When it came to promoting his fried chicken, Colonel Sanders would literally do anything to attract attention. Instead of merely buying ad time on television shows, Colonel Sanders revolutionized product placement at the movies. His first attempt was the 1967 film The Big Mouth with Jerry Lewis.
In addition to his cameo in the film, a magazine campaign depicted both Jerry Lewis and Colonel Sanders enjoying a bucket of chicken. It would be all be downhill from here, however. Colonel Sanders would next appear in the modsploitation film Blast Off Girls, a low budget cheapie.
We've highlighted his last two appearances before. The first was originally sold to Colonel Sanders as being a spy film, much like a James Bond film, called Operation M. When audience tastes changed, the film had biker scenes edited in and a new, horrifying title- Hell's Bloody Devils. The film has the added notoriety of being partially filmed at Spahn Ranch during the sleazy heyday of the Manson Family. Charles Manson allegedly tried to get acting jobs for himself and his girls, but other than mooching fried chicken from the craft services table, Charles was unsuccessful.
Finally, Colonel Sanders would try one last shot at film stardom, starring in the bizarre 'today' picture The Phynx, in which a who's who of hasbeens get kidnapped and politely wait to be rescued by The Phynx. The film had a bigger budget, but it was a disaster at the box office. The Colonel would decide to retire from acting, passing away in 1980.
