Friday, December 10, 2010

BLUE SUNSHINE / Ellanby Films - 1976

Welcome everbloody, welcome to Friday Frights, here at The Dungeon! Tonight we gots a really weird one, I guess to try to scare anyone who took the classic LSD tab, Blue Sunshine, way back in 1966, because it's side effects are becoming clear only now, a decade later! As a production company, this is the only one Ellanby Films ever made. Even The Dungeon Gang produced 3-1/2 movies!!

As proof of Blue Sunshine's lingering effects, just take a look at this dude, stone hippie turned hateful disco king!

The music is by Charles Gross, and looking over his 75 composing credits, it looks like the only other horror project he ever worked on was the TV movie, THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, in 1986.

Let's get the show rollin' wif' dat lil' Dungeon helper, and 6-eyed freek, Ralphie The Tarantula! He's here for one reason only, right, to push the big red 'GO' button over there in the corner, an' start our Eariffic Earclip of... BLUE SUNSHINE!

The evening with friends started off great, lots of laffs with Rodan and all...

But, things took a wrong turn somewhere and everything turned into... a big bummer. Something to do with peanut butter and chocolate, I believe.

The movie's littered with characters you only see once, including the detective questioning Deborah Winters here. Alice Ghostley even has her one scene.

Our hero, Jerry, breaks into the home of his friend (the dude with the parrot) to check out the murder scene where he killed his family.

What gets tedious is, the director wants you to never know who's gonna go off the deep end next, including Jerry, mainly through misleading facial expressions, and it's irritating as freakin' HELL!!

Here's Robert Walden as another doctor, this time specializing in karate chop surgery! Will Robert be the next weirdo to freak out?!

This Disco DJ's purdy fly, he gots a dawg whistle! That's at least a notch cooler than the dude that don't!

Just groove out to the music... Hey look, there's Anne and Ralphie!

Here's Babs and Old Blue Eyes performing at a political rally!

Excedrin Headache #...

...666!!!

Ray Young plays this balding psycho, he can't take loud noises, so, Deb turn up the volume on the disco music to 11...

Hey, Jerry, let's me and you... wraaaassle!!

Okay, c'mon, c'mon, quit shaking... focus, focus...

Awright, bullseye, right in the neck!.. The big guy goes down and stays down, for good!!

Ghoulnight Everbloody!!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

BEES IN PARADISE - Guest/Sherwin/Busby - "Buzzin" (1944)

In Issue #20 of "SCREEM Magazine", there was an interesting article about matriarchal societies written by David Wilt called "Women Rule, Men Drool," and it featured some of our favorite films like "Cat-Women Of The Moon," "Queen Of Outer Space," and "Missile To The Moon," and among the other films mentioned was one I wasn't really familiar with, but was found to be readily available via Netflix, the 1944 UK musical comedy production "Bees In Paradise." It's a fantasy film about a society governed by women and yet, it stars a guy, go figure!!

"Bees In Paradise" was written and directed by Mr. Valmond Guest, who directed the major classic films "The Quatermass Xperiment" in 1955, and "Quatermass II: Enemy from Space" in 1957! He also co-wrote the music for "Bees In Paradise!" It's no wonder he also wrote a movie in 1960, called "Life Is A Circus!" I guess so!! Val lived to be 94 years old!!!

There are lots of songs, and the music and lyrics were written by Manning Sherwin & Val Guest, with help from Musical Director Louis Levy, and Special Orchestrations by Bob Busby to flesh out the whole thing! None of them are slackers!

Tote that barge, lift that bale, there's still lots of hard work to be done in this woman run world, they just get to dress sexier!! The singing Queen Bee was Anne Shelton as Rouana! Anne was good enough to have her own TV show from 1958 to 1959!

That's a whole lot of estrogen in one room!!

The Bee girls have got some terrific costumes, and all of the song and dance numbers will keep your interest if you have any buzz left at all!

The girls are on the lookout, just in case anybody comes near their island paradise!

There's a plane flying by, and they are having problems, so these fellows are going to have to jump!!

WhooHoo, the girls spotted them, and send out the signal on the old tribal drum! MEN!!!! It's MEN!!!

Yessireebob, one of them dudes in that plane was none other than that suave heart throbber, Arthur Askey, as Arthur Tucker! Arthur started his professional career as, what else would you expect, a music hall musician in 1924, and was only 5 foot and 2 inches tall!

Well, I'll be damned, I was just searching around gathering up some info on this film, and what do I just discover right now, even though I've been there a 100 times before, "Bees In Paradise" streams for free over at The Internet Archive so now there's no excuse for not watching this flick? What a world!! Amazing!!

Just to give you some idea of the rules, watch out if she sends you a chair!!

Arthur has an encounter with The Crocodile Charmer played by the oh so mysterious Koringa in her only film role!

The three main song and dance numbers are "I'm A Wolf On My Mother's Side," "Don't Ever Leave Me," and "Keep A Sunbeam In Your Pocket!"

Of course Arthur has to do some good natured cross dressing!

Arthur has to spend some time in the pokey! If for no other reason, the Bee sets, like this jail, are worth taking the time to watch this film!

At least Arthur and his cohorts are able to escape from the island with their dignity intact!!

Monday, December 6, 2010

THINGS TO COME in Colour / London Film Productions - 1936

Welcome everbloody, Tabonga here with Mondo Monday, here at The Dungeon! Tonight's flick is a redo of a previous post, this time in colour!!

If you're not familiar with this H. G. Wells tale, then, shame on you, go to IMDb and read about it there! Wells wrote both the story and screenplay. The music's by Mr. Arthur Bliss, he had a total of 7 composing credits, this film was his first...

It's time to bring in our lil' Dungeon helper and button pusher, Rufus The Gnat! Rufus is here every Monday to make sure we all get to hear our Eariffic Earring... THINGS TO COME!

The world seems happy and productive after the big war, and man has finally learned his lessons...

The amount of planes shown at times is overwelming, great special effects and miniatures!

War is just a carnal delight of man, especially for little yellow chicken shit hawks with 7 defermits to keep out of the military!!!!..

Yeah, I'm headed over to Carol's, then we're going to the malt shop for a burger... Hey, where's your rod?

It looks like some bizarre giant metal insect with it's human master! The backdrop looks very interesting, obviously real ruins somewhere in England!

By 2036, modern man had moved underground and created his Utopia there.

With a shopping mall...

...And, justice for all!

Grandpaw, could you put it on something good?.. I wanna watch Gumby!

Weird place to have a toilet!

Futuristic architecture and costumes were well thought out for the time, but them boney knees, Raymond!

Tabonga's just not buying that helicopter 'steering device' design, looks like it's made out of some crap we used to sell at Daco Farm Supply!

The estimated budget for this futuristic flick was £300,000, or $700,000 in US dollars. One Fleischer Superman cartoon cost $100,000! Big bucks back then!!

Here's the new rollie coaster ride at Six Flags, the Rocket Roller, you actually get shot into space! Coming down's the really scary part... Look at that freakin' line!!

Look there, you idiot!! You blind?!..

I'm not crazy!.. You're crazy!!

Ghoulnight Everbloody!

Monster Music

Monster Music
AAARRGGHHH!!!! Ya'll Come On Back Now, Y'Hear??