Here we are, months later, and I’m FINALLY blogging about the other recently unearthed lost Andy Milligan film. When I first researched his films, out of all of the lost titles, KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME! interested me the least because Andy didn’t write the screenplay. That honor goes to infamous exploitation producer extraordinaire William Mishkin (story by) and Josef Bush (screenplay). As time went by, and I came to understand Mishkin and Bush in relation to Milligan, I realized KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME! would be worth watching. I mean, William Mishkin was a shrewd businessman, so he must have known his story would be in perfect directorial hands with Andy Milligan, despite the shocking lack of incest in the plot.
KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME! (1968)
Jean Novack is a modern day woman with needs. Her hobbies include neglecting her son Jimmy, placating her husband Stan through sex, cheating on Stan with his friend Eddie and day-drinking. Oh, and night-drinking and drinking between drinking. What else is a bored, 1960’s New York City housewife supposed to do?
What to do before watching a Milligan film!
After Stan’s New Jersey stepmother dies, and his brother Ray flees to California, he invites his sister Ellen to move in. Jean balks at first, but comes around to the idea when it means moving to a bigger apartment. The one thing Jean is not happy about is Eddie has started blowing off her advances. To bring Eddie back into her seductive orbit, Jean suggests to Stan that he should set Eddie up with Ellen.
Marriage, Milligan style!
Andy may not have wrote KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME! but if you’ve read any of my other Milligan reviews, you know Jean’s plan is going to majorly backfire with dire and deadly consequences. I almost ache to tell you how it all ends, but I won’t since the film is currently streaming on Fawesome. Let’s just say that I actually gasped at the key climactic scene and hoped I didn’t just watch a snuff film. Don’t panic! The two actors in the scene thankfully show up in later Milligan films. As for the surviving characters, they live traumatically ever after.
The fear of spoilers!
All the performances initially seemed more controlled than usual, for a Milligan film, but everything and everyone steadily becomes way out of control by the end. Natalie Rogers as Jean is the one to watch. She is always on and ready to emotionally turn on a dime if it suits her character’s needs. I must also give a shout-out to Gerald Jacuzzoas Stan’s brother Ray. He always magnetizes a scene and as Ray, he vibrates with tortured queer artist nerd vibes.
Not a selfie!
KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME! is not the first time Andy Milligan directed someone else’s words. His first film VAPORS proved the melding of fractured minds can create something special and the same can be said here. Within the familial melodrama, Milligan infused KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME! with visual chaos, growing more and more visceral as it reaches the gasp-worthy climax. He even got to throw in some of his standards, such as Swirl Camera, an endless staircase to climb, uncomfortable sex scenes and unsettling close-ups. In other words, make no mistake, this is an Andy Milligan film!
Me, daydreaming about finding other lost Milligan films!
In conclusion… Despite my early, judgmental misgivings, KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME! won me over. Much like THE DEGENERATES, I have found myself enjoying the off-kilter mix of love, sex and death more and more with each viewing. Though it will probably not break into my Top 5 Milligan Films. So, if you’re in the mood for a trip you’ll never forget, grab a cocktail (or mocktail) of your choice and cozy up to KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME!
You know you want to!
NOTE: THE DEGENERATES is also streaming on Fawesome! Freak Out, JLH
P.S. click DINAH EAST to learn the truth about a Hollywood legend! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Poetic Happening is happening soon! 📜
Praise be to Severin Films for finding and releasing two of Andy Milligan’s lost films! Believe you me, I was freaking out over this discovery and was constantly checking Severin so I could pre-order ASAP! It was a rare Friday off for me and I just got home from a sloppy joe lunch with my sister. I immediately checked and BAM, there was my dream come true! “This is really happening!” I chanted to my cats as I placed my order, only half-aware I was quoting ROSEMARY’S BABY.
You can imagine how over the moon I was when my order arrived. I watched the two lost films right away and the other films over the weekend. To be honest, I was under the weather for my initial viewings, so subsequent viewings were required, as if I needed an excuse for rewatching!
I was originally planning on doing one post covering all of “GUTTER AUTEUR” The Lost Legacy of Andy Milligan, but I ended up writing a longer review for THE DEGENERATES than I expected. In other words, the following review is just the first in a potential series of reviews…
THE DEGENERATES (1967)
My first thought on my initial viewing was, This movie is daring viewers to hate it. It was loud with screeching performances and was sometimes hard to follow, especially keeping track of which character was which. In other words, THE DEGENERATES was an Andy Milligan film through and through, and I enjoyed it even if I was confused. My confusion may have been due to being ill at the time.
Frank, Jim and GoGo on the go.
THE DEGENERATES is Andy Milligan’s post-apocalyptic, sci-fi epic! Well, sort of. After an offscreen nuclear war has decimated the world, three men (Jim, Frank and GoGo) are sent out to find other survivors. The trio stumble upon a house of women named after flowers or flowering plants. Violet may physically look like a slim bit of nothing with a cute pixie cut bob, but she is in charge and rules with an iron fist. Rose exudes a sweet, understanding motherly vibe. Iris and Daisy are ready to find out what they’ve been missing when the men arrive. Lily is young, sweet and innocent and always wears a hairband. Ivy, the youngest, lives away from her sisters, having lost her mind when she saw their father burn to death in the family car.
What does Ivy know?
Jim has an injured leg and Violet agrees to let the men stay for a couple of days. She assigns Iris to take care of Jim, who gets the luxury of a bedroom, and orders Frank and GoGo to sleep in the shed. Iris and Jim begin forming a bond, while Daisy sneaks out to spend time with GoGo, no matter how ridiculous his name is. Meanwhile, Frank is out to claim innocent Lily for himself. All of this sex ignites a boiling rage in Violet as she believes her sisters are slipping away from her and she will be left alone. Violence soon erupts, with death not far behind. It’s interesting to note that Milligan did not use “swirl camera” to represent chaos in THE DEGENERATES, which makes for a more visceral viewing, in my opinion.
Violet prepares to punish Daisy.
Will Violet’s love and rage go too far? Will Lily be saved from Frank’s manipulative ways? Will Ivy speak the truth about their father’s death? Will Daisy & GoGo and Iris & Jim live happily ever after in a post-apocalyptic world? Well, this is an Andy Milligan film, so the odds are stacked against them.
Iris and Jim are happy for a moment.
The bombastic visuals and dialogue that had bombarded me at first became a filmic drug with my second viewing of THE DEGENERATES. I was able to follow everything going on and was mesmerized. I couldn’t take my half-blind eyes off the screen as Violet descends into absolute madness. Played to severe perfection by Bryarly Lee, who also starred in the still lost Milligan film THE NAKED WITCH, Violet seems to be an unstoppable force. Then there is Hope Stansbury, who wrote Milligan’s first film VAPORS and starred as Dracula’s daughter in BLOOD. In THE DEGENERATES, Hope plays youngest sister Ivy, the one who lives apart from the others. Hope gives the mostly silent Ivy a soul and finds her strength when she finally speaks a long-held secret. The rest of the cast gives it their all, but this film belongs to Bryarly Lee and Hope Stansbury.
Violet demands to be loved!
THE DEGENERATES was written by friends and sometimes lovers, Gerald Jacuzzo and Andy Milligan. They were definitely on the same page because it all feels like Milligan or maybe that’s because of his directorial style. One moment that definitely came from Andy is the crucifixion scene. One character’s right hand is nailed to a wall while the other hand is pinned using a pitchfork, which is a Milligan trademark instrument of torture.
Violet pitchforks Frank.
Speaking of torture (not his acting), writer Gerald Jacuzzo also appeared in some of Andy’s films, most memorably TORTURE DUNGEON, which I have shamefully not reviewed…yet! He was also in VAPORS and appears briefly in the other recently found lost Milligan film, KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME! (1968) and is easily one of the best actors Andy utilized.
In conclusion… Despite my confusing but enjoyable first viewing, THE DEGENERATES is quickly rising up the ranks in my favorite Andy Milligan films. It won’t bump FLESHPOT, NIGHTBIRDS or SEEDS from the top spots, but it is giving other favorites a run for their low-budget money! If you haven’t experienced an Andy Milligan film, don’t start here. I recommend beginning with GURU THE MAD MONK and branching out from there. However, if you’re a burgeoning fan or a maladjusted, obsessive Milligan freak like me, THE DEGENERATES must be seen!
My obsession is now a fashion statement!
Freak Out, JLH
P.S. Click TRICKS OF THE TRADE for a look at the script for another one of Andy Milligan’s lost films! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ My books are tragically nothing like a Milligan film, but you can still find a degenerate character or two within their pages.
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