EVIL BRAIN FROM OUTER SPACE / Starman Fights The Monsters - 1966

Here's a redo of a small post we did way back on June 10, 2008, 13 years and 1 day ago!! Whatever that means. Anyway, here's a Japanese flick starring Starman put together from three other movies, and basically why it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. That's why you gotta love it!..

As in all the Starman stories, we start first with a visit to the Emerald Planet, somewhere in space. The 'people' there are a strange lot, they don't do much but they do send Starman to Earth to stop alien invasions there...

In this one, this scientist has the evil brain in this metal case, trying to get away from the police who are chasing him. While being captured, he ends up dropping the case into a stream and it's lost.

After the police question the scientist, he's released and begins working with others to stop the menacing evil brain from outer space! He tells all about the horrible things the brain is capable of, some really gruesome stuff!

And here's his audience, young kids!!! What the Hell, man! And the kids are eating it up!

Starman joins the discussion in his Earth duds, but before he leaves, he changes into his super hero attire and flies away as they wave goodbye, he's on their team, yay!

Here's the mad doctor and his one-legged henchman... So you know, you know?

Man, reminds me of when I built my model train scene on a piece of plywood in the garage when I was a kid.

Starman sneaks around in the mad scientist's backyard and sees where the secret lab is, plus, they have the case with the evil brain inside.

Then from one of the movies, the Space Mutant appears who's touch is certain death!

And from the Poison Moth Kingdom is this fancy Dan! Stylin'...

This sends chills up my spine. Starman barely stops these two weirdo before they were going to use those pikes to attack the small boy and girl from the earlier pic!.. Seriously!!

Cool shot of Starman tossing aside that goofball.

The threats just never end, our hero just smiles back before trouncing the jerk!

Let us not forget the other movie monster, this is the Devil's Incarnation, and has another touch of death especially for you!

They finally find the evil brain but it 'splodes!

The Space Mutant shows up again but ends up as a small pile of writhing gristle!

I guess they find the real brain and pour acid on it, game over man! Have a great weekend, try and have some fun!

DAS VERRÄTERTOR - "Traitor's Gate" (1964)

"Das Verrätertor," now that's a mouthful, and the English translation as "The Traitor's Gate," or the betrayed gate, are words that just don't go together well, and I think that just kinda sets the mood for this Edgar Wallace Wednesday feature. Actually, when I got this, it was labeled "Trailor's Gate," and I was really have a hard time trying to figure out what in the Hell that meant!

 

"Das Verrätertor," was made in 1964, and is a little different from many of the Edgar Wallace films of the same time period, because they don't use the same players as much.

"Das Verrätertor" was a novel written by Edgar Wallace, but the screenplay was by Hammer's Jimmy Sangster credited as John Samson.

Something else that's different about this film is that it was directed by Dungeon fave Freddie Francis.
 

Gary Raymond was a co-star on the popular 60's TV show "The Rat Patrol" as Sergeant Jack Moffitt, but I think this was the only Edgar Wallace film he was in.

 

You just can't hardly have an Edgar Wallace movie without Klaus Kinski in it. There are a few, but usually he's lurking around in there somewhere!

Another unfamiliar face in Edgar Wallace films is Catherine Schell. This was only Catherine Schell's second on screen appearance, the first being "Lana, Queen Of The Amazons." She would later be in "Moon Zero Two," "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," and appear as Maya in "Space:1999." Catherine came from a royal bloodline, and her Father was a Baron, but World War II put and end to all that.

Margot Trooger was also not in a lot of the Edgar Wallace films, except for this one and "The Mysterious Magician," and "Again The Ringer."

Same thing with Albert Lieven, besides this film he was in "The Devil's Daffodil," and one episode of "The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre."

Und....(That's German for 'And' for you non-German speakers. It took me three years of high school German class to figure that out!).............Eddi Arent, who like Klaus Kinski was in almost every Wallace film!

(And personally, sometimes I wish he wasn't.)

The basic story here is that a group of crafty thieves try and steal the Crown Jewels which are housed in The Tower of London!

Maestro Peter Thomas was once again responsible for the music, and that's reason enough in my book, to watch this film!

Other than that, there's a lot of this..............."Hilf Mir!!"

 

"Was meinst du damit, dass ich albern aussehe?"

 

"Keine Sorge Boss, das wird ein Kinderspiel."

Just using the keys would have been the simplest solution!

But you just can't go wrong with a team of guys with cutting torches. Just ask anybody who has ever had their catalytic convertor stolen! Very Effective!

TALES OF TOMORROW / "Ghost Writer" - 1953

An out of work writer decides to accept a well-paying offer from a mysterious man, to help with the bills while his wife works at a small market. But, he becomes increasing disturbed after the fictional incidents he writes about occur in real life! 

This crazy little story stars Leslie Nielsen as Bert, Gaby Rodgers as Joan, Murray Matheson as Lee Morton and Harry Mehaffey as Lou, the store owner.

Bert was laid off from his job and is writing a novel that he wants to sell to a publisher, but he still has a ways to go before it's finished. His wife Joan encourages him to just keep chipping away, and that it's just a matter of time before it sells...

Bert gets a letter from a Mr. Lee Morton, he says he'd like to hire him as an assistant writer. Bert wants to go for an interview but wifey says no way, do not get sidetracked with other projects, you need to finish your novel.

But thinking about the money, he gives Mr. Morton a call...

Bert goes to Morton's home to meet with him. Mr. Morton's a strange kind of fellow, he's written a number of novels, but none of them have an ending! He tells Bert that he will pay him $500 dollars each for two endings!

Bert agrees to try and he finishes the two stories. Morton is thrilled with the endings he comes up with and pays Bert his $1000. The endings are about how people die in their particular situations in each different story Morton has written about, love triangles, adultery, blackmail, disputes, etc.

As Bert is leaving, Morton gives a sly smile, you think something's going on here?

Bert goes to see Joan at work and tells her the great news! Joan is not happy, he had told her that he would not contact Morton. She tries to leave but trips over a pile of newspapers.

Bert goes over to help her and notices the headlines on the newspaper, he reads the article and it is exactly what he had written for the ending, even the names are the same! Then he finds out that the other ending also came true, a deadly fire...

By 1953 ABC had started running network ads of upcoming events, like this Saturday Night Fights promo with commentators Red Smith and Don Dunphy. I remember watching the Gillette Friday Night Fights in 1955 with my dad when I was 7.

Joan demands that Bert give the money back to Mr. Morton. Shaken by the events, Bert agrees.

But when Bert tries to give the money back, Morton offers him $1000 for one last ending.

With the lure of the money though, Bert decides that he'll come up with his last ending for a total of $2000. Man, that was a lot of money back then, rent was like $50 a month, or less!.. Anyway, Morton sets up the scene for Bert, then Bert describes how it should end. He takes the money and goes back to the store to see Joan.

He only finds Lou, the owner, at the store. He tells him that Joan was leaving, then Bert realizes that the ending he wrote was about him and Joan, he runs outside to watch her die in a car crash, just as he had written...

Later, Mr. Morton drops by the store and reminds Lou, sometimes you have to pay for the things you want. This was a fun episode...