{"id":4355,"date":"2018-10-14T16:11:09","date_gmt":"2018-10-14T16:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sixtiescinema.com\/?p=4355"},"modified":"2018-10-14T16:11:09","modified_gmt":"2018-10-14T16:11:09","slug":"47-years-ago-yesterday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tomlisanti.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/14\/47-years-ago-yesterday\/","title":{"rendered":"47 Years Ago Yesterday…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>the hippie horror flick [amazon_textlink asin=’B01I06ESAS’ text=’The Velvet Vampire’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’sixtiescinema-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’11c23157-cfcb-11e8-af43-e9333215da7c’]\u00a0directed by [amazon_textlink asin=’B01LTIABWS’ text=’Stephanie Rothman’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’sixtiescinema-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’2bebe309-cfcb-11e8-97b8-3b2303b9b9d7′] opened starring [amazon_textlink asin=’B00MJEJT2A’ text=’Michael Blodgett’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’sixtiescinema-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’51adde96-cfcb-11e8-8930-038c3ea856fe’], Sherry Miles and the late [amazon_textlink asin=’B0036K9CPK’ text=’Celeste Yarnall’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’sixtiescinema-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’5fd586a9-cfcb-11e8-9774-1188a01f9823′] as the alluring title character. After meeting married couple Susan and Lee Ritter (Miles and Blodgett) at an art gallery, Yarnall’s Diana lures them into staying the weekend at her Mojave Desert home. Soon both husband and wife find themselves sexually drawn to their mysterious host who suffers from a rare blood disease. Unlike vampires of lore, Diana was able to journey out into the sunlight as long as she is covered up. In the course of twenty-four hours, Diana feasts on a mechanic, his girlfriend, and a servant. After making love with Diana, Lee wants to depart but Susan is fascinated with the charming Diana and wants to stay. Their delay in leaving costs Lee his life while Diana meets her gruesome end at the hands of a cult hippie gang.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Commenting on the film, cover girl Celeste said in my McFarland book [amazon_textlink asin=’0786461012′ text=’Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’sixtiescinema-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’813dc5f3-cfcb-11e8-9c21-cb188602d2cb’],<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cI dyed my hair black for this role, Though the part was a bit corny, I got into playing a vampire. The film had an interesting script by Charles S. Swartz, which explained Diana\u2019s condition very well. This was one of the first films released by [amazon_textlink asin=’B006UKX6GO’ text=’Roger Corman’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’sixtiescinema-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’7050bbf2-cfcb-11e8-ba0d-3fbb8acb7b4e’]\u2019s new production company [New World] and was more original than some of Roger\u2019s other films, which were rip-offs of other movies. I became good friends with Roger and have a lot of respect for his talent.<\/p>\n

Though I was only semi-nude, it still bothered me.\u00a0 Charles Swartz also produced the film and his wife Stephanie Rothman directed it. They both were very nice and one of the ways that they persuaded me into doing the nude scene with Michael Blodgett was by making it an absolutely closed set. After it was lit, everyone left except the cinematographer, Stephanie, and her husband.\u00a0 The cinematographer\u2019s name was Daniel Lacambre and he was brilliant.\u00a0 He lit and shot the film beautifully.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cI worked well with Sherry Miles but this was a very dark period for Michael Blodgett. He was drinking heavily throughout the shoot.\u00a0 I was not at all pleased with him as my leading man.\u00a0 In the scene where I have to stab him and he dies, he\u2019s laying on top of me.\u00a0 Michael had his hand behind me and he didn\u2019t realize that as he was acting he was closing his hand around my spine.\u00a0 He really hurt me\u2014my whole back was bruised.\u00a0 But he had no clue what he was doing.\u00a0 He had been drinking the night before.\u00a0 Consequently, it was difficult for me to work with him and retain my air of professionalism.\u00a0 I tried to just put up with it.\u00a0 The producers finally got his girlfriend to come on location so he sobered up a bit when she arrived.\u00a0 It was murder until she got there.\u00a0 Michael ultimately cleaned up his act.<\/p>\n