Bradley's Buzz

Oh, I'm Hell On Wheels

A few weeks ago Alf, Luther and I were walking down Hollywood Boulevard and as we passed by one of the million and one American Apparel stores which are opening in LA, I saw five TV screens showing various scenes from a movie I swore was Roller Boogie. I thought I was having an antacid flashback; when I was but a wee one in 1979, my mother took me to see Roller Boogie starring real life roller skating champ Jim Bray and one Linda Blair, trying to shed her pea soup spewing image. I loved the movie - I loved the Venice Beach scenes and Beverly Hills, as Linda portrayed a rich flute playing teen who had a love for roller skating and would head to the beach to join in the fun and sun that was the height of the roller skating craze in Southern California. As Alf and I looked at the screen, it occured to me that perhaps maybe the movie was actually out on DVD and can you believe it - it is! I ran up to Tower Records the very next day and bought it for a measlely $15 - as to me this precious little piece of film is priceless. My pal Jen who loves all things 70s and 80s and disco headed over and we had ourselves a Roller Boogie night! I'm still beaming over it.
And I'm not the only one who loves the film for this glorious creature (who perhaps has more time on her hands than she needs) created the ultimate Roller Boogie website at www.susan-a-miller.com/rollerboogie and I applaud her for it and thanx to her and her downloadable songs from the soundtrack, a bubbatunes reissue of the Roller Boogie soundtrack is in the works! After all, the film opens with the raucous disco funky of Cher singing "Hell On Wheels", a song for some reason I totally recall roller skating to at the Crystal Rock in Rhinelander, that and Gary Numan's "Cars" which doesn't show up in the film or the soundtrack. Oh well. And a final sidenote, for other camp classics I found this great website which gives you a run down of their picks www.subcin.com/camp.htm and you can bet a few of these are on their way to my Netflix queue; just as soon as I send back Gimme A Break! disc 2 and Streets Of Fire (stay tuned for that one!)

posted by swivek @ 1:42 PM