Buonopalooza wraps up with Howard Morris’s caper comedy Who's Minding the Mint? (1967). Jim Hutton stars as Harry Lucas, a hapless Treasury worker who accidentally swipes $50,000 and scrambles to replace it before he’s caught. To pull off the fix, he enlists a motley crew of oddballs, including Dorothy Provine’s Verna Baxter, who’s more interested in perfecting her brownies than in breaking and entering. The ensemble bursts with familiar faces -- Milton Berle, Joey Bishop, Walter Brennan, Jack Gilford, and of course, Victor Buono.
Mike White, Otto Bruno, and Tim Madigan close out the Buono-palooza celebration with this breezy, big-cast caper.
Buonopalooza rolls on with Robert Aldrich's Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). Following the massive success of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Aldrich re-teamed with Betty Davis for another Southern Gothic nightmare. Based on another story by Henry Farrel, Davis plays Charlotte Hollis, a reclusive woman haunted by whispers of murder and locked in a decaying Louisiana mansion where secrets fester and madness simmers. The film co-stars Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, and -- of course -- Victor Buono in a pivotal role.
Mike White is joined by Tim Madigan and Otto Bruno to dig into the history, the production troubles, and the legacy of one of the juiciest entries in the “Psycho-Biddy” cycle.
Buonopalooza rages on with Victor Buono front and center in The Strangler (1964). One of his rare leading roles, Buono embodies Leo Kroll, a smothered man-child whose repressed rage against women spills into murder. Loosely modeled on the Boston police department’s profile of the Boston Strangler--and hitting theaters mere months after Albert DeSalvo’s confession—the film walks a fine line between crime drama and exploitation, delivering Buono at his creepiest. Mike is joined once again by Otto Bruno and Tim Madigan to dig into this twisted artifact of ‘60s true-crime cinema.
Special Guest: Dominic Burgess Guest Co-Hosts: Otto Bruno, Tim Madigan
We’re kicking off a month devoted to the inimitable presence of Victor Buono — though in our opening pick, “starring” might be generous. Let’s say “featuring,” and featuring with impact. Robert Aldrich's What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) stands as the grand dame of “Hagsploitation” — or “Psycho Biddy,” if you prefer — with Joan Crawford and Bette Davis locked in a barbed-wire sister act as Blanche and Baby Jane Hudson. Mike White is joined by authors Otto Bruno and Tim Madigan to unpack the film’s camp, cruelty, and craft.
Plus, actor Dominic Burgess — who portrayed Buono in Ryan Murphy’s Feud — drops in to talk about stepping into the oversized shoes of this unforgettable supporting player.
Guest Co-Hosts: Tim Madigan, Otto Bruno
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