MR. X - Manuel Parada - "aka Avenger X" (1967)

"Mr-X" is a movie I have wanted to see ever since I started this blog, and this is one of my favourite posters, so tonight it is finally my pleasure to present it to you, but before we get the show rolling, just let me say, it wouldn't have been possible without the help of our pal Brian Horrorwitz over at The Trash Palace!! Brian's got one of the finest assortments of garbage on the planet, but don't take my word for it, go check it out for yourself!

"Mr X" was also released as "Avenger X!" Personally I prefer the title "Mr. X!" Is it the greatest film in the world, not exactly, but was it worth the wait, Hell Yes!! The fine music throughout "Mr. X" was created by Manuel Parada, a Spanish composer of "Satanik" and "Fistful Of Knuckles" fame!

"Mr. X" is a hybrid mix of comic books and spy flix!

Armando Pascual Calvo Lespier aka Armando Calvo is the ever so evil George Lamarr, and he's great at what he does, being bad!

Lamarr's fiancée has just informed him that she knows what's going on and she wants her fair cut, so he sends her out on a mission as a courier!

This is where her body shows up! It doesn't matter who you are, you don't try and doublecross Lamarr! He's just a little too ruthless to put up with that kind of crap! And on top of all that, he sets it up to blame Mr. X as the killer. That's where he makes his first big mistake!!!

Mr X. can do it all, and he's also a master of disguise! Here he poses as the mortician right in front of the inspector who is looking for him!

Dapper Mr. X is played by Pier Paolo Capponi or as he was billed for this role, Norman Clark. Mr. X is not only suave and a smart dresser, he's also a professional golfer who has won a number of world wide tournaments!

Just like Batman has Robin, Mr. X has Timy, who is a Helluva lot better looking than Burt Ward! Timy is played by the drop dead gorgeous Gaia Germani! Not only beautiful, Timy can also kick your ass!

I just like this shot of  Mr. X and Timy, some of the beautiful people of the world in 1967,  no doubt!

Mr. X and Timy don't just eat sushi, they have it served in their home the proper way!

Mr. X also has all kinds of cool devices at his disposal, like this gun that shoots cigarette looking objects into a wall so he can climb up and look in an upper story window to find out more information about Lamarr's six million dollar plans!

The cops are subjected to an exercise in futility when they try and chase Mr. X! "Hey fools I'm over here!"

To elude his pursuers, Mr. X quickly changes clothes and takes on the persona of an American tourist from Texas!

Mr. X sets up another trap..........

...............and this idiot falls for it hook, line and sinker!

Lamarr is doublecrossed by his right hand man, and after the guy pleads for his life, Lamarr tells him he can go, and then he shoots him in the back! Nice guy!!

At this point it's not even about doublecross anymore, but more like quadruplecross or maybe even quintupletcross, as Mr. X delivers the final slap in the face to tough guy Lamarr, who just like everybody else is just nothing more than a big pussy when the final cards are dealt!!

A fitting ending, X marks the spot where after being tied to the front of a boat, Lamarr's head runs straight into a bunch of rocks in a fiery explosion, and Mr. X and Timy live happily ever after with their share of the six mill!

MONSTER FROM A PREHISTORIC PLANET / Manson Corporation - 1967

It's Friday Vintage Japanese Theater with Tabonga, here at The Dungeon!.. We gots the AIP TV version of the flick also known as GAPPA THE TRIPHIBIAN MONSTERS with the original Japanese title, DAIKYOJU GAPPA. I like this SUPER 8mm box art, it captures the old school feel of the movie. One tagline reads... Even mightier than 'King Kong'!

Eegah!! sent over a cool lil' soundclip for us to enjoy, sooooo, you can push the big red 'GO' button way over there, NOW, Rufus The Gnat! Here's our audio offering for... MONSTER FROM A PREHISTORIC PLANET!

The story starts with a science expedition en route to a tropical island in the South Pacific where the natives worship the mysterious deity named Gappa.

While on the island, an earthquake opens up an underground cavern and a baby reptile is discovered after its giant egg is broken open. Against the natives' warning, the expedition takes the small reptile back to Japan for study.

They hook him up with a metal helmut to study his little neurons and whatnots!..

I just like this shot with the simple black and white TV in it, that's all.

As warned, mom and pop Gappa show up to cause a pile of nonstop mayhem and destruction, looking for their kedso!

Giant blimps are brought in to haul the oversized reptile to a site where they plan on releasing him. Japan cannot face total destruction, so, you know, might as well let him go.

More shots I just like...

And, there's just no peace until the little guy's returned to his overprotective parents...

THE TRIP - The Electric Flag - "Groovy Gravy" (1967)

This movie is a trip!! Let's just start with the poster! "The Trip" is a movie filled with all kinds of colorful psychedelic imagery, so why not make the poster black and white, that makes so much sense!

So welcome to Trips Wednesday, and don't forget to fasten your straightjacket, the next stop is the looney bin! "The Trip" is a film made by Roger Corman that is quite confusing! It touts the dangers of drugs, but yet you need to be stoned to be able to get through it! Less than a movie, "The Trip" is more like one long music video, and would be better suited to playing on a big screen TV in the background at your next party than actually sitting down to watch! The music is great, and I have always loved the soundtrack, so my recommendation is to go buy a cd, and forget about watching the movie itself!

It's not talent that stops "The Trip" from succeeding! How's this for a power trio, Peter Fonda, Dick Miller, and Bruce Dern! All wasted in more ways than one!

This is the way hippies used to play "Word" on the street! Of course, they had kind of a limited vocabulary!

Wowzers, birds of paradise and a god's eye all in the same shot, now that's psychedelic!!

Dennis Hopper smoking a joint, now that's really a stretch of the imagination!

The music for this trip was created by the San Francisco band, The Electric Flag lead by blues guitarist Michael Bloomfield, and keyboard player Barry Goldberg! They were joined by an amazing array of talent ranging from Buddy Miles on drums, Harvey Brooks on bass and Nick Gravenites on vocals and guitar, to Peter Strazza, Marcus Doubleday, Herb Rich, and Stemzie Hunter on horns! Here's just a small sample of the wonders they were capable of creating! It sounds like everything from Miles Davis playing with a circus band, to the grunginess of Hapshash And The Coloured Coat featuring The Human Host and The Heavy Metal Kids!

When you start hallucinating President Lyndon B. Johnson, you know you're on a bad trip!!

If I was high on acid and I saw Bruce Dern grinning at me like this, it would freak me out, no doubt!

Another hallucination I've never been fortunate enough to have is a naked chick in the dryer at the laundromat!

One of the best lines in the film comes out of the mouth of Barboura Morris when she asks an obviously over the top stoned Peter Fonda if he'd like to help her fold clothes!

Some shots are very trippy!

Some shots should have been left on the cutting room floor!

It's said that they were originally was going to use the music of Gram Parsons' International Submarine Band in the movie but Roger Corman decided it wasn't the right kind of music for an L.S.D. experience, so whose idea was it to use Dixieland music in one of the last scenes? Talk about inappropriate, I didn't get that part at all! In my world Dixieland is about as far away from psychedelic as you can get! Even Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass or Mantovani is more psychedelic than Dixieland music!

Too bad The Rolling Stones' "Shattered" didn't come out until 1979, cause that would have worked!!