Curated by Andrew Leavold
“Reality can be boring. I like to put a little turbo power into my performance.” Born Gerald
Dwight Hauser, “Wings” earned his moniker on the gridiron field and was set to be either
a pro footballer or rock crooner before settling on acting. A five year stint on hit soap
The Young And The Restless led the ambitious Wings to the lead role in the low-budget B actioner
Vice Squad (1982); he was disturbingly believable as the whore-whipping pimp Ramrod, and similar
asshole roles followed, as did off-set stories of Wings’ violent, alcohol and cocaine-fuelled
misadventures. Settling down somewhat with partner Cali, the Hausers eventually formed their
own
indie filmmaking company with Wings directing the idiotic Skins (1994) amongst other low-budget
action fare. Still a familiar face on network TV and direct-to-DVD features, he’s most fondly
remembered by trash fanatics in his iconic Eighties video store essentials, Vice Squad and
Deadly Force (1983) included, in which his rule as King Asshole was unquestioned. We at MUFF
are proud to present for your edification:
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| Deadly Force (1983)
dir. Paul Aaron
Writers: Ken Barnett+Robert Vincent O’Neill
Cast: Wings Hauser, Joyce Ingalls, Paul Shenar + Al Ruscio
9PM / Sun 23 Aug / Noise Bar
“When the cops won’t, and the courts can’t...Stoney Cooper will give
you justice!” Riding the crest of Wingsmania after Vice Squad (1982),
Deadly Force returns Hauser to the junky-lined, hooker-heavy streets
of LA, this time as NYC cop Stoney Cooper, avenging his best friend’s
granddaughter’s death at the hands of the omnipresent “X Killer”.
Naturally Stoney’s a loose cannon happy to wave his gun at a mobster
or millionaire while leaving a trail of bullet-riddled bodies behind
him. If this sounds like a tenth-rate Dirty Harry knockoff, don’t
fret; it’s 100% pure and joyous Eighties pulp, an ultra-violent,
cartoonish revenge fantasy dripping with Hauser’s ludicrous tough-guy
dialogue courtesy of Vice Squad’s writer and B-veteran Robert Vincent
O’Neill (Wonder Women, the Angel series). |
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The Siege Of Firebase Gloria (1989)
dir. Brian Trenchard-Smith
Cast: R. Lee Ermey, Wings Hauser, Robert Arevalo + Mark Neely
7PM / Mon 24 Aug / Glitch
Once again the Philippines doubles for the Ho Chi Minh Trail in a war
actioner much-praised but little seen since its release. Aussie-based
genre specialist Trenchard-Smith (The Man From Hong Kong, Turkey
Shoot) distils the Vietnam War to a tense Cowboys vs Injuns scenario,
with R. Lee Ermey, fresh from his iconic appearance in Full Metal
Jacket, and a clearly off-kilter 2IC (Hauser) on one side of the fort,
and the Cong led by a sympathetic Colonel (veteran Filipino actor
Robert Arevalo) on the other. Taut direction, claustrophobic action
of Ermey and Hauser make Siege... one of the undisputed classics of
the Eighties’ Namsploitation cycle.
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Skins (1994) aka Gang Boys/Gang Boyz
dir. Wings Hauser
Writers: Maria Dylan+Wings Hauser
Cast: Wings Hauser, Linda Blair, Cole Hauser + Talbert Morton
9PM / Mon 24 Aug / Glitch
A Hauser Family vanity affair featuring Wings - also on board as
co-writer, producer AND director - as an alcoholic father uniting
his family AND the Crips and Bloods against a neo-Nazi gang of
gay-bashing rapists. A total misfire on all counts featuring Wings’
son Cole, wife Cali (wisely hiding in the credits as “Dafna Galili”),
Linda Blair wondering at which point her career went to the dogs,
and a ghastly Eighties B film soundtrack which at no point sounds
inappropriate, as the whole sordid mess feels about ten or fifteen
years too late. Needless to say, no Wings Hauser Retrospective should
be without this hilarious, first-class howler. |
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Vice Squad
9PM / Sat 29 Aug / Embassy
Welcome to a world of pimps, hookers and hard-headed cops.
A freelance prostitute known only as Princess is assigned by the
Vice Squad (a specialized police force hell-bent on cleaning up the
streets) to seduce and trap a psychotic killer named Ramrod, played
with depraved brilliance by Wings Hauser. Shit hits the fan when
Ramrod escapes his arrest and the Vice Squad realise they’re up
against something more dangerous than the scum they’re used to
cleaning off the streets. Vice Squad is a ferocious and groovy
slice of exploitation madness. If you’re hungry for sex, violence
and a shotgun full of attitude, ‘come get some’ at MUFF X. |
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