Share
The Industry
Blood Circus — Inside an Infomercial Star's One-Ring Circus
In 1985, Baltimore infomercial star Santo Victor Rigatuso, aka Santo Gold, produced an extravaganza with something for everyone: It promised horror, wrestling, rock, and even a "three-headed Munga Magoon." It was all supposed to be filmed and turned into a feature film more exciting than the recent Rocky III.
The spectacle, called Blood Circus, was also supposed to introduce some exciting new technology called a "scream bag." Attendees were promised a Thundervision sound system, atomic fleas, and a "new type of movie unlike anything you will ever experience."
They received none of these things. But the failure of Blood Circus is a remarkable story that brings together The Wire creator David Simon, indie music star Santigold, and Mark H. Weingartner, who would later work on Inception, Dunkirk and The Hunger Games Saga.
If you'd like to learn more about Blood Circus, here are the sources for this episode of The Industry:
Articles
Anft, Michael. “Fool’s Gold” – Santo Rigatuso: The Man with the Four-Way Lips, Baltimore City Paper, February 16, 1990.
http://www.baltimoreorless.com/2011/01/fools-gold-santo-rigatuso-the-man-with-the-four-way-lips/
Harrington, Richard. The Fans Cry for 'Blood'! But the Gore's Not Real In Filming of Wrestling Flick, The Washington Post, February 11, 1985.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/02/11/the-fans-cry-for-bloodbut-the-gores-not-real-in-filming-of-wrestling-flick/08b3117c-36fc-43bf-8538-aa66c9ae3801/
Jacobson, Joan. State Slaps Down Prison ‘Enterprise’, The Evening Sun, March 16, 1990.
Warmkessel, Karen.
$2 Million Fund Ordered To Repay Those Bilked By TV Huckster, The Baltimore Sun, November 14, 1989.
Simon, David. Too Little Carnage to Satisfy Crowd, The Baltimore Sun, February 11, 1985.
Case Summary: U.S. v. CEN-CARD AGENCY/C.C.A.C.
https://casetext.com/case/us-v-cen-card-agencyccac
P.S. Docket No. 30/77, August 19, 1988.
https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/judicial/admin-decisions/1988/30-77d.htm
More episodes
View all episodes
History Daily - The Suppression of Citizen Kane
26:29|Presenting an episode from Noiser and Airship's podcast History Daily.On History Daily, they do history, daily. Every weekday, Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous moment that happened ‘on this day’ in history. This episode is about our favorite kind of history, film history.The day is May 1, 1941. Orson Welles’ revolutionary debut “Citizen Kane” premieres in New York after a bitter battle to suppress the film. Learn more about History Daily.
Introducing Stories My Brother Used To Tell
02:29|Something different from the creator of The Industry is coming soon. Here's a short preview of Stories My Brother Used To Tell.My older brother Eric would often tell stories of his misspent youth at family gatherings. Seemingly always about a car or girl or both, these ridiculous stories seemed almost impossible to believe. Now, after years of pestering, I've gotten him to share a few of those stories in a new podcast.Subscribe wherever you're subscribed to The Industry or use this link: Stories My Brother Used To Tell
7. Strike It All
30:09||Season 5, Ep. 7In 1982 British filmmakerJames Scott had made an Academy Award winning adaptation of a Graham Greene novella. Adapting another Greene novella, this time as a feature length film, seemed like a natural progression of things. He had Greene's blessing to take his novella Loser Takes All and turn into a film that would feature stage star Robert Lindsay and Molly Ringwald. He had every element in place. Almost. The only thing left was getting American distribution. And that was found when a deal was struck with Miramax. All that James Scott had to do in order to get his modest British comedy made was deal with a producer named Harvey Weinstein, who had a lot of ideas on how this film should be made.LinksJames Scott's WebsiteSourcesRizov, Vadim. The Legend of Harvey Scissorhands. MTV.com, August 9, 2013.https://www.mtv.com/news/zs4qqu/harvey-weinstein-snowpiercer-cutsRingwald, Molly. All The Other Harvey Weinsteins. The New Yorker, October 17, 2017.https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/all-the-other-harveysRobert Lindsay: 'Monster' Weinstein blacklisted me. BBC.com, November 9, 2017.https://www.bbc.com/news/av/entertainment-arts-41927167Connelly, Christopher. The Heartbreak Kid. Premiere Magazine, July 1990.
6. Elaine's Mayhem
37:20||Season 5, Ep. 6Elaine May will always be best known for her comedy with Mike Nichols and her screenwriting skills. However, as a director May is an uncompromising force who seemingly would do whatever it takes to get her vision on the screen. This episode looks at the great lengths May went to in order to get Mikey and Nicky, a lifelong passion project made, and what that lack of compromise cost her.Author Patrick Cooper, director of photography/cameraman Jack Cooperman, and an unnamed crewmember help tell this story of a seemingly simple production that was anything but.LinksCheck out Patrick Cooper's book Aren't You Gonna Die Someday?Courtney Kocak's podcasts are Podcast Bestie and The BleedersArticlesBefore the Snyder Cut: Look back at other Hollywood director's cuts (ew.com)Cock, Jay. Cinema: Hit Men. Time Magazine. January 31st, 1977.https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,918649,00.htmlMIKEY AND NICKY - HOLLOW SQUARE PRESS
5. Blake Edwards Strikes Again
29:44||Season 5, Ep. 5The death of actor Peter Sellers in 1980 also seemed like the death of the Pink Panther film series. Instead, director Blake Edwards decided it was a new beginning. A beginning of numerous lawsuits, several flops, and one unseen television pilot. Author John LeMay and actor Charlie Schlatter help tell the story of what happened when Blake Edwards kept trying to keep the Panther on the hunt. SourcesBooksLeMay, John. Trailing the Pink Panther Films: An Unauthorized Guide to the Pink Panther Series. Bicep Books, January, 2022.Oldham, Gabriella. Blake Edwards: Interviews. University Press of Mississippi, December, 2017.Wasson, Sam. A Splurch in the Kisser: The Movies of Blake Edwards. Wesleyan University Press, July, 2011.Articles"Seller’s Widow Wins $1 Million Damages Over Panther Film" AP News. AP Services, May 24, 1985. https://apnews.com/article/39ab5abec851ab132d99965780aa6a7e"Film maker Blake Edwards filed a $180 million lawsuit..." UPI Archives. September 28, 1983. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/09/28/Film-maker-Blake-Edwards-filed-a-180-million-lawsuit/1090433569600/"BLAKE EDWARDS SUED BY MGM/UA" New York Times. Aljean Harmetz. April 17, 1984. https://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/17/movies/blake-edwards-sued-by-mgm-ua.htmlLinksClosing Night: Victor Victoria episodeTranscription Available at The Industry Podcast website.
4. Alan Dean Foster
44:07||Season 5, Ep. 4Alan Dean Foster is an accomplished author in his own right, but in this episode of The Industry, he shares his process of writing movie novelizations and some of the more interesting novelizations he's done. From Star Wars, Alien, The Thing, The Black Hole, and even a very special episode of Maude, Alan shares many of his experiences in this unique writing world. LinksDan Delgado on Twitter and BlueskyVisit Alan Dean Foster's websiteAlan Dean Foster's Memoir of his novelization work
3. Novelizations 101
37:00||Season 5, Ep. 3Back in the 1970s and 80s if you walked into a bookstore you would undoubtedly had seen whatever the newest movie was in theaters sitting on a display in book form. The movie novelization is a world unto itself. We take a look at what it takes to adapt a movie to a novel, why the differences can be interesting, and get into why they exist in the first place. With insight from novelization experts Alan Dean Foster and Tim Waggoner, podcast host Paxton Holley, and filmmaker Whit Stillman, the rare filmmaker who has novelized his own films.LinksDan Delgado on Twitter and BlueskyListen to Paxton Holley's I Read Movies PodcastVisit Tim Waggoner's websiteVisit Alan Dean Foster's websiteBuy Whit Stillman's books If you like the show you can support by clicking here: Buy Me A Coffee.
2. Unmade Hitchcock
37:49||Season 5, Ep. 2By the 1960's director Alfred Hitchcock was at the absolute height of his powers. He had reached the point where he could make any movie he wanted. Yet as the decade rolled on. Hitchcock seemingly had project after project he had developed not blossom into a feature film. What was keeping Hitchcock from making the movies he really wanted to make? We attempt to answer this question with help from HitchCon's Joel Gunz and author Shawn Levy.Links:Listen to Lew Wasserman's story on Glitter and Might: Glitter and Might (pod.link)Check out HitchCon '23: HitchCon International Alfred Hitchcock ConferenceKaleidescope Test Footage: Alfred Hitchcock's Kaleidoscope Footage - YouTubeHitchcock documentary: Hitchcock - Reputations - YouTubeIf you like the show you can support it by clicking here: Buy Me A Coffee.
Two (More) From History Daily
31:46|Presenting two episodes from Noiser and Airship's podcast History Daily. On History Daily, they do history, daily. Every weekday, Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous moment that happened ‘on this day’ in history. First up it’s. The First Flight of the Wright Brothers:December 17, 1903. Orville and Wilbur Wright achieve the first powered, sustained and controlled airplane flight in history.Then it's The Spruce Goose Takes Flight:November 2, 1947. American aviator Howard Hughes risks his life and reputation by taking to the skies in the largest aircraft ever built: the Spruce Goose.Learn more about History Daily.