Post #1000!! / IT CONQUERED THE WORLD / AIP - 1956

Welcome everbloody to Friday Night Drive-In!! Come join Tabonga and Ralphie as they present the Dungeon's awesome 1000th posting!! Yep, that's right! Amazing, ain't it?!!

Tonight's show is a special blast from the past, that Corman/Blaisdell classic, IT CONQUERED THE WORLD, featuring Beulah, the Venusian Vegetable!! Oh yeah, 'IT' stars Peter Graves, Bererly Garland and Lee Van Cleef, with Sally Fraser, Jonathan Haze and Dick Miller!! Not too effin' bad!!

Above is a great British poster... Cert. X! The tagline screams... SEE. THE HIDEOUS "FLYING FINGERS" OF THE MONSTER!

Dungeon Giant Ronald Stein composed the music including the extra creepy theme! Just a reminder, a few other titles Ron composed for are THE PHANTOM FROM 10,000 LEAGUES, DAY THE WORLD ENDED, THE SHE-CREATURE, NOT OF THIS EARTH, ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS, THE UNDEAD, INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN, ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN, GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW, LAST WOMAN ON EARTH, THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, DINOSAURUS, PREMATURE BURIAL, JOURNEY TO THE 7TH PLANET, THE TERROR, THE HAUNTED PALACE, DEMENTIA 13, BLOOD BATH and all the Larry Buchanan flicks which used, of course, his uncredited stock music. All hail Ron!!

Li'l Ralphie, Tabonga's hunchback tarantula assistant, sez he's honored to be the critter that gets to push the big red 'GO' button on such a special occassion!! So, here's!.. IT CONQUERED THE WORLD!

The scientists have lost their satellite after it darted out into space all on it's own! Man, that spacescape on the wall is overkill, no wonder the nerd seems confused!

Face it, Peter was a good looking guy!! Here he plays Dr. Paul Nelson. Of course, Peter was in two other sci-fi classics, KILLERS FROM SPACE and BEGINNING OF THE END!

Lee Van Cleef plays Dr. Tom Anderson, he's talking on a space radio in his home. He's a disgruntled scientist because no one believes his wild scientific theories, but he's actually in communication with a life form from Venus that has hitched a ride on the lost satellite, and is now headed to Earth!! Lee was the dude that killed THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS with his nuclear powered rifle...

I don't think that's transcontinental flight 17!.. The saucer there looks like the one from either KRONOS or STARMAN!

I used Photoshop to restore this lobby card to it's original form. Wow, this is the best damn poster, ever!! Again, leave it up to the Mexicanos to put that nice 'loco spin' on the coloring!! IT... aka 'Beulah' was actually painted a pinkish-red because it photographed the best in black + white, especially in the low-light cave scenes!

IT lands and all the world's machinery stops functioning, including Peter's new Buick!

IT releases a few hideous 'flying fingers' to bite people on the neck in order to take control of their minds!

Lots of comedy relief as Jonathan Haze (Pvt. Ortiz) and Dick Miller (Sgt. Neil) do their routine. Interestingly, the scientist in the middle is writer Charles B. Griffith, and besides writing this movie, he also wrote NOT OF THIS EARTH, ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS, THE UNDEAD, ROCK ALL NIGHT, TEENAGE DOLL, A BUCKET OF BLOOD, BEAST FROM HAUNTED CAVE, THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA, THE WILD ANGELS and DEATH RACE 2000!!!

SON!.. OF!.. A!!..

Yeah, yeah... Funny lookin' bird!

Sally Fraser play's Peter's wife. Sally also appeared in GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN, WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST, EARTH vs THE SPIDER and NORTH BY NORTHWEST!

It's amazing, Peter's aim in spearing this little pest... Dead-Eye!!

This is a really funny part, Dick turns to talk to Jonathan and the barrell of the rifle he's cleaning is right on Dick's nose! Dick quickly jumps back when he realizes what could possibly go wrong with that scenario. Check out that bazooka leaning against the tree!

Mrs. Anderson vows to kill the unwelcomed intruder from Venus!

Great box art for the SUPER 8 film!

Beverly can't avoid IT's wiliness and becomes a martyr! Tabonga had the biggest crush on Beverly, no kidding!

Classic 1950's fright!

Not sure what's going on here, but I hope it's not what it looks like!

This naughty boy's getting a spanking! I said, no playing Army in the cave!!!

Just like in INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN, the monster loses a bloody eyeball!!

Peter gives his moralistic speech at the end about what can go wrong if things get... too far out!!

Before Paul Blaisdell was a monster maker in Hollywood, he did cover and interior art for pulp magazines, Forry Ackerman was his agent! Here's one of his cover pieces...

Check back tomorrow for awesome post #1001...