THE NEANDERTHAL MAN - Albert Glasser - "Uptight Ape" (1953)

In my humble opinion, "The Neanderthal Man" is missing something bigtime when you compare him with some other primitive heroes, like, let's say, "Eegah!!" Here's the basic problem, he's not a real caveman, he's just a monkey, he's a scientist, Professor Richard Groves, played by Robert Shayne, aka Inspector Henderson in the 1952 TV Superman series, who turned himself into a caveman via chemicals, and that makes a big difference!!!

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He just lacks the savoir-faire that cave dudes should have, and despite the fact that he looks like a real lover on the lobby card, he really doesn't even like women or girls, except to kill, of course!

Game warden George Oakes played by Robert long gets quite a scare when the sabre-tooth tiger jumps on his hood!! It's at this point that composer Albert Glasser, gets to slip in a little swing as music on the radio! It's funny how Albert's scores are usually pretty straight ahead BIG orchestrations like this theme, but he always tries to sneak in a 30 second jive piece somewhere!!

So, really, what was director Ewald André Dupont and everybody else who had anything to do with this movie possibly thinking when they allowed the various pieces of footage of the 'sable-tooth tiger' be viewed? In one scene, it's obviously a normal striped tiger, then when it attacks the game warden in his car, WTF, it's a big cuddly-lookin' stuffed animal. Back then, they could just flash crap on the screen and get away with it, but catch that one frame and it really makes you realize, just exactly how much they did get away with!! Amazing!!

For your holiday treat, in 1947, Doris Merrick seen here as Ruth Marshall, the Professor's fiancé, was in a movie called "The Pilgrim Lady!"

My favorite movies are always when normal women are so blinded by love that they can't see that their fiancé is totally out of this world, and over the top insane!! Here she playfully musses the Professor's hair in an attempt to get some attention!! He doesn't mind or care!!

Feeling like this was what was really on his mind. Testosterone gone mad, but this make-up job was a much better look than that mask!!!

And on top of all that, that mask wouldn't have looked so bad in a low light situation, but, what is it with those eyes? I don't care if it's 1953, they could have done something better than that!

The old Doc is looking just a little worn out after his latest killin' spree, and transformation back to human. Talk about a hangover!!!

Beverly Garland as Nola Mason, the waitress, is gorgeous in this early role that was her first Monster Movie appearance!!

Here she's being used as a model in a pre-attack photo shoot!!

Trust me, there is no cave there, you just find a place in the shadows and walk away from it!!

One of the more interesting parts of this film is the use of Tandra Quinn, who we know from her role and dance in "The Mesa Of Lost Women" as Tarantella! Here as Celia, the housekeeper she communicates with to co-stars Joyce Perry and Richard Crane!

This is an outstanding makeup job by Dungeon Hero, Harry Thomas! That good ole Professor Groves experimented on Celia before he tried it on himself!! Nice guy cut from the same Whit Bissell School of Dirty S.O.B's! Always in the name of science!!!! The special effects were attributed to Jack Rabin!! What an all-star crew!!!

What a great lookin' posse, 3rd from the left character actor Robert Easton stood a bit taller than his fellow actors and was used quite often as a hick, which is funny, since he has an extra high IQ! In 1956, he played a soldier named Ackerman of all things, in the movie "Hold Back The Night." Robert is still active today and just had his 78th birthday a couple of days ago on November 23, the day before another Ackerman!

LAS MUJERES PANTERAS aka PANTHER WOMEN / Mexico - 1967 / Music by Antonio Díaz Conde

Tonight Tabonga present cool flick from land o' the Tequila worm! Gots everything!.. Gurlz, wrassling, science, gurlz, hero, mummy, gurlz, panther, night club, gurlz, vintage car, fist fight and gurlz!

Music guru Mr. Conde have 267 composing credit that include these monster flick: DOCTOR OF DOOM, WRESTLING WOMEN vs THE AZTEC MUMMY, SHADOW OF THE BLACK HAND, NIGHT OF THE BLOODY APES, SANTO, NEUTRON and more!!

Interesting theme, and Eegah!! include great ending too!!... READY, SET, GO! PANTHER WOMEN!!

Wrassling!..

Night Club!..

Hero and Science!..

One freakin' ugly Mummy!!..

Peeping Tom!..

Wrassling Panther Gurlz!..

...With sharp claw!

Panther Gurl run away and hide in tree!.. Hey, no wonder she Panther Gurl, panther climb tree too!! One minute later she get shot and she die!

Then Loreta Venus and Golden Rubi make Panther Gurl' mommie talk!

~ FORRY RULES!!!

YOSEI GORASU (Gorath) - Kan Ishii - "Good Luck Drink" (1962)

Six years after "Godzilla," it was time for director Ishirô Honda to make a movie without a real monster, but instead to deal with the reality, that the only real monster on Earth, is the human race, and we do a pretty good job of it, too!! There actually was a giant walrus designed by the master Eiji Tsuburaya in this film, but it was of less than secondary nature and deleted from all but the Japanese versions of the film!

"Gorath" is not a monster itself, but instead, an out of control runaway planet on a collision course with Earth!! Before the movie really gets going, the first crew is already subjected to an honorable but unnecessary death!

You gotta love the fact that someone thought they needed to translate "Hey!"

Cool entrance to "The Spaceport!" So, it's 1962 and in Japan, all they drive are American cars, boy, how times have changed!!

An actor Kan Ishii, who composed the score for this film was actually just a classical composer whose main gig was not film!! Now, I've done a bit a research, and so far I can't really find out what's going on with these guys singing these songs, first it's the crew of the helicopter, as it flies merrily along...........

And then again, in the club scene, it's my new favorite song, "Hey!!" I don't know what it is, but I really like that song, very spirited like some kind of allegiance to life, or maybe just to drinking! Who cares? How can you possibly resist a song that spunky?? It's all too surreal with off kilter vocals, a polkaesque beat and some very snappy horns! Damn, I wish it was longer!! Take what you can get!! At least they're dealing with the end of the world much better than the people in "Day The Earth Caught Fire!"

Uh-Oh, running out of time!!!

Hard to get a good shot of Magma, the giant walrus, but at least you can see kinda see how big he really was, in the background, as these guys run away!!

Eternity!! That's a wrap!!

Today is Forrest J. Ackerman's 92nd Birthday!! Wow!! Happy Birthday Forry!!

FIRST MEN IN THE MOON / Columbia UK - 1964 / Music by Laurie Johnson

This classic UK movie was made four years before 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY! Not really knowing, but, it has to be the same special effects team that worked on our feature tonight. Ray Harryhausen created the great animated aliens. And, one of our favorite directors, Nathan Juran, heads up the activities.

Mr. Laurie Johnson scores the spacey music. Here's a few of his composing feats: DR. STRANGELOVE, THE AVENGERS episodes, CAPTAIN KRONOS - VAMPIRE HUNTER, THRILLER episodes, 57 episodes of THE PROFESSIONALS, just to start with!

Here's tonight's very spacey special... FIRST MEN IN THE MOON!

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It starts with an international team of astronauts landing on the Moon, then discovering a British flag and a written letter proclaiming rights to the Moon go to Queen Victoria!! Of course, this starts a frenzy back on Earth where they try to figure the big mystery out...

The movie stars Edward Judd, Martha Hyer and Lionel Jeffries. Hey, Edward Judd starred in last night's posting!! Oh yeah, it has geese and chickens, too!

Arnold Bedford, who's name is on the letter, is finally located in England, still alive. He tells the story about the flag and document found on the Moon. It started in 1899, when Arnold met the nutty professor Cavor. The professor had made a pod that could travel to the Moon and back! So, Arnold, Kate, professor Cavor and a chicken head into space and somehow make a safe landing there.

There's adventure after adventure as the gang gets separated. Kate is then attacked by a horde of Moon sprites!

Arnold watches in horror as a rampaging giant worm is toasted by one of the alien's ominous weapons!

One of the alien insect leaders watches Kate through a lens that shows her without her skin! Of course, they can transform into caccoons!

Professor Cavor is totally fascinated with the aliens, so, he decides to stay on the Moon, and, not go back to Earth with Arnold and Kate.

Kate waits as Arnold tries to get back to her, then, Arnold and Kate barely get the pod activated to make their escape!

After the story is told, the world watches as the door to the alien city is opened. They discover a decayed and crumbling world instead.

Arnold goes over to the window and looks up at the Moon with his telescope and wonders if the aliens' demise could have had anything to do with the cold the professor had? H. G. Wells loved germs, you know!!