Celebrity Nooz: Hollywood Boulevard

Hollywood Boulevard (1976)

Movie Title: Hollywood Boulevard

Year Released: 1976

Rated: R

Runtime: 1h 23min

Genre: Comedy, Thriller

Director: Allan Arkush and Joe Dante

Writer: Danny Opatoshu (as Patrick Hobby)

Starring: Mary Woronov, Paul Bartel, George Wagner, Jonathan Kaplan, Tara Strohmeier, Richard Doran, Candice Rialson, Dick Miller, John Kramer, W.L. Luckey, Jeffrey Kramer, Rita George

Review: Welcome to Hollywood Boulevard! It's the Roger Corman classic that is a tribute to the man and the guerrilla-style, low budget, exploitation filmmaking that made him iconic.

Allan Arkush (Rock 'n' Roll High School) and Joe Dante (Gremlins, The 'Burbs) are both in the director's chair for the first time as they tell the story of three starlets that are trying to make it in Hollywood. This formula of "the three young ladies heading off in hopes of success" was big in the Corman world of "B" pictures, usually with nurses, co-eds, etc. Now, these would-be stars make it to Miracle Pictures... where "If it's a good film, it's a miracle!"

There our three leads (Tara Strohmeier, Rita George, and Candice Rialson) get a crash course in low budget filmmaking with includes crazy directors, diva actresses, shady agents - and shameless amounts of sex and violence, just as the poster claims. The movie is silly, over-the-top, satirical, funny, and extremely exploitative of everything and everyone in the crew. The plot also involves several starlets dying under mysterious circumstances, but it seems like it's really there to keep things rolling along.

This is without a doubt a snapshot of Roger Coman's exploitation film school. Dante and Arkush have said it's very much a meta version of working for Corman at the time. It's definitely a movie that certainly could not be made today. Most of the exploitation elements are very out of fashion these days. However, if you enjoy Corman's exploitation pictures, cartoonish antics, hilarious dialogue (most of it delivered by the legendary Dick Miller), and low budget movie magic then head to...Hollywood Boulevard!

Stars (out of 4):

Fun Fact: Filmed in ten days in October 1975 for less than $60,000.

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