TALES OF TOMORROW / "The Search For The Flying Saucer" Season 1 Episode 11 - 1951

In this early Sci-Fi TV episode, Army pilot Vic Russo is grounded after reporting an encounter with a UFO, he's determined to proved that flying saucers exist. He travels to a remote New Mexico town to investigate reports of alien craft, but the locals clam up when he brings up the subject. That is, except for Crazy John, an old weirdo who offers to lead Vic to their landing site, a cave in a mountains!

This one stars Jack (BATMAN - Hot Rod Harry) Carter, Olive (THE TEN COMMANDMENTS) Deering, Vaughn (PSYCHO) Taylor and Maurice (THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US) Manson.

Vic Russo shows up in Las Palmas to start his search for proof of flying saucers. Mother Walker's Boarding House looks like a good place to find a room to stay in...

After he gets inside, he meets good old Crazy John, who's playing chess by himself. Then, Ginny Walker makes her entrance, wearing her sunbathing outfit...

Vic goes out into the public and asks a bunch of people if they have seen any UFOs lately... Unfortunately, they all have nothing to report and not happy about discussing the subject.

Back at the boarding house, Crazy John shows Vic something he says is off of a flying saucer. But, Vic wants more than a small piece of metal for proof.

Then it happens, Ginny has fallen for Vic, and Vic feels the same way about her!.. And, yet another very awkward live TV kiss.

Vic shares with Ginny all the reports of saucers in the US, he just can't believe that people are not more concerned!

Crazy John says that he knows where the flying saucers are and takes Vic into the mountains. At a certain location, he shows Vic the cave they are using. There's no activity at the moment and's a great way to not have to show any flying saucer model throughout the whole show. Cheap-ass mofos! Anyway, Vic leaves to go tell the authorities...

So, Ginny gives the head saucer-man a call and informs him that Vic has gone to the authorities and will be back soon to bust them! He tells her that they have to leave the place immediately. Ginny's torn, she keeps saying... My mission here was not to fall in love!! So, there you go, long distant romances never seem to work out. Tune in Wednesday as The Dungeon continues its epic journey down that dusty wild 'n' weird flick trail...

ASHES TO ASHES - "Episode #1.1" (2008)

 I was really taken aback when my friend Lord Litter in Berlin told me that there was a continuation, or kind of a sequel to the amazing  2006 series "Life On Mars," 

and it was named after another David Bowie song, "Ashes To Ashes." 

This was something I had to see immediately!

 Last year I watched to whole first "Life On Mars" series, and then I watched the whole American version, and I thought I was done, but oh no, these people haven't finished messing with my head yet!

 DI Alex Drake was just trying to take her daughter to school when she is summoned to an emergency hostage situation, and this is where it all starts over again!

Welcome to another Saturday Night Special in The Dungeon!

 The hostage is released. The maniac who was holding the hostage requested to see and talk to DI Drake, but she has no idea why!

 This is all he has in mind!

 The killer has no mercy, and then the madness begins in earnest!

 And the David Bowie references are spookier than ever!

 When Alex Drake comes to, she is on a large party yacht, and apparently now, she's a hooker!

 Then she realizes it's 1981, not 2008 anymore!

 Alex Drake has one huge advantage over Sam Tyler. After his alledged suicide, she had been studying his story, and reading his notes, and so when she finds herself in a similar situation, she's pretty sure she knows how to get back to where she came from!

 But that's not going to happen any time real soon. "Ashes To Ashes" was on for three seasons or 24 episodes, however you want to look at it!

 And Yes, she has to deal with the same exact characters that Sam Tyler did starting with the Jean Genie himself, Gene Hunt!

 Officers Chris Skelton and Ray Carling are back too, and

I'll tell you what! Right about here, I was just as confused as Chris Skelton is most of the time!

 Alex Drake has only been conscious a short while, and she's already in a hostage situation again!

 Up to this point, they just thought she was a prostitute! Now it's time to try and start getting things all figured out!

 Bringing back the main character as a female has got to be some kind of stroke of genius, and there are obviously going to be many more frustrating hurdles for her in the macho world of 1981!

The same...but very different!!

 I'm through four episodes now, and it's still keeping me guessing. Just like Alex Drake, I know the story, but it doesn't make it any less interesting, that's for damn sure!

 Every bar should have a backdrop like this for people to take a picture in front of!

Lost and alone, Alex Drake has a long road ahead of her. It's going to take a lot more than wine to help her find way back home!

MAD MONSTER PARTY? / At Long Last, A Motion Picture With Absolutely No Cultural Value!! - 1967

Here's a redo from a few years back, in this Rankin Bass animation production, Baron Frankenstein decides to retire from the monster-making business, so, he invites all the classic monsters to a creepy convention to elect his successor. Everyone is there including Dracula, The Werewolf, The Creature, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and more. The doctor has also discovered the secret of total destruction and it must not fall into the wrong hands.

It stars the voices of Boris Karloff, Allen Swift, Phyllis Diller, Gale Garnett, Ethel Ennis and more. Gale Garnett was best known for her hit, "We'll Sing In The Sunshine" from the sixties, but also ended up with 42 acting credits. Alan Swift did the voices for Felix Flankin, Yetch, Dracula, Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Chef Machiavelli, Captain, First Mate, Mr. Kronkite, the Mail Man and The Monster!!

Of all things, little Felix Flankin gets an invite to Dr. Frankenstein's place on a remote island.

The monsters have arrived by steamer and are making their entrance at the Baron's palace...

There's plenty of wild and crazy monster tunes to keep the whole gang entertained.

And, it's nothing but mayhem at the dinner table, Mr. Hyde pops the head off Yetch (one of my favorite words) because he was getting on his nerves!

Felix is late to the party because he missed the ship with the monsters and rowed there in a small boat. The Baron and Francesca find him and they take the Baron's dragon motor boat back to the palace.

Then, the Baron shows Felix around the place. In the lab, he shows the little guy one of his pets, a glob of goo that likes its dog food!

The Baron plays a tune on his wild guitar and all the little creatures in the lab dance around Felix, freaking him out but good.

Of all things, Francesca really likes Felix, she's never seen anyone quite like him. And, Felix feels the same way about her, making for another tune to sing and dance to.

But, all the other monsters don't like it and try to kidnap Francesca, well, until something really big shows up and chases them away.

Now we have a big old damn dirty ape getting in on the action, and guess what? He has a crush on the Francesca! It's not long before the ape grabs his prize and takes off with her!

The Baron and the monsters pilot some of the Baron's old airplanes and go on the attack!

Felix has rescued Francesca from the island as the ape has the Baron and the monsters in his big meaty hands. The Baron has his secret vial of destruction with him for the occasion...

He drops the vial and when it hits the ground, we get this!

Felix and Francesca sail off into the sunset, they're a perfect match, she was made by Frankenstein and he's actually a robot!! We'll see you tomorrow when we'll have even another great post from the Dungeon Gang!!

FOR SINGLES ONLY - "...it's party time 24 hours a day!" (1968)

 Tonight's Weirdo Wednesday feature is just that! Something I rarely do is present you with movies I have not even seen myself, but I stumbled on this madcap lightweight sex romp called "For Singles Only," and decided it needs to be acknowledged on these pages for a couple of reasons!

First reason is "For Singles Only" had a lot of odd 60's music in it, and I'm pretty sure this manic video of The Lewis and Clarke Expedition called "Destination Unknown" will attest to that fact!

That's Texans Michael Martin Murphey as Travis Lewis, and Owen Castleman as Boomer Clarke! In 1968 Owen Castleman invented a device called the 'Palm Pedal,' that allowed guitar players to execute pedal steel-style string bends.
 

Another band performing a silly novelty song in this film was The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. I didn't know until just now that singer/songwriter Jackson Browne was an original member of the band for the first few months before pursuing his very lucrative solo career!


Nominated for various awards in the 80's and the 90's, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band finally won a Grammy in 2004 for "Best Country Instrumental" with added players Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Jerry Douglas, and Vassar Clements!

Brazilian Pianist and organist Walter Wanderley and his trio also perform a couple of songs in the film. Walter had a #26 hit tune in 1966 called "Summer Samba!" The song "Kee Ka Roo" is used in this movie, but I think this version with Luiz Henrique is the same, but different!

The great vibraphone player Cal Tjader, who was also known as the most successful non-Latino Latin musician, is also in this movie! It's not in this film, but one of my favourite Cal Tjader songs is "Soul Sauce" that peaked at # 88 in 1965!

The last of the bands in this movie was the pop rock group known as The Sunshine Company. I bought this LP new when it came out, but I never liked it much, because even though it might look like it would have psychedelic overtones, in my opinion it was just disappointing soft rock drivel!

Here's a great pair, Mary Ann Mobley and John Saxon! Miss Mississippi 1958 and Miss America 1959, Mary Ann had the unfortunate distinction of being originally chosen but dropped as both "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E." and Batgirl! She passed away in 2014.

The good news is John (Blood Beast From Outer Space) Saxon is still around and working today!

 The other stars are Lana (Diamonds Are Forever) Wood, and Peter Mark (Agent For H.A.R.M.) Richman. Lana and Mark are still both alive, and she's still acting, but he hasn't done anything since 2016!

 It's funny what one comma can do or not do. In this direct quote about the movie's story line from IMDB, it says "Anne and Helen move into a California apartment complex for single only where all the occupants are looking to hook up with Milton Berle as the building manager."
Even though I haven't seen the movie, I don't really think they were there to hook up with Milton Berle, but that would have probably been interesting!

I'd like to see "For Singles Only" but I'm not really willing to pony up the $20.00+ the DVD's are going for, but from the looks of that poster, I think probably the best part was the musical performances anyway, but if I find it streaming somewhere some day for free, I'm always up for a good party!