LAND OF THE GIANTS - "Mini-People Playthings" (1968)

This week's Saturday Night Special is another journey down the road of "Mini-People and Their World of Giant Tormentors!"

 

There were fifty-one episodes of "Land Of The Giants" made between 1968 and 1970.

  

The first episode aired on September 22, 1968, and was titled 

"The Crash."

On a flight to L.A., an aircraft enters a warp in space and time, and ends up in another dimension where everything is much larger than what is normal to these people. Now it's up to them to figure out how and why!

 

The star of the show is Gary (I Was A Teenage Frankenstein) Conway as Captain Steve Burton.

Gary is long since retired! One of his lifelong passions has always been painting, which he is still doing today. Here's a nice sample of his work titled "Vineyard Reverie." Since retiring from acting, Gary and his beautiful wife, former Miss America Marion McKnight, have owned and run a stunningly beautiful vineyard in Paso Robles, California called Carmody McKnight Estate Wines, that is most definitely worth checking out. Carmody was Gary's real last name.

Leave it to My Editor to come up with this wine drenched episode of "Columbo" that Gary Conway was part of in 1973. Thanks to the "Columbophile" Website.

Don (The Thing With Two Heads) Marshall was the co-star, and co-pilot Dan Erickson. Truth of the matter is, Don was one of only a handful of black actors on TV in lead roles during this era.

The rest of the people on the plane include Don (Murph The Surf) Matheson as businessman Mark Wilson. Don was a decorated Korean War veteran, and was a very talented jazz drummer!

Stefan (The X-Files) Arngrim is passenger Barry Lockridge! What is it with all the crazy talented people in this cast? 

 

 Stefan is also a musician, and in 1969 he had a single called "Where Has Christmas Gone," that was produced by Kim Fowley, and in 1976 he recorded this single called "Dying In St. Louis Gonna Make You Blue. Then, in the late 80's, early 90's, he was in a pretty cool band called The Knights of The Living Dead. Stefan has also co-written songs with Warren Zevon.

 

Deanna (Dr. Goldfoot And The Bikini Machine) Lund is the simi-bad girl Valerie Scott.

Heather (Galactica 1980) Young is flight attendant Betty Hamilton.

And the last of the main cast is Kurt (Casino Royale) Kaznar as the bumbling Alexander B. Fitzhugh. 

 

With giant cars etc, it doesn't take long for the crew to figure out they are in the wrong place.

But what is this place?

The scenery and special effects are all pretty cool.

This is about the most classic shot you're ever going to see of a guy talking on a walkie-talkie!

 

Outside the ship, the gang has encounters with a giant lizard, a giant cat, and a giant dog.

The Captain told Valerie not to go into this box, but she didn't listen, and now they're both in trouble, because it turns out it's an insect trap used by entomologists.

 

 

Here's the part I don't understand. Why would two bug collectors who caught two miniature humans treat them so weird? You don't normally associate entomologists with being mean people, but I guess they are.

So, obviously these giant people in this other dimension are not human, or they would have attempted to talk to the little critters that look just like them.

Instead, they pin them down with Scotch tape, and poke at them. Luckily they escaped or it would have been a lot worse. Why is the big lummox poking Valerie with a pencil? That's just not right!

Fifty-four years later, this show is still so popular, you can get a "Land Of The Giants" lunchbox at Walmart for $14.95. Now, that's a deal!

"From now on, that's just the way it's gonna be in this world."

 It's starting to sound like a familiar mantra!

Here's a wallpaper I made for you using titles cards from the best of the miniature people movies and TV shows.

COURAGEOUS CAT AND MINUTE MOUSE In "The Case Of The Big Squeeze" - 1960

I've been wanting to do one of these for awhile, and today it's gonna happen. This is a series that never played in our area and discovered it on Prime. This is Bob Kane's attempt to make crime fighters in a more camp and humorous style, and, it led the way for the BATMAN TV series starring Adam West later that decade. It has pretty low production value, but I think it lends to its charm. Also, Johnny Holiday created the cool music which includes an awesome riff in the theme song.

In this episode, one of my favorites, artist Rodney Rodent is using his painting machine to create a pile of 'masterpieces' to sell to unsuspecting art collectors.

He tops them off with forged signatures he stamps on!

He takes them to J. P. Mutton to make the sale. J. P. wants to know if the painting are genuine, and Rodney replied... Of course, just smell the fresh paint!

And Rodney leaves with a cart full of  dough!

The first place Rodney goes to is The Pad, a beatnik hang out! Performing the music is Sassy Bones accompanied by singer, Chanteluse. Cracks me up, she doesn't sing, she just uses voice modulations and screams!

Rodney showers her with money because, you know, she's one hot chick!

Courageous Cat and Minute are out on patrol in the Catmobile when the police chief gives them a call to say that Rodney Rodent ripped off J. P. Mutton, he's at The Pad, go get him!

The guys show up at The Pad, ready for action.

While Courageous checks out Rodney's upstairs apartment, Minute goes inside to keep an eye on the crooked artist. Minute even changes into a beatnik outfit to fit in.

Upstairs, Courageous finds Rodney's art machine, now it's time to bust him!

Inside, Minute reveals himself to Rodney, and points two pistols at his head!

But Rodney escapes on his scooter after running over and flattening the little mouse.

While chasing Rodney in the Catmobile, Courageous pulls out his handy multi-purposed gun and fires a giant paint tube at Rodney, encasing him inside the tube.

The police chief shows up and wants to know where Rodney is...

Courageous says... Minute's putting the squeeze on him! Love these crazy characters, the main bad guys are The Frog and Harry The Ape who Rodney works for occasionally. Have a decent weekend, if that's possible any more.

CHE? - "What?" (1972)

 

It is a genuine WTF Wednesday in The Dungeon, and what could be more WTF than a movie called "What?"

From what I saw, not much!

 

"What?" is a 1972 film by Roman Polanski. The original title was "Che?" but if you look that up, you will mostly find information about Che Guevara. Not Polanski's most popular film for good reason, it is said on IMDB, that the film grossed a whole $64.00 it's first week.

 

Although the top name on all of the posters is Roman Polanski, the real star of the film is Sydne (Some Girls Do) Rome as a young lady named Nancy.

 

Nancy was hitch hiking her way up the Amalfi Coast, when three idiotic goons attempt to rape her. She ends up at this spectacular villa, and since she lost her baggage, she is never actually fully dressed for the rest of the movie.

 

The villa is full of assorted weirdos like Marcello Mastroianni as a pimp with skin problems named Alex.

 

After about ten or fifteen minutes running around topless, Nancy finally latches onto a pajama top that belonged to the owner of the villa. She wears it pretty much the rest of the movie.

 

Nancy is keeping a diary of all the strange events that befall her.

 

The only thing that comes to my mind is this is Roman Polanski channeling his inner Jesus Franco, and that makes at least as much sense as the movie itself.

 

Except for Nancy, the movie is filled with all sorts of unsavory and unlikable characters who mostly do nothing but act weird.

 

The locations are all very stunning and attractive!

 

I guess he was having a good time, an uncredited Roman Polanski plays an unpleasant character named Mosquito.

 

Not even Nancy knows why Mosquito is wearing the torn, but repaired shirt she had on when she arrived, and why is it reversed?

 

Sydne Rome is a beautiful gal no doubt, but in almost two hours I think they could have come up with some better stuff happening around her than this!

 

The closing scene is a regular "Who's on First?" routine, with Sydne and Marcello doing a back and forth of "What?" What movie? "What?" until she goes off into the distance, completely nude of course.

To make it even more mixed up, the German title is "Was?"

Was What?