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Wild Guitar
[Something Weird]
1962; b&w
Directed by Ray Dennis Steckler
Starring: Arch Hall Jr., William Watters, Cash Flagg, Nancy Czar & Marie Denn
The Choppers
[Something Weird]
1961; b&w
Directed by Leigh Jason
Starring: Arch Hall Jr., Robert Padget, Mickey Hoyle, Roy Baker & Chuck Barnes
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Ahhh, the Hall family… or, more specifically the father and son team of Arch Hall Sr. and Arch Hall Jr.… from what I can surmise (keeping in mind pretty much all of this is gleaned from the internet) Sr. thought he could make his teenage son the next Elvis; setting him up with twin careers in rock and roll and movies. He also thought he could be the Col. Tom of the equation, obviously, and from 1961-65 he produced (and usually acted in) six films starring Jr., the most notable being Eegah and The Sadist. Jr's music was a prominent feature - used both as background music and, in the case of Wild Guitar and Eegah, woven into the storyline. In Wild Guitar Jr. plays Bud Eagle, a fresh faced kid from South Dakota who's come to Hollywood looking for his big break in the music business. With only his guitar (which, quite frankly, ain't so wild), a suitcase full of clothes and a brain full of songs to his name, he manages to stumble his way from unknown to rising star in the span of about 15 minutes. William Watters (aka Arch Hall Sr.) plays the ruthless manager, Mike McCauley, who uses every trick in the book to squeeze as much money and mileage as possible out of Eagle, without the kid seeing a single penny. Eventually the kid goes from naive to savvy and manages to turn the tables on the man and still have success. This diamond in the rough was directed by none other than BMB fave Ray Dennis Steckler who, acting under his Cash Flagg moniker, also plays the unwittingly hilarious "Steak," the hired goon charged with overseeing the kid's every move and keeping him form the truth at all times. Even though this is his first directorial effort, Steckler clearly knew one thing even way back when—how to capture himself on camera, as he steals virtually every scene he's in. Despite it's relatively predictable plot and high camp moments—especially the scene where Eagle's performing on a TV show and there's a girl (Carolyn Brandt, aka Mrs. Ray Dennis Steckler) doing modern dance that's completely incongruous to the music around the stage—this movie has some sort of universal schlock appeal that's kept it alive for decades for all the right reasons.
The Choppers, the first father and son Hall effort, was shot in 1961 (a year before Wild Guitar), and Jr. looks SO young; not unlike a high school aged Dennis The Menace. It's not a biker flick, as one might guess, it's about a gang of teenagers who strip cars and sell the chopped parts to a junkyard. Junior is the leader of the gang, aptly named the Choppers, and drives a beautiful hot rod that's probably worth more than the combined budget of this movie and Wild Guitar put together. He's the scout and lookout man for the gang, calling the shots from a portable two-way radio that's so big it defies description. Hot on the trail of this gang of punks are a cop (as to be expected) and an insurance investigator. Eventually they get a hot lead on the trail of the gang but before they can nab them, there's loads of hipster slang and hot cars to be had. In some ways the old cars are the real stars of The Choppers; there's more than a few amazing numbers, with fins and taillights that make them look like land-locked rocketships. There's also great stuff like Jr. on lookout, listening to the radio and tapping along on the dashboard to one of his own songs. (Talk about product placement!) Since we all know that good's gotta triumph over evil, this is Hollywood in the early '60s after all, I'm not spoiling it for you by letting you know that the gang does eventually go down—but not without a fight that takes a surprisingly heavy toll. And, in case you're wondering, Sr. makes his obligatory appearance as well - in an uncredited role as a radio reporter in this one - cropping up in three scenes. Though The Choppers may be more obscure than Wild Guitar, it's no less entertaining; actually, I liked it more.
—The Kommandant
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