Screen13

I'm back - although this time is centering around a song and a piece of Exploitation film history that always got me interested in finding EVERYTHING about.

First take a look at this scene of an outside look at the Sunset Strip from Mondo Bizarro - A 1966 flick Co-Directed by Lee Frost, released by Olympic International Pictures. Fans of The Doors and Love should dig this with signs advertising Love at the Whiskey a Go Go and a then-unknown Doors playing at the Galaxy. The London Fog was also nearby, making this a capture when, according to Johnny Legend on the Commentary, all three clubs were all in existence on that street in '66.



Mondo Bizarro is a great flick, and while it was made for the "Adult" audience of that that time (Olympic International's other hits were House on Bare Mountain and the infamous Love Camp 7 among others), it also captured some of what was going on with looks into Vito's studio (with a tasteful topless model) and even an art protest against the Vietnam War on Sunset Blvd. - Olympic's offices were on that same street so you can tell they had a clue as to what was going on. It's a mix of the timely and tasteless, with the Documentary footage at least offering something for those wanting to see every documented footage of that era.

The music was something I was always wanting to know about. I love it, and it was used in many parts of Mondo Bizarro. Recently, I found out that it was Jack Nitzsche's "Surf Finger" was first gained a full on CD release on a collection of the noted producer's work. In the next year, he would work with Neil Young, and you know the rest of the story...

Here's a video featuring this song, which sounds like a more fleshed out and orchestrated version of "The Lonely Surfer". Great style!



I'll pick an album asap, but I wanted to share this with you!