NINE DECADES OF ALICE IN WÜNDERBAR LAND (1903 - 1985)

 

Well, it's 2-2-22, and it's Groundhog Day to boot, so here's something worthy of a date like that! Ring the bell Deputy Dog cause it's time for another Weird Ass Wednesday in The Dungeon.

Every once in a while you can stump the internet. I've looked for a number of things or people over the years and still not gotten any answers, but I was really surprised that I could find no reference anywhere to a book I found in our public library back in the 1960's. The title was "Alice In Wünderbar Land" and was written in what I would call German Pigeon English. We just thought that "Alice In Wonderful Land" was hilarious. With Tabonga as my witness, I swear it's true.

 

 There have been so many versions of "Alice In Wonderland" made over the years, there was at least one every decade since the 1900's, and I guess it just proves that if a story is good enough, it never gets old.

So here you go, starting with this silent version from 1903 with May Clark as Alice.

This 1915 version had Viola Savoy as Alice. She was only fifteen at the time, made one more film, and retired.

Out of all the early versions, I think this one is more stunning than the rest.

This is the kind of scene I'm talking about.

Almost all the versions of Alice seen here can be seen for real on youTube, and this one is worth the effort!

This 1923 Disney version had Virginia Davis as Alice, a little girl who visits an animation studio, but it wasn't called "Alice In Wonderland," but instead was titled "Alice's Wonderland."

"Alice's Wonderland" was followed by fourteen more shorts featuring Alice in stories like "Alice's Spooky Adventure," and "Alice Cans The Cannibals."

In 1931, Ruth Gilbert got her turn at being Alice in one of the stranger versions. This was the first of five acting credits for Ruth up to 1954. She came back in 1992 to be in the movie "Me Myself and I."

A much more produced and well known version of "Alice In Wonderland" came out in 1933 with Charlotte Henry as Alice, and Cary Grant as Mock Turtle.

This rabbit creeps me out, and Alice is pretty creepy herself!

This 1949 production included odd stop-action animation, and had Carol Marsh as Alice.

Nine years later, Carol would be one of Hammer's first female vampires as Lucy Holmwood in "Horror Of Dracula."

1951 brought us probably the most famous version of "Alice In Wonderland," the animated Disney classic with a ten year old Kathryn Beaumont doing the voice of Alice. 

 

 

Kathryn was also the model for the animated Alice, and she was the voice of Wendy in "Peter Pan" too.

This TV movie musical version from 1966 was actually titled "Alice Through The Looking Glass," and not "Alice In Wonderland," but we'll count it anyway. There was also another "Alice In Wonderland" that was a British production made in 1966 that had Anne-Marie Mallik as Alice.

Judi Rolin was Alice in this feature and some of the rest of the cast included Jimmy Durante, Agnes Moorehead, Jack Palance, and the Smothers Brothers.

 

In 1976, it started getting really weird for Alice, and somebody decided it was a good idea to do a movie called "Alice In Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Fantasy."

This version starred Kristine (Meatballs) DeBell as Alice.

After that, there's just more and more and more, but I'm going to end it with this 1985 TV movie that had Natalie Gregory in the lead role. Natalie has 26 credits to her name, but hasn't appeared on TV or in films since 2013. Last update on IMDB was 1995, and it said that she was studying to get a degree in physics. That might have something to do with it.

 

Or maybe it had something to do with being in a movie with Telly Savalas as The Cheshire Cat, that would do it to me! Any Questions??

Go Ask Alice!!

LOST IN SPACE / "The Oasis" - 1965

So, for our last post of the month, I thought it would be nice to end it with an episode from LOST IN SPACE. In this story, the gang is trying to get through a drought with sky high temperatures and have to go searching for a water source, or, DIE!!

It starts with a bang, an earthquake brings some boulders down on Don, who gets his foot caught between the rocks. But, John saves the day using a a long pole to separate the the boulders and Don is able to pull his foot free. Looks painful!

As Don rests after the incident, the Robinsons play a board game. The heat is sweltering and Will gets upset and says that everyone is cheating, so, game over man!

Holy cow, check out that contraption Don and John are working on, looks like something Eegah!! would have to create in the back a few years ago!

As they work in the heat, the boys hear some gawd-awful noise coming from across the way. I really like this shot.

Dr. Smith was 'singing' the worst operatic song, ever!! And I mean, it's freaking LOUD! Yeah, and I'm pretty sure the Robot was playing some music...Horrible! Anyway, the Little B is taking a shower while he was singing!

Here's the problem, the boys thought there was like 42 gallons of drinking water left, but find out there are 2 gallons now, and that equals only 4 days! You figure out the rest..

So, they have to go searching for water, and head off into the desert heat. At one point, Smith wants a drink and stays behind, and takes a nap. What a Royal B he is!!

Wandering through some hills they come upon a contaminated pool of water, but something is growing in the water.

John finds some fruit growing there, he pulls some off and brings the up from the pool. Don cuts one open to see what's inside but they have to runs tests on them at the lab before eating them, because they could be poisonous.

Thinking that Dr. Smith would have come back to the ship by now, he wanders in, and starts eating the fruit!! Maureen is sooo nice to Dr. Smith, no matter what, well, I wouldn't be, the Little B!! Anyway, she finally gets to tell him that he should NOT have eaten the fruit because they were going to test it to see if it's.. Poisonous!!

Smith claims that they were purposely leaving it out to poison him, he freaks out, leaves and heads out into the darkness. He ends up here somehow, in one of my dreams, what the Hell, Man!

Oh yeah, Debbie The Bloop has eaten some of the fruit and has grown in size!

So, you get the idea..

Smith is talking a big load of crap, but finally, Will gets through to him..

They build a huge bed covered by some netting to house the depressed giant who can only think about his woes, as Will speaks with him. He gots big ol' feets!!

In the meantime, John and Don have finished their rain machine and the lightning is starting to strike as everyone takes cover, except Dr. Smith and Debbie of course.

Predictably,  the rain brings Smith and Debbie back to their regular sizes. I wonder if the others got wet, would they turn into midgets? Food for thought.

And everyone gets to laugh at the disheveled, wet, sorry ass Dr. Smith! 

Hey, what's this?! Looks like something I might come up with.. Anyway, looks like this thing will show up next week to give us a chill. That spiked thing definitely seems like it would smart if it hit you! You can't see it but the thing in the middle has big teeth!

Well, hope you enjoyed this post, now get ready for February.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE - "Steel" (1963)

There are SO many great episodes of "The Twilight Zone," and every one of them has been discussed multiple times, and yet, the subject just never gets old. That's just how damn good the show was, so The Saturday Night Special on the menu tonight is from Season 05, Episode 02 called simply "Steel."

 

 

I love the forward and backwards letters, it just doesn't make sense!

It's 1974, and boxing has been declared barbaric, and is forbidden, but since there's still a need to watch two guys beat the crap out of each other and bet on it, they now employ robots to do the fighting. Okay, so they got that part of the timeline wrong, but there's some rich professional boxers today who are mighty thankful for it.

 

This robot is already falling apart, do you see where this is going? His wheels have already literally fallen off, and the wheels are only for transporting him around.

Lee (Gorilla At Large) Marvin is ex-boxer turned manager/trainer Steel Kelly, and Joe (The Birds) Mantell is the corner man known as Pole. They just need to get one win to get them on the road to fortune, unfortunately their robot is an older model, and needs a tuneup.

Did you know that there was an episode of the "Jack Benny Program" where Jack hires Rod Serling to improve his show but he winds up trapped in the "Twilight Zone" himself? Me neither, but somehow I gotta see that! Steel and Pole agree!

 

I haven't seen everything Lee Marvin was ever in, but from what I have seen, I'm sure every one of them is worth watching!

Lee Marvin and Joe Mantell are so good, they were both in another episode of "The Twilight Zone."

Battling Maxo doesn't stand a chance. The B7's are the latest models. It's just a paycheck!

Despite the odds, the boys are ready, but Pole has his doubts.

Battling Maxo ain't looking that great, but Steel has faith in him!

Here's the inside story on what makes Battling Maxo work!

Steel and Maxo have a little impromptu sparring session that causes Maxo to have a wiring problem that won't allow him to fight.

Anywhere else but "The Twilight Zone," and they would have headed to that exit sign!

Steel knows that nobody in this part of the country has ever seen Maxo before, so he goes out to fight Maynard Flash himself just to get the $500.00 payday.

Chuck Hicks has the role of the robot Maynard Flash. Chuck wasn't just screwing around either, besides acting, he was a professional boxer, a football player, a stunt man, you name it, Chuck did it.

Lee looks pretty cool in his robot makeup!

Chuck Hicks was one of those guys who made movies and TV shows so good over the years, and he just passed away last May at the age of 94. Thanks Chuck, we salute you!

 

No, there's no fairy tale ending because this is "The Twilight Zone," so even after getting the shit beat out of him, Steel only gets a partial paycheck because he didn't even finish one round.

Bust your ass, and still get screwed, that's the message of hope delivered here!