Harry Novak
Encyclopedia
Harry Novak, "the sexploitation king," produced and distributed a prolific number of exploitation film
s from the early 60s to the mid-70s, including William Rotsler
's cult classics The Agony of Love and Mantis in Lace
and the influential "monster nudie" Kiss Me Quick!
among many others. His "mondo" documentary film Mondo Mod is considered a seminal surfer cult movie, offering early glimpses of southern California's surfing and biker subcultures, and was a film that proved successful enough that it was eventually distributed widely to North American drive-ins by exploitation powerhouse Box Office International Pictures.
' ownership of that once-illustrious studio. Hughes' well-known proclivity for featuring buxom women in his productions and the resultant censorship battles RKO engaged in during the Hughes reign could be viewed as precursors to Novak's later career as an extender of the boundaries of sex in cinema, but if Hughes was an influence on Novak, it was not apparent at the time Novak worked for him. Ironically, one of Novak's primary jobs at RKO was helping to handle the studio's distribution arrangement with the Walt Disney
studio.
When RKO collapsed in 1957, Novak is rumored to have been the last employee to depart the lot. After his own career in exploitation filmmaking was well established, Novak would eventually launch his own mini-studio facility just down the street from the old RKO backlot on L.A.'s Melrose Avenue, at a location where he was headquartered into the early years of the 21st century. A delightful mini-documentary entitled "King of Camp" was featured as an extra on the initial DVD release of director Ray Greene's documentary feature about exploitation filmmaking SCHLOCK! The Secret History of American Movies; in it, Novak gives a hilarious tour of his old Boxoffice International facilities, which emerge as a kind of parody version of the studio system Novak was originally schooled in. An extensive interview with Novak and clips from his work are also contained within the film SCHLOCK! itself.
After dubbing and distributing a 1956 Swedish melodrama about a "bad girl" in a reformatory under the name "Girls Without Rooms" to limited but respectable grosses, Novak's earliest film productions fell into the "nudie cutie" category. Films of this genre were usually shot in color and contained naked women (with their genitalia always obscured in some way) that spend the length of the film being ogled by lusty men. The men, however, were not allowed to actually come into contact with the women. Novak subsequently followed the pathway blazed by David F. Friedman
and others to become a prolific producer of "roughies," a disturbing pre-pornography sexploitation genre which featured noirish black and white cinematography and often substituted violence for the sex act. William Rotsler
's Agony of Love is one of the better known examples of this genre.
Novak's later films straddled the line between hardcore and softcore pornography by featuring both full frontal nudity by both women and men, and explicit sex scenes that omitted penetration
and money shot
s. As a producer, his most popular late-period genres were rural comedies (The Pigkeeper's Daughter) and costume sex farces (The Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and Juliet
). Novak also distributed hundreds of exploitable films by other filmmakers, including director Toshio Okuwaki's notorious Japanese art/exploitation film Naked Pursuit (1968).
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
s from the early 60s to the mid-70s, including William Rotsler
William Rotsler
William "Bill" Rotsler was an American cartoonist and graphic artist; author of several science fiction novels and short stories, and television and film novelizations, and non-fiction works on a variety of topics, ranging from Star Trek to pornography; a prominent member of science fiction...
's cult classics The Agony of Love and Mantis in Lace
Mantis in Lace
Mantis in Lace is a 1968 sexploitation film directed by William Rotsler and produced by Harry Novak. At least two differently-edited versions have been released, one of which has more emphasis on the sexual aspect of the film and one of which emphasizes its violent storyline...
and the influential "monster nudie" Kiss Me Quick!
Kiss Me Quick!
Kiss Me Quick! is a 1964 film directed by Peter Perry. The film was originally titled Dr Breedlove or Dr Breedlove or How I Stopped Worrying and Love to exploit the title of Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove...
among many others. His "mondo" documentary film Mondo Mod is considered a seminal surfer cult movie, offering early glimpses of southern California's surfing and biker subcultures, and was a film that proved successful enough that it was eventually distributed widely to North American drive-ins by exploitation powerhouse Box Office International Pictures.
Career
Novak's career in films began at RKO during the tempestuous period of aviation millionaire Howard HughesHoward Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
' ownership of that once-illustrious studio. Hughes' well-known proclivity for featuring buxom women in his productions and the resultant censorship battles RKO engaged in during the Hughes reign could be viewed as precursors to Novak's later career as an extender of the boundaries of sex in cinema, but if Hughes was an influence on Novak, it was not apparent at the time Novak worked for him. Ironically, one of Novak's primary jobs at RKO was helping to handle the studio's distribution arrangement with the Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
studio.
When RKO collapsed in 1957, Novak is rumored to have been the last employee to depart the lot. After his own career in exploitation filmmaking was well established, Novak would eventually launch his own mini-studio facility just down the street from the old RKO backlot on L.A.'s Melrose Avenue, at a location where he was headquartered into the early years of the 21st century. A delightful mini-documentary entitled "King of Camp" was featured as an extra on the initial DVD release of director Ray Greene's documentary feature about exploitation filmmaking SCHLOCK! The Secret History of American Movies; in it, Novak gives a hilarious tour of his old Boxoffice International facilities, which emerge as a kind of parody version of the studio system Novak was originally schooled in. An extensive interview with Novak and clips from his work are also contained within the film SCHLOCK! itself.
After dubbing and distributing a 1956 Swedish melodrama about a "bad girl" in a reformatory under the name "Girls Without Rooms" to limited but respectable grosses, Novak's earliest film productions fell into the "nudie cutie" category. Films of this genre were usually shot in color and contained naked women (with their genitalia always obscured in some way) that spend the length of the film being ogled by lusty men. The men, however, were not allowed to actually come into contact with the women. Novak subsequently followed the pathway blazed by David F. Friedman
David F. Friedman
David Frank Friedman was an American filmmaker and film producer.-Life and career:Friedman first became interested in entertainment after spending part of his childhood in Birmingham and Anniston, Alabama, traveling carnival sites. He met exploitation film pioneer Kroger Babb during his stay in...
and others to become a prolific producer of "roughies," a disturbing pre-pornography sexploitation genre which featured noirish black and white cinematography and often substituted violence for the sex act. William Rotsler
William Rotsler
William "Bill" Rotsler was an American cartoonist and graphic artist; author of several science fiction novels and short stories, and television and film novelizations, and non-fiction works on a variety of topics, ranging from Star Trek to pornography; a prominent member of science fiction...
's Agony of Love is one of the better known examples of this genre.
Novak's later films straddled the line between hardcore and softcore pornography by featuring both full frontal nudity by both women and men, and explicit sex scenes that omitted penetration
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
and money shot
Money shot
A money shot is a moving or stationary visual element of a film, video, television broadcast, print publication, etc., that is disproportionately expensive to produce and/or is perceived as essential to the overall importance or revenue-generating potential of the work.-Cinema:Originally, in...
s. As a producer, his most popular late-period genres were rural comedies (The Pigkeeper's Daughter) and costume sex farces (The Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and Juliet
The Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and Juliet
The Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and Juliet is a 1969 sexploitation film written by Jim Schumacher based very loosely on the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Produced by Harry Novak and directed by Bethel Buckalew...
). Novak also distributed hundreds of exploitable films by other filmmakers, including director Toshio Okuwaki's notorious Japanese art/exploitation film Naked Pursuit (1968).
Partial filmography
- Kiss Me Quick!Kiss Me Quick!Kiss Me Quick! is a 1964 film directed by Peter Perry. The film was originally titled Dr Breedlove or Dr Breedlove or How I Stopped Worrying and Love to exploit the title of Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove...
(1964) - Mantis in LaceMantis in LaceMantis in Lace is a 1968 sexploitation film directed by William Rotsler and produced by Harry Novak. At least two differently-edited versions have been released, one of which has more emphasis on the sexual aspect of the film and one of which emphasizes its violent storyline...
(1968) - The Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and JulietThe Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and JulietThe Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and Juliet is a 1969 sexploitation film written by Jim Schumacher based very loosely on the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Produced by Harry Novak and directed by Bethel Buckalew...
(1969) - The Notorious CleopatraThe Notorious CleopatraThe Notorious Cleopatra is a grossly inaccurate sexploitation film, made in 1970 by Harry Novak. In this version Cleopatra is stabbed to death in her tub by Mark Antony....
(1970) - Wilbur and the Baby Factory (1970)
- The Toy Box (1971)
- Sweet Georgia (1972)
- The Pigkeeper's Daughter (1972)
- The Sinful DwarfThe Sinful DwarfThe Sinful Dwarf is a 1973 Danish film by Vidal Raski.-Plot:Olaf brings women to the home he shares with his drunken mother . Once the unlucky ladies arrive, they are drugged, imprisoned, tied up and then turned into junkie-prostitutes.-References:**...
(1973) - A Scream in the StreetsA Scream in the StreetsA Scream in the Streets is a 1972 crime drama movie by producer Harry Novak and director Carl Monson, from a screenplay by Eric Norden. The cast includes John Kirkpatrick, Sharon Kelly, Frank Bannon, Linda York and Angela Carnon. The film tells the story of two detectives who try to track down a...
(1973) - Please Don't Eat My MotherPlease Don't Eat My MotherPlease Don't Eat My Mother is a 1973 exploitation film directed by Carl J. Monson.-Plot:A shy and timid man who lives with his mother buys a plant he thinks talked to him. His loneliness is very apparent in the way he tries to turn the plant into a friend. Well, the plant is carnivorous and can...
(1974) - Wham Bam Thank You Spaceman (1975)
- RattlersRattlersRattlers is a 1976 horror film starring Sam Chew, Elisabeth Chauvet, Tony Ballen, Dan Priest, Ron Gold, Darwin Joston, and Gary Van Ormand. The film was produced, directed and co-written by John McCauley...
(1975) - Tanya (1976)
- Sultan of Sexploitation, King of Camp (1999) (as himself)
- SCHLOCK! The Secret History of American Movies (2001) (as himself)