TOPPER - "Second Honeymoon" (1954)

This week's Saturday Night Special is a TV show from 1953-54 called "Topper," that I loved as a kid. The idea of benevolent ghosts always appealed to me. I really wanted to tell you about the first episode, but it wasn't on one of these three DVD's I found in a dumpster. I'm not kidding!

 

 

"Topper" was a TV series based on the "Topper" characters written about by Thorne Smith in his novel "Topper." I liked the original 1936 movie so much, I had to read the book, and I was not disappointed.

So, instead of episode 01, we've got episode 014 called "Second Honeymoon," and here's the beautiful Black Swan Inn where Mr. and Mrs. Topper spent their first honeymoon!

 

Here are Mr. and Mrs. Topper on that fateful night 25 years earlier.

Topper's wife Henrietta is showing her friend Thelma Gibney the pictures from her and Cosmo's honeymoon. Thelma was played by Mary (Mighty Joe Young, To Hell And Back) Field. The Kerby ghosts are just hanging out, and observing.

Henrietta and Cosmo Topper, what a great couple. Henrietta was played by Lee (The Maltese Falcon, Vertigo) Patrick, and Cosmo was played by Dungeon Super Hero Leo G. Carroll. As a kid, it was tough to go from watching Leo as Cosmo Topper to having his face melted in "Tarantuala."

Even dead, the Kerby couple are also just great in this series.

Anne (Tess Trueheart) Jeffreys was the delightful Marion Kerby, and Robert (Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea) Sterling had the role of George Kerby. The ever-present Saint Bernard ghost Neil was played by Buck. Robert Sterling was also in "The Twilight Episode" titled "Printer's Devil."

Guy (The Haunted Palace) Wilkerson plays Luke, the odd character working the counter at the The Black Swan.

Things have changed in the 25 years since the last time the Toppers were here. Guy was 6'2" and towers over Cosmo after he stands up. Guy (Panhandle Perkins) Wilkerson was also in "The Twilight Zone" episode "Nick Of Time."

 

Juney (The Magnetic Monster) Ellis is Miss Loomis, the creepy and current proprietor of The Black Swan. Juney has that rare distinction of being in two episodes of "The Twilight Zone," "What You Need," and "The Midnight Sun!"

There's a whole lot of noise keeping Cosmo and Henrietta from getting any sleep, but Miss Loomis assures Cosmo that everything is all right, and even though they'd like to leave, there's no trains running!

Despite Cosmo telling George and Marion to leave him alone for this special trip, they still show up when they sense something is wrong.

 

Well here's what all the racket was about!

It's not ghosts or goblins, it's just Luke down in the basement enjoying his record collection!

Being as "Sh Boom" by The Crew Cuts was probably the rockinest hit on the charts in 1954, you can't really blame Luke for digging his Sound Effects records!

THE BRAHMIN AND THE BUTTERFLY / Silent Short - 1901

Here's a little fun for a Friday from 121 years ago, it was produced and written by the amazing Georges Méliès, who also stars as the Brahmin. A Brahmin is a member of the highest caste in Hinduism, and are responsible for teaching and maintaining sacred knowledge. It starts with the Brahmin showing us a large empty container...

He hangs the container and uses his flute to entice a giant caterpillar into the scene.

The caterpillar raises its head up to the Brahmin and he gives it a big kiss on the nose!

Then he lifts and puts the caterpillar into the container, and we realize that he has put the thing into a giant cocoon! I know, it's a little challenging to distinguish things in such a busy background but that's just the way it is. 

And behold, a beautiful butterfly babe flies out of the cocoon and the Brahmin holds her with his hand as she stretches her wings.

Then she flutters around, butterfly style, this short is nothing but surreal. Love that inventive master Georges Méliès!

After she lands, the Brahmin covers her with a blanket, when, two women approach.

The women remove the blanket, revealing a beautiful babe. The Brahmin wants to court the butterfly lady, but...

She declines his advances.

He bows to her and she places her foot on his head...

And he changes into a caterpillar himself!

All the women exit the scene, stage left even!

And the worm follows... Wow, what you can do with one set when you're an artistic wizard!! Have a decent weekend, y'all.

DEEP IN THE FOREST - "Coming May 31, 2022"

 

 I just got an email that on May 31, 2022, a new movie by my favorite modern filmmaker, Jeremy Dylan Lanni, is going to be released in digital and on demand formats by Saban Films.

 

 

The movie is titled "Deep In The Forest," and if it's like any of Jeremy's other works, then it's something to be very excited about!

 

If you happen not to know who Jeremy is, he's the guy that brought us the amazing "Conjuring Orson" in 2014.

Jeremy is also responsible for the brilliant film "Anywhere, U.S.A." made in 2017.

 "Deep In The Forest" is a tense, taut political thriller about a future nobody wants to believe will ever happen, but seems more plausible by the day.

It was written and directed by Jeremy Dylan Lanni, and features the talents of Ursula Brooks, Derwin Jordan, Stuart Pankin, Peter Jason, P.J. Ochlan, Wendy Worthington, Eva Abramian, Will Bradley, Jedidia Dyer, Larry Cedar, Keith Stevenson, Spencer Martin, Cela Scott, Ross Frasier, Duane Johnson, and Roger M. Maye.

If you want to get a good taste of what it's all about, then 

 Go Watch The Trailer!

It's not like we weren't warned! Back in the 70's The Firesign Theatre tried to tell us, but few listened,

"The Future Is Now!"

NIGHT GALLERY / "The Different Ones" - 1971

Here's the companion piece for "Eye Of The Beholder" we vividly remember from The Twilight Zone, but, with a new twist of course.

Rod looks so cool here in his gallery of the weird, my kind of place!

So, the story's about Victor, his father, Paul Koch played by Dana Andrews, is desperate to find a better environment for his deformed son to be in, where he can have a somewhat normal life. He ends up contacting the government for help.

Having no friends at age 17, Victor is unhappy, he feels that he does not have a life of any worth, and is becoming very cynical about the matter. He now wears a hood and dark clothes to hide his ugliness.

Paul contacts the government to see if they can assist him in finding Victor a place to stay where he feels comfortable with other people in his condition.

They want to know what his condition is. Paul tears up and gets tongue-tied, so, Victor rips off his hood and says... I'm UGLY, look!!

Paul gets an appointment to meet with the supervisor for placement into a government institution, but, Victor has a condition that's not in the books, so, he'll either have to live with Paul, or... Be euthanized!!! 

As Paul is leaving, the supervisor gets a call, and it has to do with Victor...

Okay, here's the deal, there is a transfer that can be arranged to the planetoid, Boreon, for Victor. He will be flown there on a rocket ship where another person will be brought back to Earth on the return trip.

Victor agrees and is happy to go, anything's better than his existence on Earth! Wow, I bet that a lot of people in the world today would make that choice. FTW, right Dennis?!

Paul watches as Victor heads off into space, goodbye my son, and good luck!

Victor travels to Boreon in a Saturn 5 rocket, they had great stock footage from the Moon landing in 1969. I was stationed in the Army in Mannheim, Germany on that day and watched it on the TV in the break room with everyone else.

The second stage of the rocket drops off and Victor heads off into the void.

The planet there is actually the Earth, but, I think it's meant to be Boreon.

Here's Boreon, a small planetoid, Victor's destination.

Victor walks into a hallway from the rocket, no one is there to greet him.

Then a regular looking earthling type approaches him. He's the one that will be boarding the ship back to Earth. Victor asks him why does he want to go to Earth, and the guy says... Can't you see?! I'm UGLY! I don't belong here.

And the guy leaves to board the rocket. 

Finally, Victor is greeted by a Boreonian (I made that up) hostess, and guess what?

He looks like everyone else there, and is considered handsome! You can figure out what'll happen to the other guy on Earth, you know, he's pretty handsome himself. Kind of a silly comeback, black and white rules.