POPEYE THE SAILOR In "Nix On Hypnotricks" - 1941

Here's a Popeye cartoon I don't think I even remember, so here we go with this crazy high wire act where Olive becomes the victim of a mad hypnotist...

Here's the sign hanging outside the hypnotist's hotel room. It's amazing how many of these puns made it into the cartoon and comedy industry!

After his goldfish turns on him, the hypnotist decides he needs a human subject to mesmerize. He opens a phone book, closes his eyes and randomly points to a name, and of course it's Olive's phone number!

He prestidigitates into the phone and Olive is at his to command, he tells her to go to his place for further orders...

Olive walks out the door and leaves.

It's not long before she's in lots of danger as Popeye monitor's her from the ground.

First, Popeye has to move this building over so that Olive doesn't just walk off the edge of another building, and it works!

As Olive walks across a power line, Popeye has to hang on with his toes!

A swinging construction hook lands Olive on a steel beam, way up high! I hate it when I have dreams like this, and I have!!

Popeye makes it across via the hook but when it swings back, it picks up a chimney top only to return and knock our hero looney!

Popeye ends up in a trash can where he pulls out his spinach to put an end to the madness. The S rips off of the spinach can and lands on his chest. He zooms away to save Olive...

Popeye has to fend off the the prestidigitation and then it's time to put that crazy hypnotist in his damn place.

Popeye gets Olive to safety but she won't snap out of the trance...

So, he slaps her in the face!!

She attacks with a bevy of punches, including some body shots!

And, here's how you end a fight in MMA!!

THRILLER - "Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper" (1961)

 

It's a Whopping Good Time Wednesday down in The Dungeon, and this week I've got a wild episode of the killer TV show "Thriller" for you!

I never have time to plan things, so let me take a second and tell you how this works. In my many emails with Lord Litter in Berlin, he is always asking about or suggesting shows for me, since a lot of this is new to him, having never aired in Germany the first time. He was watching "Thriller," and I told him that it was right up there with my favourite shows like "The Twilight Zone," and "The Outer Limits," and then I realized we had never written up a "Thriller" before!

 

So, after looking at who was in different episodes, I decided I wanted to watch episode 16 from the first season because not only did it have The Shat in it, but Donna Douglas of "The Beverly Hillbillies" was also in it, but there was only one problem, I don't have a copy, nor could I find one, so I decided to watch something else that had to do with Beverly Hills, and that was Episode 28 also of season one, titled "Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper."

 

The host of "Thriller" was none other than the phenomenal Boris Karloff who does an outstanding job, just like he always does, no matter what the assignment!

 

The story begins in the 1800's in jolly olde England.

 

Jack continues his nefarious ways, by preying on the ladies of the night!

The first victim was played by Jill (The Third Man) Livesey.

 

Flash forward to 1961 New York, and suddenly it's all happening again!

Pamela (Mutiny In Outer Space) Curran is the second victim.

 

It was at this point I realized that this story penned by "Psycho" author Robert Bloch was almost exactly the same story as "The Night Strangler" I watched recently that was written by an equally talented Sci-Fi writer Richard Matheson. This is also the same story that Robert Bloch used to write the "Star Trek" episode called "Wolf In The Fold."

 

Joan Blondell's younger sister Gloria (The Twonky) Blondell, has the role of ex-burlesque star Maggie who discovers the body. Maggie makes a point of letting the authorities know that they need to get her name right, because she used to be a star. Gloria was the voice of Daisy Duck in a couple of Donald Duck cartoons, which seems natural, because she is quite animated.

 

John Williams is Sir Guy, a British authority on the crimes of Jack The Ripper, who tries to explain to the police, just as Kolchak did, that he believes this modern day Jack The Ripper is the same guy who did it decades before. Of course no one believes him, at least not in the beginning.

John played William Shakespeare in "The Twilight Zone" episode known as "The Bard."

In 1954 John Williams was in Hitchcock's "Dial M For Murder" with Dungeon Hero Ray Milland who directed this episode of "Thriller."

The police don't give much credence to Sir Guy's theories and might possibly believe it's Jack's son or grandson, but not the same man, so Sir Guy and Police Psychologist Dr. John Carmody, join forces to try and figure this thing out, and they start by going to some of the Bohemian places they think might attract Jack. The Doctor is played by Donald (13 Ghosts) Woods.

Sometimes being an artiste can be frustrating!

Adam Williams is the creative artiste named Hymie Kralik who has great imagination. He dooesn't know why he sees his model surrounded by all these ominous objects, it's just a vision he has. Adam was in two episodes of "The Twilight Zone," The Hitch-Hiker," and "A Most Unusual Camera."

As it turns out, Hymies gruesome vision comes true, and his model Arlene is the next victim. Arlene was played by Nancy (The Black Castle) Valentine.

 

There's nothing much more fun than a funeral in the rain!

The Doctor and Sir Guy head on over to a strip club that Sir Guy has determined is the place where the next attack will occur according to the pattern he's laid out. Sir Guy is unfamiliar with the concept of a strip club, and the Doctor has to explain to him that you sit, get a drink and watch young ladies disrobe. And that brings us to the star of the show, a woman named Beverly Powers, aka Miss Beverly Hills.

Beverly Powers was a popular and a very real life stripper and actually performed as Miss Beverly Hills on stage in clubs.

 

Bev was also in movies as herself, and numerous films where she

 played strippers and showgirls, often named Beverly Hills.

 

This was Beverly's on screen debut, and she went on to be in three Elvis movies, "Viva Las Vegas," "Kissin' Cousins," and "Speedway."  

Bev was also in "The Comedy Of Terrors," "Brides Of Blood," and "Invasion Of The Bee Girls."

The guys and the gals in the audience love her act and applaud like crazy!

I normally avoid using any nude pics on this blog in order to keep it open to all ages, but I had this old pic of Miss Beverly that is so nothing by today's standards, so I thought I'd show you what they couldn't on TV in 1961.

Sir Guy was 100% correct, and Jack or John, or whatever his name is, just might still continue to live to this day!

TALES OF TOMORROW / "Verdict From Space" - 1951

This is the very first  episode from this wild series. In the story, Gordon Kent is on trial for the murder of a scientist while visiting a cave thought to have alien machinery hidden behind a locked door. Gordon tries to explain to the judge and jury what they found inside the cave, and the implications it might have for future of mankind. It stars Lon (YANKEE DOODLE DANDY) McCallister and Martin (JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG) Brandt.

The prosecutor asks Gordon about his involvement in the death of Professor Sykes and presumably the $5000 Gordon had in his possession was also stolen from the scientist. The prosecutor has grilled him incessantly and now it's time for the jury to deliberate their decision. His defense attorney (a real freaking A-Hole) leaves the courtroom, oh and, good luck there!

Here's the notes his attorney was taking during the prosecution!

Here's Gordon's special blowtorch gun that's part of the story...

Now we flashback as Gordon recounts the events of that evening. We are now in his workshop, he's ready to go to bed when there's an intrusion...

A Professor Sykes demands some of Gordon's time, and he's there because of his blowtorch gun, but Gordon wants him to leave!

After listening to the Professor's spiel, Gordon agrees to help after he's paid $5000 for his participation in opening a door to a room full of alien machinery!

They find the cave but haven't found any door. Gordon's starting to wonder if the Professor has flipped his lid.

Lo and behold, there's the door, Gordon then uses his torch on the lock.

They discover that the aliens have been monitoring Earth for the last million yeas, and the current timeline denotes a sudden concern by the aliens over the use of nuclear weapons and their destructive powers...

They think one piece of hardware is a communication device, and as they surmise its use the place starts to fall apart and the cavern space is beginning to cave in.

Gordon makes it out okay but the Professor gets conked on the head by a falling rock.

Live TV... The makeup artist only had a few seconds to create this effect, looks like they used a spatula on his face! Anyway, he dies after he tells Gordon that he must warn everyone about the potential invasion...

And like today, try and tell the truth and have brick-head people believe it. He's found guilty.

And just as Gordon's being sentenced, there are some tremendous sounds coming from above.

It's an attack by the aliens and the noise is their thundering spaceships, Gordon kneels on a chair as the others watch in horror.

The screen goes black and all you can hear are the alien ships attacking, and it is so cool!! This is a great episode, catch it if you can!