Showing posts with label germany. Show all posts
Showing posts with label germany. Show all posts

Sunday, January 25, 2026

Mabuse Is Back

 

 (imdb)

THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE-1933-A counterfeit calls Capt. Lohman (Jim Gerald) to tell him he knows who's behind the ring but he goes insane before he can say who the leader is. Then a college professor gives a lecture on the history of the evil mastermind Dr. Mabuse, who's now in an insane asylum scribbling incoherent notes. 

Lehman investigates. At the asylum the man in charge sees an apparition while visiting Mabuse (Rudolph Klein-Rogge). Later, his assistant suggests that the doctor may not be crazy and using hypnotism to commit crimes. On his way to the police, he's killed. There's also Lilli (Monique Rolland) & Tom (Gustav Diessl) who are lovers. But ex-con Tom is torn between his love for Lilli and his criminal activities. When Mabuse dies, it seems his plans are still being carried out. Is he really dead? 

This followed Lang's first Mabuse movie DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER (1922), a gigantic 4 hour epic that had to be shown in 2 parts! It wouldn't be until 1960, 27 years later, that Lang would return with another sequel. The Mabuse character was created by German author Norbert Jacques in 1921.

Thanks for reading!

Saturday, November 1, 2025

First Curse

 

 (imdb)

THE CURSE OF NOSTRADAMUS-1961-Professor Duran (Domingo Soler) who has just lectured on senseless superstition says vampires and monsters do not exist. No sooner have the words left his lips when the vampire Nostradamus (German Robles) and his ugly hunchback assistant, Leo (Manuel Vegara) show up. He visits his father's rotting corpse, then visits Duran and his secretary Antonio (Julio Aleman) under the name Ericson. He reveals his real identity but the professor scoffs and calls him names. Nostradamus says to prove what he's saying is the truth, he plans to murder 13 people with the last being the professor himself. He's pretty vicious. He hypnotizes one guy and he's buried alive and makes an antiques dealer shoot a collector and then the dealer is arrested for murder (he later jumps to his death). Nostradamus visits the professor several times to gloat. Later, Nostradamus kidnaps Anna (Aurora Alverado), Duran’s daughter. He and Antonio go after the vampire with platinum bullets but a cave in disrupts their plans in the abrupt ending since this and the three “sequels” that followed are all culled from a serial. 

Director/writer Federico Curiel also made THE BRAINIAC (1962) and several El Santo movies. Stillman Segar who worked on the English language version was unfortunately killed in a plane crash in 1969.

Thanks for reading!

Monday, May 12, 2025

Strangling In Germany

 

 (imdb)

STRANGLER OF BLACKMORE CASTLE-1963-Lucien Clark (Rudolph Fernau), a guy about to be knighted, is visited by a gun toting masked figure, who accuses him of murder and says he has some stolen diamonds in his possession. An arriving car scares the intruder away but he vows to be back. Clark's niece, reporter Claridge (Karin Dor; THE FACE OF FU MANCHU (1965)) comes home with Lord Blackmore (Hans Neilsen), a bird lover with a weird beard who's renting his castle to Clark. After a murder where the victim had an M carved on his forehead, two Scotland Yard detectives Mitchell (Harry Riebauer) & Watson (Gerhard Hartig) investigate while Claridge does her own snooping and a rival reporter Mike (Hans Reiser) hangs around too. Clark is involved with the diamonds. His chauffeur is decapitated while delivering some stolen loot and Clark receives the head in a wood box. His butler Anthony (Dieter Eppler) seems up to no good. The cops' big clue is the suspect has 9 fingers just like Clark…

This German production isn't bad although the climax is a little crazy. It's based on a story by Bryan Edgar Wallace. It was directed by Harald Reinl, who earlier made two films featuring the “Dr. Mabuse” character and later made the speculation film CHARIOTS OF THE GOD? (1970) and several sequels.

Thanks for reading!

Monday, December 9, 2024

Not Really Horror

 

 (imdb)

THE EYES OF THE MUMMY-1918-A man, Albert Wendland (Harry Liedtke) becomes obsessed with visiting the tomb of Queen Ma, whose other visitors have had “terrible misfortune” after going there. Wendland can't get anyone to go with him so he goes alone. He meets local Radu (Emil Jannings), who leads him into the tomb and attacks him. Wendland knocks Radu out and investigates, finding a room where he meets a woman also named Ma (Pola Negri) who says she is Radu's prisoner. Wendland whisks her away to Europe and tries to teach her how to act like a European but Radu also goes (with the help of a professor who saved him in the desert) to find her. Wendland gives a party and the male guests are mesmerized by Ma's exotic dance. A variety show agent wants Ma in his show. 2 months later, Ma is a dancing sensation and the professor goes to see her. He brings Radu, now his servant. When Radu sees Ma, the trouble begins. 

 (imdb)

There is no mummy in this silent film production which is good on its own but not really a horror movie. This silent German production was directed by Ernst Lubitsch who later went to Hollywood and directed many famous comedies like NINOTCHKA (1939) and TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942). 

Star Pola Negri (from Poland) made 3 more movies with Lubitsch, after which she came to Hollywood where she was quite popular and successful in silent films for Paramount for a while. Co-star Jannings would go on to work for FW Murnau, eventually coming to the US and winning the first best actor Academy Award in 1929. His film work for Nazi propaganda films during WW 2 finished his career as an actor after Germany's defeat. Actor Harry Liedtke was killed by The Red Army in 1945.

Thanks for reading!



Monday, September 25, 2023

Silent Doll

 

 (imdb)

THE DOLL-1919-In this silent fairy tale from Germany, the Baron (Max Kronert) wants his nephew Lancelot to marry and carry on his bloodline. Lancelot (Hermann Thimig), a real mama's boy starts crying at the thought of matrimony. There's a frenzied chase after Lancelot by all the eligible women in town. He seeks shelter in a monastery run by some glutinous monks who have no money. When they read that the Baron is offering Lancelot 300,000 francs for him to come home and marry, the greedy monks come up with a plan to have Lance marry a mechanical doll. A nutty inventor (Victor Janson) has made a whole batch of them including one that looks like his daughter Ossi (Ossi Oswalda). 

Of course, that's the one Lance wants. Unfortunately, the inventor's abused assistant breaks it and the real Ossi has to stand in. When the inventor finds out the deception his hair turns gray. Lancelot marries her and goes back to the monks. She causes quite a distraction dancing with them. When it's discovered that Ossi is human, she and Lancelot fall in love. 

Director/co-scripter Ernst Lubitsch later came to America and made movies like THE MERRY WIDOW (1935), NINOTCHKA (1939) and HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1943).

Thanks for reading!



Sunday, September 24, 2023

Burroughs

 

 (imdb)

THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT-1974-A sailor finds a bottle with a message in it. Thus is related in 1916 a German U-boat torpedoes an English ship. 2 survivors Bowen Tyler (Doug McClure) and Lisa Clayton (Susan Penhaligon) are rescued by some of the crew who survived. The survivors take over the U-boat. Later the Germans retake the sub and going off course they wind up in the south pole, landing in the thought to be legend land of Capuria. They encounter a pterodactyl, sea monsters and a bunch of cavemen. Eventually the German crew revolt but are all killed when a volcano erupts. Only the two survive and Tyler writes his message in a bottle. 

This Amicus co-production was director Kevin Connor's second film and it's not bad with the exception of some cheap looking SFX. It's based on a novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs with the screenplay by fantasy artist James Cawthorn and fantasy writer Michael Moorcock. Connor made a sequel AT THE EARTH'S CORE two years later.

Thanks for reading!

Saturday, April 15, 2023

??

 

 (wikipedia)

CHARIOTS OF THE GODS-1970-Erich Von Daniken's highly speculative bestselling book is the basis for this German made speculation film that proposes aliens visited Earth in ancient times, were the gods of mythology and build the pyramids,Nezca lines and other structures. Director Harold Reinl later made two more movies along the same lines IN SEARCH OF ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS and MYSTERIES OF THE GODS but prior to CHARIOTS, he made THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM and some other horror films and two movies featuring the Dr. Mabuse character

Thanks for reading!.


Friday, July 24, 2020

Franco!


SUCCUBUS-1968-A demon or Satan(?) sends Lorna (Janine Reynaud), a stripper who does a staged S&M snuff film nightclub act, to kill. She meets an older guy (Howard Vernon) and stabs him in the eye. At a party people take drugs, dance and hallucinate. One guy who doesn't take drugs reads from a book. Lorna does a dance on the floor and the dwarf butler makes weird noises. Just when it looks like an orgy will break out her boyfriend/club mgr. Bill (Jack Taylor) breaks it up. After they have sex, he recites a story about a Queen with amnesia. There's a lot of walking around and talking until Lorna and another woman go her place to fool around. Some mannequins seem to come to life and Lorna stabs the woman to death. She then kisses one of the bald dummies. 

This thing moves at a snail's pace and may have been hot stuff in the late '60's but now it's boring out of date Euro-trash. To make sure you know Jesus Franco (in his first film outing outside his native Spain) directed this, there's a sex scene shot through a fish bowl. 

Filmed in West Germany, the German backers dropped out and Adrian Hoven (who later produced and starred in the infamous MARK OF THE DEVIL) stepped in to bring in new backers, take a role and have a real life affair with lead actress Reynaud (who was in Franco's KISS ME MONSTER in '69).

Thanks for reading!



Thursday, July 23, 2020

International


I BASTARDI-(THE BASTARD)-1968-In New Mexico, Jason (Giuliano Gemma) and Adam (Klaus Kinski) are jewel thieves brothers. When the milk drinking Jason won't give up the jewels he stole Adam has him beaten up and tricks him into revealing where the stash is. It also turns out Jason's girlfriend Karen (Margret Lee) is Adam's lover. Adam has Jason's shooting hand maimed and leaves him to wander in the desert where he's taken in by ranch owner Barbara (Claudine Auger) who teaches him to write with his other hand. They become lovers but all the while Jason is plotting his revenge. After they rob an armored car Jason visits his weird alcoholic mother (Rita Hayworth). He goes for revenge but there's an earthquake. While Karen is killed, Adam survives, rescued by his baby brother who then shoots Adam to death. Jason is in turn shot (soundlessly) by his mother. 

This Italian German France co-production directed by Duccio Tessari isn't very good but any movie with Klaus Kinski playing the son of Rita Hayworth is all right with me. Joan Crawford was originally suppose to play the Hayworth role but dropped out over complaints about the script.

Thanks for reading!


Saturday, July 4, 2020

Edgar Wallace


COLLEGE GIRL MURDERS-(MONK WITH A WHIP)-1967-When a schoolgirl is killed by a poison bible, the pompous Sir John (Sigfried Schurenberg) and Inspektor Higgins (Joachim Fuchsberger) investigate the all girl college she attended. Teachers, students and caretakers all act suspiciously while a red robed monk with a whip prowls around. It has to do with some prisoners secretly let out of jail to kill people (with a strange poison atomizer). The poison was created by (?) a scientist who is the hooded monk's first victim. 

Despite it's kind of routine premise this entry into the German Edgar Wallace series is very entertaining. Fuchsberger starred 13 of the 32 stories produced (usually as different characters).

Director Alfred Vohrer made many more in the series. 

Thanks for reading and Happy Fourth of July! 

Friday, August 30, 2019

Olympic Chan



 CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OLYMPICS-1937- While Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) and little son Charlie Jr. (Layne Tom Jr.) get ready for a fishing trip someone steals an experimental robot plane the US government was testing. As luck would have it both Chans discover the plane on the beach where they were going to fish. Inventor Hopkins (Jonathan Hale) thinks former employee Arthur Hughes (C. Henry Gordon) stole it. Hopkins and his assistant Cartwright (John Eldredge) accompany Chan on a steamer to Berlin. Meanwhile Chan’s son Lee (Keye Luke), on his way to The Olympics as a swimmer, investigates the link between his friend Dick (Allan Lane) and a mysterious woman Miss Roland (Katherine DeMille) who seems to have a connection to the missing device. Captain Strasser (Frederick Vogeding; pompously self assured German stereotype) helps out. They find the missing device in the luggage of Olympian Betty Adams (Pauline Moore), also a friend of Lee’s and Dick’s girlfriend, but it's obvious Betty wasn't in on it. Later Lee is kidnapped. Chan figures it all out in the end (and so will you) and Lee wins a gold medal! 

Although it takes place in Nazi Germany (a film of Jesse Owens winning his gold metal race is shown) there's really no reference to it. This was the third in a row CC feature H. Bruce Humberstone directed. The next year he'd direct CHARLIE CHAN IN HONOLULU and go on to make I WAKE UP SCREAMING and some Tarzan films before going into TV. The next Chan installment would be CHARLIE CHAN ON BROADWAY.

Useless Note: Frederick Vogeding's character's last name is Strasser. The same name Conrad Veidt's character had in CASABLANCA (1942).

Thanks for reading! 



Sunday, October 7, 2018

Enter Fassbinder



LOVE IS COLDER THAN DEATH-1969-Rainer Werner Fassbinder's first film is a talky slow moving drama about hitman Bruno (future director Ulli Lommel) and friendship with Franz (writer/ director Fassbinder) who refused to join "the syndicate" and his hooker girlfriend (Hanna Schygulla, who went on to make many more films for Fassbinder). If you like grainy amateurish black and white films that look like they were filmed on the weekend when the actors weren't at their regular jobs then you might like this.


Saturday, July 11, 2015

German Horror



THE DEPRAVED-2011-In Berlin, four young people (3 girls, 1 guy) go on an illegal underground tour to a secret Nazi bunker. At the bunker they find it full of weird 3rd Reich graffiti. Unfortunately on the way back their German guide is badly injured in a fall after one of the girls takes his picture. Two of the girls go for help. The other two stay behind and meet a laughing German who turns out to be a crazy cannibal who likes to torture and kill. He holds the duo prisoners but the girl escapes into the subway. He follows her and re-kidnaps her despite the presence of many passengers. The killer even cleans up his mess at a station where he kills someone. The ridiculous story ends with the killer brushing his teeth with an electric toothbrush. I'm not sure if the title describes the killer or the director Andy Fetscher.

Thanks fro reading! 

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Germany



BLOODLUST-THE FEATURE-1977-This is a bizarre psychological drama, this time from Germany. It's about a traumatized office worker (Werner Pochath; also in Franco's DEVIL HUNTER) who has become deaf and mute after being beaten by his father as a little boy. He also saw dad molest his little sister. He seems to be a good worker but everyone at his job makes fun of him because he collects dolls (they even play a joke on him with an inflatable doll). He goes to prostitutes once in a while but can never perform and they mock him. The only person who seems to treat him nicely is a (slightly abnormal)  female neighbor who likes to dance around the building they live in but even her mother warns her to stay away from him (I don't think the character has a name and if he does I don't think it's mentioned in the film!). After she falls to her death (it almost seems like suicide) he becomes very unhinged and takes to mutilating and dismembering corpses. He even digs up the dancer's body and tries to revive it with his own blood (it doesn't work). He leaves the word mosquito at the scenes of his crimes and the press dub him "the vampire". Later he kills a couple having sex in a car and drinks their blood. Then the police arrest him. It's actually inspired by a real life German grave robber and necrophiliac.

Director Marijan David Vajda does a good job showing how the character's handicap alienates him from society and makes him the subject of ridicule (even though he can function normally it's people's ignorance and cruelty that are the real culprits) and some have hailed this as an unheralded masterpiece but I found it slow going. The version I saw was dark,choppy and badly dubbed but it has been remastered so you might want to check it out.

Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Conrad Veidt



HANDS OF ORLAC-1924-Giving his farewell performance renown pianist Paul Orlac (Conrad Veidt) is in a railroad crash that crushes his hands. A doctor seems to heel him and says Orlac will need a "strong will" to play again. Instead of playing Orlac sees a grinning face and dreams a giant fist is attacking him! He then learns the truth: the doctor couldn't save his hands and instead gave Orlac the hands of an executed murderer! He can't get over this and decides never to touch anyone again. This kind of gets in the way of being with his loving wife. After his greedy father in law is killed Orlac meets the supposedly dead murderer who claims the doctor's assistant cut off his head and attached it to a new body with metal hands! It's all a plot by the assistant to get money out of Orlac.

HANDS OF ORLAC is another excursion into German expressionism by director Robert Weine and star Veidt who earlier had the same roles on THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI. It's more psychological than horror and Veidt's performance is very off the top even for a silent film. Even though it might seem drawn out to some viewers it's still a classic! It was remade  in 1935 as MAD LOVE.

Thanks for reading!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Dr. Mabuse!



DR. MABUSE'-THE GAMBLER-1922-Fritz Lang's incredible crime drama introduces Dr. Mabuse' (Rudolf Klein-Rogge; later Rotwang in the director's METROPOLIS),an evil doing master of disguise, manipulator of the world market and counterfeiter. He's also a respected doctor of psychoanalysis who gives lectures to a bunch of weird bearded guys. Folks gather at the Petit Casino where he uses hypnotism to win at cards but state prosecutor Wenk (Bernard Goetzke) proves a good match. Meanwhile Mabuse's "hench-woman" Cara (Aud Egede-Nissen) has an affair with a guy named Hull who owes the doctor a large sum of money. Love plays an important role in all the goings on but Mabuse' proclaims: "There is no such thing as love-there is only passion!". No such thing as luck-only the will to gain power!". Once again showing his genius Lang uses 4 short shots to convey the history of one character! It's nearly 4 hours long but usually shown in two parts: The Gambler and Inferno. Novelist Norbert Jacques (who created the Mabuse' character) and Lang's then wife, actress Thea von Harbou wrote the story with Lang, who made two sequels at the beginning of the sound era.

Thanks for reading!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

It's In German!



TITANIC-1943-Yes, this is a version of the famous Ocean Liner tragedy only it’s in German and was made during WW2! Here however The English are viewed as being greedy capitalists who care more about money than they do human life. Of course The Germans in steerage are quite honorable.

Supposedly Hitler’s minister of propaganda Joseph Gobbells decided after its initial release that it was too much of a “downer” during such a turbulent time and recalled it. For many years it was considered a lost film but fortunately copies turned up. Parts of it are hard to follow because everyone is speaking German but it’s well made and acted. 


Thanks for reading!

Friday, December 18, 2009

Not So Subliminal Warning.....

Ok, the movie is called SUBLIMINAL SEDUCTION (1995). Warning number 1. It was shown on the cable network Showtime under the "Roger Corman Presents" banner. Now I like Corman. He was an independent maverick who made great low budget films in the '50's and '60's and he probably influenced a whole generation of movie-makers but recently all he does is release direct to video and cable nonsense, each more derivative than the last. See? That wasn't so bad was it?

Warning 2: This movie was produced and directed by actor Andrew Stevens whose other efforts include THE TERROR WITHIN 2, NIGHT EYES 3 and THE SKATEBOARD KID-2. Doesn anyone notice a pattern here? He did also direct a Don "The Dragon" Wilson martial arts thingy called VIRTUAL COMBAT.


Warning 3: It was released on VHS under the title THE CORPORATION.

The interactive hijinx story has a young couple (Ian Ziering and Katherine Kelly Lang) going to work for a Las Vegas video designer company run by the aforementioned Mr. Stevens, who yes has the unmitigated gall to also co-star in this (and limp and walk with a cane to boot) and his band of flunkies (Kin Shriner, Larry Manetti and Kim Morgan Greene). Dee Wallace Stone plays a talkative neighbor. The company is using cd-roms and video games to control people's emotions. "This stuff is like messin' with the inside of your head" says one character. They are also using subliminal messages to sell video games with names like "Mouse Maze" and "Radical Rat Trap".

Fred Olen Ray regular Hoke Howell and Juilan Kresner (from FIRECRACKER) co-star and to prove nepotism is not dead. Stevens' mom Stella also makes an apperance. It's not very good....




And speaking of not very good. A lot of TV shows are on dvd now. A good one to avoid is FLASH GORDON, a syndicated show made in 1954. It starred Steve Holland in the title role which sadly seems to be his only claim to fame. Looking somewhat like an All American '50's football player, he was bigger on talk than action but occasionally points an over sized "stun gun" at the bad guys. Irene Champlin plays Dale Arlen, in a dress that looks more like "IceCapades" than outer space. She doesn't do much but listen to Flash pontificate though in one episode she does try to fight. Much like her co-star Holland, this series seems to be her only claim to fame. Joe Nash is Dr. Zarkoff, who doesn't do much either. In fact, he hardly ever leaves his lab. Seems he didn't do much before or after either!

If you happen to get your courage up and decide to view an episode you might be suprised to hear most of the supporting cast speaking with German accents. Don't be! For some reason this no-budget mess was filmed in Berlin, Germany!

FLASH GORDON's credited director is American Wallace Worsley Jr. A second generation filmmaker (his dad directed several Lon Chaney Sr. silent films including THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME) he was mainly an assistant director and production manager on many US films. Guess how many other TV series he directed.....

I've seen Guther Van Fritsch's name sometimes mentioned as a director too. At least he did direct a number of TV shows in the '50's!!

This TV show should be forgotten in a flash.....


Thanks for reading!

Monday, July 20, 2009

K. Gordon Murray Does It Again!






RUMPELSTILTSKIN-1965-Film “entrepreneur” K. Gordon Murray distributed all types of films (mainly in the ‘60’s) but was most infamous for his Fantasy-Fairy Tale kids matinees, although most of them were Mexican imports that Murray re-edited, dubbed, Americanized the credits and added a narrator. The Mexican shot SANTA CLAUS (in which St. Nick battles a devil and seems to be on par with Jesus) was shown for years at Christmas time and the fairy tale adaptations like PUSS ‘N BOOTS and LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD AND THE MONSTERS really packed them in.

However RUMPELSTILTSKIN is not Mexican. It was filmed in of all places Germany in the late ‘50’s but the fact that it is in color probably helped it become the perfect vehicle for KGM to unleash upon unsuspecting kiddies every-where.

The story is the basic familiar Grimm’s fairy tale. No one knows the name of The Little Man of The Forest, a dwarf who seems to be very powerful and concerned about the welfare of the animals in the woods he patrols but in reality he’s not very nice at all and one can’t help but wonder why this little guy has such a lofty position. He gets mad at a prince who’s hunting on a Sunday (apparently a strict local taboo) and makes him fall off his horse. Marie, the daughter of a local Miller finds him and tends to his wounds. It’s love at first sight even though they part still strangers. It seems to peeve the little man but he still promises to help Maria if she ever needs it.

Eventually for some dumb reason The Miller brags to The King that Marie can do anything including spinning straw into gold and all the trouble begins. The King’s two toady assistants convince their Majesty to take The Miller up on his offer and she’s locked away with a wheel and tons of straw. She asks for the little man’s help three times, promising to give him her first born child should she marry The Prince. Naturally she thinks this preposterous since a lowly peasant girl like herself would never marry such a noble kind of guy!

Of course all this time The Prince has been searching for his true love even though she’s right under his nose. Everything is cleared up in time for the two lovers to be reunited, married and have their first kid. It’s around this time we also learn that the little man likes to dance around a fire in the middle of nowhere singing a song that reveals his name to be.... Jimmy Carl Black!

I’m kidding of course. His name is Rumpelstiltskin. He wants to put the baby in a cradle in the middle of the forest for some sick reason. Anyway after much name searching (some of the names they guess are hilarious) a little bird tells The Prince where he can find the dancing Rumpy. They guess it, he freaks out and disappears…The End…

RUMPELSTILTSKIN is not that entertaining either in a good or bad sense. Werner Kruger, the actor who plays the tiny lead is the best part. He somehow manages to be both scary and silly. He kind of frightened me! But even though his character’s name is the title of the movie he doesn’t have many scenes. Most of the dubbing is funny (the only part left in Germany is a song Marie sings) but a lot of time is wasted on the “comic antics” of The King’s two toadies.

KGM “presented” another fairy tale movie called “MISCHIEF IN WONDERLAND” which also featured Kruger.

By the way, this movie was "dug up" by my friend Tony! He's found several other "gems" that I'm sure you'll be seeing here in the future! As Bela said in GLEN OR GLENDA: 'BEVARE! BEVARE!"


Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Mischief In Germany


MISCHIEF IN WONDERLAND-1957-This German made fairy tale concerns the residents of a poor kingdom. The stupid King receives a magic button from the daughter of a fairy that grants him some wishes. He uses the wishes to give his starving populace lots of cake and candy. Soon everyone (including the children) is too fat and lazy to do any work. A turbaned king from another village wants to marry the king’s daughter but she refuses and plots to get rid of the candy oriented Wonderland. A doctor also helps out. This is more dumb but enjoyable kid oriented nonsense from Saturday matinee entrepreneur K. Gordon Murray who released this on an ignorant general public in the 1960’s. It also features Werner Kruger, the star of RUMPELSTITSKIN as “the genius” but the song he sings is cut out!!

The DVD version I saw (from Something Video) also featured two shorts. The first, SANTA’S MAGIC KINGDOM features a weird Santa Claus who gets helps from Merlin The Magician to fight an evil ogre (who is never seen). The Ferocious Wolf, Puss’N” Boots and Stinky The Skunk are also featured. It looks like someone’s holiday home movie. The second SANTA CLAUS AND HIS HELPERS has most of the same characters but also incorporates scenes from the Mexican made SANTA CLAUS (which Murray had released in the US). The stateside scenes were filmed at several Santa related playlands (“Santa’s Village”) in the US. (They are probably malls now!)



Thanks to my pal Tony for getting me a copy of this and thanks to everyone who read this!