SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS In "Rock Bottom" - 2000

Here's one of my favorite episodes from this great cartoon series, from 22 years ago!

Spongebob and Patrick have just had a happy day at their favorite place, Glove World, and are waiting for the bus to take them back home...

Of course they take the wrong bus and are headed for a deep, dark place called Rock Bottom.

Alright, they have finally arrived at their destination...

Rock Bottom!

Patrick needs to use the can, but, him and Spongebob can't figure out which door he needs to go in, the writing is whack. So, they decide to wait for 'someone' to come out so that they can determine which door is for guys. It doesn't go well.

Spongebob tells Patrick to wait for the bus back to Bikini Bottom while he goes to the bus station for a schedule... And the bus takes off with Patrick inside!

So, our little knucklehead is stranded, waiting for another bus to arrive. The wind kicks up and his balloon slips out of his hand.

A citizen shows up and starts chasing down Spongebob's balloon, but Spongebob just wants to go home, who cares about a stupid old balloon anyway! 

The little guy's stomach is growling and he wants to get some kelp chips from the vending machine across the street from the bus stop. A number of busses slip by as he's always on the wrong side of the street. He's getting frantic.

He even tries to camouflage himself as a bench, which gets him nowhere.

Spongebob has had it and goes to the bus station for help...

After waiting in a very long line, for hours, it's his turn, but, the last bus just left!

Spongebob is very angry and demands that the clerk listen to his displeasure, and suddenly all the lights go out! Well, at least he'll be first in line when it opens again... But he starts hearing strange noises, like someone giving him the raspberries, and he runs back outside.

Outside, he keeps hearing creepy sounds, and starts running, and runs square into the vertical road the busses go up and down on. The noise keeps getting closer!

Well, it's the guy who chased down Spongebob's balloon, he ties the balloon to the scaredy-cat's tiny wrist.

As the guy is blowing up the balloon, Spongebob complains that, what good is his balloon going to do him, he just needs get back home!

Still complaining, Spongebob starts floating up and away.

And it isn't long before our little friend drifts back to Bikini Bottom and he lands safely at his pineapple. There you go, a fun little adventure on a Friday!

TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED - "I Like It Here In Wilmington" (1984)

This week's Wild Wednesday presentation is season seven, episode eleven from the cool British TV show, Roald Dahl's "Tales Of The Unexpected."

This episode was titled "I Like It Here In Wilmington." Although this was a British television program, many of the later episodes like this one were shot in other parts of the world like America, and used American actors.

 

Episodes of "Tales Of The Unexpected" were only twenty-six minutes long, so they don't waste a lot of time. 

This episode had an awesome cast that included Robert Loggia as Harry Elton, a man whose garment industry is failing. Harry's partner Marvin Castlemore is played by Dungeon Hero, and one of the most talented comedians in the world, Tommy Smothers.

Their model Cissy was played by Wendy Austin in her sole acting credit.
 

 Robert Loggia has a familiar face because he has a massive 233 credits to his name. In 1965-66, Robert had his own TV show called "T.H.E. Cat," where he played T. Hewitt Edward Cat, a reformed cat burglar.

 

 

 Tom and his brother Dick Smothers had a very popular act in the 60's combining folk music and standup comedy. There is another episode of "Tales Of The Unexpected" that has Dick in it!

From 1967 to 1969, The Smothers Brothers had a very cool variety show on TV for 71 episodes that featured acts like The Doors, and other music you didn't normally see on TV. 

Harry Elton's beautiful wife Roberta is played by the always stunning Susan Strasberg. Harry has a plan to save his failing business.

 As it turns out, in Delaware, if you catch your wife in the act of adultery, it's okay to murder the other party without retribution, and it's only a hundred dollars fine. Since he has a 100 grand partnership insurance policy on Marvin, Harry convinces Roberta to have an affair with Marvin, and then he'll catch them in the act, claim the insurance, and they won't have to lose the Mercedes. 

It would be a lot easier if they could just get into her trust fund, but that's not possible as long as she's still alive.

Harry invites Marvin over for dinner, so that Marvin and Roberta can get better acquainted.

Susan Strasberg is also a real Dungeon fave, and has been in an array of cool movies like "Taste Of Fear,""Psych-Out,""The Name Of The Game Is Kill," and "The Trip."

 

Marvin is a fairly simple man, and is falling for the whole scheme.

CHEERZ!

The wheels are now fully in motion.

 Check out Harry and Cissy there in the background. They're getting pretty cozy themselves.

Harry leaves town for five days, and Marvin is in love!

To further reinforce their plan, when Marvin and Roberta go out for dinner, Roberta makes a point of letting shocked onlookers know there's hanky panky going on.

Harry and Roberta's plan does have a couple of faults to it. One is that she really does like Marvin.

I could tell you how this story ends, but that wouldn't be any fun, and since you can watch it yourself for free on IMDB TV, I'm leaving it up to you!

IMDB is usually so good about this stuff, I'm really surprised about one thing. For their post on this episode, they show Janet(Psycho)Leigh as being part of the cast, and then down below in the 'Trivia' section, the trivia is "Janet Leigh does not appear in this episode." 

WTF?!

THE WASP WOMAN In Color - 1959

Here we go with another recently colorized movie that gives some new life to this Corman classic horror film, one Eegah and I saw together back in the day. It has a terrific cast including Susan Cabot,  Anthony (Fred) Eisley, Barboura Morris, Michael Mark, William Roerick, Frank Gertsle and small parts with Bruno VeSota, Frank Wolff, Gene Corman and Roger Corman. The screenplay is written by Leo Gordon, who also wrote the original story and screenplay for ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES, another Corman movie Eegah and I saw together, we wuz lucky kids, man!

It's all about Janice Starlin, she's the head of a cosmetics company and experiments on herself with a youth serum made from royal jelly extract... From Wasps! What could go wrong?!

After being let go from his beekeeping job, Eric Zinthrop contacts Janice Starlin about a youth formula. During their first meeting he shows her what it can do, he picks up a guinea pig, injects it with the serum, minutes later, it's a rat! Don't ask me, but, it means that the animal got younger! So, now what? Well, he wants to experiment with the formula a little more before he's ready to use it on humans...

In his new in house lab, Zinthrop is pressured to give Janice an injection before he's finished with his tests, and she gets her first injection... This widescreen print looks great.

And of course Janice double dips after everyone goes home, she wants it to work faster.

When she shows up the next day, she looks fabulous! Everyone is amazed at how young she looks, and can't stop gawking at her.

Back at the lab though, Zinthrop discovers that the cat has turned into a wild beast and it attacks him. He ends up killing and destroying it. He's in a daze as the leaves the  room.

Arthur Cooper, who works there, is suspicious about what's going on in the lab, he watches the confused Zinthrop get into the elevator, and so, goes into the lab and snoops around.

Janice is abusing the serum, along with a short temper, She's getting severe headaches.

With the help of the police, Janice locates Zinthrop in a hospital as he was hit by a car. She arranges to have him move into a room in her building. That's Roger himself there as the doctor, Frank Gerstle on the right as the policeman.

Arthur breaks into the lab to get evidence of malpractice because he thinks something is wrong with Janice.

And he finds out that, yes, for sure, there is definitely something VERY wrong with Janice!!

Break time!.. Here's a very sexist scene with Frank Wolff as he and his helper wheel in a bed for the injured Zinthrop. 

Then, Bruno as the night watchman, screams as Wasper Woman claims another victim... Things are getting weird around here!

Mary reports that Arthur and the night watchman are missing, and suggests that Janice call the police. She tells Mary to quit worrying, everything's fine, in a cold tone. Look at that background, nice matte painting but that perspective is off, her building just can't be that tall.

Janice is low on the serum and tries to get Zinthrop's help. All he knows is that he can't remember something very important. Janice gets frustrated and guess what?

Yep, Wasper Woman time!!.. And she kills the nurse. That's a nice portrait of WW there!.

Mary tries to get help from Janice, everything's coming unglued, what's going on?! This frustrates Janice (who's out of serum) and it happens again!

Bill runs upstairs just in time to see Mary being dragged into the lab.

As Bill tries to fend of the monster with a stool...

Zintrop grabs and tosses a bottle of carbolic acid at Wasp Woman, and...

The bottle breaks right on her head, and the acid starts eating her flesh away. Bill takes the stool and pushes her through a window, her screams can be heard as she falls to the ground... Now, let that be a lesson, don't play with Waspers, you might get stung!

Carl-Heinz Jaffé: The Man Who Taught the Germans English

 

I've got something a little bit different for this Saturday Night Special!

It's my proud pleasure to announce that a few days ago, March 21, 2022, on what would have been Carl Jaffés 120th Birthday, the BBC published their officially approved online article written by Michael Jaffé, recognizing Carl's lifetime contribution to the BBC in their 'Shared Histories' project, as part of the prestigious BBC 2022 Centenary celebration. 

You can read the whole fascinating story here!

We're very fortunate that Carl's Grandson Michael has kept us up to date on this event. 

Just in case you missed our original Carl Jaffé presentations, Here are the links!

 

 

A TRIBUTE TO CARL HEINZ JAFFÉ - Part One - The Spy and Thriller Years 

A TRIBUTE TO CARL HEINZ JAFFÉ - Part Two - The Science Fiction Films

 

  

A TRIBUTE TO CARL HEINZ JAFFÉ - Part Three - The Brit-Cop TV Shows

A TRIBUTE TO CARL HEINZ JAFFÉ - Part 4: World War 2 - Playing the Enemy!  

 

A TRIBUTE TO CARL HEINZ JAFFÉ - Part 5: USA-TV

 Maybe if we all work together just a bit, then some day we might be able to, in Carl's own words,

"Lower a little the barriers of international prejudice and misunderstanding."