Film Flashback May 29, 1975

If you were in the mood for a trio of biker films back on May 29, 1975 then Murfreesboro, Tennessee would have been the place to be. The Marbro Drive-In has Angels Die Hard, Bury Me An Angel, and Angels Hard As They Come on the marquee. I'm not going into the summaries of these movies. They are biker flicks. There's leather and violence, but most of all there's motorcycles. Bury Me An Angel is interesting since it is told from the woman's perspective and Jonathan Demme co-wrote and produced Angels Hard As They Come.

Angels Die Hard trailer

Bury Me Angel trailer

Angels Hard As They Come opening credits

The Martin Twin in Jackson Heights Plaza has a couple of oddball entries this day. Death Race 2000 would become a drive in staple after its run in regular movie houses. It's a Roger Corman produced dystopian vision of a world in which the greatest sport is running people over and its greatest champion is named Frankenstein. The movie is ridiculous, over the top, and lots of fun if you like bleak humor. Sylvester Stallone is part of the cast with the very cool Mary Woronov and star David Carradine. 

Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins stars Alan Arkin, Sally Kellerman, Mackenzie Phillips, Charles Martin Smith, and Harry Dean Stanton among others. Arkin plays driving instructor Rafferty with Kellerman and Mackenzie playing the Gold Dust Twins McKinley and Frisbee who kidnap him. He goes rather willingly with them to New Orleans. It's a quirky counter culture road trip film very much of the era. I saw it on TCM a few years back and thought it was okay. 

Death Race 2000 trailer

Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins trailer

Young Frankenstein is playing at the Cinema One. It would play at Cinema One, Martin Twin, and the Marbro Drive In at various times over the years. This was a huge hit for Mel Brooks. Gene Wilder is dynamite - I love Teri Garr "roll in the hay" - Madeline Kahn is divine - Marty Feldman makes a great Igor - Cloris Leachman is frightening - but the big star is the monster played by Peter Boyle. It's such a well crafted comedy with an obvious love of the original Frankenstein movies that you can watch it over and over again and find something new to love each time. Murfreesboro definitely loved it.

Young Frankenstein trailer