Al Adamson

Although it's very unlikely that his admittedly cheap-'n'-cheesy films will ever be acknowledged as true works of cinematic art, director/producer/screenwriter 'Al Adamson' (qv) did nonetheless make a slew of entertainingly trashy low-budget exploitation features for the drive-in market throughout the 1960s and 1970s.He was born on July 25, 1929, in Hollywood, California, the son of actress 'Dolores Booth' (qv) and actor/director 'Victor Adamson' (qv), who appropriately enough specialized in shoddy "B"-grade--and lower--westerns in the 1920s and 1930s, both as an actor and especially as a director. Al's first foray into filmmaking was helping his father as director and producer on the movie _Halfway to Hell (1953)_ (qv). In the mid-'60s Al founded the prolific grindhouse outfit Independent-International Pictures with producer/distributor 'Samuel M. Sherman' (qv). Adamson cranked out flicks in every conceivable genre: scuzzy biker items (_Satan's Sadists (1969)_ (qv), _Hell's Bloody Devils (1970)_ (qv), _Angels' Wild Women (1972)_ (qv)), grungy westerns (_Five Bloody Graves (1969)_ (qv), _Jessi's Girls (1975)_ (qv)), smarmy softcore sex comedies (_The Naughty Stewardesses (1973)_ (qv), _Blazing Stewardesses (1975)_ (qv)), funky blaxploitation (_Mean Mother (1973)_ (qv), _Black Heat (1976)_ (qv)), ridiculous science-fiction dross (the gloriously ghastly _Horror of the Blood Monsters (1970)_ (qv)), two 'Jim Kelly' (qv) martial arts action outings (_Black Samurai (1976)_ (qv), _Death Dimension (1978)_ (qv)), lurid horror fare (_Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971)_ (qv), _Brain of Blood (1971)_ (qv), _Nurse Sherri (1978)_ (qv)) and even a tongue-in-cheek softcore science-fiction musical (_Cinderella 2000 (1977)_ (qv)). Moreover, Adamson served as a producer for both the exciting 'Fred Williamson' (qv) blaxploitation vehicle _Hammer (1972)_ (qv) and the acclaimed made-for-TV drama _Cry Rape (1973)_ (qv). The casts of Adamson's movies were made up of oddball but enthusiastic amateurs and faded professional thespians whose career was on the wane, including 'Kent Taylor' (qv), 'Russ Tamblyn' (qv), 'Lon Chaney Jr.' (qv) and the ubiquitous 'John Carradine' (qv). Al frequently gave his wife 'Regina Carrol' (qv) sizable parts in his films. Moreover, Adamson was a mentor for future schlock-feature directors 'Greydon Clark' (qv) and 'John 'Bud' Cardos' (qv). He was also instrumental in launching the career of ace cinematographer 'Gary Graver' (qv). In addition, Adamson kept fellow top cinematographers 'László Kovács' (qv) and 'Vilmos Zsigmond' (qv) employed in their early days.'Al Adamson' (qv)'s life came to a brutal and untimely end at age 66 when he was murdered by live-in contractor Fred Fulford on August 2, 1995.::woodyanders (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)