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SPACE MADNESS!!!
LOST IN SPACE: THE GREAT VEGETABLE REBELLION (1968) || Quickie Theatre
presents: IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953), • || SERGEANT DEADHEAD, aka
THE ASTRONUT (1965)
PLEASE NOTE, SCREEN TIME IS NOW 7.30pm, FOR THE DURATION!
TONIGHT: STRICTLY MEMBERS-ONLY
* MEMBERSHIPS STILL AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR ON THE NIGHT, 'THO *
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Registration: 7.00 - 7.30 pm Screening: >>>>> 7.30 (*SEVEN THIRTY*!!!! ) pm <<<<<
TONIGHT: STRICTLY MEMBERS-ONLY MEMBERSHIPS STILL AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR ON THE NIGHT
DETAILS BELOWTONIGHT! - SPACE MADNESS!!! * LOST IN SPACE: THE GREAT VEGETABLE REBELLION, (1968)
* IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE,  As the JUPITER 2 orbits an uninhabited planet, the Space Family Robinson prepares to celebrate the Robot's birthday.  Without a gift for the Robot, Dr. Smith - overcome with atypical, though not uncharacteristic bombastic bonhomie - uses the Space Pod to venture down to the planet's surface in search of the makings of a lovely floral arrangement for his cybernetic fellow traveller (naturally!). Only then does the planet reveal it's hidden secret - the plant-life there is sentient, and ruled by a giant talking carrot named Tybo. It turns out that the planet has evolved in such a way that plants are not only the highest form of life there, but some are even sentient, and quite intelligent at that. Shades of THE THING (FROM ANOTHER WORLD), (1951) – “… a giant, intellectual carrot, the mind boggles!”. Indeed, there may be some pedigree here.   For the crime of murdering plants (ie. picking them, and even worse, admitting to even eating them), Tybo sentences Dr. Smith to be turned into a vegetable himself! To further complicate matters, once cultivated, Dr. Smith starts sees advantages in becoming a stalk of celery! Then Tybo imprisons other members of the Robinson family expedition inside a greenhouse force field, in preparation for their own floral and faunal transmutation. Finally, the rebellion is (heh, heh) squashed, by – naturally - turning off the water supply, and everybody escapes the hothouse.  In the end, Professor Robinson (GUY WILLIAMS) offers Tybo some water to drink, thus calling a truce, of sorts, between the animal and vegetable kingdom. THE GREAT VEGETABLE REBELLION was Episode 82, from the totally “out-there” Season 3 of the CBS series LOST IN SPACE. First broadcast on February 28, 1968, it was the penultimate episode of the final season. Awfulness OR GREATNESS?? In 1997, TV Guide named THE GREAT VEGETABLE REBELLION episode (written by Peter Packer, and extrapolated from one of his earlier stories - Carnival In Space) one of the greatest TV episodes of all time! The episode brought awareness that all living things feel pain, and that maybe we should be a bit more open-minded to the issues of other species. Not only that, but it really typified the best of the playfulness of film and television fantasy genius extraordinaire, and creator of LiS – IRWIN ALLEN's magic touch. It’s just a very special episode, full of high camp humour, at its best. But it is a “polariser” – depending on their turn of mind, folks either despise this episode, or they love it for it’s surreal childish nuttiness. It hasn’t helped that the cast themselves have painted it in a very particular light, but actors, writers and directors, in general, are notorious for having a somewhat subjective, blinkered views of their own work. Well, it’s only natural, I suppose. But not necessarily “gospel”. By 1968, the year of the third, and final season, LiS had well and truly developed its decidedly oddball twist. (For some, the “worst” episode of the series struck in Season 2 with the Space Vikings episode.) But REBELLION, often mentioned as the complete nadir of the series, is actually in some ways amongst its finest. Granted, the costumes are rather poor - but certainly no worse than most of the others used in the series. Frankly, the concept behind the episode, while not a new one, is one of the better scenarios used in the series. The episode never stops entertaining its audience either - which is far more than can be said about many of the mid-season episodes of Season 2. We weren’t looking for CITIZEN KANE (1941) here, we were watching to have fun. And for sheer bravura, this was easily the most fun episode of the programme's entire run. Talk about laughter and sheer awe! As another reviewer commented, I too would show this episode before any other to someone who hadn't seen the series in years, just to show them that it really had become as ridiculously silly and entertaining as they remember it. And if the costumes in this episode seem outrageous to the viewer, they were even more so to the cast: Indeed, in several scenes it is obviously very difficult for the cast members (especially MARK GODDARD) to keep a straight face! Legend has it that, due to their uncontrollable laughter during filming of this notorious episode, GUY WILLIAMS and JUNE LOCKHART were written out of the next two episodes. (As this was the penultimate episode aired in the final season, this likely means that the episodes were not aired in the order in which they were shot, either that or that this report was incorrect!) JUNE LOCKHART recalled: "The script for the next show arrived... I could not believe what my eyeballs saw. The title was THE GREAT VEGETABLE REBELLION. We began shooting. I remember a scene in which GUY WILLIAMS and I, MARK GODDARD and ANGELA CARTWRIGHT were supposedly going single-file through a jungle-like area, overgrown with plants. Guy had a machete ( - doesn't every astronaut launch skyward with a machete?) and he hacked away at the thick greenery to clear a path. These were very sensitive plants, so each time he cut a branch or stalk, the script supervisor read the plant's dialogue - which would later be dubbed in. So "Hack! Cut! Hack!" "Ooh! Ow! Ouch!" Repeated many times. "These plants have feelings!" replied the script supervisor when Guy said, "What is THAT about!!?? What are you doing?" With the first "Ooh! Ow! Ouch!," we started giggling in our single-file, with heads down, trying to stifle and hide our laughs as we shuffled on! The "jungle" was made up of very valuable plants from the Nursery Department on the Fox back lot. The man who placed them on the set is called the greensman. It was his duty to guard, protect and make sure the plants weren't harmed in any way. So, when he realized Guy was cutting through the valuable plants, he charged across the stage at us and onto the set with both arms raised, yelling, "Don't hack my plants!!" So picture this: We have our hero, machete in hand, leading three actors, single-file, through clusters of greenery, accompanied by a male voice groaning, "Ooh-ow-ouch!" and a 20th Century Fox employee having a fit over the crop cutting. As we proceed, hoping smiles won't show, from the rafters high above, an enormous filthy, heavy hemp cargo net is dropped on us. This huge thing was the size of nets used by the Marines to board destroyers at sea!! We stood under it, unable to escape, still lined up single file, each of us with our chins buried on our chests - simply bouncing with laughter. Bear in mind, we were immobilized!! The thing weighed so much that we had to stand there under it, until a whole group of prop men gathered around and heaved it off of us. We were then cleaned up, and the makeup men wiped the tears of laughter, mixed with dirt, off our cheeks. And guess what? We got to do it again!! I thought it a remarkable example of good-humored professional sportsmanship and that not one of us said, "That's it! I'm not doing that anymore!" And in the next sequence, onto the set toddles JONATHAN HARRIS, splendid character actor that he is, wearing a head-to-toe celery stalk. And with him, STANLEY ADAMS, a most respected performer, wearing a huge (much taller than he) big fat carrot, with his round face covered in orange makeup, peering out of the center! I felt great sympathy for their discomfort, as the prop costumes completely restricted them. They look resigned. They looked "put upon." But wait! There's more!! We next start shooting the greenhouse scene. We four are being held captive by a "force field." ANGELA is lying on the floor of the greenhouse, her body having already taken "root." She is covered in vines, and I watch as she attempts to suppress her laughter. As Maureen, I try to comfort her in her leafy predicament. All of us are covered in "sweat", acting "hot" in the "humidity" of the greenhouse. In the scene, Guy and Mark decide to go to the basement to turn off the heating valves and cool the greenhouse. On the floor is a big trap door. It is perhaps 3 feet by 3 feet, which when lifted will presumably reveal to us actors only, a stairway down. The script calls for the two leading men to lift the door, which I will hold up until they have both climbed down, and I then lower the trap door to the floor. The camera is placed downstage so that all that is seen by the viewer is the full front side of the door as it is lifted from the floor to screen the actors descent. Why? Because the truth is that the door is lying flat on the sound stage floor - there are no steps, there is no cellar. Therefore, to indicate going down a stairway, Guy and Mark each have to bend their legs a little at a time, and pretend to be walking down a flight of stairs behind the door. In reality our two heroes, after waving goodbye for the descent, have to crawl off stage on their hands and knees and finally off the set on all fours, out of camera range. They did not look heroic. I must remain holding the door looking at the floor pretending to see straight down the non-existent flight of steps into the cellar, while out of the corner of my eye I can see MARK and GUY off stage on the floor, rolling around in hysterics!! I lower the door looking worried. Eventually I lift the door and they return, reversing the bent leg business, having fixed the humidity valve. In no time we are covered in lumps of artificial snow dumped from above. We "act" cold. By now we have all "lost it!" You know, giggling during a performance is absolutely one of the most unprofessional things a performer can do. It's worse than laughing in church. Even writing this, I laughed out loud as the memories return. But I must say that I am not sorry that I participated in the anarchy of laughter in this most ridiculous episode from LOST IN SPACE. Of course, during the shooting, none of us knew how upset management would be about that anarchy. We soon found out. IRWIN ALLEN disciplined GUY and me by writing us out of the next two episodes at full salary. What a hoot!! That capped the jollies of the episode as far as GUY and I were concerned. IRWIN ALLEN had tender feelings about his TV series. MARK GODDARD who "misbehaved" through it all with us, and has a wicked sense of humor, said that the only reason he wasn't written out is that they needed someone to drive the chariot in the subsequent episodes! Catch MARK in scenes as he turns away from camera, with his lips quivering and his eyes tearing up as he strives for control. It's delicious!! The writer, Peter Packer, has said he simply couldn't think of another thing to write when he wrote THE GREAT VEGETABLE REBELLION. And Don Richardson, the director of many of our episodes, said it was the worst one we ever did! And ever since, among cast and fans, and especially the press, it has been a subject of hilarity. Everyone knows it as a peak experience of preposterous television plotting. A thought strikes me. Do you think IRWIN ALLEN would now feel he had to discipline the worldwide audience because it laughs through the episode? I recently saw it again. THE GREAT VEGETABLE REBELLION was there on my TV set. And you know what? Still, yes still, I could not believe my eyeballs." In 1995, the Sci Fi Channel ran a salute to IRWIN ALLEN. In it, JONATHAN HARRIS was quoted as saying of THE GREAT VEGETABLE REBELLION episode: "Peter Packer, one of our best writers on Lost in Space, came to my dressing room one, day hiding something behind him. It was a script, in which he loathed to show or give me. I remember he said "This is pure crap, but I don't have another idea in my head. I was appalled after I read it. Talking carrots, celery (me), and various and assorted other horrors. But, we did it. Poor dear Peter, so talented. I got him a job on SPACE ACADEMY (1977 - 1979), as a story editor when I shot that series, and we remained friends until he passed away. The whole VEGETABLE fiasco remains in my memory as one horror after another. If memory serves, we had a llama in the cast who tried to bite me, and with whom I refused to act. TV series eat material, and it is difficult to get an Emmy™ winner each week. All things considered, LIS did extremely well most of the times. A llama and a carrot notwithstanding."   "I wouldn't recommend the dental plan on the show, but what a delicious cast!" Other reports have it that it wasn’t just the llama that was a “biter” on the series. In fact, during the previous (second) season, they were having problems with the chimp who played the Bloop. It kept biting everyone. So the trainer had the chimp's teeth taken out and replaced with dentures, but, even so, ALLEN had the Bloop axed! Except for stock footage at the beginning of the third season, the chimp was gone for good ( - it went on to toothless stardom in LANCELOT LINK SECRET CHIMP, 1970). ALLEN further decided, likely under the powerful influence of the recent cinematic fantasy blockbuster DOCTOR DOOLITTLE (1967), that a talking giraffe(!) should be added to the cast, but discovered it was too tall to fit into the shots with cast members, so he changed it to a talking kangaroo(!!), with no less than the voice of HERMIONE GINGOLD(!!!), but that was changed to a talking, purple llama(!!!!) - with the voice of the great actor, and IRWIN ALLEN PRODUCTIONS regular, RICHARD HAYDN (SITTING PRETTY (1948); FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON, 1962). Remember, it was 1968!  Smith and Willoughby the (non-biting) "llama" The llama (yes, a real llama) was painted purple and incorporated into the script of THE GREAT VEGETABLE REBELLION episode, and was supposed to permanently join the cast at the episode's end, onboard the Jupiter 2. However, as mentioned above, JONATHAN HARRIS was constantly attacked by the animal and refused to return to work unless the animal was banished. So that was that - the llama was out, and the part rewritten for human actor James Millhollin (who is cryptically listed in the credits as Willoughby the llama!), but, ultimately, he did not join the cast.  Tybo was played by actor and scriptwriter STANLEY ADAMS. ADAMS, with an extensive career in both television, as well as film ( - he appeared in the part of Rusty Trawler in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S, 1961) might also be remembered for playing the part of Cyrano Jones, the (loveable) rogue / swindling space trader of cute, but pesky furballs ("Wanna buy a Tribble?"), in the STAR TREK TOS ( - The Original Series) episode, THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES (1967), and reprised the role, providing the voice of Jones in the animated Star Trek series from the Filmation company. ADAMS, the scriptwriter, also co-wrote the Star Trek TOS episode THE MARK OF GIDEON (1969), with George F. Slavin. Mr. ADAMS passed away in 1977, at the tragically young age of 62. Prod Co: IRWIN ALLEN PRODUCTIONS. Prod: IRWIN ALLEN. Distr: 20th Century Fox Television. Dir: Don Richardson. Wr: Peter Packer. Mus: JOHNNY WILLIAMS. Costume Des: Paul Zastupnevich. Sp. FX: L.B. ABBOTT. Cast: GUY WILLIAMS, JUNE LOCKHART, MARK GODDARD, MARTA KRISTEN, BILL MUMY, ANGELA CARTWRIGHT, JONATHAN HARRIS, BOB MAY, DICK TUFELD. Guest Stars: STANLEY ADAMS, James Millhollin, Jeffrey Trayler. 50mins. RM Plus! the return of "Quickie Theatre", presenting: (1953)
 Oh yes, I guess we are being naughty again - this time running the condensed souped-up, cut-down version of what-you-just-read. But, let's face it, any amount of this stuff is still GOLD! And it fits the programme schedule. And - besides - we've run it complete in the past. (Wouldn't want to wear it out!) Astrophysicist John Putnam (Richard Carlson) and his fiancee, Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush), are "stargazing" in the Arizona desert ( - check out those Saguerro, ie. "Roadrunner", cactii!! - ), when they witness a ball of fire crashing to the Earth. Just before a landslide buries what appears to be a spaceship, a creature emerges and disappears into the darkness. Of course, when they tell their story to the authorities, they are met only with bemused skepticism. But, soon, strange things begin to happen. Local citizens - like the local telephone company linesmen (JOE SAWYER, RUSSELL JOHNSON) - begin to disappear, then return again, obviously being manipulated in some strange way, behaving strangely. And not only that, there seems to be an inexplicably high demand for "electrical equipment" down at the local hardware store. After a while, the sheriff becomes distrustful. He and his men check out the local mine. When Ellen vanishes, John races to somehow prevent a tragic confrontation from breaking out between the terrified townspeople and a party of stranded aliens from outer space, who have been discovered behind all the goings-on. Putnam sets out to reach a peaceful solution, and enters the starship to negotiate .... (Loosely) based on RAY BRADBURY's pulp novel THE METEORS, this alien-invasion classic is one of few (originally in) 3D movies that could hold its own even without the 3D gimmick, and - in terms of science fiction cinema-history - it cannot be overlooked. This film is one of a number of variants on the 'alien' theme made in the McCarthyist 'fifties. As in INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956), there are overtones of paranoia, as human beings are 'taken over', although here these fears are reassuringly assuaged. Whew! Prod Co: Universal Pictures Corporation. Prod: William Alland. Dir: JACK ARNOLD. Wr: Harry Essex. Ph: Clifford Stine. Mus: HENRY MANCINI, et al. Cast: Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, RUSSELL JOHNSON, JOE SAWYER. 8 mins. RM * SERGEANT
DEADHEAD, aka THE ASTRONUT (1965)
 Next up in our short season of vulgar comedies, we have this vastly-underrated beauty from the handsome stables of JAMES H. NICHOLSON and SAMUEL Z. ARKOFF’s American International Pictures – the veritable hallmark for classy populist entertainment! An army Sargeant is mistakenly sent into space, alongside a chimpanzee. When they return to Earth, after their orbit, it is discovered that the chimp has the brains of the astronaut, and the astronaut has the brains of the chimp! Ho Ho! Complications ensue! O.K. - so these types of comedies were tacky – really tacky. And, O.K. - so they are now hopelessly outdated. But, whatever you think of the "BEACH PARTY" movie genre - of which SARGEANT DEADHEAD is one of the official variant entries - they inarguably stand as a snapshot of a particularly unique period in American pop history. WILLIAM ASHER, the primary originator of the series, and the director of most of these films, described that “uniqueness” as the fact that “all the other movies about kids at the time were about bad kids. I wanted to make movies about good kids”. Perhaps that’s the case, but that really isn’t what made these films unique. And, forget the silly scripts and tacky acting: what made these movies the classic guilty pleasures they are is the fact they were MUSICALS! Yes, musicals. When BEACH PARTY was released in 1963, what made it stand out wasn’t the surfing, bikinis, or the boy/girl play. The GIDGET series had already been there and done that. Nor was it the cornball comedy - screwball activity featuring “kids” had started with the BOWERY BOYS fifteen years earlier. It was the fact these had been combined with POP MUSIC! Watch any of the Beach Party movies, and you’ll quickly notice that - between the cartoonish scripting and silly characters - every ten minutes or so, someone is breaking out into song. Not heavily-orchestrated love numbers, or elegantly-choreographed dance pieces - which is what movie musicals had previously been all about. Rather, the band is rocking out, and everyone on the beach, or in the club is immediately ‘fruggin along. It may seem silly now, but, four decades ago, that sort of “very-early-pop-video” was new, provocative and exciting to millions of American adolescents who sat watching it at their local Bijou or drive-in. On the surface of it, this attempt at a McHALE'S NAVY-(1962-1966)-ish military comedy may seem to lie outside the genre of hedonistic, teen-focused "surfer" musicals. However, on closer inspection, it becomes clear that it's quite closely related.   HARVEY LEMBECK EVE ARDEN In addition to starring Frankie Avalon and Deborah Walley, the cast also contains many other Beach Party "regulars" such as the great HARVEY LEMBECK, John Ashley, DONNA LOREN, BOBBI SHAW and BUSTER KEATON ( - Annette Funicello is notably absent from this list; the presumption is her simultaneous pregnancy/starring role in the filming of HOW TO STUFF A WILD BIKINI (1965) removed her availability, although at least one wag has opined "Annette had enough sense to stay out of this one"). This generally younger crowd is supported by a veritable galaxy of veteran comedy stars, including FRED CLARK, CAESAR ROMERO, GALE GORDON (Theodore J. Mooney, THE LUCY SHOW, 1962-1968), PAT BUTTRAM (Mr Eustace Charleton Haney, GREEN ACRES, 1965 - 1971), EVE ARDEN ( - ARDEN and GALE GORDON starred together in the OUR MISS BROOKS tv series), and with a special guest appearance by DWAYNE HICKMAN (DOBIE GILLIS, THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS, 1959-1963). The music is also "cloned", being scored by the great LES BAXTER, and full of songs composed by GUY HEMRIC and JERRY STYNER. Their imput does vary somewhat from the Beach Party ouvre, however - being more jazz/lounge oriented than that which they came up with for the Beach films ( with the exception of a single DONNA LOREN solo piece, no rock/pop guitar numbers here, but lots of burlesque-y sax and string bass). To put things into marketing terms, this movie was an attempt by AIP to "leverage" existing stars and musical resources into a "brand extension" of their mid-1960s core competency, which was "wacky comedies, featuring music". This time around, the theme is changed to attempt to appeal to a broader audience (not just teens - the heavy emphasis on those older "guest stars" in the cast suggests that adults were also a target market for this film). Unfortunately, a viewing suggests, and history confirms that this strategy was a well-intentioned, but flawed one. The film does indeed hold some interest from a musical perspective, however. HEMRIC and STYNER show their breadth with some fun ensemble numbers, and DONNA LOREN displays a different, darker side of her personality as a flaming torch singer. Wow! After a silly opening segment, the W.A.F.S. (Women's Air Force Service) drill on the parade grounds, forcing Frankie Avalon (Deadhead) off to the guardhouse as they sing HURRY UP AND WAIT. It's a pure (and generally forgettable) military march piece, which runs under the main titles.  Deborah WalleyThe primary storyline here involves Lucy (Deborah Walley), a Colonel chasing and trying to finally marry Sergeant Deadhead (Avalon). Her frustrated attempts to find closure in the relationship are articulated in HOW CAN YOU TELL? - a mid-tempo ensemble ballad, set in the women's barracks at bedtime. The number is cute, primarily because of the choreography and camerawork; it consists of close-ups of a series of singers, who each get their own flashlight and solo verse.  The WAFSget surprised in the shower: (l-r): unidentified actress, Donna Loren, Deborah Walley Things start with DONNA LOREN ( - who actually has a few lines of dialogue in this film! -), playing "Susan", who then hands things over to Deborah Walley ( - who does an acceptable job, her voice is a little thin, but she stays in key - ), followed by an unnamed brunette. All three then sing a verse, followed by an unnamed blond, and, then, surprisingly, BOBBI SHAW. BOBBI is striking here, for not only does she glow in the soft lighting, but she has a confident, absolutely beautiful sorprano ( - AIP definitely missed an opportunity by not having BOBBI sing more during her short career at the studio). Deborah Walley then does another verse, followed by yet another unnamed brunette, with the piece closing with a Walley solo, after a full group chorus. After a whole lotta plot passes by, involving brief cameos by DWAYNE HICKMAN, HARVEY LEMBECK and an almost unrecognizable John Ashley - as well as the (interesting) sight of Frankie Avalon chasing a shrieking DONNA LOREN - we're back in the W.A.F.S. barracks again. Here we encounter Lieutenant Kinsey (ah-huh!), the non-commissioned female officer in charge of the W.A.F.S. ( - a rarity in the real military of 1965, but, nonetheless, cast, and played - fabulously - by the wonderful EVE ARDEN - ), explaining to Lucy - in the burlesque-y YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY - just how difficult it is to get a guy to the altar. This is indeed a hokey piece, to say the least, but ARDEN showed what a trooper she was by doing a great job in building it into a pretty good "vintage song and dance gal" routine. (Things also benefit from the addition of some brief, but entertaining cheesecake choreography in the showers, near the end of the number!)  After Avalon and Walley finally manage to get married, we cut to a big urban hotel (in some un-named location) - the site of the wedding reception. As we enter it, the music suddenly takes a dramatic turn, as DONNA LOREN struts onto the stage, backed by a throbbing combo, where we are treated to what can only be described as a striking performance of a powerful, punchy mid-tempo soul ballad called TWO TIMIN' ANGEL, one of the best ever authored by the Styner/Hemric team! If this one don’t set you back on your heels and going WOW! then you are officially DEAD! DONNA isn't her usual smiling, cute self here; rather, she plays the sullen torch singer, one who morosely tosses her head, and throws piercing glances into the audience. Her performance during the song builds and builds, to the extent that, by the end, DONNA literally seems like she's in a trance. As usual, her vocals during the entire piece are perfection, in fact, so much so that - combined with her striking, dark looks - one gets truly wistful watching this ( - in the "if-only-this-career-had-gone-further" context); the performance here leaves one fantasizing about what a true pop diva Loren could have become, had things been otherwise. For many, this number will undoubtedly be the highlight of the film, and well worth the wait for it's appearance! ...sigh...well, back to reality. The movie continues with a long "honeymoon" segment, which includes a jazzy seduction duet, LET'S PLAY LOVE. This number is choreographed in "ping-pong" mode, starting with Deborah Walley provocatively singing to Avalon.  Walley really demonstrates her competency as an assertive seductress here, literally plastering herself all over Frankie as she turns the heat up. Things switch when Avalon's other character ( - the real Deadhead - remember Frankie is playing dual roles in this film - ) returns, with him taking over the dominant part in the number. Walley eventually joins in, and both pick up the tempo and pace, ending the number in an embrace, as they disappear behind a sofa. However, their lovemaking is abruptly interrupted when the top brass arrive and announce the couple has to rush off to Washington to meet The President ( - Deadhead had inadvertently become a hero of the US Space Program). Once they arrive in Washington, they are loaded into a limo, and - on the way to the White House - we hear Frankie perform the last number in the film, THE DIFFERENCE IN ME IS YOU. This is a traditional lounge-type ballad, which ties directly into Avalon's core style, so his performance here is actually rather engaging. The whole song consists of a close-up of him holding Walley, and the nonverbal interplay between the couple here suggests these two "clicked" as scripted love-interests with a lot more spark than the Funicello/Avalon pairing ever did. That may be partly due to Walley; even though she doesn't say a word during this number, she's such an incredibly photogenic ingénue that one can almost feel the sincerity in the love lyrics Avalon is singing. The film wraps up after an amusing Oval Office sequence, featuring a great LBJ (Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States) impression by PAT BUTTRAM - who has his back to the camera the whole time, but, who, from the rear, looks uncannily like Johnson - and sure sounds like him too!) Prod Co: American International Pictures. Prod: SAMUEL Z. ARKOFF, JAMES H. NICHOLSON. Dir: Norman Taurog. Wr: Louis M. Heyward. Mus: LES BAXTER. Phot: FLOYD CROSBY. Cast: Frankie Avalon, Deborah Walley, EVE ARDEN, CAESAR ROMERO, FRED CLARK, GORDON, HARVEY LEMBECK, BUSTER KEATON, Reginald Gardiner, PAT BUTTRAM, DONNA LOREN, DWAYNE HICKMAN. 93 mins. RM Minor programme changes may occur due to unforseen circumstances. Feature runs last; shorts order may vary from listing. * Acknowledging ACMI Inc. & National Film and Sound Archive ;) *  ************ ********* ********* ********* ADMISSION IS RESTRICTED TO MEMBERS FOR THIS PROGRAMME THIS IS A FILM SOCIETY SCREENING OPEN TO MEMBERS
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