KOMISSAR X - DREI GELBE KATZEN - "Death Is Nimble, Death Is Quick" (1966)

This Saturday Night Special was the second of three "Kommissar X" flicks starring Tony Kendall and Brad Harris that were all made in 1966.

The first "Kommissar X film of 1966 was titled "Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill," and the third one was called "So Darling, So Deadly." This one is titled "Kommissar X - Drei Gelbe Katzen" and was released in English as "Death Is Simple, Death Is Quick." The real translation would be Three Yellow Cats, but it was never released with that title. There were at least three more "Kommissar X" movies in 1967, 68, and 69.

6' 4" Dan (High Plains Drifter) Vadis is a guy called King! He's a karate killer!

A big fit guy, Dan played Hercules in a couple of films, and somehow died at the age of 49 mixing alcohol and opiates! 

Whenever King gets ready to throw a death punch on somebody, he always has to put his headband on first. It's just part of the deal!

This poor bastard doesn't stand a chance.

Curly, Moe, and Larry are up to no good. The guy in the middle's nickname is Nitro, because he likes to carry little vials of the stuff around and blow up things.

Are they looking up at a hidden tape recorder, or are they just looking up?

Just in case you didn't know, that's Tony Kendall as Joe Louis Walker, aka Kommissar X on the left, and bad Brad Harris as Captain Tom Rowland on the right!

This transition shot is really surreal. This was a fate that was meant for Joe Walker!

Three movies in exotic places in one year. Seems like a pretty good gig to me!

I'd have to pass on running along the edges of rooftops though.

They waited all day to get this shot, but it was worth it!

They've got a whole army of trained fighters who are all women, but they never show them except when they're working out like this.

Sealed up behind bulletproof glass, and getting gassed would make almost anybody whine, and offer to give up their million dollars, but King doesn't care.

 

This Mexican lobby card shows King throwing the guy's dead body off the bridge and into the water.

Wow, I didn't know they had intercontinental video telecommunications back in 1966!

King tries to pull the same stunt on Tom Rowland, but Tom punches the bulletproof glass, and the gas escapes! What a stud!

King was putting on his headband and just getting ready to deliver the death blow to Tom Rowland when he decides he was an adversary worthy of a battle, so they head off to this holy temple inside a mountain.

It's a pretty good fight, but I guess since there's a few more movies, you know who is going to win.

The two lead female roles are Ann Smymer on the left, and Michèle Mahaut on the right.

 Ann Smymer was born in Denmark and was in some classic European favourites like "Reptilicus," "Journey To The Seventh Planet," "Mission Stardust," and "House Of A 1000 Dolls."

Michèle Mahaut was born in Vietnam, and was also in "Mission To Hell," and "Bikini Paradise" among her five film credits.

This is.....THE END!

LOST IN SPACE - "The Galaxy Gift" Season 2 Episode 30 - 1967

Here's the last episode from season 2 (it aired two days before I went into the Army) where there 's a battle of aliens over a magic gift belt. The alien Saticons say they will return Dr. Smith to Earth if he can get his hands on the belt from the alien Arcon, played by the man himself, John Carradine.

In his very next role, John would play Dr. Himmil in the freaking god-awful, HILLBILLYS IN A HAUNTED HOUSE. It's like they saved the man for the season finale.

Anyway, Dr. Smith, Penny and the Robot are acting out a skit, the doctor is a Snidely Whiplash type (what else!), Penny is the poor little girl and the Robot looks like some kind of old fashioned robot whore!! When the door is opened, old Punkin' Head is standing there (seriously folks, what the Hell's goin' on here!).

I mean, look, WTF!!! Shame on you Irwin Allen! Is this the best your prop department could come up with?.. Dude, your guys are smoking weed and/or dropping acid, wake up, man!

The being's name is Arcon, he's a shape-shifter. He had trouble breathing as a Punkin' Head (DUH!!), so he transforms into a frog... I love it when you can hear the actor speaking and the hard plastic head's lips don't move!!

So, Penny suggests that he take on a human-like appearance...

Then these Bozos (nice dressers though) show up, they are the Saticons. They give the girls, I guess, some weird tooth discomfort with a staff one has. And, they make it cold!

John looks pretty funny here. He confides in Penny and tells her about the gift belt, she pledges to protect it with her life!! Just think, what if this story went south!!

The nosy doctor goes to talk with the Saticons, to see what they're up to. They tell him they're looking for Arcon, and they'll send him back to Earth with their portal machine, if he can get the belt for them! Jeez, wonder what the doctor (yeah right, doctor!) will choose to do...

Of course the Saticons are playing Smith far a fool, the portal only goes to one place, a simulated Earth city to doom the doctor and retrieve the belt,,,

The doctor sends their little ape Debbie to 'Earth' and brings her back, to make sure everything is working a-okay. The ape brings back a Dodgers pennant and a hot dog, proof she went to Earth! The Robot tells them that the items are fake, but Smith doesn't want to hear it.

John is thinking to himself... This is bullshit!.. We've been waiting for the film crew now for over three hours, it's like they're telling us to get lost, real funny... Crap, I wonder if we'll even get paid!..

Don is thinking... Hey, I never noticed this gadget before!!.. Wow, that is sooo cooool...

The doctor, Penny and the Robot transport to the simulation, and hey, there are NO people! But, the Robot does find that fly thing there behind door number three...

Arcon is forced to get involved, but how can he solve this problem?

Well, he changes into a Saticon and manages to save the day. He blames Dr. Smith for everything! He's ready to banish him but the family votes to let him stay!.. WHY!!!!!

One last observation, that's the face-hugger mask from the original, THE FLY, from 1958, that they used in this episode!

Since this was the last story of the season, they just show some clips from season 3.

We see the Robot floating off into space, the Jupiter 2 craft near an alien spaceship, and last but not least, Robby the Robot in a humiliating role. What used to be a simple blaster is now a high tech smoke machine! Curse you Irwin Allen!!!..

This was our last post of the month, tune in tomorrow for our first post of a new month. Thanks for checking in, here, at The Dungeon!!

THE GAY FALCON - "Fiction's Smoothest Super-Sleuth" (1941)

Tonight's Wild Wednesday presentation is the first in the series of Falcon movies that came out in the 1940s! The sometimes droll but suave George Sanders has the lead role. Prior to this, George Sanders was in five movies as Simon Templar or "The Saint."

The title is "The Gay Falcon."

 In 1941, many words had different interpretations than today!!

Why is The Falcon gay? It's very simple, that's his first name!

The Falcon is trying to go legit, so he's on his first day at his new job as a stock broker!

When his fiancé pops in to see how he's doing, she finds him peering out the window!

He's not real busy, so he's peeping on some gal in the other building!

The Falcon's fiancé Elinor is portrayed by Nina Vale. Nina was only ever in three movies, this one, "Cornered," and "Mysterious Intruder." Kind of mysterious herself, there's hardly any information to be found on her except that she was born in Massachusetts as Anne Hunter. I couldn't even find a birth or death date.

I finally did find this newspaper clipping at Newspapers.com 

from the "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" Jan. 20, 1946 edition.

Gay Laurence likes to drink spinach juice!

The Falcon's best pal and associate Goldie Locke doesn't appreciate spinach juice as much as The Falcon does!

Allen Jenkins has 158 credits to his name and besides Goldie, most of them had colourful names like:

 Lefty, Chimp, Spudsy, Carbarn, Kewpie, Slats, Fishcake, Crusty, Dodo, Pinky, Skeets, and Droopy, just to name a few!

There are lots of female roles in this film that include Gladys (The Black Cat) Cooper on the left, and Wendy (The Hound Of The Baskervilles) Barrie on the right!

The Falcon has quite an eye for the ladies!

The truly great Hans Conried has a very small, but funny part as Herman, the Police sketch artist!

Somehow from the description given, the drawing comes out looking like Mike, the Chief Inspector, who is not happy about it at all! The Irish born Arthur (Daughter Of Dr. Jekyll) Shields has the role of Mike!

"The Gay Falcon" is based on a murder mystery that was written by Michael Arlen!
It was a short story that first appeared in "Town and Country" magazine in 1940.

Bulgarian born as Dikran Kouyoumdjian, Michael moved to England at six years of age, became a writer, and on becoming an English citizen changed his name to Michael Arlen. He looks like a character right out of one of his own books.

In 1924, Michael wrote his best-selling book, titled "The Green Hat,"set amidst the glamour and intrigue of a post-war 1920's London.

Michael Arlen became such a popular writer that he was on the cover of Time magazine in 1927.

Michael wrote all kinds of books and stories, but nothing ever attained the popularity of "The Green Hat." After World War II, Michael moved to New York, whereupon he suffered writer's block for the last ten years of his life.

Turhan (The Mummy's Tomb) Bey makes any movie interesting! He would follow up this role with an appearance in "The Falcon Takes Over."

It's a real shame that they don't interrogate people like this any more!

"The Gay Falcon" is a winner just like the players on these pre-flipper pinball machines were before the ban on pinball machines for being public nuisances and menaces to society was put into effect!

George Sanders was "The Falcon" in three more movies. The fourth was titled "The Falcon's Brother" and had Tom Conway (George Sanders's real life brother) as Gay's brother. Gay gets killed in that film, but the show must go on, and Tom Conway goes on to make nine more movies as "The Falcon!"