The House of 1,000 Dolls

The House of 1,000 Dolls
The House of 1,000 Dolls
Directed by	Jeremy Summers
Written by	Peter Welbeck
Produced by	Harry Alan Towers
Starring	Vincent Price; Martha Hyer; George Nader
Cinematography	Manuel Merino
Edited by	Allan Morrison
Music by	Charles Camilleri
Production; companies	Towers of London (Films); Constantin Film; P.C. Hispamer Films
Distributed by	American International Pictures
Release date	1967;
Running time	95 minutes
Countries	United States; Spain; West Germany
Language	English

The House of 1,000 Dolls (also known as La casa de las mil muñecas, Das Haus Der Tausend Freuden, and House of a Thousand Dolls) is a 1967 Harry Alan Towers German-Spanish international co-production white slavery thriller directed by Jeremy Summers and starring Vincent Price.^[1] It has been described as "quite possibly the sleaziest movie AIP ever made".^[2] The film is set in Tangier. Released initially in Spain, it was not released in the United States until November 1967.

Plot

Stephen Armstrong, vacationing with his wife Marie in Tangiers, runs into an old friend and learns he is searching for his missing girlfriend who was kidnapped by an international gang of white slavers.

The kidnappers are nightclub magician Manderville and his mentalist partner Rebecca. Under the guise of their nightclub act, they hypnotize and kidnap young women for the white slavers, and spirit them away to an exclusive brothel called "The House of 1000 Dolls." Stephen continues the investigation when his friend is murdered.

Cast

Vincent Price as Felix Manderville
Martha Hyer as Rebecca
George Nader as Stephen Armstrong
Ann Smyrner as Marie Armstrong
Wolfgang Kieling as Inspector Emil
Sancho Gracia as Fernando
Maria Rohm as Diane
Luis Rivera as Paul
José Jaspe as Ahmed
Juan Olaguivel as Salim
Herbert Fux as Abdu
Yelena Samarina as Madame Viera
Diane Bond as Liza
Andrea Lascelles as Doll
Ursula Janis as Doll

Production

The film originated with Harry Alan Towers, who shot the movie in Madrid and got Samuel Arkoff at AIP to contribute financing.^[2]

At one stage Terence Fisher was announced as director.^[3] Vic Damone was mentioned as going to support Vincent Price and Martha Hyer,^[4] but he ended up being replaced by George Nader.

Filming began in November 1966. Knowing that local censors would prohibit filming, Towers gave them a copy of Abe Lincoln in Illinois and hired an actor to walk around the set dressed like Abraham Lincoln in case the censors dropped by.^[2]

According to Price in a 1984 interview, he had been signed on to the project without full knowledge of what the film would be about. After his scenes were shot, "Martha Hyer and I were led off ... so we went to visit on the set and we found that they were remaking all of the scenes we'd been in, but a pornographic version of it." He added, "I never got to see it."^[5]^[6]

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Had Vincent Price's tongue-in-cheek opening gambit ("Open the coffin") been followed through, more might have been made of this preposterously scripted, crudely directed and indifferently photographed charade. As it is, a confusion of kidnappings, fights, floggings and a little timid strip-tease prove too much for all Price's efforts to treat the whole thing as a joke. He has little support from the rest of the cast, the exotic backgrounds are wasted, and the film could well serve as an object lesson in the kind of disaster that this type of international venture can produce."^[7]

The Chicago Tribune called the film "not even bad enough to be good... [a] bargain basement backfire that is strictly discount Price."^[8]

The New York Times described the film as containing "routine sleuthing, double-crossing and chasing."^[9]

References

^ "The House of 1,000 Dolls". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c McGee, Mark (1996). Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 273.
^ Martin, Betty (11 November 1966). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: Turnabout in 'Peter Gunn'". Los Angeles Times. p. D21.
^ Martin, Betty (22 November 1966). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: 'Battle Horns' for Nielsen". Los Angeles Times. p. c11.
^ Aspel & Co. on YouTube, July 1984
^ Parrish, James Robert; Whitney, Steven (1974). Vincent Price Unmasked (1 ed.). Drake Publishers. ISBN 978-0877496670.
^ "The House of 1,000 Dolls". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 35 (408): 77. 1 January 1968 – via ProQuest.
^ Terry Clifford (4 December 1967). "Discount Price—Bargain Basement Backfire". Chicago Tribune. p. d17.
^ Thompson, Howard (14 March 1968). "'Maryjane' Tops a Bill". New York Times. p. 51.

External links

The House of 1,000 Dolls at IMDb

[BFIsearch-1] "The House of 1,000 Dolls". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 14 August 2024.

[McGee-2] McGee, Mark (1996). Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 273.

[3] Martin, Betty (11 November 1966). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: Turnabout in 'Peter Gunn'". Los Angeles Times. p. D21.

[4] Martin, Betty (22 November 1966). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: 'Battle Horns' for Nielsen". Los Angeles Times. p. c11.

[5] Aspel & Co. on YouTube, July 1984

[6] Parrish, James Robert; Whitney, Steven (1974). Vincent Price Unmasked (1 ed.). Drake Publishers. ISBN 978-0877496670.

[7] "The House of 1,000 Dolls". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 35 (408): 77. 1 January 1968 – via ProQuest.

[8] Terry Clifford (4 December 1967). "Discount Price—Bargain Basement Backfire". Chicago Tribune. p. d17.

[9] Thompson, Howard (14 March 1968). "'Maryjane' Tops a Bill". New York Times. p. 51.

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