THE ADVENTURES OF BULLWINKLE AND ROCKY / Continuing Story - 1961

Today we gots a crazy little adventure from those super wacky guys at Jay Ward Studios, it's a continued story about a special rocket fuel developed by Bullwinkle but he didn't write down the formula and they're trying to replicate it...

Our pals have just got back from the Moon visiting Gidney and Cloyd, and it seems like they are missing an ingredient, a pinch of Mooseberry juice!

So, they charter a flight on the Flying Casket out of Frostbite Falls to go searching for the all important illusive berry.

And guess who the pilot is?.. Ace Rickenboris, who looks a lot like Boris Badenov!

Natasha is the stewardess who tells Rocky and Bullwinkle to fasten their seat belts, they're getting ready to take off.

Natasha helps them fasten their special 'one way' seat belts!

And what would a flight be like without drinks?!

Ace hits an air pocket and our guys spill their drinks onto the floor, which eats a big hole in the exit door, that's locked even!

In the meantime, in another part of the story, these guys under the command of Fearless Leader are planning to blow up a ship in a port. But when they check their calculations, one has a 1 degree higher temperature than the other one does, they look at each other, and...

They go. BOOM!

And they blow up the whole dang port!

Showed this character just because he's funny!

Boris and Natasha both have parachutes because their plan is to sabotage the plane with our heroes strapped to their seats! Boris tells Natasha to go ahead and jump, he'll be along as soon as he does a little more damage...

Bullwinkle tells Rocky that he just saw the stewardess jump out of the plane with a parachute on! And as they try to get out of their restraints...

Boris is putting the final touches on his handy-work. When he's ready to jump, the plane's engine conks out, Boris and the boys are going Down!

You'll have to tune next week to see wha' hoppin'. Well, just a little more fun from the past, get some while you can!

LIGHTS FANTASTIC - "The Night Lights Of New York City" (1942)

 

Tonight's Wacky Wednesday feature is a Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies cartoon titled "Lights Fantastic." I like this style of cartoon that is nothing but a series of one liners, sight gags, and plays on words about one particular subject all thrown together with music!

 

In this case, the signs reflecting the night life in New York City circa 1942 are the subject!

Some things haven't changed in 79 years, Yahoo is still a 'No Nothing' place!

Most of the gags are very dated, and some of the jokes are more obvious than others.

A popular song of the day titled "My Wild Irish Rose," that was written by Irish American Chauncey Olcott, is lampooned by The Four Noses, and their version called "My High Polished Nose." Chauncey Olcott also wrote "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling." The actual singers were a group who went on to be known as The Mellomen (Sometimes known at The Mellowmen), who sang some famous Disney songs. They also sang backup for Elvis for a while. They are also the voices of the graveyard busts at Disney's 'Haunted Mansion', and are the ones singing "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me)" on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride.

Then this guy sings one verse of "My High Polished Nose" to advertise Dinkleheimer's Nose Drops.

 

Remember good ole "Clown Cookies & Cakes?" Yeah, me neither!

This Clown sings the song "Laugh, Clown, Laugh," and is credited as The Clown.

The coffee brand 'Chase & Sanborn' is lampooned as 'Face & Sunburn."

And of course the coffee cans perform the 'Can-Can.'

They do this very elaborate animation just to highlight a very simple sales pitch!

I'm not sure about the connection, or what the joke behind 'Stucco House' coffee vs. 

'Maxwell House' coffee is, but I'm sure there is one. There's music throughout the whole cartoon, and this segment features a snappy number called "Anabella" penned by Mexican composer Eduardo Durant. The dripping coffee cup gets it started.

"Anabella" continues and the Mr. Peanut guys are the shakers!

I guess 'Planters' didn't mind, they got free advertising!

The 'Darnation' instead of 'Carnation' cow adds the cowbell.

And The Cod and his friend do 'The Conga.'

Cod, Conga, I guess that's close!

The 'Dutch Girl' cleanser gals join in on the Conga Line.

The characters on the "Egyptian Cigarettes" package also join the Conga Line, and add even further levity with the old hotfoot trick!

 

Oops! Among all the images, there's one of a pinup girl that gets slipped in, and then.......

It's the end, and Light's Out!

THE RAVEN / "The Edgar Allan Poe Mystery Show!" - 1935

Wow, what a wild movie, unbelievable what you can do with 61 minutes! It stars our favorite guys, Boris as Edmond Bateman and Bela as Dr. Richard Vollin, along with a great supporting cast including Lester Matthews as Dr. Jerry Halden, Irene Ware as Jean Thatcher and Samuel S. Hinds as Judge Thatcher.

In this story, Dr. Vollin is a brilliant but unstable surgeon that is obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe and instruments of torture. He saves the life of dancer and socialite Jean Thatcher after her car accident. Vollin becomes obsessed with her and what happens next is as shocking as it gets, a true tale of terror!

Vollin is called to perform the surgery on Jean, but he's retired and has no interest in the offer. But after Judge Thatcher, father of Jean, goes to Vollin's home and begs him, the surgeon finally agrees to perform the surgery...

Jean has fully recovered and visits Vollin, he plays the organ and after he finishes she tells him what a gifted man he is, almost like a god, he takes it wrong and get's a little too frisky. She's late for a dinner date with her fiancee and leaves.

She invites him to her dance program where she dances while "The Raven" is read to the audience by another cast member. A surprise for Vollin since he loves Poe.

After the show, Vollin is totally gushy with Jean, and pops don't likes what he's seeing!

Then, Edmond Bateman shows up and wants the doctor to change his face so that he can't be recognized, you see, he's wanted for murder!

After Vollin figures out that he can use Bateman as his assistant in another murder, he agrees to do the operation. But, he mutilates him and Bateman must obey Vollin's orders if he wants a normal looking face again, in other words, blackmail...

Vollin locks Bateman in the basement and opens all the curtains so that he can see his new face, as he had requested!

Judge Thatcher has told Vollin to leave his daughter alone, but invites her and her beau Jerry to visit for the weekend with other guests. Jean has left a note telling her father to come up too for the weekend. Reluctantly, the judge also drives to Vollin's place.

Vollin has dressed up Bateman as a butler, and he scares the crap out of Jean!

Vollin takes Bateman to his torture room to show him his treasures, and assures him that they are ready for use! Wow, look at the detail in this pic.

When Vollin lays down on a table to show how it works, Bateman pushes a lever that traps the doctor! Bateman starts the 'Pit And The Pendulum' blade, Vollin reminds him about fixing his face and he's released. But Vollin was sweating it there for a moment!

That night, Jean gets a surprise in her room when Bateman tries to enter trough a trap door in the floor! She screams and he leaves the way he came.

Vollin and Bateman grab Judge Thatcher and take him through a metal door to the dungeon. Jerry tries to stop them but Bateman socks him in the mush, knocking him clean out!

Bateman gently places the judge onto the slab and locks him down.

Vollin has a wall panel that has a number of levers to trap and torture his victims. Here, he pushes the 'elevator' lever and Jean's room drops down to the dungeon!

Jean's screaming and Bateman is sent in to make her shut up... Let's get one thing clear, Bateman hates Vollin with a vengeance, and Jean tells him that Vollin will not help him, but she will, making the monster think about it.

Vollin lets Jerry into the room and put him and Jean in one of his special rooms. He tells them that they will be together... FOREVER!!

Vollin is one of the most evil men that ever lived!! Up there with the Ex.

In the meantime, the judge is really starting to panic as the blade closes in!

Vollin has Bateman push the lever that makes the walls start closing in on Jerry and Jean. Newsflash, Vollin is out of his freakin' mind!!

But Bateman pulls the lever back up which stops the walls and opens the door, so, the doctor shoots Bateman. But the brute charges Vollin and knocks his out, then drags him into the room.

Bateman pushes the lever again and the door closes before he then keels over dead.

This is so delicious, the victim of his own making. He'll be insane before he gets crushed, a well deserved death!!