Well, cats figure, to a degree here, darlings, because this is a scene from the 1953 classic--which I have GOT to see, girls--"Cat Women Of The Moon."
This shot demonstrates so many things, First, that the film can't be taken seriously, but is more campy, "catty" (pardon the pun, dears!!!!!!) lesbian exploitation flick. I am sure this gets screened regularly, at Henrietta Hudson's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Look at those costumes. They me be cheesy, but, I am telling you, if I were to take this shot to ANNA, this would be the fashion look for this coming Fall. Not to mention that hair and make up. And fingernails, reminiscent of Vampira!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It almost makes me want to be a Cat Woman Of The Moon! Pay close attention to what is unveiled, during this year's Fashion Week.
If I am right, remember, you heard it here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Back in the late 1990s I was at the Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs and I got to interview Marie Windsor for a noir she did in 1948 titled Force Of Evil its about numbers running in New York City. While interviewing Miss Windsor and I touched on Cat Women Of The Moon and she didn't realize how cheap the sets were going to be. She just laughed about it.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteMarc,
What a great story!
I vaguely recall Marie Windsor's
name from B and noir movies; had
no idea she was in 'Cat Women." I
have never actually seen it, but
would love to. It looks as cheesy
as "Plan 9 From Outer Space." You
just gotta LOVE it! Thanks for your
informative comments!
If you haven't seen the trailer for its original 3D release, by all means watch it on youTube asap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2WUW7TPmPw
ReplyDeleteWhen I was dragged out of the closet by my first gay friends, "Cat Women On The Moon" was in constant rotation as part of my orientation. It is everything people say it is, and more, and less. As with all things camp, there is no shortage of dead air between the laughs: it can be a plodding 64 mins. Theres a reason Johnny Carson mercilessly ripped Sonny Tufts over this movie in nearly every single episode of "The Tonight Show".
You might be amused to discover this film was actually re-made just five years later, as the now utterly-forgotten (but beloved to us select few) "Missile To The Moon"! One would not think it possible, but the remake out-camps the original: its so bizarre it has to be seen to be believed. The plot is nearly the same, but its the baroque costumes and casting that give "Missile" the edge over its progenitor. Instead of black cat pajamas, the women in "Missile" are attired in castoffs from the "I Love Lucy" episode where Lucy tries to be a Vegas showgirl (years later, the same ludicrous getup was apparently fitted to Sharon Tate in "Valley Of The Dolls").
The casting is where "Missile" kills it. The anti-heroine "Zeta" is lovely Leslie Parrish, who quite wisely used the name Marjorie Hellen as an alias. Her nemesis, "Alpha", is played by Nina Bara: a jaw-droppingly bad actress AND one of the most unattractive women to ever try and pass themselves off as a vamp in movies. Her looks in this movie inspired the line "makeup by Black & Decker", and she speaks in an Eye-tahlian accent that would make Edie Falco blush. She spends the entire film alternately failing to seduce anyone, then raging over the failures.
The moon gals are all vying to be successor of their dying leader, whom they revere as "The Lido" (I kid you not). "Alpha" eventually emerges victorious after some dirty tricks, only to to decide she'd rather explode the moon than suffer one more male rejection. The final scene never fails to elicit cries of "rewind that and slow it down" from the audience: Alpha suddenly drops the accent to shout "PULL THE LEVER!" at poor Zeta, who then dies exquisitely when a ten foot papier-mache boulder literally bounces off her head. Priceless.
Re Marie Windsor: she did star in one pearl amongst the dross: "The Narrow Margin", which remains a pillar of film noir studies. The most intense, nail-biting, exciting 71 minutes ever put to celluloid. Every bloated ponderous pretentious twit director today should be forced to sit thru it repeatedly until they lose the urge to stretch a 90 minute idea to 150 minutes.
ReplyDeleteAs stated, I have never seen "Cat Womnen
On The Moon." Missile To The Moon" I
have heard of, but thought it was just
a second tier copy of the serio sci fi
film, "Destination Moon." Nothing
in 'Missile's' title prepares one for'
what you describe. Now, I have to see
both. But how, without infiltrating
a lesbian bar??????????????