Tomorrow is the 4th of July, so what better way to party than with a very odd movie from 1972 called
"FROGS!" So just let me pour myself a Black Medallion and Diet Coke, and we'll get this 4th of July shindig rollin'!
Ray Milland as rich bigwig industrialist Jason Crockett and his family are getting ready to have their annual Independence Day bash at their ancestral home in the swamps of Florida!
"FROGS" is known as the first "Eco Horror" flick, and how horrifyingly ironic is it that it was filmed in a Florida state park that is located near the Gulf of Mexico?
I think it's funny that Dungeon stalwart Les Baxter gets credit for the music in "Frogs," since it is almost devoid of music at all, but what's even more curious is that the 'electronic sounds' that really set the mood were created by one of the finest musical madmen working today, Joe Sidore. Joe is a fellow who has some seriously unbelievable musical production and mixing credits, having worked with some of the coolest people ever, names like The Seeds, The Count Five, The West Coast Pop Experimental Band, Spanky and Our Gang, Harper's Bizarre, Van Dyke Parks, Norman Connors, Mel Tormé, Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton, David Bowie, and the list goes on and on and on!!!
Great shot of the swamp and all its hidden horrors! After years of spraying and other assorted means of wildlife destruction, Mother Nature is pissed, and she's got quite an array of soldiers bent on revenge!!
Outsider Sam Elliot as enviormental photographer Pickett Smith, and Joan Van Ark as family member Karen Crockett hit it off, but this ain't exactly a love story!
Just in case you forgot this was the 70's!
Nice product placement!! Gotta make some money one way or another!!
It seems Jason Crocket has some dues to pay, and it's just about time to write that check!! Ray Milland, as always, plays the cranky S.O.B. to perfection!!
Without warning, and like a fully orchestrated dance, step by step, the bugs, reptiles, birds, and all the other living swamp creatures, start picking off the Crockett household one by one!
Even a simple meal turns into a National Geographic terror tale!!
The Crockett family mansion is actually called the Wesley House and is located in Point Washington, Florida.
"Another one bites the dust, Hey, hey....
...and another one's gone, and another one's gone, another one bites the dust!"
Right down to the end, Jason Crockett thinks that "Man is still master of the world!"
Now this is a novel way of trampling the flag!
I really didn't know there were rattlesnakes in Florida until I saw this movie, because I thought the deadly coral snake was bad enough, but they actually have quite a few spieces of rattlers including the Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake! Watch out for those little bastards!!
Hollis Irving as irreverent butterfly collector Iris Martindale meets up with some snakes that were not invited to the party!
I would venture to guess that about 25% of "FROGS" is made up just of shots of different swamp critters!
The home team is ahead about 7 to one at this point in the game, and there are just a couple of time periods left on the clock!
Sam, Joan and the kids finally wise up and decide to get the Hell out of Dodge!!
In the end, DJ Froggy went a courtin' but Jason Crockett couldn't stay alive long enough to appreciate his deft turntable skills!!!
Tomorrow is the 4th of July, so what better way to party than with a very odd movie from 1972 called "FROGS!" So just let me pour myself a Black Medallion and Diet Coke, and we'll get this 4th of July shindig rollin'!
Ray Milland as rich bigwig industrialist Jason Crockett and his family are getting ready to have their annual Independence Day bash at their ancestral home in the swamps of Florida!
"FROGS" is known as the first "Eco Horror" flick, and how horrifyingly ironic is it that it was filmed in a Florida state park that is located near the Gulf of Mexico?
I think it's funny that Dungeon stalwart Les Baxter gets credit for the music in "Frogs," since it is almost devoid of music at all, but what's even more curious is that the 'electronic sounds' that really set the mood were created by one of the finest musical madmen working today, Joe Sidore. Joe is a fellow who has some seriously unbelievable musical production and mixing credits, having worked with some of the coolest people ever, names like The Seeds, The Count Five, The West Coast Pop Experimental Band, Spanky and Our Gang, Harper's Bizarre, Van Dyke Parks, Norman Connors, Mel Tormé, Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton, David Bowie, and the list goes on and on and on!!! 
Great shot of the swamp and all its hidden horrors! After years of spraying and other assorted means of wildlife destruction, Mother Nature is pissed, and she's got quite an array of soldiers bent on revenge!!
Outsider Sam Elliot as enviormental photographer Pickett Smith, and Joan Van Ark as family member Karen Crockett hit it off, but this ain't exactly a love story!
Just in case you forgot this was the 70's!
Nice product placement!! Gotta make some money one way or another!!
It seems Jason Crocket has some dues to pay, and it's just about time to write that check!! Ray Milland, as always, plays the cranky S.O.B. to perfection!!
Without warning, and like a fully orchestrated dance, step by step, the bugs, reptiles, birds, and all the other living swamp creatures, start picking off the Crockett household one by one!
Even a simple meal turns into a National Geographic terror tale!! 
The Crockett family mansion is actually called the Wesley House and is located in Point Washington, Florida. 
"Another one bites the dust, Hey, hey....
...and another one's gone, and another one's gone, another one bites the dust!"
Right down to the end, Jason Crockett thinks that "Man is still master of the world!"
Now this is a novel way of trampling the flag!
I really didn't know there were rattlesnakes in Florida until I saw this movie, because I thought the deadly coral snake was bad enough, but they actually have quite a few spieces of rattlers including the Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake! Watch out for those little bastards!!
Hollis Irving as irreverent butterfly collector Iris Martindale meets up with some snakes that were not invited to the party!
I would venture to guess that about 25% of "FROGS" is made up just of shots of different swamp critters!
The home team is ahead about 7 to one at this point in the game, and there are just a couple of time periods left on the clock!
Sam, Joan and the kids finally wise up and decide to get the Hell out of Dodge!!
In the end, DJ Froggy went a courtin' but Jason Crockett couldn't stay alive long enough to appreciate his deft turntable skills!!!
Sam Elliots always a little hard to identify in these early films without the sagebrush and his trademark drawl..
ReplyDeletewhat's also ironic is the fact that right now i'm listening to the massive frog orgy going on outside right now in the aftermath of all the rain the hurricane dumped on us down here in Houston!...
ReplyDeleteword verification- mythe. "mythe frogs are sure loud 'n' plentiful right now!..."
Weirdsville!!!
ReplyDeleteI am vaguely ashamed to say that my wife and kids freaking LOOOOOOVE this movie. Awesome choice.
ReplyDeleteWith a blogging name like mine I shall certainly be checking out this film!
ReplyDeleteThis movie was filmed where I live! I always thought about going to track down the exact location but like the location in "Vernon, Florida", there's not much to see.
ReplyDeleteI asked Sam Elliot to comment about this movie and all he said was "Beef. It's what's for dinner."
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you were able to come up with a 4th of July flick!.. Weirdsville!
ReplyDeleteword verification- 'racer'
When do the FROGS attack British Petroleum??
ReplyDeleteAmerican International Pictures is the BEST way to celebrate the Fourth of July !
ReplyDeleteThe ARKOFF formula:
*Action (exciting, entertaining drama)
*Revolution (novel or controversial themes and ideas)
*Killing (a modicum of violence)
*Oratory (notable dialogue and speeches)
*Fantasy (acted-out fantasies common to the audience)
*Fornication (sex appeal, for young adults)