“I illustrated VHS covers for Something Weird Video, and Mike Vraney paid me in movies, with eccentric gems like Mom & Dad and Sex Kittens Go To College,” says Memphis filmmaker Mike McCarthy “This led to me curating a [VHS] series of exploitation films called Cinema Augraten at a little hole-in-the-wall pub called Barristers, where I showed Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls in 1994 or ’95 to a drunken and cheering crowd. Now you can buy a beer at Studio on the Square and actually sit down in a comfy seat and watch it. Who says there’s no such thing as progress?”
This weekend at Studio on the Square, McCarthy’s Midnight at the Studio series continues with Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls. The film, produced and directed by legendary schlockmeister Russ Myer, has the distinction of being Roger Ebert’s sole screenwriting credit. Ebert was a much better critic than he was screenwriter, but this in-depth exploration of what the straight world thought was shocking in 1971 must be seen to be believed. They just don’t make trailers like this one any more:
Get Psychotronic With Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls Midnight at the Studio
Beyond The Valley of the Dolls screens at midnight on Friday and Saturday (or Saturday and Sunday, if you’re being technical) at Studio on the Square.
