8 REASONS WHY "THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN" (1960) IS THE BEST WESTERN MOVIE OF ALL TIME!

 Here's eight reasons why "The Magnificent Seven" is my favourite western movie of all time, just like "Forbidden Planet" will always be my favourite Sci-Fi flick no matter how many "Star Wars" and "Star Treks" there are! Everybody has an opinion, and you might think that "Brokeback Mountain" is the best cowboy movie ever, but for me, it's "The Magnificent Seven!!!!!!!"

 The first reason is because it's based on the classic tale as written and directed by Akira Kurosawa,
"Shichinin No Samurai," also known as.....

"The Seven Samurai!"

 

"These are the guys, the Seven Samurai," aka.....

"The Magnificent Seven," and even though they have flaws, this is truly a  magnificent group of guys on more than one level! This is Hollywood at it's finest! 

And, so, no more screwing around, here they are.....

 the other seven reasons!

 Yul (The King And I, The Ten Commandments, Westworld) Brynner as

Chris Larabee Adams!

 

 Steve (The Blob, Wanted: Dead Or Alive, The Great Escape) McQueen as

Vin Tanner!! 

Charles (House Of Wax, Man With A Camera, Death Wish) Bronson) as

Bernardo O'Reilly!!!

Robert (Teenage Cave Man, Man From U.N.C.L.E., Starship Invasions) Vaughn as

Lee!!!!

 James (The Twilight Zone, Our Man Flint, Dead Heat On A Merry-Go-Round) as

Britt!!!!!

 I just did a search, and I can't really believe it, but Netflix doesn't have even one film to offer that has James Coburn in it! That is truly appalling!!

 Brad (Asphalt Jungle, Between Heaven And Hell, 13 Fighting Men) Dexter as

HARRY LUCK!

Last but by far not least, is the cool German actor Horst (La Noia, The Catamount Killing, Fuga Dal Paradiso) Buchholz as

Chico!!!!!!!

A new version of "The Magnificent Seven" came out three days ago, and I just found out about it three minutes ago since I don't keep up with current affairs, but I just watched the trailer a few minutes ago on the IMDB, and I'm sure a whole lot of people are going to go apeshit for it, but all I can say is Good Luck! A group of talent like this only happens once in a lifetime!

SCI-FI MOVIES OF GEORGE PAL 1950-60

There are lessons to be learned when you're heading up there in years, like, don't try and pick up 40 pounds of cat litter with one hand, especially when you have a trick back! I'm having trouble sitting today, so, this is a special post to help me go lay down quicker. But, it's something I've wanted to do anyway...

George Pal had some great ideas about fifties science fiction movies. First of all, they were all high quality productions with tons of beautiful scenes depicting realistic forms of space travel. Secondly, the scripts were top shelf! DESTINATION MOON from 1950 took us to the Moon and back with a few hitches along the way, George was smart enough to hire the premier space artist, Chesley Bonestell, to assist in accurate depiction of planets, and, whose art I studied in great detail in the mid fifties after my parents bought our family 3 sets of encyclopedias.

WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE from 1951 was an end of the world epic. People choose lottery tickets to either go into space to look for a new place for humanity to start over, or, stay on Earth, which is going to be hit by a roaming rebel planet! Love the giant track the rocket will use to shoot it into space.

George brings on the Martians in H. G. Wells' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS from 1953... Hurray! I love this movie, it's a terrifying look at what it might be like if Earth was invaded by space aliens. Beautiful war machines and creepy monsters make this a classic fifties flick!

In CONQUEST OF SPACE from 1955, the crew heads off for Mars. It's a mission of death for some of the crew and the movie has lots of drama. And, they discover that plants can be grown in the Martian soil.

Alright, Eegah!! and I saw THE TIME MACHINE in 1960, and wow, did we dig this crazy story!! By that time, FAMOUS MONSTERS was our main source for upcoming monster movies, and, there was no way we were going to miss this one! The Morlocks kicked ass too!!

We're back Wednesday with more... From The Dungeon!!

MAN WITH A CAMERA - "Second Avenue Assassin" (1958)

 Hey! Welcome to another Saturday Night Special from down in The Dungeon!  Tonight's special feature was a lot of fun to watch for me, because it's a TV show that I was totally unfamiliar with, but stars one of my favourite actors, Charles Bronson!

 "Man With A Camera" ran two seasons from 1958 to 1960, and this was the first episode titled"

"Second Avenue Assassin!

 "Man With A Camera" stars rugged Charles Bronson as free-lance photographer Mike Kovac! Charles was Igor in the 1953 classic "House Of Wax," and then it was another 5 years before he got this starring gig, and then of course he went on to be in a shitload of TV western shows, "The Twilight Zone" episode called "The Man," "The Magnificent Seven" and the whole "Death Wish" series!

 

 Mike Kovac drives a sweet 1958 Ford station wagon!

 This is a story about a boxer named Joey Savoyan, an old neighborhood rival of Mike Kovac who is about to get his first crack at the champion, but for some reason he doesn't want his picture taken!

 No photographers allowed, so Mike Kovac punches this big oaf security guy in the gut, and goes on in to try and find out what the problem is!

 Yeah, that's right, Tom "Billy Jack" Laughlin has the role of Joey Savoyan!

Mike Kovac tauts Joe into fighting with him, since he had beaten him when they were kids, but as tough as Mike is, Joey's training gets the better of Mike and he ends up.........

 ..........Getting completely knocked out!! Now finally, all the other photographers are allowed to take some pictures!

 Mike goes to chill and bury his sorrows at some local dive.......

 .............When he's approached by Joey's girlfriend Dolly MacDermott, as played by the always amorous Ruta (Hollywood Squares) Lee!!

  All the journalistic photographers got their pictures all right, but it just wasn't what Mike had envisioned!

Dolly has told Mike that Joey is supposed to throw the fight, but he wants out, so they work out a plan to foil the mobsters! Dolly waits in the car while Mike meets with Joey again!

The Champ and the mobsters show up, and all Mike has to do is get a picture of them all together with Joey, and show it to the authorities, and it's light's out, baby!

Leonard ( I Want To Live) Bell as Jaspar Riker, Art Lewis who was in two "Twilight Zone" episodes, "A Most Unusual Camera," and "The Fever" as Al, and Theodore Marcuse, who only lived to the age of 47, but somehow managed to be in an episode of "Lights Out," an episode of "Thriller," two episodes of "The Twilight Zone," an episode of "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea," an episode of "Burke's Law," two episodes of "Batman," three episodes of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," and one episode of "Star Trek," as Willie Fletcher! When they needed a bad guy, I doubt he ever failed an audition!

All set to get that picture, and if things didn't go all awry, it would be pretty anti-climatic!

For you, life is a lot simpler, all you have to do is click here, and you can see for yourself!

Thank the Lord!!

SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER / Columbia Pictures, Andor Films - 1977

It's Friday yet once again, and, time for a trip into the past delivered by Dungeon god, Ray Harryhausen. The story goes like this... Sinbad (Patrick Wayne) needs to deliver Prince Kassin, who was transformed into a monkey, to the lands of the Ademaspai to restore him to his human form in time for his coronation. On the way, Sinbad must contend with the evil witch Zenobia, her son and their magic and several Ray Harryhausen creatures.

Here's the evil witch Zenobia, she can change into different animals to avoid detection while spying on her enemies!

Before Sinbad and the gang head off on their quest, Zenobia creates three demons to fight them. They remind me of the creatures in FIRST MEN IN THE MOON.

They reach their destination and the crew takes off toward a mountain fortress where Kassin can be transformed back to his human form. I wouldn't want to be the guy with that big box on his head!

Kassin is shown what he looks like as a monkey, and, he's fairly repulsed at the sight.

Sinbad has a sorcerer go along for the ride. Although he has Zenobia in a glass jar, she summons a giant wasp to attack him!

As the gang moves toward their destination, they encounter a giant Walrus and have to fight for their lives once again! There was also a giant Walrus in the Japanese flick, GORATH!

Then, a big creature shows up while the girls are out skinny dipping (it's kinda weird to see a Harryhausen movie with partial female nudity!!) and it looks like there's going to be more trouble, but...

They find out that he's a good guy and he wants to help, and, he knows where they want to go! Kassin and him become fast friends, a nice twist.

The big lug takes them to the place they seek. Inside, they try and figure out how to change Kassin back to human form.

Okay, okay... Here's whut we been waiting for... The freakin' EYE OF THE TIGER! Atchally, he gots two eyes, whut da' Hell!!

The big guy squares off against the giant Tiger and the fight is on!

Crap!!.. The Tiger kills our big pal, so, Sinbad is left to the task of finishing off the monster! Everything turns out fine and Kassin makes it to his coronation in the nick of time!.. Back tomorrow, with more... From The Dungeon!!