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1-8 of 8
- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Director
Jerry Gross was a semi-legendary exploitation movie producer/distributor, but--unlike his more notorious colleagues in the exploitation business such as Kroger Babb, David F. Friedman and Dan Sonney--very little is actually known about the man himself.
He started in the film industry in the 1960s as a director, but found his forte in distribution--or, rather, outrageous film promotions. Sensationalized come-ons, titillating taglines, wildly suggestive posters and titles scored Gross hit after hit on the grindhouse/drive-in circuit throughout the 1970s. His company, Cinemation, released titles like I Drink Your Blood (1971), Teenage Mother (1967), The Seducers (1962) and I Eat Your Skin (1971). In the mid-'70s he was quoted as saying, "I guarantee that all these are selling titles. The public just cannot resist a film if the title drags them in. Stars don't matter. Titles do!".
Gross didn't limit himself to just exploitation pictures, though. He also distributed important movies like Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) (although in a slightly re-cut version) but he is chiefly remembered for the sort of promotions that would have done P.T. Barnum proud (as would his name). When he released the first two "Mondo Cane" films--A Dog's Life (1962) and Mondo Cane 2 (1963)--on a double bill, he hired actors to dress up as native tribesmen and dance around cinemas to emphasize the films' subject matter of primitive rites.
Gross' finest hour unfortunately spelled the beginning of the end. "I Eat Your Skin", I Spit on Your Grave (1978) and The Boogey Man (1980), all released by The Jerry Gross Origination, are fondly remembered and were big hits. By this time, however, major studios were securing a monopoly over America's screens and the smaller companies were quickly going bankrupt, which is eventually what happened to The Jerry Gross Origination. Gross' post-bankruptcy company Ambassador Pictures quickly went out of business. That was around 1983, and since then Jerry Gross seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.- Martin Hames has had a very productive life, writing several books and exercising great influence over young people through his job as Headmaster of the Altamont School in Birmingham, Al. Quite a different role in real-life from that of the bartender in this movie, "Stay Hungry". He has been very active in "Town and Gown", the Birmingham Civic Theatre, as well as helping to produce the Miss Alabama contest.
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Born in Topeka, Kansas, in 1917, Arthur H. Wolf and his friend from Topeka, Russell A. Mosser, started up a film company called the Centron Corporation in Lawrence, Kansas. This company produced dozens of industrial and educational films for Young America, McGraw-Hill and dozens of Fortune 500 companies until 1981, when Mosser and Wolf sold the company and retired. Wolf died in 2002. Mosser died in 2011.- Sound Department
Martin McLean was born on 16 January 1926 in the UK. Martin is known for Port of Escape (1956), Tempo (1961) and Emergency Resuscitation Part I: Breathing for Others (1963). Martin died on 20 November 2002 in London, England, UK.- Producer
- Writer
- Production Manager
Nina Elias-Bamberger was born on 20 August 1954 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. She was a producer and writer, known for Dragon Tales (1999), Big Bag (1996) and Shalom Sesame (1987). She died on 20 November 2002 in Orlando, Florida, USA.- Niddy Impekoven was born on 2 November 1904 in Berlin, Germany. She was an actress, known for Die Pritzelpuppe (1923), Armes kleines Mädchen (1924) and Wege zu Kraft und Schönheit - Ein Film über moderne Körperkultur (1925). She died on 20 November 2002 in Switzerland.
- Gaby Philipp was born on 12 September 1926 in Vienna, Austria. She was an actress, known for Frühling auf dem Eis (1951), Geheimnisvolle Tiefe (1949) and Das doppelte Lottchen (1950). She was married to Paul Frischauer. She died on 20 November 2002 in Vienna, Austria.
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Webster Lewis was born on 1 September 1943 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was a composer, known for American Playhouse (1980), Body and Soul (1981) and My Tutor (1983). He died on 20 November 2002 in Barryville, New York, USA.