***EXTRA***Movies I Saw in 1974, Part 4

31--CALIFORNIA SPLIT--Aug. 31st, Times
Elliot Gould, arguably the biggest star of the "New Hollywood," teamed with George Segal as gamblers who hit it big. Segal would become one of my favorite stars after this.

32--BIG BAD MAMA--Sept. 14th, Albee
Angie Dickinson, William Shatner, Tom Skerritt and Graham Nash's future wife, Susan Sennett, all in Roger Corman's violent 1930's crime drama filled with lots of surprising nudity!

33--ONE MILLION YEARS, BC--Sept. 22nd, Ludlow
What do you know? i didn't remember seeing this in theaters at all! Obviously a re-release of Raquel Welch and SPFX guru Ray Harryhausen's 1966 caveman pic.

34--MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR, Oct. 6th, Penthouse
The Beatles TV movie, finally released in theaters in the US some seven years after it flopped in England. The Penthouse was a new theater, a tiny art-house addition upstairs at the Ludlow Cinemas. The projectionist looked out, didn't see anyone and turned off the film. I had to go out front and tell them to turn it back on!

35--DEATH WISH, Oct.13th, Ludlow
Went with my Dad to see this. I had seen Bronson in plenty of things on TV but I was amazed at how charismatic he was on the big screen. Unlike the later ripoff sequels, he gives a nuanced performance here in a serious and well-made film about a man taking the law into his own hands.

36--THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT, Oct. 20th, Skywalk
When this compilation of classic MGM musical scenes came out in 1970, I wasn't a big enough film buff to care but seeing it at this point was almost a life-changing experience! I picked up the soundtrack soon afterwards.

37--THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123, Oct. 26th, Times
This was SUCH a great time for films! Here's another that became an all-time favorite. Walter Matthau and a hijacked subway train co-starring the city of New York and a great cast with an amazing serious/funny script.

38--WHAT'S UP DOC?, Oct. 27th, Madison
Saw this one again just recently, too. Absolutely hilarious tribute to screwball comedies and the only time I would ever describe Barbra Streisand as sexy!

  
39-43--THE SAGA OF THE PLANET OF THE APES--Nov. 2nd, International '70. This was the famous "Go Ape!" campaign! All five of the PLANET OF THE APES films in one single sitting! Eight hours of fun!