GASU NINGEN DAI ICHIGO (The Human Vapor) - Kunio Miyauchi - "Modern Bar-Traditional Dance" (1960)

Kunio Miyauchi composed music for Ultraman and Godzilla exclusively except for this title from 1960, "The Human Vapor." Right up there with "The H-Man" as far as gaseous people and cool music is concerned, this is another one of those films you should go out of your way to try and find a copy somehow. 

 

Beware! Do not screw around with the librarian!! 

 

He's starting to glow! 

 

Now he's glowing and constricting around your neck. 

 

There are two great bar scenes where glib Detective Okamoto and his girlfriend, nosey Reporter Kyoko are discussing the case with a very witty dialogue exchange, and some swingin' with-it music In The Background. 

 

He's so full of it, and she has got that dirty look down pat! 

 

Later on in the film, they're going at it again! 

 

And once again, he deserves and gets that icy stare. Ow!! 

 

Then, towards the end of the film, the librarian, aka the human vapor is trying to take in a beautiful show of traditional Japanese music. Of course the crowd gets in, gets ants in their pants real fast, and after one unruly guy yells out, "Bring on the strippers!" you know some body's going to pay! They really shouldn't push the librarian like that! 

 

Fujichiyo Kasuga as the dancer. Kishiro Katada was the supervisor for the.....Traditional Music

THE DEVIL'S MESSENGER - Alfred Gwynn - "Don Freaks Out" (1961)

After that break, seemed like a good time to do something simple, unfortunately for me this is no simple tale. In the movie "The Devil's Messenger," you have a small series of vignettes hosted by Satan himself in the guise of Lon Chaney Jr. This piece starts off with the title music composed by Alfred Gwynn. The sound quality in Hell is not that great! 

 

Lon looks pretty happy in this role as Satan! 

 

Here you have the character of Don Powell contemplating strange happenings. 

 

Cinematography by Artie Shotz! 

 

This is the only film that composer Alfred Gwynn ever worked on, but the two guys in this scene have an unbelievable history! Ralph Brown (with the glasses) as Charlie, started his career playing himself as a tap dancer in a 1946 film called "Jivin' In Be-Bop", starring, for all you jazz buffs, none other than Mr. Dizzy Gillespie, with James Moody, Milt Jackson, Ray Brown, Helen Humes, and Benny Carter. John Crawford (not to get mixed up with The Rifleman's son Johnny Crawford) had a TV and movie history they should make a movie about! His way amazing career started off in 1933, in a small film called "King Kong," as a 'native dancer'. The rest of his career is like opening up a TV Guide from the 60's to the 80's. It will leave you breathless. Probably in the 70's, if this guy showed up at your house for dinner, you'd think he was part of your family because his face would be more familiar than a lot of your cousins! Hey John, Cheers!! 

 

Man, I love this scene, Don & his best friend for 15 years, Charlie, are having a discussion about Don's mental behavior. Don asks for Charlie's help, and when Charlie offers to help him, Don punches him in the face! What a pal!  

Don and Charlie

 We hope you enjoy your stay!!

ZOMBIES ( I Eat Your Skin) - Lon E. Norman - "Voodoo Love Etc" (1964)

The daily routine of this blog is a lot of work. It's starting to wear me down and I think they're going to come and take me away, ha,ha, to the looney bin here real soon unless I take a break. I do believe I hear The Islands calling my name, so let's all go back to the joyous festivities and fun of Del Tenney's "I Eat Your Skin." Okay, so this film was actually shot in Florida, but that's just going to have to do! This film is mandatory viewing for any of you tribal/zombie/mad doctor/voodoo/islands fans out there, and it's pretty easy to get your hands on a copy. Mahalo ya'll!! 

 

"Oh, how she dances, I've never seen such movement in my life!" Hey, what kind of luau is this??

 Big Fun Dance Party

 The music for this love scene is the ultimate something, I can't quite put my finger on it, maybe bizarrely grandiose would describe it about right. She says "I need you" to Tom, the dude with one of the coolest widow's peaks ever, and the next thing you know the music sounds like a herd of elephants is trampling a village, and then the music gets all noodley and just fizzles out in the end with a bongo drum solo. Huh? 

 

Tribal Love

 That was relaxing, but the time sure went by fast, it's already time to go Back to Work!!

FIRST MAN INTO SPACE - Buxton Orr - "Theme & Truck Death" (1959)

Scottish Doctor, Teacher, Composer Buxton Orr was responsible for the music on a fair share of cool movies including some titles like "The Haunted Strangler", "Fiend Without A Face", "Dr. Blood's Coffin", and "The Snake Woman." 

 

It's not often you get to see the word 'Amalgamated' on the big screen, or actually almost any place, so bask in it's glory! 

 

Radar Love personified! What a job sitting on this thing all night long! 

 

The soundtrack for "First Man Into Space" is highly orchestrated, but there is this one little scene where the truck driver, portrayed by Roland Brand is saying goodbye to his gal, and there's music coming from his radio. It's 1959, and the sound is swinging. They smooch and part, only for him to uh, let's just say he has an accident!  

Truck Death

 She really loves Roland, too bad their relationship is about to be over! 

 

This monster doesn't want anything to do with that woman, he only wants the truck!!

SANTO CONTRA BLUE DEMON EN LA ATLANTIDA (Santo vs. Blue Demon in Atlantis) - Gustavo César Carrión - "Title & Fight Scenes" (1970)

Just realized the other day that we really haven't come up with any movies from the year 1950 yet, so we figure we can throw in one or two from 1970, and it will balance everything out, besides, you really wouldn't want us to leave out this classic little jewel now, would you? Didn't think so. To look at the credits of Gustavo César Carrión, you'd think he was the only composer in all Mexico. This cat did it all, Santo, Blue Demon, Brainiac, vampires, witches, you name it, the maestro Gustavo has put music to it, and it all started in 1950!! So, here's music from the opening credits of "Santo Contra Blue Demon En La Atlántida." Great snapping snare, rumbling kettle drums, weeping horns and creepy organ!! Santo vs. Blue Demon in Atlantis

  In this wild fight scene, they manage to thrash every strategically placed lamp, vase and table in the joint before it's over! 

 

Blue Demon drives a bitchin' convertible Red T-Bird! Fight and Fight Some More Here's a big smash-up of music from a couple of fight scenes. The sound isn't all that great because once again, it's taken from VHS tapes recorded off of Mexican TV in the 1980's, but it's the best we have at the moment, so enjoy it for what it's worth or "look what's going on!" 

 

And Speaking of Mexican TV, here's an extra especial bonus for you, a mind blowing scene where Santo sits down to watch some TV in this gal's apartment, and he just sits there chilling, & watches this song by the remarkable Cuban born Olga Guillot on the tube. That's it, nothing else happens. Now that's wild!! 

 

¡Se te saluda!!

 And whatever you do, por favor, do not mess with Santo, if you know what's good for you!!!

TEENAGE ZOMBIES - Jerry Warren - "How Weird Can You Get" (1959)

Most people probably miss this music when they watch "Teenage Zombies", it's buried in the background so much, and the dialogue is so fascinating. It's really too bad, because it's a hot little tune. If you listen real careful, it's quite a treat! Of course this movie is once again written, directed and produced by Jerry Warren, including being musical supervisor, once again as Erich Bromberg, so no telling where this music really originates from! 

 

Great scene where J.L.D. Morrison in his only ever role, as Brandt, keeps drinking out of the other kid's sodas as they're talking at the "Campus House" cafe. "You never went that far out, it's way out!" 

 

Without a doubt, the cheapest police station set ever on film!!! Go Jerry!!!! 

 

Jerry Warren's trusted stalwart Chuck Niles, who played "Ivan The (Terrible)Zombie" probably would have been able to tell us who was responsible for this music, since he was a jazz DJ in L.A. for like the last 50 years, but unfortunately, Chuck passed away in 2004 and took a load of information with him I'm sure! 

 

Teenage Zombies Added bonus is the bombastic theme music at the beginning just for fun, it's so not this movie, which, just by the way, does have the worst 'day for night' we've ever seen in a movie, just in case you wondered, but it's Jerry Warren, so it just makes it that much better!!!

DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL - Melvyn Leonard - "Happy Creepin' Round" (1957)

Melvyn Leonard is credited with composing the theme for TV's "Leave It To Beaver" along with a host of other TV shows and also the music for some "Beany & Cecil" cartoons. The music from this scene in "Daughter Of Dr. Jekyll" does sound a bit cartoony, then again, it's coming from an Edison Standard Cylinder Phonograph, and despite being old timey, this music swings along pretty good during this classic scene of the pretty girl putting on her stockings with the pervert peering in the window. 

 

The monster guy looks old and doesn't really look that big, strong or scary, but he kicks John Agar's butt a couple of times and is quite the creep!! 

 

The lovely Marjorie Stapp is the woman getting dressed and about to get attacked. In our Horror Hall Of Fame, there's a spot for Marjorie, for her roles in "The Werewolf", "The Monster That Challenged The World", "Kronos", "The Indestructible Man" and of course, this film. The phone dialogue here is classic & very funny, and she is great!!! "Just calling to let you know there's a killer running loose, but the village men are patrolling the woods, but you would be advised to bar your doors and windows anyway." Right!! 

 

In this scene Gloria Talbot tries to solve the mystery of why in the hell would John Agar be wearing this absurd striped jacket in this film. The answer is revealed when you realize wardrobe master Robert Martien's previous film was "Around The World In 80 Days", a movie with lots of costumes. Recycle those leftovers, Yessir!! 

 

The Olde Edison Standard