Roger Corman's Puerto Rico Trilogy (1960)

LAST WOMAN ON EARTH: A gangster named Harold (Anthony Carbone), his moll, Mary-Belle (Betsy Jones Moreland), and his lawyer, Martin (Robert Towne), are scuba diving in Puerto Rico when H-bombs wipe out the world. Since these three happened to be underwater at the time, they are the sole survivors and get to wander the empty streets and engage in lots of dialogue about humankind's future. Eventually the men fight over who will mate with Mary-Belle and rebuild civilization. Martin is afraid if she spawns with the thuggish Harold, the world will be repopulated with violent people doomed to a future of more bomb building. On Harold's side is the strong-survive theory of Darwinian natural selection. At least the three get to enjoy some crowd-free shopping before the inevitable showdown. This was the first filmed script by costar Towne (credited as Edward Wain), who would later become the highly respected writer of CHINATOWN and THE LAST DETAIL. Director Roger "King of the Bs" Corman filmed it while on vacation in Puerto Rico, where he also made CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA with the same cast and crew and produced BATTLE OF BLOOD ISLAND, all on the same trip.

CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA: A mobster hits on a plan while smuggling a deposed general and a fortune in gold out of Cuba on his yacht: He and his crew will scare the general and kill his guards by faking the attacks of a sea monster and thus keep the gold for themselves. Unfortunately, a sea monster actually is attacking them, leading to all sorts of complications. Eventually the yacht sinks, and the survivors find love on a tropical island--and death when they dive to recover the sunken loot. Roger Corman shot this fun quickie in Puerto Rico, where he also filmed THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH with the same cast, which is deadpan perfect: Paul Carbone is the mobster, Renzo, "the most trustworthy man ever to be deported from Sicily." Future CHINATOWN-scribe Robert Towne (billed as Edward Wain) plays Agent XK150. Betsy Jones-Moreland is Renzo's leggy pistol-packing moll; she also sings the haunting theme song. Beach Dickerson plays one of Renzo's happy thugs, as well as the monster. The script by Charles Griffith taps the same vein of innovative wit that made his LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and BUCKET OF BLOOD such satisfying cult hits.

BATTLE OF BLOOD ISLAND: Two G.I.'s left for dead on Blood Island after a Japanese attack are forced to overcome their differences--which are legion--and work together to overcome the enemy.