Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1982)



This is another one from the ΓΓé¼┼ôone that got awayΓΓé¼┬¥ file. Directed by record & movie producer Lou Adler (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Up in Smoke, Brewster McCloud, founder of Dunhill Records, etc.), written by Nancy Dowd (Slap Shots, Hal AshbyΓΓé¼Γäós Coming Home) and Jonathan Demme (director of Silence of the Lambs, Something Wild, Stop Making Sense and Sterling GrayΓΓé¼Γäós Swimming to Cambodia), and starring both a young Diane Lane (The Outsiders, Lonesome Dove) and Laura Dern (half of David LynchΓΓé¼Γäós films, Jurassic Park), as well as a host of rock musicians ΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥ Fee Waybill from The Tubes, Steve Cook & Paul Jones from The Sex Pistols, and Paul Simonon from The Clash ΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥ this punk gem was never officially released in US theaters (apparently due to cold feet from the studio).

Corinne ΓΓé¼┼ôThird DegreeΓΓé¼┬¥ Burns (Lane) made national news when she was fired from her dead-end fast food job in her depressed Nowhere, USA hometown. In a followup interview, she mentions that sheΓΓé¼Γäós focusing on her rock band, The Stains ΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥ her, her sister, and their cousin (Dern). Through a series of advantageous circumstances and clever media manipulation, Corinne manages not only to score her band a slot on a small-time national tour, but to build an almost overnight fan following with their distinctive look, and their sneer that they ΓΓé¼┼ôdonΓΓé¼Γäót put out.ΓΓé¼┬¥ The film is as interested in the reactions of everyone around The Stains as it is on the insecurities of the band themselves: the sleazy managers, the all-too eager fans, the egotistical rockers (both old and young) on the tour all want a piece (in one way or another) of the girls. The question, of course, becomes how carefully these seemingly-confident young girls will walk the line between not putting out, and selling out all the way.

Despite still not being commercially available in any format, The Stains has become something of a cult classic ΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥ it was a mainstay on late-night cable in the late 80s and 90s, and draws big crowds at the occasional revival showing. This oneΓΓé¼Γäós made a definite impression on those that have seen it ΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥ This movieΓΓé¼Γäós not camp, itΓΓé¼Γäós the real thing.



Cast includes Diane Lane, Laura Dern, Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Fee Waybill, Ray Winstone, and Christine Lahti.

Directed by Lou Adler.



Total running time: 1:27:34
Frame 640x320
Video bitrate: 281kbps
Audio bitrate: 192kbps
23 frames/second
.avi video format