Summer Movie Releases of 1975

The summer of 1975. The year when everything changed not only for me personally but for the film industry in general. Early in the year I had watched The Towering Inferno with my mouth agape, watching people fighting to survive while a high-rise building burned out of control. For three solid hours I sat there and watched without a single visit to the bathroom (which was amazing considering I was a three visit boy for a 90 minute movie) and I was hooked. From then on I would be eager to see movies - any movie that struck my fancy. The summer of 1975 was my true movie initiation and I ate it up.

For the film industry one movie changed everything that summer. A movie came out that was so popular it was the first to gross $100 million and would play from its summer opening all the way until Christmas where the film would find new life in second run opening at more suburban theaters. From then on the summer blockbuster was a goal to be reached and each summer there were plenty of candidates though few ever achieved that status.

In 1975 movie palaces were on the decline but still operating. Some were still even showing their first run releases on an exclusive basis. But more and more suburban mall theaters were getting the same first run films and since there were so many being released these theaters were either building three-four screen theaters or original singles were being cut into two and three theaters while drive-ins continued to thrive.

With so many screens available it should come as no surprise that thirty-six movies would open that summer. What is surprising is that only three of those movies were made for kids/families (two of them, not surprisingly, coming from Walt Disney). With the blaxploitation genre at its height it is no surprise that there were five films in this list with either all African American casts or African Americans in the lead roles. Eight of the movies listed would be remembered at Academy Award time and, more impressively, two of those eight would make the top five in the Best Picture category.

Here are the summer movies of 1975. As an active moviegoer then I remember many of them quite well. I hope you do as well and that they bring back as fond of memories for you as they did for me. As usual the movies are listed in alphabetical order.

ALOHA, BOBBY AND ROSE (Columbia; Director - Floyd Mutrux) Yet another B-movie drive-in release that clicked with audiences was this adventure drama starring Paul LeMat as an auto mechanic who unexpectedly gets involved in a crime and has to go on the run with his girlfriend in tow. As is usual with these type of films the critics were not kind but it was a solid hit.

THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG (Walt Disney; Director - Norman Tokar) Disney comedy with gambler Bill Bixby unexpectedly inheriting three orphans who happen to know the location of buried treasure. Don Knotts and Tim Conway co-star as bumbling crooks trying to exact the location from the children. As expected critics were not kind to the film but it was a solid box office hit.

BEYOND THE DOOR (Film Ventures International; Director - Ovidio Assonitis) Juliet Mills stars as a woman who becomes impregnated with the child of the devil in this Italian made rip-off of The Exorcist that included head spinning and spitting green pea soup. So closely this film resembles the classic that Warner Bros. sued in an attempt to stop this film's release. Despite tepid reviews this film scored solidly with audiences at the box office.

BITE THE BULLET (Columbia; Director - Richard Brooks) Brooks, who created one of the best Westerns of the 1960's with The Professionals returns to try and re-ignite the dying genre with this exciting adventure about the participants of a grueling 700-mile horse race at the turn of the century as they fight to win the big prize and get to know one another. The strong cast includes Gene Hackman, James Coburn, Ben Johnson, Candice Bergen and Jan-Michael Vincent all delivering terrific performances. Despite mostly glowing reviews audiences simply stayed away thus making the Western an even more endangered species. The film would be nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Score and Sound.

BREAKOUT (Columbia; Director - Tom Gries) Charles Bronson stars in this action adventure about a pilot hired by a woman to break her husband (Robert Duvall) out of a Mexican prison where he is sitting after being set-up to take the fall for a murder. This is a crisply made and exciting action movie that shows Bronson at his best and provides him with one of his best films of the decade. The film received generally good reviews and made a solid $9 million at the box office.

A BRIEF VACATION (Allied Artists; Director - Vittorio DeSica) Another odd summer movie release was this art house hit about a woman who abandons the things in her life that are driving her crazy for a short stay in a sanitarium so she can try and re-gather herself and live the life she feels she deserves. Though not considered one of DeSica's best films, the critical notices were still mostly positive and was a minor hit on the art house circuit.

BUCKTOWN (American International; Director - Arthur Marks) Fred Williamson and Pam Grier star in this action blaxploitation film about a racial war in a small Southern town that escalates and becomes even more violent when an African American is elected to office and promises changes to be made. This is a routine action film that is excessively violent but really offers nothing new with its themes or resolutions. The film was a critical flop and a mild hit at the box office.

BUG (Paramount; Director - Jeannot Szwarc) After an Earthquake, a species of dangerous bugs is unleashed from underground and terrorizes people and animals alike by having the ability to light their victims on fire. This B-movie thriller was the last produced film by schlock-meister William Castle. As you would expect the film received poor reviews and was a flop at the box office.

CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD (Warner Bros; Director - Chuck Ball) Tamara Dobson reprised her role as the title heroine from the 1973 blaxploitation box office hit Cleopatra Jones. This time out Cleo is on the hunt for the notorious Dragon Lady (Stella Stevens), a dope smuggler out to corner the market. This was as silly and action filled as the original but audiences didn't warm up to a repeat visit. Weak critical reaction did not help.

COOLEY HIGH (American International Pictures; Director - Michael Schultz) This was billed as the "black 'American Graffiti'" as the film takes place in the 1960's and follows the adventures, trials, tribulations and romances of African American high school seniors. The film is filled with classic music, lots of laughs and some powerful moments as well. Critics were near unanimous in their praise and this became one of the sleeper hits of the summer.

CORNBREAD, EARL AND ME (American International; Director - Joseph Manduke) A sincere but overdone drama about black youth in the 1970's that follows the life of a young man getting his chance to escape the ghetto on a basketball scholarship who is gunned down by a police officer. The film is well intentioned but too often borders on the melodramatic but it still struck a chord with audiences who turned it into a solid hit despite less than favorable reviews.

DAY OF THE LOCUST (Paramount; Director - John Schlesinger) One of the more odd summer releases was this epic drama based on the novel by Nathaniel West about Hollywood life in the 1930's and how the town can chew you up and spit you out. Strong performances in the film by Karen Black, Donald Sutherland, Burgess Meredith and William Atherton can't make up for the films consistent downbeat tone and overall bleakness plus its slow pacing that makes the 140 minute film feel VERY slow. Critical reaction was mixed and the film was a box office disappointment. The film earned Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Supporting Actor (Burgess Meredith).

DEATH RACE 2000 (New World; Director - Paul Bartell) Yet another B-movie drive-in film that became a solid hit was this futuristic thriller about a race where the participants score points for running people over. David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone star as the rival drivers who it will all come down to in this sick, violent but sometimes very fun action film. Needless to say critics savaged the movie.

THE DROWNING POOL (Warner Bros.; Director - Stuart Rosenberg) Paul Newman stars in a sequel to 1966's Harper playing private eye Lew Harper in this tale set in New Orleans in which Harper is called by an old love (played by real life wife Joanne Woodward) who finds herself and her daughter mixed up with some dangerous thugs. Newman re-teams with his Cool Hand Luke director Rosenberg but fails to find the magic this time out as the film is slickly made but ultimately too slow moving and unsatisfying. Critics were not kind and the film was not successful at the box office.

FAREWELL, MY LOVELY (Avco Embassy; Director - Dick Richards) Robert Mitchum starred in this period mystery as detective Phillip Marlowe trying to earn a buck where he can when a man comes in and asks him to find his long lost love Velma. This leads Marlowe into a deep murder mystery that is well written and keeps the audience riveted. John Ireland, Harry Dean Stanton, Anthony Zerbe and Charlotte Rampling (as one of the screen's great femme fatales) make up the impressive cast but Mitchum shows he was born to play Marlowe just as Raymond Chandler had written him. The film received good reviews and was a mild box office hit. Sylvia Miles, on screen for no more than ten minutes, received the film's lone Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

THE FORTUNE (Columbia; Director - Mike Nichols) Period comedy with Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty as idiot con men who make nice with a ditzy heiress (Stockard Channing) in the hopes of killing her and collecting her fortune. This film, mostly forgotten now, was notorious in the 70's for just how big a flop it was despite two of the most bankable actors in Hollywood in the lead roles and Nichols directing. The film also took a critical drubbing that was literally beyond belief.

FRENCH CONNECTION II (20^th Century Fox; Director - John Frankenheimer) Gene Hackman reprises his Oscar winning role as hard nosed narcotics detective Popeye Doyle in this adventure/thriller that mostly takes place in France. Comparisons to the original were inevitable and this film suffers from a long, slow middle act in which Doyle is held captive and turned into a heroin addict. The film's best moment is a terrific foot race that concludes the film with a powerful final shot. Reviews of the film were mixed and the box office take was a decent but disappointing $6 million.

FUNNY LADY (Columbia; Director - Herbert Ross) This was the long awaited sequel to Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand reprising her role as Fanny Brice as she fights for fame, fortune and romance in this musical drama. Critics were very unkind to the film but Streisand was nearly critic proof and the film was a smash hit earning over $19 million at the box office. The film would receive Academy Award nominations for Best Song, Sound, Score, Cinematography and Costume Design but did not win any awards.

HENNESSY (American International; Director - Don Sharp) Rod Steiger stars in this odd and unbelievable thriller about a man, grieving the loss of his wife and child due to terrorism, planning to bomb Parliament when the Royal Family visits. There are some slick action scenes but not enough to overcome the many contrivances of a bad script. The film was a critical and box office failure.

JACQUELINE SUSANN'S ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH (Paramount; Director - Guy Green) Susann's follow-up to her enormously successful Valley of the Dolls was this trashy romance about the lives of the jet set, particularly a woman named January whose trials and tribulations with her father, stepmother and myriad of lovers makes the basis for the whole movie. The film had a pall cast over it while in production when Susann, who was openly not happy with how the adaptation was being filmed, died of cancer and that pall seems to be all over the final product. Despite some very talented actors including Kirk Douglas, Alexis Smith, David Janssen and Melina Mercouri the film is laced with overacting and terrible dialogue. The film's one saving grace is Brenda Vaccarro in a small role giving a terrific performance that earned her the film's sole nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The film was drubbed by critics and even lovers of the book, Susann and trashy films stayed away.

JAWS (Universal; Director - Steven Spielberg) I am sure it comes as no surprise to anyone that this is the film that changed everything. The simple story of a great white shark terrorizing a New England community became a phenomenon in the film world and in pop culture and even in political circles. Opening on June 20 it was the all-time box office champion by Labor Day. Many first run theaters reported their profits from this film either saved the theater from closing or, at the very least, from having a losing year. In Chicago, Jaws would make $1 million at the long gone movie palace The United Artists alone. The film was (amazingly) only nominated for four Academy Awards and while it would lose Best Picture, it would win its other three nominations for Editing, Musical Score and Sound. When all was said and done the film took in nearly $130 million in its original release despite the fact that the reviews were very mixed.

LEPKE (Warner Bros; Director - Menahem Golan) Tony Curtis plays the lead in this gangster film about the head of the 1930's Murder Inc., his rise to fame and fall in power. This silly film is overtly violent and includes a ludicrous cameo by Milton Berle (of all people) as Lepke's father. This was a drive-in film that received bad notices and disappeared quickly at the box office.

LOVE AND DEATH (United Artists; Director - Woody Allen) Allen stars as a coward who soon finds himself in the throws of trying to assassinate Napoleon. The film lampoons Russian literature and foreign films and hits a bulls eye most of the time. Critical reaction was most favorable and the film would earn $11 million making it his biggest hit up to that time.

MANDINGO (Paramount; Director - Richard Fleischer) This was one of those adult potboilers that were popular in the 1970's. As was the case with most of these films it featured good actors taking bad roles for the salary while trying to make the piece of trash they were appearing in look better than it was. This is basically a romantic drama that takes place on a Southern plantation during the Civil War. James Mason plays a bigoted slave owner who takes great pleasure in beating his slaves. Susan George plays his about to be married daughter who discovers she has an attraction to slaves. This is a vile and disgusting piece of garbage that became a box office hit likely for those reasons. It even inspired a sequel one year later called Drum. Thankfully that film flopped thus ending what was a planned series of these films. Critics had a field day with this film's awful acting and horrible dialogue, all of which was re-visited at the start of 1976 when worst lists were created.

MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (Cinema 5; Directors - Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones) The first major narrative film from the British comedy troupe was this take on the King Arthur fable with lots of laughs and lots of dead spots. The film was not well received by critics but the Pythons had a growing fan base in America that made the film a solid hit but their best work was still ahead of them.

NASHVILLE (Paramount; Director - Robert Altman) Considered by many to be director Altman's masterpiece is this three-hour epic about the lives of 24 people all converging on the country music capital during a political rally. Writer Joan Tewksberry's script is chalk full of interesting situations and all those characters that, amazingly, Altman helps us to get to know during the course of the film. Not surprisingly the film received near unanimous glowing reviews and earned a strong $10 million at the box office. The film would be nominated for five Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress (Ronee Blakely) and Supporting Actress (Lily Tomlin). It's sole award was for Best Song (I'm Easy) that was written and performed in the film by Keith Carradine.

NIGHT MOVES (Warner Bros; Director - Arthur Penn) This taut, well written mystery stars Gene Hackman as a private detective suffering marital woes who puts it aside to trail on young nymphet (Melanie Griffith) to Florida in an attempt to retrieve her only to begin uncovering secrets that lead to murder. This is a terrific mystery that was unfairly overlooked then that should be sought out by you film lovers out there. The rewards are enormous and Hackman gives one of his best performances. The film received terrific reviews but the film fell victim to an overloaded summer of films and a marketing campaign that the studio flubbed as they obviously didn't know the product they had.

ONE OF OUR DINOSAURS IS MISSING (Walt Disney; Director - Robert Stevenson) One of the Disney offerings of the summer was this comedy about a secret formula hidden inside the bones of a dinosaur and the spies and elderly nannies who race to get it first. Critics dismissed the film but it was a solid hit.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN (Universal; Director - Larry Peerce) Probably the box office sleeper in the summer of 1975 was this tear jerking drama based on a true story about the life of Olympic skier Jill Kinmont (Marilyn Hassett) who is paralyzed from the shoulders down in a skiing accident. Beau Bridges co-stars as the new love of her life trying to help her cope with her disability. The film is earnest but dips into the crying well a little too often. Audiences ate it up as it grossed over $18 million despite mostly negative reviews. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song (Richard's Window) and spawned a most unnecessary sequel three years later.

RACE WITH THE DEVIL (20^th Century Fox; Director - Jack Starrett) This drive-in B movie surprised many with its story of two couples on vacation where the husbands witness a satanic murder and then the four spend the rest of the movie being chased by the killers while trying to figure out if anyone they run into is trustworthy. Peter Fonda and Warren Oates starred in this well made little thriller that was a mild box office hit despite poor reviews.

RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER (United Artists; Director - Blake Edwards) Peter Sellers reprises his role of bumbling Inspector Clouseau for the first time in eleven years with this comedy caper as Clouseau tries to track down the thief who has stolen the Pink Panther diamond from a museum. Christopher Plummer co-stars as the prime suspect in the case (played by David Niven in the original film). Director Edwards wisely made the film with a G-rating to open it to families of all ages and audiences loved it despite the reviews being mostly negative. This was one of the biggest hits of the summer earning more than $20 million at the box office and spawning two more sequels with Sellers in the next three years.

ROLLERBALL (United Artists; Director - Norman Jewison) In a futuristic society where big corporations own everything and violence is outlawed, the title game is played brutally and to the death to keep the top dogs interested. James Caan stars in the film as the sport's best player and is supported by John Beck, Maud Adams, Moses Gunn, Ralph Richardson and John Houseman. This action/thriller received mixed reviews but made over $9 million at the box office.

TAKE A HARD RIDE (American International; Director - Antonio Margheriti) Three of the top blaxploitation stars of the decade, Fred Williamson, Jim Kelly and Jim Brown star in this offbeat western about a group of men carry a large cache of money through the Mexican desert trying to avoid a group of bandits headed by Lee Van Cleef. This is a typical western with African Americans in the lead that provides nothing new or insightful to the genre. The film received mostly negative reviews but was a mild hit at the box office.

WHITE LINE FEVER (Columbia; Director - Jonathan Kaplan) Jan-Michael Vincent stars in yet another solid B-movie drive-in release of 1975 as a new trucker who soon discovers corruption both on and off the road that soon leads to violence against him and his family. Well done action scenes make this film worth seeing and it became a box office hit and had some surprisingly mixed reviews.

THE WILBY CONSPIRACY (United Artists; Director - Ralph Nelson) Sidney Poitier stars as a political activist on the run and the reluctant white companion (Michael Caine) who travels with him cross-country while an evil lawman (Nicol Williamson) is hot on their trail. The lead actors keep the touch of the film light and entertaining while Williamson steals the movie as the villain. The chase scenes are well directed and keep the pace of the film lively and entertaining. The film received good reviews but was a flop at the box office and is long forgotten today.

W.W. AND THE DIXIE DANCEKINGS (20^th Century Fox; Director - John G. Avildsen) Burt Reynolds stars in this action comedy as a con man who takes up with a struggling country and western band (featuring a sexy lead singer) who will stop at nothing to promote them so he can get rich quick. Art Carney and Ned Beatty co-star in this offbeat film that was not well received by critics or audiences.