freakboy on film: THE FIREWORKS WOMAN (1975)

Have all of my favorite film directors directed porn?  Ed Wood, Jr. certainly did!  One could argue that Andy Milligan did with the uncut version of FLESHPOT ON 42nd STREET because of at least two very real sex scenes.  Even John Waters admits that one uncomfortably memorable scene in PINK FLAMINGOS is a satirical take on DEEP THROAT.  Oh, and while Roger Ebert made it abundantly clear that Russ Meyer did NOT direct porn, I argue that his manically unhinged UP! (1976) is at least porn-adjacent.  (I really need to review that piece of celluloid craziness.) 

So, I guess it’s not a surprise that before Wes Craven gave us A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, he inverted and exploded the concept of adult cinema with THE FIREWORKS WOMAN (aka The Fireworks Man, which makes more sense as the title.) 

Angela is a complicated woman haunted by the past, by her incestuous feelings for her brother and by The Fireworks Man, a seemingly supernatural entity.  These three influences in her life seem to be entangled as she shows up at the church where her brother Peter is now a priest.  Angela wants to continue their taboo relationship that was consummated before Peter became a man of the cloth.  Peter swears he doesn’t want what Angela wants, but he gets her a job as a maid to one of his parishioners.  The twisted old refined lady and her kinky male cohort start Angela down a path of self-discovery, even though Peter is never far from her thoughts.  

Does THE FIREWORKS WOMAN end with a bang or a fizzle?  It ends just like a Wes Craven film should end, leaving the viewers questioning everything they just experienced.  

SPOILER ALERT

Peter gets advice from the Monseigneur and throws a church banquet.  Angela gets advice from Nicolas Burns (The Fireworks Man) and invites the congregation to an orgy at the same time as the banquet.  Guess which party the so-called faithful attend!  Nicolas then tricks Peter into coming to the orgy, forcing the priest into a decision.  Peter leaves a note for the Monseigneur and then brazenly enters the orgy, scoops up Angela and carries her to a boat.  Then brother and sister sail away, living happily ever after…or do they?  The Monseigneur rushes to the beach to stop the ungodly lovers, but it’s too late.  As he turns away, the disciple of God disappears as Nicolas Burns (the disciple of Satan?) appears, turning towards the faraway boat.  What does this mean for Angela and Peter?  Does it mean the Monseigneur and The Fireworks Man are just flip sides of the same coin?  Unfortunately, Wes Craven never publicly spoke of this film in detail, so, like the end of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, it’s left to interpretation.  However, according to a blu-ray bonus feature, the original script ends with the boat washing ashore somewhere without Peter and Angela on it.  Even that ending would’ve been enigmatic.  

THE FIREWORKS WOMAN is definitely written and directed by Wes Craven.  His mark is on the haunting visuals, the unsettling/shocking story and he even portrays Nicolas Burns.  The director, who does not appear in the sex scenes, seems very comfortable in front of the camera and appears to be having fun sowing the seeds of chaos as The Fireworks Man.  As for the other actors, they share that natural 1970’s acting vibe.  Jennifer Jordan as Angela and Eric Edwards as Peter are believable as the tormented siblings.  
SIDE NOTE: Eric Edwards is no stranger to this blog.  He appeared as the rich guy with the priceless broach and manipulative aunt in the uproarious BLONDE AMBITION (1981). 

In conclusion… 
When I noticed Melusine was offering this most obscure Wes Craven film, I didn’t think twice about it.  THE FIREWORKS WOMAN is a disturbing study of emotional trauma and forbidden love.  No, it’s not quite on par with Wes Craven’s other films, but it’s an intriguing celluloid stepping stone on his way to creating Freddy Krueger.  So, if you’re a Craven completist or a truly adventurous film freak, THE FIREWORKS WOMAN is the film for you!  Be warned though, there is a very brief scene at the orgy between a fisherman and his catch of the day that you will never unsee! 

Freak Out, 
JLH 
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Dare to enter the fantasies of my deranged mind in 2026… 
🧠 
📚 

freakboy on film: SHE MOB (1968)

Screenplay by Diana Paschal / Directed by Maurice Levy & Harry Wuest (according to IMDb) 

Brenda is having a good day.  She is a smart, successful businesswoman.  She has a luxurious home.  She has just been serviced in the bathtub by Tony, her live-in gigolo.  

Brenda pays Tony for the splish-splash

Big Shim is having a good day.  She is a smart, successful criminal.  She is proud to have recently busted a few cohorts out of the slammer.  She has just had a voyeuristic experience with Baby, her girlfriend. 

Big Shim and her cone bra will not be ignored

Tony is having a good day.  He is a handsome, successful sex worker.  He is driving a new car that Brenda bought for him.  He has just been hired on the side to provide service for Big Shim’s three cohorts. 

Sweety East is having a good day.  She is a smart, successful detective.  She is happy with her wildcat roommate.  She has just been hired by Brenda to rescue Tony because the good day has turned bad. 

Sweety East to the rescue

Big Shim has gotten wind of Tony’s lush lifestyle with the rich businesswoman, so she decides to hold him for ransom.  Brenda can’t afford a scandal, so she is willing to pay whatever it takes to get Tony back unharmed.  Sweety East agrees to disguise herself as Brenda for the ransom drop and will name her fee after the job is done.  

That’s the plot of SHE MOB in a nutshell.  I stumbled upon this obscure film while browsing through the Vinegar Syndrome website and I was drawn in for two reasons.  First, the crazy trailer seriously entertained me.  Second, the intriguing description (“Imagine an alt-Earth FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! as realized by a young JOHN WATERS”) may have peaked my interest, so I ordered a copy.  

Comparing SHE MOB to Russ Meyer’s classic and early John Waters isn’t completely inaccurate.  The plot contains similar elements to FASTER, PUSSYCAT KILL! KILL!  There’s a group of strong women out to score some loot.  There’s sexual tension between two of the women.  Plus, there’s plenty of violence, especially as Big Shim and her cohorts torture Tony.  Then there are a few characters that could’ve escaped from a John Waters film.  I can even imagine some Waters regulars stepping into the roles.  Mink Stole would’ve captured the electric energy of Twig, one of the cohorts, as she is constantly dancing in almost every scene.  Mary Vivian Pearce would’ve nailed the sultry boredom emanating from Sweety East as she investigates in her skin tight detective outfit.  Last, but certainly not least, Divine in the dual roles of Brenda and Big Shim would’ve been…well…divine!  Alas, that version only exists in the faraway alt-Earth.

BigShim loves my casting choices

All that being said, SHE MOB never fully captures neither the frantic pulse of Russ Meyer nor the offbeat drum of John Waters.  It is generally entertaining, but drags a bit.  I blame the off-kilter pacing on the director(s), and some of the actors, more than the screenwriter.  The highlight of the entire film is Marni Castle as Brenda and Big Shim.  Especially Big Shim!  This unapologetically tough as nails lesbian, with her equally tough cone bra, is the MAIN reason to see SHE MOB.  Though Monique Duval as Sweety East has her moments, but I might have gotten more out of this character if I had seen the TV series HONEY WEST (1965-1966).

In conclusion…

I have mixed feelings about SHE MOB.  I was initially disappointed to a certain degree but repeat viewings have made me appreciate it more.  So, while not great, SHE MOB is worth watching.  Plus, it is interesting to note that, according to the back of the blu-ray,  the film was shot in Texas and features “actresses culled from Jack Ruby's infamous Dallas nightclub.”  So, SHE MOB is, like, historically and culturally important or something. 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S.  SHE MOB was the fourth place winner in a Twitter poll I conducted to decide which film I should review now that my blog serial is over.  

So, click the pic ⤵️ to check out the first place winner…

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Click the pic ⤵️ to read my blog serial…

freakboy on film: TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE (1970)

Long before I hustled down 42nd Street with Andy Milligan…

Way before I tripped beyond my dreaming with Russ Meyer…

Years before I became a hair-hopper with John Waters…

There was Edward D. Wood Jr, more affectionately known as Ed Wood.  

I was a kid when I first heard of Ed Wood and it wasn’t long before I was reveling in his magnum opus PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1957).  It was love at first Criswell and I eventually experienced more of his other films, including GLEN OR GLENDA (1953).  His weirdly backwards, yet way ahead of it’s time, tale of gender reassignment and transvestitism clicked in my young queer mind and is still a personal favorite.  

Honestly, I had never heard of TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE until this year.  My love of Wood mainly centered around his early horror and crime stuff.  His later sexploitation flicks never interested me, but then I stumbled upon TRADE on the Vinegar Syndrome website.  Sadly, the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack was out of stock and it was nowhere to be found on Amazon or even eBay, which shocked me.  All I could turn up on eBay was a Something Weird Video VHS of outtakes from the film, but more about that later.  A Google “shopping” search located a reasonably priced copy at Forbidden Planet in NYC.  I ordered it on a Friday and it arrived the following Monday.  This was using the cheapest shipping method, so I was very satisfied with Forbidden Planet.  However, a question remains…

Was I satisfied with TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE? 

Well…yes and no.  

On one side, the threadbare plot about a snooty couple hiring Mac McGregor, private investigator, to find their 20 year-old daughter Shirley is just an excuse to show T & A…& V.  The inept and beyond sketchy private eye  uses the case to literally travel around the world ogling naked women as they walk up and down a staircase, play pool and basically engage in soft-core porn.  In other words, TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE is definitely aimed for a hetero-centric male audience…

…or is it? 

On the flip side, when the film is focused on the actual plot, we are introduced to LGBTQ+ characters that, for a 1970’s skin-flick, seem revolutionary…and I am not talking about the prerequisite lesbian sex scenes.  After P.I. Mac McGregor roughs up Sleazy Maisie Rumpledinck, a drug addicted hooker who could have escaped from a John Waters film, she tells him Shirley is with “that drag queen Alecia.” 

Well, that drag queen is played by Ed Wood himself and it’s a glorious moment.  Dressed in orange angora  and a green miniskirt, with long white go-go boots, and topped with a blond wig, Alecia snaps, crackles and pops in a tragically brief scene.  It’s easy to see that Ed is having a good time here, which is why this scene is awesome!  I just wish Alecia would’ve been the main character or at least got a spin-off film, but it was 1970.  Anyhoo, the private dick roughs her up a bit and she reveals  Shirley took off with Paul and Henry, two “nice boys.”

After an extended montage of naked staircase walking and billiards, we finally meet Paul and Henry.  These “nice boys” have been married for two years and they have a “house-mother” who picks up tricks for them.  Paul and Henry blur the lines between gender and traditional marriage roles, which make them a joy to watch.  Surprisingly, Mac McGregor doesn’t rough them up for information.  Instead, the P.I. questions their “house-mother” Ruth in her bedroom, if you know what I mean. 

Does the private investigator find the missing Shirley?  Will her snobbish parents pay up?  Will the title make sense by the end?  Does it matter since the plot is secondary?  I am not going to spoil you with answers, even though this may not be the easiest film to find.

Despite the differences from his earlier work, TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE is very much written and directed by Ed Wood.  First, take insane dialogue.  “Show me a person, man or woman, who can say sex doesn’t enter their minds more than they care to admit and I’ll show you a dead human.”  Mix this with debatable acting.  Ed Wood is easily the best actor in the bunch, which probably says a lot.  Finally add some crazy visuals.  What appears to be indoor lightning suddenly flashes before a set of curtains in one scene.  Then a woman walks by a painting while holding an umbrella in another.  Both scenes are repeated throughout the film, leaving the viewer wondering what it all means.  Only the late Ed Wood knows for certain, but the random nonsense enhances the film.  

According to the audio commentary and the liner notes, TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE was maybe or maybe not shown in one theater back in 1970 before disappearing into the filmic ether.  Then, in the 1990’s, Something Weird Video unearthed over an hour of silent outtakes and released it on VHS.  This footage is included on the Blu-ray, and it’s an interesting historical document with an eye-popping scene or two.  Thankfully one print of the film was discovered and released by American Genre Film Archive & Something Weird Video.  From my understanding, actor/stuntman Ray “Crash” Corrigan had been sitting on the print all this time.  If anything, it gives me hope that Andy Milligan’s lost films will one day be found. 

In conclusion, I am left with mixed feelings.  When focused on its plot, TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE is brilliant and brilliantly absurd, but the sexploitation scenes quickly become boring and repetitive.  So, I recommend TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE with a suggestion.  

Don’t hesitate to hit the Fast-Forward ⏩ button. 

(Click here for IMDb’s shockingly incomplete cast list) 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out,

JLH 

P.S.  TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE was the first place winner in a Twitter poll I conducted to decide which film I should review now that my blog serial is over.  

So click the pic ⤵️ for the second place winner…

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Click the pic ⤵️ to read my blog serial…