Schizophrenic Missive

This started as a blog about the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on Washington. 
 
The serious tone disconcerted me. Rescue came last night by way of the TV's cathode ray in the form of Vincent Price in the bad 1965, Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine followed by it's even worse 1966 sequel, Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs. To quote Leonard Pinth Garnell, "Inscrutably bad."

 The effects of watching almost four hours of incredibly bad cinema resulted in this "split-mind" missive.

Fifty years ago next month over 100,000 people descended on Washington for the "March for Jobs and Freedom."  Most people remember the march for Martin Luther King's "I Had A Dream" speech. A great oration, but just part of that special day. A prime example that Americans suffer from what I call the Fr. Guido Sarducci University syndrome.

One of my favorite SNL skits, announced the establishment of the Fr. Guido Sarducci
University. You could get a 4-year degree in only four weeks as the school only taught you what you would remember several years after graduation, i.e. Economics - Supply & Demand; Business - Buy low, Sell high; Philosophy - I think therefore I am; etc.

The problem with this selective memory is we forget many of  history's interesting nuances. A multitude of important people and events are neglected by this myopia. Bayard Rustin, a true unsung American Hero, is one such casualty.

Rustin spent months organizing the 1963 march. His apartment in Harlem became the march headquarters. He admittedly tried to stay behind the scenes so his personal situation did not hinder the movement. Black, openly gay, and a communist turned socialist, Rustin triggered many red flags in 1963 America.

A practitioner of non-violence, he served time in prison rather than fight in World War II.  He then went to India to study Gandhi's methods of non-violence. He taught these methods to Martin Luther King. After the 1963 march, Rustin continued to crusade for the rights of the underprivileged. He never desired the limelight, but an American of this stature should never be forgotten.

What should be forgotten to all but the most offbeat are the two aforementioned movies. Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine was a spoof of James Bond's Goldfinger costarring Frankie Avalon. Originally planned as a musical comedy, most of the songs were cut in editing. Leaving a jumbled mess. The film's only redemption are the shots of 1965 San Francisco and a campy cameo by Annette Funicello.

The movie bombed in the US, but was successful in Italy. This spawned Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs; filmed in Italy because no one in America would touch the film. Frankie Avalon had the sense to bow out, and teen heart-throb Fabian* costarred. Price was the only actor to be in both. Hopefully, he made enough money to purchase more fine art for his collection. Much of which was later donated to East Los Angeles College creating the Vincent Price Art Museum.
 *Side note of interest to probably only me - Fabian's full name was Fabian Forte. He was from Philadelphia. In my teens, I dated his cousin, Donna Forte.

This musing rambles from a pivotal civil rights protest to kitschy bad movies. "Curiouser and curiouser, cried Alice." As ever - BB  


"When an individual is protesting society's refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him." - Bayard Rustin

"The eyes of Goldfoot are upon you." - Vincent Price in Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine