SHE DEVIL / Regal Pictures - 1957 / Music by Paul Sawtell & Bert Shefter

This is probably Regal's second best effort, KRONOS being the winner, I think. Don't forget, Regal is responsible for the horrible, BACK FROM THE DEAD, which we've already posted... Really great cast here, Mari Blanchard, Jack Kelly and Albert Dekker. Oh, and, don't forget X. Brands!!

The totally classic music is by more Dungeon alumni, Sawtell & Shefter. Other posts of their's includes THE BLACK SCORPION, KRONOS, IT!, THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE, THE COSMIC MAN, CURSE OF THE FLY...

SOUNDCLIP NO LONGER AVAILABLE!!

The movie starts with Mari on her deathbed, she has an incurable form of TB. All she does is cough! Jack and Albert are developing a miracle drug and having decent success in animals. Mari agrees to be their Guinea pig, besides, what's she got to lose?! A few hours after the shot is given, Mari's up and feeling like she's never felt before... AWESOME!

Unfortunately, Mari's developed a few quirks from the injection, too! She wants what she wants... NOW!!! She goes shopping only to be barraged by the overwelming temptation to steal! Then, she discovers that she can change her looks by just 'wishing' it to happen!!! The fuzz is lookin' for a brunette, but, Mari's a blond! Something is definitely wrong here!..

Boy, are Al and Jack proud of their little experiment!! Mari pegs the theme's ultra sexy insinuations like nobody's business!!.. DAMN!!

Things turn really ugly when Mrs. Kendall catches her husband and Mari outside together at a party, kissing. He's rich. Things are making sense!.. Anyway, she slaps Mari good as a result. Bad mistake!..

Right before she murders Mrs. Kendall, Mari turns her hair dark again so that she can't be a suspect!!.. Clever.

She marries Kendall. Millionaire Barton Kendall is played by distinctive looking John Archer, who was also in the excellent unaired MEN INTO SPACE 1960 TV series pilot with John Agar!!

Of course, the honeymoon is over quite quickly and all she wants to do is fight, and, she taunts him into shooting her!! On the way to the hospital, she shows him that she has already 'healed' herself! She jerks the steering wheel and they go off a cliff! She gets out and walks away and all the money is hers, now!!

To make the story short, Mari gets changed back to normal at the end, and, she dies form the TB... A pretty sad end!

KRONOS - Johnny Mercer - "SOUNDCLIP NO LONGER AVAILABLE" (1957)

"Kronos" definately has one of the coolest titles ever for a movie & it starts off right here. Kenneth Alton plays the pickup driver in this opening scene, who is attacked/possessed, whatever you want to call it, to perfection. Here's yet another guy who just had that look, so besides pickup driver, he was the guy you'd choose when you wanted an Apache kid, a Hun warrior, Russian sentry, cowboy, policeman, or boxer. Of course, Morris Ankrum was in this film too as a doctor. The music Kenneth is whistling along with on the radio is by the legendary Johnny Mercer, the rest of the soundtrack is by Bert Shefter & Paul Sawtell whose combined talents is a Who's Who of Monster Movies. We're talking stuff like "Black Scorpion", "Fiend Who Walked The West", "It, The Terror From Beyond Space", "Return Of The Fly", "Slime People", "The Sadist" etc, etc. 

 

ROBOT MOVIES OF THE FIFTIES!!

Here's a look at the movies from the fifties that have robots in them. Up to that point the robots were more goofy and awkward looking than anything, but, in the fifties that all changed... Thank you lord!

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL from 1951 is our first entry. Gort changed the game, his giant presence and futuristic look was a thrill and a half for all the kids back then!

It's almost unbelievable that ROBOT MONSTER from 1953 was shot in 3-D, it seems that the bubbles from the million bubble machine were the main focus of the 3-D effect! But, there's nothing quite like this movie, wow, what an acid trip!

TARGET EARTH from 1954 was a strange little flick, although there's supposed to be an invasion of robots, they only made one robot for the production! Great poster though.

TOBOR THE GREAT came out in 1954, I love this movie, Tobor was a masterpiece of design by the Republic studios. My favorite part is when the spies try to enter the grounds and our heroes turn on the battle attack soundtrack with strobe lights to disorient the intruders!

DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS also came out in 1954, this time, our invaders land in the English countryside to spread terror. Her robot's name is Chanti, and, it has a penchant for disintegrating things!

GOG come out in 1954 and was shot in color. Gog and Magog were robots like no other, designed to help out in the lab with an array of deadly features!

Ahh, my favorite fifties movie. FORBIDDEN PLANET from 1956 featured the greatest robot, Robby, he was a ton of fun! I saw this and the remaining titles at the theater at the time, how freakin' lucky was I...

KRONOS hit the screen in 1957, I'm telling you that seeing this thing at the time was totally amazing. Everything about the movie kept my interest, and, freaked me out a little, too!

Loved THE INVISIBLE BOY from 1957, they brought back Robby for another exciting kids' movie, this time he's controlled by a machine taken over by aliens!

COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK in 1958 was another terrific movie, man, the robot was mind blowing. Of course, he turns evil and must be destroyed at the end. And, we've also reached the end of the post! Tune in Wednesday for more cool junk from the Dungeon Gang...

THE FACE OF MARBLE / Hollywood Pictures Corporation - 1946

It's Freaky Face Friday with Tabonga, here at The Dungeon!.. We gots a rare low budget thriller about reanimation starring the great John Carradine as the fairly normal 'mad' doctor and involves a love triangle involving his wife and younger lab assistant. Throw in an old hag housekeeper with voodoo powers, a black butler, a huge Great Dane hound and director William Beaudine, well, you have a weird little flick!

Eegah!! sent over a lil' soundclip of the theme and some lab sound from this movie for our earjoyment, sooooo, you can push the big red 'GO' button there in the noisy mad lab, NOW, Rufus The Gnat! Here's a taste of... THE FACE OF MARBLE!

John Carradine plays Dr. Randolph, he's working in his lab trying to reanimate a dead sailor found washed up on the shore with his assistant, Dr. Cochran, played by Robert Shayne, who all of us that grew up in the fifties remember well as Inspector Henderson on ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN. Robert was also in THE NEANDERTHAL MAN, SPACE PATROL, TOBOR THE GREAT, INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN, KRONOS, THE GIANT CLAW, SPOOK CHASERS, WAR OF THE SATELLITES, TEENAGE CAVEMAN, HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER and THE LOST MISSILE, that's just in the fifties!!

Even though the sailor opened his eyes for a moment, he is still dead after the experiment. The police inspector shows up, asking questions about the odd condition of the sailor after the doctors placed him back on the shoreline to be found.

The weird old housekeeper, Maria, likes to play with dolls... Voodoo dolls!!

The doctors experiment on a Great Dane, but, Maria puts a spell on the dog. Now, it's hostile to the others, bullets don't effect it and it can walk through walls and is only controlled by her!

Maria gasses Dr. Randolph's wife, Elaine, and puts her in a death coma, so, the doctors experiment on her to bring her back to the land of the living.

It works, but, now she's controlled by the evil Maria!

Maria commands Elaine to kill her husband, and so, she knifes him in the back!

Luckily, the butler, Shadrach, saw everything and goes to tell the Inspector what he has seen! Willie Best plays Shadrach, Willie was also in UP POPS THE DEVIL, THE MONSTER WALKS, THE NITWITS, MUMMY'S BOYS, MR. MOTO IN DANGER ISLAND, AT THE CIRCUS, THE GHOST BREAKERS, WHISPERING GHOSTS, A-HAUNTING WE WILL GO, THE MONSTER AND THE APE and HIGH AND DIZZY. Sadly, Willie died at the young age of 45 and is buried in North Hollywood.

Everything's calm when the police arrive at the doctor's home, and, Maria is dead by her own hand at the fireplace! Tune in tomorrow for another dose of Eegah!!

LEGACY OF BLOOD / Studio West Film Distributors - 1971

I'll end the week with this little horror flick with a pile of stars, The story goes like this.. In order to qualify to inherit the family fortune, four heirs must spend the night in the family estate. But, you know, someone starts killing them off one by one.

I've got a little sound clip for your approval, sooooo, you can push the big red 'GO' button over by our Turkish Gremlin, NOW, Rufus The Gnat!.. Here's a taste of... LEGACY OF BLOOD!

Here's Jeff Morrow as alcoholic Gregory Dean and his wife Leslie played by Brooke Mills as they await the others to show up for the reading of the will. Of course, Jeff is a Dungeon Hero for his work in films like THIS ISLAND EARTH, THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US, KRONOS and THE GIANT CLAW.

Then, there's John Russell as Frank Mantee, a handsome, well dressed guy with a neckerchief. John is best known as Marshal Dan Troop in LAWMAN and was also in FIREBALL JUNGLE.

John Smith plays Dr. Carl Isenburg. We remember him from ISLAND OF LOST WOMEN, his last work was for PROJECT U.F.O. in 1978.

Here's Faith Domergue as Veronica Dean, boy, did I ever have a huge crush on her! Faith was in these many movies... VENDETTA, CULT OF THE COBRA, THIS ISLAND EARTH, IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA, THE ATOMIC MAN, VOYAGE TO THE PREHISTORIC PLANET and THE HOUSE OF SEVEN CORPSES.

Well, time to go to the cemetery and bury Christopher Dean whose estate is in the will. He's played by John Carradine, someone we don't even need to list his films as there are way to many, a real Dungeon God!

Hey! Nice tie!!..

Rodolfo Acosta is the sheriff, he gets an ax in the head for his effort.

After the murder, everyone's a little weirded out about the news.

Then, Gregory and Leslie's sleep is interrupted by their death. Wonder what they're dreaming about now?

Guess who drops in on the fun?! The old codger isn't dead at all, he's just playing games.

That's right, Frank is a card carrying Nazi enthusiast surrounded with his memorabilia.

Bet the doc wishes he would have brought his stethoscope along with him!

At one point everyone believes that the doctor may be the killer so they tie him to a chair and lock him in a closet. When they hear him screaming, they go to the closet to find that he has spilled his oatmeal with raisins all over his head. He was having trouble eating it because his hands were tied.

Christopher shows his face at the end but gets it good by the real killers...

Ha-ha, the servants have had it with this nutty family and get the inheritance in the end... Eegah!! is back tomorrow to share more cool junk!