NIGHT GALLERY / "Deliveries In The Rear" - 1972

This story is about anatomy and surgical instructor John Fletcher, who uses cadavers brought to him by grave robbers in yet another version of the Burke and Hare legend...

It stars Cornel Wilde as John Fletcher and Rosemary Forsyth as his fiancée Barbara Bennett.

Here's John Fletcher teaching his anatomy students all about how to carve up a cadaver.

After class lets out, Fletcher's helper, Jamie, tells him that there's been a delivery in the rear! Jameson is played by 5'5" Walter Burke, a very recognizable character.

Here are John Maddison and Peter Whitney as the two murderous grave robbers. Their motto is... No questions asked!

John and Jamie have scored an excellent male cadaver for his next anatomy lecture.

John has gone to visit his fiancée Barbara for the evening. After she finishes her songs on the piano, she's asked to leave the room so the men can talk.

Barbara's father (played by the great Kent Smith) speaks his mind when talking to John. There are whispers of John's receiving cadavers of murder victims for his classes. But John says that it doesn't matter, poor people are just scum anyway, and so yes, it may happen, oh well!

At this moment, I knew how this story was going to end.

After John leaves, Mr. Bennett muses... How can a man so dedicated to saving lives be so ignorant of the sanctity of life itself?

Then the school administrator pops in to address the rumors about John receiving cadavers of murdered victims. The police are looking for a male body and John better not have that body in his possession! John assures him that he has a female body for the class.

Okay then, we need a woman cadaver. Jamie is sent out to contact their buddies.

The boys hit up the local funeral home, but they don't gots no girls!

Inspector Hannify shows up to give John some dire warnings about the rumors swirling around a certain murder case involving a Mr. Woods...

At the same time Jamie brings in the cadaver for class...

But first, John has to go to the rear to pay his guys for their handy work!

I just love this picture, looks like a freaking painting!

So, John pulls back the sheet...

As school administrators watch on...

The truth will set you free!

Talk about effing up!

THE NIGHT STRANGLER - "Every 20 Years He Must Kill...To Live" (1973)

 

 The first tale of Carl Kolchak, "The Night Stalker" was made in 1972, and that was followed up by tonight's Saturday Night Special from 1973, "The Night Strangler."

 

 

 Of course this film again stars Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak, and Simon Oakland as Tony Vincenzo, but the new female co-star of this movie is the amorous Jo Ann (The Fall Guy) Pflug as the belly dancing Louise Harper. She tries to help Kolchak as much as she can.

The basic ingredients of "The Night Stalker" and "The Night Strangler" might not be that much different, but the odd casting of classic characters is, and has a lot to do why it's so much fun to watch.

You've got Scott (Journey To The Center Of Time) Brady as the perennial frustrated and angry police captain.

Funny little guy Wally (The voice of Underdog) Cox, is the research expert named Mr. Berry who helps out Kolchak immensely! Wally Cox was one of the most incredible talents on the planet, although many people only know him as a square on "Hollywood Squares." He was best friends with Marlon Brando, and their cremated ashes were actually scattered together, and one of the most incredible and unbelievable things about Wally was that he was a soul singer in the 1960's, and when you listen to this song, you will not believe your ears! Yes, that's really him!

Wally Cox - "This Man"

Any child who has ever seen "The Wizard Of Oz" will immediately recognize Margaret Hamilton as the woman who was The Wicked Witch Of The West.

Dungeon Mega-Hero John Carradine is also in there. With 354 acting credits, John was probably in more horror movies than anybody even knows were made.

Al (Grandpa Munster) Lewis has a small role as a tramp living in the underground city beneath Seattle that burned down in 1889. Modern Seattle was built on top of it, and to this day, there are still guided underground tours of the streets and tunnels.

Nina (Dead Heat On A Merry-Go-Round) Wayne is the younger sister of blonde bombshell Carol Wayne, and is another one of the dancers in the club with Louise Harper.

Virginia (Ratboy, My Demon Lover) Peters is Charisma Beauty's husband and bodyguard Wilma!

Much like "The Night Stalker," and "Ripper," "The Night Strangler" starts off with a series of women being murdered, but it's not in Las Vegas this time, it's Seattle, Washington, where Kolchak has moved to after being fired in Vegas. Little does he know that his old boss Tony Vincenzo was also fired and relocated to Seattle, and is Carl's boss again.

One female victim after another is being strangled in what is now the world famous Pioneer Square area of Seattle.

Not only have they been strangled, but they also have been drained of blood, and Kolchak with the help of Mr. Berry, has deducted that it's been going on for 144 years, so of course nobody believes him!

I don't know how many 'Strangler' films there are total, but here is a list of some of the 'Strangler' titles we've featured here on this site! It's very possible that the 'Strangler' concept is probably more popular than ghouls, fiends, and demons all put together!

So here you go, "The Strangler," "Santo Vs. The Ghost Of The Strangler," "Strangler Of The Swamp," "The Hollywood Strangler Meets The Skid Row Slasher," "Santo Vs. The Strangler," "The Night Of The Strangler,"  "Invisible Strangler," "Teen-Age Strangler,"  "The Haunted Strangler," and "The Strangler Of Blackmoor Castle."

 I think you get the picture!

Adding to the mystery, some of the witnesses say the killer looks like a dead man, while others say he looks very handsome!

In an elevator, Kolchak explains to Louise Harper the whole story of the vampire in Las Vegas.

His story doesn't have much affect on Louise, but in a pretty funny moment, we see how it shocks the rest of the passengers on the elevator when her and Kolchak exit. If this isn't a perfect WTF?! shot, then I don't know what is.

It's a long story, but the murdering bastard is a hallowed name in the city, which makes it even more difficult of a story for Kolchak to sell! Richard (Forbidden Planet) Anderson is the almost immortal Doctor.

 

At least his story is finally printed despite the odds, but then he finds out there were only twenty copies printed before they stopped the presses and ran the story as you will see below instead!

 

To make things even worse, Kate (Switchblade Sisters) Murtagh as Janie Watkins, a woman Kolchak can't stand, rubs it in his face. Kate was also in the episode pf "The Twilight Zone" called "Mr. Garrity And The Graves,"

 As expected, Kolchak is fired once again, and so is Tony Vincenzo, but that's okay, because after this, they get their own show!

ULTRAMAN / "Terror On Route 87" - 1966

In this episode, a giant bird-monster is attacking motorists on Route 87 in the mountains near Omuro Park. The Science Patrol guys go out to investigate what seems to have some supernatural link to it's mystery.

Science Patrollers take the easy way up the hill to the park.

A guard who saw a luminous glow from the mountain top describes all the details of what took place that night.

It looks like this place is for real, that's one Hell of a monument there! The statue is of the supernatural bird named "Hydra."

And in the museum at the park there's a painting of the creature that seems to be what drivers saw, yes, Hydra!

That night all Hell breaks loose, Hydra emerges from inside the mountain overlooking the park!

The Science Patrol guys fire away at the giant bird...

But all that does is piss it off!!

The next day Hydra is up to its old tricks, attacking the motorists on Route 87 for some unknown reason.

The monster seems most interested in destroying trucks!

Hayata has crashed in his plane but gets away from the crowd to change into Ultraman, and boy, just in the nick of time!

So, the two tussle around for a while, like this hand to hand combat here. Ultraman is giving Hydra the old Three Stooges nose pull...

Our hero resorts to his most lethal attack, but the big bird just keeps coming.

Then, Hydra heads off into the sky, with a transparent child on its back.

Fuji communicates with Ultraman to let him know that Hydra is the protector of children that have been run over by cars on Route 87. Ultraman ceases fire and watches as the giant bird flies off into the sky with the child on its back.

Hydra reminds us of how important it is to take care of our children!