Friday, February 13, 2015

CHANDU ON THE MAGIC ISLAND / Sol Lesser Productions - 1935

Whoa, it's Friday The 13th, our favorite day, here at The Dungeon!.. Beware of giant cat idols, wherever you may find them, that's what I always say! Bela Lugosi is the good guy in this crazy little flick, the third and last title in the Chandu trilogy.

Here's a sound clip from this wild flick for your approval, sooooo, you can push the big red 'GO' button over by our magic rock pile, NOW, Rufus The Gnat!.. Here's a little taste of... CHANDU ON THE MAGIC ISLAND!

In Hollywood, on the mystic island of Lemuria, the cult of Ubasti seek the Egyptian Princess Nadji to sacrifice so that their goddess Ossana, whose soul resides in Nadji's body, may be resurrected by Black Magic!

This is the leader of the Ubasti cult, the high priest Vitras, he looks a lot like a nutty Larry Fine on the poster!

Nadji is shielded by the White Magical powers of Frank Chandler, an American raised by Eastern mystics who is also known as Chandu.

After Chandu and his friends (including Nadji) become shipwrecked off the shore of the magic island, they're captured and Chandu is threatened by a huge rock slowly being lowered onto him!! Chandu's face sez it all.

Chandu's little buddy helps save him from the sinister contraption.

Hmmm, wonder where we've seen this giant gate before?!

Vitras is ready to hail the reincarnated Nadji but guess who shows up to ruin the fun?

Why, I'll kill you, you dirty...

But, Chandu casts a spell and...

The whole place comes tumbling down... Hurray for Chandu!! Tune in tomorrow when Eegah!! will address Valentine's Day!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

THE GAS HOUSE KIDS IN HOLLYWOOD - Albert Glasser - Carl Switzer (1947)

So just how many freakin' ghost story - haunted house - crime movies did they make in the 30's, 40's and 50's anyhow? Beats the living Hell out of me, but one thing I do know is that tonight's Dungeon feature is one of them!!

I don't know about today, but it used to be that everybody knew who the "Little Rascals," or "Our Gang," or "The Eastside Kids," or "The Bowery Boys" were, so I can only suppose that nobody knows who the much lesser known "Gas House Kids" were!

The "Gas House Kids" are four young men from New York headed to Hollywood to see their hero on the television, Lance Carter! In the front seat is Benny (Butch in the Bowery Boys) Bartlett as Orvie, and Rudy (Gas House Kids Go West) Wissler as Scat! In The Back is Tommy (Butch in Our Gang) Bond as Chimp, and Carl (Alfalfa) Switzer as Alfalfa! Two Butch's from two different gangs, how weird is that?

Yep, same Alfalfa from "The Little Rascals!" Carl was about 20 when this film was made, and No, he kept two of his trademark characteristics, the name Alfalfa, and the fact that he still can't sing! Dungeon stalwart Albert (Monster From Green Hell, Beginning Of The End, The Cyclops, The Amazing Colossal Man, Earth Vs The Spider) Glasser, what a gasser, was the composer of most of the music in this film, but here's just a little of Alfalfa's singing instead!
Warning: Make sure and there are no dogs in the room and that all the crystal is tucked away safely before listening to this clip!

Nice Woody, but instead of a surfboard, it's got a coffin in the back!

The boys give the kindly old man and his box a ride to his Hollywood home after the Woody busts an axle! The old man turns out to be a Professor Gately Crawford, a very complex person!

How fortunate for the boys that the Professor has a beautiful daughter with a bunch of beautiful friends! The Professor's daughter Hazel is the drop dead gorgeous Jan (The Frozen Ghost) Bryant!

The Professor also has the dead body of his dear old friend that he is using to find some kind of time portal! Pretty cool mad lab!

The kids and the girls are getting along famously, and having a grand time out by the pool!

Even in a comedy, the concept of a dead body in a swimming pool is pretty gross!

The boys go to the movie studio and bust in to see if they can enlist the help of their hero Lance Carter to solve this murder mystery!

Michael (Missile To The Moon) Whalen is Lance Carter! He welcomes the boys into his dressing room, and accepts their invitation to help them with this case! Lance is a two-faced liar! He is one of the guys responsible for all the weird happenings at the Professor's home!

The police are spending 100% of their time investigating these murders!

Back in the days of "Our Gang," Butch and Alfalfa weren't such tight buddies!

This gag was also used in a "Three Stooges" episode, except instead of a skeleton it was a ghost!

The candle is moving by itself, in the dark, they couldn't see that they had put it on top of a tortoise!

Movies just wouldn't be the same without guys like Milton Parsons as Professor Crawford! Here's just a handful of his 164 credits, HOLD THAT GHOST, CRY OF THE WEREWOLF, DICK TRACY VS. CUEBALL, DICK TRACY MEETS GRUESOME, & THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD! Milton was also in three "Twilight Zone" episodes, "The New Exhibit," "I Dream Of Genie," and "Once Upon A Time!"

It's difficult for kids to grow up and remain cute and innocent, so sure, The Gas House Kids are an awkward bunch, but considering that Carl Switzer got shot and killed over a $50.00 dispute, I think it all makes sense! I found "The Gas House Kids In Hollywood" streaming on Amazon Prime, and you probably can too, if you want to!

Monday, February 9, 2015

NIGHT OF THE CREEPS / TriStar Pictures, Delphi V Productions - 1986

Welcome to The Dungeon!.. Here's a wild and weird movie from writer/director Fred Dekker, it's all about alien brain parasites that turn their hosts into killer zombies. Filmed in the San Fernando Valley, specifically at my old stomping ground, Northridge. I even experienced the uncanny Northridge quake in 1994... YOW!

Here's a nice little sound clip from this creepy crawly sci-fi flick, sooooo, you can push the big red 'GO' button located there by our Dungeon Creep, NOW, Ralphie The Tarantula!.. Here's... NIGHT OF THE CREEPS!

So, here's the canister full of brain parasites ejected from an alien ship as it heads to Earth.

Okay, it's the year 1959 and "Teen Beat," my favorite song from that year (I was age 11) is playing on the radio, as heard in the sound clip!

This couple at Lover's Lane watches as the fiery canister of brain worms crashes to Earth.

Flash to the present... Our teen heroes just walk into the mad lab at Cal State Northridge (?) and find this guy in suspended animation just hanging around.

The policeman who found this scene in 1959 has a present day flashback in dying color. I swear, if I was a long haired zombie I'd look like this handsome guy here!

Here's yer gratuitous topless shot, female stars in 1986 were required to show their wares!

The people at the lab are so focused on work that they don't even notice this parasite laden dude get up and walk out the door, naked and noticed by none!

Alright!!.. PLAN 9 is playing on the local channel, get the kids!

The parasite is out of the bag and the cops bring out the big guns!..

Problem is, shoot a zombie in the head and out pop a brain full of parasites. To me, the effects guys didn't take enough time to make the dummy look more realistic.

Jason Lively is the hero, seen here torching parasites dressed in formal attire with a carnation.

Why take a chance, burn the whole freakin' place down! USA!.. USA!

But, quess what?.. This pooch is spitting out parasites to start the fun all over!

Here's a very cool faux EC comic cover with a nice zombie portrait!.. Tune in again on Wednesday when we continue down the track aboard The Dungeon Express!

Monster Music

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