Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Bert I. Gordon: A Really B.I.G. Show



Filmmaker Ron Howard has always admired aging directors who continue to ply their craft. It is his goal to someday emulate the late John Huston on the set of his last film, “out there at eighty-one or eighty-two, wheezing in a wheelchair.” Remarkably, back in 1965 when Ron Howard was eight-year-old Ronny, he was directed by a man who is today still actively making films. The  project was Village of the Giants. Its director (who also served as producer, screenwriter, and creator of visual effects) was Bert I. Gordon, also known as Mister B.I.G.

Mister B.I.G. was given his nickname by sci-fi maven Forrest J. Ackerman, in tribute both to Bert’s initials and his fondness for using camera tricks to put on screen various enormously oversized creatures, including giant ducks, giant ants, and The Amazing Colossal Man. In Village of the Giants, Ronny Howard played a boy genius whose invention (a magic growth compound called “Goo”) is stolen by marauding teenagers led by Beau Bridges. Next thing you know, the teens are thirty feet tall. As the ad campaign promises: “SEE THEM BURST OUT OF THEIR CLOTHES AND TERRORIZE A TOWN.”

I was a high school classmate of Bert Gordon’s eldest daughter, Carol. Years later I spoke at length to Susan Gordon, whose stellar career as a child actress began in 1958 when she subbed for an ailing performer on her dad’s Attack of the Puppet People.  Sadly, we lost Susan in 2011. But Bert stays busy. His 2010 memoir recounts that when he arrived in SoCal from Wisconsin, he fantasized buying a yacht. Now, his office is a boat docked at Marina del Rey, where he’s writing a second book and working out details for the release of his newly-completed movie, Secrets of a Psychopath.  He also spends time tending his website: www.bertigordon.com   

Bert admitted to me that many of his lifelong dreams have come true. From the time he got his first movie camera at age 9, he’s been determined to make his way in Hollywood. The fact that his productive years have been spent in the B-movie world, making low-budget horror flicks interspersed with a few sex comedies, has never bothered him. Unlike Roger Corman, whose career paralleled his when both were creating films for American International Pictures, Bert has never given much thought to social message. Yes, in several of his movies, it’s radioactive matter that causes tiny critters to mutate into giants. Still, he doesn’t seem much interested in the political implications of such things as plutonium blasts. Above all, he just wants to tell stories on film.

The challenges he’s most enjoyed over the years have largely been on the technical side. At the Directors Guild’s recent Digital Day, he found a session on the making of Avatar “as fascinating as hell.” But such trendy terms as Motion Capture don’t have much meaning for him, and if he were doing visual effects today he’d rely on a tied-down camera, just as he did in the past, instead of opting for contemporary CGI technology. One modern innovation, though, definitely has the B.I.G. seal of approval:  he loves shooting digital, which allows the director to see his footage immediately, instead of waiting for expensive film stock to be processed.

“I’ve always been open to imagining change,” says Bert. Which is why, perhaps, his upcoming movie is a thriller, with no visual effects at all. (It’s privately funded, and he’s in talks to make a second film.) Of the subject matter, he says only, “The horror’s in the mind now.”

31 comments:

  1. Of course I'm a fan of Bert I. Gordon - I've been watching his movies for decades. I'm so pleased he's still around and working! I ordered his book from his website last year - I'm so happy to have an autograph from Mr. B.I.G. I'll be keeping an eye out for his new film!

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  2. What's your favorite really B.I.G. show, Mr. C? I found Attack of the Puppet People surprisingly touching, but some of Bert's other films just seem -- frankly -- rather silly, in my not-so-humble opinion.

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    1. Empire of the Ants - it came out when I was around 10 - the perfect age to enjoy a Big Bug movie. These are silly movies - but as a genre film buff who enjoys the thought that these films played in theaters and drive ins - I'll always have an affection for them.

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  3. Any word on Secrets of a Psychopath release? No trailer, no stills, no info... :(

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  4. Well it is being released by Cinema Epoch and they dont seem ambivelent about it. I never get responses from anyone when I ask about Secrets... they once told me April but didnt say if it was blu ray, dvd ,etc when I asked. For a movie that comes out in April they dont seem to be pushing it very much. At all, actually. If I was Mr. BIG I would be upset for the lack of promotion!

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  5. Thanks to both of you for your comments. I'll ask Bert and his daughter Carol what's happening. Please do visit "Beverly in Movieland" again.

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  6. How cool you know Mr. BIG! I think its amazing that he directed again at his age. Very inspiring. I cant wait to see his latest film. I keep hoping for some pictures or a trailer but nothing has surfaced. I asked Cinema Epoch about it but all they tell me is it will be released is it will come out in April. When I ask for a date or details, they ignore me. So I will check back! Thanks for sharing!

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  7. Rachel, I have left a message for both Bert Gordon and his daughter Carol, so I hope one of them will get back to me soon. It's wonderful that you're such a fan! I hope you will continue to read "Beverly in Movieland," where I post on all sorts of movie-related topics.

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  8. I will. Thanks for being so helpful! Even the distributor doesn't give me any information. Thanks again! I will continue to lurk here!

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  9. Yes, please do lurk. And comment whenever the spirit moves you!

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  10. Thanks for any info. I am a fan as well.

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  11. Anonymous, do you know anything about a release date? For the life of me, I can't figure out why the secrecy. It isn't Star Wars for Heaven's sake. Mr. BIG said on Twitter it was completed a year ago.

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  12. To Rachel and all Mr. BIG fans: I just got off the phone with Bert, who says that only last week he was talking to the Cinema Epoch folk about poster designs. He suspects the film will be out in a few months. He also feels there's info about him and the film on the Cinema Epoch site, but I honestly can't find it. I've written to them, and will of course pass anything I learn on to you.

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  13. I was told by Cinema Epoch it would be released in April but I dont see it happening. If I ask questions, I get ignored. They dont seem to ambitious about promoting such a unique film

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  14. Just had a brief phone conversation with Bert I. Gordon. Mr. B.I.G., now 82 years young, wanted to clarify that his latest flick, "Secrets of a Psychopath," will indeed be distributed in the next few months by Cinema Epoch. In "House of Horror" for November 19, 2014 there's a cover story on Bert, and the new March issue of Rue Morgue also features him. May he live long and prosper!

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  15. Geez, I don't think this movie is ever coming out! I think the distributor is withholding it until Mr. BIG dies so they can get more interest in it!

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  16. I do understand your anxiety. But let's hope you're wrong. This is a small distribution company, not a big Hollywood studio, and these things take time.

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  17. Well Mr. BIG said on Twitter it was completed well over a year ago. I can understand delays and contracts and so forth, but we haven't seen a single image, let alone a trailer or poster. All that distributor ever talks about is Samurai Cop, Samurai Cop, Samurai Cop...

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  18. If I hear anything further, I'll be sure to let you know, Rachel.

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  19. Actually I have asked about it too. My brother is in this. My family wants to see it. I have emailed the distributor but they ignore me. IMDB has no information. I have read more here about it than anywhere else on the net.

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  20. I emailed Cinema Epoch and all the replied with was "patience young Padawan". Seriously?!

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  21. has anyone heard a release date?

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  22. I'm really, really, REALLY getting anxious about the fate of Secrets of a Psychopath. Who at Cinema Epoch do we petition for a release date?

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  23. It's being released Sept 8 on DVD. No blu Ray. It will be on cable VOD this month so it should hit torrents soon :)

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  24. This is wonderful news. I'm sure Mr. B.I.G and his fans will be very happy to hear it. Thanks very much to all who've written in.

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  25. All I can say is it's about time! I am sure this movie will be a little gem. Hope we get some set pics or a trailer soon. There is a poster on the Cinema Epoch Facebook page.

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  26. There is a trailer on YouTube now

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  27. Just watched it on Amazon Prime. Kinda hokey with cheesy dialog and contrived situations. Very predictable. Don't expect Citizen Kane.

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  28. Darn it, I was anticipating the Citizen Kane of Mr. B.I.G. movies!

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  29. It's a decent little movie.

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  30. Thanks, Anonymous. Glad to hear Mr. B.I.G. hasn't lost his touch.

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