ASHES TO ASHES - "Episode #1.1" (2008)

 I was really taken aback when my friend Lord Litter in Berlin told me that there was a continuation, or kind of a sequel to the amazing  2006 series "Life On Mars," 

and it was named after another David Bowie song, "Ashes To Ashes." 

This was something I had to see immediately!

 Last year I watched to whole first "Life On Mars" series, and then I watched the whole American version, and I thought I was done, but oh no, these people haven't finished messing with my head yet!

 DI Alex Drake was just trying to take her daughter to school when she is summoned to an emergency hostage situation, and this is where it all starts over again!

Welcome to another Saturday Night Special in The Dungeon!

 The hostage is released. The maniac who was holding the hostage requested to see and talk to DI Drake, but she has no idea why!

 This is all he has in mind!

 The killer has no mercy, and then the madness begins in earnest!

 And the David Bowie references are spookier than ever!

 When Alex Drake comes to, she is on a large party yacht, and apparently now, she's a hooker!

 Then she realizes it's 1981, not 2008 anymore!

 Alex Drake has one huge advantage over Sam Tyler. After his alledged suicide, she had been studying his story, and reading his notes, and so when she finds herself in a similar situation, she's pretty sure she knows how to get back to where she came from!

 But that's not going to happen any time real soon. "Ashes To Ashes" was on for three seasons or 24 episodes, however you want to look at it!

 And Yes, she has to deal with the same exact characters that Sam Tyler did starting with the Jean Genie himself, Gene Hunt!

 Officers Chris Skelton and Ray Carling are back too, and

I'll tell you what! Right about here, I was just as confused as Chris Skelton is most of the time!

 Alex Drake has only been conscious a short while, and she's already in a hostage situation again!

 Up to this point, they just thought she was a prostitute! Now it's time to try and start getting things all figured out!

 Bringing back the main character as a female has got to be some kind of stroke of genius, and there are obviously going to be many more frustrating hurdles for her in the macho world of 1981!

The same...but very different!!

 I'm through four episodes now, and it's still keeping me guessing. Just like Alex Drake, I know the story, but it doesn't make it any less interesting, that's for damn sure!

 Every bar should have a backdrop like this for people to take a picture in front of!

Lost and alone, Alex Drake has a long road ahead of her. It's going to take a lot more than wine to help her find way back home!

MAD MONSTER PARTY? / At Long Last, A Motion Picture With Absolutely No Cultural Value!! - 1967

Here's a redo from a few years back, in this Rankin Bass animation production, Baron Frankenstein decides to retire from the monster-making business, so, he invites all the classic monsters to a creepy convention to elect his successor. Everyone is there including Dracula, The Werewolf, The Creature, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and more. The doctor has also discovered the secret of total destruction and it must not fall into the wrong hands.

It stars the voices of Boris Karloff, Allen Swift, Phyllis Diller, Gale Garnett, Ethel Ennis and more. Gale Garnett was best known for her hit, "We'll Sing In The Sunshine" from the sixties, but also ended up with 42 acting credits. Alan Swift did the voices for Felix Flankin, Yetch, Dracula, Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Chef Machiavelli, Captain, First Mate, Mr. Kronkite, the Mail Man and The Monster!!

Of all things, little Felix Flankin gets an invite to Dr. Frankenstein's place on a remote island.

The monsters have arrived by steamer and are making their entrance at the Baron's palace...

There's plenty of wild and crazy monster tunes to keep the whole gang entertained.

And, it's nothing but mayhem at the dinner table, Mr. Hyde pops the head off Yetch (one of my favorite words) because he was getting on his nerves!

Felix is late to the party because he missed the ship with the monsters and rowed there in a small boat. The Baron and Francesca find him and they take the Baron's dragon motor boat back to the palace.

Then, the Baron shows Felix around the place. In the lab, he shows the little guy one of his pets, a glob of goo that likes its dog food!

The Baron plays a tune on his wild guitar and all the little creatures in the lab dance around Felix, freaking him out but good.

Of all things, Francesca really likes Felix, she's never seen anyone quite like him. And, Felix feels the same way about her, making for another tune to sing and dance to.

But, all the other monsters don't like it and try to kidnap Francesca, well, until something really big shows up and chases them away.

Now we have a big old damn dirty ape getting in on the action, and guess what? He has a crush on the Francesca! It's not long before the ape grabs his prize and takes off with her!

The Baron and the monsters pilot some of the Baron's old airplanes and go on the attack!

Felix has rescued Francesca from the island as the ape has the Baron and the monsters in his big meaty hands. The Baron has his secret vial of destruction with him for the occasion...

He drops the vial and when it hits the ground, we get this!

Felix and Francesca sail off into the sunset, they're a perfect match, she was made by Frankenstein and he's actually a robot!! We'll see you tomorrow when we'll have even another great post from the Dungeon Gang!!

FOR SINGLES ONLY - "...it's party time 24 hours a day!" (1968)

 Tonight's Weirdo Wednesday feature is just that! Something I rarely do is present you with movies I have not even seen myself, but I stumbled on this madcap lightweight sex romp called "For Singles Only," and decided it needs to be acknowledged on these pages for a couple of reasons!

First reason is "For Singles Only" had a lot of odd 60's music in it, and I'm pretty sure this manic video of The Lewis and Clarke Expedition called "Destination Unknown" will attest to that fact!

That's Texans Michael Martin Murphey as Travis Lewis, and Owen Castleman as Boomer Clarke! In 1968 Owen Castleman invented a device called the 'Palm Pedal,' that allowed guitar players to execute pedal steel-style string bends.
 

Another band performing a silly novelty song in this film was The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. I didn't know until just now that singer/songwriter Jackson Browne was an original member of the band for the first few months before pursuing his very lucrative solo career!


Nominated for various awards in the 80's and the 90's, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band finally won a Grammy in 2004 for "Best Country Instrumental" with added players Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Jerry Douglas, and Vassar Clements!

Brazilian Pianist and organist Walter Wanderley and his trio also perform a couple of songs in the film. Walter had a #26 hit tune in 1966 called "Summer Samba!" The song "Kee Ka Roo" is used in this movie, but I think this version with Luiz Henrique is the same, but different!

The great vibraphone player Cal Tjader, who was also known as the most successful non-Latino Latin musician, is also in this movie! It's not in this film, but one of my favourite Cal Tjader songs is "Soul Sauce" that peaked at # 88 in 1965!

The last of the bands in this movie was the pop rock group known as The Sunshine Company. I bought this LP new when it came out, but I never liked it much, because even though it might look like it would have psychedelic overtones, in my opinion it was just disappointing soft rock drivel!

Here's a great pair, Mary Ann Mobley and John Saxon! Miss Mississippi 1958 and Miss America 1959, Mary Ann had the unfortunate distinction of being originally chosen but dropped as both "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E." and Batgirl! She passed away in 2014.

The good news is John (Blood Beast From Outer Space) Saxon is still around and working today!

 The other stars are Lana (Diamonds Are Forever) Wood, and Peter Mark (Agent For H.A.R.M.) Richman. Lana and Mark are still both alive, and she's still acting, but he hasn't done anything since 2016!

 It's funny what one comma can do or not do. In this direct quote about the movie's story line from IMDB, it says "Anne and Helen move into a California apartment complex for single only where all the occupants are looking to hook up with Milton Berle as the building manager."
Even though I haven't seen the movie, I don't really think they were there to hook up with Milton Berle, but that would have probably been interesting!

I'd like to see "For Singles Only" but I'm not really willing to pony up the $20.00+ the DVD's are going for, but from the looks of that poster, I think probably the best part was the musical performances anyway, but if I find it streaming somewhere some day for free, I'm always up for a good party!

THE OUTER LIMITS / "The Forms Of Things Unknown" Season 1 Episode 32 - 1964

In this wild tale, two female friends poison Andre, a sadistic blackmailer, then while fleeing, they happen upon an isolated house containing a time machine, yeah! Kasha, his lover, and Leonora, the daughter of the blackmail target, fight to bury him before the idealistic inventor Tone Hobart is able to re-animate the murdered man, by tilting him back into the past...

This one stars Vera (PSYCHO) Miles, Cedric (THINGS TO COME) Hardwicke, Scott (FREDDY'S NIGHTMARES) Marlowe, David (AROUND THE WORLD UNDER THE SEA) McCallum and Barbara (IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE) Rush.

The story starts with a seemingly out of control Rolls Royce lurching along a mountain road.

The driver, Andre, he wants to stop and have a dip in a lake. While he frolics in the water, well, his girlfriend poisons his drink and Andre goes down for the count. They take his body and put it the trunk of the car...

And, wouldn't you know it, Andre disappears, freaking the girls out but good.

Leonora just starts running, Kasha follows her and they end up at a remote house in the woods.

Inside, they meet inventor Tone Hobart, he explains that he has devised a time machine and that's why they can't find Andre, he has tilted time and brought him back to life!

Just wanted to show this strangely lit shot, Vera almost looks like the space girl in THE ASTOUNDING SHE-MONSTER!

Leonora needs a stiff drink after hearing that Andre is still alive, but, where in the Hell is that sadistic son of a bitch?!.. Well, he has found the house and invites himself in.

Tone has a heart to heart with Colus (who's blind), he has made a big mistake by bringing Andre back to life, but, what to do?..

Tone tells Andre all about the mistake he's made and threatens to kill him. But, Tone is hypnotized by a moving metal toy. Andre just takes the gun away from him, he grabs Kasha and they drive away into the night...

Things don't go that well for Kasha, she jumps out of the moving car, then, Andre tries to run her over but puts the car in a ditch and he dies from the accident!

Back at the ranch, Leonora runs into the room with the time machine and gets tangled in the wires. Tone untangles her and tells her to get out of the room!

The others watch as Tone manipulates the machine...

He assumes a position in the wires and he disappears into time. So, check in Wednesday when we return with another load of terror, just 4 U, here, at The Dungeon!!