ANT-MAN - "No Shield. No Armor. No Problem." (2015)

Tonight's Mid-Week Matinee is the 2015 Marvel film called

"ANT-MAN!"

I don't normally watch very many modern movies, but for various reasons, I did kind of want to watch "Ant-Man."

"Ant-Man" and I go back a long way, in fact this is the only Marvel comic I still have from my collection as a kid that used to include "Spiderman" #5, and "The Avengers" #1.

I never expected them to make "Ant-Man" into a movie, because like "Dr. Strange," back in the day, he wasn't really that popular, and that is why after only fourteen issues, they changed him into "Giant Man."

 "Ant-Man" never really had his own comic, but was just a featured character in "Tales To Astonish" which was a Sci-fi comic of different stories. The first reference to an Ant character was in issue number 27 of "Tales To Astonish" in 1962.

 After that, they went back to their normal format consisting of Gorilla Men, Space Beasts, Swamp Things, Mummies, Evil Quicksand, Invading Enemies, and Jack Kirby's silly monsters like this for seven more issues before re-introducing "Ant-Man."

In issue # 35 "Ant-Man" returned and was ready to take on the world, which brings us to the subject at hand.

After doing time for a sophisticated heist gone wrong, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, is released and ready to give it a new start!

But of course he can't find a good job, and can't even hold on to a bad one, because he lied about his criminal past!

Michael Douglas is the creator of the Ant-Man, Dr. Hank Pym!

Scott Lang goes by to see his daughter who is living with his ex-wife and her cop husband. For some reason, he brings this hideous stuffed animal to her!

It's Ant-Man!

Shrinking people in the movies is not a novel concept, the first time it happened was in a 1901 short that was made by Georges Méliès titled "The Dwarf And The Giant," although the shrinkage was minimal in that initial effort!

This shot brings "The Incredible Shrinking Man" from 1957 to mind, or maybe "Attack OF The Puppet People" from 1958.

It was kind of hard to get decent stills from this film because Ant-Man is so small!

There are plenty to choose from, but "Fantastic Voyage" from 1967 is another excellent film featuring microscopic people!

Learning how to get along with your new friends can be difficult at first!

 

You've gotta dig Ant-Man's best pal Anthony!

Evangeline Lilly will go on to be in the sequel as The Wasp.
If they ever make a film about Louise Brooks, I think Evangeline would be a fine candidate for the lead role!

Corey Stull is the ultimate scumbag villain Darren Cross!

Corey is also the one who dons the suit as The Yellowjacket!!

Well, this certainly looks familiar!

I'm pretty sure you knew that already!

So there you go! Downtrodden but intelligent ex-con gets a new suit, and a new chance, and goes on to save the world, or on a smaller scale, at least the relationship with his daughter!

THE THREE STOOGES In "All Gummed Up" - 1947

Here's some fun from The Stooges, Shemp is in full bloom in this misadventure where the boys must find a way to save their 'Cut Throat' Drug Store after the owner brings them the news that he's leasing it to another client that will pay him more money for the location...

It's a typical day for the Stooges at their drug store, Larry shows a man a pen and it's .no sale' when the sales pitch backfires, and our little dummy gets a face full o' ink!

Another guy comes in and needs a prescription for his wife. The doctor didn't have any paper to write out the prescription on so he wrote it on the guy's shirt. Before he leaves, Moe tears the shirt off the guy because they have to file all prescriptions!

The owner comes in and tells the boys that they need to pack everything up because a new shop owner is going to move in. The boys try and help him with a mustard patch on his back, but, Larry gets him one that burns like Hell...

The landlord's wife shows up and he calls her an ugly old bag, and worse!

So, Shemp gets an idea, they should invent an age reversing formula and get the poor lady her youth back, that'll show the old fart!

They mix their ingredients in a fisherman's rubber boot, which explodes a number of times before it settles down.

The landlord's wife is given a spoonful of the mixture, she makes an ugly face but then starts acting like Shemp and making those weird noises including barking!

And, Ba-Bam!! All of a sudden the old man's interested in his wife again!! Like an idiot, he signs the place over to the Stooges and wants a treatment for himself!..

This is just a preliminary procedure!

Moe shoots him up with the concoction, only, that looks like a bit more than a spoonful to me!.. Oh yeah, the Stooges are in charge!

And wouldn't you know it, the old man is now just a kid with a beard. He pulls out a gun and starts shooting, but, trips and falls on his face, then starts crying like a baby!

To celebrate, she bakes a cake for the guys. She asks them to put some marshmallows on the cake and she'll be right back. What else? Shemp grabs bubble gum instead, let the fun begin...

Larry could come up with the best faces, Shemp blows the bubble gum out his ears!! We're back Wednesday with more Dungeon Cargo, just for you!

THE LOVE GODDESSES - "A Documentary" (1965)

 Here's a great Saturday Night Special for you, a documentary from 1965 called "The Love Goddesses!"

 "The Love Goddesses" is a wild ride not unlike this slide which was one of my favorite rides as a kid. I'm not sure where this one was, maybe Pacific Ocean Park, or The Pike in Long Beach, or the one I remember the most, on The Boardwalk in Santa Cruz!

 "The Love Goddesses" is the story of sex in the movies," or at least that's what the tagline says! 

It's really more like the story of women's sexy roles in the movies from the 1920's to the 1960's, starting with the innocence of Lillian Gish!

 They all had their place in cinematic history, but some you might not have ever heard of like Louise Glaum, but "The Tiger Woman" as she was known, was one of silent screen's most infamous and exotic vamps!

 

 Theda Bara is considered to be the very first vamp in film, and along with Claudette Colbert, and Elizabeth Taylor, she shared the role of the notorious Egyptian Queen, "Cleopatra!"

Unfortunately Nita Naldi is not a household name any more, but she certainly could be again if enough of you watch this movie! Her first film was the 1920 version of "Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde," but it was the 1922 feature "Blood and Sand," when Nita starred opposite Rudolph Valentino, that her career really took off. "Blood And Sand" is considered the last of the vamp roles filmed after Clara Bow showed that good girls knew about sex too!

 Clara Bow is hot in "Hula."

 "The Love Goddesses" is a documentary, so almost every shot would be worth showing you, and since we try to limit these things to about twenty photos, many actresses got left out, but Claudette Colbert is not one of them!

 Jeanette MacDonald was a singer who has more credits for soundtracks than she did for movies, and in 1939, she was voted "Queen of the Movies" by 22 million fans in a New York Daily News survey.
She had even further popularity later as a singing duo with Nelson Eddy.

Louise Brooks or 'Brooksie"was born in Cherryvale, Kansas, and was quite the trendsetter in the 20's because of her bobbed hair style.

The very independent Louise epitomized the flapper age and when finished acting, she became an accomplished author!

With this massive array of talent in one film, it was very difficult trying to figure out who to include, but when you use a term like 'Love Goddess,' there's no way you can't include the always delightful Mae West..............

.............Or the amazing Marlene Dietrich!

From 1932, here's a 24 year old Bette Davis as Madge Norwood in "The Cabin In The Cotton."

The list of Goddesses goes on and on and includes the likes of the ravishing Rita Hayworth!

Sophia Loren starred in "It Started In Naples," with Clark Gable, and is the only color film used in this documentary.

 Elizabeth Taylor is on everybody's list of the greatest everythings!

French sex kitten Brigitte Bardot can never be forgotten!

And then.......Of course there's Marilyn!

The names and photos of all the beautiful "Love Goddesses" I've left out like Ingrid Bergman, Anita Ekberg, Greta Garbo, Betty Grable, Jean Harlow,  Audrey Hepburn, Hedy Lamarr, Dorothy Lamour,  Carole Lombard, Ginger Rogers, Lana Turner etc. is magnanimously sinful, so to make up for it, here's a link to The Internet Archive where you can watch this cool piece of history for yourself. Just in case you don't know, you'll be either shocked or pleasantly surprised how much nudity there was back in the 20's before everybody got so damn uptight!

"THE LOVE GODDESSES"