All night
"This set ended up not being for me but it’s great for what it is. Housed in a cardboard slip box and fold out dvd holder that is very unique."
Details
Sold Out / OOP
Vinegar Syndrome presents its new 'Storefront Theatre Collection', which celebrates both the strange and often homegrown productions that played in 'mini-theatres' of the 70s. This special-edition 3-disc set is uniquely packaged in 100% recycled card stock and features a heavy-duty slipcase.
Throughout the early to mid 1970s, the most common way to see underground feature films was to visit a 'storefront theatre.' Sometimes referred to as 'mini-theatres' or 'shoebox theatres,' these small venues were often converted retail stores armed with nothing more than a couple projectors and nailed down folding chairs. And, unlike larger houses like the Pussycat chain, the films screened in these small and cozy spaces were low-budget 16mm efforts, affectionately known as one-day-wonders.
Hundreds of these theatres dotted the American landscape, and with them, the most truly independent and underground filmmakers found a place to exhibit their work.
In this first volume we focus on Los Angeles' PO-NO Theatre with 12 examples of LA made films, produced between 1970 and 1973. Included titles are Huck Walker's unrelentingly ALL AMERICAN HUSTLER, Anthony Spinelli's bizarre vampire comedy SUCKULA, Rik Tazi'ner's low rent costume saga, THE EROTIC ADVENTURES OF HERCULES, as well as anonymously directed efforts like CARNAL-GO-ROUND, SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE, HOMER THE LATE COMER, and the experimental subjective-camera feature, EROTIC POINT OF VIEW, in addition to five more surprise feature films featuring early genre stars like Rene Bond, Sandy Dempsey, John Holmes, and more. All films have been scanned in 2k from rare original theatrical prints to re-create the experience of stumbling into the PO-NO late one evening and not leaving until dawn the next day.
Directed by: VariousStarring: Rene Bond, John Holmes, Sandy Dempsey, etc, etc...
1970-1973 / 740 minutes / Color / 1.33:1
- All films scanned and restored in 2k from ultra-rare 16mm prints
- Features two bonus short films
Overall rating: 4.4666667 / 5 from 60 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
This special-edition 3-disc set from Vinegar Syndrome's 'Storefront Theatre Collection' celebrates the unique charm of 1970s underground films, housed in high-quality packaging. Customers appreciate the excellent art, top-notch collection, and the value for money, despite some graininess in the film quality.
Summary topics
- Packaging Art: 11%
- Collection Quality: 22%
- Release Quality: 16%
Review topics: ["quality","packaging","buy","set","work","collection","release","film","art","night","movie","porn","idea","theater","fun","selection","restoration"].
Review highlights
- "An incredible collection, the box art and design are stunning, even during the DVD era VS was doing top tier stuff!" —
- "Interesting high quality release of some weird movies." —
- "Great quality release by VS!" —
Reviews
Bizarre night in
"Exactly what VS are about, Ultra obscure oddness that you'd never find anywhere else"
A Sleazy Late Night Watch
"Incredible how sleazy this gauntlet of seedy late night, sticky theater floor porn films were. I cannot even say what you see in the first 5-10 minutes of viewing this. It took weeks to get through, but it was well worth it. Visually, this restoration was amazing and shocked what they were able to do with the film. Worth checking out."
Supporting Preservation
"Who else out there would preserve things like this? I mean this as a compliment"
This release is a masterpiece
"This collection of local porn is fascinating, fun and sexy. This is one of the best DVD sets I've ever bought. One of a kind experience that no other collection can parallel. So many unique films that would never see the light of day otherwise. Not great transfers across the board but that's to be expected."
"Storefront Theatre: All Night at
""Storefront Theatre: All Night at the PO-NO" is a gritty, nostalgic 3-disc collection, compiling twelve low-budget 16mm adult films from 1970-1973, originally screened at Los Angeles’ PO-NO Theatre. Highlights include Huck Walker’s raw "All American Hustler," Anthony Spinelli’s quirky vampire comedy "Suckula," and the oddball "Erotic Adventures of Hercules. " Featuring early genre stars like Rene Bond and John Holmes, these unrestored prints—complete with scratches and cigarette burns—evoke the seedy charm of '70s storefront cinemas. While uneven in quality and pacing, this 12-hour marathon is a fascinating time capsule for vintage erotica enthusiasts craving unpolished authenticity."
All in All night
"Took a bit of a flyer on this one. I read someone else describe this as grubby. It could be that. It could be low rent. It could be that you just have people trying to make art on shoe string budgets and in dark corners of the world. The product is pretty enthralling, I have to be honest. It was way better than I expected. It's a definite snapshot of an era that's long since passed, and I have happy to have that release. If it's still available, get a copy. Despite what you may think, grubby does not mean the women are grubby. There are some truly beautiful women in these films."
Eyes Wide Smut!
"Short version: get this release, before it goes out of print, again! A collection of grubby, 16mm-shot smut, that's both endearingly threadbare and a valuable snapshot of an industry in flux. Despite the low budgets, it's interesting to see how these filmmakers still wanted to give a sense of a story, with bizarre set-ups and quick, speedy concepts that make for an interesting selection-box of sleaze. Recommended!"
Another incredible collection
"Just like with the Bizarre Art set, this one is a very fun collection of things I'd never have seen otherwise"
Not one of the better ones
"These were a chore to sit through. Maybe 1/3 of them are entertaining but the rest are gross, ugly tedium."