Obscure Movie Recommendations

[Little Garwood]

Thursday's Game (1974; filmed 1971). Bob Newhart and Gene Wilder lead a cast of '70s TV legends. The IMDb link has some thoughtful reviews on the movie.

[Styles Bitchley]

Thursday's Game (1974; filmed 1971). Bob Newhart and Gene Wilder lead a cast of '70s TV legends. The IMDb link has some thoughtful reviews on the movie.

What a cast! How was this not more popular? I'm guessing it must be terrible.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

I'm a bit late to this thread but I'm a bit of a fan US made-for-tv movies. I'd say anything action/thriller related with either David Jannsen or Robert Urich in it is worth a punt. Whether they are 'obscure' though is debatable...
Some of my Jannsen faves: Warning Shot (1966), The Longest Night (1972), Moon of the Wolf (1972), Birds of Prey (1973), Hijack (1973), Fer-de-Lance (aka 'Death Dive') (1974), Prisoner in the Middle/Warhead/Mission Overkill (1977), Nowhere To Run (1978), Superdome (1978) - Tom Selleck is in this!, The Golden Gate Murders (1979), High Ice (1980)

You might try "Ring of Fire"(1961) starring Janssen, bodacious Joyce Taylor and a very young Frank Gorshin displaying excellent acting chops.
It features footage from 2 actual forest fires where it was shot in Oregon and Washington, seamlessly edited in.
Breathtaking color scenery, the opening in a small town diner gives you the feel of 1961 in spades, along with the classic Duane Eddy title song.
Lots of footage of the locals who made up the hundreds of extras fleeing the fires, it's interesting to see the "types" in period garb, some with speaking parts.
I really like this flick, not every film has to be a 4 star classic and this isn't but it is a perfect choice for Saturday night viewing, with a bowl of popcorn and black cows(root beer with a dollop
of vanilla ice cream).

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

removed by Luther's nephew Dobie

[Styles Bitchley]

Isn’t that just a root beer float? At lest that’s what it is in my part of the world.

[Chris109]

I'm a bit late to this thread but I'm a bit of a fan US made-for-tv movies. I'd say anything action/thriller related with either David Jannsen or Robert Urich in it is worth a punt. Whether they are 'obscure' though is debatable...
Some of my Jannsen faves: Warning Shot (1966), The Longest Night (1972), Moon of the Wolf (1972), Birds of Prey (1973), Hijack (1973), Fer-de-Lance (aka 'Death Dive') (1974), Prisoner in the Middle/Warhead/Mission Overkill (1977), Nowhere To Run (1978), Superdome (1978) - Tom Selleck is in this!, The Golden Gate Murders (1979), High Ice (1980)

You might try "Ring of Fire"(1961) starring Janssen, bodacious Joyce Taylor and a very young Frank Gorshin displaying excellent acting chops.
It features footage from 2 actual forest fires where it was shot in Oregon and Washington, seamlessly edited in.
Breathtaking color scenery, the opening in a small town diner gives you the feel of 1961 in spades, along with the classic Duane Eddy title song.
Lots of footage of the locals who made up the hundreds of extras fleeing the fires, it's interesting to see the "types" in period garb, some with speaking parts.
I really like this flick, not every film has to be a 4 star classic and this isn't but it is a perfect choice for Saturday night viewing, with a bowl of popcorn and black cows(root beer with a dollop
of vanilla ice cream).

𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙘𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚
𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙
𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮
𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩
𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧
𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩'𝙨
𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙬
𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙞𝙜 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙘𝙤𝙬
𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

I'm a bit late to this thread but I'm a bit of a fan US made-for-tv movies. I'd say anything action/thriller related with either David Jannsen or Robert Urich in it is worth a punt. Whether they are 'obscure' though is debatable...
Some of my Jannsen faves: Warning Shot (1966), The Longest Night (1972), Moon of the Wolf (1972), Birds of Prey (1973), Hijack (1973), Fer-de-Lance (aka 'Death Dive') (1974), Prisoner in the Middle/Warhead/Mission Overkill (1977), Nowhere To Run (1978), Superdome (1978) - Tom Selleck is in this!, The Golden Gate Murders (1979), High Ice (1980)

You might try "Ring of Fire"(1961) starring Janssen, bodacious Joyce Taylor and a very young Frank Gorshin displaying excellent acting chops.
It features footage from 2 actual forest fires where it was shot in Oregon and Washington, seamlessly edited in.
Breathtaking color scenery, the opening in a small town diner gives you the feel of 1961 in spades, along with the classic Duane Eddy title song.
Lots of footage of the locals who made up the hundreds of extras fleeing the fires, it's interesting to see the "types" in period garb, some with speaking parts.
I really like this flick, not every film has to be a 4 star classic and this isn't but it is a perfect choice for Saturday night viewing,
with a bowl of popcorn and black cows(root beer with a dollop of vanilla ice cream).

𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙘𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚
𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙
𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮
𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩
𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧
𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩'𝙨
𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙬
𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙞𝙜 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙘𝙤𝙬
𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚

Chris 109,
Aha, a black cow and Steely Dan fan.
You could play that tune on the A side and Diana Ross's "Buttered Popcorn" on the B.
Hmm, no doubt some younger MM members here might be perplexed by these references. A 45 single is a record with 2 sides and
Diana Ross is Tracee Ellis Ross's mom.

My baby likes
(Buttered popcorn) Uh-huh
(Buttered popcorn) Oh-hoh
(Buttered popcorn) Oh, yeah
He likes it greasy and sticky and gooey and salty
I said what do you like
He says you know what I like
I like (buttered popcorn)

[Little Garwood]

Hey Uncle Dobie, you didn't tell us who Steely Dan originally was!

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Hey Uncle Dobie, you didn't tell us who Steely Dan originally was!

Your Uncle Dobie realizes there is always one saucy fellow in the class who asks what a Steely Dan is or what exactly are these fartle berries Shakespeare mentions and does the local market sell them?
Well apple cheeked youths such as Ivan, jno and Chris 109 certainly don't need to know those answers.
I am afraid if this happens again I will have to send "Digger" Doyle over to set you straight with a good tongue lashing.

[Little Garwood]

Most here at Mannix-Mania have long since hit age 40 or higher like a crash test dummy, and they can relate to "Hey Nineteen" more than they'd care to admit.


youtu.be/5J7IrPVLc4U

Steely Dan (the music group, that is): We'll never again witness a pop group as "cheeky" as they were.

[Little Garwood]

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) is a "thinking man's" crime drama and a character study. The film is gritty, ugly, and sublimely bleak. Most of its scenes take place in the unblinking ugliness of daylight. A brilliant cast including: Robert Mitchum (legend!), Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Steven Keats, Alex Rocco, and Dennis Becker himself, Joe Santos. The film has a fine score by Dave Grusin.


youtu.be/t6uEFgh5aes

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

C'mon, everybody knows who Steely Dan is. Didn't he play for the Steelers?

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) is a "thinking man's" crime drama and a character study. The film is gritty, ugly, and sublimely bleak. Most of its scenes take place in the unblinking ugliness of daylight. A brilliant cast including: Robert Mitchum (legend!), Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Steven Keats, Alex Rocco, and Dennis Becker himself, Joe Santos. The film has a fine score by Dave Grusin.


youtu.be/t6uEFgh5aes

It's weird because I know I saw EDDIE COYLE a few years ago. But I'll be darned if I recall anything about it. I like 70s heist flicks and I remember that's what it was but nothing more than that. Compare this with CHARLEY VARRICK or THE SEVEN-UPS which I also saw around the same time and I definitely remember more about those films. For instance I recall that Joe Don Baker played a character named "Molly" (as well as that awesome bi-plane cartwheel) in the former and of course the great Richard Lynch and the awesome car chase in the latter.

I suppose I was more impressed with those 2 than with COYLE so it left a more lasting impression.

[Chris109]

Hey Uncle Dobie, you didn't tell us who Steely Dan originally was!

Your Uncle Dobie realizes there is always one saucy fellow in the class who asks what a Steely Dan is or what exactly are these fartle berries Shakespeare mentions and does the local market sell them?
Well apple cheeked youths such as Ivan, jno and Chris 109 certainly don't need to know those answers.
I am afraid if this happens again I will have to send "Digger" Doyle over to set you straight with a good tongue lashing.

I'm much older than my smart-ass attitude shows. (Got it from the Old Man)

What's a Steely Dan again?

[Little Garwood]

It's weird because I know I saw EDDIE COYLE a few years ago. But I'll be darned if I recall anything about it. I like 70s heist flicks and I remember that's what it was but nothing more than that. Compare this with CHARLEY VARRICK or THE SEVEN-UPS which I also saw around the same time and I definitely remember more about those films. For instance I recall that Joe Don Baker played a character named "Molly" (as well as that awesome bi-plane cartwheel) in the former and of course the great Richard Lynch and the awesome car chase in the latter.

I suppose I was more impressed with those 2 than with COYLE so it left a more lasting impression.

I like The Seven-Ups and to a lesser extent, Charley Varrick...both from 1973, same as Eddie Coyle. '73 was a good year for Neo-Noir. Varrick has a fine opening "Americana" montage I've always admired. The Seven-Ups is an urban blight showcase! Both films have good music scores.

Another one from 1973 I like is Badge 373...our good friend Johnny Oporta (Henry Darrow) is the villain of the film.


youtu.be/VzRMQJQdtJ0

Speaking of Joe Don Baker, he is excellent alongside Robert Duvall in The Outfit, also from 1973. The great Robert Ryan co-stars, as does early-'70s stalwart Karen Black. The print normally broadcast omits a superb character-related scene that dulls the impact of a subsequent moment involving Duvall and Black's characters. Turner Classic Movies aired the version with the scene intact.


youtu.be/YBLuiXCGF6A