POPEYE THE SAILOR - "Spooky Swabs" (1957)

Tonight's Haunted Hallowednesday feature is a Popeye cartoon from 1957!

The title is "Spooky Swabs," and if it spooks Popeye, who has had every possible type of horrific experience, then you know it's pretty stinkin' scary!

Popeye and Olive Oyl are lost at sea for some unknown reason. Kids don't care why, because that's not what the story is about.

The story is about they come across a large sailing ship and are saved!

The story is about the ship is haunted, and has been for a long time!

Unfortunately for Popeye and Olive Oyl, the ghosts are quite content, and don't wish to be disturbed!

Popeye and Olive are unphased at first!

Then the ghosts start playing dirty tricks on them!

They even have Olive walk the plank, but Popeye is able to save her!

Unfortunately she lands face first in a mop bucket!

The whole thing is starting to get to Olive a bit!

The ghosts decide to throw a full-fledged mutiny!

Luckily there was an urn of "Ye King's Spinach" on board for some reason!

Popeye downs the spinach and proceeds to kick a lot of ghost ass!

Olive stitches the ghosts together.....

.......And at least the good for nothing sons of bitches are good for something!

Oyl's well that ends well. Popeye just might get some tonight!

After the Fleischer Brothers were no longer running the show, and Bluto turned into Brutus, they totally lost me. By comparison, these cartoons were flat and dull, but I actually liked this one for some stupid reason!

DRACULA / The Story Of The Strangest Passion The World Has Ever Known! - 1931

Here's a Halloween Countdown treat, one we have never done until now! In our story, the ancient vampire Count Dracula arrives in England and begins to prey upon the virtuous young lady, Mina. The monster has arrived!! One strange thing about this movie is that there's absolutely no music from beginning to end!

I showed the Realart poster from when it was reissued in 1951, 20 years after it was originally released. A truly awesome horror poster!!

It stars Bela (WHITE ZOMBIE) Lugosi, Helen (DANCE HALL HOSTESS) Chandler, David (THE MUMMY) Manners, Dwight (FRANKENSTEIN) Frye, Edward (DRACULA'S DAUGHTER) Van Sloan, Herbert (THE MONKEY'S PAW) Bunston and Frances (THE SHE-WOLF) Dade.

After a harrowing ride through the Carpathian mountains in eastern Europe, Renfield is told what he can expect to find at Dracila's castle from a local. But, Renfield doesn't believe in silly superstitions...

So, the carriage only takes Renfield so far and he must take another one to get to Dracula's castle. He's picked up by a mysterious mute character (Dracula) and rides away into the night...

Renfield is there to finalize the transferral of Carfax Abbey in London to Count Dracula. After the papers are signed, Dracula drugs Renfield and he's doomed to do the vampire's bidding...

Here are Dracula's playmates, they'd love to dig their fangs into Renfield's neck!

The voyage to London doesn't go well for the ship's crew, as you can see. The authorities also find Renfield in the hold, he's now a raving lunatic!

Once in London, Dracula seeks out a pretty young lady, and Mina is her name-o!

At the Seward Sanitarium, Renfield is catching and eating insects like flies and spiders, he thinks that their blood will keep him alive! A worker grabs his meal and tosses it out, making Renfield extremely agitated!

Old Drac has fanged Mina in the neck and she's starting to have strange feelings. Van Helsing inspects the bite marks and tells the others that she has been bitten by a vampire!

When the count shows up for a visit, Van Helsing notices that there is no image of him in a mirror. He plays a trick on Dracula and shows him the box with a mirror in it. He immediately knocks the box out of our hero's hands with a look of anger, and he leaves...

Later, when Dracula tries to impose his will on Van Helsing, well, a small cross sends the vampire running for the exit. Love the look on Bela's face!

It had to happen, when Dracula thinks Renfield has inadvertently brought people to the castle, he tosses the little guy down the stairs!

Van Helsing and John Harker are there to save Mina for the vampire's clutches, where they locate Dracula sleeping in his coffin!

It's fairly anti climactic when Van Helsing quietly puts a stake through the vampire's heart, as Drac just goes... Ugh! That's it. Then Van Helsing proclaims that Dracula is dead, never ever to return! WTF?!.. How many freakin' vampire movies are there anyway, jeez!.. Like, join us again on Wednesday when we'll hand out more Halloween Countdown Treats!!

SPACE ANGEL - "The Ghost And Crystal Mace" (1964)

 

Tonight's Countdown To Halloween Saturday Night Special is Season 3, Episode 6 of the 1962 cartoon series "Space Angel" titled "The Ghost And Crystal Mace."  

 

 So what does an outer space cartoon have to do with Halloween you might ask.

In this particular episode, "Space Angel" and his crew travel to a haunted planet inhabited by ghosts, that's what!

 

"Space Angel" was a product of Cambria studios who also brought us "Clutch Cargo" in 1959, and "Captain Fathom" in 1965.

So, Let's Blast off!

Senior Artist credits go to comic artist extraordinaire Alex Toth!

 The strange real human moving lips on a stationary cartoon image was a technique called "Syncho-Vox" that was developed by cameraman Edwin Gillette, and was basically boring as Hell for the most part, and still looks odd to this day!

There are some pretty cool rocket stills like this!

Wow! You sure as Hell can't get much more high tech than this gauge!

They lower the spaceship down through the muck and onto this strange planet!

Here's a couple of shots from the ghostly planet! Pretty weird concept I must admit!

"Space Angel" was directed by Alex Toth and Dick Darley, aka Dik Darley. Dick was also the Director of "Space Patrol," and was the original Director for "The Mickey Mouse Club" and he directed six episodes of "The Spike Jones Show," and that's good enough for me!

The diminutive Margaret Kerry is the voice of Crystal Mace and Humphrey the ghost, so in these scenes, she's having a dialogue with herself! Margaret was also the voice of Spinner, Paddlefoot, and Gretchen on "Clutch Cargo."
Tinkerbell, the Disney cartoon character from the movie "Peter Pan" was modeled after Margaret and her dancing and acting skills. She was also the voice of the red haired mermaid in the same movie! She's now 90 years old.

That ghost sitting in the chair with Crystal is kind of a juvenile delinquent named Humphrey! The rest of the adult ghosts are very pissed off about Humphrey's disappearance, and want him back. They have no clue that Humphrey is responsible for his own disappearance, and is out having a blast!

Hal Smith does the narration, and is the voices of Taurus, The Chief, The Ghost Judge and all of the other Ghosts! Hal Smith was also in a ton of cowboy and other TV shows, then he did some voices for "Clutch Cargo," and from there on, he had to be one of the busiest cartoon voice guys there ever was.
Hal has lots and lots of credits for 'additional' voices, and all the extra characters, some you've heard of and some almost nameless like Guy #2 or Headless Specter, & others better known like Winnie The Pooh, Owl and Goofy. Hal was also Otis Campbell on "The Andy Griffith Show."
Hal had a total of 304 credits! What an amazingly gifted and busy man!

Here's another great rocket shot!

Ned Lefebver does the voices of Scott McCloud, aka 'Space Angel' and the Space Control Operator. "Space Angel" was his only credit ever!

The ghostly court is just about ready to drop the hammer on Space Angel and the gang!

Humphrey finally shows up with Crystal and tells the elders that he got to fly a spaceship! I don't know how ghosts do it, but he's about to get one Helluva whupping!

"And now my friends and I better get back and spread the good news about you,"
because Halloween is creeping nearer!