It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 800. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.
This week’s musical:
Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (1959) – Musical #860
Studio:
American International Pictures
Director:
William J. Hole Jr.,
Starring:
Jody Fair, Russ Bender, Henry McCann, Martin Braddock, Elaine DuPont, Leon Tyler, Jack Ging, Nancy Anderson, Dorothy Neumann, Sanita Pelkey, Kirby Smith, Jeanne Tatum, Beverly Scott, Bill St. Johns, Judy Howard, Roy Wright, Harrison Lewis, Paul Blaisdell
Himself: Tommy Ivo
Plot:
A group of teens forms a clean hot rod club, where there are no rumbles or dangerous drag racing. Their clubs are held at a local soda shop, but when it closes, the aunts (Neumann) of one of the members offers them her house, even though it may be haunted.
Trivia:
• Follow up to “Hot Rod Gang” (1958)
• Paul Blaisdell was a special effects artist at American International Pictures and plays a small surprise, spoof role at the end of the film.
• The monster costume at the end was reused from “The She-Creature” (1956)
Highlights:
• When we finally get to the ghosts
Notable Songs:
• “Charge”
• “Geronomo”
• “Ghost Train”
• “Tongue Tied”
• “He’s My Guy”
• “I Promise You”
My review:
When you see a movie was produced by American International Pictures, you know it will be low budget with a silly plot. But GHOST OF DRAG STRIP HOLLOW takes the cake.
The film is such nonsense that it’s hard to distinguish the plot, because 80% of the film is not about ghosts or drag racing.
In a nutshell, the film follows a group of teens who form a clean hot rod club, where there are no rumbles or dangerous drag racing. Their clubs are held at a local soda shop, but when it closes, the aunts (Neumann) of one of the members offers them her house, even though it may be haunted.
Before we get to the ghosts and haunted house, which are featured in the title, we see singing teens, a Dad not liking his daughter dancing too close to her boyfriend, a Dad dealing with his teenage daughter having a slumber party, and a rival hot rod gang wanting to fight and drag race.
You’ll be watching this 65-minute movie and you’ll realize you’re halfway through and wonder, “Did they forget there is supposed to be a ghost somewhere in this? Or drag racing?”
Finally, 40 minutes into the film, a reference to a haunted house and ghost are mentioned and the group of teens has a costume party in a haunted house. A mysterious monster creeps through the party and the film has a Scooby Doo-like ending.
As for the actors in the film? I wasn’t familiar with a single actor in this movie, though I had unknowingly seen them in other American International Films.
The film is also peppered with musical performances from its young stars.
GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW (1959) is a follow up to HOT ROD GANG (1958) which looks like it could be better, largely just because I know who’s in that film, including John Ashley. Jody Fair and Henry McCann co-starred in both films.
Admittedly, GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW is not a good movie, it’s at least brief. And if you are a fan of American International Pictures, maybe this will be right up your alley.
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