908 - THE TOUCH OF SATAN (1970; GP; 87m) a.k.a. CURSE OF MELISSA a.k.a. NIGHT OF THE DEMON a.k.a. THE TOUCH OF MELISSA Plot: A wandering young man falls in love with a young woman, who turns out to be a 127 year old witch. Exec: Gordon E. Gadette Prod: George E. Carey (The Babysitter; Weekend with the Babysitter) Dir: Don Henderson a.k.a. Tom Laughlin* Asst Dir: Ron Sawade (ed/TV's Darkroom) Assoc Dir: Ellen Bailey (also actor; stills/Jimi Hendrix) Scr: James E. McLarty (The Babysitter; Weekend with the Babysitter) Cin: Jordan S. Cronenweth (Blade Runner; Oscar nom/Peggy Sue Got Married) Ed: Dick Elliot (Fantastic Planet) Asst Ed: Stanford C. Allen (Young Frankenstein; ed/Silent Movie) SFX: Steve Karkus (811-Parts: The Clonus Horror; Easy Rider) M/U: Joe Blasco (811; sfx/1007-Track of the Moon Beast) Sound: Ken Carlson (She Freak; The Rebel Rousers) Sound: Doug Rigney Score: Robert O. Ragand Jodie Thompson / Michael Berry (Beyond the Law) Melissa Strickland / Emby Mellay Luther Strickland / Lee Amber Molly Strickland / Yvonne Winslow Lucinda Strickland / Jeanne Gerson (Valley of the Dolls) Mr. Keitel / Robert Easton (*810-The Giant Spider Invasion; K01-Invaders from the Deep) Deputy John Mason / Lew Horn (Great Santini; Dick Tracy) young Lucinda Strickland / Sharon Crabtree attendant / John J. Fox (Assault on Precinct 13; Eat My Dust) Mr. Gentry / Hal K. Dawson (Alligator People) Frank Jansen / Frank Larsen Sarah Strickland / Ellen Bailey (Weekend with the Babysitter) Trivia: Born in 1938, educated at the University of Minnesota, and credited in films under many pseudonyms (DON HENDERSON, Frank Christina, T.C. Frank, Lloyd E. James, Frank Laughlin, and Mary Rose Solti!), producer/director/writer/actor TOM LAUGHLIN made a little biker film in 1967 entitled Born Losers, in which he played a character named Billy Jack. In 1971, Laughlin did another movie with the same character, appropriately entitled Billy Jack. For some reason, this movie was a huge financial success, spawning two less successful sequels, The Trial of Billy Jack and Billy Jack Goes to Washington, all co-starring his emaciated wife Delores Taylor. Laughlin made millions on the cheapie Billy Jack, a character with an odd mix of militant pacifism. He just as quickly lost those millions by over-extending himself, trying to build an entertainment conglomerate. Laughlin's acting roles were in: 1956's Tea and Sympathy (starring Deborah Kerr); 1957's The Delinquents; 1958's South Pacific (with Mitzi Gaynor and Ray Walston); Senior Prom; 1959's Battle of the Coral Sea; 1959's Gidget (starring Sandra Dee); 1974's Callan; 1975's Brannigan; 1976's Voyage of the Damned; 1978's The Big Sleep; 1981's The Legend of the Lone Ranger; 1994's No Escape; and 1995's Danielle Steele's Zoya. In addition to the four Billy Jack-related movies, Laughlin produced and/or directed (and sometimes starred in): 1960's The Proper Time; 1965's The Young Sinner; 1969's The Babysitter; 1970's Weekend with the Babysitter; and 1975's Master Gunfighter. His plans for the Billy Jack sequel, The Return of Billy Jack, have yet to materialize. A man named DONALD HENDERSON edited 108-THE SLIME PEOPLE, and it's possible that he's also TOM LAUGHLIN. A couple sources show Laughlin appearing in the movie, which is not true, unless he was in one of the monster costumes. Last Updated: 3/28/1999 Welcome! | Author, Contributors, Disclaimer | Introduction | FAQs Movies by Year | Titles by Experiment # | Titles by Alphabetical Order Performers and Production Crew