THE BEATNIKS (1960)

 Since I don't think you could really consider anyone in this movie a beatnik of any sort the title is a just a tad misleading. The plot actually deals with a group of street hoodlums/petty thieves who, after robbing a convenience store, happen to run into a talent agent who offers the gang leader(Tony Travis) a shot at becoming a pop star. The film is pretty clunky(like for example; why does this producer guy offer this piece of shit hoodlum anything after he just smashed into his car?) but moves along at a brisk enough pace that it still works as an entertaining look at 50s juvenile delinquents. My favorite character, who only appears briefly, is the old lady owner of a craphole diner named "Mama" who possesses the most cartoonish accent I've possibly ever heard. The original working title was SIDEBURNS AND SYMPATHY which is a lot more accurate. Give it a watch for some old-timey knife fights, Sinatra-esque crooning, and various 50s hooligan shenanigans. The director of this "raging teenagers in their 30s" epic was Paul Frees who is most well known for being a voice actor in tons of animated stuff and maybe most importantly on THE BANANA SPLITS program. This would be his only directing job which is kind of a shame because he certainly had that exploitation movie feel down.

"Revealing as it holds the answers to the beatnik questions all America is asking!":



 

THE WILD RIDE (1960)

 
 A young Jack Nicholson stars here as a beatniky leader of a gang of juvenile delinquents.  He spends his time racing hot-rods, playing chicken with cars(and a motorcycle cop who he ends up killing), dumping an older married woman who's been having an affair with him and being an all around bully(or "top stud" as he's called over and over) to his gang of followers.  It all ends in tragedy and heartbreak and old people have their view of the horror of young people reinforced once again.  This is a pretty standard J.D. film that coulda came out in the 50's and probably seemed dated a few years after it was released.  Some of the weird slang is cool to hear today though.       
 Strangely enough I own this on a biker movie DVD triple feature disc and there's no bikes or bikers anywhere to be seen.    
 This is a black & white film but there's a newer colorized version of this titled VELOCITY which has some modern wraparound scenes added where a guy(who is supposed to be Nicholson) is talking about his youth and then it flashes back to the real movie.  I haven't seen that version but I've read that it's pretty awful. 

NIGHT TIDE (1961)

 When I first attempted to view this movie, featuring a young Dennis Hopper, on a cheap-o DVD it was instantly sleep-inducing so I always assumed it was terrible but having now seen it all on a big screen the way God intended I can truthfully say that I don't think this movie is very good.  The acting is awful, it's horribly-paced, it's barely a horror film and the conclusion raises more questions than it answers.  It's kinda like if someone took a classic like CAT PEOPLE or CARNIVAL OF SOULS and did a really clunky version of them.  The story concerns a woman who may or may not be a mermaid that Hopper falls in love with(this part, of course, was reminiscent of SPLASH except it's not a comedy) and then some slighty horror-movie-ish themes are thrown in where our sea-lady might be a killer and/or monster.  I will say though that the movie at least has some historical significance and is probably worth at least seeing once since it's Hopper's first starring role

THE BLOODY BROOD (1959)

 If you wanna see a young Peter Falk, best known as the star of COLUMBO, as a leader of a group of beatniks who end up involved in a murder this is the film for you.  Unfortunately this movie is a little short on the wild and crazy beatnik violence promised on the poster(there's really only one guy dying from having glass put in his hamburger and a final brawl)  and it's longer on the dramatic scenes when it switches to our murder victim's brother looking for the killer.  This movie is overall pretty forgettable and I can see why no one ever brings it up when discussing Falk's career.  There is some snazzy hep-cat dialogue though so at least that's something.

"Wake up man, will ya?  You're buggin' the tom-toms!":

A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1959)

 Dick Millers greatest role?  Probably.  I mean out of the tons of things he's been in he wasn't really the star of many things I can think of.  This AIP studios classic, directed by b-movie great Roger Corman, is a simple story of a schlub named Walter Paisley(Miller) whose life sucks.  Who can't relate to that?  Our sympathy shifts though after he starts murdering people for his artwork which makes him popular but ultimately seals his doom.  I guess the lesson is don't try to please the popular people because they're mostly jackasses anyway.  At least that's the way I see it.  This would be a pretty nihilistic movie it it wasn't done in such a lighthearted goofy way.  Silly beat-nicks, retarded poetry, bad art jazz man.  It all adds up to good times.  Look for it on some cheap-ass DVD label near you or for free online. Miller went on to use the Paisley name in a few other flicks as well. This was HG Lewis' inspiration for COLOR ME BLOOD RED which is one of Lewis' worst movies so stick with this one.

Come to the land of living dreams?:

 

It's true, life really is an obscure hobo bumming a ride on the omnibus of art: