Saturday, February 16, 2019

MY FAVORITE MARTIAN - "Pilot Episode" (1963)

Tonight's Saturday Night Special is locked and loaded!

I was going to do another movie that featured Ray Walston tonight, but it got me to thinking that we never have discussed the show "My Favorite Martian" before, and since it was one of my favorite shows during my formative years, I thought it was about time.

This is Episode 01 of the first series, and it aired on September 29, 1963!

This portrait of Ray Walston was part of the opening titles sequence.

On the left is the intoxicating Ina Victor as Annabelle, and the amorous Ann Marshall as Angela Brown is on the right!

Something has gone awry at Space Central!

Long before "The Courtship Of Eddie's Father," and "The Incredible Hulk," Bill Bixby was Tim O'Hara in 107 episodes of "My Favorite Martian."
 It's hard to believe that he only lived to be 59 years old!

Among his many other accomplishments, Bill was also OOD in "The Twilight Zone" episode titled "The Thirty-Fathom Grave."

Tim discovers the Martian's crashed spaceship, and decides to take the injured Martian back to his home to recuperate.

They don't know how to sneak the Martian in, so this is the first time he reveals the extendable antennas in his head that can make him turn invisible!

Tim tells the landlady that he is just doing a charade of carrying an invisible man, and she falls for it!

Ray Walston is The Martian! 
Ray is different! He's a character, he knows it, and he uses it, and he's very good at it!
Ray had 155 amazing credits spanning from 1954 to 2001, the year he passed away!
He was one of a kind!

Someone posted on IMDB that this story line was actually based on a true story of a real UFO event recorded by Time Magazine July 27th, 1962 when a Major White test flew the X-15 at supersonic speeds and claimed he saw a UFO out the window.

The Feds want to know where Tim got his confidential information and haul him off to the hoosegow, so he says good-bye to Uncle Martin just in case he leaves before he gets out!

Martin visits Tim while he's incarcerated, and almost gets caught when two voices are heard so he turns invisible, and Tim pretends to be throwing his voice like a ventriloquist!

After the ordeal is over, Uncle Martin tells Tim that he might be around for a while, because he needs some stuff to fix his spaceship, some of which has not even been invented yet!

Tim tells Martin that it sounds expensive, and Martin tells him how he just found out about a fascinating place called Las Vegas!

Who knows what a man can do that can read minds and get inside the heads of horses?

"My Favorite Martian" was on TV from 1963 to 1966!
The funniest thing is that in the Ray Walston movie I'm going to tell you about on Wednesday, he lives in a small town on a back road to Las Vegas, and it was filmed in 1964. It's kind of hard to watch and still not see him as The Martian who lost his memory, and all his powers and his money, and ended up in Climax, Arizona!

Friday, February 15, 2019

POPEYE THE SAILOR In "Wotta Nitemare" - 1939

Today's treat is a classic Popeye cartoon, in this one, Popeye is having a dream where Bluto takes Olive on a picnic in the clouds. Even though it's Popeye's dream, Bluto has the upper hand until Popeye pulls out his spinach!

Popeye's having a dream and he's acting out as he tries to get comfortable...

In his dream, he's with Olive in a heavenly surrounding. All is fine until Bluto drops in, he persuades Olive to go on a picnic with him, Popeye can bring the food along. Love Bluto's devilish costume!

On the way to the picnic, a steam roller shows up and collides with Popeye, whose feet are glued down! The steam roller turns into butterflies, confusing our hero.

Back on Earth, Popeye has destroyed his pillow and feathers fill in for the butterflies.

At the picnic, Popeye can't get one bite to eat and is getting frustrated. Even Jeep gets to eat!

While Bluto is choking Popeye in the dream, Popeye is actually choking himself on his bed!

It just keeps getting worse for Popeye, finally, facing the giant laughing head of Bluto, he gets knocked off the cloud...

On his way down, he grabs for his spinach, but, he keeps getting the wrong vegetable!

Finally!!.. He grabs hands full of good old spinach and chomps it down.

As he is actually eating mattress stuffing, a spring hits him in the chin, waking him up!

Still a little confused, he says... Bluto can't get away with this!! He runs down the street and finds Bluto smoking a cigar. Popeye starts swinging and Bluto gets the full force of Popeye's nitemare! Tune in tomorrow when Eegah!! will fill this slot!

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

EARTHQUAKE - "Terremoto" (1974)

Tonight's earthshakin' Wednesday The 13th feature is a sub-genre of Horror and Science Fiction movies we haven't covered much around here, 
"The 70's One Word Title Disaster Movies!"
A few more examples are "Airport," "Meteor," "Avalanche," "Fire," and "Flood!"

"Earthquake" came out in 1974, and is a star-studded affair!

 
Between the title card and this plaque, I don't think there's any question what this movie is about!

 
"Earthquake" was filmed entirely in Los Angeles and Hollywood, California!

The incredible cast includes Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner as a dysfunctional married couple!

I'm pretty sure you all know that Charlton Heston was in "Touch Of Evil," "Planet Of The Apes," "The Omega Man," "Soylent Green" etc. etc. etc.

She was born on Christmas Eve, and at one time Ava Gardner was considered one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood!!
This picture of her at 15 shows what a natural beauty she really was!

Another beauty in this movie is the stunning Geneviève Bujold who was in films like "Coma" and "Dead Ringers."

It ain't my fault I tell you!

George Kennedy plays the disillusioned police officer! George was in SO many western TV shows, and he was in all four versions of "Airport."

One of the oddest appearances in "Earthquake" is that of Walter Mathau in a small non-speaking part as a drunk in a bar. To top it all off, he's credited as Walter Matuschanskayasky!
What the heck!?

Lorne Greene of "Bonanza" is also in there as Charlton Heston's boss and Father-in-law, and Ava Gardner's Father. Pretty weird since in real life, Lorne was only seven years older than Ava!

Don't forget about Barry ("Pyro...The Thing Without A Face," "Planet Of The Vampires,") Sullivan as Stockle.

Nope, not done yet! This fantastic trio is Gabriel Dell, Victoria Principal, and Richard Roundtree!
Gabriel Dell was one of the original Dead End Kids, and then went on to have adult roles in The Bowery Boys movies!
 I read that Gabriel and Huntz Hall formed a nightclub partnership in 1950 that resulted in the breakup of both men's marriages. Gabriel's wife and Mrs. Hall jointly divorced them on the same day in 1953, citing that the guy's act was an alienating factor for both of them! 
Wow! Now that's a real bromance!
If for nothing else, Miss Miami 1969, Victoria Principal will always be remembered for nine years and 251 episodes of "Dallas" as Pamela Barnes Ewing! 
And last but definitely not least, Richard Roundtree IS "Shaft," and will be John Shaft again in 2019, when the new "Shaft" movie comes out!

The weirdest role in the cast goes to Marjoe Gortner who at one time held the title as the "World's Youngest Ordained Minister." He was only four years old at the time!

So all those people interact as The City Of Angels crumbles and goes up in flames!

This shot of falling debris looks like a cool abstract painting!

Looks like footage from a Godzilla movie!!

I didn't realize there were so many ways to say
"Earthquake!"

Monster Music

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