Dance Hall Racket (1953)

Written by and co-starring Lenny Bruce, this is one for the off-center archives. Lenny's wife, Honey, appears as one of the floozies. It's about a dance hall run by our hero, Umberto Scalli, the sleazy sub-mob gangster character previously established in the female wrestler pic, Racket Girls (both films were produced by George Weiss of Glen or Glenda fame). Lenny plays the sociopathic henchman, Vincent.

It all starts with a federal agent telling the story in flashback. The club follows the standard tradition. The gents buy a ticket and get a dance with a lady. If they're a real big spender they buy the "Trip to Hawaii" which consists of a little private time behind a potted plant provided by the bartender. Scalli pulls his money in tickets, and in shady fence deals. Vincent is his main fist, a not-so-convincing knife-wielding maniac (Lenny was much more effective as a comedian). There's lots of footage from the dancers' changing room. Sometimes it's an audition for a new dancer, sometimes just a friendly exchange between the gals, mostly while they help each other "dress." Once the racket is exposed it's curtains for Scalli and his accomplice, Vincent.

There is a somewhat touching, albeit sleazy, scene where the bartender asks one patron why he buys so many tickets but never trades them in for a dance. The man explains that he wants to horde a thousand of them, then take the club for himself for a night. All the ladies' eyes on him. Lots of trips to Hawaii.

Horrible print and sound, and one of the worst transfers I've ever seen, but I love Lenny Bruce and this is a little piece of history.

Find more videos like this on video.filestube.com.

Olga's House of Shame (1964)

Apparently our hero, George Weiss, found himself dabbling in the harder stuff by the time the mid '60s came about. Title character, Olga, is a drug-runner and brothel madam with a penchant for violent interrogation. There are snitches and double-crosses galore, all perfect excuses for Olga to flaunt her techniques. The film is also noted for having very little sync sound as it was clearly made well into the period of Weiss' career as a producer where frugality was beyond essential. Of course, if it made any money it had other installments, namely White Slaves of Chinatown and Olga's Dance-Hall Girls.
Cult release specialist company "Something Weird Films" offers a triple disc set of the Olga series. Apparently they are tame by today's raincoat-wearing viewer standards but I'm sure they divvied out the kicks in their day. Thanks again, George Weiss!

Racket Girls (1951)

George Weiss (Glen or Glenda) presents Racket Girls, AKA Blonde Pickup, AKA Pin Down Girls AKA Wrestling Racket Girls! Leave it to Mr. Weiss to push this sleazy story into Alabama Drive-ins in the early '50s and reap enough coin to produce his next project.

There really isn't much to it. Tim Farrell plays Umberto Scalli, an oily looking manager for professional female wrestlers. He has his own training gym for the ladies, operating his side businesses out of the back with the help of his flunky, Joe the Jockey. Joe is a five-foot, mustachioed Mediterranean stereotype that is mostly there for comic relief, his height lending itself to his penchant for ogling the wrassle' gals chests.



Newcomer and real-life pro wrestler, Peaches Page, is troubled by the rumors of Scalli's other business ventures which include prostitution, bookmaking and drug-running. With the help of the other pro gals, Clara Mortensen and Rita Martinez, she is determined to get to the bottom of it. It turns out that Scalli is into gangster kingpin, Mr. Big, for a debt of $35,000 and his henchmen intend to collect in any way they please. The story is shuffled in between locker room conversations, massage table chats and all out female wrestling violence ad nauseam. Thank you, George Weiss!