THE BRAHMIN AND THE BUTTERFLY / Silent Short - 1901

Here's a little fun for a Friday from 121 years ago, it was produced and written by the amazing Georges Méliès, who also stars as the Brahmin. A Brahmin is a member of the highest caste in Hinduism, and are responsible for teaching and maintaining sacred knowledge. It starts with the Brahmin showing us a large empty container...

He hangs the container and uses his flute to entice a giant caterpillar into the scene.

The caterpillar raises its head up to the Brahmin and he gives it a big kiss on the nose!

Then he lifts and puts the caterpillar into the container, and we realize that he has put the thing into a giant cocoon! I know, it's a little challenging to distinguish things in such a busy background but that's just the way it is. 

And behold, a beautiful butterfly babe flies out of the cocoon and the Brahmin holds her with his hand as she stretches her wings.

Then she flutters around, butterfly style, this short is nothing but surreal. Love that inventive master Georges Méliès!

After she lands, the Brahmin covers her with a blanket, when, two women approach.

The women remove the blanket, revealing a beautiful babe. The Brahmin wants to court the butterfly lady, but...

She declines his advances.

He bows to her and she places her foot on his head...

And he changes into a caterpillar himself!

All the women exit the scene, stage left even!

And the worm follows... Wow, what you can do with one set when you're an artistic wizard!! Have a decent weekend, y'all.

DEEP IN THE FOREST - "Coming May 31, 2022"

 

 I just got an email that on May 31, 2022, a new movie by my favorite modern filmmaker, Jeremy Dylan Lanni, is going to be released in digital and on demand formats by Saban Films.

 

 

The movie is titled "Deep In The Forest," and if it's like any of Jeremy's other works, then it's something to be very excited about!

 

If you happen not to know who Jeremy is, he's the guy that brought us the amazing "Conjuring Orson" in 2014.

Jeremy is also responsible for the brilliant film "Anywhere, U.S.A." made in 2017.

 "Deep In The Forest" is a tense, taut political thriller about a future nobody wants to believe will ever happen, but seems more plausible by the day.

It was written and directed by Jeremy Dylan Lanni, and features the talents of Ursula Brooks, Derwin Jordan, Stuart Pankin, Peter Jason, P.J. Ochlan, Wendy Worthington, Eva Abramian, Will Bradley, Jedidia Dyer, Larry Cedar, Keith Stevenson, Spencer Martin, Cela Scott, Ross Frasier, Duane Johnson, and Roger M. Maye.

If you want to get a good taste of what it's all about, then 

 Go Watch The Trailer!

It's not like we weren't warned! Back in the 70's The Firesign Theatre tried to tell us, but few listened,

"The Future Is Now!"

NIGHT GALLERY / "The Different Ones" - 1971

Here's the companion piece for "Eye Of The Beholder" we vividly remember from The Twilight Zone, but, with a new twist of course.

Rod looks so cool here in his gallery of the weird, my kind of place!

So, the story's about Victor, his father, Paul Koch played by Dana Andrews, is desperate to find a better environment for his deformed son to be in, where he can have a somewhat normal life. He ends up contacting the government for help.

Having no friends at age 17, Victor is unhappy, he feels that he does not have a life of any worth, and is becoming very cynical about the matter. He now wears a hood and dark clothes to hide his ugliness.

Paul contacts the government to see if they can assist him in finding Victor a place to stay where he feels comfortable with other people in his condition.

They want to know what his condition is. Paul tears up and gets tongue-tied, so, Victor rips off his hood and says... I'm UGLY, look!!

Paul gets an appointment to meet with the supervisor for placement into a government institution, but, Victor has a condition that's not in the books, so, he'll either have to live with Paul, or... Be euthanized!!! 

As Paul is leaving, the supervisor gets a call, and it has to do with Victor...

Okay, here's the deal, there is a transfer that can be arranged to the planetoid, Boreon, for Victor. He will be flown there on a rocket ship where another person will be brought back to Earth on the return trip.

Victor agrees and is happy to go, anything's better than his existence on Earth! Wow, I bet that a lot of people in the world today would make that choice. FTW, right Dennis?!

Paul watches as Victor heads off into space, goodbye my son, and good luck!

Victor travels to Boreon in a Saturn 5 rocket, they had great stock footage from the Moon landing in 1969. I was stationed in the Army in Mannheim, Germany on that day and watched it on the TV in the break room with everyone else.

The second stage of the rocket drops off and Victor heads off into the void.

The planet there is actually the Earth, but, I think it's meant to be Boreon.

Here's Boreon, a small planetoid, Victor's destination.

Victor walks into a hallway from the rocket, no one is there to greet him.

Then a regular looking earthling type approaches him. He's the one that will be boarding the ship back to Earth. Victor asks him why does he want to go to Earth, and the guy says... Can't you see?! I'm UGLY! I don't belong here.

And the guy leaves to board the rocket. 

Finally, Victor is greeted by a Boreonian (I made that up) hostess, and guess what?

He looks like everyone else there, and is considered handsome! You can figure out what'll happen to the other guy on Earth, you know, he's pretty handsome himself. Kind of a silly comeback, black and white rules.

THE EDGAR WALLACE MYSTERY THEATRE - "The Malpas Mystery" (1967)

 

"It's Another Saturday Night And I Ain't Got Nobody" except Edgar Wallace, and I'm good with that! 

This week's Saturday Night Special is episode five of "The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre" from 1967 titled "The Malpas Mystery."

 

The show opens with a woman being released from prison. The women is named Audrey Bedford and was played by Maureen (The Deadly Game) Swanson.

Maureen retired from acting when she married into royalty in 1969.

At least she's not alone, because she has a not so loving stepsister named Dora, as played by Sandra (Devil Doll) Dorne. Dora's housekeeper was played by Catherine (Curse Of The Werewolf) Feller.

At first Audrey is rebuked by her stepsister, but is then welcomed when said sister gets a call.

So the two sisters go to a party where there are stupid rich people that need to be taken advantage of!

Mr. Malpas is a creepy dude who lives in a run down flat!

This guy has some pertinent information for him that's for sale!

 

Yeah, well, it doesn't exactly work that way, and the informant disappears never to be seen again until they fish his body out of the river.

This is the scary looking entrance to Malpas' place.

Up the stairs and into a weird room where Mr. Malpas shines a bright light in your face so you can't see him!

Anthony (Captain Midnight) Bate is the constable who put Audrey away, but he's also falling for her in a big way now that she's out.

Allan (The Trygon Factor) Cuthbertson is Lacey Marshalt, the neighbor of the mysterious Mr. Malpas. He's also a scoundrel and Dora's boyfriend. He's always complaining that Malpas is strange, and there's always weird noises coming from his flat.

Not very many people in this story, or actually almost any Edgar Wallace tale, are who they pretend to be.

A seemingly dead Lacey is found in the room of Malpas, but he's not really dead!

Dora pretends to be Audrey in an effort to chisel some money out of Audrey's Dad who hasn't seen her in 20 years.

Lots of drinking, lots of smoking, and lots of mystery, and the guy you can thank for it all is my good friend Lord Litter in Berlin, just because he knows how much I dig Edgar Wallace.

I'm telling you, if you like good music, he provides more of it today than anybody I know on his radio shows!

Try it, you'll like it, and that's a guarantee!