THE WASP WOMAN In Color - 1959

Here we go with another recently colorized movie that gives some new life to this Corman classic horror film, one Eegah and I saw together back in the day. It has a terrific cast including Susan Cabot,  Anthony (Fred) Eisley, Barboura Morris, Michael Mark, William Roerick, Frank Gertsle and small parts with Bruno VeSota, Frank Wolff, Gene Corman and Roger Corman. The screenplay is written by Leo Gordon, who also wrote the original story and screenplay for ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES, another Corman movie Eegah and I saw together, we wuz lucky kids, man!

It's all about Janice Starlin, she's the head of a cosmetics company and experiments on herself with a youth serum made from royal jelly extract... From Wasps! What could go wrong?!

After being let go from his beekeeping job, Eric Zinthrop contacts Janice Starlin about a youth formula. During their first meeting he shows her what it can do, he picks up a guinea pig, injects it with the serum, minutes later, it's a rat! Don't ask me, but, it means that the animal got younger! So, now what? Well, he wants to experiment with the formula a little more before he's ready to use it on humans...

In his new in house lab, Zinthrop is pressured to give Janice an injection before he's finished with his tests, and she gets her first injection... This widescreen print looks great.

And of course Janice double dips after everyone goes home, she wants it to work faster.

When she shows up the next day, she looks fabulous! Everyone is amazed at how young she looks, and can't stop gawking at her.

Back at the lab though, Zinthrop discovers that the cat has turned into a wild beast and it attacks him. He ends up killing and destroying it. He's in a daze as the leaves the  room.

Arthur Cooper, who works there, is suspicious about what's going on in the lab, he watches the confused Zinthrop get into the elevator, and so, goes into the lab and snoops around.

Janice is abusing the serum, along with a short temper, She's getting severe headaches.

With the help of the police, Janice locates Zinthrop in a hospital as he was hit by a car. She arranges to have him move into a room in her building. That's Roger himself there as the doctor, Frank Gerstle on the right as the policeman.

Arthur breaks into the lab to get evidence of malpractice because he thinks something is wrong with Janice.

And he finds out that, yes, for sure, there is definitely something VERY wrong with Janice!!

Break time!.. Here's a very sexist scene with Frank Wolff as he and his helper wheel in a bed for the injured Zinthrop. 

Then, Bruno as the night watchman, screams as Wasper Woman claims another victim... Things are getting weird around here!

Mary reports that Arthur and the night watchman are missing, and suggests that Janice call the police. She tells Mary to quit worrying, everything's fine, in a cold tone. Look at that background, nice matte painting but that perspective is off, her building just can't be that tall.

Janice is low on the serum and tries to get Zinthrop's help. All he knows is that he can't remember something very important. Janice gets frustrated and guess what?

Yep, Wasper Woman time!!.. And she kills the nurse. That's a nice portrait of WW there!.

Mary tries to get help from Janice, everything's coming unglued, what's going on?! This frustrates Janice (who's out of serum) and it happens again!

Bill runs upstairs just in time to see Mary being dragged into the lab.

As Bill tries to fend of the monster with a stool...

Zintrop grabs and tosses a bottle of carbolic acid at Wasp Woman, and...

The bottle breaks right on her head, and the acid starts eating her flesh away. Bill takes the stool and pushes her through a window, her screams can be heard as she falls to the ground... Now, let that be a lesson, don't play with Waspers, you might get stung!

THE SCI-FI And HORROR MOVIES Of Director HERBERT L. STROCK

It's time to pay some homage to the director who gave us some of our favorite sci-fi and horror movies from the fifties. Besides his work in movies, he also directed 19 episodes of SCIENCE FICTION THEATRE for TV and more..

Here's one they played a lot on local TV in the fifties, it always freaked me out near the end, and loved the magnetized lawnmower in the hardware store. Herb was uncredited for his work on this one as he was an up and coming director in 1953 for this Ivan Tors production.

A year later in 1954 Herb worked as assistant director ( directed by Richard Carlson ) on RIDERS TO THE STARS. This is another movie they played a lot on TV back then. What I remember most is this astronaut that gets toasted by a meteor! Really creepy part for a six year old.

Also in 1954 Herb was the director for GOG, filmed in 3-D, wow! They also played this movie a lot on local TV, soon after it's theatrical release. It had some crazy moments to be sure.

Then in 1957, Herman Cohen called on Herb to direct this all time classic horror flick, can't remember when it played on TV for the first time. Herb stated that he loved working with Whit Bissell, always on time, knew his lines and could play any character he was assigned. The amputated leg was almost considered too shocking for the kids!

The same year he worked on another Cohen movie, BLOOD OF DRACULA. This movie is one crazy murder fest featuring the song "Puppy Love" by Jerry Blaine, who also contributed the song "Eenie Meenie Miny Moe" for I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF.

Cohen called on Herb once again in 1958 to direct one of my favorite movies, HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER. It starred Robert H. Harris as the bad guy, Pete, Paul Brinegar as his helper Rivero, Gary Conway as the Teenage Frankenstein and Gary Clarke as the Teenage Werewolf.

In 1962 Herb directed Lon Chaney in THE DEVIL'S MESSENGER, which has the devil using his rolodex where he has the names of all the souls assigned to Hell. This is one boring movie and comes across as some TWILIGHT ZONE episodes.

Herb even worked for Joseph F. Robertson by directing this insane little movie. Here's some awesome trivia... Burt Reynolds did two screen-tests for the role of the teen character, Paul Lawrence, but his acting was so wooden, Rod Lauren got the part!!! Wild.

In 1980, Herb was assistant director on MONSTROID, which starred James Mitchum, John Carradine, Philip Carey and Anthony Eisley. This cursed film was started in 1971 and it was up to Herb to finish it up. I think I read that Andrea Hartford, the love interest, committed suicide soon after wrapping up the production, over insecurity and being dumped by her lover, so sad!

Last on the list is this sexy horror film also from 1980, based on everyone's favorite novel "Conjure Wife" by Fritz Lieber. It stars Teri Garr, Richard Benjamin and Lana Turner. So, here's our little salute to the fifties monster movie director, Herbert L. Strock.

SIX UNSUNG HEROS OF THE DUNGEON!

 

We don't have a "Dungeon Hall Of Fame," but once in a while we will call somebody a Dungeon Hero because we really like them for whatever reason. There is no list, and we've actually never even discussed it between the two of us because we don't need to. I did a search of our site for "Dungeon Hero" and I came up with 47 different names, so I'm going to start with a list in no particular order, of six guys I call some of the..........

"Unsung Heroes of The Dungeon."

 

First up is John Hoyt, and I never knew until I started writing this, that an alternate title for "Attack Of The Puppet People" was "Six Inches Tall." In the tube is another Dungeon Hero, John Agar!

I also never knew John was such a stud! 

 

"Attack Of The Puppet People" was just about as good as it got for 1958!

John as The Puppeteer was kind of like Joe Biden, seems nice, but creepy!

 

Next up is one of our favourite bad guys, Milton Reid! Before his acting career, Milton was a professional wrassler known as "Mighty Chang!" It really is cool how many wrasslers and boxers have gone on to be actors! That's gotta be the toughest way to break into the business, but it still works to this day!

No credits on the poster, but at least they used his image!

 

Wow! Milton gets a cutting torch to the face in this poster for "Mission Desperate."

Gil Perkins is our next Unsung Hero!

 

What could be better than a 51 year old dude playing a "Teenage Monster?"

Gil Perkins has played a "Teenage Monster" and a guy named "Cauliflower," you got something better than that?

This is from just one of the many amazing "Batman" TV shows!

This 30 minute episode titled "Ring Around The Riddler" included Yvonne Craig as Batgirl....

 

...........And  also featured the amazing Joan Collins as "The Siren," but I digress.

Anthony Eisley is one of the most unappreciated actors of all time, and his work in "The Mighty Gorga," or "The Mummy And The Curse Of The Jackals" should attest to that! That's Anthony with the mustache as Tracy Steele on "Hawaiian Eye!"

And if that's not enough proof, there's always the immaculate reception also known as "Dracula Vs. Frankenstein!"

 

Jeff Morrow should be a common household name like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood for his contributions to cinema, but unfortunately he's not!

I couldn't pick between these two international posters for "The Creature Walks Among Us," they're both so insane! Look at how big the creature is in this bottom poster, and how about those hawk feet?

"This Island Earth" came out in 1955. It was so far ahead of it's time and Jeff Morrow was a big part of it! What a krazy action packed poster!

The last guy on this list is Jake LaMotta who only has one movie we've ever written about here called "Confessions Of A Psycho Cat," but that's not the reason he's on this list! Jake actually has 18 acting credits, and has a movie that was made about his own life, the classic "Raging Bull." Jake's boxing record was 83 wins, 19 losses. and 4 draws, and they were all battles!

 

The reason Jake LaMotta is on this list is because he's Jake LaMotta, and that's just good enough!