Product Details

• Actors: Carolyn Brandt, Gary Kent, Herb Robins, Bernard Fein
• Directors: Ray Dennis Steckler
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Guilty Pleasures
• DVD Release Date: December 28, 2004
• Run Time: 78 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00064ADXE
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,653 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Body Fever" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I Never Had A Script." - Ray Dennis Steckler, June 30, 2010

By 

Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Body Fever (DVD)

Ray Dennis Steckler was one of the greatest and most frugal B-movie auteurs in history. I was lucky enough to meet Steckler in 2001 and spent most of a day talking to him not only about his movies, but about film in general. He was a fascinating man to talk to, was incredibly knowledgeable, and is definitely under-appreciated. "Body Fever" (also known as "Super Cool" and "Snow Job"), a 1969 effort made on the typical Steckler shoestring budget with no script, follows Steckler (as Charlie Smith) as he pursues the ravishing Carrie Erskine (his then wife, Carolyn Brandt) a double-crossing heroin thief (who he, of course, falls in love with), while uneasily co-existing with criminal heavyweight Big Mack (Bernie Fein, best known for creating "Hogan's Heroes").

Considering the film is largely improvised, it is actually fairly absorbing, though not Steckler's best. Brandt and Fein are quite good, and Steckler's acting is better than normal (although his hairpiece is rather shocking). As in most Steckler productions, the lighting and photography are highlights, and the closeups are both plentiful and well done. The movie has many plot cul-de-sacs, and while no new cinematic ground is really covered, the route taken to the climactic scene featuring Steckler and a toilet is always intriguing. The film features a commentary track with Steckler, and it's partly monotonous narrative, but mostly insights on how and where the film was made (mostly in and around his house and neighborhood). My favorite story that Steckler related involved finding a homeless Coleman Francis ("Red Zone Cuba") on a street corner, and creating a last-minute improvised role (as "Coley") for him out of compassion. When I spoke with Ray he clearly had a genuine affection for Francis and many others associated with mid-century low budget movies, and I loved that about him. In the commentary Steckler comes across as a modest and self-deprecating man (he talks extensively about his hairpiece) and sums up the movie with this quote: "I finished the movie; it wasn't a great success, but you're watching it now." I laughed out loud.

The DVD treatment earns a star of it's own as the extras are extensive. Not only is there the Steckler commentary, there is an interview of Carolyn Brandt by Steckler. I liked Carolyn's opinion that her favorite scene in the film was the one with Ray and Coleman in the laundromat, and I appreciated her adding that it was Coleman's last role in a movie as he was very sick at the time. Most of all I loved when Ray asked Carolyn "How did you feel about working with me on the movie?" Carolyn responded "I think, if I recall correctly, I developed a total body rash." The extras also include a section called "From the Vaults of Ray Dennis Steckler" and includes a lot of "Rat Pfink a Boo Boo" footage with Carolyn dancing with a gorilla, etc. There's also an early Steckler short film called "Goof on the Loose" which is interesting only for its historical value.

Overall this is a three star movie, but the extras bring the DVD up to four. Any Steckler fan, fan of B-movies, fan of film noir, or low budget film historian needs to see "Body Fever".

4.0 out of 5 stars gotta love Ray Dennis Steckler, May 8, 2010

By 

G. Bereschik (north of San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Body Fever (DVD)

Gotta love Ray Dennis Steckler. He did a lot with apparently nothing.
Not great drama or movie-making, but you gotta admire his gumption.
Actually, very good, considering his limited resources.
I wonder what he could have done with a big budget!