LOS ANGELES WEIRDUMENTARY Celebration + EXP TV’s BIZARRE ENCOUNTERS… Screening!
Overview
Author Gary D. Rhodes in-person, exploring his compendium of 70s/80s fact-or-fiction docs + a rare screening of EXP TV’s epic film collage!
WEIRDUMENTARY: ANCIENT ALIENS, FALLACIOUS PROPHECIES, AND MYSTERIOUS MONSTERS FROM 1970s DOCUMENTARIES
As part of an evening devoted to the strange, the speculative, and the wildly entertaining edges of nonfiction cinema—“high strangeness” in its purest form—7th House presents a celebration of Gary D. Rhodes’s new book WEIRDUMENTARY—an instant classic compendium of pseudoscientific documentaries from the ’70s and ’80s exploring the unexplained—paired with a screening of obscure media collective EXP TV’s immaculately titled original film BIZARRE ENCOUNTERS WITH MYSTERIES FROM BEYOND THE AMAZING WORLD OF UNKNOWN FORCES IN SEARCH OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA (2023).
BROOKLYN / NIGHTHAWK CINEMA / Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
Director: William Beaudine Run Time: 74 min. Format: DCP Rating: NR Release Year: 1952
Starring: Bela Lugosi, Duke Mitchell, Sammy Petrillo
Martin and Lewis knock-offs run amok on an island with gorillas and Bela Lugosi
Deservedly one of the crown jewels of lowbrow cinema, Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952) debuts at Nitehawk in its restored 4K glory. Newly-struck from the original negative, this cult classic stars Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo as a bargain basement Martin and Lewis trapped on a tropical island. Sammy Petrillo inhabits every nuance and tic of Jerry Lewis’s insanity, creating an indelible performance that still stuns decades later. Featuring Bela Lugosi in one of his last great roles as a mad scientist bent on revenge, Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla is as funny or funnier than any Martin and Lewis movie.
Followed by an after party in Trees Lounge with a DJ set by renowned Brooklyn rock ‘n’ roller Andy Maltz. Author Dave Abramson will sell and sign copies of his new book, Your Time Is Now: The Sammy Petrillo Story (Feral House).
Manhattan / Richard Boch / The Mudd Club / NYPL-New Amsterdam branch in Chelsea
After Hours Author Talk: “The Mudd Club” by Richard Boch
About the Book:
The Mudd Club is a history of the Mudd Club and the Downtown icons who made it their playhouse. Richard Boch, the doorman who witnessed it all, delivers an unflinching insider’s perspective. His gritty recollections bring the era to life in a way no outsider could.
More than just a a nightlife hotspot, The Mudd Club was a breeding ground for cultural shifts that ripped far beyond its walls. Boch’s narrative explores its significant influence on art, music, and the very fabric of New York City.
Los Angeles / Dave Abramson / Sammy Petrillo @ American Cinematheque
$11.00 (member) ; $16.00 (general admission)
Ticket prices include a $2.00 online booking fee.
Los Feliz 3 | Q&A with screenwriter Scott Alexander, author Dave Abramson, actor Elsie Fisher, producer Jack Broder’s grandson David Kopple and comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff. Moderated by Dana Gould.
Brand new scan of the film from the original camera negative
There will be a book signing with Dave Abramson and Scott Alexander for Abramson’s book, Your Time is Now: The Sammy Petrillo Story, following the Q&A at the Los Feliz 3 in partnership with Larry Edmund’s Bookshop.
CHICAGO / World of Oddities Expo
World Oddities Expo
SAT & SUN: 11:00AM – 7:00 PM*
*VIP early access starts at 10:00 AM
The World Oddities Expo is a traveling oddities festival- a peculiar paradise where weird thrives! We pride ourselves on being an all inclusive artisan and small business fueled mega-convention. We feature artists, vendors, performers, educators, and guest speakers to create a macabre and magical experience for all!
