Tuesday, October 21, 2008

SAMSON IN THE WAX MUSEUM / AIP TV - 1965 / Music by Raúl Lavista

Tonight Tabonga present some great sounds, Raúl Lavista is music director and he pretty good at that job!! Original 1963 Azteca Films flick from Mexico name - Santo en el Museo de Cera. Here's the Theme and More! K. Gordon make big mistake calling el Santo... 'Samson!'

Impressive is what Tabonga call this flick, maybe Santo best!! Excellent sets, props, characters, action... Dr. Karol showing off wax museum! Like doctor in DOCTOR OF DOOM, Dr. Karol one devious SOB!!

When go down stairs, that where monsters stay, all nice an' creepy there. Top pic show girl slip and almost fall off!.. Careful, gurlie!! Wax monster look good too!

Dr. Karol fool Professor Galván into have Santo help solve fake crimes made up by him. Keep him on wrong trail, good strategery!! Oh, and they can watch Santo wrassle on Professor Galván atomic TV!!

Okay, bottom line!.. DR. KAROL OUT OF FREAKING MIND!!

Santo have one match with dirty wrassler Benny Galan. Benny be so bad that Santo finally have enough and pummel his ass!

Things getting bad in Dr. Karol lab too! He getting ready to wax some gurlies for museum new exhibit!.. Lucky thing Santo show up just in nick of time to pummel more dude!

Santo finally kick 2 more henchman ass, but then Dr. Karol let real monster loose on Santo!!

Sorry to say, some monster not too bright!.. So, Santo dump hot wax on 4 Stooges!

Until next time!.. Goo'bye everbloody!!

Monday, October 20, 2008

THE UNDEAD - Ronald Stein & Mel Welles - "Screams From The Grave" (1957)

"The Undead" is A Classic Roger Corman film and a perfect Halloween treat for all you freaks! This is one of my favorite posters of all time and as was typical of a lot of Corman movies, the poster is one helluva lot better and more exciting than the movie!

"The Undead"

The cast of characters, and I do mean characters, reads like a virtual who's who of Corman stalwart players!! To start with you've got Richard Devon with eyebrows and a look that no one can forget as Satan in the flesh!!!

Val Dufour as Quintus Ratcliff (now that's a serious handle!) puts Pamela Duncan as lady of the night Diana Love, under!!!

You're getting very sleepy!!! She goes on a mind journey back to medieval times and finds herself in deep trouble being as she's a witch that is about to be executed!!!!!

Pamela has to hide from her tormentors, and she ends up in a coffin with a corpse played by none other than Tabonga's creator, Paul Blaisdell!!

Pretty much the first person Diana who is now known as Helene meets, is Smolkin the gravedigger, played by the fabulous Mel Welles!! Smolkin likes to sing as he works and a vast part of the music is his tortuous offkey rendering of standard tunes using his own offbeat lyrics and rhymes! It's really Great stuff!!!

Little guy Billy Barty plays "The Imp!"

The strikingly attractive Allison Hayes plays Livia, who is also a witch. When the camera catches Allison just right, she is as beautiful as any woman on earth!!! Here she is, looking stunning as she is about to enter the local pub, "Gabriel's Horn!"

Allison and all-time good sport and massive member of the Corman players, Bruno VeSota as Scroop the innkeeper!!

What a pair!!!! Allison walks around the whole movie with that one strap down!! Works for me!!!

As they disappear, Allison & Billy poof into a couple of bats left over from "It Conqured The World" and created by the master Paul Blaisdell!! Roger the Great Re-cycler!

Allison needs a head for the big upcoming spell and show, Bruno doesn't exactly volunteer, but does eventually give in!

Allison was feeling pretty proud of herself after lopping off Bruno's head with an axe!!!

Meanwhile, Mel as the real star of this movie, Smolkin, waxes poetic!! I just read his interview with Tom Weaver again, and he really enjoyed working with this fine group of folks!!

The crazy end of the music you'll hear is from this freeform modern dance of death!! Not as good as "She-Demons" or "Manos" but quite insane just the same!!

Even the pre "Bucket Of Blood" Richard Miller shows up!! This time as Leper Dick!! Unfortunately the Devil marks him for eternity, but at least his skin clears up!! I personally know a few teenagers who would sell their soul to have their skin clear up!!

Enough running around, it's time to face death and get this show over with!!!!! Give Pamela some credit too, she also had to do the 'get inside the coffin with the dead body' scene earlier in the film, and even though she's about to lose her head, she's still looking good and quite assured right here!!

What can I say? It's Roger Corman all the way including some music from none other than Ron Stein, one more time!!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

TOBOR THE GREAT / Republic Pictures - 1954 / Music by Howard Jackson

Tonight we have another true classic in TOBOR THE GREAT! This little Republic gem is directed by the awesome Mr. Lee Sholem! A few things he directed were: 14 episodes of THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, episodes of CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT, PHAROAH'S CURSE, 9 episodes of WHIRLYBIRDS, 4 episodes of MEN INTO SPACE, COLT 45, SUGARFOOT, BRONCO, CHEYENNE, MAVERICK, DEATH VALLEY DAYS, CATALINA CAPER and my favorite, DOOMSDAY MACHINE!!

And, Howard Jackson does the music. Howard started back in 1929 with the total of 261 credits!!! Here's tonight's sound clip... Tobor's Theme and Trespasser Deterrent!

At the beginning of the space race, there was an argument in favor of developing and using robots to take the place of man so that no one would have to die due to untested equipment and other unknown factors that might be encountered!..

Here's Professor Nordstrom, ready to unveil a top secret project to the American press. And, that's one cool looking gizmo he's holding!

Pretty damn impressive set for 1954, to be sure!! Lew Smith plays Tobor and is very convincing. The audience is mesmerized and amazed, especially the dirty pinko Commie there that's snuck in and's taking mental notes!

Top still shows Tobor as he prepares for space, meteors come at him so fast that he flips out! Then, the pinkos try to get into the Professor's house, but, are met with a soundtrack from WWII! They take off running! Pretty clever.

There are other ways to kidnap the Professor and his grandson, Gadge. They simply send out fake invitations for a show at the observatory! Pretty clever.

With the help of another gizmo the Professor has, Tobor picks up the trail and breaks through the guard post!

He can even drive a Jeep! And, he delivers one hell of a knock out punch!!.. Goo'night, sweet Prince!

Monster Music

Monster Music
AAARRGGHHH!!!! Ya'll Come On Back Now, Y'Hear??