Wednesday, April 16, 2014

AGENTE LOGAN - MISSIONE YPOTRON - Nico Fidenco "Ypotron: Final Countdown" (1966)

I don't get the vibe that most of you people dig Eurospy movies as much as me, but there's something always fascinating about them to me, so I'm going to keep throwing them at you until you concede the match! That being said, Welcome to Wrasslin' Wednesday down in The Dungeon, and the armbar from Hell called "Ypotron - Final Countdown!" Now tell me honestly, is there any way you can look at this poster, and not want to see this movie? If so, then you better check your pulse!!

First off, it's Agent 077, stop the presses, what else do you need to know? The whole seven thing as a sales pitch absolutely floors me, and you'd be shocked to see how many more of them I've got planned for you! It's truly astounding!

"Ypotron" is rife with G's like weird GUYS, and Luis Dávila is a freakin' prefect example of what I'm talkin' about! Born Héctor González Ferrantino, but working mostly as Luis Dávila, he's credited in this film as Luis Devil! The last time we saw Luis in The Dungeon was in the 1965 flick "Espionage in Tangiers," an earlier agent 077 tale!

The second big G in this film is GIRLS!! Just like the real 007, agent 077 is a chick magnet!  Take a second look, that's two women, not one!

More weird GUYS, like 077's pain in the culo sidekick, Jesús Puente as Wilson! Dichotomies abound!

The third big G is for GAMES! Don't try and get cagey and think you can play with 077!

Next up, what else are you more likely to find in a 60's spy flick? Freakin' GADGETS!!!

This is Gaia Germani as Jeanne Morrow! She is fascinating without a doubt! Double G for sure!!

Gaia only has 21 credits to her name, but more than a couple are worth seeking out, like "Hercules In The Haunted World," "Your Turn Darling," "Castle Of The Living Dead," "OSS 77-Operazione Fior Di Lloto,"and "Mr. X!"

Here's equal towel time for agent 077, who by the way is named either Mike Murphy or Lemmy Logan depending on who you talk to!

What 60's Eurospy movie is replete without a GODDESS like Dungeon hot list fave Janine (Kiss Me Monster) Reynaud in it?  Personally, I don't really think the blonde coiffeur really suits here, but to each their own!! That's what makes freedom great!!

It's tests my credibility a bit to realize that the guys who are Hell bent on taking over the world are driving a funky station wagon like this!!

Meanwhile, out in the middle of the stinkin' African desert somewhere, a huge rocket base has been built without detection! See, that is what so cool about the 60's; something like this could go undetected, these days, it would have to be completely underground!

Anyway, while Gaia is busy channeling Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast At Tiffany's," it gives me a great  opportunity to tell you the krazy title and ending credits were created by Nico Fidenco, a cat with arguably the credits for more weird movies than anyone, and here's what I'm talkin' about: "The Texican," "John The Bastard," "Supermen Against the Orient," "Zombie Holocaust," and if that ain't enuf, "Porno Holocaust!!" What a GUY!!

I really like this 'through the candles' shot!

There's absolutely nothing that says 60's Eurospy flicks like making out in a strip club! Go Murphy!!

By this time agent 077 has just about had his daily minimum requirement of bullshit!

What other G could possibly exist in a spy movie? GUNS! That's what!!

In what appears to almost be a Disney moment, I'll leave you with this parting shot of Gaia Germani and this little antennae watching over all of us for eternity!

Monday, April 14, 2014

EVEN MORE OF TABONGA'S FAVORITE FIFTIES MONSTERS

Welcome to Monster Monday with Tabonga, here at The Dungeon!.. Here's my last installment in this series of favorite fifties and sixties monster flicks. Still, I vote the fifties monsters the greatest of any decade, how lucky for us to grow up at that time, enjoy!

THE ANGRY RED PLANET - 1959 / This could be the first flick that Eegah!! and I saw together as a monster team. I love this Bat Rat Spider creature, truly, one of the top 10 most terrifying creations from the fifties!

Here's a drawing I did when I was sweet 16, you can see how seriously I took those monsters.

THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS - 1953 / This is the first monster movie I saw when my parents took me to see it at the beautiful Tulare Theater in 1953, when I was just 5 years old! That's the scene I remember the most, at the roller coaster ride in the amusement park.

FIRST MAN INTO SPACE - 1959 / I like this flick, and, watch it quite a bit. Another unique creation, pilot Dan Prescott gets covered in meteor dust when he ventures too far into space in his rocket plane!

THE FLAME BARRIER - 1958 / Saw this one with my neighbors in 1958, this shot of the multiplying blob from space brought to Earth in a satellite still gives me the creeps! Fairly mind bending for a youngster with a vivid imagination...

FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER - 1958 / Now, here's a wild and crazy flick! It remains a favorite for a number of reasons, like, those bug eyes by my favorite fifties makeup artist, Harry Thomas, I always enjoy watching Sally Todd, who becomes the monster, and, I used to live a block away from where Page Cavanaugh and his Trio (who did the rock and roll music at the pool party) played nightly at a fancy Italian restuarant in LA in the eighties and nineties.

GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS! - 1956 / Godzilla was a truly terrifying monster in this one. Godzilla was a metaphor for the horror of Japan being bombed by two atomic bombs in 1945! There was a total of 15 Godzilla movies made through the seventies.

I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN - 1957 / I didn't get to see this one at the time, but, I remember walking by the theater displaying the double bill posters for it and I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF! Great makeup on the muscular hunk, Gary Conway.

INVADERS FROM MARS - 1953 / Saw this one on TV in the mid-fifties, it always left me with a very depressed feeling. Shown are two giant Martian mutants in the spaceship hidden beneath the earth, they're holding the beautiful Helena Carter and 12 year old Jimmy Hunt.

THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD - 1957 / Here's another movie with an awesome monster! This staged shot of the creature holding the shapely Audrey Dalton was used for the poster art, I'm pretty sure. I used to have the lobby card showing the monster.

NOT OF THIS EARTH - 1957 / Saw this one in 1957... Paul Birch looked totally wicked when he removed his sun glasses, I think Corman used a special type of film for the closeups of his eyes because it has a weird glow to it. Also, Paul Blaisdell's shocking Umbrella Monster puts the icing on the cake!

A little reminder, I'll be doing a special All-Blaisdell post soon, so, you'll want to check that one out for sure!

RETURN OF THE FLY - 1959 / Saw this in the Tulare Theater with my cousins, even though the budget for this one was far less than the original, the large fly head really came on strong! I also like the freaky part where the detective ends up with guinea pig hands and feet.

RODAN - 1956 / Caught this one for the first time on TV, Rodan and his mate were very cool looking creatures, but, the creepiest parts had the giant subterranean insects, the Meganulon! Here's a shot showing one of them clearly.

TARANTULA - 1955 / Saw this one with my neighbors, and, freaked me out good, especially the diseased scientists and Leo G. Carroll shown here in the photo!! It was double billed with THE WEREWOLF.

Tune in Wednesday when Eegah!! will present another twisted little flick!

Saturday, April 12, 2014

THE IMAGE - Michael Armstrong - Michael Byrne - David Bowie (1967)

 OKAY! I'm off to Lost Wages, Nevada to see Bryan Ferry perform, and I'm leaving you here with this haunting little movie with a 20 year old David Bowie in it to make up for it! It's Saturday Night, you have got time to read this and still lively up yourself!! The obvious link from Bryan Ferry to David Bowie is because they both have major connections to Brian Eno! I'm expecting a very good show!!

 "The Image" is a short film made by Michael Armstrong! Michael's next endeavor and first feature film would be my favourite slasher flick "Horror House" starring another Pop idol in an odd role, Frankie Avalon!

 The Artiste is actor Michael Byrne who went on to be in some two bit productions that had characters in them with names like Harry Potter and Indiana Jones! This guy had one amazing career!!

 The door is locked, but that's not going to help!!

 The basic concept is that the painting that the artiste is currently working on has come to life! That's where Rock God David Bowie comes in!

 "The Image" was fairly concurrent with the release of David Bowie's first albums! You know those ones that are really hard to get through without squirming a bit!

 Although the boy in the painting is creepy enough, he doesn't come across as overly menacing!

 
 But his presence makes The Artiste very uncomfortable just the same, so he tries to kill whatever it is!

 There is no dialogue in "The Image," just this weird uncredited music that reminds me a lot of the music in Ed Wood's "Night Of The Ghouls!"

As far as I can tell David Bowie unfortunely had nothing to do with the music! If I'm wrong, maybe he'll let me know!!

After  bashing him in the head doesn't work, The Artiste decides to erase The Image with a knife!

This would probably be a good time to listen to David Bowie's "The Laughing Gnome!" "Ha, Ha, Ha, Hee, Hee, Hee!"

So there you go, if you try hard enough you can probably find "The Image" on YouTube somewhere! Me, I've off to see "Virginia Plain!" Have a good weekend!!

Friday, April 11, 2014

UNTAMED WOMEN / Jewell Enterprises Inc. - 1952

It's Lost World Friday with Tabonga, here at The Dungeon!.. We gots a little story about WWII pilots that find an island inhabited by a bunch of primitive cave-women, dinosaurs and a group of savage cavemen. Nice poster art!

Eegah!! sent over a soundclip from this wild movie for our earjoyment, sooooo, you can push the big red 'GO' button there by the giant lizard flop, NOW, Rufus The Gnat! Here's a taste of... UNTAMED WOMEN!

The flick starts in a military hospital with Col. Loring, played by Lyle Talbot, trying to get some answers from pilot Steve Holloway after he was picked up on a life raft in the Pacific Ocean. Mikel Conrad plays Steve, who also starred in the Alaskan adventure, THE FLYING SAUCER, and, had a part in the original GODZILLA. I recently scored the 1950 SUPERMAN vs. ATOM MAN serial where Lyle Talbot plays the bald Lex Luthor, very cool!

Steve tells a story about dumping his disabled B-17 in the drink and how him and three other crew members make it to an unknown island in their life raft, only to be captured by some Untamed Women!

The women send them out into the wilds to fend for themselves, where they encounter prehistoric animals! Some of these scenes look decent as they fire their pistols at the monsters and try to get away from the danger.

Even though the man-eating plant shown here looks a little hokey, at least the movie has one!

It's fun to watch the pretty women run around and lounge in their skimpy clothes!

Farm boy shows this gal how they milk a cow where he comes from, weird! Blogger tinted this photo sepia on its own, just in case I might like it better that way. Thanks Blogger, you freakin' dummkoph!

The 'Hairy Men' show up to cause problems, they want the girls for breeding purposes! Steve and the boys shoot them full of holes with their pistols, though.

Then, out of nowhere, the volcano explodes and covers the island with hot lava!

Everyone and everything, except Steve, parish in the disaster. Steve barely makes it to the shore where he escapes in the life raft...

Steve finishes his story. The Colonel and a colleague discuss the strange medallion found in a pocket of Steve's clothing! Tune in tomorrow for more from Eegah!!

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Monster Music
AAARRGGHHH!!!! Ya'll Come On Back Now, Y'Hear??