UP FOR GRABS / Jon & Tom Weaver - Monster Kid Home Movies - 1980

Here's a fine example of some Monster Kid Home Movies made by Jon and Tom Weaver in an edited production with music from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD! Tom has gone on to be one of the "leading scholars in the horror field" and has written many books on the subject. Many of us are familiar with his work.

Now, what better way to start a Monster Kid Home Movie that a big shout out to Forry and Famous Monsters!.. Well, none!

A grave digger has just finished lunch and is on his way back to the cemetery to dig another grave... Notice the product placement, smart!

When the guy gets to the site though, a freaking ugly zombie is crawling out of its grave!

And the thing is not messing around, he charges at the grave digger!

The grave digger runs and runs but he just can't get away from the damn thing!

Trying to lose the monster, the guy runs through the cemetery where he sees another person there laying flowers on a grave.  He warns the person of the danger but the dapper dude gets offended and pushes the grave digger away, basically, get away from me, you're crazy!

The grave digger keeps on running as the zombie drops in on the non-believer!

The person playing the monster is one strong guy, he tosses his victims around like they are nothing, and picks them up over his head!! He easily puts this guy in a tree before he starts chomping on his neck!

It gets really wild when the zombie jumps on the car the grave digger is driving.

The zombie falls off the hood of the car and rolls down a hill. Just to make sure the thing is out of commission, the guy turns him over.

Now, what do you think was going to happen?!

The gets away from the monster again and runs to a home where he finds a shovel to protect himself from the creep.

He gets the zombie on the ground and chops its hand off with an ax!

Then he starts it on fire!! Hope that does the trick!

The grave digger runs home but is concerned that the thing will show up there too!

He goes into a back room to hide and closes the door, just in case.

He tries to call the cops but the telephone isn't working, like, help Mr. Wizard!!

Then something opens the door and comes at the grave digger!..

I'm curious, I wonder when this ending was used for the first time in film... Well, there you have it, another Monster Kid Home Movie bites the dust, here at The Dungeon!..

KILLER DILL - "Not Exactly A Gangster" (1947)

Despite the thousands of films we've written about, I always marvel at how much I still don't know, and that is the case with tonight's Whacked-Out Wednesday presentation!

This Danish poster is great! It takes at least three separate elements of the film, mixes them up and exaggerates them.

 

When I first saw the title "Killer Dill" I thought it was a misprint and that they actually meant "Killer Diller," because there is also a movie called "Killer Diller," that was released the year after "Killer Dill," but they really have nothing in common, except they are both fun to watch.

"Killer Dill" was made in 1947, but it is set in the 1930's during the Prohibition period. Here's a good shot of exactly why they used to call it 'Bathtub Gin.'

Stuart Erwin is Johnny Dill, a meek and timid lingerie salesman, and on the left is Anne Gwynne as Judy Parker, a woman he really likes a lot and would like to marry, but he just can't get around to asking her. 

I've noticed a lot of misinformation about this film on the internet, or more specifically IMDB, like they call Johnny a door-to-door salesman, and say that Johnny is "the exact double of a notorious gangster," which is not the case at all.

Stuart Erwin and Anne Gwynne are joined here by Johnny's longtime friend, a loser attorney named William T. Allen as played by Frank Albertson. William is the kind of friend that borrows money, and doesn't pay it back so he can take out the girl that Johnny himself desires. William is a real ass!

Stuart Erwin was a popular enough actor that he had his own TV show titled "The Stu Erwin Show," that ran for 130 episodes from 1950 to 1955. The always awesome Anne Gwynne graced the big screen in some amazing titles like "Weird Woman," "House Of Frankenstein," "Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome," and "Teenage Monster." Frank Albertson has 194 credits to his name as varied as "It's A Wonderful Life," and "Psycho."

 

After William T. Allen borrows money again from Johnny to take out Judy, Johnny takes his assistant to the movies instead to see a film called "Public Enemy # 21." Dorothy Granger is Johnny's assistant Millie. Dorothy Granger had an amazing 264 credits, many of them comedic shorts!

The movie they watch includes a scene that has a mock up of James Cagney in "The Public Enemy," and the infamous 'grapefruit to the kisser' shot.

Johnny learns from Millie that chicks dig tough guys, and he's so disgusted, he walks out on the movie!

Johnny decides that maybe that's the kind of guy he needs to be if he's ever going to win Judy Parker's heart, so he goes to a local speakeasy to try his luck with a new persona.

Johnny finds out in no time at all that indeed, women do like tough guys!

The real 'Public Enemy #21,' Big Nick Maronie comes into the joint with a couple of members of his posse. Big Nick was played by Ben Welden, another actor with an amazing 249 credits that included great stuff like Foo Yung on "Batman," eight episodes of "The Adventures Of Superman," in roles like Lefty, Blade, and Leftover Louie, and Sollum on "Space Patrol."

The girls that Johnny is talking to don't like Big Nick staring at them, so Johnny, totally full of himself, and not knowing who Big Nick is, decides he'll take care of it for them!

To show how tough he is, Johnny goes over and tweaks Big Nick's nose, an action he's going to regret in a hurry!

Now it's time for Johnny to learn a new game, a modern version of William Tell. On the right is Dungeon All-Time Hero Mike Mazurki as Little Joe, which is hilarious since Mike was actually six foot and 4 and a half inches tall. Former professional wrassler,  Mike Mazurki has played every type of thug in the world, guys with names like Rhino, Lunk, and Moose.

There is no loyalty in the crime world, and Little Joe decides to follow the money, and strangles his boss Big Nick for a rival gang member, Public Enemy # 24, a guy named Maboose, looking to move up in the ranks.

Little Joe now needs a place to stash the dead body of Big Nick.

Little Joe finds the door open to Johnny's place and stuffs the body into Johnny's case of lingerie samples, and the story is off and running. Johnny finds the body and tries to ditch it, but the case falls out of the back of a truck he rents, and opens up onto the street, and Johnny's goose is now cooked well done!

The newspaper headlines tell the whole story!

Johnny is in hiding, but William T. Allen convinces him to turn himself in. William tells Johnny he'll take the case, and easily get him off, even though he's lost all the previous twelve cases he's ever worked on!

Despite William's worthless defense, the jury decides to declare Johnny innocent, but the public still thinks that Johnny was guilty. At this point Johnny has to act like a tough guy again to try and impress Maboose, who now wants to recruit Johnny, and then dispose of him after he's through using him!

Johnny then gets Little Joe to sign a confession to the murder of Big Nick, but William T. Allen tears it up, telling Johnny that it would only hurt Judy!

William T. Allen had plans to marry Judy, but when she finally realizes what a heel he is, she decides to marry Johnny instead, and Will ends up in jail as one of Maboose's associates.

The "Top Review" on IMDB calls "Killer Dill" "Immediately Forgettable," but just like a lot of other information about this film, that person doesn't know what they're talking about, and I couldn't agree less! "Killer Dill" is able to do what many films fail at, it's both light-hearted and halfway serious at the same time, and is a fun little ride that I don't have a problem recommending!

THE TWILIGHT ZONE / "Mr. Dingle, The Strong" - 1961

Here's a crazy little episode about a timid vacuum cleaner salesman who's given the strength of 300 men by two aliens using him in an experiment. it stars Burgess Meredith, James Westerfield, Eddie Ryder, Douglas Spencer, Michael Fox and Don Rickles.

The story mainly takes place at a local bar, where, Bettor (Don) is constantly arguing over sports with his more than willing sparring partner. I'm mean, it's just stupid crap like.. What if someone had hit a home run, instead of striking out!! And sometimes, another person that hangs out there, vacuum cleaner salesman Mr. Dingle, gets forced into choosing sides between the two.

Bettor is always over the top and Dingle usually takes sides with the other guy!

So, Bettor has punched Dingle in the stomach, when, weird aliens show up and take interest in the incident...

After O'Toole, the owner and bartender, chases off Bettor, he gives Dingle some sage advice... Just stop talking, nod your head or something!

As Dingle tries to gather himself, the aliens hit him with a strength ray, making him 300 times as strong as a normal human...

On his way out of the bar, he pulls the door off its hinges like it was nothing!

Dingle shows off at the park and it gets on the front page of the newspaper. It's Samson, not Hercules that Dingle seems to be! I don't get it.

Everybody's trying to come up with schemes to make money off of Dingle's uncanny strength. At the moment, he's listening to a pitch being made by a boxing promoter, saying that he'll make him the world boxing champ!!

Then a TV crew comes in and clears the area for an interview with Dingle about his strength...

He starts with easily punching a hole in the wall.

And pulling a bar stool out of the floor.

Then he sees Bettor and gives him the evil eye! Bettor tells him... Haven't you ever heard the saying, let bygones be bygones?

Dingle twirls him around like a feather! These are stuntmen doing this gag, and you can easily tell that they don't look like the actors

The aliens turn off Dingle's strength ray and his power is no more. He tries and tries, but just hurts his hand and gives up.

Now, he gets ready for a nose twister from Bettor.

Offended, the TV announcer apologizes to their audience, and the crew storms off in disgust!

The aliens are Martians, on Earth to experiment with physical strength. These other two guys are from Venus, on Earth looking for subjects to experiment on with mental powers. They ask the Martians if there are any good subjects around to use in their experiment. They point to Dingle!

So, Dingle it is... They give him 500 time the intellect of a normal human!

The gang's watching a baseball game on TV when they ask Dingle what he thought would happen on the next play. He says 'home run' and sure enough, home run! He starts spouting out mathematic formulas and theories to the bemusement of his pals...