Revised write up on these two videos
Deep Silliness from 1960, Sex Kittens go to College An influence on
Kubrick?
Thinko and Hal 9000, Sex Kittens, Kubrick's Cryptoslapstick
Influences? The Thinko Dream scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggWxRZzxqtY
Revised write up on these two videos
Watch in HD if possible. Influences, Impressions and Innuendoes from
the "Beat Generation" and later Kubrick films.
The Robot “Thinko,” is “played” by “Electro” a Westinghouse robot..
After the Sex Kittens go to College scene, there is a Westinghouse
film which demonstrates their computer robot originally built in
1939, Here, “Thinko” is having a nervous breakdown.
“Sex Kittens go to College,” (1960)--an influence on Kubrick? This
footage is from the uncensored French version, colorized and
psychedelicized with effects and referenced with Kubrick associated
imagery or connections. Gotta have some looseness of associations
here, to see the humor.
There is a definite element of zany cryptoslapstick in Dr..
Strangelove, Lolita, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal
Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut. Here we see Sci-fi silliness in 1960 with
elements that may have crept into Kubrick’s work. OF course A.I.,
involves scenes of Mechanophilia
I have no doubt Kubrick saw this film, especially since his leading
man, for Lolita, James Mason's wife Pamela, was in it and it was
released in 1960 and getting minor attention in Europe due to the racy
scenes, while Lolita was being produced.
The alternate title was "Beauty and the Robot." A precursor to a
cinematic Hall 9000, but here we having a dreaming Hal who has sexy
dreams. This Computer is error free, Horney Hal. Thinko’s dream is
eerie shades of the centerpiece of Eyes Wide Shut, while cheered on
by an ape.
Sociobiologist, Edward O. Wilson, in "Biophilia," describes
mechanophilia, the love of machines, as "a special case of
biophilia". Biophilia defined as the natural bond of humans with
other living systems. Here we see Thinko dreaming he is being seduced
by beautiful sex kittens, who do a striptease for him.
This film could not have escaped Kubrick’s eye. It has a primitive
sci-fi zaniness. the humor in parts remind me of Kubrick’s zany
Kubrick moments. Besides Pamela Mason, it Starred Mamie Van Doren,
Tuesday Weld (who he considered for Lolita), Vampira, and Bridgette
Bardot’s sister, Mijanou Bardot.
The Vampira look as has been suggested by others, may have inspired
Kubrick in the character of the beat Character, Vivian Darkbloom,
(anagram 9f “Vladimir Nabokov” played by Marianne Stone, Quilty's
female friend. Dr. Zorch is reminiscent of Dr. Zempf. The zany
acting has a Marx brother’s quality to it, but Dr. Strangelove
reached a cryptoslapstick pitch and then held back with that deletion
of the pie fight in the War Room, but manages to make it clear how
utterly absurd, it would be to accidentally destroy humankind by
human bungling and mad men.
At that time, Kubrick was working with Nabokov a brilliant crypto-
sexual- slapstick mind himself, on a film portraying a Sex Kitten and
a pathetic, obsessed Humbert and deviated prevert Quilty and then soon
after, Dr. Strangelove, with Terry Southern, another wild genius,
satirist and dream weaver of dark comedy, with it's zany antics and
deleted pie throwing scene, then 2001 and Hal 9000. There’d been talk
of Kubrick doing Southern’s “Candy,” the 1958 novel, that pushed the
limits of sex comedy, but that deal never happened and that was a
pity. Wikipedia seems to indicate, that the zaniness of the new
Strangelove script, may have been fueled with “diet pills.” Southern
was couching his zany friend, Peter Sellers. It was an incredibly,
intense and funny movie. The success of Southern’s book “Candy,” may
have influenced director Zugsmith, in slapping together this this
low budget, Sex Kitten farce.
This “Sex Kittens” film on a much lower rung of production quality,
has big themes, mashed one after another, Robotics, Computers, A.I.,
Sex Kittens, mechanophilia, apes, advanced intelligence and plenty of
sex, sexual repression and liberation, Beat Generation, Mesmerism,
Mind control, and other topics Kubrick played with. Some of these
things may have come to a head in Kubrick’s vision for A.I. There
is an Mk Ultra message here somewhere for Kubrick Conspirotheology.