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MOOM PITCHER REVIEW! "CATALINA CAPER" (1967)

I mighta told you this already, but according to none other'n Don Fellman noted no wave musician Rudolph Grey really wants to murder those nerks who used to make "above it all" wizecracks while classic late-nite tee-vee fodder was being shown on their MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 series. According to Mr. Fellman, Grey vented these opinions if only because of the MST3K crew's haughty and snide attitudes that have been made towards what Grey considers some of the better cinematic endeavors seen within the past one-hundred years. And really, who can blame him? You do get the suspicion that the creator of this series (which I thankfully missed out on because we didn't get cable until all of those hotcha cable shows all the highbrow slumsters like were long gone) was one of those litsy college pseudo-intellectual types who used to wax eloquent about all of that GE COLLEGE BOWL brainy quap until some magazine article clued him in to the hipness of liking "bad" cinema for the sake of satire, or laughing at the rubes, or something along those lines. Or better yet, the sake of cashing in on the up-'n'-coming "bad movie" trend and raking in piles of dough. Yeah, definitely the latter! I mean, you could see "Executive Producer" himself chortling along to those androids' snide-o remarks regarding tons of  celluloid marvels that wowed kids on theater and tee-vee screens for ages (and continues to do so!) while he takes in some lesbian film festival that he chanced upon via THE VILLAGE (retch!) VOICE with a deep tone of sincerity as if his actions are as self-sacrificing and as pure as fighting fascism or at least kicking in the spiritual asses of hicks who like the movies that are run on MST3K! It would figure because really, do you think that these kinda people who up their noses at fun films even had childhoods, or adolescences for that matter?

What does all of this have to do with CATALINA CAPER? Not much other'n this was one of the films that the MYSTERY SCIENCE guys decided to skewer which should be proof enough of its irresistible suburban slob appeal! And it is a good one too (stood the ultimate film test---that is how well it works on humid Sunday afternoons!) starring none other'n Tommy Kirk (who I guess took Unca Walt's advice and learned to like women and like them now!) as some nerdoid Arizonian who hangs out with some typical SoCal blowdries heading their way to Catalina for some fun 'n' sun in typical bikini movie fashion. Meanwhile, an ancient and valuable Chinese scroll has been stolen by a typically bumbling trio who plan to sell a forgery of it to a Greek shipping tycoon who has in his employ none other than Lyle Waggoner of CAROL BURNETT SHOW fame. While all of this is goin' on, that guy who used to play Exidor on MORK AND MINDY is spying on the goings on while adding even more comic relief to a film just brimming full of it whether you wanted any or not.

But who really cares because this works on a nice lower-level if only for the gals in swimsuits (some of whom do have nice looking juggins) dazzling with those shake up 'n' down dances as well as the music including Little Richard doing what he loves best (appearing in low-budget bikini movies), Carol Conners, and the Cascades of "Rhythm of the Rain" fame covering the Kinks! And the plot and direction is on par at least with the competing AIP produce of which this clearly a neat swipe of. Naturally a film like this was begging for a Vincent Price or at least Robert Cummings, but the fun geek-like buzz is still extant no matter what smartass androidal film elitists masquerading as downhome trash gulch lovers might want you to believe! Four Star material here, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise!