THE HOUSE OF GHOSTS - 1906

Okay, here we go... Today we have a European horror production from 116 years ago!! The short is also considered to be one of the first 'haunted house' films, and boy, have there been a lot! And I swear, it's much more fun to watch than most of the stuff today.

The movie was distributed in the US in 1906 under the title, THE HOUSE OF GHOSTS.

It starts with three weary travelers, a woman and two men, looking for a spot to rest and get out of the incoming storm.

Out of nowhere, an old house appears, and the storm is coming fast. They all rush inside the house just as the storm hits... What luck!

After they're inside, the front of the house changes into a monster with googlie eyes! Like, what in the Hell's going on here! It even has a top hat.

Once the group is inside, one guy opens the front door to see how bad the storm is and a lightning bolt hits right in front them. They ain't going nowhere!

They are straightening the place up after the hectic entrance when a spook appears in the painting. One of the guys sees it, and tells the others to look at the thing in the painting, but it's gone when they turn around, a great gag!

Then their clothes pick themselves up and wander out the front door!

Next on the list of spooks is this ghostly bed sheet that does a devilish dance for them.

Finally, they find some food for dinner and prepare the table for the meal.

As they watch, the knife cuts the salami into pieces and places them neatly on a plate. The knife then slices the bread and stacks them on another plate.

The tea or coffee pot rises up and pours a cup full for each of the visitors.

They used a set that could be tilted from side to side, making for this hilarious scene.

The fun just never ends, now a bunch of little ghosties attack them and they all pile onto the bed to escape the mayhem.

The spook in the painting, now a giant, has returned and finds the three travelers in the bed with the covers over their heads. He grabs the three with the sheets around them, and...

The house is gone now, and the monster holds the sheets up and starts shaking and the three travelers tumble out...

The weirded out threesome find themselves in the forest, where they collect their senses and make a bee-line outta there! Well, hope you enjoyed this blast from the past, we did!

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - "The Contender Part 2" (1968)

 

I wasn't originally going to do this write up on Part 2 of "The Contender," but I still wanted to watch it, and when I did, I felt like I had no choice for a couple of reasons, so that's why this Saturday Night Special is what it is!

 

Barney, doing his best impersonation of the boxer Richy Lemoine is finally ready to show off his skills!

 

Sugar Ray Robinson as henchman Wesley is enjoying the demonstration quite a bit!

 

The team has secretly installed a device that will guarantee Barney's victory. This is the control panel!

 

And this baby is full of something that will bring his opponent literally to his knees.

 

When the fighter goes to use the spit bowl, he gets a big hit of whatever was in that vial.

 

Barney's opponent is quickly disposed of and then the chump of a champ Ernie Staczek sucker punches Barney outside the ring! Robert (The Silencers, Dimension 5, The Dirty Dozen) Phillips plays Staczek!

 

 

Charles Buckman has a pretty cool ride.

 

Here's where they started to lose me. How is it that Barbara Bain as Cinnamon Carter is able to get close to big shot Buckman without him ever trying to get her into bed. Something tells me that's what he would have done on the very first day he met her, but somehow weeks go by, and he's satisfied with just her companionship. It just doesn't work that way.

 

Wesley puts the squeeze on Rollin Hand!

 

And here's when space and time get scrambled to unbelievable proportions. Barney wins one fight after another which appears to happen in a matter of days. Sure, back in the day, fighters fought a lot more often than they do today, but still, five bouts is going to at least have to span a few months or even a few years time.

 

Barney as Richy Lemoine moves up through the ranks at an incredible pace!

 

Barney wins one fight after another and now it's time for his big pay day!

 

The time has come for Staczek and Barney as Lemoine to duke it out once and for all.

 

Now is when the real trouble begins! Buckman tells Barney that he needs to throw the upcoming championship match with Staczek, something that Barney is not real comfortable with, but the reason they've gone to all this trouble in the first place.

 

Great shot of the action through the eyes of the real Richy Lemoine.

 

In this great shot of a clinch, Staczek asks Barney what the Hell he's doing. How come he's fighting back so hard, and not going down!

 

Buckman tells Wesley that he's pretty sure they have a problem that he's going to need to deal with! He then gives Wesley a thumbtack, and Wesley is able to get it into Staczek's glove. It does cut Barney, but not badly enough to stop the fight!

 

Despite all that, Barney closes the deal, and Buckman and his associates are not happy!

 

Sweet dreams Staczek!

 

After the fight, and back in the locker room, they switch Barney and Richy back out, and nobody notices it's not quite the same guy! That's really expecting a lot out of the gullible audience, but then it was an impossible mission, so what else is new?

WILLIE WHOPPER In "Rasslin' Round" - 1934

Here's a Willie Whopper cartoon from 88 years ago, where, rasslin' was a popular past time attended by a packed house of spectators...

Little Willie is shining a man's shoes and notices the championship wrestling match coming up. He starts acting out and telling the man about the time he beat up the champ, the Masked Marvel, and won the championship!!

Willie gets limbered up by a trainer, but good!

And here's the Masked Marvel getting ready for the match.

To show off his inhuman strength, he chews the barbell in half, just to start with!

On the way to the ring, I guess his girlfriend, waves and cheers him on. It's a pretty wild bunch of characters in the background!

Finally, the announcer introduces the wrasslers to the jeers and cheers of the fans in attendance, it's a packed house!

The time keeper looks at his watch, and when it's time, he takes a big mallet and rings a carnival bell... Fight!

Willie's surprisingly quick on his feet and has MM in a very painful leg lock!.. And you see this guy yelling.. "Geeve eet to heem, Willie!"

Wow, who knew Willie was such a tiger!

Masked Marvel can' find Willie after he landed on him, that steamroller effect.

This part is pure insanity, MM's in a foot lock, a hot dog seller comes by, Willie takes some mustard, grabs a bun, and chomps down on the brute's toes!!.. ??

Now it's time for Willie to take some punishment, like being slammed around like a rag doll.

At the end of a round, his girlfriend hands him a tube of cold cream!.. Again, ??

Willie coats himself with the cream and heads out to fight the beast... I was thinking that cold cream isn't very slippery, is it? Say like, cooking oil or butter?.. Oh well.

Masked Marvel just can't get a grip on Willie, and is wearing himself out from his attempts to get ahold of the little fart.

Then, Willie makes the mistake of pulling off Masked Marvel's mask!

Willie snaps back to the real world and notices that the Masked Marvel is the guy in the seat, and it's time for him to eat his words!..

But, MM goes all fairy and says... Oh, you naaasty man! Okay class is over today, have a good weekend, and don't forget to pet your doggies and kitties!