PHANTOM SWAY

    • Groovy Friday – Anything Goes and Everything Grows

    It’s Friday!

    This week we’re focusing on several clips taken from the 1965 film Village of the Giants.  My experience with this film started as a kid, when I would watch it on local television station KTLA.  Back then, KTLA’s film library was so small that they’d run the same film for an entire week; Monday through Friday at 8, Saturday at 6 and Sunday again at 8.   Consequently, I racked up multiple viewings of this film as well as Danny Kaye in Hans Christian Andersen, Hammer Studio’s The Nanny starring Betty Davis, The Great Race, Bob Hope’s The Princess and The Pirate and many others

    Rather than explain the premise of Village of the Giants (which we will henceforth not be referring to as VOTG), I’ll let the official trailer do it.

    You get the idea.  Science-fiction meets beach party.

    “Village of the Giants” was not a box-office success at the time, but has since become a cult classic, no doubt due to all those repeats on KTLA.

    Here’s the grooviest part.  Dig that music!

    In my opinion, Johnny Crawford hanging on that huge bra is the cult film equivalent of Gene Kelly hanging on that lamp post in “Singin’ in the Rain”.

    Would you like to see those giant slow-motion teens dancing like regular sized teens?  Not a problem.  The Beau Brummels, a mildly invasive part of the British Invasion, provide the groovy music.

    “Regarde ces canards”

    Finally, here’s actress/dancer/singer/choreographer Toni Basil who, despite decades of work in all areas of entertainment, will always be remembered for her 80s pop hit “Mickey”.  It’s going on her tombstone and we all know it.

    I envy her.

    Here, she seductively tries to get the giant male teens to put down their itty-bitty buckets of chicken and look at her.  I think she does a great job.

    Have a groovy weekend!

    André Dupuy
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