The Liquidator & The Cool Ones DVDs return you to the Swingin’ Sixties

The Cool Ones tells the story of a teen idol who lost his career overnight after some bad managerial advice — appeal to the parents of the teens! — and the musical aspirations of a young dancer on a musical variety show who wants to do more than just gyrate on television. When Cliff Donner (Gil Peterson) shuns the spotlight and takes a gig in a small club, he never thought he’d be back in the music biz. But after a major freak out on live television, Hallie Rogers (Debbie Watson) finds herself out of work. Her fellow dancers (featuring an unbilled Teri Garr) take her out to cheer her up, she is immediately charmed by Cliff and is recognized for her television appearance. Thinking she was doing a new dance, Cliff and the bar owner talk her into turning her bad behavior into a good career move by presenting The Tantrum to an adoring public. They only need some star power to really get some notice, and Cliff wants nothing to do with being in the spotlight again. The bar owner’s brother, Tony Krum (Roddy McDowall), just happens to be the hottest music producer on the scene, and he convinces Hallie to lure Cliff in, and make him fall in love with her so they can become America’s new sweethearts. She reluctantly goes along with the plan, but when her real feelings get in the way — and Cliff learns of the scheme — the whole plan begins to unravel.

I enjoyed The Cool Ones from start to finish. Not that it’s a particularly great movie, but there’s something really deliriously infectious about it. Peterson seems to be the squarest rock star ever (he’s been compared to a Thunderbirds marionette in some reviews), but Watson is endearing, even through all of her various mood swings and signature insult, “You ding-a-ling!” Top billed Roddy McDowall, who doesn’t show up until at least 40 minutes into the movie (and just a couple of years before Planet of the Apes), camps it up in his purple crushed velvet suit as one of the unlikeliest music moguls ever. The film also features some familiar faces in smaller roles, such as George Furth, Phil Harris and Nita Talbot, as well as Glen Campbell, The Leaves (“Hey Joe”), and T.J. and the Fourmations (“Hey Ronnie”). The music supervisor was Lee Hazelwood, who would go on to work with Nancy Sinatra (for whom the Hallie role was originally intended), who composed many of the film’s songs including “This Town,” which was also recorded by both Nancy and Frank Sinatra. And to top it off, the film’s choreography was done by Toni Basil! (And there is a hilarious shot of the TV studio audience looking incredibly bored during on the the show’s big dance numbers.) Even with all of the film’s loopiness, nothing can prepare you for television curiosity Mrs. Miller (she was famous for sitting in various television audiences from The Merv Griffin Show to The Carol Burnett Show), playing a wardrobe lady on the variety show who gets her big break when Cliff and Hallie fail to show up for their performance. To say her wobbly, off-pitch rendition of “It’s Magic” is a showstopper is an understatement.

Warner’s DVD presentation is excellent. The widescreen image is used very well (except for a couple of extreme close-ups on a bus that the director just can’t manage to keep in focus), and mono audio presentation brings the musical numbers vibrantly to life. The Liquidator is one of those movies that’s good to see once for historical value, but I could re-watch The Cool Ones (think of it as the Glee of the 60s) over and over again simply for the music and the camp value it has today. Invite your friends over for a “happening” and give the DVD a spin!