WHO KILLED TEDDY BEAR?

USA | 1965 | 35mm | 95 min.
Director: Joseph Cates
Cast: Sal Mineo, Juliet Prowse, Elaine Stritch
Ahead-of-its-time in sexual frankness, this independently filmed New York City noir features the diminutive Mineo as a homicidal, smut-obsessed busboy at a discotheque who makes anonymous obscene phone calls to the club’s head D.J. (Prowse). This new 35mm print of Cates’ original director’s cut, unseen in nearly 60 years, includes over 5 minutes of censored material that was cut from the 1965 release prints, revealing, among other things, a deeper exploration of the Mineo character’s true sexuality. The new restoration comes courtesy of director Cates’ grandson: filmmaker and actor Owen Kline.