O LUCKY MAN - Alan Price - "Sell Sell Sell" (1973)

Well, we ended the year in the Red, so we might as well start this new one with the Blues! I'm thinkin' we should all be feeling pretty lucky just to be alive on this 01-01-10 day of days, so to celebrate, today's special feature, is going to be "O Lucky Man," a UK jewel of a film filled with dry wit that most people wouldn't consider a 'monster movie,' but has a sequence in it that is just about as horrifying as it gets for me! That added to the fact that it's based on a concept by the star of the film, another Dungeon hero, Malcolm McDowell, and what more do you want? The prefect beginning to eine Jahre Neue, a Feliz Año Nuevo!, and hopefully at least one more year of stuff you need to know about!!!! So! Let's Rock!

"O Lucky Man" is about 3 hours long and filled to the brim with music by Alan Price, a man with many, many accomplishments, but will always be known as being the founding member and organist for the legendary iconic 60's band, The Animals! The Animals basically only released 3 albums, so you have no reason not to listen to each and every one of them!!

There's a whole lot of story here, so let's just get started!

This is a tale of a meager coffee salesman, and his quest for a decent day's earnings! With 9 films currently in some kind of production, Malcolm McDowell himself might be just as much of an overachiever as the character he portrays in this film, Michael Arnold Travis!

Rookie Michael has been given a big chance due to the untimely demise of another salesman, and on one of his first sales calls on his new route, before you know it, it starts getting weird, and he ends up in a private club, getting soused with the Mayor of the local township!!

They watch a few dirty movies, and then the chant goes out for everybody's fave routine, "Chocolate Sandwich!!" We, in turn, get the treat of hearing how cool and sleazy a Wurlitzer can really sound, thanks to Mr. Price!

There's just too much that happens in this film for me to try and describe it adequately with a couple of minutes of music and a handful of stills, so I'm gonna try to hit some of the high points!!

Michael innocently gets a little off course, which in turn, gets him into a whole lot of big-time trouble!! Here we have Michael being interrogated, and tortured a bit by Phillip Stone on the right and Michael Bangerter on the left! Almost all the actors in this film uniquely have at least 2 or 3 roles! I.E. Phillip Stone was also the character Jenkins, and the Salvation Army Major, and Mr. Bangerter also played William, one of the Assistants, and one of the prisoners!!

The whole damn compound blows to Hell, without the viewer ever knowing or even needing to know what was going on, and Michael barely escapes in all the confusion!!!

Michael then gets picked up hitchhiking and volunteers for some medical testing! That series of wires and cables on his head really looks like a crown of thorns to me, and I doubt it's a coincidence!

What's next is the part that really scared the living crap out of me the first time my young and impressionable mind saw it. Crossing animals and people is pretty damn horrifying and even more so, because Michael was going to be the next in line!!

Michael jumps out a window to escape that madhouse, and gets picked up again, this time by a traveling rock band! Enter Alan Price and the rest of the band, some of the few players with a solo role in this film!

The remarkable Helen Mirren is the free-spirited Patricia, the band's groupie and also the daughter of one of the richest men in the world! Helen began her career in the surreal 1967 film "Herostratus," and has made quite a career out of portraying herself, having over 100 TV appearances as Helen Mirren!! She also has a number of films in production today! What a Gal!!

Michael takes the lead, and goes to see Patricia's father to get his career jumpstarted again!

At that point, a commissioned scientist can't take the madness anymore and leaps out a window taking Patricia's Dad's assistant with him! Can you say instant job opening?

Patricia's Dad, Sir James Burgess is none other than Sir Ralph Richardson, a very fine actor whose career dates all the way back to the 1933 Boris Karloff film, "The Ghoul" (A film we're going to get around to one of these days) and also included another 1933 film, "Friday The 13th!" He was Bulldog Drummond in a couple of films, and played 'The Boss' in "Things To Come," but this might be the best still of him ever!!

A eulogy is delivered by Sir James to the under staff members and associates, and then it's back to work!!

And the band just keeps on playing!!! Here we have guitarist Colin Green, who went on to play with Tom Jones and Elton John etc, and bassist Dave Markee who has played with Eric Clapton, Pete Townsend, Joan Armatrading and more, and still gigs today as the Dave Markee Jazz Collective, and promotes the Croydon Jazz & Blues Festival!!! He's not in this picture, but the band was filled out by a marvelous jazz drummer, Clive Thacker, who has worked with Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger for years!

As Capitalist Fate would have it, Michael gets pinned with yet another crime, that he has no knowledge of!!

Director Lindsay Anderson assures you that there is no chance of acquittal with this jury of peers!

Michael takes the fall, and does his time! Is this freakin' classic or what???

And after he's served his time........nice juxtaposition of Malcolm and Marc Bolan!!

In a moment of reassurance, the guy holding the sign is the same man who was part pork earlier in the movie!

Malcom/Michael gets the part, everything goes full circle, and there's one big cast party!! Life is a paártee, with you, or without you!!!!!!!!
Happy Freakin' New Year! Thanx to all you readers, may Bela and Boris watch over each and every one of you!!

THE CRIMSON GHOST / Republic Pictures Serial - 1946

Well, wellie, well, well... Tonight is last posting for 2009 from The Dungeon Gang, and, glad to get it out of our hairs an' claw!! FUY!.. Iffen you follow what Tabonga saying... We gots some great stuff coming, though, so, better stay tuned in or suffer like a varmint wif' bad gas!! Or, worse!!

And, we have the colorized version from the 1966 edited 93 minute theatrical release as a special treat!

Music is by four uncredited composers, and, two guy in the Music Dept. put it all together and is basically stock studio fare...

Eegah!! decide to put lots of funny dialogue in to help out, so's get ready for last soundclip of 2009, an' it lil' Piff the Gnat honor to push big red 'GO' button for the occassion!.. THE CRIMSON GHOST! Probably Dungeon Pal, Professor Brian O'Blivion, going to enjoy tonight' posting!!

We are ready, you may launch the plane!

All dude have to do is make the call...

And, Crimson Ghost get kidnap inventer of the Cyclotrode machine, it can stop cars, planes or any electrical device dead in tracks! Preddy cool!!

Kenne Duncan play inventor Professor Chambers, Kenne, with 272 acting credits, can be found in these flicks and serials... FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS, BUCK ROGERS, MICKEY THE KID, DEADWOOD DICK, ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL, THE GREEN ARCHER, THE SPIDER RETURNS, BATMAN, PISTOL PACKIN' MAMA, CAPTAIN AMERICA, THE TIGER WOMAN, THE PHANTOM SPEAKS, THE PURPLE MONSTER STRIKES, MY PAL TRIGGER, BUCK PRIVATES COME HOME, RADAR SECRET SERVICE, CALAMITY JANE, THE ASTOUNDING SHE-MONSTER, NIGHT OF THE GHOULS and SUPERMAN vs THE GORILLA GANG!! Also, Kenne was notorious favorite with the gurlz!!!

Crimson Ghost can just ride around in back seat and can command people who wearing special control collar, or, he can shoot stuff with one of his deadly toys! Either way, he gots it dicked!!

Duncan Richards totally pissed at bad guy. Now, if he could just get hands on that SOB, Crimson Ghost, he'd show him a thing or two or three!..

Make Tabonga nostalgic for good old days!

Duncan gettin' BUGGED!!

And, a twenty-three skidoo to you, too, Lou!

Official portrait of THE CRIMSON GHOST!

Okay, that's two cheesburgers, and, hold the cheese?

If you look hard, you see airplane in top photo just before it crash into rock in bottom photo!

Republic Pictures stunt dudes were probably pretty freakin' crazy!

Duncan' gurl pal Diana bail out of airplane only to be picked up on road by Ghost' pals, now she gonna get a control collar!

Tabonga think very first word ever invented was... 'OOPS!!'

Great scene where Clayton Moore use glasses disguise (like Lone Ranger!) to try and sabotage operation to get remote control collar off of gurl pal Diana!

Duncan Richards track down Crimson Ghost, then, what else, get in big fight with henchmen!

Now, that is one cool crash!!

Cyclotrode look totally impressive!

You cannot see him, but Duncan Richards just get hit by Cyclotrode Ray!!

Finally, Crimson Ghost and gang get caught! ...Ah, ratz!

CG get unmasked at end to reveal who real bad guy is, Jack Benny Nixon!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERBLOODY!..