For lovers of movies from the silent era to modern day with an emphasis on horror, sci-fi, exploitation, WIP, westerns and anything of the fantastic and bizarre. THIS SITE IS DEDICATED TO BOB WILKINS, GEORGE ROMERO, ALAN FREED ,ROGER CORMAN, CAROLINE MUNRO, JOHN FREDRIKSEN, JOHN ZACHERLE, CLEO MOORE , ROSALBA NERI, ERIKA BLANC, FEMI BENUSSI, SHIRLEY CORRIGAN, ROSANNA YANNI, MIRTA MILLER and, of course, CASEY KASEM.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Monday, March 30, 2020
SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROCK 1957 (SHOUT TV)
Another winner from AIP.
Mike Conners stars as a DJ named Garry Nelson who hosts a local TV show where teens dance to rock music. A local group of "concerned" what him and the program shut down because they believe rock music causes juvenile delinquency.
The group of 5 people harass Garry and his music loving followers and they come up with one trumped up charge after another to bring him down.
To make matters worse Garry is dating a beautiful young woman named June (Lisa Gaye) who happens to be the niece of one of the citizens group. They try to keep it a secret but it doesn't work.
Garry sets up a concert with such great acts as Fats Domino, Tommy Charles, Annitta Ray and Big Joe Turner. The citizens group has the concert shut down because they claim it is disturbing the peace. This leads to a near riot and Garry soon finds himself and Rock N' Roll on trial.
This is a great little movie for fans of 50's rock n' roll and we get to hear Domino sing "Ain't That A Shame", "Honey Chile" and "I'm In Love Again". Big Joe Turner sings "Rock, Rock, Rock". This is great stuff indeed.
Edward L. Cahn handled the directing chores and did a great job as usual. The rest of the cast includes Sterling Holloway, Raymond Hatton, Tommy Charles, Douglass Dumbrille, Paul Dubov, Margaret Dumont and Frank Jenks.
It took me years to see this fun film and I had REALLY enjoyed it. If you like 50's music and the entire era that was then you'll enjoy this movie. i have to give it a very high recommendation and I thank Shout TV for streaming it.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Warren Beatty is 83, John Astin is 90, Dana Gillespie is 71, and Linda Bent is 81.
Sunday, March 29, 2020
TALES FROM THE TRENCHES 2019 EPISODE 12 END OF THE WORLD (SHOUT TV)
Another interesting look at some of Roger Corman's films.
The episode starts off with "Warlords Of The 21st Century" aka "Battle Truck" and Corman talks about how good the film turned out and how little he really had to do with it except a bit of casting tips for the director and producing the film.
"Wheels Of Fire" and "Crime Zone" are next and we are told stories about how Corman was happy to make the films, but he also felt that they were becoming repetitive and he wanted a change.
Corman then discusses the 1960 film "Last Woman On Earth" and how he felt the film, at the time, was completely different than most films coming out at that time. He also talks about how slow star Robert Towne was in writing the script.
"Future Kick" with Don "The Dragon" Wilson is next in line and Corman talks about how he mixed several ideas into one picture. He worked a future world, a crime drama, kung fu and virtual reality into a money making mix. When he produced "Equalizer 2000" and "Raiders Of The Sun" Corman was seeing that theatrical distribution was drying up for these kinds of movies. Yes they made money but Corman said he wanted a change.
In talking about "The Terror Within" Corman states that he wanted to go back to his monster movie roots and make a monster movie in the future, and that is how this film came into being. A very interesting program indeed.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Friday, March 27, 2020
HARD TO DIE 1990 (NEW CONCORD)
One of the most enjoyable films I have ever seen.
Jim Wynorski helmed this mixture of horror, gore and comedy in which five gorgeous women are hired by a temp agency to do the inventory for a lingerie store located in a high rise.
They soon find themselves very afraid of a janitor named Orville Ketchum (Peter Spellos). Everyone believes that Orville is a killer who wiped out a house of sorority sisters a few years earlier.
Meanwhile the women decide to steer clear of Orville and do their work so they haul a bunch of boxes from the basement into the main office and begin their task, but darn, before they get started they decide to take a shower in the main office shower and so we are treated to seeing every one of these women naked in the shower.
After shower time they all dress in skimpy lingerie and then have another accident. They unleash the spirit of the real killer of the sorority sisters from a strange "spirit box".
Soon it's a fight for survival between the women and the evil spirit that has taken over one of the women. Ketchum tries to help the women, but they misunderstand him and repeatedly stab and shoot him, but....Orville doesn't die easy.
Hence the last 20 minutes of this film is full of explosions and machine gun fire. I won't spoil it for you in case you haven't stumbled on this gem.
There is plenty of eye candy with women like Gail Thackray, Karen Mayo Chandler, Bridget Carney and the stunning Melissa Moore first dressed in super short and tight dresses and then later lingerie.
I have always been a HUGE fan of Melissa Moore. This 6' blonde goddess is to me a perfect woman. When I was in the movie business I was well aware of her and later found out we shared the same birthday but one year apart. Damn, I should of married her.
Anyway, if you're looking for eye candy and action, this film delivers on every level and there are plenty of laughs along the way, including the incredible ending title card.
I don't believe this movie has ever been available on DVD, but I keep hoping. My copy comes from a VHS that I dubbed onto Disc many years ago. A VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED movie!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Talisa Soto is 53, Julian Glover is 85, Michael York is 78, and June Wilkinson is 80.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
RIP STUART GORDON 1947-2020
The director of some classic 80's horror has passed away.
Gordon made a name for himself in the 1980's and early 90's with a string of very successful horror films that will endure for a very long time with horror fans.
Some of his best known films are "The ReAnimator", "From Beyond", "The Dolls" and "Pit And The Pendulum". He also wrote the screenplays to "ReAnimator and "From Beyond.
Gordon passed away on March 24th, 2020 at the age of 72. His work will not soon be forgotten.
THIEF OF VENICE 1950 (STREAMING)
Finally I got a chance to see this film.
Let me start this by saying my mother was a very wise woman. She nurtured me on horror and sci-fi films when I was young and created my love for all things film.
She was a huge fan of the gorgeous Maria Montez and introduced me to a film called "Cobra Woman: when I was very young. Since then I have been trying to find every film she starred in and have not had a whole lot of luck because most of them are just not available such as this obscure gem.
I have been trying to see this film since 1970 and finally, 50 years later I got to watch it. Yes, I enjoyed it very much and find it very sad this film has been so damned neglected over the decades.
The story, directed by John Brahm, takes place in 1575 and the Turks are at war with Italy. Scarpa (Massimo Serato) the Grand Inquisitor is planning to take over Venice but he runs into trouble with a man named Disani (Paul Christian) who is determined to kill Scarpa and keep Venice safe.
He enlists the aid of a beautiful woman named Tina (Maria Montez) who has many friends in the underground. Disani becomes a thief and steals the national treasury from Scarpa and this sets up the final confrontation.
There is plenty of action and adventure in this film and it contains the (in)famous torture scenes involving Montez. This is the only scene from the film I was able to see until I found the entire movie.
The print I saw wasn't in the best shape, but still very watchable. It's in black and white which isn't any big deal, but it's strange that Montez, who was called "The Queen Of Technicolor" appears in a black and white film.
Made in 1950, the film was delayed for two years and sadly Montez passed away in 1951 at the age of 39. I hope beyond hope that this film will someday be restored and presented to the masses on Blu-ray.
It was a real pleasure to see this film and if you can find it streaming somewhere you might want to check it out. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
RIP MIR REHAN 1928-2020
The actor from Pakistan is dead.
The actor who played the vampire in the classic 1967 film "Dracula In Pakistan" has died.
He passed away on March 21, 2020 at the age of 92.
Monday, March 23, 2020
THE ROADRACERS 1959 (SHOUT TV)
A very obscure but fun film for racing fans and others alike.
AIP distributed this interesting little film about a young man whose father has pushed him into racing. The man, Rob Wilson (Joel Lawrence) actually hates racing after having an accident in an earlier race that took someones life.
His father disowns him after that and that sets the stage for this drama about a young man trying to find himself while at the same time trying to please everyone around him.
This film has fallen thru the cracks of time and hasn't been seen by too many people. I do know it aired once or twice on AMC almost 20 years ago, but that is it. Now Shout TV has a beautiful print for streaming.
I had never heard of this before and was interested to see it because it's an AIP film and because it stars the beautiful Sally Fraser. I will watch any film with her in it. She passed away last year and unbeknownst to me she lived only a few miles away.
If you're a racing fan you might want to check this out. It's got plenty of action and it was filmed at several real events. Recommended.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
TALES FROM THE TRENCHES 2019 EPISODE 11 AGAINST ALL ODDS (SHOUT TV)
This episode has Roger Corman telling us about some of his films dealing with people trying to escape from impossible situations.
We are first treated to another classic WIP film entitled "Women In Cages" which is a personal favorite of mine and one of the darkest WIP films Corman produced.
Moving from there Roger talks about the making of "Eye Of The Eagle" and "Eye Of The Eagle 2". Both were shot in the Philippines and the first entry was directed by Cirio Santiago. Both were huge hits and Corman explains how they sometimes had difficult times making films in the jungles under extreme conditions.
"Cocaine Wars" is next where Roger talks about the casting of John Schneider and how the film made a great deal of money on VHS back in the day. The Jack Hill directed "Pit Stop" is discussed next and Roger tells how he upped the low budget a bit so he could get stars like Brian Donlevy into the film. I have never seen this film, but it's coming soon to me via Shout TV.
The show moves on to "The Destroyers" and then "Stripped To Kill" and "Stripped To Kill 2", both of these films again are great examples of low budget action and exploitation with plenty of T&A to keep the viewer happy.
"Slumber Party Massacre" is next up and Corman tells many behind the scenes stories about bringing this horror classic to theaters and how it was an enormous success. "Nam Angels" rounds out the show and Roger tells about how he went back to his biker movie roots, but changed things around so that the Hell's Angels invaded Vietnam!!
All in All a very good episode and a great selection of movies are discussed.
Saturday, March 21, 2020
RIP KENNY ROGERS 1938-2020
The music legend has passed away.
Rogers had one hell of a music career and I don't think there is anyone who hasn't heard at least one of his songs.
His fantastic music career saw such hits as "The Gambler", "She Believes In Me", "Lady", "Lucille", "I Don't Need You" and "Islands In The Stream" plus hundreds more.
In the 1980's and 90's Rogers also took to acting in several films including one based on one of his hits entitled "The Gambler". Some of hie other acting credits include "Coward Of The County" (another film based on a hit song he took to number one), "Six Pack", "Rio Diablo" and "MacShayne: The Final Role Of The Dice".
Rogers had a long and great career and his music has always been a favorite of mine. I even saw him in concert back in 2004 and thought it was a very good show..
Kenny Rogers passed away on March 20th, 2020 at the age of 81.
Friday, March 20, 2020
Thursday, March 19, 2020
RAMBLINGS.... (CORRECTION)
Ooops I made a mistake.
I stated on an earlier post that CURSE OF THE UNDEAD was coming to Blu-ray from Shout Factory.
I was wrong, but I was so excited to find out about it I lost my head...lol. It's coming from Kino and I still don't have a date for it yet. Sorry for the confusion.
RIP PLAYBOY MAGAZINE 1953-2020
Playboy is no longer a print magazine.
In April of 2020, just next month the final issue of Playboy will be published as a print magazine. Kinda sad for me anyway. Playboy has been around for 67 years and has somewhat been a staple in society.
I used to collect many of the issues and have read the magazine for years. YES..the actually have articles in there and used to have some great fiction from some great authors.
However, it was the women that made the magazine shine. I discovered this magazine at an early age (about 10) and had to hide it from people until I was about 16 or so...lol.
Print magazines just cannot survive in an era of internet books and such, and I am very sorry to see this one leave the print world. I still get a lot of flack from people for reading Playboy, but I admit I like it.
Call me sexist and I wear it proudly. Some of the women in there were the sexiest images I have or had ever seen and I appreciated the magazine for what it was..."high class sleaze with a touch of culture". So long Playboy...long live the memories and the gorgeous centerfold models.
CRY BABY KILLER 1957 (SHOUT TV)
This is Jack Nicholson's film debut.
It has been over 35 years since I last saw this little gem from producer Roger Corman.
Jack Nicholson plays a young man named Jim Wallace, who is beaten up by three others. The leader of the three is Manny (Brett Halsey) and Jim believes that Manny has also stolen his girlfriend away from him.
During a second altercation Jim, grabs a pistol from one of Manny's friends and shoots. He believes he has killed Manny and panics. He hides in a small warehouse with a man, a woman and her infant child as hostages.
The police them try to talk Jim out and save the hostages.
This is a very simple plot and the story moves along very well in the hands of director Justus Addiss. The movie is barely over an hour, so it never really has a chance to slow down anyway. Nicholson does a very believable job of playing the young man who suddenly finds himself in a world of trouble thru no fault of his own.
The rest of the cast includes Harry Lauter, Lynn Cartwright, Ed Nelson, Leo Gordon, Bruno Ve Sota, Carolyn Mitchell and Ralph Reed.
It was nice to finally see this again and I hope at some point it would appear on Blu-ray because it's the kind of film I would like to have in my collection. Fun stuff.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
RIP LYLE WAGGONER 1935-2020
Major Steve Trevor has died.
Waggoner was a 60's and 70's TV heartthrob who made a few movies and gained most of his fame from TV.
His long career started in 1966 on an episode of "Gunsmoke". After this he mad a few low budget, but fun films including "Catalina Caper", "Swamp Country" and "Journey To The Center Of Time".
His greatest fame came in 1967 when he started an 8 year run on the "Carol Burnett Show". After that show ended it was about a year later he gained even more worldwide fame as Major Steve Trevor on the very popular TV series "Wonder Woman" starring Lynda Carter.
Waggoner continued acting until 2005. He died on March 16th, 2020 at the age of 84.
RIP STUART WHITMAN 1928-2020
One of the busiest actors of my generation has died.
In a career that spanned 50 years, Whitman made many, many appearances in movies and TV shows. He started his career in a small, uncredited role in the 1951 sci-fi film "When Worlds Collide".
After that he was in such shows on TV as "Boston Blackie", "The Roy Rogers Show", "The Range Rider" and "Stories Of The Century" just to name a few.
Some of his best known credits belong to some classic films he was in including "7 Men From Now", "Girl In Black Stockings", "Convicts 4", "City Beneath The Sea", "Night Of The Lepus" and so much more.
His best remembered TV works in my opinion include appearances on "The Adventures Of Dr. Fu Manchu", and "Night Gallery" in an episode entitled "Lindemann's Catch" which I will NEVER forget.
Whitman quite acting in 2000 and retired from the public eye. A great body of work and a very talented man. He passed away on March 16th, 2020 at the age of 92.
TALES FROM THE TRENCHES 2019 EPISODE 10 SURVIVAL (SHOUT TV)
In this episode Roger talks about movies dealing with people surviving against hard times.
The show starts with Roger talking about "The Big Doll House" which was his most successful Women In Prison film. He relates that the director, Jack Hill was a little hesitant to put in so much sadism, but that made the film ever more popular as Roger told him it would.
"Jackson County Jail" is next and that is another film that reaped huge profits as it told a more human story of a woman caught in circumstances beyond her control. "Ultraviolet" is also talked about and how it became an unexpected success.
Roger then moves on to "Battle Of Blood Island" from 1960 and how he wanted to have a WW2 story told with a somewhat different point of view. He moves quickly on to "Fire Over Afghanistan" which he produced when the war broke out over there.
"Avalanche" was Corman's effort to make a disaster film with a big name cast and while the film was a moderate success Corman remains very pleased with the effort. "Aftershock" was made for the VHS market after the earthquake in southern Californis in the 1990's. Steve Railsback was picked for the starring role because Corman liked him as an actor. The movie used many real shots of California after the quake and it worked to make the film a success.
Finally he comments on "The Big Bird Cage" which was made right after "The Big Doll House" and how he wanted more sadism thrown in, but also some comedy as well between Pam Grier and Sid Haig. Needless to say the movie was another huge money maker.
Monday, March 16, 2020
Sunday, March 15, 2020
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
David Cronenberg is 77, Lisa Langlois is 61, Magda Konopka is 77, Khosrow Vaziri is is 78, and Olinka Berova is 77.
