He eventually graduated to “A” productions, buying the rights to Rosemary’s Baby. “I wanted to prove to the industry, my fellow peers, that I could so something really brilliant,” he said.
Mile High Five or Dive?
The doc-shlock value of Spine Tingler resonates more for this child of the '60s than the Count’s smooth jazz sounds. Maybe it’s because those memories of watching The Tingler on TV and listening to the Beatles and Beach Boys on the stereo remain crystal clear. But Schwarz’s film did give a more intimate look at the devoted family man who became king of his Castle, delving deeper into his past (he was an orphan by the age of 11) on his way to becoming the P.T. Barnum of the horror movie industry. “William Castle successfully branded himself,” said heralded B-keeper Roger Corman, “like Betty Crocker and Walt Disney.”
And while it took some work for Keys, left, and company (including Columbia University) to track down the historical footage and make it look presentable, the interviews didn’t shed much new light on William James Basie’s life, either before be became the “Count” or after the music stopped. Enjoyable as they were, some of the former band members seemed more inclined to talk about themselves. It also was somewhat sad to see Keys, after a quick Q&A, standing at the foot of the stage and hawking DVD copies of his film for $20 each.
Extras
- For festival movie listings, go to the DFF Web site.
- Go here for more from the festival.
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