A monthly event where we watch cult movies in the back of a bar.
Hosted and curated by Leon Chase
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains
In 1980, director and music producer Lou Adler teamed up with Oscar-winning screenwriter Nancy Dowd to create “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains”, the story of an all-girl, skunk-haired punk-rock band who—despite the derision of basically everyone—gain a strong female following and become stars… at a price, of course.
Starring then-unknown teenagers Diane Lane and Laura Dern—as well as members of the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and The Tubes—the film sat in limbo for two years while the director and screenwriter tussled over the ending. Finally, in 1982, it got a tiny release, to very little critical or box-office response.
Shortly after, however, the film got picked up by the now legendary late-night cable show “Night Flight”, and soon gained a cult following. Based on this success, it became a staple on the midnight art house circuit for a few years, before fading into relative obscurity.
In the early 1990s, with the emergence of the Riot Grrrl movement, the movie was celebrated as an influence by bands such as Bikini Kill and Bratmobile, and gained new traction as a must-see cult movie. The fact that it had never been officially released on home video only added to its mystique. I can personally attest that, by the mid ’90s, underground video stores were judged by whether or not they had a blurry bootleg VHS copy of “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains” for rent.
The movie finally got a proper video release in 2008, and has since been widely celebrated as a pioneering work in both feminist and punk rock circles.
Join us as we celebrate this truly ahead-of-its-time movie!
Tuesday, April 30
Attack of the 50-Foot Movie presents
“Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains”
plus LIVE burlesque by Regal Mortis
Minnie’s Bar
885 4th Ave. in Brooklyn
7pm
FREE!
WATCH THE TRAILERS!
For every Attack of the 50-Foot Movie event, I personally curate and assemble a one-of-a-kind collection of contemporary cult-film trailers, drive-in movie advertisements, and assorted vintage weirdness—all related somehow to the era and genre of the featured film.
VIEW THE ENTIRE COLLECTION HERE
Collected and assembled by Leon Chase.
The Warriors
Harold and Maude
Cleopatra Jones
This is Spinal Tap
The Honeymoon Killers
She-Devils on Wheels
Attack of the 50-Foot Woman
Get Rollin’
Documentary Double Feature
Kung Fu Hustle
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Head
Josie and the Pussycats
Dolemite
Barbarella
MegaForce
Flash Gordon
Trick or Treat
Phantom of the Paradise
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!