ULTRAMAN / "Ultra Operation #1" - 1966

This is the very first episode of Ultraman, in it, a heroic patrolman from the planet M78 crashes on Earth and revives a pilot from the Science Patrol and gives him the power of Ultraman just before the being dies. The power will enable Science Patrolman Hayata to be well equipped to battle the forces of evil on Earth and from space.

While a bunch of people are out camping by a lake, a big blue glowing ball comes in from the sky, it hovers there for a moment and disappears under the water.

Unfortunately, the big red ball chasing the blue one, well, it crashes into a Science Patrol plane piloted by officer Hayata, who has died in the crash.

Then, Hayata's body starts floating in the air and becomes surrounded in a red bubble...

The being inside will not recover from the crash, so, he revives Hayata and gives him a small wand to use when he needs to transform into Ultraman.

And wouldn't you know it, that damn blue sphere brought in a giant water monster with a blue ray shooting from its mouth. Ultraman is produced by Toho, the effects are decent.

In the meantime, Hayata has manned the Science Patrol's submarine to shoot torpedoes at the thing, but it looks like he'll just end up as an appetizer for the giant beast.

A Science Patrol plane comes in and hits the monster right on the top of the head with a missile! This pic cracks me up, looks like it's wearing a powdered wig. Over and over, they keep hitting him on the same spot! It get irritated and tosses the submarine to the ground.

After taking a bad fall to the ground in the sub, Hayata pulls out his wand, holds it over his head and says the magic words...

And viola, works like a charm! Now this wrasslin' match is a little more fair.

Hey, I thought this was a kids' show!!..

What else, after a few rounds, Ultraman disposes of the monster and throws it back into the drink where it goes under for the count.

Then, the big blue ball tries to escape back into space, but Ultraman has a little surprise for them, yeah, total annihilation!!

Hayata shows up after the Science Patrol gang thinks that he's dead, in the submarine. He tells them that it's a good thing Ultraman has arrived to save the day... He has the same problem Clark Kent has, hiding his real identity. Check in on Wednesday for out last post of September, here at The Dungeon!!..

THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE - "He'll Kill Until He Dies! " (1947)

This week's Saturday Night Special is from 1947, and titled "The Devil Thumbs A Ride."

While not literally The Devil, Lawrence Tierney as fast-talking and mean con man Steve Morgan is evil personified, no doubt!

I guess it wasn't too difficult for Lawrence Tierney to play the part of a nasty guy with a mean streak since he had a notoriously bad reputation for his off-screen antics that included drunken barroom brawls, and for being generally intimidating and uncooperative on the set.

In San Diego, Steve Morgan has just robbed a bank and killed a man in the process, and to get out of town in a hurry, he hitches a ride with this poor schlep named Jimmy Ferguson who is just trying to get back home to his wife after his friends threw him a party. Fergie as he is often called, was played by Ted (The Bride Wore Crutches) North.

In a quick stop at a gas station, Steve Morgan doesn't know it, but he's just gotten I.D.'d.

Jimmy Ferguson calls his wife to let her know he'll be home soon, and not to worry. Boy, did he get that wrong!

That just might be brimstone coming out of those flared nostrils!

Being a totally irresponsible individual, Steve Morgan gladly offers up a ride to these two gals without even consulting Jimmy. The blonde on the left is Peter Lawford's cousin Betty (The Monkey's Paw) Lawford as Agnes Smith, and the woman on the right is Nan (The Bamboo Saucer) Leslie as Beulah Zorn.

The local cops are kind of busy! To be only fair, they are on their time off!

So let's get this party rolling!

 

The cops are hot on the trail, and Steve Morgan just keeps coming up with one lie after another to explain it all to the other three, and they are gullible enough to believe him.

Everybody's tired so instead of going home, they go to the empty beach house of a friend of Jimmy's. While there, Jimmy calls his wife again, and Agnes turns up some swingin' music loud, and gets on the other line to let Jimmy's wife know that he's not exactly doing what he's telling her.

A night watchman shows up, so Steve challenges him to drink a whole big glass of booze in an effort to make him pass out and be out of their hair!

As the cops close in, Steve Morgan slashes the tires of the car, cuts the phone lines, and manages to drown Beulah, all the while explaining it away!

Finally, Jimmy can't take it any more, and goes out looking some for someone to give him a ride, but this guy sure isn't any help!

 

Agnes is like the stupidest and most desperate bitch on the planet. She tells Steve that oh, well, her and Beulah had just met, and weren't really friends,  so she doesn't car she died, and she's willing to lie or do anything to be able to run away with him, even though he was calling her Grandma when they first met, and only had the hots for Beulah.

 

This is a great lobby card from one of the final scenes before the end, when the cops, and Jimmy's wife all end up at the beach house in one massive fustercluck!

Steve and Agnes make it out of there in a stolen police car, but she's finally had enough and asks to be dropped off at the next bus stop.

As the Sheriff said, "They won't get far!"

So that headline just about tells the whole story!

This was probably the main sign on how to get to San Diego in 1947.

SWING SYMPHONY / "Abou Ben Boogie" - 1944

Here's a laff from the Walter Lantz studio, one of his Swing Symphony cartoons, it takes place in the Sahara Desert and goes like this...

Well, it all starts right here, at the good old Adobe Club. Come on in and grab a seat, the show is  almost ready to begin, and you won't want to miss it.

The hat check girl unwinds this guy's turban off his head!

The mood gets set with some Boogie Woogie music when this dude pulls out his rolled up piano and starts playing a tune.

Then, SHE appears, a real heavenly body! The eyes on the right say it all...

Men can be so pathetic when it comes to pretty, shapely women. These three pics show just what it can do to guys, makes them into freakin' pervert clowns!

I swear, that's one erotic pic there!

This female camel keeps popping in and giving guys big sloppy kisses when they're thinking it's their dancing beauty.

Now it's time for that Oriental Rug Cutter, Abou Ben Boogie, to make his entrance!

After Ben gets a gander at his dance partner, they start cutting up that rug!

In the meantime, the snake is now the charmer and the charmer is now a snake!

The dancing gets frantic, the shapely dancer rolls Ben up into a ball, bounces him, then butt checks him against the wall where he turns into a wad of mush!

Ben obviously enjoys the abuse because he turns into a big bad wolf on the prowl.

Then, our beauty slips into a large bowl where she's covered by a lid... Hmmm, wonder what's brewing in there? Could it be she's undressing? And when the lid comes off, she'll be naked and all my dreams will be fulfilled?! Better close my eyes and pucker up for that special kiss I'm gonna get.

And, after one big wet, sloppy kiss, Ben opens his eyes to find what else, that damn CAMEL!!

So like, check us out again tomorrow as we keep feeding the kitty, here at The Dungeon!!..