THE MUMMY - "Nerve-Shattering Shock!" (1959)

 This evening's Saturday Night Special is a classic from 1959, and even if it is basically just a cover tune, it's still a classic! Sometimes remakes are as good or better than the original, I'm not going to say that about "The Mummy," but at least it's in colour, and that's a good place to start!

 In 1957, Hammer Films decided to start remaking some of the classic themed Universal horrors, and the first one was "The Curse Of Frankenstein" with Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and Hazel Court. Next up in 1958, again with Cushing and Lee came "Horror Of Dracula," and in 1959, they released tonight's feature film, "The Mummy," once again with the same two stars. Over the next ten or fifteen years, Hammer released no less than six Frankenstein sequels, eight Dracula sequels, and three more Mummy movies. Not stopping there, they also released seven more Vampire movies, a werewolf movie, two Dr. Jekyll films, and a Phantom of the Opera movie. It seems the only Universal classic monster they didn't try was "The Creature From The Black Lagoon," and I'm assuming that's because it was basically from the same era, not 20 years in the past

 Peter Cushing as John Banning is in Egypt on an archeological dig with his Pop! He can't fully participate because he's broken his leg, and will have a limp the rest of his life if he doesn't get it attended to, which he doesn't!

 George Pastell as Mehemet Bey, tells them they need to stop digging or they are going to be in deep shit! Boy, did he call that one right!

George racked up 80 exotic credits before passing away at the age of only 53. In the 60's he was in various "Dr. Who," and "The Saint" TV shows!

 The scroll inside the box is where it all begins!

It's always funny when the scientific geniuses are the stupidist ones! Some people just don't see it, even when it's right in front of them!

 Three years later!!!

 Homeboy is now considered 'mentally disordered.' These days he'd just be another homeless person!

 The large box that was being delivered to the new weird guy's home falls off the wagon because the drunk driver was driving too fast! (A D.U.I. checkpoint would really have prevented a disaster in this case!) But...it was a mmumy in the box, and since he's already dead...

 Sir Christopher Lee has never looked better!!

 It was after visiting hours at the nursing home......That's number one in the revenge department!

Almost looks like The Creature in this shot!

 The brother who was also on the quest is the winner behind door number two!

 In a flashback scene, we find out that Kharis (The Mummy) was a man in another lifetime with a Cleopatra complex!

 And that's why he was subjected to an eternity of servitude and protection to his lover, Princess Ananka! (He's like, Damn, I really screwed up here!)

 The mummy is going for a triple play, and the last on the list is John Banning! The trippy part is that Princess Ananka is a dead ringer for John Banning's wife Isobel!

 Yvonne Furneaux had the double role of  Isobel Banning and Princess Ananka!

Yvonne was also in "The Death Ray Of Dr. Mabuse," and her last role was in a movie I have never heard of until tonight "Frankenstein's Great Aunt Tillie," in which she was Matilda 'Tillie' Frankenstein with Donald Pleasence and June Wilkinson! (I thought I needed to see it, but I just watched the trailer on YouTube,...Maybe Not!) Sometimes I feel like I'm on a giant international scavenger hunt! If I did the math right, Yvonne turned 91 last May.

 John Banning is ready! 

(Does anybody out there not like Peter Cushing? He is SO freakin' consistently cool!)

 The mummy is choking the crap out of John when Isobel comes into the room so John yells at her, "Let your hair down, Let your hair down!" so that she looks more like Princess Ananka!

 That immediately gets the mummy's attention!

Like in all good western movies, the hero rides off into the sunset!

DRACULA MUST BE DESTROYED / Dan Schies: Monster Kid Home Movies - 1972

So, here's another Monster Kid Home Movie, this time from Dan Schies and pals. It's all about the return of Dracula, he sets up a new pad in some kid's basement after he's brought back to the land of the living... But, he also has a nemesis!

I think some kind of Dwight Frye character's toting around a stupid dead kid!

Back to the show... With some bloody hoodoo, Dracula reassembles into a Visible Man model.

He starts breathing again, and, we all better watch out... Drac is back with a fang attack!!.. Hey, nice coffin!

I vant to bite your neck, yo!

Then, little Drac meets his nemesis, another stupid kid, and they wrassle around for awhile until the nemesis runs away!

The good guy comes back with a shotgun and shoots Drac's assistant and heads to the basement with his bag of tricks.

The first thing he pulls out is a cross, smart.

Then, the hammer and stake! It's driven deep into Dracula's evil heart and he heads back to the land of the dead... Goodbye!

Hmmm, looks like Dracula must'a been destroyed!..

And, that's the end of Count Dracula!!.. Wow, can you believe it? I can't. Anyway, we're back tomorrow with another wild tale from the void, here, at The Dungeon!

THE SAINT - Season 01, Episode 01 - "The Talented Husband" (1962)

Tonight's Wild Wednesday encounter is from the 1962 TV show titled "The Saint."

 "The Talented Husband" was the first show from the first season, and was a story of a man who was a better actor in real life than he was on stage.

Here's one of those quirky deals! I never was a big fan of Roger Moore as 007. For me, there was just no replacing Sean Connery, but at the same time, I have to say, that I don't think I ever saw an episode of "The Saint." Let's see, what the Hell was I doing back in 1962?

  I was busy, and "The Saint" was a little too intelligent and mature for me, but after watching this first episode, I have to say that I have a lot more appreciation for Roger Moore as James Bond now, and I do finally believe he was the rightful heir to the throne!!

This happy couple was Derek Farr as the unscrupulous John (The Projected Man) Clarron, and his wife, the one who has all the money in the family, Patricia (The Phantom Strikes) Roc, as Madge Clarron, in her last role.

John Clarron is not that nice of a guy, and 'accidentally' pushes this large vase onto his unsuspecting wife, and almost kills her. He feels SO bad about it!

The Doctor wants to drop by every day, but John tells him that he thinks he only needs to cone around every six weeks or so because Madge is doing so good!

In the meantime, John and Madge have a new neighbor move in, and what a lucky guy John is, at least he thinks so. The neighbor is Adrienne Halberd as played by God's gift to the world, Shirley (The Golden Girl) Eaton!

If you didn't know John was playing his wife for a fool because he IS a very talented actor, then it becomes very evident when he tells Madge he doesn't know if Adrienne is attractive or not, because he's only seen her from a distance!

Then suddenly, a new housekeeper shows up, a Mrs. Jafferty, who everybody thinks he helping out with Madge, everybody but Madge that is, since she's never seen her or knows that she exists!

The best product placement ever, the Volvo Corporation supplied all the P1800's for Simon Templar to cruise around in!

Adrienne is more than just a pretty new neighbor, she is also an insurance investigator snooping around because John's two other wife's both died mysteriously leaving him large sums of money!

Simon Templar is there because he's a friend of the family to Madge. As it turns out, Simon and Adrienne aren't strangers to each other either!

Shirley Eaton is 82 these days!
 It's pretty interesting to me that she worked with both Sean Connery as James Bond, and Roger Moore, not as James Bond!

Intermission time!

Simon smells a rat!

Maybe it's because John is busily making up a rat poison fondue for Madge!

John slips out of town as Mrs. Rafferty, and when he get back home, he is totally shocked and surprised to find his wife dead!

The Saint is less surprised since John forgot to completely dispose of the rat poison!

"The Saint" was on for six seasons from 1962 to 1969!
 It appears I've got a lot of catching up to do, especially since the episode I intended to watch was the one with Barbara Bates in it called "The Loaded Tourist," so there's something for us both to look forward to!