FIRST MEN IN THE MOON / Columbia UK - 1964 / Music by Laurie Johnson

This classic UK movie was made four years before 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY! Not really knowing, but, it has to be the same special effects team that worked on our feature tonight. Ray Harryhausen created the great animated aliens. And, one of our favorite directors, Nathan Juran, heads up the activities.

Mr. Laurie Johnson scores the spacey music. Here's a few of his composing feats: DR. STRANGELOVE, THE AVENGERS episodes, CAPTAIN KRONOS - VAMPIRE HUNTER, THRILLER episodes, 57 episodes of THE PROFESSIONALS, just to start with!

Here's tonight's very spacey special... FIRST MEN IN THE MOON!

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It starts with an international team of astronauts landing on the Moon, then discovering a British flag and a written letter proclaiming rights to the Moon go to Queen Victoria!! Of course, this starts a frenzy back on Earth where they try to figure the big mystery out...

The movie stars Edward Judd, Martha Hyer and Lionel Jeffries. Hey, Edward Judd starred in last night's posting!! Oh yeah, it has geese and chickens, too!

Arnold Bedford, who's name is on the letter, is finally located in England, still alive. He tells the story about the flag and document found on the Moon. It started in 1899, when Arnold met the nutty professor Cavor. The professor had made a pod that could travel to the Moon and back! So, Arnold, Kate, professor Cavor and a chicken head into space and somehow make a safe landing there.

There's adventure after adventure as the gang gets separated. Kate is then attacked by a horde of Moon sprites!

Arnold watches in horror as a rampaging giant worm is toasted by one of the alien's ominous weapons!

One of the alien insect leaders watches Kate through a lens that shows her without her skin! Of course, they can transform into caccoons!

Professor Cavor is totally fascinated with the aliens, so, he decides to stay on the Moon, and, not go back to Earth with Arnold and Kate.

Kate waits as Arnold tries to get back to her, then, Arnold and Kate barely get the pod activated to make their escape!

After the story is told, the world watches as the door to the alien city is opened. They discover a decayed and crumbling world instead.

Arnold goes over to the window and looks up at the Moon with his telescope and wonders if the aliens' demise could have had anything to do with the cold the professor had? H. G. Wells loved germs, you know!!

THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE - Stanley Black/Monty Norman - "Front Seat To Tomorrow" (1961)

The 1961 film, "The Day The Earth Caught Fire" is a pretty cool, I mean hot UK title that is well worth seeking out, if nothing else for the music alone. We've written about Stanley Black before for his work on "The Crawling Eye" & "War Gods Of The Deep," but really, his career goes so much further than that since he'd been working in the movies since 1937!

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Any guy who grew up in the 50's was in love with Janet Munro at least once, because of her roles in Disney classics like "Darby O'Gill & The Little People" and "Swiss Family Robinson." She was born on September 28, 1934, was voted "Miss Televison" in 1958, and as you can see, by 1961 she had grown up quite a bit. Janet had turned to much more serious roles, and it wasn't well accepted, and her popularity waned dramatically! Sadly, Janet Munro passed away at 38 in 1972! What a sad day!!

Monty Norman, who gets credit for the 'Beatnik' music in this film was nowhere near as productive as Stanley Black, but I'd be willing to bet that he's made a heckuva lot more money since besides this music, his other main composition was the theme for the James Bond film, "Dr. No," a piece of music that has been used as part of the theme in each and every James Bond film made since, including the latest one, "Quantum of Solace!" Those royalty checks gotta be rolling in even as I'm writing this!! Way to go, Monty!!!

As far as this 'Beatnik' music is concerned, it sounds a lot more like Dixieland to me, and the end of the world rioters are more like a gang of drunken Nawlin's musicians in a Madi Gras parade!

The main man throughout this whole ordeal is played by the fine veteran actor Edward Judd! Ed's had about enough of all this madness by this point, and sets in to do some right fine ass whupping!!

He punched that dude right out the door, and he falls down the open elevator shaft! I don't get this part, it's the end of the world, and suddenly she cares when some guy falls down an elevator shaft! Oh, well!! You're all going to be dead soon anyhow!! You didn't care about nothing 5 minutes ago!!

One last toast before becoming toast themselves!!!

Will the earth be saved or Will the earth be doomed???

I don't know, can anybody tell me where the exit is???

ZINDA LAASH (The Living Corpse) - Tassadaque Hussain - "Dracula In Pakistan" (1967)

That caption says it all!!! So tighten up your straight jacket one more notch, because "Tonight Will Be A Beautiful Dream!!" for all of you!!

The story of Pakistan's "The Living Corpse" starts right here!

Dr. Aqil Harker drinks that krazy lab stuff and turns into a vampire!

Of course, then he has to initiate his beautiful assistant!!

And then, of all things, the movie actually begins!!!

I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and tell you that "Zinda Laash" has some of the most fascinating music of any we've written about since "El Rostro Infernal!"

It's so cool that I don't even need to tell you who this guy is and what's about to happen to him!!

I will tell you that the music composed by Tassadaque Hussain is all over the place. Now, don't forget this movie was made in 1967 Pakistan when I tell you that the first part of the music is a swingin' cartoonish version of the "Mexican Hat Dance" that is followed by some off-beat spaghetti desert guitar driven sand surfin' instrumental akin to something by Al Perry, followed by some spy lounge world pop psycho snake charming music with a drum solo!! Yeah, That's right!!

Hypnotizing, Isn't she???

AND...... That was all before The Band comes on!!!!!!

Hey!!! "When Youth and Beauty are combined in one, All is Forgiven, All is Fun!!!" Hey!!!

"All is forgiven, All is fun!!!!" P.A.R.T.Y!!

Then the movie goes all Buñuel on you, same people, different time, now it's all modern, zzup??

Then they fry the Pakistan Dracula and it's all over, but what a workout!!!

I love this movie, and If you like swingin' wild weird world music as much as I do, then this is by far the current movie of choice for you!!!

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD AND THE MONSTERS / Azteca Studios Mexico - 1965 / Music by Raúl Lavista

Tabonga finish off week with 'nother flick from Weirdsville. This time from south side...

Tabonga show all three title: Original Mexican title 1962, K. Gordon Murray title 1965 and theatrical re-release title year unknown.

Flick pretty much a musical!! Lot o' clumsily translated lyric for you listening enjoyment tonight! Music man Raúl Lavista have 274 composing credit including LA LOBA which Tabonga have on order! RED, TOM, STINKY, EVIL QUEEN AND MONSTERS!! Sound like Mighty Mouse singers!

Story about bad Queen who jealous of Red Riding Hood. What she want is kill Red with monsters!

Wow, look at great set and costume!! Top pic look like freakin' Dali painting!!

Red actually opera singer in disguise, and she have all the moves. Oh, there Tom, Stinky and White Fang too!

Flick have some really ugly part. Torture very popular for Dick Cheney, but should not show to kids. Monsters tell kid, "We boil you alive!" or "We gonna skin you!" Turn Tabonga off, big time!..

CARRUMBA!! Big dumb robot from SHIP OF MONSTERS and ROBOT vs THE AZTEC MUMMY show up in tonight fairy tale! Viva la Mexico!!

Then, after Red let loose, kid play pinata party with oaf who have them captured in cave!

Oh, and Queen have kool mad lab to make monster!!

Here monster dude catch Red and gang in cave! But, 30 second later Tom start him on fire with torch and then he get beat up by kid slapping him hard!

Queen' henchmen ready to saw giant and big bad wolf in half! Wolfie spit on bad guys for comedy relief. Finally, Red come in and save dude' sorry asses! So, Red and gang save the day... Hooray!