Just for the Hell of It/Blast-Off Girls

(note: the below review is strictly for 'Just For The Hell Of It')

H.G. Lewis was on quite a roll in the late 60's... In fact, he directed
11 films (!) in '67 and '68. I realize that Lewis has his share of
detractors. Many consider him a no talent hack who relentlessly
regurgitated disposable entertainment at a disturbingly prodigious rate
during the mid-to-late 60's. They often bemoan the nailed-down camera
work, wooden acting, and ridiculous situations depicted on screen.
Interestingly, these are the exact elements that make Mr. Lewis's films
so endearing to me...

When I watch movies, I do so for two main reasons. Either I want to be
entertained and amused; or I want be pulled out of my comfort zone, and
placed in a mental area in which I am forced to think about and ponder
various facets of life. This film entertains in a big way. In fact,
most H.G. Lewis films never fail to entertain me and bring a big smile
to my face...

Mr. Lewis is best know as being the Godfather of Gore. Not many
film-goers realize that Mr. Lewis was an incredibly versatile movie
making machine; dipping into children's films, morality tales,
hillbilly musical comedies, juvenile delinquent tales, nudies,
roughies, and other assorted ephemera...

'Just For The Hell Of It' is H.G. Lewis's juvenile delinquent
masterpiece. These are some bad kids...

The film starts out with a bang, and within 45 seconds a reckless
groups of youths can be found laying waste to and completely trashing a
house. These bad boys (and girl) are led by Ray Sager(as Dexter). The
entire film is dedicated to the exploits of Dexter and company, as they
terrorize a town and it's inhabitants. The pranks and mischief start
out relatively harmlessly (setting newspapers on fire, dousing citizens
with water, destroying laundry, trashing a restaurant), become more
bizarre and off-color (putting a baby in a trash can, beating a blind
man with his own cane), and of course become very malicious (gang rape
and murder)...

I really enjoyed this film quite a bit. With subsequent viewings, it
has never ceased to put a smile on my face. I also liked that Mr. Lewis
didn't try to justify or explain the actions of the rowdy youth- they
did it all 'Just For The Hell Of It'.... they did it for the kicks...
In fact, You should watch this highly entertaining piece of nostalgia
for the same reason...

It was great, for Lewis. However, it was Steve White who wrote the tunes, was the lead singer of the opening act...in 'Blast off Girls' and was the evilest person (Denny Fortune)in 'Just for the Hell of it', we ever saw in a movie by Lewis. Ralph Mullen and Tom Tyrell weren't in those movies for 5 minutes. He (Steve)was in both movies on the same combo video and they (Amazon and Something weird video) do not give him enough credit, because of his original deal, with Jimmy Maslon ( owner of the distribution rights) and his (Steves) marching, at the time, to end the Viet Nam war. He also marched with Martin to assist the situation then also, IN SELMA. I, as others, have the pictures. They (Amazon)also screwed him out of credit on FOOD'S FOREVER IS A DREAM, the lead singer and wrote most the tunes, also sold on this site. Any purchaseable copy writers out there?.......yes. Appreciate pure talent and evil, or meet it and not make money off it.

The first thing you need to know is that you had better have a full stomach when you press "Let's Go to the Drive-in!" and start this DVD double-feature from the gang at Something Weird, because you are going to be assaulted with several minutes of drive in ads for the concession stand. It is hard to sit there during the countdown to show time when it clearly "time to stretch and fetch." Then we get trailers for the first feature, "Just for the Hell Of It" along with "Suburban Roulette" ("Russian Roulette played for flesh"), "The Gore Gore Girls" (scenes too brutal to be seen so they pour blood on the title cards), "The Psychic" (he could have used his power to better the world but guess what he used it to do instead), and the label's flagship film "Something Weird" ("where love and violence have the same meaning"). One thing for these trailers, they really do set you up to want to watch some exploitation cinema. The bad news is that both of the feature films are from director Herschell Gordon Lewis, and they make the intermission material the best bits on this DVD.

Then we are suddenly into the first movie as a group of laughing teenagers destroy the room in which they are having a party. Just when you are wondering what is going on the title "Just for the Hell Of It" appears and you have both the theme and the motivation for this 1968 film. These wacky kids like bad rock music as long as it is played with great enthusiasm. You can tell they are a gang because one guy has a switchblade. Dexter (Ray Sager), the leader of the gang has nice things to say about Doug (Rodney Bedell), even though the guy is a bit of a square. But that does not mean that the gang will not go around town terrorizing the citizens (try to read a newspaper and then light it on fire). Of course, the cops cannot do anything and these "damn kids" are mostly doing things that junior high students would consider juvenile or at least stupid and silly (tear up a magazine someone is reading). But the idea is apparently this gang can walk around town and do whatever they want: they just cannot come up with anything intelligent crimes to commit.

Meanwhile, Doug has a new girl Jeannie (Agi Gyenes) and has to fight one of the young thugs. Then we get another set destroyed by the gang. Eventually they talk four young girls into coming to another party where they decide to strip the girls and leave them in the country wearing towels. Then they break up a baseball game a bunch of kids are playing, which is where Doug comes back into the story and stats the obvious, that these guys are pretty lame always picking on kids and anyone weaker than they are. At this point things really derail because the cops get involved and make things worse. No wonder the whole thing makes Jeannie sick, especially when we get to the wimpiest pool game in the history of juvenile delinquency. These guys are real idiots. They find a couple on a beach, they knock him out, tear off her bikini top and then, finding an ax on the beach, they destroy a rowboat. Ah, the insanity of it all, especially when they keep playing the theme song of the movie in an effort to get their money's worth. So when things finally do turn ugly, it just seems so tacky, as does the ending (assuming it really is the ending and there is not film missing).

Then we are promised the birth of babies (if you feel like you are going to pass out send somebody out to the snack bar to provide you with aid) but instead we get a lecture on "sexual ignorance" (usually the fault of the man) by some guy who was on the "Tonight Show" and who also knows about juvenile delinquency. But tonight he is talking just about sex and you had better be prepared for a frank discussion of this topic even if it is couched in slightly outdated vocabulary because this is the highlight of this DVD. If you want to get either "Knowledge for Men" or "Knowledge for Women" (or both) in the privacy of your own car, just turn your parking lights on. Then there is a Peter Max inspired Pepsi ad for Refreshment time and a bunch more of those tantalizing food ads and assorted bits before the second feature.

Finally, before the second feature there is a short featuring Linda and Michelle go-go dancing with much enthusiasm and trailers for more films by Lewis. There is the next feature, "Blast-off Girls, then "This Stuff'll Kill You," a movie about a crazy man of the cloth which seems to be going out of its way to insult the citizens of the Bible Belt, then the computer picks a candidate in "The Year of the Yahoo," about the singer picked to be a senator, and we end with "The Alley Tramp," which "graphically portays the explosion of a woman."

The only good thing about "Blast-off Girls" is that we are promised an appearance by Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Friend Chicken and the man himself does indeed show up to take care of product placement. The titular females are Sherri Lane, Sharon Camile, Ann Heath, Julie Ames, Vicki Tenerelli, Sorasue Gless, and Barbara Harrison. The only problem is that they are really minor characters in this film, which is about a struggling band, the Big Blast, as they deal with a corrupt music industry (and the fact that their music is pretty bad). The band is not drawing big so the solution is to have these go-go dancers jump on stage and try to rip their clothes off (the band, not the go-go dancers, so you can see that being disappointed is inevitable). This is a movie where when a woman tosses her towel to a man, the gentleman wags his finger at the camera and throws the towel over the lens.

This 1967 film stars Dan Conway as Boojie Baker the crooked manager and Ray Sager as Gordiea as his stupid henchman. Playing the Big Blast are a Chicago garage band, the Faded Blue, which consists of Tom Tyrell, Ron Liace, Dennis Hickey, Chris Wolski, and Ralph Mullin. Musically the group strikes me as a cross between the Dave Clark Five and the Doors, and neither or those references is meant in a good way. Just think of this lame film as "Help!" Or "Head" or even "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" as done by a group without recognizable music talent whose acting talent is almost to the level of beginning high school students.

Both of these movies rate two stars and are so bad that not even the DVD extras can inspire me to give the DVD a higher rating. You can end the evening by cleansing your palette and checking out the Gallery of Drive-In Exploitation Art with Trash-O-Rama Radio-Spot Rarities, the audio portion of which consists entirely of the barker for the Skyline Drive-In theater in Greenville, South Carolina (where they will have the criminally insane displayed in cages for the safety of their patrons), promoting the concession stand and talking up coming attractions. Next week we are back to a pair of gruesome horror flicks from the golden age of drive-in fright fests with the double-feature of "Screaming Skull" and "The Werewolf vs. Vampire Woman." Remember to put that speaker back on the post before your leave (or you will be prosecuted and pay a $50 fine).

Blast-Off Girls, a little known art film that spins the web of a music promoter's need for power, delivers in true Americana fashion. Finally on DVD, true Athenian irony presents itself as a rock promoter tries to steer the career of an up and coming rock & roll band. The cane wielding promoter's intent readily unveils itself. He merely wants control and loyalty above everything else, even above his wallet. Rumored by Guajardian literary critic Miguel Hansoo to be the work that inspired Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here." Whether that be the case or not, this film is worth viewing simply for a cameo by American fast-food icon Colonel Sanders, in which he proudly clucks ", OooEEEEEEE! We DO serve fried chicken!" The band in the movie plays an improvised concert for Sanders in exchange for a bucket of chicken. Read into this apparent comedy relief closely though; Sanders places the bucket of chicken before the boy band whilst they play, then dances a step or two away from their performance. The Colonel may have done some ad-lib here to make a subtle declaration: that the free exchange of old school culinary treasure for modern day subversive rock music results in an unbreakable union that thwarts the possible resurrection of McCarthy like tactics that nearly destroyed the great Artisans of the USA. The contributions this underrated gem possesses is worth the price. Some may write this off as just another B-Movie, but look closely and you will find so much more.