INTERCONTINENTAL EXPRESS - "Reise An Die Grenze" (1966)

Halloween's over, so now we can get back to just every day normal weirdness, and that's exactly what this Weird Wednesday is all about! "Intercontinental Express" was a 1966 German TV show that was kind of a cross between German Krimi films, "Thriller," and a soap opera, or something like that!

I still haven't figured out why the title cards say "Intercontinent-" instead of "Intercontinental."

 

"Reise An Die Grenze" was episode number one, and translates roughly to "Travel To The Limit."

 

This rich guy gets dropped off at the train station by his loving wife! Kurd (Room 13) Pieritz is Thomas. His wife Christine is played by Claude (The Zombie Walks) Farrell.

The scoundrel Thomas almost immediately meets up with his much younger girlfriend Ines, who was played by Marion (Bonditis) Jacob.

A cell phone in 1966, hard to believe but it's true! 

Margot (Raumpatrouille) Trooger is the pissed off Florence with a bad wheel.

Her husband Robert doesn't understand why she's so mad all the time. Maybe it's because she's in pain! Robert was played by Heinz Weiss who was Phil Decker in the Jerry Cotton movies.

A newly married and oddly happy couple get on the train. In about ten minutes, they will get back off!

This guy asks too many questions, so he just gets ignored by everybody, and decides to leave!

Smoke break!! Can you believe how bad the stench would be in that small confined place?

Loving husband Thomas and his girlfriend Ines try to enjoy a meal together, but this beyond obnoxious salesman sitting at the same table is making it difficult for them.

Ines gives Thomas a gift of spices for the kitchen in the home they're never going to have together!

While Thomas is gone, this nice lady explains to Ines that a relationship with a 51 year old married man is probably bullshit, and that he's just using her, so she grabs her bag and splits!

Just like in "Sneaking Sally Through The Alley," "Up pops the Queen."

 

Busted!

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with this TV show, but it is the cool label on a record made in 1976 by a band called "Intercontinental Express." Is that garlic??

Speaking of records, for the record, it was my Editor Perry White, who hooked me up with this show!

"For The Time Of A Journey, A Speeding Train Is It's Own Universe!"

In English, you can watch a nice quality copy on......

YOUTUBE!

NOWHERE TO GO - "Except Onto A Woman's Couch" (1958)

 

Tonight's Weird Wednesday presentation is a great British film from 1958 entitled "Nowhere To Go." This film is weirder than Hell, has some amazing cast members, and the camera work is well thought out for each and every shot!

"Nowhere To Go" is about a con man played by George Nader who escapes from prison, tries to pull of a big heist, fails, and consequently has "Nowhere To Go!"

As you can see, "Nowhere To Go" is a very stylish and atmospheric film.

 

Dungeon Super Hero George Nader is Paul Gregory. He's a predator!

George Nader's list of credits is about as amazing as anyone's in the outright strange but awesome category, and you can check it out for yourself by following this link!

Just a couple of prime examples are "House Of A 1000 Dolls," "The Million Eyes Of Sumuru," "The Human Duplicators," "Robot Monster," and all the Jerry Cotton movies.

 

So much is so strange about this film, from the camera angles to the really odd cuts, it will really keep you wondering!

Even people just walking down the street are interesting!

This was Director Seth Holt's first film!

In 1971 Seth Holt passed away at the age of 47 before his last film, "Blood Of The Mummy's Tomb," was completed!

In one of her earliest roles, Dame Maggie Smith has the role of Paul Gregory's potential significant other, Bridget Howard.

Magnificent Maggie is well known these days for her ongoing role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series of films, and she's still working today!

 George Nader is another actor I absolutely cannot believe doesn't have a star on the stupid Hollywood Walk Of Fame. My word, they should be ashamed! I could give a list of at least 100 people less deserving, that do have a star.

Paul Gregory is up to his ears in trouble, and it's getting to the point where he has zero allies!

All that, and we haven't even got to the real reason I wanted to watch this movie yet!

So how do you like the entertainment in this club? It was hard to get a good shot, but the main act is a blackbird balanced on a soccer ball rolling it around in a little ring.

And her she is, everybody's favourite vampiress, Andree Melly, as Rosa the cocktail waitress who brings Paul home to her flat for the night! As quirky as ever, Rosa doesn't like the bird. 

Around these parts, Andree's most memorable role is that of Gina in "The Brides Of Dracula."

Rosa has a cat that makes it difficult for Paul to get any rest.

When the law is on your tail, it's always best to head to the rooftops!

Believe it or not, Snoop Dog, Snoopy, and Snow White have stars on the HWoF, but not Maggie Smith. I really think it's time to rethink that whole project!

For being a con man, Paul Gregory respects the women who help him out, and even sleeps on the couch in Bridget Howard's home. Bridget has one of the most interesting doors to her bedroom I have ever seen.

Not riding off into the sunset, "Nowhere To Go" is not one of those kinds of films!

There's no happy ending here.

Last, but absolutely not least, "Nowhere To Go" has got a killer jazzy soundtrack by Jamaican-born  trumpeter Dizzy Reece, with help from tenor sax player Tubby Hayes. I wasn't really that familiar with these players, so when I first read the name Dizzy Reece, it really confounded me, and I just figured out why. When I was a kid, I used to watch a lot of baseball on TV, and one the most famous pair of announcers at the time were ex-players Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese. Yeah, I know Reese is spelled differently, but that's still pretty weird!

Here's a damn fine reason this film is so good!

The Dizzy Reece Quartet - "Nowhere To Go"

SERGEANT BERRY - 1938 - 1974

Tonight's Whack Job Wednesday is the story of "Sergeant Berry," and you can thank Lord Litter in Berlin for putting me up to it since I never heard of "Sergeant Berry" in my whole life until last week!
There are two parts, this German movie from 1938, and a German TV series from 1974, both with the same title.

I think this DVD might be available in Germany, but good luck even finding it there! Here's what the good Lord had to say about this TV series from 1975......

"Sergeant Berry is really almost Jess Franco doing a TV series (some of the episodes are shot in Spain .. and I guess I see some Franco actors there) .. the director is Harald Pillipp  (Jerry Cotton) who also appears as an actor .."
So you see, this series sounds like a lot of fun!

Robert Arden wrote the original novel, but doesn't seem to be credited in the movie or the TV series for some strange reason!

The 1938 German "Sergeant Berry" is a strange story of an American police officer sent to stop drug smugglers at the Mexican border.

It stars classic German actor Hans Albers as "Sergeant Berry!"

Hans Albers God given name is Hans Philipp August Albers, and the Director of the 1974 TV series is named Harald Philipp. Something seems strange about all that!

 

The swingin' music for the TV series is written by Dungeon all-star fave Peter Thomas, and you can buy this album on Amazon for $82.00 to check it out,..........

.....Or you can watch this short clip on Youtube to get the feel!

Looks like L.A. to me!

If you do an internet search for "Sergeant Berry," you'll get a lot more leads to Sergeant Barry Sadler, and "The Battle of the Green Berets," and "F-Troop" than you will to this "Sergeant Berry."

Sergeant Berry was on the air in Germany for 26 episodes. The first thirteen episodes starred Klausjürgen Wussow as Sergeant Berry, and the last thirteen episodes had Harald Juhnke in the lead role!

 

This lady is on her way to a get together of "Sergeant Berry's Bridge Club."
Don't feel bad, I don't get it either!

And then there's Sergeant's Cracker Band and their version of the theme song for "Sergeant Berry!"

And while I couldn't find that, here's a pretty nifty song called "Machucho" by Sergeant Cracker's Band, which I can only hope is the same as Sergeant's Cracker Band!

Really, your guess is as good as mine!

MORDNACHT IN MANHATTAN - "Manhattan Night Of Murder" (1965)

What I got for you tonight is the last of my Jerry Cotton movies, and it's called "Mordnacht In Manhattan" or................

"Manhattan Night Of Murder!"

If I ever had time to plan things around here, I would probably watch movies like this in chronological order, but since I'm a freakin' bozo, it's always a haphazard free form affair which causes things like this to happen! Since this was the last Jerry Cotton film I had to watch, I've been saving it for this special moment, only to be disappointed, because "Mordnacht In Manhattan" turns out to be my least favourite Jerry Cotton movie. All the right elements are there, but it's not that witty, and never really gets very exciting at all!

"Mordnacht In Manhattan was the second Jerry Cotton film released in 1965. The first film was "The Violin Case Murders," which also wasn't all that great, but I think it was a little better than this one! It wasn't til the third film, "Um Null Uhr Schnappt Die Falle Zu" also known as "The Trap Snaps Shut At Midnight," that Jerry Cotton really got cooking!

One of  "The Sweatles," the marvelous Monika Grimm was also in the next Jerry Cotton film!

Although the movie is set in New York, 90% of it is shot in Hamburg, Munich, and Landshut, Bavaria, Germany!

While fighting with Jerry, this gangster falls into a pit of coal, but it kind of looks like he's getting chewed up by Caltiki The Immortal Monster in this shot!

This is the 13th movie we've hosted with George Nader in it, what else can I say, except "which way did they go George!!"

Gangsters or sardines? Something stinks either way!

The music in "Mordnacht In Manhattan" is, as are all the Jerry Cotton films, by the genius mind and Dungeon fave, Peter Thomas! 

Jerry's a sneaky guy, and you get to see part of his Jaguar and part of the mobster's '67 Impala all in the same shot!

I'm sure somebody thought a fight scene in a bunch of cardboard boxes was going to be real exciting, but they were wrong!

It's a pretty bold move to be on your regular TV show when you've also been I.D.'d in a murder!

I found this Mexican poster for "Mordnacht In Manhattan" on a fellow blogger's site called Una Plaga De Espias, and the funny thing is I can find no other reference to this film with this title, but then that's just how these Jerry Cotton films roll! Those two cars are just too much!!

Thanx again to our man in Berlin, Lord Litter for turning me onto this series in the first place a few years ago, do yourself a favor, and go check out one of his Magic Music Show International radio shows. I guarantee you'll become just as addicted as I am!