Bad Guy Got His Own TV Show!

 

 (imdb)

THE ADVENTURES OF DR. FU MANCHU-This TV series was produced in the 1956 by the television branch of Republic Pictures. They paid a good deal of money for the rights but only 13 episodes were made due to legal complications that lead to courtroom litigation with Sax Rohmer's estate. I know DC comics once released a comic where The Joker was the lead character and Marvel had the title "Super Villain Team-Up" but it's weird that a guy who's called "evil incarnate" in the intro would be the titular star featuring his adventures (which actually consist of spreading death and destruction). 

To top it all off, of course, Fu was played by a white actor Glen Gordon, who appeared in numerous TV episodes and movies (mostly uncredited). English actor Lester Matthews (THE WEREWOLF OF LONDON, THE RAVEN (both 1935)) is Fu's good guy arch-nemesis Nayland Smith and familiar character Clark Howatt plays Dr. Petre. Other regulars included Laurette Luez (PREHISTORTIC WOMAN (1950), JUNGLE GENTS (1954)) as Fu's evil female assistant, Carla Balenda as good girl Betty and John George (whose career started in the silent era) a Klob, Fu's subservient toady. The episodes were directed by Franklin Adreon or William Witney. The following episodes are the only ones I've seen. 

The Golden God of Dr. Fu Manchu-The doctor tries to smuggle all the gold coming into Macau. Keye Luke, Jean Willes and Rick Vallin guest star. (Episode 2)

The Vengeance of Dr. Fu Manchu-Fu tries to get a monopoly in chemicals used in munitions to use against his enemies. Philip Van Zant is his lackey. (Episode 4)

Dr. Fu Manchu's Raid-The evil one tries to create a worldwide panic so he can control the US stock market. Mel Welles plays Fu's obedient henchman. (Episode 8)

The Death Ships of Dr. Fu Manchu-This time the nefarious Fu tries to use germ warfare to start a war between China and the US. (Episode 9)

The Master Plan of Dr. Fu Manchu-Fu teams up with the still alive Hitler and has a famous plastic surgeon change his face. They plan to destroy all the US atom bombs and conquer the world. Steven Geray plays the other evil guy. (Episode 11)

The Satellites of Dr. Fu Manchu-The insidious one kidnaps 4 scientists including Petrie. He seems to have his eyes on space. Smith traps Fu but to save Petrie and the others, has to let him go. Otto Waldis plays a scientist. (Episode 12)

The Assassins of Dr. Fu Manchu-The devilish doctor tries to sabotage the group working on a secret jet fighter. Also thrown in is Fu's adopted son George, who is being trained to follow in his "father's" footsteps. Michael Whalen, John Eldredge, Frank Wilcox and Henry B. Thomas are in it. (Episode 13-last of the series)

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Phil Tucker Returns!

CAPE CANAVERAL MONSTERS-1960-After a car wreck kills a man and woman, balls of light enter each body and they are reanimated as the male Hauron (TV actor Jason Johnson) and the female Nadja (Katherine Victor from Jerry Warren movies), aliens who set up base in cave and destroy rockets the U.S. is launching into space. The bodies they occupy are worst for wear. Nadja's face is scarred and Hauron is missing an arm. Nadja finds the severed limb (“I'll sew it back on when we get to the base”). Later while Hauron is prowling around the test site guard dogs rip his arm off again! (Ever have one of those days?) At Cape Canaveral a grumpy German scientist wonders what's gone wrong and berates his scientist/niece Sally (Linda Connell) and her scientist/boyfriend Tom (Scott Peters; later in THEY SAVED HITLER'S BRAIN) for suggesting aliens are to blame. While the young duo is out with another couple Tom picks up static on his portable radio which is caused by a generator used by the aliens. He tells his colleagues back at the lab but they couldn't care less. 

Meanwhile the alien duo shoot down a few more rockets. Later Sally and Tom go on picnic with their two friends. They decide to follow the static again and their friends are soon kidnapped and drugged. Hauron gets a new arm and chin from his captive. Later Sally and Tom are captured but Tom gets away (leaving Sally behind). He gets help from 2 local police detectives who organize a small posse of scientists (including the German) to invade the cave and save Sally. Somehow they are all captured and the aliens head for their planet via some kind of transport machine. After legit science babble the group causes an explosion that frees them and destroys the invaders….or does it? 

This cheap science fiction junk was written and directed by Phil Tucker, the man behind the “classic” ROBOT MONSTER! Though the real Cape Canaveral is in Florida this was shot in California. Some scenes were filmed at the famous Bronson Canyon where years before Tucker had shot RM! There is some debate on whether it ever played theatrically.

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Robby The R Returns

THE INVISIBLE BOY-1957-A giant computer created by Dr. Merrinoe (Phillip Abbott) turns the scientist's son Timmie (Richard Eyer) invisible and plots to enslave the Earth with some rockets the US had ready to launch. The doc gets help from Robby The Robot who plants metal disks in the head of an army general (Harold J Stone) and some government scientists (including Robert H Harris and Than Wyenn). Eventually Robby and Timmie wind up on a rocketship. After they think the computer is finished it comes back and nearly succeeds in enslaving father and son but Robby saves the day and prevents the boy from being spanked by dad. The plot alternates from very dumb to very eerie. 

The actress who plays Timmie's mom is Diane Brewster who a few years later played the doomed Helen Kimble (in flashback scenes) on TV's THE FUGITIVE!

Director Herman Hoffman did mostly TV after this. The screenplay is by Cyril Hume who the year before wrote Robby the Robot's debut film FORBIDDEN PLANET. Eyer later played the genie in THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD. 

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First Fu

THE FACE OF FU MANCHU-1965-Although evil Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee) is beheaded at the onset, his good guy nemesis Nayland Smith (Nigel Green) has a dream that his arch foe is still alive. After Dr. Muller (Walter Rilla) disappears Smith is sure of it and he's right. Somehow Fu got a double to take his place on the guillotine and now holds the doctor hostage to learn the secret of the Black Hill poppy. His slutty daughter Lin Tang (Tsai Chin) wants to whip a female traitor but Fu drowns her instead. Then Fu goes after some papers in a museum. Although Smith does his best and rarely underestimates his foe, Fu usually gets the drop on the situation (they read an address out loud in front of a spy, etc.). When an eccentric professor takes the papers home Fu hypnotizes him then wipes out a coastal town with some toxic gas he hopes to rule the world with. He goes to Tibet to get the secret ingredient poppy but Smith with the help of his usual companion Dr. Petrie (Howard Marion Crawford) blows up the castle he and his daughter are in. However his infamous catch phrase “the world shall hear of me again” is also heard. 

This was the first of five film versions with Lee as the infamous doctor each one getting cheaper and more preposterous as they went on. Don Sharp directed most of them and had already worked with Lee on THE DEVIL SHIP PIRATES the year before. Harry Alan Towers was the producer and wrote this one which I don't think was based on any actual story by creator Sax Rohmer. Karin Dor and Joachim Fuschberger also have roles.

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50's Brain

THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS-1957-Wooo-Hoooo! They don't make 'em like this anymore!

Nice scientist Steve March (John Agar; in THE DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL the same year) discovers some abnormal radioactivity at "Mystery Mountain". After discussing it with his girlfriend Sally (Joyce Meadows) and her father (Thomas B. Henry) he and his assistant Dan (Robert Fuller) decide to investigate. In a cave (Bronson canyon) they run into a a giant alien brain that's impervious to their bullets. It goes inside Steve's body.

After being gone a whole week, Sally plans her own expedition to find them but Steve mysteriously shows up and gives her a big kiss ("It make my toes tingle). He says Dan has gone to Las Vegas and then seems to have a spasm that he says is just a toothache. Sally senses trouble and needs the help of the family dog to get free of his over amorous clutches. When she says he should see a doctor he says "Don't expert me, Sally!". Is this real English?

Later we learn the brain that has taken him over is named Gor and is from the planet Arous. It has big plans and thinks Sally is "a very exciting female". Sally expresses her concerns to her father who's too cheerful about it even when Steve yells at him for no reason. Father and daughter decide to go up to "Mystery Mountain" and look around. They find the cave Steve and Dan went into. There they discover  Dan's burned corpse. They also meet another brain named Vol who it seems is kind of like a federal agent from Arous and has come to capture Gor, obviously some kind of escaped lunatic. At night Vol plots with Sally and dad to save Steve's life by getting Gor out of his body. Vol decides to take over George the dog to be around Steve/Gor a lot.

Meanwhile Gor has plans to take over the world with "the power of pure intellect". Steve's eyes become very glassy and he destroys an airplane. On a date Steve brags about his new discovery that will "make me the most feared man on Earth". Vol tells them that a blow to the "fissure of Rolando" at the base of Gor's skull could kill him. After he kills the local sheriff, Steve goes to Washington DC and demonstrates his power by setting off an atomic bomb before it's scheduled. He later meets with delegates from every nation. He lays out a plan wherein the Earth will work continuously around the clock to build a huge armada so Gor can return to Arous and conquer it. In the end its plans never see fruition as Sally gets the word to Steve about the fissure and armed with an ax Steve does the brain in.

BRAIN is a pretty cool little Howco production that benefits from John  Agar's performance especially when he's possessed by Gor. His maniacal laugh and sinister grin are the high points of the low budgwt production.

Director Nathan Hertz (aka Nathan Juran) was very busy in 1957 also directing 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH, THE DEADLY MANTIS and HELLCATS OF THE NAVY (with Ronald Reagan & Nancy Kelly).