Beat Girl (Wild for Kicks).

“Psychologists think most human neurosis comes from too much contact with other human beings” so says wealthy Paul Lindon (David Farrar) who has just brought his new French wife Nichole (French actress Noelle Adam) home following their wedding in Paris. The 24-year-old French beauty is only half the prominent architects age, something that strikes home when she meets Paul’s daughter, the rebellious Jennifer (Brigette Bardot wonnabee Gillian Hills), who immediately takes a dislike to her stepmother. The large austere family home that all three now share has few homely attractions. Jennifer describes it as a morgue with Nichole commenting on the houses barrenness - all of which does not help its repressive constraining atmosphere. 

 

Brigette Bardot wonnabee Gillian Hills.

The films narrative centres on the relationship between the two women and an area of London known as Soho. Nichole has a past to hide that involves an old friend called Greta (B-Movie actress Delphi Lawrence) who is the star performer at a strip club owned by her boyfriend Kenny King (Christopher Lee taking a break from Hammer Films). Jennifer’s frequents the Soho Coffee Bars where mainly spoilt little rich kids hang out listening and dancing to ‘cool decadent jazz’. They include the obligatory working class lad Dave (good use of pop singer Adam Faith in his first film, although his second movie, along side girlfriend of the time Carol White, Never Let Go (1960) had already been released), Tony, a general’s son whose mother was killed in the Blitz, who drinks to much (played by Peter McEnery also in his debut movie, an actor who had a prominent role in Victim in 1961 along side Dirk Bogarde) and Tony’s well bred girlfriend Dodo (Shirley Anne Field who famously played Arthur Seaton’s girlfriend Doreen in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960))   

 

A cool crowd in Chislehurst Caves.

Directed by French filmmaker Edmond T Greville Beat Girl (1960) or as it was known in the USA Wild for Kicks, is a product of its time with its dodgy script and terrible corny dialog. There were small roles for Oliver Reed and Carol White and a larger one for Nigel Green, best known for his role as Colonel Ross in The Ipcress File (1965) and who also appeared in a range of British movies including the thriller The Man Who Finally Died (1963) alongside Stanley Baker. Also making his debut was composer John Barry with his first movie commission. Incidentally the films soundtrack was the first to be released on a LP (a large piece of vinyl with a picture cover!). Filmed at the MGM-British Film Studios at Borehamwood Hertfordshire its location shooting took place in Soho London with club scenes filmed in the Chislehurst Caves in Kent, Southern England.

 

An audition takes place in a late 1950's Soho strip joint.... 

....where its owner the late Christopher Lee interrogates Gillian Hills.   

 This was another of these films’ that received critically bad reviews but was popular with cinemagoers. It had problems with the censor that delayed its general release. The setbacks were down to displays of topless nudity and strip tease along with scenes of juvenile delinquency involving public road racing and ‘playing’ chicken on a railway line!  The movie was eventually given an adult only “X” certificate; thankfully my copy of the DVD was the uncut version that certainly made it a more appealing piece of British cinematic history.        

A Matter of WHO.

Described as a drama/thriller, the problem is Terry Thomas. Following a string of comedy films Thomas accepted what should have been a straight role to stretch his acting ability but it did not work. It would seem on this evidence quite incapable for him to act out a character that's meant to be taken seriously. But even so that's not to say the film is laugh a minute, just some daft moments that includes a wee vintage car. The main draw back is you can't take Don Chaffey’s movie, A Matter of WHO (1961), as an engagingly realistic thriller, more of a dull unfunny comedy, which is a shame as it has quite a good story line.

World Health Organisation Investigator Archibald Bannister (Thomas) is tasked with tracking down the source of a smallpox infection to stop an epidemic. It’s when a flight lands at a London Airport on route from Nice in the South of France that Stephan Cooper is found to have smallpox. Cooper and his attractive wife Michele (Berlin born Sonja Ziemann) are due to be met by his oil exploration partner Edward Kennedy (American Alex Nicol) - both men work for an Independent Oil Company. The back-story is a B-Movie type criminal plot involving oil exploration rights. 

"Germs are smarter than people" seems quite an adequate tagline. My initial interest in this movie steams from a cast list that includes the underrated Carol White, a special favourite of Movie Ramble. Also featured are Honor Blackman and an early role for Richard Briers. Based on a story by Patricia Lee and Paul Dickson with a screenplay by Milton Holmes it has Roy Castle singing the theme song. Made at MGM British Studios at Boreham Wood, the Alpine sequences were filmed on location in Austria.

Slave Girls (Prehistoric Women)

Following the success of One Million Years BC (1966), which you may remember starred a scanty clad Raquel Welch, Hammer Films began making a number of historical period pieces which became known collectively as ‘Hammer Clamour” thanks to the inclusion of young beautiful starlets and visual lavishness but done with a minimal budget. One of these films Slave Girls (1967), originally released in the USA as Prehistoric Women, formed part of what was unofficially referred to as the “fur bikini” trilogy, along with When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth (1970) and the film which provided all the left over sets and costumes, One Million Years BC (waste not, want not).

Queen Kari (Martine Beswick)

While working as a guide on an African safari a hunter, David (an unconvincing Michael Latimer) ends up a captive of a hostile tribe of warriors who worship the spirit of a white rhinoceros. Somehow or another he ends up back in prehistoric time where bikini clad dark haired women rule, any unfortunate women with blonde hair are used as slaves and entertainment for the cruel raven haired amazon Queen Kari (Martine Beswick). The men are viewed as inferior and are kept locked up! David falls for one of the blonde’s, Saria (Edina Roney) and all hell breaks loose because the queen wants David for her own use (nudge nudge wink wink). Will our intrepid hunter escape from the possessive queen and rescue his blonde bimbo and return to his own time?  

That's no way to treat a man?

Well if you’re found of b-movie’s, scanty clad girls, a bit of animal worship, coupled with weak dialog, a corny storyline and some dodgy acting this is the film for you. Hammer has certainly made better movies! Directed by Michael Carreras who worked exclusively for Hammer Films normally as a producer or executive producer and only on a rare occasion as director. Why did I want to see this particular movie? Well the reason is that one of my favourite British actresses had a small part in it, in fact a very small part indeed, which surprised me considering how high up the cast list she appears. I must make a point of finding out why Carol White appeared in this particular film considering she was reaching the pinnacle of her career. This film was released after Cathy Come Home (1966) and before Poor Cow (1967).

The Man in the Back Seat.

The British B-movie was essentially a low budget film, quickly made and destined for the bottom half of the double bill that was the normal cinema programmes from around 1930 to 1965. They were normally shown before the interval and were characteristically shorter than the main feature, anything between 55 to 75 minutes and typically belonging to the thriller or comedy genres and would use the modern dress of the day saving unnecessary expense. These films generally went unnoticed by the critics of the day.  Some studios used them to showcase new talent while some directors used them as a stepping-stone to obtain the ‘glorious heights’ of the main feature.  A small amount of directors who made major films in the 1940’s used them to prolong their careers into the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.  One such director was Vernon Sewell who made B-movies with a touch of flair that in fact was missing from many of them.

Carol White with her on screen husband Keith Faulkner.

One such crime thriller was The Man in the Back Seat that was unusually stylish and gripping for a 1961 British B-movie. Malcolm Hulke, remembered mainly for his work on the TV series Doctor Who, wrote the screenplay along with Eric Paice based on a story by the English crime writer Edgar Wallace. This extremely well plotted story is a prime example of narrative writing at its very best where one things leads quite literally to the next in away that never wastes a moment of its 57 minute running time, something one or two of our modern directors could learn from.

Tony and Frank dig themselves in deeper.

The movie is superbly shoot at night in crisp black and white by Reginald Wyer and stars four main named actors, Darren Nesbit (Where Eagles Dare 1968) as the cold hearted Tony, Keith Faulkner, who you will recognise as Bob Cherry in Billy Bunter and Ginger in Just William, well known TV series, as Tony’s easily influenced best mate Frank who in turn is married to Jean a very young looking Carol White, who was 18 years old when the film was released but whose acting skills are already showing great promise. Harry Locke, a well-known British character actor plays Joe Carter the unfortunate bookie, mind you he does not have very much to say spending most of the film unconscious! 

The basic premise of this tense wee movie involves two petty crooks Tony and Frank in the robbery of a bookie at the local dog track. Unbeknown to our two rather incompetent villains Joe Carter has strapped his moneybag to his wrist by means of a set of police handcuffs! So to relieve the comatose book maker of the evenings takings they have to remove Joe, still attached to his bag, and shift him in the back of his own saloon car: not exactly what they had planned playing yo-yo with the body and all the time digging themselves a bigger hole in which to climb out of. As I intimated before, a cracking B-movie that is a credit to all those involved in it.