American International Pictures got hip to the profit potential of the teen market early – with low-budget youth oriented films directed toward the then lucrative teenage drive-in market in the 50’s. The Baby Boomers were an enormous new demographic target – – that was being virtually ignored by television programmers (popular culture) at the time. But not for long.
AIP produced the scores of B-film classics associated with an era, in categories seemingly modeled on American high school cliques: West Coast surfer kids (Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon); motorcycle gang delinquents (Marlon Brando and James Dean); and the sexually precocious “bad girls” (any young starlet with over a C-cup would do). And of course there were the raft of horror flicks – which could be identified with today’s Goths, and then with most every teenager’s fear of the looming adult world and strangeness of “the other” in their lives. (Roger Corman was one of the jewels in AIPs profitable tin crown.) Having become a solid production house by the late 50’s and early 60’s, when the teen market came of age in the mid to late 60’s AIP went on to produce the sort of low-budget films (The Trip, with Peter Fonda, Riot on Sunset Strip, Wild in the Streets, Maryjane, Gas-s-s-s, and Psych-Out with Jack Nicholson that essentially defused, cartooned and popularized some of the once serious human rights movements of those times.
The civil rights movement behind Black Power (Blacula, and Foxy Brown), and some of the more progressive humanistic ideals behind the original formation of the counter culture, were actually born of an earnest spiritual and intellectual (if somewhat naive) plea for action against a broad list of human atrocities seemingly condoned by an establishment that was enjoying economic prosperity and a reputation for military supremacy for the first time. It could be argued that the generation in revolt had no visceral understanding of the previous hardships that built their pulpit – therefore no understanding of an establishment that wanted simply to enjoy their spoils. But, there’s no arguing that the core of the movement, in fact the many movements that came to define the 60’s, were based in a desire for integrity, equality, the promise of human dignity. Not normally the subjects for lampooning.
If the Boomers had not been such a large demographic, perhaps some of their voices might never have been heard. But then they also wouldn’t have been the target of a capitalistic marketing campaign (America’s drug of choice) that to date has shrouded the importance of that decade in little more than advertising slogans, focus groups, and day-glo symbols of a still profitable pop culture. But, look how far we’ve come.
PS: If you ever wondered (or even remember) where the phrase “never trust anyone over 30” came from, watch the now cult classic “Wild In The Streets”, produced by AIP in 1968, and starring Shelly Winters, with Hal Holbrook, Ed Begley, Bobby Sherman (!) and Richard Prior.
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Ah, my bad… and a sound factual lashing it is for taking the following film synopsis posted by an outdated and potentially suspect political blog – TalkLeft (http://bit.ly/jGuC8B) – out of context:
“Wild In The Streets” is the best cult film ever made. It follows the meteoric rise of a rock star who becomes U.S. President and a revolutionary leader (Max Frost is played by Christopher Jones). Max initially becomes involved in politics in a crusade to lower the voting age in California to age 14 (in 1967 it was age 21). After helping to elect Johnny Fergus to the U.S. Senate, he uses his popularity to get former child movie star and band member Sally Leroy, played by Diane Varsi (“Peyton Place”), elected to the U.S. House.
In the wake of her election, state after state lowers its voting age. Following her victory and dramatic speech before the House Of Representatives, voting rights protesters are shot dead in Washington D.C. Max then enters the race for U.S. President. The rough and dirty campaign culminates in Max and his inner circle drugging the water supply of Washington D.C. in order to impair the mental facilities of the U.S. Congress. Congress lowers the voting age and Max is elected in a landslide.
At President Frost’s first address before Congress, Johnny Fergus’ assassination attempt is foiled and consequently President Frost is granted unprecedented power and authority. He declares 30 to be a mandatory retirement age after which individuals will be given LSD. As a reign of terror sweeps the nation, neo-Fascist paramilitary youth gangs create internment camps. At the very end, the film makes a subtle comment about the dangers of age discrimination when Max realizes that children under 14 regard his generation as the enemy.
But then – I didn’t officially post the offending comment to this blog.. it was merely a draft. Still, if it provides good fodder for technical development – have at it!
Actually, the quote comes before the movie. It’s from the Berkeley FSM days:
Jack Weinberg We have a saying in the movement that we don’t trust anybody over 30.
Interview with San Francisco Chronicle reporter, c. 1965 [1]
ACK WEINBERG, twenty-four year old leader of the Free Speech Movement at the University of California, Berkeley, California, interview with San Francisco Chronicle reporter, c. 1965. Weinberg later said he did not actually believe the statement, but said it as a kind of taunt to a question asking if there were outside adults manipulating the organization.—The Washington Post, March 23, 1970, p. A1.
http://www.bartleby.com/73/1828.html
Speaking personally as a member of the FSM and the VDC I remember that the phrase was current during those years and it didn’t come from a movie. Jerry Rubin was always spouting it.