Jack Weston, F. Murray Abraham & Rita Moreno in The Ritz (1976)

Obscurity factor: 2

Today is pride day here in New York, and the last day of gay themed films here on the blog. I thought we'd go out with a bang. Gaetano Proclo (Weston) is running from his maniac mobster brother-in-law (Jerry Stiller) who wants to kill him. He ends up at The Ritz, a gay bath house, and in his naivete doesn't realize where he is. He starts to meet some of the other patrons and it begins to dawn on him. His first impulse is to just lock himself in his room and get some sleep, but it's too late for that. He has a chubby chaser (Paul B. Price) after him and the hilariously bad performer, Googie Gomez (Rita Moreno) from the basement nightclub thinks he's a big Broadway producer. On top of that, Michael Brick (an adorable Treat Williams) the detective his brother-in-law has hired has tracked him down and is searching the club for him - shirtless. The only person that can help is outrageous bathhouse queen Chris (F. Murray Abraham).

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This film was based on a successful Broadway play by Terrance McNally Shot in London on a shoestring, it's become something of a gay classic and is extremely funny. Look for Kay Ballard as Jack Weston's wife.

The Ritz is recently available on DVD, and thank God, because it's a really funny film. The trailer is above, uploaded to YouTube by OurManInHavana.

Obscurity factor: 2 (recently revived on Broadway, known well in the theater & gay communities, on DVD, somewhat unknown by the general public)

Doris Day in the Doris Day Show (1968)

Obscurity factor: 7

Starting in 1968, Doris Day had her own sitcom. She played Doris Martin, a widow with two boys living on a farm with her uncle Buck. The series revolved around her family and their place in the community. Little did we know when it started that this series would radically change and by the end of the fifth year she would be living in San Francisco as a single career girl with no kids. This change was brought on by the upheaval in the culture and television industry during the late sixties and early seventies.

Though the series is a bit uneven, there is lots of fun to be had in it, with great guest stars and regulars, exuberant, if sometimes silly plot lines and sensational production values - several seasons features fashion show episodes with long segments of Doris wearing great, over-the-top outfits from the era. The clip above, uploaded to YouTube by MovieJoe79 was put together by MPI Video to showcase the DVD of the second season. It features Doris and her co-worker (Rose Marie) looking for an apartment for her. They find one above a restaurant owned by Kaye Ballard and Bernie Kopell. Also appearing in the series were Maclean Stevenson, Denver Pyle, Jackie Joseph and Billy DeWolfe. This show did well, if not spectacularly in the ratings, but unlike other shows from the time, never really found a life in syndication. It remained virtually unseen after its initial run until its recent release on DVD. It's worth a look and can be rented on Netflix and bought on Amazon.

Obscurity factor: 7 (known of, but largely unseen since its first airings, on DVD now)

Eve Arden & Kaye Ballard in The Mothers-In-Law (1967 - 1969)

Obscurity factor: 7

I don't usually cover series television on this blog, but I'm currently wading through the complete series of The Mothers-In-Law on DVD and thought I'd write it up.

Eve Hubbard (Eve Arden) and Kaye Buell (Kaye Ballard) are neighbors and the mothers of Jerry and Suzi, who are married. Their relationship is sort of a love/hate one. Kaye and her husband Roger (Roger C. Carmel in season 1 and Richard Deacon in season 2) are easy going and earthy, while Eve and her husband Herbert (Herbert Rudley) are more formal. They have one thing in common though - they love to meddle in their children's lives, which is easy, because the kids live in a converted garage apartment behind the Hubbard's house.

Photo courtesy: shareTV.org

This series has the distinction of having been produced by Desi Arnaz and having been written by the primary writers for I Love Lucy - Bob Caroll Jr. and Madeline Pugh Davis. It has a lot of the same zany qualities and plot points of the more famous fore-bearer, and though much of the more outlandish moments don't hold up that well, there's still a lot to enjoy.

Above is an edited down minisode of the show featuring a fun little show-within-a-show. The entire series is available on a DVD collection that was released last summer. The series has faded into obscurity, though is still remembered by a cadre of hard core fans.

Obscurity factor: 7 (available on DVD, largely forgotten, never screened on TV)