BY FRED BLOSSER

Two 1960s murder thrillers with Joan Crawford have been released by Mill Creek Entertainment on single-disc Blu-ray. The cover sleeve bills the package as a “Psycho Biddy Double Feature.” The films are “Strait-Jacket” (1964), the first of Crawford’s three pictures with producer-director William Castle, and “Berserk!” (1967), her first of two with producer Herman Cohen. In using the possibly ageist and definitely sexist phrase “Psycho Biddy,” Mill Creek’s marketing department clearly hopes that audiences will have fond memories of the frenzied, middle-aged Joan Crawford in 1981’s “Mommie Dearest,” shrieking “I told you! No . . . wire . . . hangers -- ever!” at her terrified adopted child, Christina. Never mind that the belittling term “biddy” is problematic in the case of Joan Crawford. There may be plenty of biddies in the world, but the imperious Joan was never one of them. Never mind either that it was Faye Dunaway impersonating Joan Crawford in “Mommie Dearest,” not Crawford herself. For most casual movie fans, the distinctions are not likely to matter.

In “Strait-Jacket,” scripted by Robert Bloch, prosperous farm owner Lucy Harbin (Crawford) returns unexpectedly from a trip to find her younger husband (Lee Majors -- his first film role) in bed with another woman. Enraged, Lucy seizes an ax and butchers the pair as her young daughter Carol watches. Released from a mental institution twenty years later, Lucy is welcomed home by her brother Bill and her sister-in-law Emily (Leif Erickson and Rochelle Hudson), who have reared Carol in the meantime. Carol (Diane Baker) encourages her mother to ease back into a normal routine by looking and dressing as she had, two decades before. The gray-haired Lucy dons a black, ‘40s-style wig and trades in her dowdy outfit for a tight dress. The tactic goes awry when Lucy, drinking too much out of nervousness and getting tipsy, puts a move on Carol’s uptight boyfriend Michael. More stresses mount. Lucy hears things, sees things, and dreads meeting Michael’s even stuffier parents, who are unaware of her history. As they skip rope outside a store where Lucy is shopping, two little girls appear to be chanting, “Lucy Harbin took an ax . . .” Bill’s creepy, disheveled hired hand, Leo (George Kennedy, almost unrecognizable at first glance), asks if she wants to use his ax to chop the head off a chicken. Lucy’s therapist drops in for a visit and observing how tense she is, gravely suggests that she’s at risk of a relapse. Then one murder occurs, followed by a second, and evidence points to Lucy.

After the headlong pace and gruesome CGI of modern slasher movies, even older viewers are likely to find “Strait-Jacket” quaint at best. A similar production today would probably wind up as a made-for-cable, “my mom is a murderer” melodrama on the Lifetime Movie Network. The film’s pacing is deliberate, and the carnage is low-tech and mostly implied, despite the old lobby poster’s promise in grand William Castle style that “Strait-Jacket vividly depicts ax murders!” Although the restrictions on movie violence had relaxed a little by 1964, and a melodrama filmed in black-and-white like “Strait-Jacket” might tease the MPAA standards on mayhem with slightly more success than one photographed in color, studios were still careful not to push their luck too far. Of the three ax attacks in the film, only one explicitly shows grievous bodily harm. Even so, with quick editing and minimal gore, the effect is more impressionistic than realistic. These days, grislier special effects routinely appear on prime-time TV crime shows.

Millcreek Entertainment is offering a wide selection of titles from their archives at a sale price for unlimited streaming. Click here to access the sale and view all titles.

BY FRED BLOSSER

As movie censorship relaxed in the early 1970s, Mel Welles’ horror film “Lady Frankenstein” added sex and nudity to the familiar Frankenstein formula of the single-minded and arguably demented scientist who creates a monster and lives to regret it. In the 1971 production, now available in a handsome, fully loaded Blu-ray edition from Nucleus Films encoded for Region B, Dr. Tanya Frankenstein (Rosalba Neri) returns home to the family estate after completing medical school. Having inherited the family obsession, she is determined to help her father (Joseph Cotten) realize his long-frustrated ambition of creating human life in his laboratory. When Baron Frankenstein and his associate Dr. Marshall (Paul Muller) balk at including the refined young woman in their gory experiments, she fiercely overrides their objections: “Stop treating me like a child! I’m a doctor and a surgeon.” Frankenstein and Marshall successfully reanimate a creature that they’ve stitched together from plundered cadavers, but events take a turn for the worse, and soon a suspicious police officer, Inspector Harris (Mickey Hargitay), begins nosing around the Frankenstein castle.

“Lady Frankenstein” was filmed in Italy and independently marketed in Europe, where Rosalba Neri, Mickey Hargitay, and Paul Muller were popular actors in genre movies. In the U.S., it was distributed by Roger Corman’s New World Pictures. Inexplicably, New World billed Rosalba Neri as “Sara Bay” in the American credits and promotional materials, and depicted the exotically beautiful brunette actress as a blonde in the poster art. Like many other exploitation films from the same period, notably New World’s own series of Women-in-Prison productions like “The Big Bird Cage,” it professes to have a feminist message while at the same time including a fair amount of female nudity to meet the expectations of the grindhouse audiences to which it was pitched, here and abroad.

The feminist aspect is clear when Tanya discusses the resistance she faced in the conservative halls of higher learning. “Was it difficult, very difficult, being my daughter?” her father asks sympathetically. “Sometimes,” Tanya responds, “but mainly because I was a woman. The professors still have a lot of old-fashioned ideas about a woman’s place.” In the wake of recent news events, many of us will sympathize with Tanya’s dilemma and reflect that things haven’t changed a lot in the male-dominated corridors of power, either in the two hundred years since the early-1800s setting of “Lady Frankenstein,” or indeed in the forty-seven years since the film was made.

However, as the story progresses and Tanya takes center stage, she begins to employ sex, seduction, and murder to achieve her ends. You may start to wonder: do her ruthless and increasingly cruel methods invalidate the movie’s claim to advance a feminist theme . . . or underscore it? When one character is murdered in cold blood at her suggestion while she has sex with him to distract his attention, does the film idealize -- or objectify -- Rosalba Neri’s bare breasts and ecstatic facial expressions? When the infatuated, middle-aged Marshall professes his love for her, does Tanya practice gender bias in reverse by suggesting that she respects his intellect, but she’d respect it more if Marshall were also young and handsome? The answers, I suppose, depend on your interpretation of female empowerment.

BY LEE PFEIFFER

By the mid-to-late1970s, the legendary Henry Fonda was deemed all-but-through as a leading man. What was a screen icon to do in an industry that no longer appreciated his talents? In Fonda's case, he began farming out his services in cameo roles, often playing scientists or presidents and bringing a bit of gravitas to such decidedly underwhelming productions as "Tentacles", "City on Fire", "The Swarm", "Wanda Nevada" and "Meteor", along with the hit WWII film "Midway". Clearly, Fonda was frustrated by being relegated to cinematic window dressing, which probably explains his participation in "The Great Smokey Roadblock", which went into production in 1976 and which received a spotty release the following year. Fonda probably disapproved of the fact that the studio had changed the title from the more appropriate "The Last of the Cowboys" in order to cash in on the CB radio craze and the unexpected success of "Smokey and the Bandit". It is rather shocking to see Fonda starring in this bare bones production shot entirely in rural California. But he brings dignity to his performance as "Elegant John", a well-known aging trucker who is revered by his peers for his record of reliability. Seems he's never missed a scheduled delivery and is known as a true professional. However when an illness confines him to a hospital, John falls behind on his truck payments and the vehicle is confiscated. Facing bankruptcy and the loss of his livelihood, John steals his own big rig and immediately becomes a wanted man. Low on cash and resources, he gives a lift to a young hitchhiker, Beebo Crozier (Robert Englund), a naive and shy young man who possesses enough cash to fill up the gas tank at least once. The pair hightails it to a bordello run by John's old friend Penelope Pearson (Eileen Brennan), who presides over a group of happy young hookers. However, they have just been busted by the cops and face arraignment. They concoct a daring scheme to move their possessions into the back of the big rig and take off for South Carolina, where for some vague reason, everyone feels they can safely start a new life. (Apparently, they have never heard of extradition laws.) John states that he may be doomed but he wants to make one last, big successful run.

No corn pone trucking comedy would be complete without a buffoonish lawman and in this case he's played by the inimitable and always amusing Dub Taylor. The plot finds the group arrested by Taylor and his equally dopey deputy but they turn the tables on them by using sex as a temptation. The big rig then takes off at high speed but now inter-state warnings are out and John and the girls are becoming the stuff of popular legend. Along the way, the rag tag group attracts more lovable misfits including a down-and-out DJ played by master impressionist John Byner and a crazed hippie from New Jersey played by Austin Pendleton, who seems to be channeling the future performance of Dennis Hopper as the whacky photographer of "Apocalypse Now". Soon, the entourage of counter-culture types forms a nomadic family that is perpetually one-step ahead of their pursuers. (Picture "The Outlaw Josey Wales" with motorcycles and a big rig.) The only action set piece in the film comes during the climax when police have set up the titular roadblock that Elegant John and his followers are determined to smash through on their way to a new life. The scene itself is well staged and features the requisite amount of crushed police cars for a film of this peculiar genre.The movie borrows heavily from director Richard C. Sarafian's 1971 cult flick "Vanishing Point". Both films center on outlaws who become populist legends by avoiding capture by the police. The film even has John Byner blatantly imitate the DJ from "Vanishing Point" played by Cleavon Little by having him broadcast propaganda to the masses on behalf of the outlaws.

BY LEE PFEIFFER

Kino Lorber continues its welcome habit of unearthing cinematic rarities and making them available to retro movie lovers. Case in point: "Tiger by the Tail", a long-forgotten crime thriller filmed in 1968 as an independent production but not released until 1970. The film is the epitome of a good "B" movie from the era: lean, fast-moving and efficiently made with an impressive cast. The movie is typical of low-brow fare from the 1960s. It's primary purpose was to shot quickly and turn a modest profit. Many of these films, which often played as the second feature on double bills, had the asset of affording leading roles to actors and actresses who rarely had the opportunity to get top billing. Such is the case with this film which features Christopher George in the leading role. He plays Steve Michaelis, a recently discharged U.S. Army Vietnam War veteran who is returning home to New Mexico. However, he makes a nearly fatal pit stop in Mexico and the opening scene is a bit of a shocker.  He's a about to bed a local beauty when two thugs enter the room and a brutal fight ensues that he barely escapes. This seems like an irrelevant scene, given all that follows, but we find out later its pertinent to his fate. Steve arrives in New Mexico where he reunites with his older brother Frank (Dennis Patrick), who raised him after their parents died. While Steve is down-and-out and broke, Frank has prospered as the majority share holder in the local horse racing track which fuels the local economy. The two men have a frosty reunion that is strained even further when Steve discovers that his former girlfriend Rita (Tippi Hedren) is now romantically involved with Frank. Nevertheless, the two men reconcile and things appear to be heading in the right direction. However, fate takes a tragic turn when the racetrack is robbed and Frank is murdered in cold blood. This sets in motion a complicated series of events. Steve learns he will inherit his brother's share of the racetrack stock, something that doesn't sit well with Frank's partners who inform Steve they intend to use a legal loophole to pay him off at a bargain basement price and assume total control of the operation. Steve soon discovers that he may not even get that money, as it becomes apparent someone has ordered him to be killed. Worse, he is being framed for the murder of his brother. The film follows the formula of old film noir crime thrillers and that isn't a bad thing. We see him use his wits and considerable fighting ability to thwart attempts on his life as he tries to find out who is out to get him. The logical suspects are the racetrack shareholders, a group of greedy elitists who don't want to be in business with him. Red herrings abound and Steve learns he can't trust anyone including Rita who informs him she wants them to resume their relationship now that Frank is in his grave.

"Tiger by the Tail" feels and looks like a TV movie of the era and that isn't a coincidence. Director R.G. Springsteen was best known for his work in television where he excelled in directing episodes of classic western  series, and his colleague on those shows, writer Charles A. Wallace wrote the screenplay for the film. (This would prove to be Springsteen's final work in the film industry before his death in 1989.) Springsteen's direction is workmanlike in some areas but more inspired in others. He milks a good deal of suspense from the plot and keeps the action moving at a brisk pace across the movie's 99 minute running time. Springsteen, perhaps because of budget limitations, shoots virtually every scene in a real location which adds authenticity to the production. The film boasts a good cast of supporting actors, all in top form: Lloyd Bochner and Alan Hale as the greedy stockholders, Dean Jagger as a Scrooge-like banker and most intriguing, John Dehner as the local sheriff (in an excellent performance) with a penchant for using twenty dollars words in his vocabulary and who, along with his hot-headed deputy (Skip Homeier) may be complicit in working with the bad guys. Steve's only friends are Sarah Harvey (Glenda Farrell), the perky owner of a gun and souvenir shop who performs ballistics tests in the shop and New Mexico State Trooper Ben Holmes (R.G. Armstrong) who offers Steve whatever limited advice and support he can. The singer Charo (yes, that Charo) is cast in a superfluous role to provide a couple of songs in a local bar and to add a bit of additional sex appeal when we aren't gawking at Tippi Hedren sunning herself poolside in a bikini. As a leading man, Christopher George is top-notch. He's handsome, rugged and capable with fists and a gun as he takes on seemingly insurmountable odds. George should have been a success on the big screen. He was coming off a run in the hit TV series "The Rat Patrol" but never quite got his opportunity to shine on the big screen. "Tiger by the Tale" represents one of his few leading roles in a feature film, though he impressed as villains in the John Wayne westerns "El Dorado" (1967) and "Chisum" (1970). He died in 1983 at only 51 years of age from heart complications.

The Kino Lorber transfer is impressive, as usual, though there are some occasional speckles and artifacts. However, it's doubtful that there are many pristine prints of the film floating around, given its lowly stature. The Blu-ray features a very good commentary track by film historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson, both of whom show a good deal of respect for the movie and all involved in its production. They are especially kind to Tippi Hedren, pointing out that she was long underrated as an actress. (She unfairly took most of the blame for the failure of Alfred Hitchcock's "Marnie" in which she starred.) The release also includes a gallery of other action films and mysteries available from KL, though no trailer is included for "Tiger by the Tail". I don't want to overstate the movie's merits. It certainly isn't a lost classic but I suspect you'll find it far more impressive than you might have suspected. Recommended.

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BY TIM MCGLYNN

Never trust a man who says, “Trust me.”

With those sage words of advice, 15 year-old Fannie Belle Fleming leaves her home in the backwoods of West Virginia in 1950 to pursue a career in show business. What happens next is not exactly what the aspiring country singer had in mind.

Blaze (1989 Touchstone/Disney), recently released on Blu-ray by Kino-Lorber, is based upon the true story of the vocalist- turned- stripper who changed her name to Blaze Starr and became scandalously involved with Governor Earl Long of the Great State of Louisiana.

Blaze, played by Lolita Davidovich (Raising Cain, Leap of Faith, Cobb), is persuaded by sleazy club owner Red Snyder (Robert Wuhl) to try stripping, which he assures her is a form of dancing. “Trust me,” he tells her. After a timid start, Blaze becomes a star on the Burlesque circuit moving from New York to Baltimore and finally landing in New Orleans in 1959.

It is there in the Big Easy that Blaze encounters the colorful Earl K. Long, portrayed in bigger than life fashion by Paul Newman. One night Earl stumbles into a Bourbon Street establishment where he apparently knows most of the strippers on a first name basis. Immediately taken with her beauty and figure, Long asks if he may take Blaze to dinner. Remembering her mother’s words, a sadder- but -wiser Blaze asks the Governor “Can I trust you?” and is quite pleased when he answers “Hell no!” Their brief, but passionate affair was the stuff of legend in a state not unfamiliar with political shenanigans. While not addressed in the film, both the Governor and Ms. Starr were married to others at the time.

Writer-Director Ron Shelton’s film follows a late ‘80s trend of comedy-dramas from south of the Mason-Dixon Line, featuring a quotable script and likeable characters who are anything but the backwoods stereotypes we are accustomed to seeing. Much like Steel Magnolias, Fried Green Tomatoes and Shelton’s own Bull Durham, this movie gives us another strong female lead, confident in choosing her path in life without relying on the support or approval of men. Ms. Davidovich’s portrayal of Blaze is both comic and intelligent in that she is able to partner with Governor Long and guide him through his campaign for Congress.

Paul Newman chews his way through Shelton’s script as a conflicted, progressive politician caught in a system that still sees women and minorities as second-class citizens. On the one hand he supports a civil rights act that will guarantee voting and equal employment opportunities for blacks in 1960 Louisiana, but at the same time he still holds some of the racist beliefs of many in his own political party. “We can’t keep sleeping with them at night, and kicking them during the day” he says during a raucous meeting with state legislators.