Meet “The Sultan of Sexploitation”!
How is that for a job title! In an era when movies like “The Pigkeeper’s Daughter” played in grind houses across the country, there was one man who made a fortune by delivering a series of software sex comedies!
Harry Novak started Boxoffice International Pictures in 1964, and hit the grind house circuit soon after with the sex romp “Kiss Me Quick” – check out this poster!
These movies were designed to titillate male audiences who were eager to see a new permissiveness on screen…
As a Producer, Novak filled America’s grind houses with a non-stop series of trashy sexploitation movies like these:
Novak’s genius was to capitalize on the explosion of sex and violence in films int he 60’s, and maximize both for profit!
The Secret Sex Lives Of Romeo & Juliet!
One notorious sexploitation stunt was to take a classic story and “perv it up!” So Novak told the story of the “secret sex lives” of history’s most enduring love story, and he knocked off other hit films as well!
I Am Curious Tahiti!
In the late 60’s, “I Am Curious (Yellow)” shocked America with its candid and frank look at sex in Denmark. Novak saw a good thing and did a version from Tahiti!
Remember when Marlon Brando shocked the world with his demand for butter?
Well, Novak knew that moviegoers wanted more of a good thing, so he rushed out this knock off:
Novak also knew how to titillate audiences with his look into the dark corners of the US, like these classic comedies about country girls:
Sassy Sue!
“Sassy Sue” and “The Pigkeeper’s Daughter” were classic software sex romps, full of tons of nudity and action…and speaking of action, Novak also loved to document the country’s road to ruin…
A Scream In The Streets!
These films were made quickly and cheap, and they jumped on whatever was happening in the real world – so “a city ripped apart by sin and lust!” was his way to look at the criminal underworld in America’s cities…
But perhaps Novak’s greatest claim to fame has one of the greatest movie titles of all time:
“Wham! Bam! Thank You Spaceman!”
What else needs to be said: Check out this wacky trailer!
Now THAT’S entertainment! Movies don’t get this wacky anymore! The plot is simple: Two aliens from a dying planet are on a mission to impregnate Earth women – of course they are!
Here’s a funny fact about the quality of this film:
When the spacemen are ready to land, the globe stops and zooms into the center of South America – the interior of Brazil. When they get out of their spaceship, they are in Hollywood!
“Wham Bam” is another example of the raucous era of filmmaking in the 70’s…and we are all better off for it!
Bravo Harry Novak, while you passed away last year your movies will live forever!
And if you love what Harry Novak achieved, then you will absolutely love the greatest softcore filmmaker of all time – Russ Meyer!
Russ Meyer was the genius behind “Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” and “Vixen”, among many others…read all about them here:
http://johnrieber.com/2012/03/16/sexploitation-classics-the-russ-meyer-edition/
These are classic grind house films…if you don’t know what grind houses are, here is a look at New York’s Times Square in the 70’s…
These movie theaters showed movies full of sex and violence, and they played 24 hours a day…”grinding them out” for single guys…read about this crazy era in movies here:
Let me know what you think!
