along with Parker Stevenson, David Naughton and John Taylor of Duran Duran, this guy will always make my heart go pitter-patter.

Mystery Science Theater seemed to be keen on Ben Murphy too because they didn't just show one of his movies, they showed TWO! Now, that's love. Both the television movie Riding with Death (1976- this was actually two episodes from the short lived series Gemini Man pieced together – twice as much Ben for half the price!) and the non-TV horror movie Time Walker (1982) were featured. Both episodes were great additions to MST3K and it was probably the only way I was going to see the hard-to find Time Walker anyway, so I'm so glad they did it.

Ben first hit it big on the small screen in 1971 when he got the part of Jed 'Kid' Curry on the popular western series Alias Smith and Jones. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it, but I've never seen this show, although I'm somewhat familiar with it. Season One is on DVD. I so need to pick it up, because it looks great.



From there he became a mainstay and made a few TV movies:

The Letters (1973)
Runaway! (1973)
Heatwave (1974)
This is the West that Was (1974)
The Secret War of Jackie's Girls (1980)
Uncommon Valor (1983)
The Cradle will Fall (1983)

OMG, I totally forgot he was in The Cradle will Fall with Lauren Hutton and James "Overacting King" Farentino. I must dig up my copy of that.

Anyway, I just got myself a pretty piss poor copy of the pilot for Lottery, and hope to do a little write up on the movie that started my love for all things Ben!

For now, you all will be able to enjoy him in a NEW movie called Terminal Trap which is currently in production. Also, last year he was in an episode of the John Laroquette Hallmark TV Movie series McBride titled Semper Fi. I like knowing that Ben has continued to act steadily through the years. Personally, I think he deserved a better career, but I'm just glad he's out there working. Warms the ticker, you know.



You can keep up with Ben at his website, which is full of all things Ben! It's a very good site, so visit and drool!

Woman on the Ledge (1993)

Network: NBC
Original Air Date: March 15^th, 1993

Like Fantasies, Woman is one of those few movies that get made to capitalize on the fandom of soap operas. Not just with an over the top scenario either, this movie stars all your favorite daytime Kings and Queens in all their wide eyed glory.

Quinn (Deidre Hall from Days of Our Lives), Rachel (Leslie Charleson from General Hospital) and Steffi (Colleen Zenk-Pinter from As the World Turns) are best friends going all the way back to grade school. Each one wears a little charm bracelet with a bell because as children they swore they could hear each other’s chimes wherever they were. They were wrong. Each woman is facing a momentous decision in her life and one of them will literally end up…on the ledge! Dun…dun… dun!

Each woman represents a personality type we can relate too (sort of). Quinn is that extra hot career woman who always looks perfect, always knows the right thing to say and lives in one of those awesome houses with a hot tub on the roof. Yeah, I totally relate to that. Well, her problem is that she has a really tiny window of opportunity to have a child. When that window is gone, she may have to…. gulp!... adopt! The shame! She tells her handsome boyfriend Bob (Peter Bergman from All My Children) to knock her up and he immediately leaves her. Desperate, she even hits on a guy in an orchestra who calls her “ma’am”! YE-OUCH!

Rachel is that woman who married her high school sweetheart and lives in domestic bliss with him and her children in another giant domicile. Her big problem is that some strange lady keeps calling and her man Jeff (Josh Taylor from Days of Our Lives) is being all secretive and stuff and then one day Rachel even sees him hugging a woman! Well, it takes her all of about 2 minutes to jump in the sack with here recently separated friend Ted (Michael Zaslow from One Life to Live). I mean, it takes less than a day. Like, confront your husband for Pete’s sake before you do something like that! So of course, now her life is in total shambles and just you wait until you find out who that secret lady actually is. Oh Rachel… why?!?

Steffi is a weird one. She’s this nerdy chick who performs in an orchestra and sees this really scary therapist named Doctor Martin (Ken Kercheval from Dallas in an extraordinarily menacing role), who keeps referring to their sessions as “work”, which is a nice word for rape! Anyway, this Steffi lady insists on continuing to see him, even though he is not only forcing her to perform sexual favors, but is also trying to put a wedge between her and a new boyfriend named Elliot (the gorgeous Kale Brown from One Life to Live looking not so gorgeous). And she won’t even give him that little sumthin-sumthin’, which blows me away, because once I was at a Starbucks and Kale Brown was standing next to me and it took about all I had not to pounce on him. All I can say is this girl has problems.

These three women share, compare and the like although each one is hiding a significant secret about themselves. That’s where it pays to be a soap opera actor. Woman is based more on what isn’t said than what is. There are lots of reactions to information, and it’s those looks that truly indicate what is being thought. Lesser actors would just end up glaring at each other. That might be funny, but then there wouldn’t be any really drama and it’s all about the drama, you know.

Woman is a pleasant time waster, where everyone’s life is just enough of a spectacle to keep you going. It’s basically Lifetime Television before there was Lifetime Television. I really liked both Leslie Charleston and Deidre Hall and I just adored Ken Kercheval, but then again, I always do. He’s really good here and I kind of wish the movie was about him. They could call it Dr. Rapist M.D., or something (the M.D. obviously stands for medical deviate!).

By the way, Kale Brown and I have the same birthday. Isn’t that totally awesome?

Oh sure, he looks nice here...

News!

Just thought I'd update everyone on the exciting escapades of Amanda By Night! Well, not so exciting, but I have a few new articles floating around the ether:

My review of The Governor’s Wife is on Pretty Scary. This article is a kick-off to my new PS column I’m calling Lifetime Kills, which will be all about the awesome Lifetime Suspense Thrillers that I can't seem to get enough of.

I wrote a review for a new zombie movie called The Vanguard over at Horror Yearbook. I am planning a column over there too, but until I really get rolling, I won't say what I'm focusing on, but I'm excited about it and it's a sub-genre that just doesn't get enough attention (and some of you will say that's rightly so!)... For those of you who might not have seen it, I also did a list on Slashers that aren’t really slashers but are still slashers! Confused? Take a look and see if you agree…


I have a few posts at Retro Slashers, why don't you stop by and give it a looksy?

In Made for TV Mayhem News, I have NO idea how to do screen caps and boy, do I feel stupid. I've been attempting this screen cap feat for a couple of weeks now. I mean, I know my heart is in 1981, but this is ridiculous. I've been holding off on a couple of reviews because there really aren't any images online to use with the movies and I kind of want something to make things look all pretty. I know, I want the world. So, I will keep plugging away but hopefully, I can get these reviews with their proper pictures up soon!

In other news:

The guys at Kindertrauma have an article about their fabulous site in this issue of Geek Monthly, which should be on store shelves NOW. So what are you waiting for? Read about it here. Also, Kinder just turned One Year Old. Please stop by and say congrats on one year of awesomeness!

Anchorwoman in Peril also just turned 1 years old. Wow, was 2008 a great year or what? So stop by and well wish away!

Through the fabulousness of Kindertrauma, I discovered this blog called Dinner with Max Jenke First of all, the tag line of the blog is New Horror Opinions at 80s Prices, so that should give you an idea of what you are in for! There’s some great Made for TV love over there, so go… Go NOW!

And I think that's it for now. Oh yeah, I still love Bert Convy!

Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker (1979)

There are so many OMG moments in Diary I just don’t know where to begin! I mean, the cast is to die for! It’s got Christopher Knight, Dick Van Patten, Dominique Dunne, Katherine Helmond, Craig T. Nelson, Richard Sanders and a very young Charlene Tilton in the lead. It’s got chicks in bikinis hitchhiking, scary assault scenes, car chases, a burger joint on the beach and architecture! It was directed by Ted Post who made the wickedly wicked movie The Baby! I mean, it’s got it all! Tilton is Julie Thurston, a pretty small town girl getting ready to cross the threshold into womanhood any day. She works at a burger stand on the beach so she can save up for a car (dad works hard but inflation is unbearable. Uh, can’t his wife get a job?). She also has a tight group of female friends who are ready to party. One already did and is pregnant (Dominique Dunne as Cathy). They all thumb rides to get around and although wary of the dangers that lie ahead, each swears they need to do it to maintain their independence. Sure.




First Cathy is raped and next Dana is killed when the same rapist picks her up and then takes the police on this crazy chase. Still, nothing is going to stop Julie from living her dreams, which she apparently has to hitchhike to. But her ride is just around the corner, if you know what I mean. Totally great exploitation film for the small screen that can’t play up the on the gratuitousness a theatrical could, but still does what it can with the elements – half naked girls who love to party, car chases, violence and Dick Van Patten. I mean, it’s just too much! Diary is a surprisingly good movie, obviously made to cash in on the real life tragedies during the hitchhiking craze in the 70s. Craze is a strong word, but you get what I mean. It was just so in to thumb a ride back then. And in truth, you really were taking your chances. Not only could the person be potentially violent, but they might just be a crap driver. See Foxes for a combination of both. It was interesting to watch the girls attempt to size up the driver before they got in the car. Three times out of four they were correct, but that fourth time… watch out.

I love, love, LOVE this movie. Fantastically 70s from the tee shirts that say X Rated to Peter Brady going off to find himself. A lot of the dialog is ham-fisted, although delivered with heart, but honestly, I couldn’t wrap my brain around the scene featuring Dana and her Dad, Mr. Fogarty (Richard Sanders… yeah, LES NESMAN! A serious OMG moment for me!). Dana is making her dad a shake and he starts to tell her that he loves her but stops and says “I hope I know you a long time,” and she replies, “I always wondered.” Yeah, if you can explain it to me I owe you a soda. But mostly, the girls just laugh, talk about finding themselves and talk shit about Cathy after she’s raped. You see, they’re like all teenagers. Kind of self-centered and under the mistaken impression they know better. Except Julie of course, who is a burgeoning sculptress dating a much older (and richer) man. Julie will teach you all! But even she isn’t against thumbing a ride, until… well you just watch and find out.

Addendum

I'm such a do-do bird. Seriously. I made my Top Ten Must See Made for Television Horror Movies of the 70s list with a lot of thought... I swear I did. So how on earth did I forget The Legend of Lizzy Borden?!?


It hit me like a ton of bricks while I was compiling a new list (btw, lists = great distractions at work!). Legend is not just considered a classic made for television movie; it also gave Elizabeth Montgomery some real street cred as an actress. She was so far removed from her sweet witch housewife role in Bewitched that folks could never look at her the same way again. And what came afterwards was a string of interesting, if not completely amazing, roles on the small screen.

I haven't seen this movie in many years but it certainly left its mark on me. Based on a true story, Legend traced the path of Lizzie Borden who was accused of brutally murdering her father and step-mother. At her trial witnesses recount what may or may not have happened. Lizzie keeps a poker face through the proceedings and when it's all over you will still be left with questions. Fantastic storytelling made even better with incredible performances from the entire cast (which include Katherine Helmond from SOAP as the mousy sister), but of course most of the movie’s phenomenal success can be credited to Ms. Montgomery who was so chilling your blood is guaranteed to freeze. No joke.

A Terrifying Beauty

Lizzie was nominated for numerous awards including three Emmy's, winning Best Costume Design and Editing. Elizabeth was nominated for best actress but the award went to Katherine Hepburn for Love Among the Ruins. In fact, Elizabeth never did take home an Emmy, even though she was nominated NINE times! The whole thing is beyond me. If one movie has ever paved the way for an actress to break out of a stereotype, it was Legend. Elizabeth also starred in these other made for television movies:

The Victim (1972)
A Case of Rape (1974)
Dark Victory (1976)
A Killing Affair (1977)
Act of Violence (1979)
The Rules of Marriage (1982)
Missing Pieces (1983)
Second Sight: A Love Story (1984)
Between the Darkness & the Dawn (1985)
Sins of the Mother (1991)
With Murder in Mind (1992)
Black Widow Murders (1993)
The Corpse Had a Familiar Face (1994)
Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan (1995)

Elizabeth was a consummate actress who chose her roles wisely. It was obvious that she loved what she did and we loved watching her. She may have never taken home that coveted statue but she endeared herself forever to fans of the made for television movie. And really, isn’t that way cooler?

The Top Ten Must See Made for Television Horror Films of the 70s

Are these my all time favorites? Not necessarily, but most of the titles I chose would end up in my top 30 for sure… There’s another list I’ll have to make! This list is just a starter guide or better yet, a catalog of films worth mentioning. And not just here. Most of these films should be in any film lover’s vocabulary. Guaranteed to elicit some doy-inducing reactions from the made for TV set, I still thought it was a list worth putting together, because you never know when someone needs guidance and is afraid to ask. Plus it gives me an excuse to revisit some great films. And what do I always say about excuses? When they come to watching great films, excuses are pretty dang awesome.

Duel (1971) – Richard Matheson is a freaking genius. Steven Spielberg is a mastermind as well. Combine their talents and you’ve got two great tastes that taste great together! The ultra-cool Dennis Weaver plays David Mann (a nice bit of obvious symbolism) who goes up against a malevolent truck in one of the most beloved films of the 70s. Oh wait, even better, Duel is the most beloved made for television horror movie of all time. Isn't that stretching things a bit? Not really. A young Spielberg cut his chops on a simple premise and exposed audiences to his immense talent. In my opinion, I only place Jaws above this title in the director’s filmmography. As for Matheson, I’m not sure I could choose. His assured hand at suspense on the small screen is absolutely unheralded even today. Screw you HBO!

Gargoyles (1972) Anyone who caught this movie in the 70s was in for a real treat and it’s likely you remember Bernie Casey as the leader of the Gargoyles. That was one bad ass dude, er, gargoyle. The Plusses: A young Stan Winston did the extraordinary make up effects, the actors invited the absurdity of the situation with such glee (including Jennifer Salt as the eye candy who forgot to pack anything but bikini tops and Grayson Hall who gets weird sexual pleasure talking about car crashes!) and some of the set-pieces were wonders of the “less is more” school of thinking. That recipe equaled success and left us with one of the best examples of excellent made for television filmmaking. Click on title for a full review.

Home for the Holidays (1972) – What good is a list without a slasher movie on it? I’m including shopping lists too (please insert your own Chopping Mall joke here). Yup, they even made slashers for the small screen and when done right, they ruled the known (and possibly unknown) universe. This warped tale of a family so dysfunctional the Ewings would be jealous, presents a lot of twist and turns and some grand, suspenseful kills. The cast is top notch too, featuring Julie Harris, Sally Field and Jessica Walter among others. My favorite director in the whole wide world (or known and unknown universe if pushed), John Llewellyn Moxey slowly builds suspense and keeps you guessing. More importantly, it will keep you on the edge of your seat! And that ending! Wow.

The Night Stalker (1972) – Darren McGavin is Carl Kolchak, a beleaguered reporter set on proving the supernatural does indeed exist. He is also one of the most beloved characters in horror films. This movie was so popular is spawned a sequel and a short lived series with the same title. It also inspired Chris Carter to create a show with a similar riff. You may have heard of it, it’s called The X Files. McGavin even played a recurring character on that show and it was the sincerest form of flattery. In Stalker McGavin is younger, strangely sexy and just fantastic as Kolchak, who is hot on the heels of a scary vampire – in Las Vegas no less (where it’s always day if you lived downtown, so that must have been tough). Yet another treasure from Richard Matheson and John Llewellyn Moxey.

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (1973) – I inadvertently crossed paths with this little devil when I was a wee pup. It’s one of those flicks that would pop up on the Weekend Afternoon Movie and if you were young enough, BAM! It got you! Kim Darby plays the pragmatic housewife terrorized by little satanic creatures whose heads look like tiny latex hardhats (in retrospect, it’s cute, but back then… brrrr!). These guys aren’t happy just scaring her, they like making her look like she’s one log short of full fledge fire, which isn’t all that difficult. A creepy house, an overwhelming sense of paranoia, groovy special effects, William Demerest as the “You’re all doomed,” character and one of the darkest endings ever, make Don’t a TV movie classic.

Bad Ronald (1974) - Ronald is so bad, yet he’s so good at it. That’s why we love him. This claustrophobic thriller builds tension with an intense performance from Scott Jacoby as Ronald, the deranged teen who just wants to be loved. Ah, ain’t he sweet? Click on title for a full review.

Trilogy of Terror (1975) – No doubt this movie more than likely left an indelible mark on the brains of all young children of the 70s, scarring them for life. And most people don’t even remember the first two stories in Trilogy! For the record, they are titled Julie and Millicent and Therese and both were written by legendary scribe William F. Nolan (Burnt Offerings). Even he’s admitted these were fairly forgettable tales, although they are fun if only to enjoy a reliable Karen Black going over the top in three different roles. It’s the final segment, simply titled Amelia that had television audiences in rapture. Based on Richard Matheson’s short story Prey, this episode featured Black going toe to toe with a Zuni Fetish doll that has come to life and is sharpening up on his hunting skills. It’s 20 minutes of utter chaos ending on such a downbeat gut punching note, it just may be the greatest achievement in 70s television horror. It certainly had an effect on me and just might be the culprit for single handedly making our generation the horror lovers we are. That doll is a doll.

The Bermuda Depths (1978) – One of the few live action Rankin and Bass films (they did several stop motion holiday specials such as Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy and my favorite, Nestor the Long Eared Donkey), Bermuda is an absolute feast for the eyes. The whimsical story is about a giant sea turtle and a young woman who has been cursed to steal away the lives of random sailors, along with the man who has come back home after his father’s death looking for answers. She turns out to be the childhood love he let go. The movie unfolds almost like images rising from a book of fairy tales. The visuals are stunning, accompanied by a beautiful score and only the minimal of dialog. With the help of some charming miniature effects (and Carl Weathers in some awesome half shirts and hot pants!), Bermuda is a film that is as beautiful as it is unsettling.

Someone’s Watching Me! (1978) – A young John Carpenter honed his suspense skills on this tele-film which was shot shortly after he made Halloween. Here he’s got Lauren Hutton as the strong-willed television producer who is randomly picked by a cunning and terrifying stalker. Somehow he knows exactly what is going on in her ultra modern apartment even when the curtains are drawn. Hutton is in top form and Carpenter’s then-soon-to-be-wife Adrienne Barbeau is great as her #1 compadre. Someone has some truly hair-raising moments, great dialog and a nice build up of suspense so it doesn’t really matter that the ending feels a little forced and abrupt. A rose by any other name would be just a creepy.

Salem’s Lot (1979) – Tobe Hooper’s oeuvre (that’s my big word for the day) has been sketchy at best, but Salem’s Lot is definitely one of his crowing achievements. An eerie movie full of traditional gothic houses, creepy legends and lingering suspense, Salem’s Lot also interweaves startling imagery and one of the freakiest looking vampires this side of Nosferatu! What was even more disturbing is that Hooper got a great performance out of David Soul. I kid because I love.

Male Strippers and the Made for TV Movie

For Ladies Only

Network: NBC

Original Air Date: November 9^th, 1981

Ladykillers

Network: ABC

Original Air Date: November 9^th, 1988

The 80s was the best decade ever. Coming right off the liberal 70s, the 80s was this weird mixture of Reganomics, pastel blazers, the Cold War and Cabbage Patch Kids. It’s the only decade where male stripping was taken seriously as well. What a strange phenomena, that male stripping. I mean, logically speaking it makes sense. Beefcake = awesomeness. But the craze died away, saved for a few “ironic” stripper acts like the Thunder from Down Under. I remember a time when you could buy Chippendale calendars at your local Spencer’s Gifts for crissakes! I was too young to fully appreciate the art form of the waxed chest or this movement that certain women described as liberating (nice excuse), but now I find I kind of long for it. But I’ve been longing for the 80s since, well, the 90s.

Male stripping got some attention in film, and in all places, on television. Funny how a medium that restricts too much skin would spawn two great films featuring hot, oiled up dudes in their skivvies, but it did. And I for one am grateful!

For Ladies Only came out in 1981 and featured a young and extremely handsome Gregory Harrison as an actor straight off the bus from Iowa, hoping to find fame in New York City. Down on his luck, he gets a job as a waiter at Club Max, a male strip club. But he is oh-so-popular and is finally convinced to take it all off for the salivating clientele. This leads him on series of sexy adventures with older woman, including Louise Lasser and Lee Grant, which finally culminates in a “dance off”- and I mean no sexual innuendo by that (btw, the MC wears roller skates. I could die!). The women yell “Take it off,” the men obey and all is well.

Wow, 1981 ruled!

Lady Killers came out in 1988 and featured another handsome actor, Thomas Calabro. Calabro takes a walk down the seedier side of stripping as an undercover cop posing as a male stripper (Brilliant! I could die again!). Someone has been slicing their way through the male dancers at the hot club Lady Killers. I mean, she kills them while they dance! And she wears a Tina Turner wig! And it’s all so amazing. Marilu Henner plays Calabro’s bitchy boss/girlfriend who hates the idea of her man putting himself on the line but secretly loves it, you dig?

I guess 1988 ruled too!

 

By the way, how weird is it that they both originally aired on November 9^th? Coinkydink or is something more sinister at hand? 

For a genre that seldom gets a second life on home video, both made for TV films were released on vhs. For Ladies Only is a pretty good movie with a little bit of extra skin on the video release (most notably a partial look at Marc Singer’s rear… it’s nice). The release of Lady Killers is also just a teeny touch more saucy thanks to some boobage from Marilu Henner and helmet head Susan Blakely, who both have plenty to go around. You don’t see much, but they do ilicit slight OMG moments. Where For Ladies Only feels more like a theatrical film and is better written, Lady Killers is an absolute gas. Its high camp all the way and features some wonderful over the top performances and great dance numbers. Calabro is an amazing looking man but his dancing skills are a little on the knuckle dragging side. That’s where the talents of Harrison come in. Dude is a natural! He should have been a real life stripper. I mean, really…

You can’t do wrong with either film. What nice time capsules from an era when made for television movies enjoyed having a bit of fun. I do miss those days…

Beefcake never ages