MYSTERIOUS ISLAND - Chapter One - "Lost In Space" (1951)

 As far as I can figure, there have been approximately nine different shows of different ilks titled "The Mysterious Island" either based on, or loosely based on Jules Verne's classic novel "L'Ile Mysterieuse!" The first one was a silent film made in 1929 starring Lionel Barrymore, and the latest one was made in 2012 and stars The Rock, Dwayne Johnson!

Tonight's feature was a 15 episode serial made in 1951, aka "Captain Harding's Fabulous Adventures!"

The short bombastic theme was written by the always entertaining Mischa Bakaleinikoff of "The Giant Claw," "20 Million Miles To Earth," etc. fame!

 I am just showing you the cast credits so you can fully appreciate the character's names! Rulu, Shard, Gideon, Nemo, Moley, and Neb, sounds like a Disney cartoon to me!

 The first chapter was titled of all things, "Lost In Space!" So here you go, 

 Richard (Rocky Jones, Space Ranger) Crane is Captain Cyrus Harding of the Union Army! Richard was a busy man, and even though he only lived to be 50, he somehow managed to rack up 133 acting credits to his name!

 The Confederate Army has one of them there fancy air balloons for spying on those Yankees!

 What a chore it would be to try and gather up all the binocular shots that have been used over the years in cinematic history!

 Captain Harding is taken prisoner, and since they didn't have any POW camps, he is taken to a fellow's house who lives behind the lines! Mr. Jackson doesn't really cotton to Yankees much, but since his dawg seems to like this stranger, he reckons it'll be all right!

 Pretty good accommodations! I guess it's just understood that they can't escape without getting killed when they cross the line, but the Captain has got a plan, and is just about to meet a guy who will be willing to join him!

 So the biggest hurricane on record is brewing, so what better time to steal the Confederate airship! They find themselves out over the ocean somewhere, and they are dropping fast! When there is nothing else to throw out, Captain Harding jumps hoping it will make it so the other guys can land safely!

 They didn't delve into it deep enough in the first episode, but I'm pretty sure this is Captain Nemo who has just saved Captain Harding from drowning! He walks towards a mountainside, and poof, just disappears!

 There are pirates off the coast of wherever the air balloon landed...........

 ............And out of nowhere, a spaceship comes whirling in and lands on the island!

 Now things are starting to get interesting, and the WTF!? factor goes way up!

 This is obviously not your run of the mill every day island native tribe, and their Mother's never taught them not to run with spears! Speaking of spears, what's with the groovy kink in the shaft? Is that just for looks or what?

 

The volcano on the island erupts, and it really captures the attention of the natives who immediately go into prayer mode! 

 The guys mange to make it to a big cave before it's too late, and that's just about enough action for one episode!

 "Mysterious Island" is another serial that I searched for years to find a copy. After I finally found one, then I found out it streams on Amazon Prime free for members! Episode number one was pretty cool! I'm kind of excited to see some more of them! At about 17 minutes each, there's not really enough time to fall asleep!

THE QUATERMASS CONCLUSION / Euston Films, Thames Television - 1979

Welp, here's the last chapter in the Quatermass series from the great British sci-fi writer Nigel Kneale. It's the edited theatrical version of the 1979 Quatermass four part mini-series set in near future. Professor Quatermass (this time John Mills) tries to save his granddaughter from the clutches of a popular but sinister cult called the Planet People that performs raptures.

Here's a sound clip from this classic story, sooooo, you can push the big red 'GO' button located there by our Quatermass Pit Xperiment from Space, NOW, Ralphie The Tarantula!.. Here's... THE QUATERMASS CONCLUSION!

The story starts with Quatermass going on British TV and negates the government's talking points on how to advance into the future with all the disarray around the world caused by a seemingly unstoppable alien menace threatening the Earth's youth.

Quatermass has only one quest now, that is to find his lost daughter who he believes has joined one of the cult tribes that wander the countryside.

Stonehenge plays a big part in the movie, this is where the alien force manifests itself. Here, Quatermass and the police try and quell an uprising from the Planet People cult.

Quatermass investigates Stonehenge after the latest alien manifestation.

Also discovered there is this, I guess, star child that gets some comfort after her ordeal.

Meanwhile, in space, government leaders have put a mission there to try and stop the alien menace from using Earth as a target for their cosmic influence.

But, it doesn't work and the mission is doomed as the shuttle is destroyed by the intense ray.

Things get worse as the alien influence advances its message around the world.

Special equipment is brought in to destroy the alien ray as it arrives at Stonehenge.

Then, Qustermass finally finds his lost daughter amongst the crowd of people that's gathered.

The ray is on its way!!..

Quatermass suffers a heart attack but his daughter helps him complete the mission! You'll need to see this little gem if you want to know how it all turns out... Tune in again on Wednesday when we'll be back for another Dose of the Dungeon!

DER HENKER VON LONDON - Raimund Rosenberger - "The Mad Executioners" A Bryan Edgar Wallace Film (1963)

 

Welcome back to The Dwrayger Dungeon Saturday Night Special: Edgar Wallace edition!

Tonight's feature's original title was "Der Henker Von London" (The Executioner Of London) and was made in 1963, and released in English in 1965 as "The Mad Executioners!" It was written by Edgar Wallace's son Bryan Edgar Wallace, a fine mystery writer in his own right! The killer music right out of the Peter Thomas school of cool was written by a gentleman whose name has never come up here before, Raimund (The Crammer) Rosenberger! Here's a tasty slice of the title and a bit from the side show  "Mad Executioner Review" at an amusement park in the latter part of the film!

I love this movie! It's really two movies in one that converge in the end! One part of the film is about a group of hooded vigilantes who go around acting like judge and jury, and sentencing a bunch of bad people to death by hanging! They don't feel like waiting around for the Justice Department to take care of things, so they just do it themselves! The other part of the movie is about a madman going around beheading young women and discarding their bodies around different parts of London! Here's a great shot from command central at Scotland Yard! What's bugging Scotland Yard the most is that all of the Mad Executioner's victims have been hung by a rope from their own museum that keeps mysteriously getting stolen again and again, each time it is needed!

In the middle of this shot is Hansjörg (Brainwashed, The Man Who Sold Himself) Felmy as Inspector John Hillier! He was working both cases, but he took himself off the Executioners case so he could focus on the murders since his Sister was one of the victims! By his side is his girlfriend Ann Barry as played by the beautiful Maria (No Survivors, Please, Horror OF The Zombies) Perschy! To Ann's left is Rudolf (Island Of Lost Men, Skin To Skin) Forster as Ann's Father, retired judge Sir Francis Elliott, and the guy on the other side looking at the other guy is Rudolf (Dr. Crippen, Freitag, Der 13, The Invisible Dr. Mabuse) Fernau as Jerome the Judge's butler and closest confidant!

I do believe this is one of the most interesting compositions I've seen lately!

There's something eerie and extremely foreboding about men in black hoods that still resounds loudly to this day! So much, that I almost didn't feel like writing about this! Seriously though, these guys are really nothing more than trash collectors getting rid of a bunch of human garbage stinking up the community!

What appears to be a streetwalker is actually Chris (Kiss Me, Monster, Sadist Erotica) Howland as Tom Jenkins aka Gabby Pennypacker working undercover! Chris provides the bumbling comic relief character!

Here's a look at the side show act at the amusement park you can hear in the sound clip, and what a show it is!

The killer has been picking up young ladies at this one particular place, so Ann Barry has volunteered to help catch the slimy bastard, as he's known to be attracted to blondes!

Curiously enough, two of the guys watching, Ann walk by some headless statues! That's the kind of story this is!

The creepster is Dr. Phillip Trooper, a real pooper scooper! He lures the young gals to his pad that is filled with all kinds of fascinating artwork from all over the world! He'd be a pretty neat guy if he wasn't such a freak!

Spooky Dr. Trooper is played by Harry (The Strangler Of Blackmoor Castle, The College Girl Murders) Riebauer! He's got some serious hangups!

As it turns out, Scotland Yard didn't do such a great job of tailing Ann and Dr. Trooper, and now he's drugged her, and talked her into checking out his lab even though she tried to escape and the door was locked!

Dr. Trooper, as mad as he is, is also a skilled surgeon, and has a real Frankenstein plan of putting a live woman's severed head on top of that living, breathing plastic body he's built! It's all for the good of mankind of course, and all the murdered girls were nothing more than lab rats to him!

Finally, just in the nick of time, John Hillier and Scotland Yard close in on the crazed killer, but as they are driving him off to the hoosegow, the drivers decide to take a little detour.........

.............And the call goes out to all the Executioners! Time to show up, we've got a live one who needs to go!!

So it's at this point that the two stories meld together in seamless perfection, and The Doctor pleads his case to a deaf jury!

I'm not telling you the end, because this is an Edgar Wallace story, and that just would not be right, but do remember this, don't look back!!

"The Mad Executioners" is available from those fine folks at "Sinister Cinema," and you can also find it on Amazon for a pittance, and I doubt it would a decision you would regret! It also streams on Amazon for $1.99! You really can't go wrong!