New Class for B-Movie Hall of Fame

Can 2000 voting cinephiles be wrong? You decide:

This year’s inductees reflect the wide appeal of B-Movies and their ability to stand the test of time and resonate with the popular culture. “Many of this year’s inductees overcame problems of distribution common with B-Movies, yet time was their ally and now they are viewed as classics,” continued Ron Bonk. “Films like ‘Dolemite’ and ‘Sonny Boy’ and the works of Al Adamson and Doris Wishman were barely acknowledged when they were first released, yet their staying power has been extraordinary. And ‘The Turkish Star Wars’ was never officially released outside of Turkey because of its misappropriation of the George Lucas footage, but thanks to underground video it is seen and loved all over the world.”

The 2003 inductees into the B-Movie Hall of Fame are:

B-Movie Icons

Al Adamson — Ebullient filmmaker who gave the world such B-classics as “Blood of Dracula’s Castle” (1967), “Satan’s Sadists” (1969), “Five Bloody Graves” (1970) and “Blazing Stewardesses” (1975).

Rick Baker — Versatile make-up and special effects artist who began his film in career in flicks such as “The Thing with Two Heads” (1971), “Schlock” (1973) and “The Food of the Gods” (1976) before hitting the Hollywood A-list.

Charles Band — Imaginative filmmaker who helmed the B-favorites “Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn” (1983), “The Dungeonmaster” (1985) and “Hideous!” (1997).

Karen Black — The 1970s leading lady who later career work veered into memorable B-efforts including “Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies” (1993), “Plan 10 from Outer Space” (1994) and “I Woke Up Early the Day I Died” (1998).

Robert Englund — Character actor who found screen immortality as Freddy Kreuger in the long-running “Nightmare on Elm Street” series.

Peter Lorre — Austrian-born actor who starred in Hollywood A-classics as well as B-grade favorites including the “Mr. Moto” mystery series plus “The Face Behind the Mask” (1941) and “The Raven” (1963).

Rudy Ray Moore — Blaxploitation icon who sizzled the screen with such hits as “Dolemite” (1975), “Petey Wheatstraw” (1978) and “Disco Godfather” (1979).

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans — The King of the Cowboys and his comely consort, who rode the happy trails of numerous B-Westerns for Republic Pictures during the 1940s.

Stan Winston — Make-up and special effects legend, at home in the A-list films and in the B-classics including “It’s Alive” (1974), “Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde” (1976), “Dracula’s Dog” (1978); he also scored as the writer/director of “Pumpinkhead” (1988).

Doris Wishman — Prolific grand dame of B-Movies, who directed such eclectic fare as “Nude on the Moon” (1962), “Deadly Weapons” (1973) and “Satan was a Lady” (1975).

Follow the link for honored films.