Oddball Films presents Strangest Strange Sinema: A 4 Year Anniversary Extravaganza. In honor of the 48th installment of Oddball Films’ monthly legendary and award winning Strange Sinemaseries, Head Curator Stephen Parr has hand-picked, from his collection of over 50,000 films, a program of the most offbeat and unusual titles for your viewing pleasure. From the minds of infamous bad boys, to absurd animals and sinful delights, this show embodies the essence of Oddball Films. Highlights include: Two Men and A Wardrobe (1958), a darkly comic early film by famed director Roman Polanski; Thank You Mask Man (1971), a vivid send up on race, class and sexuality in this legendary animated short by the infamous comedian and satirist Lenny Bruce; and Sandy Sunrise in The Baby Sitter(1971) a bizarro animated adult Triple XXX exploring the erotic adventures of a babysitter and vegetables to music from the classic Beach Boys Smiley Smile album! Blind as a Bat (1956), an oddity from the Moody Institute of Science giving a rare look into the mysterious world occupied by our flying relatives; wacky, hilarious and narrated by 1950’s movie sweetheart Julie Harris, The Cat Who Drank and Used Too Much (1988) is an exceptional anti-drug film about an alcohol and drug using cat; and underwater mermaids, hot dog stands and circus acts beneath the Florida sea in Submarine Circus (1940s). Plus! Sinderella (1962) faithful reenactment of the Brother’s Grimm Cinderella…. except with a handful of lovely San Franciscan drag queens playing all the parts and much more!
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Two Men and a Wardrobe (B+W, 1958)
Roman Polanski’s darkly comic early film has many of the director’s preoccupations already present: alienation, crises in identity, and a bizarre view of humanity that sees us as some very strange animals. In this quasi-surrealist jaunt, two otherwise normal looking men emerge from the sea carrying an enormous wardrobe, which they proceed to carry around a nearby town. Seeking fun, solace, or maybe some place to put the damn thing, all the two find is rejection at every turn. Watch Polanski in a bit part he later reprises in “Chinatown”. “Two Men and a Wardrobe” initiated Polanski’s collaboration with Krzysztof Komeda, the greatest jazz musician in Poland at the time that lasted for decades.
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Before George Carlin, Richard Prior and Redd Fox there was Lenny Bruce.
This legendary animated short by the infamous comedian and satirist Lenny Bruce is a vivid send up on race, class and sexuality. Watch as Tonto and the Lone Ranger’s let it all hang out. Like crazy man.
Blind as a Bat (Color, 1955)
This wonderfully punchy film created by the Moody Institute of Science, gives a bizarre look into a world occupied by our only flying relatives. Somewhere between the explanations of echo location and the scenes where the bats themselves fly into walls, you’ll fall in love. Sandy Sunrise in The Baby Sitter(Color, 1971)
Bizarro animated adult xx x explores the adventures of a babysitter and vegetables! Produced by Warped Imaginations (A Cum Stained Cartoon) featuring music from the classic Beach Boys Smiley Smile album!
The Cat Who Drank and Used Too Much(Color, 1987)
Wacky anti-drug film about alcohol and drug using Pat the Cat. He hits the skids before finally reaching out for help - an Oddball Films audience favorite! Narrated by Julie Harris. Sinderella (B+W & Color, 1962)
This amateur film produced by “Lorelei” is a faithful reenactment of the Brother’s Grimm Cinderella…. except with a handful of lovely drag queens playing all the parts. A rare document of the San Francisco drag scene in the early 60s, this gem is like a long-lost step sister to Jack Smith’s Flaming Creatures. Don’t miss the amazingly cheezy production values, awesome wigs, and high-handed bitch slapping that blows D*sney right out of the water. Poor Sinderella’s hair gets a fabulous makeover when she’s transformed!
Submarine Circus (1940s)
Watch underwater mermaids, hot dog stands and circus acts beneath the Florida sea!
Curator Biography:
Stephen Parr’s previous programs have explored the erotic underbelly of sex-in-cinema (The Subject is Sex), the offbeat and bizarre (Oddities Beyond Belief), the pervasive effects of propaganda (Historical/Hysterical?) and oddities from his archives (Strange Sinema). He is the director of Oddball Film+Video and the San Francisco Media Archive (www.sfm.org), a non profit archive that preserves culturally significant films. He is a co-founder of Other Cinema DVD and a member of the Association of Moving Archivists (AMIA) where he is a frequent presenter.
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