Manson Distributing Corporation's 1963 release Prelude to Ecstacy was their shortened, English-dubbed version of the racy 1961 Finnish money-maker Kuu on vaarallinen ("The Moon is Dangerous"). Based on a 1942 Danish novel, it follows the disastrous chain of events triggered when a married, middle-aged businessman (prolific Finnish actor Esko Salmonen from Gas, Inspector Palmu!) invites a young hitchhiker (future candidate for Finnish parliament Liana Kaarina) to spend the night at his summer cabin. A print featuring nudity that had been excised for the 1961 theatrical showing was aired on Finnish television in 1972 to nearly half a million viewers. Prolific producer/director T.J. Särkkä (the 1956 Juha) made hundreds of films that remain unknown to English-speaking audiences.
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