Beginning in the early 1960s, one of the main venues where audiences could watch underground films outside of New York City was the midnight movie screening series called Underground Cinema 12.

In 1983, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, along with Media Study/Buffalo, created a touring retrospective of avant-garde films, primarily feature-length ones and a few shorts, which they called “The American New Wave 1958-1967.”

Underground film actor and poet Taylor Mead has passed away at the age of 88 after suffering a debilitating stroke. He starred in The Flower Thief and Tarzan and Jane Regained.. Sort of.

The Underground Film Journal was sad to hear about the recent passing of actor Allan Arbus, who died on April 19. He was 95 years old and starred in the underground comedy Greaser’s Palace, directed by Robert Downey Sr.

Abel Raises Cain is a loving documentary made by Jenny Abel about her dad, Alan Abel, the greatest media prankster who ever lived.

Notable underground film events of 1975 were the formation of Berks Filmmakers, the debut of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Amos Poe making Night Lunch.

Notable underground films in 1972 were John Waters’ Pink Flamingos, Robert Downey Sr.’s Greaser’s Palace; plus Kenneth Anger published his own obituary.

Without Jonas Mekas, maybe Robert Downey Jr. wouldn’t have become an actor or starred as Iron Man. So, how about we reward Jonas with directing the sequel?

Anthology Film Archives presents restored versions of Robert Downey Sr.’s earliest films, like Babo 73 and Chafed Elbows. Downey was inspired by Jonas Mekas.