Riot On Sunset Strip

Take A Hip Trip On The Strip...
[RIOT ON SUNSET STRIP - (1967) - Widescreen Presentation - Directed by Arthur Dreifuss] Props to MGM for finally releasing this campy cult classic on dvd. The film opens in a Sunset Strip (where else?) niteclub with The Standells playing the garage-band anthem title song (ignore the MGM and Amazon product details error regarding this predating their Top Ten hit 'Dirty Water', which hit the charts in July '66 and this flick wasn't released till '67) while the opening credits roll, setting the stage for the entire movie that follows. No joke - listen to the lyrics, and there's the entire movie in a capsule for easy digesting. The acid cubes come later...

The story involves the clash between the newly-empowered hippie youth that took control over the Strip, the assorted business owners who wanted nothing more than to see them destroyed, and the tightly-wound police who tended to get cracking with their billy-clubs a bit hastily. Soon the entire Strip becomes a powder-keg...

Freak Out
Peculiar but entertaining exploitation movie. It's a combination of mental hygiene film, dull police drama, and juvenile delinquent sickie. Troubled Mimsy Farmer gets involved with the wrong crowd and winds up confronting her estranged cop father, Aldo Ray. What makes this film worth watching is the music - garage rock monsters The Standells, The Enemies, and the great Chocolate Watchband all perform at cool L.A. club Pandora's Box. Also, Mimsy Farmer's LSD freak out is awesome. When I saw this movie on TV as a teenager, I thought it was the best movie ever.

Perfect genre material of the late 60's
The acid trip scene is worth the price of admission alone; a perfect teen/parent clash of what life was like in the late 60's. A must-own for people age 50 & over

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