H.G. Lewis, Continued...

HG: After a partnership dissolves, you've consistently proven yourself to be resilient and creative, even in situations that seem very difficult. Ultimately, what have you learned about partnerships? Have you come up with any rules about going into or coming out of a partnership?

H.G. Lewis: With much financial scar-tissue, I have one resolution: The partner has responsibility for financing and distribution. I’ll certainly take responsibility for what appears on the screen.

HG: What kind of resistance did you and Friedman come up against trying to get Blood Feast booked into theaters? Were there community protests, fines, lawsuits? Did you learn anything about human nature along the way?

H.G. Lewis: That group of questions could require an entire day to answer. When Blood Feast first appeared, we shocked the world. Legislation and restrictions existed regarding nudity and obscenity. Blood Feast had no nudity nor obscenity. The various local censor boards scrambled to outlaw gore. We had no lawsuits, but we often were subjected to vilification, including an orchestrated set of protests we knew were phony because every nasty letter referred to “you wreckless men.” I thought “wreckless” was funny, but Dave Friedman took some of those letters to the FBI. Human nature can be inhuman. Now these ancient films have become mainstream; but just last month, after forty years of quiet exhibition and sale, a judge in Karlsruhe, Germany, ruled that Blood Feast should be outlawed for violating community standards.

HG: After the Lewis-Friedman partnership dissolved, Friedman went on to make Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS, which became a classic in its own right. At that point, were you happy for David, maybe a little jealous, or too immersed in your own work to care? You must have noticed; do you remember how you felt?

H.G. Lewis: I’m lucky in one respect: With multiple sources of both income and encomia, I haven’t felt envious of anyone. Dave and I maintain a close friendship, untarnished by envy.

HG: You're credited with being a pioneer of product placement; is it true that Colonel Sanders appeared in one of your films, in exchange for feeding the cast? If so, how did it come about? Which film, and what did the Colonel do on screen?

H.G. Lewis: Colonel Sanders appeared in Blast-Off Girls. I regularly arranged to shoot a scene at K.F.C. or Arby’s or Church’s Fried Chicken, in exchange for a week’s lunches for cast and crew. Harlan Sanders’ gigantic public relations machine told me the Colonel would be in town and would agree to be in a scene in which he served chicken on-camera. Of course I agreed.

HG: Did you stay in touch with any of the actors you gave a break too, like Larry Drake of Darkman, Karen Black or Harvey Korman?

H.G. Lewis: Nope. Nor they with me. Dave Friedman told me he encountered Harvey Korman, who snubbed him.

HG: How are you tied into Something Weird video?

H.G. Lewis: Something Weird Video controls distribution of many of my old films—of which I have no ownership. All I own is the music. Mike Vraney, head of Something Weird, is a rare bird, a true gentleman. But I have no business relationship there.

HG: You currently have 16 DVD releases through Something Weird Video. Are there any plans in the immediate future to release your approximately 20 other films?

H.G. Lewis: That’s one you’ll have to discuss with Mike Vraney.

HG: There are rumors of several other films from your collaborations, that have either been lost or destroyed over the years. Do you have any of those films and if so, do you plan on releasing them now?

H.G. Lewis: I have no idea what happened to Moonshine Mountain, second in my own preferences only to 2000 Maniacs! I fear, too, that Suburban Roulette has vanished. So it goes.

HG: How did you go from film making to internet technology? How are you involved with the web?

H.G. Lewis: I have a number of clients for whom I write email and web copy. One of my books, Effective E-Mail Marketing, has sold well, and I’m often called on to speak on that subject.

HG: Why did you decide to do films again with the production of Blood Feast 2?

H.G. Lewis: Jacky Lee Morgan, producer of Blood Feast 2, called me and asked if I’d be willing to direct it. Willing? You bet I was. I love filmmaking.

HG: Who are some of your favorite contemporary filmmakers and why?

H.G. Lewis: Impossible question. I’m trying to think of one whose ego hasn’t become paramount over his or her output.

HG: Lastly, if you could change anything, what would it be? And what's something that happened exactly the way it was supposed to?

H.G. Lewis: If I could lead a major symphony orchestra in “The Russian Sailor’s Dance” by Reinhold Glière, my life would be complete. My other profession has progressed exactly was it was supposed to, and last Fall I was inducted into the prestigious Direct Marketing Association Hall of Fame.

END
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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN HORROR GARAGE #9.
OUT OF PRINT.
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