Lauren Bacall & Ruth Gordon in Perfect Gentlemen (1978)

This TV movie brought together the disperate talents of Bacall (in her first TV movie), Gordon, Sandy Dennis and Lisa Pelikan as 4 down on their luck ladies who decide to pull a heist. Will they succeed or get caught and join their husbands in prison? Also in the cast are Dick O'Neill and Robert Alda.

Though it's never been released on DVD commercially, you can find unauthorized copies floating around. Above is a promo for the film, uploaded to YouTube by robatsea2009.

Obscurity factor: 10 (hard to find, not on DVD, not well remembered by most)

Valerie Harper & Ruth Gordon in Don't Go To Sleep (1982)

Laura and Phillip (Harper and Dennis Weaver) have just lost their oldest daughter Jennifer (Kristin Cumming) in a terrible automobile accident. In an attempt to pick up the pieces of their lives they move from Los Angeles to a small town north of the city with their two other children Mary and Kevin and Laura's mother, Bernice (Gordon). The first day in their new house proves unsettling to Mary who begins to hear voices calling her name. After the family has retired, Mary is heard screaming. Upon bursting into her room her parents discover her bed engulfed in flames. She's rescued, but is understandably shaken. As the story develops, the voices Mary hears begin to take on the physical form of her sister Jennifer. Jennifer is seeking revenge for her death, which she blames on the family. One by one, they're picked off in strange accidents. Is Mary having a psychotic break and acting out her feelings about Jennifer, or  is it really her and will she claim the entire family before she can be stopped?

This supernatural thriller has a bleak, eerie quality to it that's heightened by its utterly ordinary setting in a typical suburban home. It's interesting to see Dennis Weaver playing a flawed dad after his signature role of McCloud. This television film has never been released on DVD. It did get a VHS release 9 years after it was made and tapes can still be found. It's also available in full on YouTube, thanks to an upload by Kreechum. The entire film is above.

Obscurity factor: 9 (not on DVD, available on YouTube, largely forgotten)

Ruth Gordon & Patty Duke in Look Whats Happened to Rosemary's Baby (1976)

The elaborate machinations of the coven to control and influence the life of Satan's child is the subject of this sequel to the 1968 film. It's divided into three parts, the first takes place when Adrian (Phillip Boyer) is 8 years old. His mother (Patty Duke) absconds with him, trying to save him from the influence of the coven. Part two  takes place 20 years later when Adrian (Stephen McHattie) is a young man and part three continues after a traumatic incident in Adrian's life that leaves him with amnesia. The story is a bit muddled, but the suspense is maintained. Look for Tina Louise, Broderick Crawford, Donna Mills and Ray Milland in roles and look for Ruth Gordon reprising her role as Minnie.

This television film has never been commercially released on DVD. It can be found in full on YouTube, however, thanks to an upload by 70sHorrorRealm.

Obscurity factor: 9 (not on DVD, available on YouTube, largely forgotten)

Geraldine Page & Ruth Gordon in What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice (1969)

Obscurity factor: 8

Claire Marrable (Page) is a bitter, self important widow, who's husband left her penniless. Claire is resourceful, however, and moves to Arizona. To live the life she's accustomed to she hires housekeepers, swindles them out of their money, kills them, then buries them beneath pine trees in her yard. Her latest companion is different, however. Mrs. Dimmock (Gordon) is feisty, unlike her predecessors, and doesn't let Mrs. Marrable intimidate her. She's also not what she seems. Alice Dimmock was the former employer of Mrs. Marrable's last housekeeper (Mildred Dunnock), and she's suspicious of her sudden disappearance.

This film is the last in a trilogy of similar films produced by Robert Aldrich that began with What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. It's fun to see such talented actresses fence with each other. Geraldine Page creates a fun portrait of evil and Ruth Gordon is restrained and effective. The production values are high, with great costumes and locations, and the man-scenery is good with Robert Fuller playing an initially shadowy figure. Look for Jerry the Dentist (Peter Bonerz) from the Bob Newhart show in a small role at the beginning.

This film was released on DVD, though is out of print now. It can be seen in its entirety on YouTube, thanks to an upload by 60sHorrorRealm. The poster above is available at MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: 8 (available on DVD and YouTube, not well remembered)

Scavenger Hunt (1979)

Obscurity factor: 7

The runaway success of It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World led Hollywood to several copycat ventures. There was a Remington Steele episode, a movie with everyone looking for something under a big "K" somewhere (that's one of those lost films that I remember from my youth but can't find - all those lost films will become a post some day) and this film from 1979. Milton Parker (Vincent Price) has died and left a huge fortune. His will decrees that it will be given in its entirety to the winning team of a scavenger hunt he has set up. The teams include his greedy sister (Cloris Leachman), her son (Richard Masur) and her lawyer (Richard Benjamin), the old man's servants (Roddy McDowell, Clevon Little, James Coco and Stephanie Faracy), his nephews (Dirk Benedict and Willie Aames), his son in law Henry Motley (Tony Randall) and his kids and a cab driver (Richard Mulligan) who helped him out once, who is eventually joined by Scatman Crothers. As the teams head out to pillage San Diego for the items on the list they wreak all sorts of havoc on population and countryside, encountering a slew of familiar faces such as Ruth Gordon, Meatloaf, Arnold Schwarzenegger in cameo roles.

One of my favorite moments features Liz Torres (Julie, the photography studio owner on Phyllis) playing a psychic from which one of the teams needs a crystal ball. Before they can even knock, she opens the door and knows in minute detail what they want and why they want it. It's a brilliantly written little moment. Also look for Robert Morley as the lawyer and executor of the estate.

Though the film has yet to be released on DVD, it can be found on VHS. It's also uploaded to YouTube in its entirety, thanks to dalekenbuck. The poster above is available from MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: 7 (available on VHS and YouTube, not on DVD, buried by the sands of time)

Glenn Close & Mandy Patinkin in Maxie (1985)

Obscurity factor: 7

When Jan (Close) and Nick (Patinkin) move into their new apartment in San Francisco, little do they know the tragic history of a previous tenant will impinge so palpably on their lives. The ghost of Maxie Malone, a free-wheeling flapper still inhabits the apartment and takes possession of Jan's body. Maxie is intent on proving her abilities as an actress and getting the audition she would have had if she hadn't died the night before it. She is also ecstatic to be in a body again, and goes all out to make it her own - new hairstyle, new clothes... Of course this is incredibly disconcerting to the conservative Jan.

 

Maxie is one of those films that got lost in the shuffle. It's also somewhat controversial - it's a charming comedy that many people remember fondly and others can't stand. Close and Patinkin have some great support in the film. Look for Barnard Hughes as a dotty bishop, Valerie Curtin and Ruth Gordon in her last role as the landlord and former pal of Maxie. 

This is another hard to find film. It's available on DVD, but again, the price is quite high at Amazon - over $60. You can get it for less there on VHS but it's not available on iOffer.com and there isn't a full upload on YouTube. Above is the trailer, uploaded by KaninFamily. The poster above is available at MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: 7 (available on DVD, but expensive and rare, not on YouTube in full)

Stockard Channing & Joseph Bologna in The Big Bus 1976

Before the Airplane franchise that revitalized Leslie Nielsen's career there was this 1976 disaster movie parody. The Big Bus had it all - action, suspense, danger... On the cutting edge of technology, the nuclear powered Cyclops is the first luxury bus. For its maiden run - a non stop trip from New York to Denver - after a bomb wipes out the driver and co-driver the team turns to Dan Torrence (Joseph Bologna), a promising bus driver with a dark incident in his past that kiboshed his brilliant career. The film follows the progress of the enormous Cyclops as it navigates the route to Denver and a minefield of attempts to sideline it by a group of oil sheiks and Iron Man, a diabolical villain in an iron lung. Also featured in the cast are a veritable who's who of 70's Hollywood actors - Ned Beatty, Lynn Redgrave, Sally Kellerman, Larry Hagman, Richard Mulligan Jose Ferrer and the irrepressible Ruth Gordon.

The centerpiece of the action is the bus itself - an articulated double decker affair with 32 wheels, wrap around windows and a graphic, orange and yellow paint scheme. It was fitted out with an amazing assortment of features, including automatic, enroute tire changer and flags of the world that sprang from the roof at the touch of a button. Inside were found a cocktail lounge, captains dining room, swimming pool and bowling alley. Here, in a clip uploaded to YouTube by clipfilmix we see the bus making its first appearance:





If you enjoy disaster movies, or parodies of them, then The Big Bus is a must see.

Obscurity factor: 4 (available on DVD, rarely shown on television, footage available on YouTube, recent enough to still be remembered by many)