[Culture] GET YOURSELF A COLLEGE GIRL

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The Secret Cinema SIXTIES POP DOUBLE FEATURE at Moore, with THE COOL ONES, GET YOURSELF A COLLEGE GIRL Friday, December 10 THE COOL ONES - 8:00 pm GET YOURSELF A COLLEGE GIRL - 10:00 pm Admission: $6.00 for one or both films Moore College of Art and Design 20th & Race Streets, Philadelphia (215) 568-4515, ext. 4099 The Secret Cinema at Moore College of Art & Design will present a music-filled SIXTIES POP DOUBLE FEATURE, on Friday, December 10. First up is THE COOL ONES, a 1967 rock n' roll satire, with guest stars ranging from The Leaves to Mrs. Miller, and a set of "Now Sound" songs written by Lee Hazlewood. It will be followed by GET YOURSELF A COLLEGE GIRL. This 1964 example of the "jukebox musical" put a fascinating assortment of pop music acts, from The Animals to Astrud Gilberto, on the big screen -- all tied together by the flimsiest of story lines. Also shown will be unusual short films. Admission is $6.00 for one or both films. All Secret Cinema presentations are projected in 16mm film on a giant screen (not video). Complete descriptions of the features follow: THE COOL ONES (1967 Dir: Gene Nelson) Two writers we respect highly had very different opinions of this film. Is THE COOL ONES a five-star '60s classic (as rated by Domenic Priore in the book HOLLYWOOD ROCK), or an "inane" bomb, as per Leonard Maltin? It's probably a little of both, combining savvy satire of callous and trendy show biz types (based around the frenzied goings-on at "Whiz-Bam," an accurate send-up of rock TV shows SHINDIG and HULLABALLOO), with some overly-earnest musical set pieces designed to propel the romantic plot between the somewhat-plastic lead couple  (Debbie Watson as a go-go dancer who calls people "rat fink" and "ding-a-ling!", and Gil Peterson as pop singer "Cliff Donner," a squarish, Brylcreemed American, despite his name being an amalgam of two Brit stars). Still, THE COOL ONES has a lot to offer for any fan of the 60s. Musical guests on hand include folk-garage combo The Leaves (doing their great "Dr. Stone"), a pre-hit Glen Campbell (who, sadly, does not do his amazing Brian Wilson-produced record from this period, "Guess I'm Dumb"), and the only film appearance of unique 60s personality Mrs. Miller, a middle-aged housewife who bravely released several albums worth of spirited yet off-key croonings of hit pop songs. There are some very funny performances by the cast, like ex-big band singer Phil Harris' hilariously phony TV exec, and most notably, the late Roddy McDowell, camping it up as megalomaniac teen tycoon "Tony Krumb." Clearly inspired by an already neurotic Phil Spector, McDowell gives an over-the-top star turn rivaling his lead role in LORD LOVE A DUCK. If that weren't enough, there is the musical supervision and original songs provided by finally-recognized cult god Lee Hazlewood. A generous helping of Hazlewoodian, Now Sound pop-rock gems (with arrangements by Billy Strange) fills out the soundtrack, ranging from the Cramps-worthy dance craze "The Tantrum," to the truly-gorgeous, Petula Clark/Tony Hatch-like go-go ballad "This Town," which plays as the heartbroken lead character (and camera) takes a lonely tour through peak period Sunset Strip ("This Town" was deemed a good enough song to be covered by Hazlewood's usual recording partner Nancy Sinatra, AND by her father Frank!). THE COOL ONES was surely delayed in its release date because it displays no evidence of hippie culture. Instead, it has a strong 65-'66 vibe -- it's a tuneful, funny, brightly-colored look at when the West Coast was the capital of zippy American pop culture. GET YOURSELF A COLLEGE GIRL (1964, Dir: Sidney Miller) This silly but tune-filled teen romp was ostensibly about a songwriting coed (Mary Ann Mobley) nearly expelled by her prudish schoolmarms for penning a scandalous song extolling the sexual sophistication of college babes. Seemingly in answer to the song, she is pursued by song publisher Chad Everett, as well as a politician seeking the youth vote via a musical telethon. Prolific rock movie producer (and Secret Cinema saint) Sam Katzman threw together a varied bill of music acts to appear in GET YOURSELF A COLLEGE GIRL, the release of which squarely straddled two distinct eras in pop history. In addition to the then very happening British invaders the Dave Clark Five and the Animals (who perform their debut U.S. 45, "Round And Round/Blue Feeling"), there are Stan Getz with Astrud Gilberto (doing "The Girl From Ipanema," which sparked a Bossa Nova craze), Philadelphia's own organ-jazzmen The Jimmy Smith Trio, and the Standells (then in their frat-rock phase). All this, and Freddie Bell and the Bellboys, too?! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Secret Cinema presents CREEPY CHRISTMAS FILMS program at Mt. Airy's Sedgwick Cultural Center Friday, December 17 8:00 pm Admission: $7.00 Sedgwick Cultural Center 7135 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia 215-248-9229 On Friday, December 17, the Secret Cinema will return to the Sedgwick Cultural Center, to present CREEPY CHRISTMAS FILMS -- a special program of vintage Yuletide shorts featuring frightening puppets, demonic animals, and maudlin sentiments (this popular program was shown last year at this time at the Prince Music Theater). As an added bonus, interspersed randomly between the films will be glimpses of strangers' Christmas home movies, showcasing a nostalgic array of old toys and synthetic trees. There will be one complete screening, at 8:00 pm. Admission is $7.00. Free parking is available in the municipal lot across the street. All Secret Cinema presentations are projected in 16mm film on a giant screen (not video). If you've never been to the Sedgwick and are interested at all in classic movie theaters, you really need to check it out -- and this Secret Cinema event offers a rare chance to see actual projected celluloid in this site that was once a cathedral of celluloid. The Sedgwick Cultural Center consists of the surviving LOBBY areas of what was once the Sedgwick Theater, a mammoth movie palace built in 1928. While 2004 Philadelphia struggles to save it's last intact downtown movie palace (The Sameric/Boyd), the survival of even some of the Sedgwick's areas reminds us that earlier generations were lucky enough to have amazing theaters not just downtown but also in their residential neighborhoods. The huge auditorium, which once seated 1636 patrons on one level, was bricked up and essentially gutted in the 1960s (it survives as a giant storage warehouse with a rather ornate ceiling). What remains in today's Cultural Center are the original facade, and two separate lobbies, which together are larger than many multiplex screening rooms. Many original art deco features are intact. A few highlights of the program include: SANTA IN ANIMAL LAND - In this bizarre one-reeler, animal puppets (with some of the most painfully cloying voices ever recorded) bemoan the fact that there is no official Christmas celebration in the animal kingdom, and set out to protest to Santa Claus about their situation. DAVEY & GOLIATH: CHRISTMAS LOST & FOUND - A special edition of the early-'60s, long-rerun clay animation series from GUMBY creator Art Clokey (and funded by the Lutheran Council of Churches). Sourpuss Davey searches his town in desperation for the true Christmas spirit, finding little consolation even in the antics of his lovable dog Goliath. A VISITOR FOR CHRISTMAS - "But we can't have Aunt Hattie here -- she'll ruin our Christmas!" Mawkish live-action drama produced by religious studio Family Films, in which every member of a typical American family complains about the impending visit of their hated Aunt Hattie. With Lassie star Tommy Rettig. HOWDY DOODY'S CHRISTMAS - Buffalo Bob, Clarabelle, "Ugly Sam," and the grandfather of creepy marionettes, Howdy Doody, all join forces in this excruciating short film that was made especially for home and school projectors in 1951, to capitalize on the popularity of television's THE HOWDY DOODY SHOW. SEDGWICK CULTURAL CENTER WEBSITE: www.sedgwickcenter.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECRET CINEMA WEBSITE: www.thesecretcinema.com