‘Walter has a clear mind. One day something will enter it, feel lonely … and leave again.’ The quote, of course, is referring to Walter Paisley, the character that eventually became the alter ego of the late, great Dick Miller. Join this episode’s Grue Crew – Chad Hunt, Whitney Collazo, Joseph Perry, and Jeff Mohr – as they tour the Roger Corman/Dick Miller collaboration on display in the art gallery known as A Bucket of Blood.
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 53 – A Bucket of Blood (1959)
Synopsis:
A dim-witted busboy finds acclaim as an artist for a plaster-covered dead cat that is mistaken as a skillful statuette. The desire for more praise soon leads to an increasingly deadly series of works.
– IMDb
- Director: Roger Corman
- Writer: Charles B. Griffith
- Featured Cast:
- Dick Miller as Walter Paisley
- Barboura Morris as Carla
- Antony Carbone as Leonard de Santis
- Julian Burton as Maxwell H. Brock
- Ed Nelson as Art Lacroix
- John Brinkley as Will
- John Herman Shaner as Oscar
- Judy Bamber as Alice
- Myrtle Vail as Mrs. Swickert
- Bert Convy as Detective Lou Raby
- Jhean Burton as Naolia
When news of Dick Miller’s death on 30 January 2019 reached the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew, they knew one of their next films had to be A Bucket of Blood, Roger Corman’s first attempt at dark comedy and one of Dick Miller’s few starring roles.
Does it go without saying that they all love A Bucket of Blood and Dick Miller’s performance? Whitney is interested in Walter’s need to belong which also fuels his decline. As he receives more and more recognition for his “art,” he is driven to commit more and more heinous murders. Roger Corman gave many filmmakers their start and Chad pays tribute to Corman’s legacy in that regard. He also brings up Dick Miller’s appearance’s in Joe Dante’s films. Joseph talks of how seeing Dick Miller in a film always brings a smile to his face. He also points out that Bert Convy’s main legacy is as a gameshow host. Jeff talks about some of writer Charles Griffith’s other screenplays and recommends the documentary on Dick Miller, That Guy Dick Miller (2014). All-in-all, your Grue Crew is impressed with what Roger Corman accomplished on a typically low budget and with Dick Miller’s performance. This one is highly recommended!
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. Hey, where else will you hear podcasts on films ranging from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) to The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) to Maneater of Hydra (1967)? The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be Santo contra los zombies, aka Santo vs. the Zombies (1962).
Please send us feedback on the films we cover, ideas for future films, or the podcast itself. After all, without you, we’re just four whack-a-doodles talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group or your friendly neighborhood podcast aggregator.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
Jeff has written for Horrornews.net and SQ Horror Magazine. He currently writes for Gruesome Magazine and is a co-host of the Decades of Horror podcasts - The Classic Era, 1970s, and 1980s - and the Gruesome Magazine Podcast.
