THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD / United Artists - 1957 / Music by Heinz Roemheld

We've put this one off long enough... So, tonight's treat is a little classic from 1957, a very good year!!

Music conductor Heinz Roemheld did a lot of uncredited composing for older movie serials that were later edited down, some released as theatrical features in the '50s and '60s, and, of course, they ended up on TV. Here's some of those titles: SATAN'S SATELLITES, MISSILE MONSTERS, PURPLE DEATH FROM OUTER SPACE, PERILS FROM THE PLANET MONGO and DEADLY RAY FROM MARS!

But, for now, here's THAT MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THAT WORLD!!!

Here's how things worked in the Navy in the fifties... A horrible creature comes out of the sea and bites your head off!!.. So, you scream real loud.

The slacker in the radio room (with an awesome calendar!) hears you loud and clear!

He calls the commander's office and the hot secretary answers the phone...

The commander, played by Tim Holt, finally takes the call and asks... "What do you want me to do about it?!.. He sounded dead, right?!"

WHAT THE?!!..

WHAT THE?!!..

There's Sarah Selby playing Barbara Darrow's mom, one of the most noticible faces on TV at the time!

Both teens end up in the briny deep, a clear warning about being young and stupid!

A diver checks out a monster shell while handsome, there, checks the diver out!!

I think the main message here, is... Just don't get so damn close! Sheesh, they're not that fast!!

One of my favorite stills.

Hans Conried shows the brass some movies of slugs and snails, and puppy dog tails! We love Hans because he was involved with Jay Ward!!!

Believe it, or not, the kid is allowed to play in the room that houses the thing in the tank, and, she actually turns the heat up and that's what allows it to transform and attack!!!

So, when you hear her scream in the sound clip, you can say... "Well, she diserves it!!"

A moment from now, guys come in with rifles to shoot the monster dead, and its... GAME OVER!!

TRACK OF THE MOON BEAST - Frank Larrabee - "California Lady" (1976)

I'm not too sure how far this year 2009 is going to make it, so I'm breakin' the rules tonight and jumping off, and out into the future, because people need to know that there was at least one good movie made in the 70's!! "Track Of The Moon Beast" has got it all, and then some, and even though it's made in 1976, it's cool enough to have come from the 60's!

Here's the main gang, Chase Cordell as Paul, Country singer Leigh Drake as Cathy, Gregorio Salas as Professor Johnny Longbow and the other two kids!

This shot alone makes it look like a 60's movie, when was the last time you saw a flash like that?

Here's the reason we're doing this one! Frank Larrabee as a BeeGee lookin' wannabee, Tom Rush/John Denver soundin' rock star, actually does a credible job with the sunshine hippie dippy happy slappy "California Lady"! I'll take it over a bunch of orchestrated crap or disco any day!

The music is so wild and beyond belief, the crowd can barely contain themselves, just knowing they're probably listening to the genius of some future superstars!

Give Joe Blasco a standing ovation for creating a pretty cool and scary looking old school rubber monster!

Chicks scream no matter what era it is!!!

Joe sneaks up on the cops, looking like he could have been a cousin of "It The Terror From Beyond Space!" in some kind of sequel!

Now you know why they needed a character named Johnny Longbow!!

So Paul got a pretty raw deal really, I mean, he was a nice guy and he wasn't doing anything wrong, he gets hit in the head with a meteorite that turns him into a monster, his best friend shoots him with an arrow and gets his girlfriend!! Now, that stinks, just like the 70's!!

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN - Ray Anthony - "That's Incredible" (1957)

Director Jack Arnold is one of the all-time best, period!! His titles speak for themselves!! Besides, SOUNDCLIP NO LONGER AVAILABLE he is also responsible for "It Came From Outer Space", "Creature From The Black Lagoon", and "Tarantula" just as a couple of examples, not to mention another 30 years of directing prime time TV shows!

But, since we are here to talk mostly about the music, I gotta tell you that they missed a very golden opportunity here. Somebody was real smart and used trumpet player Ray Anthony as a soloist during the theme music, and it is quite beautiful, rich and you're really going to dig it! Here's my problem, why only during the theme? There are very long parts of this movie with no dialogue when teeny tiny Robert Scott Carey is trapped in the basement, and has the adventure of his life, and all the music is totally orchestrated, and loses all it's character! Supposedly stellar names like Irving Gertz, Elliot Lawrence, Hans J. Salter, and Herman Stein are responsible, but as you can see on the credits, it's only music supervision by Joseph Gershenson.

A fantastic duo, Grant Williams as Scott Carey, and the enchanting Randy Stuart as Mrs. Louise Carey! Life is perfect!! But then........

Here it comes, whatever it is! This story was written by another Sci-Fi master, Richard Matheson, and combined with a great cast, you've got yourself one real classic monster movie!! Another great film where there is no need to explain anything, weird stuff just happens and you deal with it!!

Right here's where the good music and the good times stop! Reality for Scott and Lou is a thing of the past, and it's all down hill from here!!! The movie just got started and you've already got the moral of the story! Get your own beer!!

You know what's causing the shrinking, but you will never know why! So what the heck was in that fog anyway? Pixie dust? Space Debris? No, just regular shrinkin' stuff!!!

They throw a real midget, the ultra famous face of Billy Curtis, into the act, for a quick bit just to legitimize things! See Mildred, I told you they was midgets!!

Maybe after they built all those killer sets, they didn't have enough money to pay Ray Anthony to blow throughout the whole film! Don't get me wrong, it's a great movie, it just could have been that much better!!!

This film doesn't exactly have a happy ending, here Louise gets ready to drive off in a very nice Chrysler with Scott's brother, never to return!

This movie never ends, it just keeps getting smaller!!

THE HAUNTED PALACE / AIP - 1963 / Music by Ronald Stein

Well, here is first posting in this new year 2009... Tabonga bring you flick with story by two greats, H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe!! Look at actor lineup... Vincent Price, Debra Paget, Lon Chaney Jr., Leo Gordon, Elisha Cook, Jr., Barboura Morris, Bruno VeSota, Frank Maxwell and more!

Dungeon favorite Ronald Stein back again, this time he makin' some thematic strains! Do Dungeon search on Ron and hear all other many postings he have! WOW!!!.. Okay, so, here is... ONE HAUNTED PALACE!!

Vinnie' relative was bad boy who play around wif' supernatural, so villagers burn him up, and what else, he put big curse on ever,bloody! You see Leo there, he write THE WASP WOMAN!

Back to present, Vinnie and Debra come to live in inherited palace where bad ancestor live. Now, ever'bloody hate them!!.. Whoa!! Bartender Bruno star in DEMENTIA!

Barboura play wife of Leo. Remember, she was hip chick in A BUCKET OF BLOOD.

Result of curse!!

Lon play Vinnie' helper, Simon... A simple dude.

Elisha just not havin' fun! Elisha had great part in HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL!

Here is creepy Lovecraft monster that live in palace hell-hole!

Villagers burn up Vinnie' palace!

He supposed to be exorcised, but Vinnie give you 'the look!'