SANTO EN PROFANADORES DE TUMBAS / Santo Battles The Grave Robbers! - 1966

What the HELL!! That's what I always say!.. Anyway, today we have another one of Santo's many movies. Sorry about the print, but, it's better than nothing. Here's the story line from IMDb.. "Santo investigates a series of grave robberies." Wow, I could have figured that out from the poster! So, let me tell you, this movie is freakin' brutal and insane, you will not believe all the sadistic things that happen to Santo in this one! Even though it's in Spanish, check it out, search the title and the complete movie is available there. Do yourself a favor!

After taking on the task of busting some local grave robbers, Santo receives a gift at his pad, it's a freaky looking lamp. So, he plugs it in and turns it on, it gives out an irritating noise and Santo undergoes intense pain. After some harrowing moments, he's able to unplug the infernal thing. Like, what's going on around here, anyway?

Santo gets a tip and heads to the cemetery.. He encounters some tough hombres he takes on, but, they eventually gang up on him and knock him out. So, what do they do you ask, right, they throw him in the grave and bury him alive! (this is not the only time this happens to him in his movies). But, our hero toughs it out and is barely able to save himself!

Wow daddy-o, look at this sweet communication lab any monster kid in the fifties would love to have!! Santo looks like a big kid sitting there talking to, I guess, the police commissioner. The weird thing at top is actually a very nice painting!

The leader of the grave robbers sends out his crippled and not too bright henchman to shoot up Santo in the ring with poison when no one's paying attention, but, he shoots up the wrong guy!! The guy dies and the henchman is beaten with a stick once again for his incompetence!

Here's a look at part of the bad guys' hangout that has some antique looking machinery!

So, the henchmen go to Santo's place while he's gone. They bring in another sinister lamp but this time, they add a 25 foot cord (so they're protected from the effects) and wait for our hero to return. When Santo goes over to look at it, they plug it in and run away. Santo has another bout with the lamp before pulling the plug out yet again. Holy crap, twice!

Santo locates the hideout and goes there to bust some heads. Of course, they were expecting him, and using an intense furnace, incapacitate him!.. C'mon Santo, damn!!

They take him to a small room, tie him up and shut the door...

Then, they turn up the heat!! I don't quite understand, but that furnace seems to be the source of a lot of trouble!

Somehow, Santo, half baked, gets untied and goes to the door and breaks the glass. He opens the door and goes after the sadists. I mean, they were all laughing their asses off watching him suffer through the ordeal!

In another part of the building is this insane machine, for what, who knows, but, it seems to be a great place for a fight! Finally, one henchman ends up in a well deserved, steaming cauldron.

In the meantime, Santo's friends escape their bonds after the boss man gets distracted. He was ready to operate on them, talk about timing!! Dude calls the police.

The boss puts up a good fight, but Santo is too much for him. He charges like a bull but Santo just steps to his side and the evil POS falls head first into his own devilish pit of Hell fire!!

Okay, so the police show up, Santo gives them the skinny and just walks away into the night, like he always does... Join us on Wednesday when Eegah!! takes over the 'post' button, here, at The Dungeon!!..

AROUND THE WORLD, UNDER THE SEA - "Hold Your Breath" (1966)

Here's a real interesting Saturday Night Special for you that was made in 1966, and it's called...

"Around The World, Under The Sea."

"Around The World, Under The Sea" is a movie about a team of civilians out to set up a series of underwater earthquake monitors, so we've got a better chance of seeing those suckers coming, and might have a chance to avoid major destruction from future Tsunamis etc.

This movie has an all-star cast that includes Gary Merrill as Dr. August 'Gus' Boren. Gary Merrill was in "Mysterious  Island," "The Twilight Zone" episode titled "Still Valley," and "The Outer Limits" episode titled "The Human Factor," among his 112 credits.

 

This is our first introduction to Shirley Eaton's character Dr. Margaret E. Hanford!

This is our second introduction to Dr. Hanford, also known as Maggie!
Maggie will turn out to be the only female on the team.

All the team members have to recruited, and they all have special water skills! Keenan Wynn lives in this fantastic underwater dwelling!

Slacker supreme, Keenan has only 281 credits to his name. Included in there is "The Twilight Zone" episode called "A World Of His Own," and a whole bunch of performances as colorful characters with names like Harvey Huntington Honeywagon, and/or Colonel 'Bat' Guano.

You couldn't go wrong in the 60's using Lloyd Bridges in an underwater flick after his successful run as Mike Nelson in 155 episodes of "Sea Hunt"from 1958 to 1961.

"Around The World, Under The Sea" is another Ivan Tors/Ricou Browning underwater matchup! Ivan was responsible for "Island Of The Lost," and the whole "Sea Hunt" series, and Ricou was the man inside the "Creature From The Black Lagoon" movies. The two of them together were responsible for  the "Flipper" TV series! These two guys together have more experience shooting oceanic scenes than anyone I'm pretty sure!

Marshall (Cult Of The Cobra, Fiend Without A Face, It! The Terror From Beyond Space) Thompson is Dr. Orin Hillyard.

How's  Dr. Hillyard going to make it with Maggie with a name like Orin Hillyard?

Speaking of unfortunate names, how about the composer of the music in this film, 

Harry Sukman?

I told you the cast was awesome. Here's David (Illya Kuryakin) McCallum as Dr. Philip Volker. David was also in two of "The Outer Limits" Episodes, "The Sixth Finger," and "The Forms Of Things Unknown." I've never ever seen one, but David McCallum has been on the show "NCIS" for 389 episodes, or the last sixteen years! Amazing!!

All the Doctors have a thing for Maggie!

This was just too good of a shot to only use once!

The Father in the "Flipper" series, Brian Kelly fit into this role quite nicely! Brian had a horrible motorcycle accident four years later that ended his acting career, but he still went on to be the Executive Producer of "Blade Runner."

Get ready cause here it comes!

Ka-Blooey!!

I'll just leave you with these last two shots!

It's looks so cool when you have to cram six people into one tight shot and get away with it!

Mr. Sukman won an Oscar in 1961 for the music in a movie called "Song Without End."

Other Ivan Tors films that Harry Sukman composed music for were "Riders To The Stars," and "Gog." There's one copy of the soundtrack LP with this great cover on Discogs for $6.50, but after that they are $20.00 and up!

TALES OF TOMORROW / "Many Happy Returns" Season 2 Episode 10 - 1952

Today we have an excellent episode from this early fifties TV series... In the story, an Alien on the Moon persuades a boy an Earth to build a gadget, which accidentally electrocutes his father, who does not believe the machine can work with no visible power-source. The Alien telepathically communicates instructions to the avid boy, who's reluctant to be candid with his family, referring to the creature merely as Mr. White. It stars Gene Raymond as dad, Flora Campbell as mom, Clifford Sales as Jack, the boy, Edwin Cooper as Dr. Barnes and Richard Trask as Peter, Jack's friend.

It all starts with pops and his son Jack at their work area in the basement. Jack's working on a project and dad's curious about what it is...

So, Jack only tells him that he's been instructed by Mr. White and that it will work with no power source. Dad tells him that it will absolutely not work without a power source.

Dr. Barnes drops in to remind dad that they're watching the Moon at his place tonight, and, to bring his telescope and lenses...

Dad goes into the basement to get his lenses, when, his curiosity gets the best of him. He wants to see for himself what happens when he throws the switch. He grabs the machine and is electrocuted, and cannot let go!

Luckily, wifey comes down the stairs and switches the thing off. Jack then has to come down and do a little explaining.

Jack says that Mr. White talks to and directs him telepathically, from the Moon, and, he has already received something, a photo of himself! When mom gets a good look at it, she freaks!

In the vintage pulp magazine style, here's Mr. White in all his glory, pretty damn cool!

And when dad tries to get more info from Jack, Mr. White prevents the kid from talking! Shaking his head, yes or no, dad gets some answers. A friend of Jack then tells dad how the machine works. All the kids Mr. White has building the machine have been deceived by his seemingly kind intentions, like, he actually wants to invade Earth!!

Right about here, the print has white lines all the way through to the ending. But anyway, dad decides to send Mr. White a present, a bundle of TNT, for all his efforts.

The TNT gets sent, and, there's a giant explosion on the Moon. This photo was easy to fix.

Dr. Barnes pops in to tell dad that he missed it. The explosion was clearly seen by their telescopes, it was a glorious sight... Then he says to dad.. Too bad you weren't there!!

Jack shows up and all is well, Earth 1, Moon 0! Check in tomorrow when we continue down the dusty and musty trail in 2020, here, at The Dungeon!..