EDITOR’S NOTE: As the journey through Cannon continues, this week we’re exploring the films of 21st Century Film Corporation, which would be the company that Menahem Golan would take over after Cannon. Formed by Tom Ward and Art Schweitzer in 1971 (or 1976, there are some disputed expert opinions), 21st Century had a great logo and released some wild stuff.

What is a mystagogue? According to Wikipedia, it’s “A mystagogue is a person who initiates others into mystic beliefs, and an educator or person who has knowledge of the sacred mysteries of a belief system.”

Fang Shao Ching (Carter Wong) has one of those mystagogues. His blind teacher refuses to reveal the 18th secret move to him as he’s too impatient. That said, if a martial artist uses the 18th strike, it doesn’t just kill their opponent. They die as a result of the blow as well. So maybe the teacher is right to not share this strike.

Soon, Fang Shao Ching and his sister Fang Ping (Feng Hsu) must protect a prince from the Ching government, which has taken over. They’ve sent many killers to murder him, including Yeun Ming (Chang Yi), who has perhaps the greatest weapon since the flying guillotine. He has these magnetic knives called the Bloody Birds that can either be knives, spinning blades, boomerangs, bombs or even drills that go right through flesh.

Sure, the fighting isn’t the best, but the main bad guy has skin that can’t be pierced and a throne that shoots bullets. Plus, you get rooms full of traps and I love when kung fu meets dungeon crawling. It’s no Shaw Brothers but is still pretty fun.

According to Temple of Schlock, this was originally called Da Mo Mi Zong and first played in 1976. It was first released in the U.S. by Headliner Productions as Mystagogue Superman and it as played as Killer Fists and 18 Shaolin Disciples.

You can watch this on YouTube.

Directed by Joseph Kohn, who specialized in these music films, this was put together from several TV shorts and host segments with Willie Bryan were added. Bryan was the “Mayor of Harlem,” famous for being the host of the original Showtime at the Apollo, a 13-episode TV show that is where many of these songs originated.

This was an opportunity for white kids across the country to see and hear bands they may not get the chance to at the time. Well, if they wanted to go to all black movie houses. That said, it has a great mix of songs from this era, including Duke Ellington and His Orchestra playing “The Mooche,””Your Cash Ain’t Nothin’ But Trash” by The Clovers, “Only a Moment Ago” by Dinah Washington, Big Joe Turner playing “Okimoshebop,” Larry Darnell performing”What More Do You Want Me to Do,” “Only a Moment Ago” by Dinah Washington and Nat “King” Cole singing “The Trouble With Me Is You.”

Somehow, 21st Century ended up with the rights to this. Consider it your chance to see what rock and roll was in its nascent embryonic stage. There’s also another similar film that 21st Century also ended up owning, Rhythm and Blues Revue.

You can watch this on Tubi.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As the journey through Cannon continues, this week we’re exploring the films of 21st Century Film Corporation, which would be the company that Menahem Golan would take over after Cannon. Formed by Tom Ward and Art Schweitzer in 1971 (or 1976, there are some disputed expert opinions), 21st Century had a great logo and released some wild stuff.

After pretty much creating the nurse cycle for Corman with The Student Nurses and then directing The Velvet Vampire, Stephanie Rothman and her husband Charles Swartz left New World for Larry Woolner’s new Dimension Films. It was still exploitation and she didn’t have much creative control, but it was more money and the opportunity to own some of the movies that she was making.

Rothman directed this movie, Terminal Island and The Working Girls, as well as writing the script for Beyond Atlantis, offering some creative ideas to Sweet Sugar and re-editing The Sin of Adam and Eve. After stops and starts, as well as writing Starhops and taking her name off it when the film didn’t reflect what she wrote, she eventually left movies.

We’re all the worse for this, as her films are progressive in 2024 and had to be incendiary in the 1970s.

This starts in a rental car office, where we meet Chris (Aimée Eccles, Ulzana’s Raid, Paradise Alley) and Judy (Jayne Kennedy!). Well, Judy isn’t in this, but Jayne Kennedy is always a welcome actress in any film. Chris has issues with her boyfriend Sandor (Solomon Sturges, son of Preston, who is also in The Working Girls), who pretty much berates her at any opportunity and is only concerned with writing acerbic bumper stickers. He flips out that he doesn’t have a working car, so she has to hurry home and fix it — the women in this movie don’t just have agency, they’re all more capable than the men — and that’s when she rides in the same taxi as Dennis (Jeff Pomerantz). This leads to Dennis trying to get them to stop fighting, staying overnight, having his girlfriend Jan (Victoria Vetri, Playboy Playmate of the Month for September 1967 and 1968 Playmate of the Year; she’s also Rosemary’s Baby, playing Terry Gionoffrio, and in Invasion of the Bee Girls) break up with him and sleeping with Chris.

Before you know it, Dennis is introducing Jan to the couple and all four are in an intertwined relationship. That soon becomes five when the women — who are just as in charge of their sexuality as the men — fall for a lifeguard named Phil Kirby (Zack Taylor, The Young Nurses). Yet he feels a little lonely and starts looking for someone else. At this point, I was marveling at how beautiful everyone in this movie is. And that’s when Phil’s partner is introduced: Elaine (Claudia Jennings). Sure, she’s a lawyer representing his ex-wife in the divorce, but she wants him.

Everyone decides to get married but Jan doesn’t want commitment, even if they have the opportunity to be with different people within their poly group. But then people start showing up trying to be part of the group and some go wild and try to firebomb their house. Dennis even loses his job. Elaine decides to figure out how to make group marriage legal, which leads to all five getting married. And wow, I lied before, because Judy ended up with Dennis, so now there are six. I mean seven! Chris is pregnant.

How progressive is the California of Stephanie Rothman? Not only can these people all create their own marriage, but their gay neighbors Randy (John McMurtry) and Rodney (Bill Striglos) are also able to be husband and husband, 22 years before the first legal same sex marriage in America.

Other than the John Sebastian song  “Darling Companion” and the stereotypical mincing gay couple, there’s a lot to celebrate here. It’s erotic, sure, but never feels filthy or even exploitative. This is at once a humorous but thoughtful take on the good and bad of being married to six people. As always, Rothman’s work is nearly current today and many of her movies were released before I was born.

This was re-released by 21st Century as a double feature with The Muthers.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As the journey through Cannon continues, this week we’re exploring the films of 21st Century Film Corporation, which would be the company that Menahem Golan would take over after Cannon. Formed by Tom Ward and Art Schweitzer in 1971 (or 1976, there are some disputed expert opinions), 21st Century had a great logo and released some wild stuff.

Also known as The Six Thousand Dollar N*****r, this is a regional Miami superhero crime comedy directed by Rene Martinez Jr. (The Guy from Harlem, Road of Death).

Two criminals — Bob (Benny Latimore) and Jim (Lee Cross) — pay Dr. Dippy (Peter Conrad) six grand to create a superhero formula. You may think that such a thing would cost more which is why what the doctor makes kills whoever drinks it in just six days. They pay a homeless man named Steve (“Wildman” Steve Gallon) to take the potion and help them rip off a jewelry store. Well, they trick him into it and then tell him he’s going to die soon unless he finds a cure.

Steve falls for Peggy (Joycelyn Norris) and takes her virginity, which is really an uncomfy scene filled with no consent at all and Steve’s the hero. How strange that Dr. Dippy and his tall lover Monica (Wild Savage) have the better relationship?

Wildman Steve also shows up in  Rudy Ray Moore’s Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son In Law, which makes sense, as he’s very close to Dolemite here. He also is obsessed with ass washing, which has to be a Redd Foxx reference, as the comedian had an entire album titled You Gotta Wash Your Ass. Much like Foxx, Wildman released party animals, which were stand-up comedy records filled with dirty jokes that were sold under the counter at record stores. He also was a DJ on the radio and did many charitable efforts for Miami’s unhoused population, which won him the Cultural Ambassador’s Award.

Despite the title, this has nothing to do with The Six Million Dollar Man.

You can get the AGFA blu ray of this from Vinegar Syndrome.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As the journey through Cannon continues, this week we’re exploring the films of 21st Century Film Corporation, which would be the company that Menahem Golan would take over after Cannon. Formed by Tom Ward and Art Schweitzer in 1971 (or 1976, there are some disputed expert opinions), 21st Century had a great logo and released some wild stuff.

Based on The Vulture is a Patient Bird by James Hadley Chase, at the time, this was the most expensive movie made in Bollywood. In addition to stars such as Dharmendra, Zeenat Aman and Shammi Kapoor, imported actors like Rex Harrison, John Saxon and Sylvia Miles all get in on the action.

Sir John Locksley (Rex Harrison), the greatest jewel thief in the world, decides his most prized possession, the Shalimar Ruby, should be passed on to a worthy successor. He invites every other master jewel thief in the world to his island estate to participate in a deadly contest.

Yes, this feels like the set-up for a Jess Franco movie. Instead, it’s a Bollywood action film with Countess Rasmussen (Miles), Col. Columbus (Saxon), Dr. Kuhkari (Kapoor), Romeo (OP Ralhan) and Raja Bahadur Singh all fighting to win that prized stone. Well, Singh dies right away, so SS Kumar (Dharmendra) takes his place. I mean, that diamond was worth $135 million in 1978, so you can figure out why everyone is trying to murder each other.

Directed by Krishna Shah, who made his name on Broadway, this had unique cuts for India and the U.S. The American version was released by 21st Century as Raiders of the Sacred Stone and Raiders of the Shalimar. They also re-released another Shad movie, The River Niger. He’d go on to direct, write and produce American Drive-In and Hard Rock Zombies.

The story came from Stanford Sherman, who also wrote Any Which Way You Can, Krull and The Ice Pirates.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As the journey through Cannon continues, this week we’re exploring the films of 21st Century Film Corporation, which would be the company that Menahem Golan would take over after Cannon. Formed by Tom Ward and Art Schweitzer in 1971 (or 1976, there are some disputed expert opinions), 21st Century had a great logo and released some wild stuff.

Of all the weird releases of 21st Century, how and why did they re-release Aida?

Renata Tebaldi and Gina Lollobrigida were originally cast to play Aida. Some say that Gina turned this down because she didn’t want to be dubbed by Renata Tebaldi, who sings all of the opera in this. Loren took the part, her first starring role, because “I couldn’t afford to be so proud.”

Directed and written by Clemente Fracassi, this is the opera Aida by Giuseppe Verdi. This takes some of the action and scope of peplum and the class of opera, which were being filmed in Italy at this time.

Aida was once an Ethiopian princes but is now a slave. Despite the war against her country, she has fallen for one of the enemy Radames (Luciano Della Marra with the singing voice of Giuseppe Campora), who is also in love with Princess Amneris (Lois Maxwell — Moneypenny? — with the voice of Ebe Stegnani).

The odd thing today is that Loren is in blackface. It looks quite odd not just because of how much the world has changed but for how badly it is applied.

21st Century re-released this in 1982.

You can watch this on YouTube.