The Incredibly Strange Film Show

The Incredibly Strange Film Show

Title card of the Show
Created by Channel X Productions
Starring Jonathan Ross
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of series 2
No. of episodes 12
Production
Running time 40 minutes
Release
Original network Channel 4
Original release 5 August 1988 (1988-08-05) – 27 October 1989 (1989-10-27)

The Incredibly Strange Film Show was a series of documentaries presented by Jonathan Ross focusing on the world of "psychotronic" or B movies.[1][2]

Each episode was focused on the lives of filmmakers like Herschell Gordon Lewis, Sam Raimi, Doris Wishman, Ed Wood Jr, Jackie Chan and many other notable filmmakers who had their own interesting style of filmmaking and had made worthy contributions to the world of cinema. Weird movie genres, like Mexican wrestling films and Hong Kong horror films, were also examined in the series. The first episode features interviews at The Senator Theater[3] during the premiere of Hairspray and is one of the last recorded interviews with Divine. The same episode features an interview with John Waters recorded only weeks after her death.[4]

The show was first aired on 5 August 1988 on Channel 4.[5][6] A second season renamed Son of The Incredibly Strange Film Show[7] was also aired the following year. The show was also aired in the US on The Discovery Channel in the early 90's.[6]

It was followed by another show, Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only which featured filmmakers including Alejandro Jodorowski and David Lynch.

Episodes

Season 1: The Incredibly Strange Film Show

Episode Featured Filmmaker [8][9] First aired [8][9]
1 John Waters 5 August 1988
2 Ray Dennis Steckler 12 August 1988
3 Herschell Gordon Lewis 19 August 1988
4 Ted V. Mikels[10] 26 August 1988
5 Russ Meyer[11] 2 September 1988
6 Sam Raimi 9 September 1988

Season 2: Son of The Incredibly Strange Film Show

Episode Featured Filmmaker [9][12] First aired [9][12]
1 Jackie Chan 22 September 1989
2 Fred Olen Ray & Doris Wishman 29 September 1989
3 The Legend of El Santo 6 October 1989
4 Ed Wood Jr. 13 October 1989
5 Tsui Hark[13] & Stuart Gordon 20 October 1989
6 George A. Romero & Tom Savini 27 October 1989

Reception

Film studies academic Dean DeFino described the show as "highly regarded".[11] The Baltimore Sun called it "strangely engaging".[14]

Director Edgar Wright claimed that the episode on Sam Raimi inspired him to become a filmmaker.[15]

Book

The Incredibly Strange Film Book,[16] a spin-off written by Ross, was published in 1993.

See also

References

  1. "The Incredibly Strange Film Show". TV.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  2. Mister-6. "The Incredibly Strange Film Show (TV Series 1988–1989)". IMDb. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  3. "'Strange Film' series begins with apt subject: A John Waters interview". tribunedigital-baltimoresun. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  4. "Episode 36: Maverick Heart". www.soapboxoffice.com. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  5. "The Incredibly Strange Film Show (TV Series 1988–1989)". IMDb. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  6. 1 2 "The Pulsing Cinema - The Incredibly Strange Film Show Episode Guide". pulsingcinema.com. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  7. http://www.channelx.co.uk/son-of-incredibly-strange-film-show/
  8. 1 2 Season 1 Episode List at IMDB.com
  9. 1 2 3 4 Episode List at theTVDB.com
  10. Curry, Christopher Wayne (2007). Film Alchemy: The Independent Cinema of Ted V. Mikels. McFarland.
  11. 1 2 DeFino, Dean (2014). Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. Columbia UP.
  12. 1 2 Season 2 Episode List at IMDB.com
  13. Morton, Lisa (2001). The Cinema of Tsui Hark. Macfarland. p. 222.
  14. McKerrow, Steve (2 February 1991). "'Strange Film' series begins with apt subject: A John Waters interview". Baltimore Sun.
  15. Wright, Edgar (8 July 2013). "Hero Worship: Sam Raimi". The Skinny. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  16. Ross, Jonathan (1993). The incredibly strange film book. London: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0671712969.
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