The Trip (1967) and Mars Needs Women (1967)

The Trip (AKA “A Lovely Sort of Death”)
Directed by Roger Corman
Written by Jack Nicholson
1967/USA
American International Pictures
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] Paul Groves: [Holding an orange up to the horizon] That’s the sun in my hands, man! Oh, it gives off an orange cloud of light that just flows right out over the sea! Wow![/box]

The stars of Easy Rider (1969) team up with Roger Corman to bring us a sort of Reefer Madness (1936) updated for the 60’s.  Film director Peter Fonda decides to take LSD under the guidance of Bruce Dern.  The film starts with a stern warning against using the drug then makes it look like a total gas, starting with loads of free love and sexual fantasies.  With Dennis Hopper as a pot dealer and Susan Strasberg as Fonda’s estranged wife.

There is no real plot just oodles of psychedelia and music by The Electric Flag.  Jack Nicholson takes the writing credit.  Corman, Fonda, and Nicholson and Hopper all experimented with acid before making the movie. Dern apparently had no love for the drug culture.  I can’t really recommend this but it does recall a long-gone time for those of us who lived through it.  

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Mars Needs Women
Directed By Larry Buchanan
Written by Larry Buchanan and Enrique Houston Touceda
1967/USA
Azalea Pictures
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] Dop: Since the Earthmen, especially the Americans, seem to place their faith in luck rather than scientific certainties, I wish you all luck.[/box]

As everybody who has watched 50’s sci-fi knows, both the moon and Mars are lacking in one half of the reproduction equation.  Here, a group of Martian men land on earth looking for beautiful, smart, single women to take home.  Tommy Kirk is their leader.  He just happens to locate a beautiful, smart genetisist.  Another one chooses a stipper, intellect unknown.  Of course, the entire U.S. Government must go into action to shut the operation down.

Is Tommy Kirk’s costume a wet suit and duct tape? Yes, I believe it is!

As usual, schlockmeister Larry Buchanan manages to suck the life out of a fun premise.  Who knew Martians look exactly like humans and speak English?  Light on the old special effects budget, thats for sure.  Gets an extra point for being the first movie I remember to mention DNA.  Gets multiple point deduction for lack of truth in advertising.  Copious use of cheesecake for the teenagers in the audience.  I did laugh a couple of times, actually.

Trailer – version I saw was in color