Ted V. Mikels
| Ted V. Mikels | |
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| File:Tedandfan-web.jpg
Ted V. Mikels with a fan
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| Born | Theodore Mikacevich April 29, 1929 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film producer, film director, screenwriter, actor |
| Years active | 1950s–present |
Ted V. Mikels (born Theodore Mikacevich on April 29, 1929, in St. Paul, Minnesota) is an American independent filmmaker primarily of the horror cult film genre. Movies that he has both produced and directed include Girl in Gold Boots (1968), The Astro-Zombies (1968), and The Doll Squad (1973).[1]
During the 1960s and 1970s, Mikels also operated his own recording label, Geneni Records, which primarily issued radio spot advertisement records used to promote his various movie projects but also released a number of stand-alone singles by such artists as Vic Lance and Little Leon Payne.[2]
Career
During his grade school years, he was an amateur photographer who developed his own film in his bathtub. While in 8th grade, he was awarded his first acting role in a film that was to star William Powell, but World War II forced the cancellation of the production. By the age of 15, he was a regular stage performer and developed an interest in filmmaking when he attempted to shoot his performances. "I figured out that you have to move the camera around to get different angles, and then you have to edit the film when you're done."[3]
In the 1950s, Mikels moved to Bend, Oregon, joined the Bend Community Players little theater group, and founded his own film production company.[4] Soon, he began producing both educational documentaries,[5] and short dramatic features.[6] Additionally, as horseman, archery expert, Indian, and stuntman, he contributed to the production of several Hollywood films made in Central Oregon. Notably, during on location filming of The Indian Fighter, he taught studio special effects crews a technique for making flaming arrows appear authentic. Before leaving Oregon in the early 1960s, Mikels wrote and directed his first feature-length film in 1963 entitled Strike Me Deadly.[7]
Since 1993, Mikels has run TVM Studios, a film and video production studio based in Las Vegas, Nevada. On August 28, 2005, he was presented with a Certificate of Recognition by Nevada Lieutenant Governor Lorraine T. Hunt on the day of screening of his then-latest film, Heart of a Boy, which was the only G-rated film of his career. The certificate was awarded to Mikels for his contributions to the filmmaking industry.[8]
In 2009, a book called Film Alchemy: The Independent Cinema of Ted V. Mikels, written by Christopher Wayne Curry, was published by McFarland & Company.
In 2010, Alpha Video released The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels which is a documentary about the film-making career of Mikels directed by Kevin Sean Michaels and narrated by John Waters. Also in 2010, Mikels released the third installment in his Astro-Zombies franchise -- Astro-Zombies M3: Cloned. The film was produced by TVM Global Entertainment, in association with Blue Heron International Pictures.
In 2012, Mikels unleashed the fourth installment in the franchise -- Astro-Zombies M4: Invaders from Cyberspace, again produced by TVM Global Entertainment in association with Blue Heron International Pictures. Both movies are distributed by Alpha New Cinema.
DVD releases
In 2007, Alpha Video released ten of Mikels' films on DVD under the Alpha New Cinema imprint. Six of these titles included 10 Violent Women, The Doll Squad, The Corpse Grinders, The Corpse Grinders II, Girl in Gold Boots and Blood Orgy of the She-Devils, all of which Alpha later released as a six-DVD set titled Ted V. Mikels Signature Collection, which was autographed by Mikels.
Select filmography
- 1963: Strike Me Deadly
- 1964: Dr. Sex
- 1965: One Shocking Moment
- 1966: The Undertaker and His Pals
- 1966: The Black Klansman
- 1968: Girl in Gold Boots
- 1968: The Astro-Zombies
- 1971: The Corpse Grinders
- 1973: Blood Orgy of the She-Devils
- 1973: Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things
- 1973: The Doll Squad
- 1977: Alex Joseph and His Wives
- 1977: The Worm Eaters
- 1982: The Aftermath
- 1982: 10 Violent Women
- 1987: War Cat
- 1991: Mission: Killfast
- 1993: Little Red Riding Hood Saves the Big Bad Wolf (short)
- 1997: Apartheid Slave-Women's Justice
- 1998: Dimensions in Fear
- 2002: The Corpse Grinders 2
- 2003: Chimera (short)
- 2004: Cauldron: Baptism of Blood
- 2004: Mark of the Astro-Zombies
- 2006: Heart of a Boy
- 2008: The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels (documentary)
- 2009: Demon Haunt
- 2010: Astro-Zombies M3: Cloned
- 2012: Astro-Zombies M4: Invaders from Cyberspace
- 2013: Our Forever Friends (documentary)
- 2015: Paranormal Extremes: Text Messages from the Dead
References
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- ↑ "Ted V. Mikels: The Unitshifter Interview". Retrieved November 15, 2008. Archived June 23, 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Betty L. Oakley, "The Torch Bearers of Bend Oregon, 1912-1978", Maverick Publications, Bend, Oregon, 1993, p. 49.
- ↑ [1], "school system previews Mikels film on rocks", Bend Bulletin, Bend Oregon, March 22, 1961, p. 1.
- ↑ Yellow Roses,"Ted Mikels Keeps Big Cast Busy in TV Film Enterprise", Bend Bulletin, Bend Oregon, February 16, 1957, p. 1.
- ↑ [2], "Ted Mikels off to Hollywood to sell feature length film", Bend Bulletin, Bend Oregon, October 11, 1961, p. 9.
- ↑ Heart of a Boy - tedvmikels.com, August 2005. Retrieved on 11/15/08.
