Before He was A Friend To All Children

 

 (imdb)

GAMMERA THE INVINCIBLE-1966-A trio of Japanese scientists, Dr. Hidaka, his assistant Kyoko and reporter Aoyagi are exploring the Arctic. When the Russians accidentally drop a bomb nearby, it unleashes a giant turtle from the ice. An Eskimo chief gives them an ancient stone carving and tells them about Gammera, a legend who is “evil and very frightening”.  At US army headquarters, Gen O'Neil (Dick O'Neil) tries to figure out if there really is a giant turtle roaming around. Cut to a NY TV show hosted by a guy (John Baragrey) who looks like Gore Vidal and a discussion between two doctors (Allan Oppenheimer & Mort Marshall). It's pretty funny. At a meeting in DC headed by the secretary of defense (Albert Dekker), Gen Arnold (Brian Donlevy) explains that large turtle footprints were found near a shipwreck. 

Back in Japan, a little brother Toshio loves turtles and is doing bad in school. He's forced by their father to free his turtle but meets a bigger one, Gammera who invades their village. Toshio almost falls to his death but Gammera saves him. Later it's discovered that Gammera can fly and eats fire to survive. After trying to freeze him fails, Gammera attacks Tokyo. Young people refuse to leave a dance club until the building comes down. Toshio gets in the way of destroying “his friend” a couple of times. Gammera really does appear invincible but with the help of Prof. Murase they send Gammera to Mars. Toshio says “Sayonara Gamera”...

Director Noriaki Yuasa went on to direct many more of Gammera (Gamera) adventures for Daiei Studios and making the only real rival to Toho's Godzilla. The added American scenes by Sandy Howard are pretty laughable.

Thanks for reading! 

Kaiju Contest

 

 (imdb)

WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS-1966-A giant green monster fights a sea serpent and sinks a fishing boat. It then invades Japan and wrecks an airport and eats a woman. At first scientists think it is related to the Frankenstein monster but American Dr. Stewart (Russ Tamblyn) and Japanese partners Akemi (Kumi Mizumi; in several of the director's films) and Dr. Majida (Kenji Sahara; RODAN (1956)) prove this false. The monster attacks a nightclub where a singer (Kipp Hamilton) does a terrible song and is killed. The monster doesn't like light. After a long battle, the army seems to defeat the green giant but it's rescued when a gold furry giant appears. They name green giant Gaira (Haruo Nakajima) and the lighter one Sanda (Yu Sekita). They come to believe that Sanda is the offspring of their Frankenstein and Gaira is it's offspring. Sanda shows its good side when it saves Akemi when she falls off a cliff. The two eventually have a knocked down drag out that ends with an erupting volcano! 

The great Ishiro Honda co-wrote and directed this fun destruction outing, a sort of semi-sequel to FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON (1965) that has since gained a cult following. It's always noted that Tamblyn behaved like an asshole on the set, doing the opposite of Honda's instructions. The actor later stated that the only reason he did the picture was to get a free trip to Japan. Tab Hunter had originally been Toho studios first choice.

Thanks for reading!

Coming And Going

 

 (imdb.com)

EXIT THE DRAGON, ENTER THE TIGER-1976-On a movie set, martial arts actor Dragon Bruce Lee tell his friend Tiger David Lee (Bruce Li) that if something happens to him, Tiger will be Dragon's successor. Of course Bruce dies. In Singapore, Tiger David suspects foul play. He's pretty upset. He goes to Hong Kong to check it out. It seems some gangsters led by The Baron (Yi Chang), tried to blackmail Bruce into carrying drugs for them and his mistress movie star Susie (Hsin-Yi Chiang) has an incriminating tape they want. Tiger's friend George is killed and his girlfriend is raped but Tiger triumphs in the end in this sub-par Shaw Brothers production.

Director Tso Nam Lee also made FIST OF FURY 2 (also with Bruce Li) and THE TATTOO CONNECTION with Jim Kelly.

Thanks for reading!

Yeoh

 

 themoviedb.org)

THE TOUCH-2002-A woman (Michelle Yeoh) and her brother (Brandon Chang) try to retrieve an ancient artifact containing the essence of an age-old monk with the help (?) of a moronic thief (Ben Chaplin). A pompous treasure hunter (Richard Roxbury) is also after it. There are some decent fight scenes at the beginning but the video game like climax isn't very good and Chaplin's semi-comical smart ass acting brings the cliched story line down a bit more, once again pandering to western audiences casting a white guy in the lead instead of an Asian. 

Director Paul Pau was the cinematographer who shot CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000).

Thanks for reading!

He Who Walks Behind The Rows

 

 (themoviedb.org)

CHILDREN OF THE CORN V: FIELDS OF TERROR-1998-A young kid has an episode in a cornfield. Then he goes and kills a farmer and a bunch of kids bludgeon his wife to death. Later a guy (Ahmet Zappa) and his girlfriend are killed by some strange kids in the cornfield. 2 more couples (Stacy Galina, Alexis Arquette, Eva Mendes, Greg Vaughan) appear looking for the first pair and one girl's brother Jacob. After their car breaks down, they wander into a town full of asshole hicks (Kane Hodder is a bartender). To top it off, the unhelpful sheriff is played by Fred Williamson. The idiots miss the only outgoing bus and their car is set on fire. They find a semi-abandoned house and stay the night. Later they meet Luke (David Carradine), a way-out guy who seems to have a community of children he wants to save from adulthood, but little punk Ezekiel (Adam Wylie) seems to really be in charge. The only good part is the whacked confrontation between Luke and the sheriff. 

From Ethan Wiley, director of HOUSE 2: THE SECOND STORY (1987) and writer of the original HOUSE (1985) and BLACK OPS (2008). These corn kid sequels are of course all “based on” Stephen King's short story.

Thanks for reading!

It Can't Happen Here

 

 (alarmy)

EAT THAT QUESTION: FRANK ZAPPA IN HIS OWN WORDS-2016-If you like the music of Frank Zappa (I do) then you should like this bio/documentary about him. Many interviews are shown (US and Europe) along with concert footage (some with the original Mothers Of Invention and various incarnations), rehearsals, scenes from 200 Motels and Baby Snakes, his very early TV appearance on “The Steve Allen Show”. Even his appearance as a mystery guest on "What's My Line?". Director Thorsten Shutte includes a lot of rare footage too.

Thanks for reading!

Reality??

 

 (themoviedatabase)

DIE FIGHTING-2014-A group of martial artists, The Z Team, go to Hollywood. Their kind of leader is Fabien (director/writer Fabien Gorchon/Garcia). His girlfriend Meilu (Adelyne Liu) is kidnapped by some nut who blackmails the group into making a "reality" martial arts film. He sets them against various deadly scenarios. Robbing an armored car, fighting a SWAT team, battling a dojo of black belts, a gang of killers, LA street gang and finally each other. 

The fights are very well done, some resemble the old classic ones from the Shaw Brothers. It draws some inspiration from the SAW movies. Ludicrous plot with not great acting but great fights. Twist ending goes on way too long.

Thanks for reading!

More Links From You Tube

 

3 Films By Takeshi Kitano Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH8VFNhyGA0&list=WL&index=90

Spider-Man PSA On Child Abuse:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uewp0qFsys&list=WL&index=99

Bad Movie Rip-Offs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfzyRJvWa7g&list=WL&index=100

Portrait Of God (Short Horror Film):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI9fKfX5V68&list=WL&index=101

Intro To "Frankenstein's Bloody Terror" (1968)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA5LGCzrbVY&list=WL&index=102

George Reeves Corn Flakes Commercial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_d8CoV19M0&list=WL&index=103

Roger Corman's Closet Picks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-paCwBPzHX0&list=WL&index=104

Warren Chile Combo

 

 (imdb)

CURSE OF THE STONE HAND-1965-Jerry Warren took two Chilean horror films and combined them into this kooky anthology using an abandoned house for its connection.

The first story (filmed in 1946!) is based on the short story "The Suicide Club" by Robert Louis Stevenson. A heavily in debt man joins a gambling club with some very deadly rules. He finds himself in bigger trouble with his own life at stake. 

In the second story (filmed in 1945), a guy named Charles dominates the home life of his brother Jaime's fiancé, Ruth. When Jamie returns from school, he finds Charles has married her. A handyman (spliced in John Carradine) talks to his partner about a secret room in the basement. Meanwhile Jamie kisses Ruth and she admits she doesn't know why she married his brother. This isn't really a supernatural tale and the "Dorian Gray" like ending seems tacked on. 

Warren regular Katherine Victor also appears in some Warren added scenes.

Thanks for reading!

Santo Vs. Nazis

 

 (imdb)

SANTO EN ANONIMO MORTAL-(ANONYMOUS DEATH THREAT)-1972-When a jeweler is fatally shot and real estate agent pushed off a roof, Inspector Ponce (Armando Silvertre) is stumped. They both received notes they were going to be killed. Mario Gaos (Xaiver Masse) is worried. He received a note too. His wife wants to call the police but Gaos decides the only person who can help him is Mexico's number one wrestling crime fighter, the one and only El Santo (himself). And no sooner is his name spoken than we see him in the squared circle in a pretty rough match. After the match, he is visited by Gaos. Santo promises to guard Gaos night and day with the help of his two cohorts Pablo (Georgio Casal) and Yvette (Tere Velazquez). At work, a window washer slips into Gaos' office. He and Yvette fight. A bomb the window washer discreetly left in Gaos' office explodes, killing him. The murderer gets away.

 Later Ponce and his assistant Rocha (Raymundo Capetello) share clues with Santo then visit a guy named Henkel (Ivan J. Rado) who claims to have received a death letter and is very evasive about his involvement in WW 2. At night Santo wrestles an ordinary looking grappler called "El Nazi" (Ignacio Gomez). In the audience, a guy wearing a swastika armband and toting a rifle tries to kill our hero (no one in the crowd seems to notice him) but he misses and kills the opponent. Afterwards, Gaos' widow, Ester (Sasha Montenegro) receives a phone call saying she must kill Santo. She tries to give him a poisoned drink but the police call to tell Santo that even though Gaos was blown up, he was also slowly being poisoned to death (?). Santo goes to a warehouse to meet Henkel and is attacked by 3 guys with swastika armbands. Santo gets the better of them. Of course, Henkel is actually Von Struber, a war criminal heading a neo-Nazi party (with Gaos' wife) who escaped justice and is getting revenge on the people who testified against him! 

This isn't bad for a non-horror Santo movie. It was directed by Aldo Monti, who as an actor played Dracula twice in two other Santo movies, SANTO IN THE TREASURE OF DRACULA (1969) and SANTO AND THE BLUE DEMON VS. DRACULA AND THE WOLFMAN (1973).

Thanks for reading!

Teenage Cheapy

(wikiwand)

TEENAGE DEVIL DOLLS-1955-A detective (Robert A. Sherry) relates the story of Cassandra (Barbara Marks), who works for her "much married mother" but escapes her repression by joining a motorcycle gang led by Packard (William Kendell). They introduce her to marijuana. She plays around with them and her grades plummet, losing her chance to attend college. Fortunately for her, a fool named Johnny Adams (Robert Norman) is sweet on her and they get married. 

Bad move! Cassandra becomes a bored, frustrated housewife prone to mood swings and depression. Her meds don't help. Neither does the dog hubby brings home one day. She leaves and once again hooks up with Packard and his gang. Cassandra freaks out on Seconal and is arrested after crashing her car. After a stay with the police, she returns to her parents and hubby but runs away. Later she cooks something up with a drug addict/dealer Martinez (the director) and almost dies from withdrawal in the desert. 

There's no dialogue in this basement budget exploitation film produced, written, edited and directed by one Bramlett L. Price, Jr.in his only movie making outing. There's only a lone narrator (Greg Martell) who is also supposed to be the detective. 

Director Price (who's own father plays Cassandra's stepfather) supposedly borrowed the money to make this from his then wife actress Anne Francis. AKA: ONE WAY TICKET TO HELL. Francis Coleman must have watched this before making his movies.

Thanks for reading!

Sherlock Is Back!

 

 (imdb)

SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SECRET WEAPON1942-Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) smuggles bomb inventor Dr. Toben (William Post Jr.) out of Nazi occupied France. Once safe at 221 Baker Street, the ingrate sneaks out to see a girlfriend and give her a letter. On the way back, he's attacked. He survives and the next day there is a demonstration of his new aerial bomb. For some reason he doesn't want to divulge the secret and gives 4 parts to 4 different scientists (one is played by Henry Victor). Later Holmes deduces that Prof. Moriarty (Lionel Atwill) has kidnapped Toben. Holmes adopts several disguises in this modern WW 2 propaganda mystery and has a weird haircut. It marks the first appearance of Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) who isn't as pompous as in later films. 

Of course, Nigel Bruce is back as Dr. Watson as is Mary Gordon as Mrs. Hudson. There are unbilled appearances by Rudolph Anders, Whit Bissell, Veda Ann Borg, Paul Bryar, Harry Cording, James Craven, Paul Fix and Michael Mark. 

This is the first Holmes adventure directed by Roy William Neil, who'd go on to produce and direct the rest of the series.

Thanks for reading!

Cameron, Cuba, Cahn

 

 (imdb)

PIER 5 HAVANA-1959-Steve Daggert (Cameron Mitchell; in FACE OF FIRE the same year) goes to Cuba (but this was filmed in LA) soon after Castro takes over, looking for his alcoholic friend Miller (Logan Field; a TV actor). Right away the chief of police (Michael Granger) has him picked up and they meet Mrs. Miller (Allison Hayes; ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN the year before) who separated from Miller before he disappeared. She's a singer in a club and has a rich boyfriend Fernando (Eduardo Noriega). Later a guy named Schluss (Otto Waldis) wants to get rid of Daggert. It seems Miller's disappearance may be tied to a plan by Schluss and his boss Lopez (Nestor Paiva) to put Battista back in power. Miller is presumed dead but shows up later to warn Daggett that Battista's supporters plan to bomb Havana! 

Ok political espionage with good acting from the leads in a low budget production by director Edward L. Cahn who made INVISIBLE INVADERS and THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE the same year. Co-producer/co-scripter Robert Kent worked on most of Cahn's '50's output.

 Mitchel, Granger, Hayes, Paiva and Waldis had all worked with Cahn before.

Thanks for reading!

Takeshi

 

 (imdb)

VIOLENT COP-1989-Azuma (Beat Takeshi; MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE) is the title character, a hot-headed cop with a mean violent streak who is always in trouble with his superiors. While battling drug dealers, he uses all the wrong methods to arrest criminals: violence, planting evidence, intimidation. He also has trouble with his drug addicted sister. 

This was former comedian Takeshi's directorial debut and it's not for everyone. His methodical direction suddenly explodes with brutality. He went on to improve his technique as director and editor with his next two films.

Thanks for reading!

Mania From Italy

 

(imdb)

MANIA-1974-A woman named Lisa (Eva Spadaro) drives recklessly in a car with a man who says she is obsessed with Bercht, her dead husband. They seem to be menaced by a driver less car. She admits she let her scientist husband burn to death in a fire in his lab. She has a fit when her housekeeper accepts a package from a man. Then her psychiatrist tells her the only way to overcome her fear is to return to the villa where hubby died. Once there, they meet the husband's twin brother, a mean guy with a scarred face in a wheelchair with a mute servant girl. Lisa's housekeeper acts strangely suspicious, and Lisa seems to be losing her mind…or is she? 

Pretty lame, confused, tedious mess from Italy, directed by Renato Polselli (THE VAMPIRE AND THE BALLERINA (1960)).

Thanks for reading!

Six String

 

 (imdb)

SIX STRING SAMURAI-1998-In a post-apocalyptic USA (Russia dropped a bomb in 1957), a nerdy looking guy (with taped horn rims) named Buddy (co-writer Jeffery Falcon), travels around with a six-string guitar and a samurai sword. He wants to reach “Lost Vegas”. He fights some bald guys who have knives concealed in bowling pins. Then he hooks up with a young kid (Justin McGuire) who can drive a car. They run into some Road Warrior type gang. The kid is almost eaten by a cannibal family. Also around is a group led by Death, who kill a lot. A Wolfman Jack like DJ called The Werewolf, makes announcements. 

This is a weird imaginative independent film influenced by Yojimbo was directed and co-written by Lance Mungiaco. It's entertaining but it could have been better.

Thanks for reading!

Warning, Will Robinson!

 Hello,

As you may know, our Community Guidelines (https://blogger.com/go/contentpolicy) describe the boundaries for what we allow-- and don't allow-- on Blogger. Your post titled "Emanuelle and Cannibals" was flagged to us for review. We have determined that it violates our guidelines and have unpublished the URL https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2025/03/emanuelle-and-cannibals.html , making it unavailable to blog readers.

If you are interested in republishing the post, please update the content to adhere to Blogger's Community Guidelines. Once the content is updated, you may republish it at https://www.blogger.com/go/appeal-post?blogId=4609335177952045780&postId=7427487968946855391 . This will trigger a review of the post.

You may have the option to pursue your claims in court. If you have legal questions or wish to examine legal options that may be available to you, you may want to consult with your own legal counsel.

For more information, please review the following resources:

Terms of Service: https://www.blogger.com/go/terms

Blogger Community Guidelines: https://blogger.com/go/contentpolicy

Sincerely,

The Blogger Team

Lions In Central Park

 

(imdb)

CENTRAL PARK-1932-Unemployed Rick (Wallace Ford; he was in FREAKS the same year) meets would be actress Dot (Joan Blondell) in Central Park. Meanwhile, Smiley (John Wray), the ex-zookeeper who went crazy and was committed, escapes from the insane asylum and feeds his replacement to a lion. The lion escapes. Charlie (Guy Kibbee), a police officer with bad vision is blamed. Dot gets involved with what she thinks is a police operation but it's actually gangsters posing as cops to steal some charity money. Rick discovers the scam but can't get the police to believe him. All the wrong people get arrested but in the end, all 4 story lines are wrapped up. 

Director John G. Adolfi was known for his collaborations with actor George Arliss.

Harryhausen

 

 

 (alamy.com)

JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS-1963-Jason (Todd Armstrong) and his men set out on the Argo and have many wild adventures in this super great adaptation from mythology. They encounter a giant animated statue, harpies, a talking masthead, Triton and the sorceress Medea (Nancy Kovack) while in search of the golden fleece. After being betrayed by Acastus (Gary Raymond), Medea helps them. Jason kills the multi-headed Hydra and secures the fleece. In the best part skeleton warriors created from the Hydra's teeth battle the group. All the time, Zeus (Niall MacGinnis) & Hera (Honor Blackman) watch from Olympus. Argonauts include Nigel Greene as Hercules, Lawrence Naismith and uncredited John Crawford. Patrick Troughton is the blind prophet, Phineus. 

English director Don Chaffrey had worked a lot in TV but later made ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. (1966) and CREATURES THAT TIME FORGOT (1971). He later worked in American TV and stuff like PETE'S DRAGON (1977) and C.H.O.M.P.S.(1979). His direction here is good but the main attraction is the fantastic stop animation creatures created by the legendary Ray Harryhausen (also a co-producer). Bernard Herrmann did the soundtrack. It was a critical success but a box office disappointment.

Thanks for reading!

Death Car On Tv

 

 (imdb)

DEATH CAR ON THE FREEWAY-1979-An actress named Becky (Morgan Brittany) is driven off the freeway by a mysterious black van. Later another woman is put in the hospital by a crash caused by the van. A reporter (Shelly Hack) investigates and butts heads with a police Lt. (Peter Graves) while being pursued by her estranged husband (George Hamilton) to get back together. Frank Gorshin is her boss and Barbara Rush is a co-anchor. Typical all star TV cast DUEL inspired melodrama directed by Hal Needham who has a small role. Also with Harriet Nelson as a blind landlady, Dinah Shore as a victim on TV, Abe Vigoda and Sid Haig.

Thanks for reading!

Hey, Ya Big Baboon

 

 (imdb)

SHAKMA-1990-Terrible nonsense about dorks experimenting with apes (who obviously have more intelligence than humans). They get locked up with them and everyone starts to get killed. After Dr. Sorensen (Roddy McDowall) is killed, there's not much reason to watch this killer baboon horror junk except to laugh at all the situations where eventually everybody dies. 

The SFX are good though. Christopher Atkins, Amanda Wyss and Ari Meyers star. Filmed at Universal studios in Florida by two directors.

Thanks for reading!

Pre-Wolfman Lon

 

 (imdb)

A SCREAM IN THE NIGHT-1935-Jack Wilson (Lon Chaney Jr.) is in Singapore planning on arresting thief Johnny Fly (Manuel Lopez) with the help of local guy Wu Ting (Phillip Ahn). He meets old friend Edith (Shelia Terry) and her Uncle Joe (John Ince), who subsequently becomes a victim of Fly and is robbed. Fortunately, the robbers don't get his most valuable ruby, so Wilson and Inspector Green (Richard Cramer) expect Fly to strike again. Wu Ting goes undercover as a peddler but is killed by Butch Curtain (also played by Chaney), one eyed henchman to Fly and his moll, Mora (Zara Tazil). Fly finally gets the ruby by kidnapping Edith. Of course, Mora is jealous of her. Meanwhile, Jack arrests Butch and impersonates him. After a lot of static talk and some fights, good triumphs over evil. 

This musty low budget Astor production has some too dark scenes and bad acting but Chaney is good taking a page out of dad's playbook playing the dual role. It seems this wasn't released until 1943 when Lon had hit the big time. It's one of his 6 movies appearances in 1935.

 Co-Star Richard Cramer made over 200 movie appearances (he's in the WC Fields short A FATAL GLASS OF BEER) but may be more to familiar to some having menaced Laurel & Hardy in several films. John Ince, brother of the ill-fated Thomas, was a director during the silent era. Female lead Shelia Terry left the motion pictures by 1938. She committed suicide in 1957. Director Fred C. Newmeyer (also an actor) made SAFETY LAST! with Harold Lloyd and “Our Gang” shorts.

Thanks for reading!

Cosmic Debris

 

THE COSMIC HOAX: AN EXPOSE-2021-Some lunatic named Stephen M. Greer, a retired physician, now a ufologist goes on and on about the government conspiracies concerning our space brothers and their flying saucers. It also features his founding of the Disclosure Project which works revealing the cover-ups with input from former Air Force, FAA and intelligence employees without providing much evidence aside from the usual dogma while throwing in his own anti-government opinions. Even quoting doomed Nazi Hermann Goering! 

Some nut talks about the detonation of the A-bomb probably harming people in another dimension. And as always, they go to the past to tie everything together: past presidents, Hitler, Einstein, unverified documents. Let's face it. In this day and age, it seems easy to get scientists, journalists, pilots, even astronauts to say they believe in extraterrestrials and why not? They are entitled to their opinion but talk is cheap. Where is the proof? There's too much loony talk in this thing. Directed and written by Michael Mazzola.

Thanks for reading!

Remade In Mexico

 

LOS QUE VOVIERON-(THOSE WHO CAME BACK)-1948-A plane going from Mexico to Buenos Ares carries an array of rude complaining passengers including a private detective and his criminal, a shrewish old woman and her wimpy husband, a grandfather & grandson and an engaged couple. They discuss fixing the plane, where to get food and argue a lot. They eventually learn to work together (kind of; some have to be forced) and learn late that there are unfriendly natives around. When they are ready to leave, a choice has to be made. 

Excellent Mexican remake of the 1939 US film THREE CAME BACK directed by Alejandro Galindo.

Thanks for reading!

Low Budget Sc-Fi

 

 (imdb)

SPAWN OF THE SLITHIS-1978-After some neighborhood dogs are killed, a mutated sea monster created by a nuclear leak at a petroleum company prowls around. Wayne Connors (Alan Blanchard), a high school teacher, investigates. Some of the victims are intentionally comical but I'm not so sure about the rest. The acting and direction are pretty bad. A police lieutenant (Hy Pike) acts like an insane Shakespearean actor. The monster (Win Condict) looks like an overgrown mutated Ninja Turtle. Connors, his wife (Judy Motulsky), Dr. John (Dennis Falt) and boat Capt. Chris (Mello Alexandria) (who's seen JAWS too many times) go after it. 

There are some gory deaths but too much talky scientific mumbo jumbo. Writer/director Stephen Traxler later produced DRACULA'S WIDOW (1988).

Thanks for reading!

Stan Blockhead & Oliver Blockhead

 

 (imdb)

BLOCKHEADS-1938-Laurel & Hardy are Dough boys in the trenches during WW 1. Ollie goes off to fight and Stan is left to guard the trench. Unfortunately, no one tells him when the war ended so he stands guard for 20 years! Ollie, happily married but under the thumb of his wife (Minna Gombell), sees a newspaper article about Stan and he goes to the hospital to bring him home. Along the way, they get into various jams. First, Ollie thinks Stan has one leg. Then Stan dumps a truckload of sand on his friend. Stan eventually wrecks the car and garage. Ollie has a fight with an uppity tenant (L & H regular James Finlayson) and runs afoul of a bratty kid (Tommy Bond; Butch from “Our Gang” shorts) and his bully father (William Boardway). When they finally get to the apartment, Mrs. Hardy gets mad and leaves. Ollie tries to cook dinner but thanks to Stan destroys the kitchen. Next door neighbor Mrs. Gilbert (Patricia Ellis) tries to help but she winds up in Ollie's pj's pretending to be a chair. Then Mrs. Hardy returns. Billy Gilbert appears as big game hunter jealous husband. 

Director James Blystone, who kept the team from ad-libbing too much, died suddenly of a heart attack four days after completing BLOCKHEADS. He was 43. He had previously directed the team in SWISS MISS (also 1938).

Thanks for reading!

Triple Play!

 

 (themoviedb.org)

MARTIN MULL: TALENT TAKES A HOLIDAY-1994-This disaster of an HBO special can't even be saved by Penn & Teller appearing near the end. Apparently, Martin Mull thought of himself as a big enough comedy per- sonality that he could carry any nonsense used on this parody of the now defunct genre called the TV variety show. There's not much info available on this debacle and in fact it doesn't even show up on either of Mull's IMDB film or TV show listings!

 (themoviedb.org)

COPPER BILL-2020-This confused muddled movie about 2 losers looking for some hidden money builds up to a stupid ending that makes no sense. If you're a pro wrestling fan you might want to check it out because Dustin Rhodes is one of the stars. But I wouldn't recommend it. Director Brett Bentman directed a lot of Sci-Fi and westerns I never heard of.

 (imdb)

THE GENE AUTRY SHOW-1950-1955-This show starred the singing cowboy who crooned at least one tune in nearly every show. The series format (especially in the first season) changed from show to show. Sometimes, Autry was a ranch foreman, ranch owner, a sheriff, or a US Marshall. For nearly the whole run, Pat Buttram was his sidekick (except for a short time when Buttram was ill). Keeping with the un-continuity of the show, there are at least 2 episodes where Autry and Buttram meet for the first time! But really, it would have been better for everyone if they hadn't met at all! 

By the middle of the second season, Buttram's character had become a real buffoon, dabbling in barbering or astrology. His favorite was to open a door while Autry had on a gun on the bad guys and knock the gun out of Autry's hand. And lots of the same actors played different characters on different episodes. It was almost like a stock company. Alan Hale, Denver Pyle, Gail Davis, Keene Duncan, Myron Healy, Harry Lauter, Sheila Ryan to name a few. Although it ran 5 seasons, only 91 episodes were produced. The last season was in color.

Thanks for reading!

The Howling Man

 

 (imdb)

TWILIGHT ZONE-1960-”The Howling Man”-David Ellington (HM Wynant) relates the story of how he got lost in a storm and sought refuge at a hermitage “Brothers of Truth”, run by Brother Jerome (John Carradine in white beard). While pleading his case for shelter he hears a strange howling but another brother (Friedrich Ledebur; MOBY DICK (1956)) says it's just the wind. Jerome refuses to shelter him but Ellington collapses. Later while wandering around the place, he meets a man (Robin Hughes from THE THING THAT COULDN'T DIE (1958)) being held prisoner who claims he is being held there because Jerome was jealous of his girlfriend. When Ellington confronts Jerome about this the brother reveals that the prisoner is not a man but the devil himself!  Although Jerome relates a convincing story, Ellington still frees the man who it turns out really is the devil. Now in the present time Ellington (the worst for wear and sounding a little insane) has imprisoned Satan in a hotel room and has been relating his story to a maid. He leaves to contact Jerome and the maid begins to open the door...

Memorable episode with good performances and nice SFX. It was written by Charles Beaumont (from his short story) who penned 21 other episodes and directed by Douglas Heyes. Of course, the host was Rod Serling.

Thanks for reading!