THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN / Hammer - 1957

Rodan here, filling in for Tabonga today, on this Saturday Matinee Special Dealie-Bob-Thingie that he has set up. He's out doing last minute Xmas shopping for Piff and Ralphie, his adorable little monster pets!

Wow, what a classic we have here, THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN (Of The Himalayas) from Hammer studios in good old 1957! Stars Peter (THE CREEPING FLESH) Cushing and Forrest (THE CRAWLING EYE) Tucker, and, that makes it great!! Peter was voted most popular male actor on TV for a number of years leading up to his filmwork with Hammer and Amicus, and, started his career in 1940. Tucker also started his career in 1940!

"See It With Someone Brave! -- A Timeless Terror to Freeze You to Your Seats!" sez the tagline!

The music is by Mr. Humphrey Searle, he only has 17 composing credits, but, includes THE HAUNTING and DOCTOR WHO, THE MONSTERS and ORESTIA TV series.

So, on with the show! Here's today's soundclip... THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN!

Forrest plays the character Tom Friend, the typical loudmouth obnoxious gold-digging American.

Of course, Peter's a doctor!

Arnold Marlé plays the very wise and mystical Lhama. He warns the men about the dangers of climbing the treacherous mountains in the Tibetian wilderness...

Maureen Connell plays Peter's wife, she has a bad feeling about the whole expedition and doesn't want hubby to go. But, Peter is firm with his decision.

Years ago, Tom was given this finger bone of an unknown creature, evidence of something strange possibly living in that region of Tibet.

They head on up the mountain, to a predetermined location where the creature has been sighted. These snowy locations definitely look a bit better than the ones in Jerry Warren's SNOWBEAST!

They fianally reach the campsite, and, what else, time for some grub!

Even on the first night at the camp, there are weird things going on!

Back at the ranch, the Lhama is in a trance and not available for answering any questions, silly, or, otherwise.

Treacherous terrain everywhere!

They use a live monkey as bait, you can see the result!

Okay, I think we can make the call!.. There is an Abominable Freaking Snowman up here, C'MON!!

I think the creepiest part of the movie is when the Yeti's big claw reaches under the tent and grabs the miniature rifle! Always loved that part!!

More loud screams are heard!

And, what do they find?! The same old thing, dead guys!

Okay, then, that's one more!

The creature has a mystical, hypnotizing effect on Tom, he tries to use his gun, but, can't... Goodbye, Tom!

Can we turn on a light?.. I can't see a thing in here!

Now, remember, Peter, there is no Yeti!

Got that?!..

The Yeti allow Peter to go back to the village and his wife, because, they sense that he is a genuinely good person!

VISIT TO A SMALL PLANET - Jerry Lewis (1960)

The incredibly hard to find "Visit To A Small Planet" was a broadway play written by the masterful author Gore Vidal! The theme music was written by the amazing composer Leigh Harline, who started his career way back in 1933 on the Walt Disney Silly Symphony cartoon short entitled "Father Noah's Ark" and wrote the score for Disney's "Pinocchio" and also "Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs" among a hoarde of other titles!

It's the perfect vehicle for the antics of Jerry Lewis, France's other American film hero besides Eddie Constantine!!

Because it was written as a play, the whole beginning of the film looks and feels like a 1960's TV sitcom with a lot of familiar TV faces!

Jerry, as Kreton comes to earth to explore and play around. Being a master of space and time, he was headed for the civil war era and dressed appropiately, but his calculations were off and he lands in the 1960's right when all these folks are getting ready to go to a costume party. Kreton elbows Lee Patrick as Rheba Spelding while daughter Ellen portrayed by Joan Blackman watches!

TV stalwart Gale Gordon is the nosey neighbor Bob Mayberry, and if he looks familiar, it's because Gale was Mr. Wilson in the Dennis the Menace TV show, and appeared in over 180 episodes of various Lucille Ball shows!

Fred Clark appears as Major Roger Putnam Spelding, another very familiar face who made a career of playing a cranky bald dude in everything from "Curse Of The Mummy's Tomb" to "F-Troop," "Petticoat Junction" and "The Beverly Hillbillies" and too much more! In this scene, Ellen's boyfriend Conrad played by Earl Holliman, not knowing Kreton is from another galaxy, decides to go to the costume party this year as a guy from outer space! Oh, the irony!!

This film is loaded with sexual innuendos. Where Kreton comes from, they no longer have any reason to procreate, so he is incredibly interested in watching how it's done, much to Ellen's chagrin! Among many other roles, the lovely Joan Blackman would marry Elvis in "Blue Hawaii!" Earl Holliman is unforgettable for his role as the cook in "Forbidden Planet" who gets Robby The Robot to make him booze, and also his 91 episodes in "Police Woman" as Lt. Bill Crowley, etc. etc. There's no end!!

John "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" Williams as the overseer Delton, watches on as Major Spelding gives Kreton his first taste of that demon alcohol...and the not so surprising results!!!

Above Conrad's objections, Ellen takes Kreton to their favorite 'local' hangout, "The Hungry Brain." Kreton got 'dressed up' for the occasion, and he outweirds the weirdos!

The music starts swinging, but nobody's paying a whole lot of attention yet, in this crowd of beatniks, but this is the start of the reason why I love this movie so much!!

Wow, this cat's out of this world! Gene "Zorro" Collins and Kreton get inside of each other's heads! Other beatniks scattered throughout the crowd are Beach "Creature From The Haunted Sea" Dickerson, and Titus "Rat Pfink a Boo Boo" Moede, among others!!

The mind-blowing band consists of bassist Don Bagley, Frank Socolow on sax, Jack Costanzo on the bongos, and Buddy Rich on the trap set!!!

This still is a beyond cool portrait of The Man, Buddy Rich!!

Buddy Rich and Kreton have a drum duel with Kreton playing the bongos with his mind! I have an album of "Buddy Rich vs Gene Krupa" that works along the same lines!

Here's the crazy part, this whole scene is just starting to jive! Now it's time for Barbara Lawson as the nutzoid Desdemona to do her scat-singing thing!

Sounds pretty far out, but dancer Barbara only ever acted one other time, and that was in the same year on "The Millionaire" TV show!

The song that is bringing Kreton to tears is called "Desdemona's Lament" and was written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. Together, Pomus and Shuman wrote the words and music to the hits "Save The Last Dance For Me," "Suspicion," "Viva Las Vegas" and much more.

No, they're not done yet, now it's time for Kreton and Desdemona's big dance number choreographed by Miriam Nelson who also worked off and on for years on The Red Skelton Show! Now that makes sense!!! The music for this dance sequence is the ginchiest! It's totally gone!!

After all that, it's back to reality, Kreton falls for Ellen, but is stopped from kissing her as his protective shield is reversed by Delton, but his feelings are so strong, it breaks the barrier!

Which leaves him unprotected to attack by the likes of Conrad!!

Kreton ends up having to go back where he came from, and Rheba Spelding brings out a whole platter of chicken sandwiches for the people watching the send-off!

I've only given you a glimpse of the sights and sounds in this film, do whatever you can do, to find a copy, and ponder for yourself why it's not more readily available!! Thanx be to Los Oso Grande Ted for providing this copy!