CHARLIE'S ANGELS SEASON 4 (SONY)

This is the next to last season for the classic TV show and there was one change made for this year.

Shelley Hack was the new girl in the cast and she was brought in to replace Kate Jackson. Season 4 had some memorable episodes as well as some not so memorable ones. Here they are...

LOVE BOAT ANGELS 9/12/79....Tiffany Wells joins the Townsend Agency to replace Sabrina who has quit to get married and start a family. The angels travels on the love Boat to capture an art thief.

ANGELS GO TRUCKING 9/19/79....Kris and Tiffany go to trucking school to investigate why merchandise is being stolen from an all female trucking company.

AVENGING ANGEL 9/26/79....Cameron Mitchell stars as a madman released from prison who seeks revenge on Kelly.

ANGELS AT THE ALTER 10/3/79....Kelly is the maid of Honor at her friends wedding where several attempts have been made on the grooms life.

FALLEN ANGEL 10/10/79....Farrah Fawcett guests on this episode about a jewel thief who also happens to be in love with former angel Jill Monroe. Timothy Dalton stars.

CAGED ANGEL 10/31/79....Kris goes undercover in a women's prison to ferret out a gang of jewel thieves.

ANGELS ON THE STREET 11/7/79....A young music teacher is beaten up by a violent pimp and the angels go undercover as prostitutes to investigate. Richard Lynch stars.

THE PRINCE AND THE ANGEL 11/14/79....Farrah Fawcett guest stars again as Jill Monroe. In this episode Jill is romanced by a European crown prince.

ANGELS ON SKATES 11/21/79....A young girl is kidnapped while skating on Venice Beach and the angels investigate.

ANGELS ON CAMPUS 11/28/79....two young women from Tiffany's sorority have been kidnapped and sold into a white slave market. Gary Collins and Nita Talbot star.

ANGEL HUNT 12/5/79....The angels are lured to a small island so an old enemy of Charlie's can hunt them down one by one.

CRUISING ANGELS 12/12/79....Criminals plan on using Charlie's new boat the "Wayward Angel" to transport a load of gold bullion. Beverly Garland stars.

OF GHOSTS AND ANGELS 1/2/80.... Tiffany has a recurring dream involving a murder.

ANGEL'S CHILD 1/9/80....Kelly discovers that the detective she is working with on a case takes his rage out on his young son. Simon Oakland stars.

ONE OF OUR ANGELS IS MISSING 1/16/80....Kris poses as a rich divorcee to find out why a man skipped out on a parole hearing.

CATCH A FALLING ANGEL 1/23/80....The angels investigate the disappearence of a man who went to the city to look for his girlfriend, now a porn star.

HOMES SWEET HOMES 1/30/80....The angels investigate a Real Estate company that is linked to several burglaries.

DANCIN ANGELS 2/6/80....Disappearance and a murder at a ballroom brings the angels in to find the killer.

HARRIGAN'S ANGELS 2/20/80....The angels team up with an alcoholic detective to investigate robberies at an electronics plant.

AN ANGEL'S TRAIL 2/27/80....The final guest shot of Farrah Fawcett. This time Jill walks in on a robbery and is taken hostage.

NIPS AND TUCKS 3/5/80....A renowned plastic surgeon is suspected of altering the faces of criminals. Louis Jourdan, Tab Hunter and the always sexy Joanna Pettet star.

THREE FOR THE MONEY 3/12/80....The Townsend Agency is hired by three people who have been swindled by con man Harley Dexter. The angels concoct a three pronged attack to get even.

TONI'S BOYS 4/2/80....After a failed attempt on the lives of the angels, Charlie hires a rival detective agency run by his old friend Antonia Blake to keep an eye on the angels. Barbara Stanwyck stars as Toni. This also stars Robbert Loggia.

ONE LOVE: TWO ANGELS PART 1 4/30/80.... Kelly is contacted by an investigator and told she might be the long lost daughter of millionaire Oliver Barrows. Kelly is very skeptical and asks the angels to look into it. Rober Reed and Ray Milland star.

ONE LOVE: TWO ANGELS PART 2 5/7/80....Bill Cord falls in love with both Kris and Kelly causing a rift in the Townsend Agency. Patrick Duffy stars.

Some of the actors and actresses who appeared in these episodes made them even more enjoyable. There were a few lackluster episodes, but if you're a fan of the show, you really won't care. Shelley Hack didn't return after this season, and season five started much later in the 1980 TV season, which is a sure sign things were coming to an end.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Barbara Carrera is 70, and Sean Cunningham is 74.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Eliza Dushku is 35, Russ Tamblyn is 81, and Kelli Maroney is 55.

RIP MEADOWLARK LEMON 1932-2015

The crown prince of hoops has passed away.

Meadow Lemon III was 83. Not only was his time with the Harlem Globetrotters a highlight of my life, but he was someone any person could look up to.

Lemon was also an actor and a Minister and played for 22 years with the Globetrotters. I had seen him in person a few times and was always entertained by his antics. A highly talented man with the gifts God gave him.

Another part of my childhood has gone away. RIP Lemon, you will be very, very missed, especially by me. What makes it even sadder is that he passed away on my birthday, Dec. 27th.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Barbara Steele is 78, and Yvonne Elliman is 64.

BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE 1959 (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY

One of my favorite films comes to Blu-ray fully uncut and looking like a million dollars. And it is very fitting that the little review for this film is my 5000th post on this Blog.

Dr. Bill Cortner has an automobile accident and his beautiful girlfriend is decapitated. He takes her head back to his lab and keeps it alive in a pan while he desperately fries to find another sexy body to put the head on.

At his lab is a crippled assistant and a mysterious "thing" locked in a closet. Jan, the body-less woman makes a connection with the thing in the closet while the doctor is searching for bodies.

The ending of this film is somewhat shocking for 1959 as the crippled assistant has his good arm ripped from it's socket and he bleeds to death and the good doctor also meets a grisly fate from the "thing".

This film is unfairly maligned by many fans of the genre. It may not be the best film of it's kind, but it is one of the most entertaining and it is never boring. I was first introduced to this film on back in the 70's when it aired on KCPX on a show called NIGHTMARE THEATER.

Shout has done an excellent job of bringing this gem to Blu-ray. Included is the MST3K version, a photo gallery, theatrical trailer and commentary from Steve Haberman and Tony Sasso as well as an alternate scene from the international version. A great release that sadly didn't make it in time for my Top 50 of 2015, but is really in the running for the 2016 picks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Nichelle Nichols is 83, and Taryn Terrell is 30.

VARAN 1958 (TOKYO SHOCK)

It has been a long time since I saw this film.

I spent the Christmas holiday with a 25 movie marathon, and this was one of the films that I watched. This classic Japanese sci-fi film was directed by Ishiro Honda with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is also their last black and white film.

A huge monster on a small island is awakened and goes on a destructive spree across the island. It soon makes it's way to Tokyo and it becomes apparent that nothing can stop it. The monster can also fly and scientists come up with a rather interesting way to kill the monster once and for all.

Varan never caught on with the public very much and he was never seen in any other films except for a couple of very brief shots in the 1968 film "DESTROY ALL MONSTERS". This is a good bet for fans of the genre, and I would highly recommend everyone see it at least once.

The DVD from Tokyo Shock is excellent.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Bill Goldberg is 49, and Barbara Crampton is 57.

TOP 50 RELEASES FOR 2015 PART 4

I can't believe this is already the 4th installment of the countdown. Here we go.

20. IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE (KINO)BLU-RAY... A great classic 50's sci-fi shocker aboiut a blood thirsty alien aboard a spaceship.

19. VOODOO MAN (OLIVE)BLU-RAY...Excellent PRC film starring George Zucco, Bela Lugosi and John Carradine in a tale about a man trying to bring his wife back from a death-like trance.

18. ECW UNRELEASED VOL. 3 (WWE) BLU-RAY... Some of the most violent matches in pro wrestling history from one of the greatest companies to ever exist.

17. MOSQUITO (SYNAPSE) BLU-RAY...Giant mosquitoes are on the loose in this wonderful and fun little film. The release of this film was a joy to behold.

16. BURN WITCH BURN (KINO) BLU-RAY... Great horror film based on "Conjure Wife" by Fritz Leiber. Another long awaited release come true.

15. THE MASK (KINO) BLU-RAY...The very first Canadian horror film about a weird mask that causes people to go slowly insane. The 3-D sequences are some of the best ever done.

14. FOOD OF THE GODS/FROGS (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY... Two of my favorite 70's horror films in one package. Giant rats, chickens and more in the first film and nature strikes back at Ray Milland and family in the second.

13. RETURN OF COUNT YORGA (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY... the second and the best of the Count Yorga films. Robert Quarry stars.

12. CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE 4 PACK (MILL CREEK)...Top notch collection of some great Columbia horror film. The set consists of FIVE, THE MAD MAGICIAN, MAN WHO TURNED TO STONE and TERROR OF THE TONGS.

11. BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (WARNER) BLU-RAY...50's sci-fi classic about a giant monster rambling thru New York. Great Ray Harryhausen effects.

Well, that wraps up this weeks countdown. Next week I will have the Top 10 releases for the year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Kathleen Crowley is 84, Maria De Aragon is 73, and Trina Parks is 68.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Dick Miller is 87, Barbara Mandrell is 67, Jimmy Buffett is 69.

MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN 1974 (MGM)

I have been on a James Bond kick lately, and this is one of my favorites.

Christopher Lee stars as Scaramanga, a man who is obsessed with killing Bond with his special golden bullets. He lives on a very isolated island and charges one million dollars per assassination.

Bond finds his life threatened by this master killer and so he goes and seeks him out. Roger Moore is Bond once again and he is accompanied by Goodnight, played by the gorgeous Britt Ekland. Herve Villechaize is Nick Nack, the diminutive, but faithful servant to Scaramanga.

Maud Adams is Scaramanga's lover until she double crosses him and he discovers it. Her death is very unique.

This is a very good entry in the series, and I reviewed this here a long time ago, and felt I could do it again. Lee is perfect as the cool villain and he and Moore play off each other well. I have always liked Moore as Bond and following this film he was Bon in my all time favorite of the series "SPY WHO LOVED ME".

If you are a Bond fan, this is for you. One of the best and Highly Recommended.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Edwige Fenech is 67, and Donna Martell is 88.

LIVE AND LET DIE 1973 (MGM)

In this entry we have Roger Moore as Bond.

Outstanding entry in the Bond series finds the secret agent fighting a voodoo cult and a master criminal who has a very unusual plan to take over the United States.

Yaphet Kotto is Kananga a man who wants to eventually turn the entire country into heroine addicts and is letting nothing stop him from implementing his goal. Gorgeous Jane Seymour is Solitaire, a woman who has the power to predict the future and is used by Kananga.

The opening three scenes of agents being killed in very odd ways captures your attention right away, and once this mlovie starts it never lets you go until the end. This is one of my favorite Bond films as it has such a great "flavor" to it, and really strikes me as different.

Lois Maxwell is again Moneypenny, Bernard Lee is M and the rest of the cast includes Robert Dix in an uncredited role as Hamilton, an agent who is murdered at the beginning in New Orleans, Clifton James as Sheriff Pepper (he really steals all of the scenes he's in), Julius Harris is Tee Hee, a hook handed killer, David Hedison is Leiter, and beautiful Gloria Hendry is Rosie a character i really liked and it was a shame to see her killed by Kananga.

A well made a very enjoyable film with an excellent theme song by Paul and Linda McCartney.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Joan Severance is 57.

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE 1967 (MGM)

Sean Connery is again James Bond.

This time Bond travels to Japan, and with the help of agents there, investigates the disappearance of several orbiting rockets that may provoke a world war.

This was the fifth time Sean Connery played James Bond, and this time the production company got help from Toho Studios which is why there are two very sexy females in this film. They are Mie Hama and Akiko Wakabayashi.

Wakabayashi is always a joy to watch and it is sad her character dies, but then again it is always nice to see Hama in her stunning bikini.

The standout performance goes to Donald Pleasance as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the arch-typical villain working for SRECTRE. This is a must see film for fans of the series. The supporting cast includes Lois Maxwell, Bernard Lee, Teru Shimada, Karin Dor (looking sexy as hell), Desmond Llewelyn, Charles Gray, Burt Kwouk and Tsia Chin.

DR. NO 1963 (MGM)

The year I was born this classic James Bond movie was filmed.

Sean Connery stars as Bond in this very first outing. The top secret agent is sent to investigate the disappearance of a colleague as well as tampering with the US space program.

Bond encounters many,many angers as he attempts to fin the answers. He joins with several other agents in Jamaica and soon finds a stunning and very beautiful woman named Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress). The long trail leads to a master criminal named Dr. No who is working for SPECTRE.

SPECTRE wants to rule the world, and Dr. No is brilliant enough to pull it off. Joseph Wiseman gives a great performance as the master criminal.

This film was a HUGE success and has been called the best Bond film ever, and by all accounts that is a pretty accurate call. Everything falls into place and there is not one bad performance in the entire film. I reviewed this film way back when and I hadn't seen it since. It never gets old and I could watch it a thousand times and never get bored.

This is a must see film. Who could ever forget first seeing Andress in her stunning bikini!!!!!?????? VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

RIP TOMMY "SNUFF" GARRETT 1939-2015

One of the greatest record producers ever has passed away.

Garrett produced some of the best songs from my era of music including "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" for Vicki Lawrence, "Gypsy's, Tramps and Thieves" for Cher, "A Hundred Pounds Of Clay" for Gene Daniels and hundreds more.

This is a huge loss for the music industry. Garrett passed away on Dec. 17th at the age of 76.

HOUSE BY THE CEMETARY 1982 (TCM VIEWING)

An unabashed Lucio Fulci classic.

A family move into a house outside of Boston and soon find that there are some very bizarre things going on. The opening of the film starts with a brutal murder of a young woman and her boyfriend in the house.

The family is haunted by strange noises and someone creeping around. Their little boy (who is badly dubbed) sees a young girl whom no one else can see, and she tries to warn him not to enter the house.

It turns out that a man who was experimenting with eternal life has been in the house since the 1700's and now has to eat human flesh in order to survive. This lets us see a few very brutal killings as only Fulci can do.

If you like Italian gore films, you will like this film. The gory killings are a standout and the film itself looks very good. The print TCM ran was beautiful. I highly recommend this film for Italian movie fans as well as Fulci fans. One of his best.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Jenny Agutter is 63, Pamela Austin is 74, Angel Tompkins is 73, Nicole Maurey is 90, and John "Bud" Cardos is 86.

TOP 50 RELEASES OF 2015 PART 3

Now here is the third part of the Top 50 countdown.

30. WILLIAM CASTLE HORROR COLLECTION (MILL CREEK)...Five great horror films from Castle make this collection a winner. The movies are THE OLD DARK HOUSE, 13 FRIGHTENED GIRLS, 13 GHOSTS, MR. SARDONICUS and HOMICIDAL.

29. LOVE BUTCHER (SINISTER CINEMA)...Totally off the wall film about a killer who is not what he seems to be. This film has to be seen to be believed.

28. FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED (WARNER)BLU-RAY...Peter Cushing returns as Frankenstein in this excellent example of Hammer Horror.

27. TENTACLES/REPTILICUS (SHOUT FACTORY)BLU-RAY... Great double bill of giant monsters from Shout. The presentation is excellent and both movies are well worth seeing.

26. IT FOLLOWS (RADIUS)...Great example of how to make a modern horror film. An un-named being stalks a young woman for obscure reasons. This one really works.

25. KISS ME MONSTER (SINISTER CINEMA)...A beautiful detective duo gets involved with satanists, sadists and a serum for human clones. One of the oddest films I have ever seen. I am very glad to see Sinister turn this out.

24. COUNT YORGA VAMPIRE (TWILIGHT TIME)BLU RAY... Robert Quarry stars as a modern day vampire in this timeless horror classic.

23. HOUSE OF 1000 DOLLS (KINO) BLU-RAY...Vincent price stars as a magician involved in a white slave ring in the orient. One of my favorite films.

22. BEAST AND THE MAGIC SWORD (SINISTER CINEMA)... Paul Naschy stars as Waldamar Daninsky, a man cursed to turn into a werewolf during the full moon. He seeks a cure in Japan and ends up fighting Ninja's!! One of the best of the series of Naschy werewolf films.

21. ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU RAY...Kurt Russell stars as Snake Plisskin, a criminal who is sent into New York which is now a huge prison to rescue the President of the United State. A fun and action filled film from John Carpenter.

Well that wraps up part 3 of my countdown. Next Saturday I will bring you part 4.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Kristie Swanson is 46, Alyssa Milano is 43, and Marlene Clark is 66.

LADY IN THE LAKE 1947 (TCM VIEWING)

This is another classic film noir with a very different look.

Robert Montgomery stars as Phillip Marlowe. This time Marlow is on the case of a woman found drowned in a lake deep in the woods.

Audrey Totter is the femme fatal that attracts the attention of Marlowe. The case becomes more complicated as more bodies start to pile up during the investigation.

The difference with this film noir is that it is shot entirely thru the eyes of Marlowe and this adds an even more bizarre twist to the proceedings. Marlowe's face is only shown when he is narrating the film or looking at his reflection in the mirror.

The supporting cast includes Lloyd Nolan as a crooked cop, Leon Ames, Jayne meadows, Morris Ankrum and Lila Leeds. If you love film noir, I would recommend this film to you with the highest regards.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Christina Aguilera is 35, Steve Austin is 51, Victoria Pratt is 45, Rob Van Dam is 45, Trish Stratus is 40, and Peggy Cummins is 90.

THE MASK 1961 (KINO) BLU-RAY

The very first Canadian horror film FINALLY makes it to Blu-ray.

This is a unique film and has been neglected by a lot of horror fans. A man who is in possession of a very strange mask finds himself compelled to kill, and after visiting his psychiatrist commits suicide.

The police are called to the scene and they in turn talk to the doctor who really cannot help them. After the police leave the doctor realizes that he has been mailed the mask by the man before who killed himself. Out of personal curiosity the doctor tries on the mask and sees visions straight out of hell.

Paul Stevens is very good as the doctor who becomes addicted to the powers of the mask during the course of the film. What makes this film a standout is that every time he puts the Mask on, the film goes to very bizarre scenes of Hell and they are in 3-D. These effects are excellent and handled by Slavko Vorkapich.

This disc is in 3-D for those with capable TV sets and the required glasses. On the extras menu you can access the 3-D scenes in anaglyph and watch them with regular 3-D glasses, if you have them. I have them and the scenes are extremely well done.

One of the top releases of the year!! PUT THE MASK ON NOW!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Milla Jovovich is 40, and Marilyn Eastman is 82.

FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER 1949 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Interesting and offbeat version of the classic Poe story.

This film doesn't follow the Poe story like the later Roger Corman version, but it has it's share of creepiness. A traveler comes to visit Roderick Usher and soon learns that the entire family is afflicted with insanity.

There is a way to break the curse involving stealing a decapitated head of a man killed by Ushers father for having an affair with his wife. Who guards the head you may ask, well it turns out to be an old, ugly had that just happens to be the former wife who saw the man decapitated and is now insane and very strong.

The scenes involving her are very creepy and well done. Director Ivan Barnett handles the material very well and manages to make a very atmospheric film with very little money. This is a rare film indeed and should be seen by any horror fan.

If you get a chance, check this one out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Benny Andersson is 69.