Part 6: Little Stunts

Howard: It's true about the films grosses. And they were earned when tickets were only $2.00. After 3 weeks of Peter's begging, The Rugoff Chain offered a mid-night showing at the Eleventh Street Cinema in Greenwich Village. The first night produced a line around the block. What no one recognized was that Penthouse Magazine, a fledging publication at the time, had run a 12 page spread on Flesh Gordon a year earlier. There was an audience just waiting for the film's release. After 4 weeks at the cinema we were offered the Plaza Theatre on 57th street, a perfect venue for us. The Plaza was an art house and playing there would establish the fact that Flesh Gordon was not a porno film but an art film. The only hitch was we had to go in in two days and could only have the theatre for 10 days.

There was no time for traditional advertising. Peter sent a press release to all the papers and TV stations. It read: "King Kong has been attacking women if front of the Plaza Hotel, but Flesh Gordon is in town and promises to put a stop to this menace." We got a permit to stage a scene in front of the Plaza by feigning that we were filming a movie. An ape costume was rented and Flesh Gordon's costume was expressed by air from California. We didn't have Flesh on hand but we put a renown porn star named "Mark 10 1/2 inch Stevens" in Flesh's suit and hung him swinging from the end of a cable held up by a crane. King Kong climbed atop the three tier Pulitzer fountain in front of the Plaza Hotel. Several hundred New Yorkers crowded around to witness the spectacle. The police held everyone back behind ropes so the putative film scene could be shot. I stood behind an unloaded camera going through the motions. Peter's wife, the actress Liz Torres who played the maid in "All In The Family," and my wife sat in a little horse driven carriage parked in front of the fountain. I called action. King Kong bounded down the fountain, water splashing in his wake as he made his way to molest the two damsels sitting demurely in the carriage. But alas, Flesh Gordon swings in overhead and lands nearby, grabbing a cream pie from a nearby vendor. With out a moment to spare he adeptly pushes the pie in the ape's face saving the girls virtue. That little stunt got us 3 minutes of prime time news on one station and a minute and a half on another.

Opening night was standing room only - Elton John showed up. The ten days was expanded to 13 weeks and Flesh was off and running, eventually playing all over the world. The film grossed several million in England and over a million in Australlia. It was huge in Japan. The original video release came out in 1976 as I recall and was the number one seller for Media Home Entertainment, a company started by Charlie Band. Hen's Tooth Video's re-release is testament to the staying power of the film. [Hen's Tooth] has already reported brisk sales, including Tower Records and The Book of the Month Video List. It played on German TV last year and is also currently in release on CD-ROM in the Benelux countries. Pretty amazing for a film over 20 years old.

Flesh Gordon Collector's Edition Unrated $29.99
Flesh Gordon (R) rated $29.99
Flesh Gordon 2: Flesh Gordon Meets The Cosmic Cheerleaders Unrated $14.99
Flesh Gordon 2: Flesh Gordon Meets The Cosmic Cheerleaders (R) rated $14.99

Flesh Gordon DVD Unrated $29.99
Flesh Gordon 2: Flesh Gordon Meets The Cosmic Cheerleaders Unrated DVD $14.99