WILD GUITAR (1962)

Written by “Nicholas Merriwether” (Arch Hall Sr) and Bob Wehling

Directed by Ray Dennis Steckler

Minutes after Bud Eagle (Arch Hall Jr) arrives in Hollywood with 15 cents in his pocket, he’s playing his guitar on television and on his way to stardom. Another small masterpiece from the unique sensibilities of Ray Dennis Steckler, and I say that with no irony whatsoever. On a typically tiny budget, Steckler manages to cram social commentary, goofball comedy, action and surf music into 87 minutes of grin-inducing entertainment. We also get some fascinating period glimpses of Grauman’s Chinese, the Egyptian and Pantages theatres. More polished overall than many of his films, with a convincingly innocent Arch Hall Jr giving a good performance as an actor and an even better one as a singer/guitarist (the few blues licks we hear from him were obviously recorded live) as a character who couldn’t be more different than his title role as THE SADIST, his dad Arch Hall Sr (credited as William Watters) as crooked manager Mike McCauley, Nancy Czar as his twistin’ ice skating girlfriend Vickie, Steckler himself under his nom d’ecran Cash Flagg as McCauley’s goon “Steak” and the director’s wife Carolyn Brandt (credited as Carol Flynn) dancing while Hall croons. Like most of Steckler’s movies, WILD GUITAR is over flowing with raw talent, energy, and sheer enthusiasm for movie making. If this movie doesn’t give you “Twistin’ Fever”, nothing will! (Viewed on TCM in a decent print.)

BILLIE (1965)
Written by Ronald Alexander Directed by Don Weis

Billie Carol (Patty Duke) is a fifteen year-old athlete who can out-run any boy on the track, out-jump any boy on the pole vault, out-run and out-jump any boy on the steeple chase. Problem is, this is small town America in 1965 and the times, they ain’t a-changin’ fast enough; Billie has all she can do to convince the principal (Richard Deacon) and her mayoral candidate father (Jim Backus) that she belongs on the team, even though her coach (Charles Lane, playing a gruff but sympathetic character) endorses her whole-heartedly. Looking very much like the live action fare that Disney was making at this time and filled with familiar sitcom faces (in addition to Duke, Backus, Lane and Deacon, there’s Billy DeWolfe, Dick Sargent and Ted Bessell), and with a script that set ups serious issues only to wave them away at its finale, the main reason for watching this film is Patty Duke’s finely detailed, energetic performance as a young girl confused about her place in the world and the changes within herself. Despite the doubles used for both athletics and dancing, Duke anchors the film solidly, even acquitting herself well singing several songs (written by Dominic Frontiere). One wishes the script had allowed Billie the courage to ultimately stand up for herself, particularly given the strong, sensible portrayal of her mother by Jane Greer. I saw this when it was first released, and as a boy of 12 had a crush on Patty; re-watching her natural, awkwardly convincing portrayal of a 15 year-old girl (she was 19 at the time), I can readily understand why. She’s completely believable, charming, and charismatic. (Watched on broadcast TV in a full-frame print, with commercial interruptions, both of which served to emphasize the film’s relation to a sitcom. Only David Winter’s choreography suffered from the pan/scanning.)

— Robert Deveau, The Doomed Farmer