This past week, Warner Brothers released an armful of films on DVD under the collective title of “Camp Classics”. Some of these films are neither camp nor classic, but still it’s fun to have them available for home viewing. The films can be bought individually, but are also grouped according to themes. Among the rarities now available are Howard Hawks’ Land of the Pharoahs which was co-written by William Faulkner, yes, THAT William Faulkner. Another newly available title is an early directorial effort by Sergio Leone, the costume epic, Colossus of Rhodes.

I did get the chance to see Hot Rods to Hell, the story of square adults versus those crazy, hot roddin’ kids. While this 1967 release was aimed at the teen market, someone had the misguided idea to emphasize the two adult stars, Dana Andrews and Jeanne Crain. Andrews and Crain were big star twenty years previously, and had co-starred in the musical State Fair. The producer, Sam Katzman, who was famous for making teen exploitation films with Bill Haley and Chubby Checkers when they were top hitmakers, forgot that teens rather see actors their own age or slightly older. In spite of the filmmakers’ intentions, this is one of those films where you root for those fast and furious kids.

Leading the hot rodders is Mimsy Farmer as Gloria. This small town bad girl is almost like Marlon Brando, James Dean and Natalie Wood with her energy, animality and bad attitude. In the mid-Sixties, Farmer was starring in low budget teen films. Going to Europe, Farmer was given better opportunities to act, and starred in a couple of cult films, More by Barbet Schroeder, and Dario Argento’s Four Flies on Gray Velvet. In Hot Rods to Hell, Farmer plays on would-be boyfriend against the other, goading them on with a lot of fast and dangerous driving. As the film was originally produced for MGM, the old fogies win while the kids learn roadside manners the hard way. Those who enjoyed Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof might enjoy a true grindhouse car movie from the Sixties.