Pretty Poison, 1968

Pretty Poison,1968, Orignal Window Card

Directed by Noel Black

Novel by Stephen Geller

Pretty Poison is a little pop of Dark Comedy in the vein of Sweeney Todd. The hip young murderettes are just missing a groovey 5th Dimension whack track to enliven their bloody binge.

Like all dark comedies, Pretty Poison was a box office bust. Young, sexy couple killers were not yet in vogue—Beatty was just getting ready shoot Bonnie and Clyde. Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen were years out from running in Badlands.

***True Story***Tuesday Weld was Warren Beatty’s numero uno choice for Bonnie Parker. But, she turned it down. Ostensibly, because she “knew it was going to be a hit”.

Pretty Poison was the most successful film of Noel Black’s career, which goes to show you how much of its success he owed to the actors and script on this film. The chemistry between the lead actors was so buzzy that they were repaired again in another rarely viewed, but ravey cult classic, Joan Didion’s Play It As it Lays.

Tuesday Weld

In Pretty Poison and Play It As It Lays, Tuesday finally managed to snuff out the uber Marsha Brady teen queen image cemented by years of shows and flicks like Dobie Gillis and  Sex Kittens Go to College. But Weld talent for picking bad parts and turning down career makers kept her from the Award circle. Weld’s talent for smoking it up with her co-stars could have held her back as well. A teenage affair with Elvis was squashed by “The Colonel”, because of Weld’s wild and trashy reputation.  Weld’s “dates” included: Elvis, Steve McQueen,Frank Sinatra and Dennis Hopper, John Ireland, Gary Lockwood (she hit him over the head with a telephone & tried to run him over on Sunset Blvd.), Tom Mankewicz and Dudley Moore (married).  Most of this she says she does not remember due to a severe drinking problem which began when she was eleven. Nevertheless her acting was superb. Roddy McDowell once quipped, “No Actress was ever so good in so many bad films.”

Perkins was not so lucky.

Tony Perkins by A. Warren

Pretty Poison encased in cement his Big screen image as Mr. Wacko. Up until that point Perkins, who bore a striking resemblance to George Hamilton, won tons of awards. A golden Globe, an A Tony, Academy Award nomination, a Cannes Film Best Actor Award. He even cut 3 pop albums. The dude had a hot career. Later in the 70′s and 80′s much of his American repertoire consisted of Psycho sequels and TV titles like Daughter of Darkness and I’m Dangerous Tonight. Such a waste of talent.

Pretty Poison is still spawning imitators.  But, keep an eye out for the original.

Condition: Near Mint. Colors are clear and crisp.