THE VAMPIRE - Gerald Fried - "Turn Off That Stupid Record" (1957)

You don't normally hear a lot about the 1957 feature "The Vampire" and I'm not quite sure why that is, because it's a good little movie and quite entertaining. They try some different angles on the vampire theme, and it's a good twist where the good guy and the bad guy are the same guy!! 

 

Dabbs Greer on the right, as Dr. Will Beaumont has one of the most recognizable faces you'd probably never lay a name to, having been in hundreds of TV shows from "Gomer Pyle" to "Lizzie McGuire," and movies until passing away just last year!!! James Griffith in the shades, was a musician turned actor whose face you've seen if you have ever seen any TV westerns, here, he plays the very weird Henry Winston. Being the consummate musician James went on to be a member of the Spike Jones Orchestra. 

 If the Doc's daughter Betsy looks even vaguely familiar to you, it's because right after this movie she was in 44 episodes or about 6 years worth of the TV series "The Real McCoys" as daughter Hassie McCoy! 

 

Collen Gray is absolutely fantastic as the ever caring Nurse Carol Butler and went on to also be in "Leech Woman" and "Phantom Planet" and stayed active for many years, on TV shows like "77 Sunset Strip" and "Mr. Ed"!! 

 

Mauritz Hugo as Joe the sick waiter had a commanding career that spanned from Kit Carson To Commander Cody. In 1943 he was in "The Batman" and "Revenge Of The Zombies" and he worked way into the 70's having recurring roles on every TV show imaginable before passing away in 1974! 

 

John Beal as the good doctor had a very distinguished career going all the way back to 1933, mostly TV and movie dramas with this film being pretty much his solo horror effort, although he had been in "The Cat And The Canary" back in 1939 with Bob Hope, and went on to play in 9 episodes of the horror soap opera, "Dark Shadows" as Judge Vail! To round out the cast, Paul Brinegar was "Rivero" in the classic "How To Make A Monster" and finish it off with the immense talents of Kennth Tobey and Herb Vigran(It would take me all night to write these guys credits!), and this is one powerhouse package! 

 

So you can start to see, with a line up of talent like that, just why this might be a film worth really checking out! It is a good one for any lovers of the genre, and the cast is a seemingly endless array of genius! 

 

We've written about the amazing composer Gerald Fried here before because of his work on "The Return Of Dracula," so you can check out the archives for more data on him. Just let it be known, history would have been different without him, he actually contributed that much, and what he contributes here is cool and swings when it needs too! 

 

GOG / Ivan Tors Production in 3-D / 1954 / music by Harry Sukman

Tabonga here!.. Tonights we have metal and rivets gone berserk... "Science is never frightening, Miss Merritt." 

 

Great artwork! This show that music dude have umlaut, so not pronounced "Suck, man!" Bu

t, this is theme for PSYCHO KILLER ROBOTS??!!! What gives?!.. GOG's THEME?

 This how they test windshield wipers in 1950s!! 

 

Everybloody want to get into act!.. Flick shot at real Air Force base! 

 

At least doctor and Tabonga have two things in common!... 

 

Whoa, Escheresque!! 

 

'80s New Wave Dude can't get 'Thingama-bob' tuned!!.. AND, NOW SMOKING!!! 

 

Patty Duke dad get paid $250 for two day work!.. Hey, not really get killed, just acting! 

 

GOG take on anyone, anywhere, anytime!! 

 

Uh, oh... Not bad enuf, there is also woman driver robot MAGOG! Look, she already crash into GOG!!

 Good night, everybloody... Blue cosmic dreams!

5 TOMBE PER UN MEDIUM (Terror Creatures From The Grave) - Aldo Piga - "The Plague" (1965)

Like all of the movies we've written about here, the Italian movie "Terror Creatures From The Grave" is another one of those "you just gotta see it" films. I mean, if you dig the plague, you're really going to enjoy this film. 

 

The U.S. Armed Forces indoctrinated us with the stuff, so it's a joke to us, but for the rest of you, there might be a problem. 

 

There is no clue how Barbara Steele could put up with all this and always still look great!! 

 

That bust looks like one of those ghost ones at the end of "The Haunted Mansion" ride! 

 

Have you ever heard The Firesign Theater's" bit about the TV show, "Name That Disease!"? It's a game show where they shoot you up with different killer diseases and you only have so much time to "Name That Disease" and if you name it, you get the antidote! It's big Laffs!!!! So, the last contestant can't name the disease, the buzzer goes off, and the announcer tells him "You've got the plague" and then every person in the audience starts whispering, 'the plague, the plague, the plague etc. etc. This movie is also good stuff for all you leper fans out there!!! 

 

Hey, have you heard about those new Super-Infections we have now? Now that's some hilarious stuff!!! So, if you're not sick enough to die at home, go to a hospital, and they'll take care of it for you, for sure!!! Happy New Year!! 

 

Well, I guess Barbara doesn't really look that great here! The music for this movie also known as "Coffin Of Terror" is composed by Aldo Piga, who we've written about here before for his amazing work on one of our favorite films, "The Vampire And The Ballerina." Here, Aldo's work is all over the place, and the opening sequence lives in a world of it's own, like no other! Rumbling drums and penny whistles with karate chop horns!! Cool stuff Aldo, right to the end! Thanx!!!!

CAT-WOMEN OF THE MOON / Z-M Productions / 3-D / 1953 / Elmer Bernstein composer

Tabonga squeeze more blood out of stupid joke! 

 

Great, Elmer Bernstein get to work on two 3-D duds in 1953!! First ROBOT MONSTER, then CAT-WOMENS! 

 

Guys in casting... GENIUSES!! 

 

Prop by Joey, age 7! 

 

Panel very impressive in 3-D!!! 

 

Whoa! Look too good for this flick, look like stole from PROJECT MOONBASE! 

 

Hey, they steal those suits too!.. What gives?!! 

 

How Cat-Girls know about chess and Buddah, got me?! Oh well, set look cooler than MISSILE TO THE MOON! 

 

Now good place for music. HIT IT!!..

 Dancin' Moon Caterinas

 This what spider look like before all tore up and use in MISSILE TO THE MOON! 

 

Esoteric Corner - Marie contemplate the word... "Laird" 

 

Tabonga want this to happen to Walt from beginning!!.... But, seriously, this Kim Fowley's dad!! 

 

Think you can trust CAT-WOMAN?! 

 

End with great lobby card...

THUNDERBIRDS IN OUTER SPACE - Barry Gray - "Richochet-Sun Probe" (1965-66)

The subject of "The Thunderbirds" is a little too massive for me to take on, but if you really want to get a whole lot more info with some very cool sights and sounds, check out this "Thunderbirds" homage site!! It should keep you plenty entertained for a couple of hours!! 

 

KLA - True pirate radio!! The music in all "The Thunderbirds" TV shows and movies was by Barry Gray, who also did 20 episodes of "Space:1999" in the 70's, and numerous other interesting TV and movie projects before passing away in 1984! 

 

Who came first, this dude Brains or Elton John?? 

 

"Thunderbirds in Outer Space" The end segment entitled "Flying High" is performed by Gary Miller! 

 "Thunderbirds In Outer Space" is a little tricky to find information about, but as it turns out, it is really a movie made in 1981 strictly as a video release, that was a combination of two 1960's "Thunderbirds" UK TV episodes. Those two episodes were Series 01, #11 entitled "Sunprobe" from 1965, and #5 from Series 02, called "Ricochet," from 1966.

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL - Bernard Herrmann - "Take Care" (1951)

Now we're talking really classic in "The Day The Earth Stood Still," a movie that left us with images that are iconic to this day. What can possibly be said that hasn't be said before, and in who knows how many languges? Released on September 28, 1951, with a soundtrack scored by the incredible Bernard Herrmann, this film set a standard that has been rarely reached even to this day! 

 

You might recognize Bernard from his musical credits of various sorts, running from composer to arranger, conductor, and music director on some little films with titles like "Citizen Kane" or "Fiend Without A Face." He was the orchestrator for Hitchcock's "Vertigo" and was the composer of the theme for 69 episodes of crack TV western "Have Gun, Will Travel" starring Richard Boone as Paladin, and some of the original "Twilight Zone" episodes, and that just scratches the surface 

 

Hello everybody, I just flew into town, and boy are my arms tired!! Now just put down the guns, please!! 

 

100% PURE GORT!!!! No fat, no frills, no filler! Just get the hell out of the way!!! 

 

Three years later, Patricial Neal would go into space in "Stranger From Venus" a multi-faceted disaster! 

 You couldn't have lived through the 50's in the USA without knowing who Billy Gray was, as he played Bud in ever popular TV series "Father Knows Best!" 

 

This is what Billy was looking at!!! Back then, it was shocking!! 

 

All right folks, gotta go now, so remember to take care, it was nice meeting each and every one of you. Have a nice day and have a nice future too!!!!