"Walk The Angry Beach"
Written and Directed by John Hayes. Cinematography by Vilis Lapenieks, Music by Bill Marx
The film stars Anthony Vorno as Tony, Rue McClanahan as Sandy, John Barrick as Tom, Paul Bruce as Nick, Ernest Macias as Ernest, Lea Marmer as Mrs. McVea, Leslie Moorhouse as Shakespearean, Doug Rideout as Fitz, Joanne Stewart as Patti.
"FILM NOIR HAD AN INEVITABLE TRAJECTORY…
THE ECCENTRIC & OFTEN GUTSY STYLE OF FILM NOIR HAD NO WHERE ELSE TO GO… BUT TO REACH FOR EVEN MORE OFF-BEAT, DEVIANT– ENDLESSLY RISKY & TABOO ORIENTED SET OF NARRATIVES FOUND IN THE SUBVERSIVE AND EXPLOITATIVE CULT FILMS OF THE MID TO LATE 50s through the 60s and into the early 70s!" The Last Drive In (thelastdrivein.com)
The Story
Tony an ex Navy frogman runs an auto wrecking yard. The clues we get for location is that the yard was remembered as being located next to a city pound.
Scrap metal |
Anthony Vorno as Tony |
There was a dog pound on Sherman Way in The Valley (a lot of Los Angeles's scrap and auto recycling yards were there). But there was another dog pound in South L.A. at 3612 11th Ave, where this one was more likely shot.
Believe it or not I actually ran a wrecking for a stretch in Montana back in the 80s, for a family member who had suffered a heart attack. Basically we usually paid $100 for a pickup, $50 for cars. We usually pulled the high demand items, generators, alternators, starters, batteries, and carburetors, The rest was a U-Pick type of operation.
We grouped the cars by manufacturer for customer convenience. Into GM land went the Chevys, Buicks, Olds. Into Mopar land went Chryslers, Dodge and Plymouths, FoMoCo had the Fords, Mercurys, Lincolns. AMC land had Nash, Rambler, we even had a Studebaker section, lol. When the hulks were picked over we smashed them flat and stacked them in piles. When we got a flatbed load of scrapped cars we took them to Tacoma, Wash.
Anyway, getting back to our tale, Tony seems to be a complicated type of guy. He reads books in his spare time when not pulling parts or dealing with customers.
Tony gets approached by two part time mob stickup men. Nick and Tom. You can spot that these guys ain't there to by parts. When Tony asks if he can help them. Nick tells him they were interested in some junk and "man you got lots of it."
Paul Bruce as Nick |
lots of junk |
John Barrick as Tom |
Nick tells Tony that he heard about him and this place and from Tommy, who had stopped in a few months ago when he needed his car fixed.
Nick goes on to explain that he heard that he was in underwater demo during the war and they got a job in mind for him that's worth $10,000. Tony asks if it's illegal, and could he tell a cop friend about it. Nick tells him yes, it's illegal, but his part has very little risk.
It's Illegal but your part has very little risk |
Nick continues on and tells Tony he knows he's not making a lot of money, he knows the dump where he lives, and also knows he doesn't have a wife. Tony isn't buying the pitch.
Nick tells him to think about it but make it quick, he's got to the end of the week ,and then asks him if he likes stip shows. He tells Tony that if he changes his mind to come see him at the show.
Tony a bit pissed, tells them both to get out. Tommy wants to start a fight, but Nick calls him off. He again tells Tony to think about it.
A few days later. We cut to the strip joint. Sandy Smith a wannabe actress who finds work as the shows newly hired stripper is off stage complaining to Tommy. He tells her that it's Nick who wants to see her.
Tony shows up at the sleazy hole in the wall theater. Nick is out so Tony sit in his office waiting for Nick to get back. The place looks like a converted garage, sheetrock dividers, with a slapped together stage, and sewn together sheets for curtains.
While Tony is sitting in Nick's office, Sandy Smith comes in to complain. She heard from Tommy that Nick the owner is complaining about her "art." She starts in on Tony thinking he's Nick. She lays into him telling him that ok she'll take off more clothes but she won't do any bumps and grinds.
Tony plays along. He tells her that she is probably like every girl who comes to Hollywood looking to make it big. Tony tells her he knew somebody like her who thought that all she had to do was stand at the corner of Hollywood and Vine and someone would notice her. Nothing happened.
Sandy starts crying and Tony feels like a heel. He tells her he has really nothing to do with the show. About this time Nick shows up and seeing the two together asks Tony if he likes what he sees?
Tony. has however, now become smitten with Sandy and to make it up with her as she is leaving, asks her for a date to go to the beach. She tells him that she has a room at Hollywood Center Motel on Sunset Blvd.
While Nick and Tony are going over details we get a strip routine from an African American stripper
The date, the next day with Sandy goes well for Tony, She has a small canvas cabana that she sets up for changing and they go swimming, and walking on the beach
During their date, Sandy discloses that she has a reading with an agent the next day for a part. When she mentions that the reading is at a dinner date with the agent, rather than in his office, Tony gets dubious about it the whole deal. He's very suspicious. She tells him not to worry, she knows about casting couches and she assures Tony that believe it or not most parts won at cocktail parties.
She goes on the date. Tony shadows her.
It goes Noirsville when he runs into Tony.
Noirsville
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