The 1970s are now hailed as “Hollywood’s Second Golden Age,” and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. Blockbusters such as The Godfather, Jaws, Star Wars and countless other classics defined the decade. Yet, tucked away in the archives, there are a handful of movies that were once praised, starred notable talent, and have since faded into obscurity. In this roundup of 10 forgotten 1970s titles, we shine a light on those overlooked gems and explain why they deserve a fresh look.

10 Forgotten 1970s Films Worth Revisiting

10 An Early Richard Pryor Film With Steely Dan Music

You’ve Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You’ll Lose That Beat boasts one of the most unwieldy titles ever to grace a movie marquee, and it has languished in near‑oblivion since its 1971 debut. That’s a real shame given the roster of talent attached. Zalman King leads the cast – a man who later produced erotic hits like 9½ Weeks (1986) and the TV series Red Shoe Diaries (1992). The supporting ensemble is even more intriguing, featuring Robert Downey Sr. and a very young Richard Pryor in one of his first on‑screen appearances.

Information about the picture is scarce today, and it might have vanished completely if not for its quirky soundtrack. The music was penned and performed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen just before they formed Steely Dan, with guitarist Denny Dias (who would play on the first six Dan albums) also contributing under the moniker “The Original Sound Track.” Steely Dan devotees have chased down copies of that soundtrack for decades, unintentionally keeping the film’s memory alive.

Director Peter Locke has hinted that the film isn’t a masterpiece and seems content with its current anonymity. Nevertheless, critics who managed to view it praised Pryor’s early performance, and music lovers remain fascinated by the glimpse into Steely Dan’s pre‑fame era, ensuring the film retains a modest cult curiosity.

9 Playboy’s First Film Production

Zoologist Desmond Morris’s 1967 bestseller The Naked Ape sparked a cultural firestorm, arguing that human sexuality evolved into something distinct from other animals. The book’s mix of serious insight and playful tone made it ripe for adaptation – perhaps a BBC documentary, one might have guessed. Instead, in 1973, Hugh Hefner seized the opportunity to turn the work into Playboy’s inaugural Hollywood venture.

The resulting picture stars former TV child‑actor Johnny Crawford (remember him from The Rifleman?) alongside a pre‑Dallas Victoria Principal. The adaptation takes great liberties, weaving animated interludes to illustrate the book’s sociological ideas while Crawford and Principal play a college couple navigating typical human mating rituals. Crawford’s character is eventually drafted and, spoiler‑alert, meets his end in Vietnam, adding a grim twist to the otherwise off‑beat narrative.

Even though the film vanished from theaters almost as quickly as it arrived, it has never been completely erased. A niche community of Playboy aficionados, collectors of ’70s cinema, and fans of the two leads keep the title circulating. While it never saw an official home‑video or streaming release, a copy salvaged from old TV broadcasts circulates among underground collectors.

8 A Critical Favorite Gone Missing

Diary of a Mad Housewife began life as a 1967 novel by Sue Kaufman, chronicling the frustrations of a young New York wife and mother trapped by an unbearable husband and demanding children. The book’s sharp humor and feminist undercurrents made it a perfect candidate for a film adaptation during the rise of second‑wave feminism.

The husband‑and‑wife filmmaking duo Eleanor and Frank Perry brought the story to the screen in August 1970. The film earned considerable acclaim, highlighted by a Best Actress Oscar nomination for newcomer Carrie Snodgress. It also marked the big‑screen debut of Frank Langella, who would later portray Dracula (1979) and Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon (2008).

Despite the glowing reviews and strong audience response, the movie slipped into obscurity. The independent nature of the Perrys’ production meant the original film elements never entered a major studio archive, complicating any restoration attempts. In 2021, a Blu‑ray finally emerged, sourced from a well‑preserved print. Hopefully, the original negatives will surface someday, allowing a proper, high‑quality revival of this overlooked classic.

7 The Film Debut of Samuel L. Jackson

There’s no denying that Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most recognizable faces in modern cinema. After his iconic turn as Jules Winnfield in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 classic Pulp Fiction and his long‑running role as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he has become a cultural mainstay. Yet his very first screen credit dates back to 1972, appearing in the obscure curio Together for Days.

The film follows a Black activist and a White woman who find themselves “drawn to one another” amid the charged racial atmosphere of early‑1970s America. Jackson plays a character simply named “Stan,” and beyond that, details are scarce. He landed the part while a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, where the production was taking place.

During a Tonight Show interview, host Jay Leno mentioned his futile search for a copy of the film (also known as Black Cream). Jackson quipped that he was glad Leno couldn’t find it, leaving fans to wonder about the movie’s quality. Nonetheless, his legion of admirers would love to see this early work, and perhaps one day it will resurface on home‑video or streaming platforms.

6 A Popular Documentary Narrated by Orson Welles

Alvin Toffler’s 1970 bestseller Future Shock sold millions of copies, warning that rapid societal change was causing “future shock”—a kind of cultural disorientation. The book’s predictions about technology, disposable consumer goods, and a nascent internet‑like network resonated strongly with readers.

Capitalizing on the book’s momentum, director Alex Grasshof produced a 1972 documentary adaptation, enlisting none other than Orson Welles to provide narration. Welles’s gravitas adds a timeless, authoritative tone to the film, which explores the anxieties of a world hurtling toward unprecedented change.

Although the documentary never received an official home‑media release, fan‑restored versions have surfaced on YouTube, keeping the work accessible to curious viewers. Watching it offers a fascinating glimpse into how people in the early ’70s imagined the future we now inhabit.

5 A Notable Early Directorial Effort

John G. Avildsen is best remembered for winning Best Director for Rocky and later shepherding the Karate Kid trilogy. Before those Hollywood triumphs, Avildsen earned critical praise with 1970’s Joe, a gritty drama starring Peter Boyle as a working‑class man driven to extremism.

He followed that success with another commendable picture in 1971: Okay, Bill. Variety lauded the film as “creative and inventive,” and audiences who caught it responded positively. Unfortunately, the movie never secured a wide release, being distributed by the modest Four Star‑Excelsior. Its subsequent fate is a mystery, and it now appears on numerous “most‑wanted” lost‑film lists. Enthusiasts continue to dig for information, hoping the film will someday re‑emerge.

4 An Acclaimed George Segal/Robert De Niro Film

During the late ’60s through the mid‑’70s, George Segal built a reputation for delivering relatable, everyman performances. One of his most praised roles, however, has largely slipped from public memory: the 1971 drama Born to Win. The film also features a strong supporting cast, including Karen Black, Hector Elizondo, and a very young Robert De Niro.

Born to Win follows a heroin‑addicted protagonist striving to balance a semblance of normal life with his habit, resulting in a gritty comedy‑drama packed with complications. Critics highlighted Segal’s work, with Paste Magazine calling his performance “one of the great unsung performances of the ’70s.”

Today, the movie lives on in bargain‑bin DVD racks, offering curious viewers a cheap entry point into a film that once garnered critical admiration but now remains a hidden treasure for those willing to hunt it down.

3 A Dennis Hopper Western

The early 1970s saw a surge of “revisionist Westerns,” which turned the classic genre on its head. Films like Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch (1969) and Robert Altman’s McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971) exemplified this trend. Among them, Dennis Hopper’s 1973 western Kid Blue has largely faded from the public eye.

Hopper portrays the titular Kid Blue, a train robber who discovers the Old West is disappearing and attempts to go straight. The film explores the difficulty of leaving a criminal past behind, blending action with introspection.

Although critics responded positively and the movie earned modest box‑office returns, it never secured a lasting place in the cultural conversation. Revival theater The New Beverly noted in 2017 that the film “did not linger in the public’s imagination.” Fortunately, 20th Century Fox now offers it via on‑demand DVDs in its Archive Collection, making it accessible for modern audiences.

2 Sci‑Fi From a Young Spielberg

Even the most celebrated directors start somewhere, and Steven Spielberg’s early career began in television. While most remember his 1971 TV movie Duel, which later received a theatrical release, he also crafted a feature‑length sci‑fi segment that aired as part of the NBC series The Name of the Game.

The episode, titled “L.A. 2017,” uses a dream sequence to plunge viewers into a dystopian future where pollution forces humanity underground and America has transformed into a fascist state. The young Spielberg used the premise to experiment with camera work and storytelling, showcasing his emerging talent at just 24.

Because the series itself has largely been forgotten, “L.A. 2017” remains known primarily to devoted Spielberg fans. It has never seen an official home‑video release, though fan‑restored versions from original TV airings circulate online for those eager to experience this early glimpse of his visionary style.

1 A Star‑Studded Cast in a Family Drama

Following the cultural upheaval of the 1960s, many films of the ’60s and ’70s tackled the fraught issue of parents dealing with their children’s drug use. One standout example is the 1970 drama The People Next Door, which earned high praise from both critics and audiences.

Roger Ebert famously wrote, “It’s the best movie so far about parents, kids, and drugs, and probably the best we’re likely to get.” The film boasts an impressive ensemble, including Eli Wallach, Julie Harris, Hal Holbrook, and Cloris Leachman, delivering powerful performances that still resonate.

After a period of relative obscurity, the movie received a 4K restoration on Blu‑Ray in the UK in 2021 and is now available for rental on several streaming platforms. Its renewed accessibility makes it a worthwhile watch for anyone interested in a nuanced, era‑defining family drama.

While shark attacks, sinkholes, plane crashes, and other “Act of God” insurance nightmares get all the glory of media coverage, there are plenty of other events that account for at least as much—if not more—a share of injuries and deaths. They may not be glamorous or worthy of silver screen treatment, but as causes of hospitalization (and sometimes mortality), the numbers these health threats put up annually certainly qualify them for at least a second thought. So read on and learn about the top ways people wind up in the ER or the morgue, that somehow never get their moment in the spotlight.

10. Biting

Sadly, zombie enthusiasts watching the news for advanced signs of an impending apocalypse are mistaken if they think human-on-human biting attacks are prime suspects. Even without the involvement of undead hordes, American hospitals record more than 40,000 ER admissions for victims of human bites every year.

A UK study of the phenomenon estimated that one person goes to the emergency department every three days to treat bite wounds inflicted by another person; other studies estimate that a person bites another person once every twelve minutes.

While it may be easy to write off this statistic as a subset of assault victims requiring hospitalization, keep in mind that most—but far from all—bites result from a fight. The rest (of those that are actually reported and recorded) occur from other such zesty activities as athletics or intercourse. Not all such incidents get reported, but when the bounty of bacteria and general nastiness of the human mouth results in infection, it is harder to hide the fact that someone got a little too toothy during any activity.

9. Cute Animals

Some strange combination of Saturday morning cartoons and Beanie Babies has given people a false sense of security when dealing with seemingly cute animals. Man’s Best Friend alone manages to send up to 13,000 puppy-lovers to the hospital annually.

Of course, humans have a tragically long track record of mistaking “adorable” with “harmless” when it comes to the animal kingdom. Hippos, bison, and other such lovable lugs are so darned endearing, that thousands of human idiots manage to push them to the point of violence every year, with hippos killing more people than sharks, spiders, snakes, wolves, and jellyfish combined.

National Parks like Yellowstone are particularly prone to incidents involving visitors who think all they need to know about wild animals is the difference between herbivores and carnivores, and then proceed to get maimed while trying to take selfies with the resident bison. And it wouldn’t be a true American Thanksgiving without a parade of Elmer Fudd wannabes becoming prey to wild turkeys.

Fact is, people are no better at living with other species than they are at getting along with other humans.

8. Vacuums

People have come up with a variety of novel uses for vacuums, with the natural result that they’ve found a host of ways to hurt or kill themselves using the appliance. There is, of course, the regrettable trend of curious young men who, absent any prominent social messaging warning them of the perils of amorous relations with cleaning appliances, “were driven to new lengths by the novelty of the experience and came to grief”, to quote a foundational study on the subject.

But the travails of vacuums are not limited to or even dominated by hapless males; in both traditional deliveries and C-sections, vacuums have replaced forceps as the tool of choice in assisting in the delivery of infants, which has been shown to frequently cause serious damage to the newborn’s intracranial tissue. That officially makes vacuums a bigger threat than zombies where brains are concerned.

Making it out of the maternity ward still doesn’t provide safe harbor, as children are prone to friction burns and related injury resulting from close encounters with their household vacuums.

7. Toilets

Human bodies were designed to squat during defecation, yet the pretense of dumping out in a “civilized” manner led to the development of toilets requiring an upright posture. This increased dignity is accompanied by straining, increased rates of fissures, incomplete evacuation (resulting in buildup of residual waste and bacteria), elevated risks of chronic inflammation and internal bleeding, and possibly even colon cancer.

Take that, third-world residents who have no alternative to squatting!

Nations of the world who invested in a more regal platform for bowel movements got a lot more than a porcelain throne as a result: hemorrhoids afflict fully half of all Americans by the time they hit 50, and the added time and labor involved in forcing the dookie out when your posture is holding it in increases the amount of pressure and time required (hence the popularity of reading on the toilet), further compounding the health hazards all over again.

It is common knowledge that sitting at a desk all day is bad for your health. But while the hazards of prolonged sitting have attracted all manner of attention and helpful tips, people somehow remain much more receptive to doing office calisthenics and investing in standing desks than in renovating their bathrooms to incorporate squat toilets.

6. Work

It isn’t just our desks that are wrecking our bodies. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), unintentional overexertion, otherwise known as working too damn hard, is the third leading cause of injury in the United States. Among those aged 24-65, i.e., the standard working age, it is the second most common cause for non-fatal hospitalization.

Far from being a problem associated with highly physical jobs like construction or Jimmy John’s delivery, traumatic overexertion can be brought on by repetitive motions common to desk jobs, as well as the odd incident of trying to lift too much, or simply failing to drink enough water.

And before we applaud ourselves for simply being martyred workaholics, bear in mind that hobbyists like gardeners and marathon runners are also incapable of recognizing their own limits. So while hospitals overflow with patients who don’t get enough exercise, the sedentary can plan on sharing a room with fitness freaks who just don’t know when to quit. That ought to be a fun stay for everyone.

5. The Million-Dollar Fart

People routinely turn up at the hospital convinced that an alien is about to burst from their chests, only to discover that the foreign body they are hosting is actually just a cloud of hydrogen tinged with sulfur making its way down and out.

Abdominal pain (the detested tummy ache) accounts for eight million ER admissions per year—the leading cause of hospitalization in America. That is due in part to the huge variety of things that can go wrong in the human abdomen, but it also includes less-than-deadly complaints like gas. Of the eight million admissions, only about 17% turn out to be serious—a conclusion only reached after ordering anything from an ultrasound or CT scan to exploratory surgery, all elements of the standard regimen that could quickly turn one person’s *poot* into a seriously expensive punchline, not to mention how all the diagnostic imaging typically increases cumulative exposure to radiation, potentially leading to further health issues down the line.

But that isn’t the only way people have found to emit million-dollar farts.

Pyroflatulence, better known as the elusive-but-spectacular “blue dart”, has delighted and destroyed in equal measure. While it is impossible to burn inside-out from igniting one’s own gaseous emissions, doing so in proximity to other flammable substances is, predictably, explosive, and can compound the cost (financial and personal) of a single fart by orders of magnitude.

4. July

This documented phenomenon is known as the July Effect: when all the baby-docs get to swap their med school scrubs for white coats and stethoscopes, hospitals are temporarily at higher risk of the sort of silly slip-ups and hijinks that made Scrubs such a beloved sitcom—as well as making hospitals the third leading killer of Americans each year.

The coincidence of med school graduations in the month has been directly linked to a 10% spike in hospital errors, involving everything from mixing up medications to not knowing how to work a defibrillator. Experts agree that if at all possible, it is best to avoid hospitals throughout the summer and try to aim for a time when the ER is more likely to be staffed with more experienced doctors.

Of course, if you are planning on celebrating Independence Day at all, you stand a pretty high chance of failing to follow that advice…

3. Holidays

Major holidays are a bit of a triple threat for hospitals. Firstly, surveys have shown that nearly 1 in 5 holiday travelers hit the road to avoid family, rather than to visit them; meanwhile, impatient travelers will exaggerate or even fabricate symptoms in order to get select (elderly) family members hospitalized for non-critical conditions, if only to ensure travel and other holiday plans have one less obstacle to going smoothly.

On the other hand, lonely seniors without company during the most wonderful time of the year will check themselves into hospitals just to have company.

And finally, of course, there are the perils of drinking. Responsible revelers who drink at home, thoughtfully staying off the roads, often end up trading a traffic accident for a domestic one. So while DUIs are to Christmas what candy is to Halloween, celebratory day-drinking still manages to net more than 15,000 holiday decorators, along with over a thousand burn victims, and 1,500 cases of back strain (or lifting injuries)—all without so much as a car leaving the driveway. Even on July 4th, America’s pyrotechnics are no match for its thirst for alcohol as a root cause of ER admissions and injury.

2. Removing Hair… Down There

Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to stop grooming your naughty bits.

From lasers to razors, eliminating all the hair of the swimsuit places has gone from being a fad to fully in the mainstream. The shave-and-wax trend over the period from 2002 – 2010 produced just over 11,000 ER visits, but by the end of 2010 the annual rate had climbed over 2,500. Disturbingly, the overwhelming cause of serious injury involves the use of razors, but other hair removal techniques including waxing have also been implicated.

And while injuries during the baldening process are alarming, experts point out that removing pubic hair also eliminates an important biological defense to disease and infection, leaving bare nether-regions prone to staph infections, STIs, and even run of the mill blunt force trauma. Though this trend is exponentially on the rise, it is only one of the ways we truly suffer for beauty…

1. Fashion

It is time to admit that our clothes are killing us. From high-heeled shoes to too-tight… well, everything, modern wardrobes are little more than glorified murder chambers we carry with and on us. The desperate squeezing-in ritual that accompanies so many daily clothing routines the world over has been responsible for blood clots, chronic pain, nerve damage, and disfigurement.

And that laundry list of physical health problems doesn’t even consider the countless psychological side-effects of having a culture that celebrates sartorial masochism, making it effectively impossible for anyone to meet the standards of beauty and shape without compromising health and comfort. So even those who forego “fitting in” through skin-tight apparel often adorn an underlying depression with looser, more forgiving outfits.

The compounding effect of the one size fits none standardization as the most horrible fixture of contemporary fashion is hard to track, but experts attribute much of the staggering rate of suicides and cases of self-harm requiring hospitalization, in part, to a void of self-esteem. And while many high-performing ancient cultures (and pragmatic modern ones) manage to embrace functional, practical, gender-neutral garb, the pinnacles of high fashion insist on preserving monstrous mutations of gendered apparel. Almost daily accusations of misogyny, hyper-sexualization, perpetuation of rape culture, and a generally regressive view of identity all point back to the fashion and beauty industry.

Directly and indirectly, health and beauty have become opposing forces.