Cinema of the Weird: 3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt (1964)

3 Nuts was pretty much a career ender for all involved. It's a comedy, almost a screwball comedy and part farce with some striptease scenes and nudity thrown in for good measure. To an extent star and director, Tommy Noonan was a few years ahead of the game. The British comedy series of films Carry On where still in their infancy in 1964 and some of the more popular titles such as Camping, Screaming and Up the Khyber hadn't been released. Carry On films are similar in some ways as they feature some implied sexual humour, brief nudity, but they up the farcical humour. The humour in 3 Nuts whilst absurd also deals with the dark theme of mental health issues in this case, Schizophrenia. It could be seen as a satire on the psychobabble shrinks use and media representation of mental health issues, but that is giving the film too much credit.

This film was a flop for Tommy Noonan, as I've said maybe it was too soon and whilst Tommy Noonan was a big-ish name star back in the day, if it had someone like Peter Sellers playing the lead role maybe it would have had more box office clout. But, I can't deny Noonan does a superb job at playing the lead and the direction is as good as any other crazy comedy from the early 60s. Mamie Van Doren plays Saxie Symbol (oh my aching sides) and her acting is of a high standard and is convincing at being both vulnerable and sexy, but she doesn't have the screen presence as say, Marilyn Monroe. Noonan went on to produce Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers this film was also unsuccessful and remains largely unseen today. Noonan died from a malignant brain tumour in 1968 which is a real shame as I think he had a lot of talent. Mamie Van Doren appeared in the film Slackers in 2002, Imdb list this as her latest film role, she has a minor cult following.

3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt is a curio to say the least. Not sexually explicit enough to even be considered a sexploitation film and at the time the sexier scenes may have alienated audiences, if the film was more graphic maybe it would have done the rounds on the grindhouse circuit. The film is arguably too rude for family viewing which stopped it appealing to a broader audience. It is well worth checking out as it has some great comic performances and is fairly obscure.

Mamie Van Doren as Saxie Symbol