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David F Friedman - the great Sleaze Merchant of American Exploitation - has died...

Published at: Feb. 15, 2011, 9:54 a.m. CST

Warning there is one NSFW image below!

 

Some years ago, I was honored to have Producer David F. Friedman over to Geek Headquarters, where Father Geek and I spoke and shared stories with a man that brought the sleazy side of American cinema to full vitality.

In the years before PORN became PORN, there was a softcore side of things.   In some ways these films were so much sleazier than the fully graphic sexual films of the seventies.   

Friedman met a man by the name of Herschell Gordon Lewis, the Godfather of Gore for you youngsters.   Before they made BLOOD FEAST and 2000 MANIACS and began to change the world of horror in a particularly graphic manner...  They were making little nudie cutie films.  Playing in sleazy drive-ins and Grindhouses - these films gave birth to the trenchcoated masturbators that went to see films like:

GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BARES

A SMELL OF HONEY, A SWALLOW OF BRINE

THE LUSTFUL TURK

THAR SHE BLOWS!

TRADER HORNEE

THE EROTIC ADVENTURES OF ZORRO

Films like SCUM OF THE EARTH and THE DEFILERS were roughies which brought in rape and violence to the "sexploitation" world.   

He did a crazy remake of FREAKS called SHE FREAK, that kinda has to be seen to be believed.   He made films dealing with drug culture like... THE ACID EATERS.   But in terms of Genre lovers - his BLOOD FEAST and TWO THOUSAND MANIACS! Well, they're the high water mark.  Personally, I love his films like JOHNNY FIRECLOUD.

But the world of PORN came in, and that just wasn't Friedman's style.   He wasn't interested in that.   Not really.   Outside of the roughies, there's just a weird kink and sense of humor to the films he produced.   A wink and a nudge.   

As a person, I found David and his wife to be amazing people.   When we sat out in our screening room looking at tons of their classic film posters, which is how I first came to know his work.   I mean, if you find posters for THE BIG SNATCH or THE LONG SWIFT SWORD OF SIEGFRIED - you will be laughing.   And I'm quite fond of his documentary, THAT'S SEXPLOITATION! Which came out on the heels of THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!

Friedman was a business man,and he did well.   His wife Carol died shortly after we met her, in 2001.   So in a way...  David's death was something that brought him back to her.   I personally can't imagine them without one another.  

For gore, for tits and for the sleazy side of exploitation...   Mr Friedman, may you rest in peace...

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