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A
brief conversation with master of Independent American Exploitation Cinema
Mr. Movie maker Extraordinaire Ted V Mikels…
By Ari Richards
Ari - I know you have
often stated that you began making films at an early age from desire to film
your Magic act, did you realize then that it would become a life long career,
or was it at the time secondary to your showman aspirations?
TVM - Once a showman, always a showman. My two and a half hour magic show
was the driving force behind wanting to film it. I was performing magic, ventriloquism,
accordion solos, fire-eating, Houdini escape tricks, etc. As film showed longevity,
I felt that if I could film my show it could last forever, not just for one
performance. Then, the realization that film was
really my medium, so I just worked to apply showmanship to films, just as
a live presentation. I have loved film ever since.
Ari - Are there other creative/artistic areas you would like to explore?
TVM - I don't feel there is any creative endeavour that you cannot explore
with film, and making movies. When you dream up stories, write the scripts,
produce, direct, light, shoot, edit and market, there aren't many creative
areas left that you don't tap. No need to look for more.
Ari - You have worked as many roles in the film industry and of course in
your movies take on many positions that most people would hire crew for, is
this solely due to budget constraints or rather a decision based on the desire
to be in total control on all aspects of the movies outcome?
TVM - It isn't that I want total control over all aspects of my movie-making
rather than hire crews. Crews cost money to hire. I've always said "if
you can't hire somebody who can do a better job than you can, do it yourself."
Also, budget restraints do play a role, however I am enjoying doing my movies
the way I have been for the last fifteen of my fifty-five years of movie-making,
and I am experiencing greater fulfilment. All artists suffer feeling that
they could always do better work, and are never satisfied with what they have
done. I always look forward to my next movie where I will "do better."
Ari - How do you feel being grouped with the likes of Ed Wood, Dave Friedman,
Al Adamson, Ray Dennis Steckler etc? who are known for notoriously “bad”
films, but at the same time loved by so many fans, who don’t find them
“bad” but rather more exciting that the “run of the mill”
cinema offerings?
TVM - I have never felt like I was viewed or ' grouped' with the names you
have mentioned. Actually, in years past, I've never known anyone doing movies
in the way I do. I love to start with a story idea, and bring it to the screen,
doing everything in between with my own hands. Depending upon others to deliver
makes the project a mixture of creative inputs. Not that
it's all that bad, but I have always felt that I was not actually making a
movie unless I held all the creative positions, not just directing, or producing,
or writing, or shooting, or editing, or marketing, but doing all of those
things. I think the common ingredient was that we searched for a way to make
our films, each of us in a different way, but the pursuit was the same, make
movies.
Ari - I guess your sick of being compared to Ed Wood, and in reality your
work is of course very different however, apart from working together at one
time there are similarities, in that you both suffered (and you still do )
from severe budget constraints, but keep battling, also the ideas and themes
are often so outlandish its hard not to see comparisons. Now what I am getting
at, is Ed Wood was never successful until more recent years, and especially
after Tim Burton made a movie about his career, don’t you think it’s
a shame that people like Ed Wood don’t get recognition until after their
death, and do you ever think that it may also be the case with your works?
TVM - I don't really care about ' recognition'. I think I have enjoyed more
recognition already than I ever dreamed I would have. In the case of Ed Wood,
we didn't actually work together, I just was the lighting cameraman on his
last movie, doing it to help my budding cameraman- in- training get his union
card. Unfortunately for Ed, if the movie had not been made about
his movie-making, I'm afraid no-one would know the name today. As far as comparisons,
if anyone would take the time to thoroughly examine my movies all through
the years of so many films, they are as different as night and day from most
of the others. While it is true that I more often than not worked with NO
BUDGET WHATSOEVER, and yet competed in theaters and drive-ins world-wide with
many excellent successes, often out-grossing the huge budgeted film. This
was without making movies with nudity, sex scenes and the like.. It is true
that you must have a "hook" or "gimmick" to attract viewers,
I toyed a lot with more mainstream contents. Then, realizing that Hollywood
screamed for horror mostly, or science fiction movies, I had to attempt that
WITHOUT MONEY.
Ari - Do you wish that your career had led to more prosperous avenues, and
more mainstream rewards? If so would you be happy with the artistic sacrifices
that that would possibly entail?
TVM - Actually, fate has it that I had a number of close calls to big financial
returns, like when MGM offered me a huge advance and a world-wide distribution
deal on my movie THE DOLL SQUAD, but I had given, on my word, the sub-distribution
territories in the country to a few people that helped me with a very few
dollars to get the movie into a first answer print. That so diluted what rights
MGM would have that I could not accept their offer. That surely would have
led to big financing from investors, not to mention financing from major studios.
Such are the breaks. Also, so many of my films have played general free television,
in addition to theaters and drive-ins and in so many countries world-wide
that there
is a certain satisfaction in that. Waiting for financing that never comes
is the greatest bane to continuing to make films. I know so many people who
waited for years for financing on their scripts, and never once found it,
consequently they never made one movie. I was very determined not to let that
happen to me, so I went ahead like a blind bull.
Ari - It seems that Cinema, in USA especially has taken a more conservative
approach in the last 20 years, and getting more so, gone are the days when
we would see mainstream theatre goers queuing to see corpses ground into cat
food, mutant worm people or remote controlled Zombies, is this in your opinion
a desire to be back to the “safer” times of the 1950’s, or
just that this is what Hollywood is dishing out, and the consumers have had
to like it?
TVM - Actually, it's who spends the most money telling the public that this
movie or that movie is the "greatest movie of our time," or the
"finest movie of the year" and who has the best sales campaign and
who can spend the most money on their combined advertising. Many times, the
advertising and promotional costs alone come to more money than the movie
takes in. The co-op advertising and exorbitive spending by distributors so
often eats up any potential returns to the actual producer, who waits forever
for his share. On occasion, the movie stands on its own, and does well, but
usually no-one ever knows what was spent to make it successful, and that's
why investing in movies has never been a good prospective bet for making money
for investors. I always tell an inquiring potential investor that he could
easily lose all of his money, and they don't like to hear that. I think they
would rather be lied to about how much money they will make, and I cannot
tell them that. Probably why I don't have, nor do I look for investors.
Ari - People who haven’t seen your films, would probably think they are
“nasty” however they may be surprised to know that there is in reality
very little gore or sex, and they are relatively tame, in comparison to other
films made, especially in the 1970’s and 80’s. The use of devices
and gimmicks as well as the titles you use/d are all part of what Exploitation
cinema is
all about. Do you think exploitation is still around, but on a much subtler
level? I am thinking films like THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST are highly exploitive
in their marketing approach, but perhaps the way it is done is such that people
don’t realise. I’m too young to remember, but at the time of Exploitations
“hey-day”, did people know the poster art, taglines,
trailers etc were perhaps selling a little more than the film really showed?
Or have we as viewers become more sophisticated and as such the hooks to bring
in the crowds have now become more camouflaged?
TVM - Unfortunately, most people who talk about my movies have often not even
seen ONE OF MY MOVIES, let alone eight or ten of the different categories
of my films. They just repeat hear-says, often that have no truth in them..
I hear people talking, saying things like "the kind of movies you make,etc..."
and I stop them right there and ask them what they have seen of my movies?
The answer often is :well, I saw this ONE or THAT ONE." I tell them if
they haven't seen at least TEN of my movies, please do NOT categorize what
I create. My movies are all different. I am now writing a heart-tugger about
a little five-year-old boy who needs a heart transplant. I started it about
twelve or fourteen years ago, but it got side-tracked. It is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
like CORPSE GRINDERS, or THE CAULDRON, or MARK OF THE ASTRO ZOMBIES...
Ari -Is movie making a career, or passion for you? If you could hang up your
clapper board would you? Or do you think you’ll work in making movie
magic forever?
TVM - Movie-making is both my career AND my passion. I will NEVER retire,
or stop making movies, unless I can't walk or talk. I have too many creative
drives motivating me.
Ari - Are there any films you wish you never made?
TVM - I would never make a movie that I didn't want to make. It takes for too much time, money, energy ( blood, sweat and tears as I say) to waste it on a movie you would regret having made. No, I have never made a movie that I wish I had never made.
Ari - What is your dream movie? Forget budget, what would you make if all
things were possible?
TVM - My dream movie since 1947 has been BEOWULF THE VIKING KING; I have never
given up the thought of turning my 1975 two hundred page screenplay into an
epic.
Ari - Working 24/7 as I know you do, what do you do to relax? Any books you
like to read?
TVM - Actually, I relax making a movie. I love shooting and lighting, then
editing, all time consuming. I don't have time to read books, and don't really
have time to look at other people's movies, although I have seen a few more
lately than usual, possibly two or three a month now.
Ari -Now I remember when I came to Las Vegas you made me the best damn drink
I ever tasted (Manhattan), can you tell me the recipe (again) to share with
all readers with good taste?.
TVM - My MANHATTANS I make from a blended CANADIAN WHISKY, (Not Scotch),about
four parts to one part of SWEET RED VERMOUTH, several splashes of ANGOSTURA
BITTERS, A STEMMED MARASCHINO CHERRY IN THE BOTTOM OF THE GLASS WITH A BIT
OF THE SWEET CHERRY-JUICE, ALL STIRRED WITH CRUSHED ICE, POURED INTO A STEM-MARTINI
GLASS WITH CHUNKS OF ICE IN IT TO KEEP THE DRINK COLD, THEN TWIST A LEMON
PEEL, RIMMING THE GLASS WITH THE LEMON OILS. THAT IS MY MANHATTAN.
HAVE ONE FOR ME!!
HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED
MY COMMENTS IN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT MY
MOVIE-MAKING.
Your friend,
Ted V. Mikels
Ari - Thanks Ted, and all
readers, please support truly independent movie making, buy visiting Ted website
www.tedvmikels.com - videos,
DVDs and original memorabilia for sale – help Ted keep bringing us his
unique movie
magic.
The OFFALEATER meets THE KING!!
Morpho's Lair thanks Ari "Tickle Stick" Richards
for this exceptional interview...now go buy some Ted Stuff!!