THE MOUSE ON THE MOON - Ron Grainer - "Moonwise I'm Sure" (1963)

Among everything else, we've got a lot of great comedy films to showcase in the upcoming months, and so, just to get everybody in a good mood for the end of summer, we're going to do nothing but side-splitting horror comedy films for the next two weeks, starting with tonight's feature. It's the sequel to the riotous and very popular "The Mouse That Roared," the equally zany, but also spacey, "The Mouse On The Moon."

If the man of the hour, Ron Grainer had done nothing more than compose the themes to the British TV shows, "Dr Who" and "The Prisoner," he probably could have retired!

Not one to rest on his laurels, this child prodigy would never have been satisfied with just those major accomplishments, and he went on to be one of the most beloved composers in British TV history!

They make great vino in the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, there's only one problem, it's explosive!!

"Blithe Spirit" Margaret Rutherford is amazing in her portrayal of the Grand Duchess, Gloriana XIII. Margaret is probably remembered mostly as Miss Jane Marple, a role written by Agatha Christie, that Margaret would reprise a couple of times in her career. In fact, she was so perfect in the role that Agatha Christie dedicated her 1963 novel, "The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side" to Margaret!

So just exactly is going on here anyway? "The Mouse In The Moon" is a farcical flick about the 1960's Space Race, you gotta remember, this is way back even before John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the United States and Russia were at each other's throats, so in this mouse tale, the small country of Grand Fenwick uses the keen competition between the two countries to get money donated to them for their own space program, but in reality they just want to fix up the plumbing in the royal palace!

These two photos show the missile that the USSR donated to the cause!!

The "Mouse" series was written by remarkable Irish author Leonard Wibberley. Three more entries, "The Mouse On Wall Street," "The Mouse That Saved The West," and "Beware The Mouse" were never made into films!!

June Ritchie had the role of Cynthia.....

....And Bernard Cribbins was the unlikely astronaut Vincent Mountjoy! Bernard's next role in a film would be "Carry On Jack" as Midshipman Albert Poop-Decker! Besides 94 acting credits, Bernard made quite a career out of playing himself, which he managed to do quite nicely in about 41 different TV shows!

The occasionally brilliant Terry-Thomas pops in as UK Spy Maurice Spender! You probably don't know that his real name was Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens!!

Director Richard Lester would end up directing two movies by The Beatles, "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!"

In the musical segment included, the band is torn back and forth between whether to hail the Russians or the Americans, and it makes for a pretty funny musical bit!

With the help of David Kossoff as Professor Kokintz Vincent Mountjoy is eventually on his way to the moon!!

Both the Russians and the Americans watch the proceeding attentively!

Grand Fenwick is the first to land on the moon!

A lot of people think that if Peter Sellers would have been in this second "Mouse" movie that it would have been a lot better, and more popular. Personally, I don't think it would have mattered, and Bernard Cribbins does a fine job as Vincent! Here he gazes wistfully at the Russian and American spaceships getting ready to land on the moon too!

The Americans and the Russians land at the same time in a tie for second place! More than the lack of star Peter Sellers, probably the real kiss of death for this flick was it's political commentary about the financial futility of the Space Race and the idiocy of politics in general! Remember, it would still be another six years before we actually did go to the moon!

It translates as "TOGETHERNESS - MOONWISE" - "Th, Th, Th, Th, That's All Folks!"

CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA In Color / Roger Corman - 1961

Whellcome everbloody, to a Special Colorized Friday The 13th Friday Night Drive-In here at The Dungeon, wif' yer host Tabonga and lil' Dungeon hunchback helper pal, button pusher, and all around good bug... Ralphie The Tarantula!

Our colorized feature is that Roger Corman favorite... CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA! This little germ was written by Dungeon fave Charles B. Griffith. Roger even has an uncredited boom operator credit for this shoot! With the same cast and crew, this flick was shot back to back with LAST WOMAN ON EARTH in 1960, but released the following year... Also, one that Eegah!! and Tabonga! saw in 1961 at the Sierra Theater after they teamed up!!

What we have for your listening pleasure tonite is Betsy Jones-Moreland singing the song "Creature From The Haunted Sea," written by Carole Eastman for the scene where a distraction is needed when they're confronted by an armed Cuban military speedboat. You can reminisce as you browse the fun stills of memory lane! Enjoy... Hit the button, Ralphie!.. CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA!

Before the credits roll, there's the scene where Renzo and Happy Jack receive the stolen loot from the government of Cuba, and are then chased by manical Cuban soldiers in a Volkswagen as they make their getaway! Monte (BEAST FROM HAUNTED CAVE) Hellman gets a Second Unit Directing credit for this part.

Safe at sea...

Renzo and his gang of misfits, Pete Jr., Happy Jack and Mary-Belle!.. Italian born Antony Carbone was the perfect Renzo Capetto, and was also the perfect Leonard de Santis in A BUCKET OF BLOOD!

Renzo is pure slick!..

Robert (LAST WOMAN ON EARTH) Towne plays Sparks Moran, he's infiltrated the gang and is there to spy on them for the American government. Beach Dickerson plays Pete, Jr. He walks in on Sparks as he's transmitting a report to Washington. Sparks must then relinquish a pickle with a transmitter tube hidden in it to Pete, as to not raise suspicion!

Beach was also in some cool flicks like ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS, ROCK ALL NIGHT, WAR OF THE SATELLITES, TEENAGE CAVEMAN, T-BIRD GANG, VISIT TO A SMALL PLANET, THE TRIP, THE DUNWICH HORROR and CRAZY MAMA!

Sparks spends most of the movie trying to save Mary-Belle from herself!

After the fake monster attack, Renzo and the gang see if they can get their Cuban guests to swallow it. And, they do! The guy sitting in the chair there is General Tostada!

In order to get Pete to fully understand and then repeat the plan back, Renzo gets his attention by waving a Tootsie-Pop in front of him!

Renzo and the boys capsize the boat near an island and toss the treasure overboard to save it for later, while they come up with their next strategy...

Renzo and Mary-Belle talk about all the things they're going to do with their cut of the loot.

Corman used a lot of underwater scenes. These are great here!

Two excellent group shots!!

In the end, Renzo gets his and the monster wins... Yay!!

Beach was responsible for designing and building The Creature, but I don't think we'll ever know who was inside the suit!!

*** If anybloody cares or wants to know, Tabonga has lost his accent because Rodan's brain was recently transplanted into Tabonga's skull. Done mainly to save space!!

DAY OF THE NIGHTMARE - Henri Price - "Hey Lady We're Closed" (1969)

"Day Of The Nightmare" is an interesting 60's romp about a cross-dressing artiste who is also a blood-thirsty killer! Pretty busy guy, really! That's a couple of full-time jobs, plus he has to try and hide the whole mess from his wife at the same time!! Woo-Woo!!

It starts off innocently enough as Jonathan Crane is working on some sketches in his apartment/studio, home away from home. His model, Lynne Lori doesn't know it, but she's on a fast track to the inside of a trunk!

Put on some mood music, and please don't play another Mitch Miller record! The soundtrack was created by Dungeon stalwart, André Brummer, working once again as Henri Price! All our favorites by Ray Dennis Steckler, "Thrill Killers," "Body Fever," "Rat Pfink a Boo Boo," and "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies," Arch Hall's "Eegah" and Fredric Hobbs' "Godmonster of Indian Flats" all had soundtracks composed by André Brummer, and it just doesn't get much better than that!!

Groovy artist's studio and pad, with our hero, and one of the stars of this movie, Cliff Fields as tortured artist Jonathan Crane! It looks like this was Cliff's only starring role, as his other handful of roles were as Mail Clerk, Townsman, Banker or Student etc!!

Jonathan has got some serious issues, and back issues too!! Yeah, that's him, in the skanky outfit and shades! For being an artist, Jonathan's choice of fashion is open for discussion!

Right about this point in the flick you decide that this is just another cheapo 60's dirty little sex flick, but here's the real surprise, you're wrong this time!!

I don't know about those Grannie panities though, probably a good thing it's not just a sex flick! Jonathan's neighbors in his home away from home apartment complex are swinger's in more than one way!! Check out the poster on that cheapass paneled wall for the Monterey Jazz Festival!

And those swingers are having way too much fun to notice Jonathan, a big trunk being pulled down the stairs, and a missing model!

The streets of L.A. circa 1969 with cool cars including that classic Chevy Corvair, and who put the dent in that VW fender? I'm willing to bet a good part of why this film is so watchable is because the cinematography is by cult hero Ted V. Mikels, producer and director on classics "The Astro Zombies" and "The Corpse Grinders" and lots more, including a 2010 release of "Astro Zombies: M3 - Cloned!"

In steps supermodel Kathy Ireland's Dad, John Ireland, as Police Sergeant Dave Harmon just in time to start getting to the bottom of some of these shenanigans!! Pretty amazing how much Kathy looks like her Dad! John Ireland had 199 acting credits dating back all the way to 1945, and, believe it or don't, this probably wasn't the weirdest movie he was ever in! Here's just a few movies he's been in, "The Fast And The Furious," "Revenge For Revenge," "The Phantom Of Hollywood," "The House Of Seven Corpses," and "Satan's Cheerleaders." He also did a ton of TV including 11 episodes of "Rawhide" as Jeb Colby, and 39 episodes of "The Cheaters" as John Hunter!

Nah, I didn't hear or see anything, we were just havin' some fun!!

Jonathan continues to dig his own hole!!

So, what's up with Jonathan anyway, is he a lady's man or is he a lady? His wife Beverly Bain, as Barbara Crane watches on, because she has no idea what the Hell is going on because Jonathan is gone most of the time!!! This would be Beverly's only acting gig!

It's quite possible that Jonathan is just a little messed up in the head, so do you think his Father might have something to do with it?

Jonathan thinks his wife is onto him, so he decides he needs to get rid of her too!

Jonathan and Barbara have such a close relationship that when he attacks her, she doesn't even recognize him. You'd think his poise and sense of fashion would be a dead giveaway!

Barbara Crane spills the beans to Sergeant Harmon. If they only knew what I know, this case would me a lot easier, and this film would be a lot shorter!

Yet, another victim, but that microphone will be a lot of help to Sergeant Harmon this time!

Jonathan seems more than just a little smitten with himself!

At the finish line, Jonathan finds out the ugly truth, he's a freakin' FREAK!!! "Day Of The Nightmare" is half of a double feature dredged up by Something Weird Video that also includes "Scream Of The Butterfly!" Now that's a bargain for you!