TORMENTED - Albert Glasser/Calvin Jackson/ Margie Rayburn - "Tormented Trilogy" (1960)

Albert Glasser did most of the music for this Bert I. Gordon classic, but as the credits state, there are "additional modern jazz sequences" by Calvin Jackson, and the "Tormented" song is sung by Margie Rayburn! Born in Madera, Calif., Margie is generally considered a one hit wonder, because she had a pop single, "I'm Available" go to #9 in the Billboard charts in 1957. The songs "I'm Available" and "Tormented" have nothing in common at all, which proves Margie had a number of styles at her disposal! 

 

If you haven't seen this movie, the problem is Juli Reding as Vi, the singer of "Tormented" in the movie, is dead, and she and her music just won't go away and stop bothering poor Richard Carlson! I mean it's not like he pushed her! 

 

How ironic that she recorded a song called "Tormented" and that's just what she's doing to him. What are the odds of that? Bad luck on his part I'd say! 

 

Like one Vi wasn't bad enough!!! I don't think this is the kind of three way he was dreaming about!! 

 

I don't really get what the big deal is, I think anybody could get used to Vi setting around after awhile. Maybe he should just drill a hole in her head and stick some flowers in there, she might make a pretty good talking vase! Here's what we call the "Tormented Trilogy"!! Music from at least three scenes, and it really does sound like it was recorded in a lighthouse with some bad acoustics!! SOUNDCLIP NOT AVAILABLE

THE ILLUSTRATED MAN - Jerry Goldsmith - "Want A Cup Of Coffee?" (1969)

"The Illustrated Man" is curious but unsatisfying all at the same time. It's a very uncomfortable movie, and I'm sure that is just the way author Ray Bradbury would like it to be, but something just doesn't click right, it's beautiful to look at and unpredictable as can be, but manages to end up just being kind of meaningless, and you wish you had your hour and a half+ back, so you could watch "Mission Stardust" or something fun like "Creature Of Destruction" instead! That's it, the movie just takes itself too serious!  

 

Rod Steiger is just kind of obnoxious in a boorish kind of way, and you just wish he'd get on with whatever's bugging him and get over it, but then I guess there'd be no story! 

 

Incredible 10 or 20 hour days of make-up! James E. Reynolds is the man to thank for the "Skin Illustrations!" 

 

Composer Jerry Goldsmith has a massive resume including composer of the music for 18 episodes of Boris Karloff's "Thriller" and another 7 episodes of "The Twilight Zone!" Classically trained, he wasn't afraid of experimenting with sound or electronics, as you will hear when listening to this piece. Jerry passed away in 2004, but sure left us a ton of music to enjoy! Thank-You Sir!!!! 

 

Now you really can't blame these evil kids for not wanting to give up this cool playground!! Better than the fort we used to have! 

 

You guys are a bunch of weenies, what do you mean you're cold and tired? 

 

Right about this point in the film, you really start to squirm, and the actors just seem really miserable, and it's like, can you just get out of the rain please, or I'm going to have to go to the restroom! Now if none of this makes any sense, then you're just going to have to go out and rent this film yourself to really understand, but that might not even do the trick!

SPACE MONSTER - Marlin Skiles - "Dreams and Doctors" (1965)

The 1965 made for TV movie,"Space Monster" was written, directed, and produced by Leonard Katzman, who would go on to produce many episodes of "Wild Wild West", "Hawaii Five-O", "Gunsmoke", "Dallas" and more, before passing away in 1996! A lot of people don't like this movie, but it's really a gem, and it's got some music that is out of this world, and that is because it has the extremely talented composer Marlin Skiles at the helm. Martin was making music for movies as far back as 1934, and gets the credit for stock music in films like "20 Million Miles To Earth" and "The Giant Claw!" 

 

First, we have the scene where Dr. John Andros, played by Baynes Barron, is daydreaming about a beach in a tropical paradise, and we get a way too short treat of some extra funky sax surf music. You didn't hear many bass lines like that in 1965! 

 

Kinda figures, since the last time we saw him, he was known as Chief Maranka on another island in "From Hell It Came!" 

 

The best line is right here, as class act, James Brown, as Colonel Hank Stevens says..."I'll bet you have!" as he responds to John Andros saying, "I've seen a lot worse than our lady doctor!" 

 

Then, after some enlightening guy talk, we switch over to the lab where the good doctor is trying his best to get next to Dr. Lisa Wayne, who has all the answers, and none of them include him! Minnesota girl Francine York as the good doctor was very busy acting up til just a couple of years ago!! The music is swingin' in the background! 

 

This film is incredibly lame and stupid, but you gotta love it!! Here they re-used the dumb little wrinkled head guy from "Wizard Of Mars." I used to have a little rubber head guy like that you could stick your hand in and morph his face all around with your fingers! Seems like I won it as a prize at The Pike in Long Beach! We got fan mail from some flounder, and as an extra bonus, he sent along this wallpaper for you, of his interpretation of the ultimate 1950's Monster Boy! Remember, You seen it here first!! Happy New Year!! 

 

KISS ME QUICK ! - "Shake It All Out" (1967)

Now unless you really like to watch 1960's topless girls dancing, you're not going to like this movie!! Now, if you do like to watch topless girls dancing to some very cool surf n sax type instrumentals, then this is the film for you. It's just a simple cinema burlesque show at best. There is no reference we can find anywhere yet that tells us who did the music, so just enjoy it anonymous as it may be! 

 

Stretching the definition of a monster movie again to the thinnest possible point without breaking, "Kiss Me Quick!" does have a 'mad lab' of sorts, a mad doctor with a bad accent, a few guys in monster masks, and a guy from space, but they did forget to include one thing, a script!! 

 

Cinematographer maestro László Kovács, who just passed away last year, went on to work his magic on "Hells Angels On Wheels," "Psych-Out," and "Easy Rider" among a host of other films! 

 

Break it out at your next bachelor or adult Halloween party, and all your perverted friends will love you!! This movie was released (or it possibly escaped) on Christmas Day, 1964! Wow, Merry Christmas everybody!!!!

SHE DEMONS - Nicholas Carras - "Diane Nellis Dancers" (1958)

"She Demons" is a fantastic film, and is the first on my list to go back and watch when there is some free time! This film is from the same insane people who brought you "Missile To The Moon" with music by Nicholas Carras, who also composed the music for "Drag Strip Riot," "Frankenstein's Daughter," "The Astro-Zombies" and more. 

 

First off, you've got the conga girls to get the beat going just right! 

 

The extra added bonus in this film is, even though it killed her career, the superb talents of Sheena of the Jungle, the blonde bombshell Irish McCalla! Right about here, they're trying to figure out what all these incredible, beautiful, talented dancers are doing on this island! 

 

In this movie The Diane Nellis Dancers are totally out of control!! Of all the tribal dance numbers we've written about here, these gals are far and beyond the best.!!!!!! 

 

Not only are they better looking than all the beauty queens in "Missile To The Moon" (except Sanita, of course), but these girls can, and I'm not kidding, actually dance!!!! 

 

This jungle girl is beyond incredible! I don't know what island they are exactly supposed to be on, but me and Tabonga have got our bags packed up and are ready to go! 

 

These girls are way gone mesmerizing to be sure!! They must have been incredibly good sports too, because as I was reading in "Return of the B Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers: Writers, Producers, Directors, Actors, Moguls and Makeup" in an interview with director and writer Richard E. Cunha, the same girls really played as the 'She Demons' in makeup too. 

 

In the same interview, Ricahrd Cunha said his wife wore the makeup for the final horror shot! 21 years later, Fleetwood Mac would release "Tusk" and not understand why anyone thought it wasn't original!!!!

DAIKAIJU KUCHUSEN: GAMERA TAI GYAOSU (Gamera Vs Gaos) - Tadashi Yamauchi - "Return Of The Giant Monsters" (1967)

Unlike all the Toho films directed by Ishirô Honda, the Gamera films came from the Daiei Studios, and there is really a different feel to them. 

 

The music from "Gamera Vs Gaos" is by Tadashi Yamauchi and is really very spacey, jazzy, and bizarre!!! These guys are hilarious, and it's always a good idea to stick humor in there right when the world is about to be totally destroyed and wiped out by a gigantic bat!!! 

 

It's orchestrated creepy smooth sax until they turn the radio on, and we're treated to some super lounge music with guitar until Gaos shows back up and scares the tar out of the two dummies! 

 

Gaos, dude, you gotta lay off the beer and pizza, or your gut's going to be bigger than Tokyo! Looks like he's on that George Foreman diet! 

 

"Gamera Vs Gaos" is a great movie and worth tracking down for these scenes alone! At least these days, if you weren't lucky enough to see it the first time around, you can at least rent a copy! 

 

Now if you're not confused enough, this crazy movie was also released as "Return Of The Giant Monsters."

HAND OF DEATH - Sonny Burke - "Big Problems In The Lab" (1962)

Composer, conductor, arranger Sonny Burke does an amazing job on the music for "Hand Of Death," and this lab scene gone wrong is the pièce de résistance! It's utterly fascinating from start to finish, with eerie organ and bongo drums, and then it builds and builds and builds until it turns into an explosive nightmare of bottles and beakers with piano and even eerier organ and horn blasts from Hell. 

Have fun!! 

 

John Alonzo as Carlos, the lab assistant, had a distinguished acting career going back further than his role as Tomas in "The Magnificent Seven," and then right about 1967, he decided to be on the other side of the camera, and had another long and distinguished career as an Oscar nominated and Emmy winning cinematographer before passing away in 2001! 

 

John Agar looks like he is in complete control right about here! 

 

Uh,Oh, Remember, Carlos said, "Maybe it isn't possible to mix a hypnotic drug with nerve gas!" and I'm thinking I've got to agree with him because, I'm sorry, that just sounds like a bad idea!!!! 

 

Ow, That really hurts!!!! 

 

Alex Marsh falls asleep at this point, having breathed in way too many nasty vapors!! 

 

Although the music is above reproach, it would have been nice to have some scarier imagery than bottles swirling about! How about something like the gargoyles from "The Wizard Of Oz?" 

 

Okay, this has been a public service announcement, kids, under no circumstances are you ever to mix hypnotic drugs and nerve gas, let this be a warning to you!!! You can avoid Big Problems like this!!