HORROR THURS/FRIDAYS IN JUNE ON TCM

[jeffbert]

I am glad to learn I was not alone in enjoying these films, ASTROBUDDY! I ripped through those in a very short time, as I had just seen TARANTULA & THEM! recently, so I only ran the comments of the TCM film historians on those.

I did not know that BLACK SCORPION was W. o'Brien's work, much less, his last project. BTW, I just finished watching his 1st one, the silent version of LOST WORLD. Though the dinosaurs were very well done, I think I actually enjoy the alligators and iguanas with fins & spikes a bit more, because they are hilarious.

I think the giant claw's bird resembles EON, from RUDOLPH'S SHINY NEW YEAR; anyway, I laughed my self red-faced many times during these gems. I thought the BLACK SCORPION was wasting venom by stinging humans, as they were bite-sized.

I know nothing about the actress you mentioned, but yes, it is tragic the way some in this profession die so young.


Regarding this week's offerings, I do not remember Village of the Giants, but will watch it.

[jeffbert]

Regarding this week's offerings, I do not remember Village of the Giants, but will watch it.

Ahh! That one was awful! Its only redeeming feature was the music of the Beau Brummels. I just cannot stand the Ron Howard kid! True, I watched HAPPY DAYS, in my youth, but this guy has since seemed so annoying, especially in this role of a boy genius. Arrr! I so hate the whole idea of boy geniuses, except Dexter's Lab, because it is so over the top as to be obviously deliberately unrealistic. BSG's 2nd season totally reeked, as did BUCK RODGERS color series, which as I recall, also had a boy genius.


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Yesterday's offerings included a real piece of junk from Roger Corman, about some guys who fake monster attacks so they can steal their gold that they took from Cuba just before Castro consolidated his hold over the place. So there is the guy with the sharpened rake who fakes attacks & then there is the 'real' monster, whose costume is so pathetic as to seem like it is the fake one. When I first saw this film some time ago, I even thought this 'real' monster was supposed to be the fake one, because they never showed the guy using a sharpened rake on his victims.

[ASTROBUDDY]

Okay, first do you understand the concept of "golden turkey"? You see I think you are taking these movies too seriously. The point of the "drive-in double features" is that they are supposed to be entertaining in their awfulness. For ex. "Village of the Giants" is an obvious exploitation film with satirical content aimed at the youth market. Personally I have no problem with Ron Howard. (Here known as Ronnie Howard since this picture was released when he was still playing Opie on "The Andy Griffith Show.) Especially since he is on screen for such a short period of time. The real star here is the young Beau Bridges in what I believe is his first grown up role as the town bully who gets his chance to take over the town once he becomes a giant. The rest of the film in its silliness shows off the giant girls doing the dances of the day which was supposed to be titallating for the young adolescent boys at which this film was aimed. Yes it is by no means a good film, but that's the point! Now for one of the other films in this program, Zsa Zsa Gabor in "Queen of Outer Space". First she is not the title character. (Although she will end up with the title once the picture is over.) The story set in our future starts with our heroes wearing costumes from the movie, "Forbidden Planet"! This picture was a cheapie made by borrowing (literally) from other movies. If you missed that one, it must be seen to be believed. The special effects scenes like the rocket blasting off and soaring thru space was stock footage of a V2 rocket with shots of a rocket model used in a Bowery Boys film. Not only do the men where costumes recycled from "Forbidden Planet", but one of the females wears the miniskirt outfit Anne Francis wore in the aforementioned film. Now for Zsa Zsa! While the other females wear short skirts, our Zsa Zsa wears nothing but evening gowns. I am sure that a red number she wears in this film is the same dress Marilyn Monroe wore in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"! I should add here that the plot is about our boys landing on Venus and finding it solely inhabited by beautiful women, with the exception of the Queen who wears a mask to hide the fact that she was disfigured by radiation in a war against men. Feminists might be up in arms because of the way women are portrayed in this film. Also it is really amazing how Zsa Zsa is the only person in this film who speaks English with a foreign accent. All in all a fun silly movie to watch as the other characters are just too ridiculous to mention. Any way I have had fun laughing at these outrageously "golden turkies"! Once I have had time to watch the others, I will check with you to see if you caught any of them!

I

[jeffbert]

I fully understand the idea of the GOLDEN TURKEY, it is just that I really hate the Andy Griffith Show, & anything or anyone who has anything to do with it. I admit, it is a hatred so old, I cannot recall my primary objection. True, it seems that I was taking the thing a bit too seriously!

I was happy that they mentioned FOOD OF THE GODS when introducing the film, as I had been watching the film on NF instant viewing, but had lost interest when it became a bit too slow. So I finished it, & laughed myself red faced at the silliness. There was a wooden dam that was about 5-6 feet tall, & once blown up, 15 feet of water & about ten million gallons gushed out! & the characters were so stupid: the giant rats are outside the camper, & the guy knows it, so he calls his wife out, & the all too cooperative rats just sit there while they run away!

I did watch the afore-mentioned Corman film again, & this time, as I was not expecting a 'real' monster, I did enjoy it, though it turned out that there was one.

I skipped QUEEN, but only because I saw it recently. I did not know about the costumes having been borrowed from FP, though. I have noted the saucer & Robbie or is it 'Robby' appearing in various other films. I do like this film, but decided to keep my DVR at or below 60% of capacity.

[jeffbert]

6/30-7/1:

TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: TCM SPOTLIGHT: DRIVE-IN DOUBLE FEATURES 8:00 PM 1309478400
Blob, The (1958) EXPAND 8:00 PM C-82 min
TV-PG Blob, The (1958) A misunderstood teen fights to save his town from a gelatinous monster from outer space. Dir: Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. Cast: Steven McQueen, Aneta Corseaut, Earl Rowe. C-82 min, TV-PG , CC CLOSE LEONARD MALTIN REVIEW: D: Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr Steven McQueen, Aneta Corsaut, Earl Rowe, Olin Howlin. Endearingly campy classic of cheap '50s sci-fi has "Steven" (in his first starring role) leading teenagers into battle to save their small town from being swallowed up by giant glop of cherry Jell-O from outer space. Not really all that good, but how can you hate a film like this? (Especially when Burt Bacharach composed the title song.) Later redubbed for comic effect as BLOBERMOUTH. Sequel: BEWARE! THE BLOB. Remade 30 years later.
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9:30 PM 1309483800
H-Man, The (1958) EXPAND 9:30 PM C-79 min
TV-PG H-Man, The (1958) Nuclear tests create a radioactive man who can turn people into slime. Dir: Inoshiro Honda Cast: Yumi Shirakawa, Kenji Sahara, Akihiko Hirata. C-79 min, TV-PG CLOSE LEONARD MALTIN REVIEW: D: Ishiro Honda. Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, Akihiko Hirata, Koreya Senda. Good special effects marred by dumb script involving radioactive liquid causing havoc in Tokyo, subplot of cops vs. underworld. Tohoscope.
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11:00 PM 1309489200
Magnetic Monster, The (1953) EXPAND 11:00 PM 75 min
TV-PG Magnetic Monster, The (1953) A new radio-active element could destroy the world by absorbing the planet's energy. Dir: Curt Siodmak Cast: Richard Carlson, King Donovan, Jean Byron. 75 min, TV-PG CLOSE LEONARD MALTIN REVIEW: D: Curt Siodmak. Richard Carlson, King Donovan, Jean Byron, Byron Foulger. Magnetic isotope is stolen, grows in size and creates havoc; stunning climax features special effects lifted from 1930s German film GOLD.
REVIEW:

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12:30 AM 1309494600
X The Unknown (1956) EXPAND 12:30 AM 80 min
TV-14 X The Unknown (1956) A radioactive ooze terrorizes a remote Scottish village. Dir: Leslie Norman Cast: Dean Jagger, Edward Chapman, Leo McKern. 80 min, TV-14 , CC CLOSE LEONARD MALTIN REVIEW: D: Leslie Norman. Dean Jagger, Leo McKern, William Lucas, Edward Chapman, Anthony Newley. Well-thought-out sci-fi production set in Scotland. Radioactive mud from Earth's center grows and kills anything in its path. Effective chiller written by Jimmy Sangster.


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2:00 AM 1309500000
Thing From Another World, The (1951) EXPAND 2:00 AM 87 min
TV-PG Thing From Another World, The (1951) The crew of a remote Arctic base fights off a murderous monster from outer space. Dir: Christian Nyby Cast: Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, Robert Cornthwaite. 87 min, TV-PG , CC CLOSE LEONARD MALTIN REVIEW: D: Christian Nyby. Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, Robert Cornthwaite, Douglas Spencer, James Arness, Dewey Martin, William Self, George Fenneman. Classic blend of science-fiction and horror, loosely based on John W. Campbell, Jr.'s Who Goes There? Scientists at lonely Arctic outpost dig up alien (Arness) from the permafrost and must fight for their lives when it's accidentally thawed. Tense direction (often credited to producer Howard Hawks), excellent performances, eerie score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Screenplay by Charles Lederer. Watch out for 81m. reissue prints. Remade in 1982.

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3:30 AM 1309505400
It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958) EXPAND 3:30 AM 69 min
TV-PG It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958) A blood-sucking monster stalks the crew of a U.S. spaceship. Dir: Edward L. Cahn Cast: Marshall Thompson, Shawn Smith, Kim Spalding. 69 min, TV-PG CLOSE LEONARD MALTIN REVIEW: D: Edward L. Cahn. Marshall Thompson, Shawn Smith, Kim Spalding, Ann Doran, Dabbs Greer. The second spaceship to Mars heads for Earth with the sole survivor of the first expedition, accused of murdering his crewmates--but the real killer is a Martian monster (Ray "Crash'' Corrigan), which has crept aboard the returning ship. ALIEN owes a lot to this tidy, suspenseful, but underproduced movie, scripted by sci-fi writer Jerome Bixby.
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4:45 AM C-56 min
TV-PG Watch the Skies! (2005)
This TCM original documentary explores the history of the science fiction genre beginning in the 1950s. Features interviews with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Ridley Scott.

SOME OF THESE ARE fairly silly, others' entire appeal is their unintentional silliness.

I have seen all these, but MAGNETIC MONSTER; at the very least, the title is unfamiliar to me. I am now watching BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS; Is that James Best (Roscoe P. Coltrane) as the radio operator or radar tech?

I must admit, that as I knew Thing From Another World, The simply as THE THING, when I saw it listed a few years ago, I was hoping to see something 'new,' but a bit disappointed to learn otherwise. I can't wait to see it again, though!

BTW, there are a few FRANKENSTEIN movies scheduled during the next week. :d evil:

[jeffbert]

I just checked on Best, & found that they are making a sequel to THE KILLER SHREWS:

http://www.killershrewsmovie.com/

[ASTROBUDDY]

I forgot to mention one of my other "guilty pleasures", "Attack of the 50 foot Woman" starring the beautiful Allison Hayes. Also featured in the role of town tramp, Honey is the ill-fated Yvette Vickers whose remains were found in a well preserved or mummified state in her home and she was believed to have been dead and undiscovered for almost a year. My favorite part is when the sherrif says after the 50 foot woman, Nancy Archer (Hayes) begins to run amok, "She'll tear up the town looking for Harry!" (her husband). To which the deputy answers, "Yeah and then she'll tear up, Harry!

The last installment of this program had some minor classics in terms of fifties and early sixties sci-fi and even though I also have seen them all (with the exception of "Magnetic Monsters") I still enjoyed them. Some like "The Blob" (1959) and "The H Man" I have on DVD in my collection.

I think "Thing from Another World" was originally released by that title, but when sold to TV was shown with the shorter title, "The Thing" until the John Carpenter remake. Then the original was shown with its original complete title.

Yes I did see "Frankenstein, 1970" listed and I am all set to watch that one which I have not seen since I was a kid back in the 1960s. So it should be interesting see it again after all this time. Yes I know about the "Killer Shrew" sequel because the grandson of Errol Flynn (who was named after his uncle, Sean Flynn who as a war correspodent was captured in Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge and presumedly killed) has a featured role in it. And I read about it because I am a fan of the Flynns, (Errol and Sean). The grandson who now goes by the name Sean Flynn as Sean Flynn Amir costarred on the Disney channel program "Zoey 101.

I'll get back to you after I have seen the Boris Karloff flick!

I

[jeffbert]

Hmm, well, that explains my confusion. During one of the closing comments, the guy said that IT, THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE was the inspiration for ALIENS. I have seen IT about 2 or 3 times, but that never occurred to me.

[ASTROBUDDY]

Actually "It...was the inspiration for "Alien" not "Aliens"!

I

[jeffbert]

Oops!