THE LOST ZEPPELIN / Tiffany-Stahl Productions - 1929

Today's early talkie is loosely based on the crash of the airship Italia and the international rescue effort that cost an early polar explorer his life. Then, the pilot who rescued crew members also crashed when returning to rescue more survivors and had to be rescued himself!

I have a sound clip for your approval, sooooo, you can push the big red 'GO' button located there by our crashed Moon rocket, NOW, Rufus The Gnat!.. Here's... THE LOST ZEPPELIN!

It cracks me up to see the formality of these characters, people just don't look like this anymore. Whut wif' our tattoos, goatees, shaved heads, funny looking clothes, technological diversions... Well, things have changed a bit.

The crew climb into the Zeppelin to start the journey and dude looks out his port hole.

They're off!!.. A horny Clamper moves in to console one of the crew member's pretty wife!

Back at the ranch, the women have in depth conversations about the expedition. You can hear them explain themselves in the sound clip.

The Zeppelin hits a lot of bad weather on its way to the South Pole, they keep in touch with the military communications command every step of the way.

The guys at an icy outpost hear the Zeppelin flying by, they run out to cheer and jump for joy!

Well, the damn thing crashes at the pole because of ice buildup.. What a miserable situation!!

This is a weird touch! Top still is of the crashed Zeppelin at the pole, bottom still shows a winter exposition back at home!! What a strange idea.

Here's our hero, the guy in his ski plane that saves the day... Hooray!!

Tune in tomorrow when Eegah!! saves the day for us with a special post, here, at The Dungeon!

THE THREE STOOGES - "Malice In The Palace" (1949)

I've got a seriously wacky week going on, so nothing's going to make it better than a Three Stooges featurette like.......

......"Malice In The Palace!"

"Malice In The Palace" is not exactly politically correct by today's lame standards! 

In 1949, people still had a sense of humor!

As in almost every Three Stooges short, this is an obvious setup for disaster! That's what makes them so great!

Vernon Dent had over 400 credits to his name, and many of them were as the foil in a Three Stooges short!

George J. Lewis had over 300 acting credits himself! 

Amazing!!

This scene is all about what's happening off camera! They saw a cat run into the kitchen where Larry is preparing hot dogs for their meal!

First you hear the chop of the meat cleaver, then you hear the cat, then you hear the meat cleaver and Larry steps on the cat's tail, and it let's out a terrible screech!

Then the same thing basically happens to this dog! The meat cleaver comes down and the window closes on the dog's tail making him yelp like he's being murdered! 

The next thing you know, dinner is served! 

YUM YUM!!

So they get through that elongated gag, and then everything shifts and goes in another completely different direction!

In order to get to Shmowland, they have to leave Jerkola, and go down the Inseine River, over the Give A Dam, and through Pushover!

The boys feel safe disguised as Santas because as they say, "nobody believes in Santa Claus!"

That's it for now, but I'll be back on Saturday with a different kind of list! 

TABONGA! AT THE MOVIES / The Fifties

Before I met Eegah!! in 1959, I saw 67 monster movies with my neighbors, dad and cousins from 1953-59. The thirteen movies I'm listing today were the ones that got to me the most or left a big impression in one way or another. Remember, I didn't see everything and these reflect only films I actually saw at the theater at the time...

VOODOO ISLAND was a pretty creepy movie, with all the killer plants and voodoo curses! And crap, it starred Dungeon Lord, Boris Karloff!

MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS was awesome, Universal had the biggest budgets and it showed. The giant dragonfly was a big bonus and the monster was truly terrifying, especially when he's wielding a sharp ax!

NOT OF THIS EARTH was one of the very best Corman productions, Paul Birch was a great villain, Beverly Garland I was in love with, Johnathan Haze was a wild character, cameo by Dick Miller and the unique Umbrella Monster was created by Paul Blaisdell... A winner!!

Wow, COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK was really something. It's one of those that you had to be there to see at the time, it was eerily haunting in all its black and white glory and weird music.

I remembered that THE FLAME BARRIER freaked me out pretty good, Blobs always occupied a special freak out spot in my overactive imagination!

I was 9 years old when I saw KRONOS, and, it blew my mind. For a sci-fi movie, it had it all. Besides the awesome robot, there were lots of other wild spacey things going on.

ENEMY FROM SPACE will always be my second favorite sci-fi movie from the fifties. I love this freaking creepy flick, Brian Donlevy IS Quatermass!! This card has been signed by the lovely Vera Day!

I like TARANTULA! the best of all the Universal fifties monster flicks. Man, at the time, it hit me between the eyes with a knuckle sandwich! The lab, the very convincing giant tarantula, the victims' gruesome makeup... The cherry on the top was Leo's last scene where his face was melting. That one was one of my top ten scares, it screwed with me for a long time afterwards!

CURSE OF THE DEMON was truly terrifying, like the night scene in the forest with those eerie sounds! When the Demon did appear, well, the goods definitely get delivered!

Man, did I love this flippin' over the top flick, THE BLACK SCORPION was action packed excitement in a stick of TNT! The big screen close ups of the scorpion's face were insane, since they turned the sound way up during those segments!

FORBIDDEN PLANET is my all time favorite fifties movies, that can never change. Holy cow, Robby, the incredible ID Monster, the super science, the fantastic crew, the saucer, Morbius, the sultry Anne Francis, the impossible electronic sounds, the scenery, and, on and on!..

My dad took me to see THE FLY when I was 10, I just was not ready to see the ultimate fifties makeup masterpiece, the twitching head of the monster!.. I thought I was gonna die!! The whole movie is fantastic, with Vincent Price and in colour.

Okay, THE BLOB takes 1st place in fifties scares for me, no shit, it messed with me the worst! Shown above is the sheet music for THE BLOB. I had the 45 single of this classic tune and played the crap out of it! Hope you enjoyed this little fun trip into the past... Tune in Wednesday when Eegah!! comes a knockin'..

MACISTE CONTRO IL VAMPIRO - Les Baxter - "Goliath And The Vampires" (1961)

Tonight's Saturday Night Special is a sword and sandal film that could actually also be considered a monster movie! It's called "Goliath And The Vampires," and it has got some extra weird stuff going on!

We've been through this before, whether you want to call him Maciste, Samson, or Goliath, it doesn't matter! What matters is that he's one bad cat just short of being super human!

This evil character looks like a cross between Obama and The Rock! 

One of the first all-girl bands!

You've got to love a movie that moves seamlessly between evil monsters and nicely choreographed dance numbers!

This evil apparition is called Kobrak as played by Guido (HYPNOSIS, BARABBAS) Celano! He is a vampire of sorts! The gorgeous gal doing his bidding is Gianna Maria (HERCULES, LUST OF THE VAMPIRE) Canale as Astra!

Kobrak is not your typical vampire! He doesn't choose to suck blood from necks because he has other methods!

Time to go to the club, and another dance number! 

Now this just might be the most interesting piece of music that was ever in a sword and sandal movie! I guess they got the sand part right because this sounds like it should have been in a movie called something like "Beach Blanket Babylon!" And no wonder since the music in the American version of this film was composed by Dungeon super hero Les (BEACH PARTY, BIKINI BEACH, MUSCLE BEACH PARTY, HOW TO STUFF A WILD BIKINI) Baxter! Electric guitars B.C., I love it!!

Time to prepare the wench for his majesty!

Now this is a great shot! It looks like a guy breaking into a strip mall!

These cats were called the Blue Men! I think somebody in Vegas owes Ambrosiana Cinematografica Productions a little cash!

How'd you like to have this funny little monster nipping at your heels?

I'm almost done, and I haven't even mentioned the star of the show, Gordon (GOLIATH) Scott yet!

If you want to know a lot more about Gordon, then read this post of mine for the movie

 "Danger!! Death Ray!"  Out of all the guys to play Tarzan in the movies, Gordon Scott was always my favourite!!

He got caught, and now Goliath's on a bummer!

But this guy is no quitter! Talk about bringin' down the house!

Tricky Freakin' Kobrak comes back disguised as Goliath himself, and tries to cause a bunch of trouble! (Shows you the depth of Gordon Scott!)

Time for Gordon to go mano a mano with himself!!

BACKBREAKER!!

When stripped of his mask, Kobrak turns out to be one ugly sumbitch!

Peace Out Citizens!

Maciste For President!