10 WEIRD-ASS MONSTERS FROM THE FIFTIES!

Okay boys and girls, it's time to check out this batch of Weird-Ass Monsters from the Fifties! Sure, there are more but these here are great examples of low budget foul balls... Enjoy!

Here's Richard Carlson's relative from THE MAZE in 1953, I remember seeing this one around 1960 on TV and couldn't believe what I was seeing. A very strange movie directed by William Cameron (INVADERS FROM MARS) Menzies.

Also from 1953 is the insane ROBOT MONSTER, played by George (MESA OF LOST WOMEN) Barrows. Literally a hack job of monster creation!

This Mexican movie, THE ROBOT vs. THE AZTEC MUMMY from 1958, reuses this robot from THE SHIP OF MONSTERS but it has a human inside it! That's one awkward, goofy looking creation.

The shaggy BEAST FROM HAUNTED CAVE from 1959 is one whacked out monster. When you watch the climax where Michael Forrest fights the thing, it's hard to tell what in the Hell's going on!

THE MAN AND THE MONSTER from 1959 was another wild Mexican horror movie. But, the clown nose makes him look like we're watching a freakin' comedy!!

Gene Corman's NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST from 1958 has one of the most confusing looking monsters... Ever!! You're just never sure what you're looking at!.. Nice package!

ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES from 1959 has big rubber monsters designed and built by the professional scuba divers playing the creatures!

Eegah!! and I saw this one at the theater when it came out. That's one of the goofiest looking monsters of all time, the MST gang had some great lines when they cut this one to shreds!

This is my pick for the worst, most embarrassing excuse for monsters, that's right, THE BRAIN EATERS from 1958! Seriously, is that supposed to be anywhere near scaryville?!

Then, from 1959, we gots THE WASP WOMAN! I mean, they couldn't even get the mouth straight, that's an obvious wig, that eyeball, just horrible! Well, that's it, but, tune in tomorrow for another special post from Eegah!!

GORILLAS AND GIANT APES ON FILM - A Historical Pictorial (1930's - 1970's)

Gorillas and giant apes were a very popular subject in the movies for a good five decades or so! These days not so much, and I'm afraid the gorilla suit thrill is over, but I think it's time to take another look back! The focus here is on movies with gorillas or giant apes as the main subject matter and/or, films where our large sapien friends were a major part of the story! I'm sure I missed some along the line, but this list is pretty close in my opinion!

1932 - "The Monster Walks"

 

 1932 - "Murders In The Rue Morgue" with Bela Lugosi

1933 - "King Kong"  

Originally, I was only going to do 'gorilla' movies, but after much thought, I decided  I couldn't possibly leave out the big guys, and that's how it goes!

1933 - "Song Of Kong"

It only took them 8 months to release a sequel to "King Kong!"

1935 - "Angkor" aka"The Gorilla Woman"

A sleazeball quasi-documentary!

1939 - "The Gorilla" with The Ritz Brothers!

Bela's in there again, and I think this is the first time that the gorilla wasn't taken seriously anymore!

1940 - "The Ape"

 If it was good enough for Bela, it was good enough for Boris!

1941 - "The Monster And The Girl"

 1943 - "Captive Wild Woman"
with...

Acquanetta as 'The Gorilla Girl!"

1943 - "The Ape Man"

Bela is back!!

1944 - "Crazy Knights" with Shemp, Billy, and Maxie!

 1944 - "Nabonga!"
Tabonga's cousin?

1945 - "The Monster And The Ape"

A Columbia Pictures serial.

 1945 - "The White Gorilla"

1945 - "White Pongo"

For some reason, in 1945, two movies came out that featured albino gorillas!

1949 - "Mighty Joe Young"

Probably the saddest of all the giant ape movies!

1950 - "Mark Of The Gorilla"

Featuring Johnny Weissmuller as Jungle Jim!

1951 - "Bride Of The Gorilla"

1952 - "Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla"

Bela's back again, but this time he's joined by Martin and Lewis wannabes Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo in a full-blown comedy!

1953 - "Robot Monster"

The gorilla suit would never be the same after this!

1954 - "Gorilla At Large"

This one is probably my favourite gorilla flick!

1954 - "The Bowery Boys Meet The Monsters"

Yet another Laugh Fest!

1958 - "The Bride And The Beast!"

1961 - "Konga"

1962 - "Kingu Kongu tai Gojira" 

or

"King Kong Vs. Godzilla"

All bets are off once the Japanese get involved!

1963 - "Las Luchadoras Contra El Médico Asesino" aka...

"Doctor Of Doom!"

1967 - "Kingu Kongu No Gyakushû"

or

"King Kong Escapes"

1967 - "Hillbillys In A Haunted House"

1968 - "Der Gorilla Von Soho" (The Gorilla Gang)

Written by Edgar Wallace, the original author of "King Kong!"

1975 - "The Ghost Busters" TV Series - Just in case you wondered what ever happened to "F Troop!"

I didn't even know this existed until I started writing this!

1976 - "A*P*E"

 1976 - "Queen Kong"

 Let's not forget about the Queen (Even though we'd like to)!

 1977 - "Xing Xing Wang," "Goliathon," or "The Mighty Peking Man"

So there you go, that about covers it. Yeah, I know I left out the "Planet Of The Apes" movies and a slew of Tarzan movies, but this monkey business had to stop somewhere!

SPACE: 1999 / Mission Of The Darians - 1975

Here's another great series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. This episode has the Moon Base moving to within range of a humongous ship that is 20 kilometers long! Because the ship is emitting a distress signal, Koenig orders an Eagle to go investigate and find the inhabitants, the Darians, have a very distinctive class separation.

So, a huge spacecraft is hovering near the Moon Base and the gang have to come up with a plan, it looks like they will investigate...

Here are two close-ups of the giant ship, it has tons of architectural elements! When I worked for the special effects studio Wonder Works in the nineties, they had this thing called the Greeble Room. It had drawers full of thousands of different small random resin pieces that could be mixed or matched for model building. Those pieces are known as "greebles" in the film industry!.. Greebles, baby!

Okay, sucker, where'd you put the damn staples?!

Hey, it looks like Commander Koenig has a very sexy visitor!

Commander Koenig, Joan Collins... Joan Collins, Commander Koenig!

Well, hello der!!

They threw in this FORBIDDEN PLANET looking walk way to the stars.

Joan plays Kara, here she is with Petros, High Priest. They are not very nice people.

Barbara Bain is kidnapped and thrown in with the underclass, where, she is chosen to be sacrificed to the star gods! Or, something.

I volunteered for this job but they ordered me to get the Hell off the set!!

Everything turns out great at the end! Check out Petros there with his head crashed through the display panel... Hurray!! Check in again Wednesday for more cool junk!