BoyScoutKevin
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
Karma: 277
Posts: 5030
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« Reply #30 on: September 08, 2009, 05:24:43 PM » |
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I have two stories. One is just funny, and the other is both funny and unsettling.
In 1982, I saw "The Sword and the Sorcerer" w/ Lee Horsley, Robert Tessier, and Earl Maynard.
Somewhere in the film Morgan (Earl Maynard) calls out to Verdugo (Robert Tessier), the bald executioner: "What do you want, potatohead?" At this, half of the audience is now on the floor, rolling with laughter.
Now a short time later, Morgan coming up behind Verdugo, pushes Verdugo's face into a turning grindstone, and the blood goes spraying everywhere. At this, some wag in the audience yells out: "Hmmm! That looks good." At this the other half of the audience joins the first half on the floor, rolling with laughter.
In 1980, in Portland, Oregon, I saw "Zulu Dawn," which is the prequel to the better known "Zulu."
"Zulu Dawn" is about the battle of Isandlwana, in which the black Zulus defeated a British army. One of the worst defeats ever suffered by the British.
Whether it's because of the subject matter of the film, or because of the location of the theater, which was in downtown Portland, never before or since, have I seen so many Native Americans watching a movie.
Now, this is a stereotype, but it is true. Native Americans have a war whoop. It's a sound that whites can't recreate, but it's certainly something that whites recognize.
And whenever one of the black Zulus killed a white man in the film, the Native Americans in the film let out with this godawful war whoop. Which had the few whites in the audience, including myself, looking around to see what would happen next.
Now, it's just funny, but at the time, it was quite unsettling.
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