TALKING SIXTIES DRIVE-IN MOVIES (SOFTCOVER EDITION) by Tom Lisanti
You don’t have to wait until dusk to rediscover populardrive-movies from the 1960s. This collection of profiles, interviews, andtributes include the stars you once watched through a windshield: ArleneCharles, Nancy Czar, Gail Gerber, Christopher Riordan, and Irene Tsu talkingabout Girl Happy (1965), Spinout (1966), Paradise Hawaiian Style (1966), Clambake (1967), and Double Trouble (1967) with Elvis Presley; Bobbi Shawand Steven Rogers talking BeachBlanket Bingo (1965) andother beach party movies; Jan Watson and Diane Bond talking spy spoofs;Nicoletta Machiavelli talking spaghetti Westerns; Mimsy Farmer and MaggieThrett talking alienated youth movies, such as Riot on Sunset Strip (1967), Devil’s Angels (1967), Hot Rods to Hell (1967), and The Wild Racers (1968); and Valerie Starrett talkingbiker films.
Shove your seatback for extra leg room, grab some popcorn, and cruise with author Tom Lisantiback to the decade when carloads of kids let the stars be their theater.
"In their heyday, drive-in movie theaters were consideredentertainment venues for mostly less-discriminating filmgoers, and the moviesthey showed supposedly reflected that. Film historian Lisanti (FantasyFemmes of Sixties Cinema) highlights some of the films and actors who appearedin what he considers to have been typical drive-in fare. Among such were theso-called beach movies, spaghetti Westerns, and the youth-oriented “B” filmsprevalent in the 1950s and a decade or so afterward. He has interviewed severalactors who appeared in those types of movies, most of whom left little or nomark on Hollywood. They include Mimsy Farmer, Arlene Charles, Diane Bond,Steven Rogers, and Jan Watson, who reminisce about their experiences withdirectors, costars, and working conditions. The author also provides backgroundinformation about many of the films. Obviously, what constituted a drive-inmovie is very much a subjective choice on the author’s part, and some readersmay disagree on what is included. VERDICT With this book, there issome fun in reading about long-forgotten performers and films. The rubric ofdrive-in movies is seemingly a convenient way of gathering all this together.Recommended for film lovers everywhere."
- Library Journal
"Beachgoers, bikers, spies, druggies, musicians, and society’s shifting sexual mores were some of the more popular elements of 1960s drive-in theater fare, and this wonderfully eclectic, 314-page paperback contains interviews with the sexy actresses (as well as a couple actors) who made these films so damned memorable. Then it’s all tied together by author Tom Lisanti’s thoroughly-researched writing and obvious appreciation of that distinctive cinematic era. Following a lengthy chapter about Elvis Presley’s film career (in particular, his flaccid, mid-‘60s MGM musical comedies), along with comments from co-stars like Shelley Fabares, Gail Gerber, and Nancy Czar, there are career profiles and lively conversations with Bobbi Shaw (Pajama Party), Arlene Charles (Dr. Goldfood and the Bikini Machine), Diane Bond (In Like Flint), Jan Watson (a repeat “Slaygirl” in Dean Martin’s Matt Helm films), spaghetti Western alumnus Nicoletta Machiavelli (Navajo Joe), as well as one of my personal drive-in favorites, Mimsy Farmer (Riot on Sunset Strip). "
- Shock Cinema
"TALKING SIXTIES DRIVE-IN MOVIES by Tom Lisanti (BearManor Media; www.bearmanormedia.com; $24.95). Beachgoers, bikers, spies, druggies, musicians, and society's shifting sexual mores were some of the more popular elements of 1960s drive-in theater fare, and this wonderfully eclectic, 314-page paperback contains interviews with the sexy actresses (as well as a couple actors) who made these films so damned memorable. Then it's all tied together by author Tom Lisanti's thoroughly-researched writing and obvious appreciation of that distinctive cinematic era. Following a lengthy chapter about Elvis Presley's film career (in particular, his flaccid, mid-'60s MGM musical-comedies), along with comments from co-stars like Shelley Fabares, Gail Gerber and Nancy Czar, there are career-profiles and lively conversations with Bobbi Shaw (PAJAMA PARTY), Arlene Charles (DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE BIKINI MACHINE), Diana Bond (IN LIKE FLINT), Jan Watson (a repeat "Slaygirl" in Dean Martin's Matt Helm films), Steven Rogers (THE GIRLS ON THE BEACH), spaghetti western alumnus Nicoletta Machiavelli (NAVAJO JOE), as well as one of my personal drive-in favorites, Mimsy Farmer (RIOT ON SUNSET STRIP). Highlights include actress Maggie Thrett and screenwriter Stephen Yata on AIP's box-office smash THREE IN THE ATTIC, Christopher Riordan recalls his work on films such as BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and THE GAY DECEIVERS, plus Valerie Starrett discusses scripting and starring in the enjoyable biker romp RUN, ANGEL, RUN. Packed with entertaining memories, it's a nostalgic blast for longtime fans of old-school cult and exploitation cinema."
-- Shock Cinema