Halloween Season 2017: Movie Night - Straight Jacket

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Watched Straight-Jacket tonight with Warren and Gary.

The movie has some brief although far from subtle Pepsi product placement. Fanatics know: "Joan Crawford was married to PepsiCo president Alfred Steele from 1955 to 1959 (his death), and was advertising executive and board of directors member from 1959 to 1973." (Wikipedia)

From Wikipedia:

"Straight-Jacket is a 1964 American horror thriller film starring Joan Crawford and Diane Baker in a macabre mother and daughter tale about a series of axe-murders. Released by Columbia Pictures, the film was directed and produced by William Castle, and co-produced by Dona Holloway. . . Strait-Jacket marks the first big-screen appearance of Lee Majors in the uncredited role of Crawford's husband. The film's plot made use of the psychological abuse method known as gas lighting."

"After the success of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), Joan Crawford and other older actresses, including Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyk, made numerous horror movies throughout the 1960s. Strait-Jacket is one of the more notable examples of the genre sometimes referred to as psycho-biddy or Grande Dame Guignol. During the film's original release, moviegoers were given little cardboard axes as they entered the theater."

"The promotion of Strait-Jacket by the studio, the director and Crawford is addressed in the episode 'Hagsploitation' of the 2017 television miniseries Feud."