Storefront Theatre: All Night at the PO-NO

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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.

• All films scanned and restored in 2k from ultra-rare 16mm prints
• Features two bonus short films