tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post8523259743163943085..comments2024-03-26T05:01:57.793-07:00Comments on DREAMS ARE WHAT LE CINEMA IS FOR...: KITTEN WITH A WHIP 1964Ken Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-21157456186253511422017-01-23T23:07:08.057-08:002017-01-23T23:07:08.057-08:00Hello Will
Thanks a heap for reading the post. Tha...Hello Will<br />Thanks a heap for reading the post. Thanks for bringing up "State Fair" a really fun Ann-Margret movie (with a terrific cast) and one in which she does indeed get to play dramatically. Her version of "Isn't it kinda Fun" was very shocking to me as akid (read: sexy and camp) compared to Vivian Blaine's sedate rendition in the 1945 version of the film.<br /> <br />"Kitten with a Whip"s tends to be classified as Ann-Margret's first dramatic role largely on the strength of genre distinction ("State Fair" being classified as a musical and Ann-margret's role involving song and dance) and the size of the role ("Kitten" represents her first dramatic lead in a film featuring none of the song & dance qualities that had heretofore been used to market her to audiences). <br /><br />Glad to hear you're a fan of Diane Sayer! I'm not sure, but I think the only other thing I've seen her in is a bit part in "Thoroughly Modern Millie"-and of course she was a delight.<br />Thank you very much for taking the time to comment.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-54759393723585417782017-01-23T16:20:12.599-08:002017-01-23T16:20:12.599-08:00Excellent review but i wouldn't say that Kitte...Excellent review but i wouldn't say that Kitten was her first dramatic role. She played the "HOT" dancer in 1962's State Fair opposite Pat Boone. She had a wild dance number and also a break off with boone's character after he proposed to her in the movie. it's worth watching not only for her but also pamela tiffin and bobby darin.BTW Diane Sayer was my favorite may she rest in heaven!Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14899985699533552180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-83233125826979591272016-08-23T15:24:20.712-07:002016-08-23T15:24:20.712-07:00Hey! Thanks so much for alerting us of this film&#...Hey! Thanks so much for alerting us of this film's availability, Allen! Haven't seen this in ages.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-56208208615477644582016-08-23T14:06:17.642-07:002016-08-23T14:06:17.642-07:00Hello to Ken and fellow Cinema Dreamers,
Just a ...Hello to Ken and fellow Cinema Dreamers, <br />Just a note to say I see that "Something Wild" is now on youtube. Looks like a good print. <br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZjCURyw_ZkAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17398717936230097925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-85618030479643519572015-12-18T10:18:52.161-08:002015-12-18T10:18:52.161-08:00Ha! Omigod...that this woman went on to have a leg...Ha! Omigod...that this woman went on to have a legitimate career at all is a miracle of reinvention, and the triumph of genuine talent over VERY odd early career choices! Thanks for that, Rick. I've never seen anything like it!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-40258616558380414522015-12-18T10:13:29.641-08:002015-12-18T10:13:29.641-08:00Here's the LP cover for the 1965 movie "T...Here's the LP cover for the 1965 movie "The Pleasure Seekers" with Ann adopting a more demure pose.<br /><br />http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5244/5308872841_b4333278d9_b.jpgRick Notchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15387371077504086333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-10999732054004164122014-11-07T01:20:19.019-08:002014-11-07T01:20:19.019-08:00Yes! I meant to comment under your Who Killed Tedd...Yes! I meant to comment under your Who Killed Teddybear? blog that I have indeed already seen it. It was a few years ago when the DVD was issued in the UK. Couldn’t agree with your assessment more: a genuinely creepy and unpleasant exploitation film that packs a real whiff of sleaze! A particular low point is when the tough lesbian nightclub proprietoress played by Elaine Stritch is casually murdered and there is the hint the film implies she had it coming. It’s a real curio, though, and the highlights are the documentary-like glimpses of sordid neon-lit Times Square and its porn shop windows and the loving, lingering shots of young Sal Mineo’s sinewy olive-skinned physique!bitter69ukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10182913922421674178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-39247574463172415192014-11-06T11:05:40.817-08:002014-11-06T11:05:40.817-08:00Hey Graham
I couldn't get the link to work, bu...Hey Graham<br />I couldn't get the link to work, but I found your piece on "Something Wild" anyway. I haven't seen this film since I was a youngster and it aired on late night TV. Would love to know your thoughts on it when you do. Thanks for updating! Now you have to get out and see "Who Killed Teddy Bear" (although you guys have it on DVD there, so you probably have). Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-75708530183230779122014-11-06T05:15:16.243-08:002014-11-06T05:15:16.243-08:00Update! I am finally getting to see the 1961 film ...Update! I am finally getting to see the 1961 film Something Wild starring Carroll Baker (which John Waters has likened to Kitten with a Whip as belonging to the “When a Sexpot Emotes” genre) when it’s screened at The British Film Institute later this month. I wrote a bit about it for the online magazine <a href="www.beigeuk.com/2014/10/birth-of-the-method/" rel="nofollow">Beige</a>bitter69ukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10182913922421674178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-66305329748370436442012-02-18T21:07:46.567-08:002012-02-18T21:07:46.567-08:00I had no idea about the critics being concerned fo...I had no idea about the critics being concerned for her at the time! It totally stands to reason; had "kitten..." been a better film it really would have been an amazing display of range. Like you, I'm just not sure what she's going after with her performance here. In her memoirs she claims the director worked closely with her on her characterization, but really...she needed to have been reined in a little. none of this stops it from being a real hoot of a film that is very fun to watch. And yes, that scene you point out is pretty good, all indicating that, yes, on paper "Kitten with a Whip" must have looked a lot more promising than the end result.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-89737929845784661032012-02-18T19:58:33.068-08:002012-02-18T19:58:33.068-08:00Ah, Kitten With A Whip a film that on paper looked...Ah, Kitten With A Whip a film that on paper looked (at least to her managers at the time) to be the perfect vehicle for Ann-Margret's dramatic film debut.<br /><br />The end result was anything but and it almost de-railed her promising film career. Was this the same girl who just the previous year charmed her way into movie goers hearts as the effervescent ingenue in BYE BYE BIRDIE?<br /><br />Critics were so troubled by the image this film projected that they took to writing open letters out of concern for her.<br /><br />Fox quickly released the breezy semi-musical THE PLEASURE SEEKERS to counter the backlash that KITTEN WITH THE WHIP stirred up.<br /><br />Her performance in 'KITTEN' is brave, brazen and way over the top. The first time I saw it I sat there the whole time and thinking, "What the hell was she thinking?!!"<br /><br />I have to admit though that it is one of my all time guilty pleasures...<br /><br />I love the scene where she is sitting at the vanity table, stares at Forsythe's wife's picture with utter disdain, whips out a tube of lipstick and smears it across the picture's mouth and snarls, "Go ahead, SMILE! You think YOU got it so MADE!" PRICELESS!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-7032257933328787452012-02-05T22:28:14.384-08:002012-02-05T22:28:14.384-08:00Thanks very much, bitter69uk! I read your post on ...Thanks very much, bitter69uk! I read your post on Ann-Margret and loved it. I actually saw that show you wrote about when she appeared in the LA area. You capture the feel of it perfectly.Especially the odd costume choices, diverse song selections, and great movie clips. I couldn't decide if it was erratic or eclectic, I just loved it. You've GOT to get your hands on "Kitten with a Whip." Her memoirs are not illuminating as you'd think.<br /><br />Oh, and I've never heard of "A Cold Wind in August"...had to look it up on IMDB. Lola Albright! Now I HAVE to seek it out. She was great in "Lord Love a Duck." Thanks very much for your comment(s)Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-34846221676487948772012-02-05T09:38:44.431-08:002012-02-05T09:38:44.431-08:00Never seen Something Wild (I'd love to -- I lo...Never seen Something Wild (I'd love to -- I love Carroll Baker, another great sex kitten same vintage as Ann-Margret), but I totally love all those films you list: The Leather Boys, Who Killed Teddy Bear?, Lady in a Cage -- strange hybrid of lurid, gritty black and white art / exploitation films. I'd also add A Cold Wind in August to that list. Saw that once as a teenager, never forgotten it.bitter69ukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10182913922421674178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-26613674275511795042012-02-05T09:24:42.847-08:002012-02-05T09:24:42.847-08:00Brilliant piece and you've really nailed Ann-M...Brilliant piece and you've really nailed Ann-Margret's strange, campy berserk sex kitten charisma (I tried myself when I <a href="http://graham-russell.blogspot.com/2011/09/ann-margret-at-stardust-casino-in-2005.html" rel="nofollow">blogged</a> about seeing A-M perform at The Stardust in Casino a while back). Believe it or not, I've somehow never seen Kitten with a Whip -- it's not available on DVD in the UK and never crops up on TV here, either. I also seriously need to read A-M's memoirs! Unsurprisingly, Kitten with a Whip is a favourite of <a href="http://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/john-waters-kitten-with-a-whip" rel="nofollow">John Waters</a>.bitter69ukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10182913922421674178noreply@blogger.com