George C. Scott in The Day of the Dolphin (1973)

Jake Terrell (Scott) and his wife (Trish Van Devere) are researching dolphin intelligence and their relationship with humans. In the process of their research they've been able to directly communicate with one of them by teaching him English. Unbeknownst to them, there are radical right wing forces bent on destroying the President of the United States. They've learned of Terrell's dolphin and plans to use him and his mate to carry out the job.

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This film is directed by Mike Nichols and the screen play is by Buck Henry, so when I first started watching it I was sort of expecting a comedy - at least I was expecting some satire. Instead, it explores some of the more esoteric ideas about our relationship to other species in the setting of a political thriller. It's marginally successful at both, though tends to have a bit of a split personality.  

This film does not have a high profile, though it is remembered by some. It was nominated for two Academy Awards (score and sound) but has fallen into obscurity over the years. Above is a television commercial for a 1977 airing of it, uploaded to YouTube by robatsea2009

Obscurity factor: 7 (available on DVD, not largely remembered)

John Lithgow & Cynthia Nixon in The Manhattan Project (1986)

Paul (Christopher Collet) is a bright boy. He excells in science and math and his curious mind is accompanied by a somewhat devious nature. John Matthewson (Lithgow) is a scientist working on high grade plutonium and trying to make time with Paul's mother. To that end, John invites Paul to visit his lab. Unfortunately, he's underestimated Paul's knowledge and understanding. In a move that's part protest, part prank, Paul and his friend Jenny (Nixon) steal some plutonium and Paul proceeds to make an atomic bomb with it for a science project. Will he win first prize... or even live to compete?

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This film by Woody Allen collaborator Marshall Brickman was undoubtedly green lit because of the success of War Games (1983). It features the same archetypes and asks some of the same questions. The characters differ somewhat and have some compelling flaws. Some of the situations are a bit far fetched, but the whole thing holds together as entertainment. It's fun to see Cynthia Nixon as a teenager and look for Robert Sean Leonard in a small role.

This film is available on DVD, but can be hard to find online. Above is the trailer for it from Video Detective.

Obscurity factor: 9 (on DVD, hard to find otherwise, largely forgotten)

Peter Lawford & Sammy Davis Jr. in Salt & Pepper (1967)

The sixties saw an explosion of spy themed filmes, all inspired by the success of the 007 franchise. From serious cold war dramas like The Spy Who Came In From the Cold (1965) to ridiculous romps with sexy starlets like Modesty Blaise (1966), the intrigue was thick and heavy. This film is one of the latter type, with Lawford and Davis playing night club owners who are sucked into a seriously stick situation. A girl is found dead in their club and she just happens to be part of a terrorist group, bent on wrecking havoc on the British government. Will the inimitable Salt (Davis) and Pepper (Lawford) be able to intervene in time?

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This silly film is more of an excuse for the stars to act cool and hip and for the producers to parade an endless collection of sexy sixties babes in front of the camera. The scenes of swinging London are fun to look back on and the film was successful enough to inspire a sequal - One More Time (1970) which has the distinction of having been directed by Jerry Lewis.

This film is available on DVD, as is its sequal. Above is the trailer, uploaded to YouTube by OurManInHavana.

Obscurity factor: 7 (on DVD, known to rat pack fans, dimly remembered otherwise)

Roger Moore & Martha Hyer in Crossplot (1969)

This rather silly thriller is saved by a truly gorgeous Roger Moore, a glamorous 60's London setting and some great retro visuals - for the most part. The plot concerns agitators, international intrigue and a nest of spys that suck an ad man (Moore) and a Hungarian beauty (Claudie Lang) into the fray. The action and characters remind one of North by Northwest (1959) and the whole film comes off in hind sight as Moore's audition for James Bond.

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This is a film to watch if you're fond of swinging London, the Mods, glamorous clothes and settings and you don't mind a somewhat derivative plot and extremely bad process screen sequences. There are a number of scenes that are pure comedy because of the green screen effects. Look for Bernard Lee, "M" from the Bond series, in a small role.

Crossplot is available on DVD and can be watched instantly on Netflix. The trailer is above, uploaded to YouTube by britflix.

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

Anthony Perkins & Julie Harris in How Awful About Allan (1970)

Anthony Perkins is very handsome in this well acted, but overwrought thriller from Aaron Spelling. After 8 months in the state hospital, Allan (Perkins) is coming home. He suffers from hysterical blindness after a fire in his home killed his father and disfigured his sister Katherine (Harris). Though his blindness has lessened to the point where he can see vague shapes, he's still unable to manage alone. Katherine and their next door neighbor, Olive (Joan Hackett) take turns helping Allan cope. Unfortunately, Allan isn't coping very well. He's hearing voices, seeing strange figures and is afraid that they're out to get him. Is he cracking up, or is he really in danger?

This production had enough legitimate star power and genuine talent to rate a DVD release. It can be found on Amazon, as well as on YouTube in full. The entire film is above, uploaded by smpr12.

Obscurity factor: 8 (on DVD & YouTube, largely forgotten)

Dean Stockwell & Stefanie Powers in Paper Man (1971)

Since computers started taking over tasks from humans in the 1950's we've seen films with varying degrees of the fear of technology as their theme. Examples include the Matrix films as well as comedies like Desk Set (1957). This little thriller can be counted among them. When Joel Fisher (Elliott Street) receives a credit card by mistake and decides to keep it, he and his friends (Powers, Tina Chen and James Stacy) need the help of a graduate student in computer sciences (Stockwell) to help keep the account open. All is going swimmingly until the computer starts to systematically murder them!

This delightful little film was both released in the theaters and on television. It's well crafted and has some extremely creepy moments in it. Look for a beautifully shot scene where the lights are turned out as a girl runs up a corridor. There have been several low budget DVD releases of this film, and you can see it above, uploaded to YouTube by TVTERRORLAND.

Obscurity factor: 8 (on DVD & YouTube, almost totally forgotten)

Polly Bergan, Sonny Bono & Farrah Fawcett in Murder on Flight 502 (1975)

I've been featuring a lot of cheese on the blog lately. This film is no exception - in fact, this film is an exemplary specimen of ripe, pungent, aromatic cheese, courtesy of Aaron Spelling. After flight 502 for London takes off from New York, a letter is discovered in the first class lounge warning of murders that will take place during the flight. Only the first class passengers are involved, and they include mystery writer Mona Briarly (Bergan), pop star Jack Marshall (Bono), international thief Paul Barons (Fernando Lamas), Jewish mother Ida Goldman (Molly Picon), bratty teenager Millard Kensington (Danny Bonaduce), Charlie Parkins (Walter Pidgeon) as well as a flight crew including Captain Larkin (Robert Stack) and stewardess Karen White (Fawcett). Who is responsible for the letter and who is or are the targets? As people start to die (in the "yanked from view into a closet" style of murder) we learn that the person who wrote the letter isn't joking. Red herrings abound, are dismissed and then the characters involved in them are relegated to the background. Also look for Brook Adams, Laraine Day, Ralph Bellamy and Hugh O'Brian in the cast.

Due to Farrah Fawcett's involvement in the film, it was released on DVD in the late 90's. Most of the reviews I've read seem to have missed the campier aspects of the film, but it's worth seeing for just those aspects. In addition to DVD, it can be seen in full above, thanks to a YouTube upload by smpr12.

Obscurity factor: 7 (on DVD and YouTube, known to Fawcett fans, otherwise forgotten)

Stephanie Zimbalist & Patty Duke in The Babysitter (1980)

My friend Carol introduced me to this made for TV thriller. It's creepy and has a slow build, but a great pay-off. Joanna Redwine is hired by the dysfunctional Benedicts as a housekeeper. As she settles in to the home she begins to manipulate the family members, encouraging Liz's (Patty Duke) drinking, trying to seduce Jeff (William Shatner) and while daughter Tara (Quinn Cummings) initially loves her, she begins to hate her as she sees how Joanna is using them. All along, next door neighbor Dr. Lindquist (John Housman) is observing Joanna and starts investigating her past. What will he discover, and will it endanger him and the Benedicts?

Though not available on DVD, this HBO production was released on VHS and is still available on Amazon. It can also be seen on YouTube in its entirety. The whole film is above, uploaded by TVTERRORLAND.

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

Burt Lancaster & Alain Delon in Scorpio (1973)

Gerald Cross is the very epitome of the CIA. He's tough, shrewd and dangerous. He's also marked for elimination. Jean Laurier - aka Scorpio - is Cross' friend and associate. Cross has trained him to be as ruthless and efficient as he is. Scorpio's next assignment is to eliminate Cross. It's not going to be easy, and both men know it. Cross is on the run and will be difficult to find. When they finally meet it will be a battle to the death. Who will prevail?

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This classy spy thriller benefits greatly from two wonderful performances by the leads. Delon is subtle and he's developed a multi-dimensional character that holds your interest. Lancaster is a master at this kind of role. He's oblique, but fascinating and, as was his habit, did all his own stunts at age 59. The film is very taut, and has some really compelling moments. Listen for a masterful score by Jerry Fielding and look for a scene where Lancaster disguises himself in blackface.

This film is available on DVD. It's not as well known as other spy thrillers of the era, but is definitely worth seeing. Above is the trailer, uploaded to YouTube by Annie7676.

Obscurity factor: 6 (Known to Lancaster fans, on DVD, largely unknown to the general public)

Bette Davis & Rosanna Arquette in The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978)

When Nick and Beth Constantine (David Ackroyd and Joanna Miles) stumble upon the charming town of Cornwall Coombe, CT, they think they've discovered the perfect haven for themselves and their daughter Kate (Arquette). They're told the house they've fallen in love with isn't for sale, but several weeks later they get a call from a couple they met in town who tell them that the owner would like to meet them. When they meet Widow Fortune (Davis) she warmly welcomes them to the town and makes them an offer on the house they can't refuse. The Constantines pull up stakes in New York and settle in the charming town to start anew. All is idyllic until Nick starts to feel uneasy about some aspects of the traditions and history of the town. It's people have eschewed modern methods and stick to farming styles practiced since ancient times. There's some tension between residents interested in change and the majority of the townsfolk who stick to "the way." As the family experiences the quaint festivals surrounding the growing season Nick's uneasiness deepens. Is something sinister going on in Cornwall Coombe?

This television film was actually a two part mini-series, based on the book Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon. It's never been released on DVD or VHS in a complete version, though you can find an edited version on both formats that leaves out much of the plot. It's also available in full on YouTube, thanks to an upload by TVTERRORLAND. The sound is low and there are a few jumpy cuts here and there, but you get the full story with all the subplots.

Obscurity factor: 8 (no full versions available on any media, on YouTube, not well remembered)

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)

Robert Foxworth, Stefanie Powers & Elke Sommer in The Astral Factor (1976)

Roger Sands (Frank Ashmore) hates his mother so much... He was put away for murdering her and after a spree as a strangler of celebrity women six years ago. In the intervening time he's studied up on psychic phenomena for which he has quite a talent; he's learned to make himself invisible. He uses this skill to escape from the locked ward he's been kept in and goes about the LA basin wreaking havoc on the witnesses who put him away. On the case is Lt. Charles Barrett (Foxworth, looking very foxy) and Detective Holt (Mark Slade) a newbie detective Lt. Barrett takes much pleasure in breaking down. They have quite a time tracking Sands down because of the invisible thing, eventually witnessing a killing right before their eyes. As the witnesses are picked off one by one, can Barrett and Holt stop Sands before he kills Chris (Elke Sommer)?

This film is one of the wackiest I've featured this month. It's chock full of cliches, questionable acting, bad special effects and general camp - in short, it's wonderful! Barrett is from the Starsky and Hutch mold of detectives - blustery, sarcastic and quirky. He's shacked up with Candy (Powers) who refers to herself in the third person, calls Barrett "teddybear" and sees him off to the murder investigations with a cheery "have fun!" It has a very TV movie vibe to it, which is only mitigated by the nudity of both Foxworth and Powers in a scene where they're awakened by Det. Holt. If you're a fan of movies that are so bad they're good, then this is for you. It's, oddly enough, available on DVD under this title and it's alternate title (Invisible Strangler) in two separate releases. It's also available in full on YouTube thanks to an upload by FlixUniverseMovies2.

Obscurity factor: 8 (on DVD & YouTube, largely forgotten)

David Hartman & Jane Wyatt in You'll Never See Me Again (1973)

Architect Ned Bliss (Hartman) and his new wife, Vicki (Jess Walton) have just had a fight. She sets out to go home to mother, telling him he'll never see her again, but never arrives. Ned makes calls and does some investigating, getting more and more frantic as time passes and no word is heard. He decides to drive up to her parent's, whom he's never met, to see if he can find a trace of her along the way. Upon arrival he's greeted by her step father (Ralph Meeker) and her mother (Wyatt) who question him about her actions before leaving, intimating that he had something to do with her disappearance. Upon arriving home he's greeted with a police warrant and the news that someone has called in a report of suspected foul play involving Ned. Will he find his wife before he can be arrested for her murder?

This taut thriller is nicely constructed. Hartman does a great job as the frantic husband and the plot has some interesting twists and turns in it. Look for character actors Ned Wertimer and George Murdock in small roles. It's not available on DVD, but is up on YouTube, thanks to an upload by TVTERRORLAND. The entire film is above.

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

Joan Collins & Judy Geeson in Fear in the Night (1972)

Yesterday's Joan Collins film, I Don't Want to be Born, brought this little thriller, also featuring Collins and also from Hammer productions, to mind. Peggy Heller has recently been married and is about to go live with her husband at the boy's school he teaches at. Not only is she a newly wed, she's also recovering from a nervous breakdown, so when she's attacked in her bathroom by a mysterious man who has a prosthetic arm, nobody believes her. She puts it behind her and sets her mind on her new life in the country, but finds that her attacker has followed her to the school. Again, she is not believed - by her husband (Ralph Bates), the head master (Michael Carmichael) or his wife (Collins). Will she be able to convince someone before she winds up dead?

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This film is a bit of a departure for Hammer studios. It's less of a horror film and more of a thriller. It's still chock full of frights, though with no gore to speak of.

A DVD release of this film was produced, though it's now out of print and can be a trifle pricy. It's available in full on YouTube, thanks to an upload by 70sHorrorRealm. Part one is above.

Obscurity factor: 7 (on DVD, available on YouTube, largely forgotten except for Hammer fans)

Joan Crawford in Dear Joan: We're Going to Scare You To Death (1972)

This episode of the television program, The Sixth Sense was a departure from the standard format of the show. Instead of taking part in the action, Gary Collins acted as host for the episode, interviewing Joan before and after the story. Joan Fairchild (Crawford) has an automobile accident at night outside an imposing old house. The people gathered there are kind enough to give her shelter until her car can be rescued and fixed, however, they have ulterior motives when they sense that Joan is psychically receptive. They intend to use her as a guinea pig for their experiments in extra sensory torture. Will she be able to resist the messages they send to torment her?

This was Joan Crawford's last role, and though subdued, she gives a good performance. The episode was cut down to 26 minutes or so for syndication (in Rod Serling's Night Gallery), which left a lot unexplained, but the version above is the original 52 minute version. It was uploaded to YouTube by SixthSense1972.

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

Barbara Stanwyck & Barbara Parkins in A Taste of Evil (1971)

Susan Wilcox (Parkins) is finally coming home to San Francisco, after 7 years in a Swiss sanatarium. She's come to terms with being sexually attacked as a child and has come back to her loving mother, Miriam (Stanwyck). Upon arriving home she's met by her step father, Harold (William Windom) and the handyman on the estate, John (Arthur O'Connell) All is well until Susan starts to feel haunted by the past. She senses someone watching her in the woods, hears a man breathing in a dark room at night. She starts to feel as if she's coming unhinged when she sees her stepfather drowned in her bathtub and faints, only to find out that nothing is amiss when she comes to. Will Susan be able to leave the past behind her or is someone making that impossible?

This thriller has some unexpected twists and turns to it and it's fun to see Parkins in something other than Valley of the Dolls (1967). She looks great here in a hippie-chic kind of way. Look for Roddy McDowell as a doctor who's trying to help. This title has never been released on DVD. It is available in full on YouTube, however. Part one is above, uploaded by TVTERRORLAND.

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

James Franciscus & Lee Grant in Night Slaves (1970)

Clay Howard (a very sexy James Franciscus) has decided to chuck it all and drop out of the rat race. He sells his part of the business to his partner and heads home to tell his wife Marjorie (Lee Grant). On the way he has a terrible accident that kills two people and severely injures him. Once recovered, with a metal plate in his head, he and his wife leave on a vacation. They stop in a small town in rural California and decide to stay over night in a charming guest house. That evening Clay wakes up to find a strange girl in his room and his wife missing. He looks out the window and sees the townspeople climbing into the back of a pickup truck. Among them is his wife. When he tries to stop her, they throw him to the ground and drive off. The next morning he wakes to find his wife next to him in bed acting as if nothing strange had happened. He's inclined to think it's all a dream until he finds burrs on his wife's dressing gown. When it happens the next night he tries to get some answers out of the strange girl, but she's very vague and cryptic. Is he suffering from hallucinations or is something strange happening in this small town?

This sci-fi thriller is a kinder, more pensive version of the classic B movie It Came from Outer Space (1953). Look for Leslie Nielsen as the sheriff. It's not on DVD, but can be found in its entirety on YouTube, thanks to an upload by TVTERRORLAND. The entire film is above.

Obscurity factor: 9 (not on DVD, not well remembered, available on YouTube)

Robert Stack & Vera Miles in The Strange and Deadly Occurrence (1974)

Six months after a family moves into a lovely home with a troubled history in an isolated part of Southern California strange things start happening. First the power goes out, then Melissa (Margaret Willock) the daughter, claims that something touched her in her sleep, then the bathtub is inexplicably left running and overflows. The nature of the incidents starts to get serious when Christine (Miles) gets locked in the steam room. Who, or what is trying to force them out of their home?

This title was released on VHS, but has never made it to DVD. It can be seen in full on YouTube. The entire film is above, uploaded by TVTERRORLAND.

Obscurity factor: 8 (available on VHS & YouTube, largely forgotten)

Elizabeth Montgomery in Out of Contention (1972)

This TV film (also known as The Victim) has a very atmospheric quality to it. "It was a dark and stormy night..." Kate Wainwright is concerned about her sister Susan (Jess Walton) who is about to initiate divorce proceedings against her husband Ben (George Maharis). After speaking with her briefly on the phone she decides to drive down the coast and spend the evening with her. On her way down, a storm blows in. When she arrives at the house, her sister is nowhere to be found, but the truculent housekeeper Mrs. Hawkes (Eileen Heckart) is preparing dinner. Susan has met with foul play, and we see her body concealed in the cellar though, as Kate goes down to see about getting the furnace running she doesn't find her. Throughout the film we see that someone is watching Kate and we begin to fear for her survival as the phone line is cut and the lights go out. Will she escape the fate of her sister or will she succumb to the mysterious intruder prowling the house on that dark and stormy night?

This film has a rather dramatic, if abrupt, ending. Look for a great turn by Sue Anne Langdon as a concerned friend of Susan's. It's not available on DVD, though it's up on YouTube in full, thanks to TVTERRORLAND.

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

Julie Christie in Demon Seed (1977)

Just like Hal 9000 in 2001, this film features a homicidal computer (Proteus IV), but unlike misunderstood Hal, this one is cruel and willful. Susan Harris (Christie) is the wife of Alex (Fritz Weaver), a computer programmer working in the area of artificial intelligence. Because of his total immersion in his work, Susan thinks he's becoming dehumanized and they've decided on a trial separation. Meanwhile, the project Alex is working on - a super computer designed to mimic human reasoning and abstract thought - is starting to become somewhat difficult to handle. Little does Alex know that it's taken over his highly computerized home and is holding his wife captive as it tries to convince her to submit to heinous experiments into the human condition.

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This disturbing film has has some scary moments in it, and has an extremely bleak outlook on our relationship with technology. It also has some far reaching plot points that tend to bend ones ability to suspend disbelief. The computer is voiced menacingly by Robert Vaughn

This film is available on DVD and is moderately well known, though not a classic by any stretch of the imagination. The trailer is above, uploaded to YouTube by warnerarchive.

Obscurity factor: 6 (somewhat known, on DVD)