cult film freak: allan arkush

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Written by James M. Tate / 8/27/2025 / No comments / allan arkush , clint howard , comedy , concert , dey young , dick miller , exploitation , high school , joe dante , mary woronov , pj soles , roger corman , seventies , vincent van patten

ROGER CORMAN/THE RAMONES PRESENT 'ROCK N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL'

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrO-0Rj_0x-EM6rtRSacu1pdgSkCOJKXO5RemHOdS2htUCO-aQEg2Dx_ZNStluf9SLxKax2isCI4LQ8cg7PmwHQ0ro6zrswtlnEfer1c08B17Ga6X5y5SLlvL-g2A_Ez_Q27hY7waIddNeNsDVZBBwOGXHiCV3VRPwhsP26V4ZN3puayVkNRimfB0djMdD/s1280/maxresdefault%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrO-0Rj_0x-EM6rtRSacu1pdgSkCOJKXO5RemHOdS2htUCO-aQEg2Dx_ZNStluf9SLxKax2isCI4LQ8cg7PmwHQ0ro6zrswtlnEfer1c08B17Ga6X5y5SLlvL-g2A_Ez_Q27hY7waIddNeNsDVZBBwOGXHiCV3VRPwhsP26V4ZN3puayVkNRimfB0djMdD/s16000/maxresdefault%202.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Marla Rosenfield with </u><u>PJ Soles and Chris Somma in Rock N Roll High School Year: 1979 Rates: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Hard Rock Bands like Cheap Trick and Van Halen were originally considered as the muse for the Roger Corman production ROCK N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL, directed by former Fillmore lightshow operator Allan Arkush... </p><p></p><p>And had the scene where a stoned PJ Soles as hyperactive/always-optimistic mega-fan Riff Randall... imagining punk-pioneers The Ramones in her album-adorned bedroom... instead involved randy crooners Robin Zander or David Lee Roth, it would probably be an instant sex scene or all-out attack... <br></p><p><span></span></p>

allan arkush, clint howard, comedy, concert, dey young, dick miller, exploitation, high school, joe dante, mary woronov, pj soles, roger corman, seventies, vincent van patten

ROGER CORMAN/THE RAMONES PRESENT 'ROCK N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL'

Marla Rosenfield with PJ Soles and Chris Somma in Rock N Roll High School Year: 1979 Rates: **** Hard Rock Bands like Cheap Trick and Van Ha...

DAVID CARRADINE WITH CLAUDIA JENNINGS IN 'DEATHSPORT'

<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6sxwfw2CTTnfaMoY9LVfgrKYVLxU5tgO0nBJCQBTCAHqTQYisGN7F33-1BJ2ng7AaGBm49m3VTpxIZdjvO_Q9IuW918Bo-g8fgxvpW99OF4JZcAwOs-xboLBtkC-vIWaBoz-h11CgEL1znWaE5UNsTSg4XmD4Y0Qul4cVvOmQf7GfGEVL1IA2GjfKYp3/s1486/Screen%20Shot%202025-08-26%20at%203.30.37%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="1486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6sxwfw2CTTnfaMoY9LVfgrKYVLxU5tgO0nBJCQBTCAHqTQYisGN7F33-1BJ2ng7AaGBm49m3VTpxIZdjvO_Q9IuW918Bo-g8fgxvpW99OF4JZcAwOs-xboLBtkC-vIWaBoz-h11CgEL1znWaE5UNsTSg4XmD4Y0Qul4cVvOmQf7GfGEVL1IA2GjfKYp3/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202025-08-26%20at%203.30.37%20PM.png"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: DEATHSPORT Year: 1978 Rating: **1/2  Grade: C—</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In the Roger Corman production DEATHSPORT, featuring a matte-painting used in the Corman-produced hit <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2025/08/DR2000.html">DEATH RACE 2000</a> now representing a Roman Colosseum facing the titular dirt-bike battle straight from the gladiator sub-genre... but that only happens for a relatively short time...<br><br>What this super-low-budget post-apocalyptic science-fiction adventure really entails... beyond caveman-clad David Carradine and sporadically-naked Claudia Jennings as primitively-enlightened heroes battling both Fascist upstart Richard Lynch and various desert-dwelling cannibals... are sound effects seeming straight out of the previous years' blockbuster STAR WARS...</p><p><span></span></p>

adventure, allan arkush, claudia jennings, david carradine, david mclean, exploitation, post-apocalyptic, richard lynch, roger corman, seventies, will walker, william smithers

DAVID CARRADINE WITH CLAUDIA JENNINGS IN 'DEATHSPORT'

Title: DEATHSPORT Year: 1978 Rating: **1/2 Grade: C— In the Roger Corman production DEATHSPORT, featuring a matte-painting used in the Corm...

CANDICE RIALSON & MARY WORONOV IN 'HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD'

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5YqVhJv8xRBEq4V8b3lc_LiDPaHWisVQUzbcn3QT8KiG_2_-OAuaBFk-CvkYqnAGQCRxLlDY1mR_oKABgULuR1bvGBme2nFl1N_FkepvsCKM_XmhHOMWqsPidnOcckbj8HvrOBupIP-TVpAfOBZTrBOZSaOv1CCZVIcw_JQ8zvhslerwAr_pyc6jIAR6/s1054/Screen%20Shot%202025-08-25%20at%2010.05.02%20AM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="1054" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5YqVhJv8xRBEq4V8b3lc_LiDPaHWisVQUzbcn3QT8KiG_2_-OAuaBFk-CvkYqnAGQCRxLlDY1mR_oKABgULuR1bvGBme2nFl1N_FkepvsCKM_XmhHOMWqsPidnOcckbj8HvrOBupIP-TVpAfOBZTrBOZSaOv1CCZVIcw_JQ8zvhslerwAr_pyc6jIAR6/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202025-08-25%20at%2010.05.02%20AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD Year: 1976 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Directors Joe Dante and Allan Arkush, who made PIRANHA (Dante) and ROCK N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL (Arkush) for schlock producer Roger Corman had free reign of his previous stock footage ranging from roller derby to guerilla war, with leftover props from Godzilla to Classic Gangster to this movie's fictional producer Paul Bartel's DEATH RACE 2000 in a fun mash-up of horror, thriller, camp comedy and dark comedy... <br><br>Where Los Angeles newcomer/aspiring actress Candice Rialson's name-changed (by agent Dick Miller) Candy Wednesday meets busy scriptwriter (and JAWS deputy) Jeffrey Kramer, working on several low-budget movies providing his new girlfriend leading roles...<br></p><p><span></span></p>

alan arkush, allan arkush, candice rialson, dick miller, exploitation, jeffrey kramer, joe dante, john kramer, mary woronov, paul bartel, rita george, roger corman, seventies, tara strohmeier

CANDICE RIALSON & MARY WORONOV IN 'HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD'

Title: HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD Year: 1976 Rating: ***1/2 Directors Joe Dante and Allan Arkush, who made PIRANHA (Dante) and ROCK N ROLL HIGH SCH...

TOASTING NEW YEARS WITH NEW YEARS PARTY FLICK 'GET CRAZY'

<p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCbks5HNHsh7VuJbK-jIxPj9WX46HR4XnzuHUaGEhx85J9PeU0e4mG9BlrJQIuod1Xd75A2bYU64TxMaFutbRTZWp0ck3R0rP3xLg1SUyNPBu78HqY_Ylc93Vh1pRMFm3BCDk130pvzqh8YnJSxgzogaCUAEu7ow8TUaIuVcRHq6SPgyJldjzxFC6kFw7/s1406/Screen%20Shot%202025-08-30%20at%207.45.58%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="1406" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCbks5HNHsh7VuJbK-jIxPj9WX46HR4XnzuHUaGEhx85J9PeU0e4mG9BlrJQIuod1Xd75A2bYU64TxMaFutbRTZWp0ck3R0rP3xLg1SUyNPBu78HqY_Ylc93Vh1pRMFm3BCDk130pvzqh8YnJSxgzogaCUAEu7ow8TUaIuVcRHq6SPgyJldjzxFC6kFw7/w400-h295/Screen%20Shot%202025-08-30%20at%207.45.58%20PM.png" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: GET CRAZY Year: 1983 Rating: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The <i>Stoned Out</i> trope from EASY RIDER to BREAKFAST CLUB overdoses in Alan Arkush's GET CRAZY where drugs allow the characters to miraculously
 change their ways: Not like there's any doubt things wouldn't have turned
out perfectly for Bill Graham-inspired Max Wolfe (Allen Garfield), preparing for his club's New Year's 15-year 
anniversary concert with acts from blues-man Bill 
Henderson to campy anthem-rocker Malcolm McDowell's Reggie Wanker, 
who, living up to his last name and high on groovy juice provided by a 
magical drug dealer, talks to his own... wanker... <br></p><p>Meanwhile, club managers Daniel Stern and Gail 
Edwards almost amount to a romance but there's so much ongoing music and
 old style physical comedy exploding in every direction, no real plots 
can bother with GET CRAZY: Mixing an eclectic ensemble also including 
McDowell's hot Swedish girlfriend Anna Bjorn, crooked mogul Ed Begley Jr. trying to
 purchase the club using the owner's selfish nephew while Lou Reed walks the streets thinking up a comeback song, Lee Ving 
stage dives and Stern's gorgeous little sister Stacey Nelkin's dying to 
meet a rock star, any rock star that, again... comes to nothing but 
noise: And perhaps that's deliberate in a fantasy-infused rock-comedy attempting 1960's legendary-free-form raunchiness in the glossy-slapstick 1980's by way of 1970's cult movie cameo-loaded frenzy... which is kind of a shame since the central characters have potential to stretch beyond the surrounding shenanigans. <br></p>