This dude Svengoolie Hosts’ a show on a METV. \ Mostly classic Horror shows, right now he is doing Godzilla. He does commentary throughout in between commercials.
When I was a kid there was a show on channel 9 called Zachery at midnight. He was dressed up as a ghoul. They would show classic monster movies. So the idea is not new.
When I was a kid there was a show on channel 9 called Zachery at midnight. He was dressed up as a ghoul. They would show classic monster movies. So the idea is not new.
Thats right, this guy worked for the Original Svengoolie ( who quit ) - who worked with Zachery. They just kept it going.
When I was a kid there was a show on channel 9 called Zachery at midnight. He was dressed up as a ghoul. They would show classic monster movies. So the idea is not new.
You're thinking of the late John Zacherle who started out in the late 1950's in Philadelphia as Roland (pronounced Ro-LAND), then was brought to NY television (originally WOR-TV channel 9, as I remember) as Zacherley. After his TV show ended, he enjoyed a long life as a radio personality and would occasionally do an annual Halloween radio show, reminiscent of the "old days". He was a regular guest at the annual Chiller Theatre conventions in New Jersey until his death. He kept active, well into his 90's.
I had the pleasure of meeting Zacherley a few times. A real gentleman. I understand he was best man at my late friend Mike's wedding a number of years ago. Michael R. Thomas was a makeup artist (he created the original Coneheads back in the 70's for SNL) who met his wife when they attended a reunion of Zacherley's show Disc-o-Teen - it was an American Bandstand-ish show that aired locally on New Jersey's WNJU-TV in the 60's. Mike and his wife-to-be Christine had both been dancers on the show back when they were teenagers.
Sorry for the thread drift...
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
Same here....I could read books 4 the rest of my life if I had 2..ME TV is great,,,all the shows from when we were kids..do u ever watch a program called "Decades"?...kinda of a history recollections of the things that happened on the day ur watching it..Bill Kurtis Hosts..good stuff
Same here....I could read books 4 the rest of my life if I had 2..ME TV is great,,,all the shows from when we were kids..do u ever watch a program called "Decades"?...kinda of a history recollections of the things that happened on the day ur watching it..Bill Kurtis Hosts..good stuff
Yes Sir, seen it. I remember watching it years ago when I did not care what was on.
The Blob on Tonight, they Aired this not too long ago but is always fun.
Same here....I could read books 4 the rest of my life if I had 2..ME TV is great,,,all the shows from when we were kids..do u ever watch a program called "Decades"?...kinda of a history recollections of the things that happened on the day ur watching it..Bill Kurtis Hosts..good stuff
Yes Sir, seen it. I remember watching it years ago when I did not care what was on.
The Blob on Tonight, they Aired this not too long ago but is always fun.
I see Sven's got Son of Frankenstein (1939) coming up this weekend. Great film. A classic. Some things to note:
Lionel Atwill's one-armed Inspector Krogh was the direct inspiration for Kenneth Mars's character in Young Frankenstein. Around this time, Atwill's career was severely affected by a sex scandal and the onetime star was relegated to small supporting roles until his death in 1946.
The set design was highly stylized, harking back to the German Expressionist films of the 1920's. No other film in the Frankenstein series had this "look."
In the first two films (Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein), the Monster's creator is named Henry Frankenstein. Yet, in this film, Henry's son is named Wolf von Frankenstein. Guess someone in Universal Pictures' continuity department was asleep at the wheel.
There are rumors that the film was originally to be shot in color. If any test footage was shot, it is lost; however, several seconds of color home movie footage shot between scenes exists and is on YouTube (and probably other places). Boris Karloff (in green makeup) can be seen clowning around with makeup artist Jack Pierce and sticking his tongue out for the camera.
In this film, notice the difference is Boris Karloff's appearance compared to the first two films. Originally, the Monster was very thin, and Karloff removed a dental bridge so he could suck in his right cheek to make his face thinner. By the time Son of Frankenstein was made (Karloff's last time as the Monster), he had put on a bit of weight - and the overall look was not helped any by the addition of a bulky sheepskin coat to the costume. So, he took on a lumbering, well-fed appearance compared with the original film, where he looked more like a reanimated corpse.
Ever wonder why, in the previous film (Bride of Frankenstein), the Monster blows up the laboratory (and himself) yet turns up in this film unburned, unscarred and without a mark on his clothes? This happened a lot in the Frankenstein films - self-regenerating clothing!
Oh, and for the curious: Why was the Frankenstein Monster green? In the early days of film, they wanted a color that would photograph nearly corpse-white onscreen, but pure white could not be used because it would have looked too clown-like. After some experimentation, it was found that a grayish-green greasepaint would work in black & white.
Great line: "No one can mend Ygor's neck. It's all right!" (See the film and you'll see what I'm talking about.)
Loved the film, ever since I was a kid. Wonder what little added tidbits Svengoolie has for us this time?
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
I see Sven's got Son of Frankenstein (1939) coming up this weekend. Great film. A classic. Some things to note:
Lionel Atwill's one-armed Inspector Krogh was the direct inspiration for Kenneth Mars's character in Young Frankenstein. Around this time, Atwill's career was severely affected by a sex scandal and the onetime star was relegated to small supporting roles until his death in 1946.
The set design was highly stylized, harking back to the German Expressionist films of the 1920's. No other film in the Frankenstein series had this "look."
In the first two films (Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein), the Monster's creator is named Henry Frankenstein. Yet, in this film, Henry's son is named Wolf von Frankenstein. Guess someone in Universal Pictures' continuity department was asleep at the wheel.
There are rumors that the film was originally to be shot in color. If any test footage was shot, it is lost; however, several seconds of color home movie footage shot between scenes exists and is on YouTube (and probably other places). Boris Karloff (in green makeup) can be seen clowning around with makeup artist Jack Pierce and sticking his tongue out for the camera.
In this film, notice the difference is Boris Karloff's appearance compared to the first two films. Originally, the Monster was very thin, and Karloff removed a dental bridge so he could suck in his right cheek to make his face thinner. By the time Son of Frankenstein was made (Karloff's last time as the Monster), he had put on a bit of weight - and the overall look was not helped any by the addition of a bulky sheepskin coat to the costume. So, he took on a lumbering, well-fed appearance compared with the original film, where he looked more like a reanimated corpse.
Ever wonder why, in the previous film (Bride of Frankenstein), the Monster blows up the laboratory (and himself) yet turns up in this film unburned, unscarred and without a mark on his clothes? This happened a lot in the Frankenstein films - self-regenerating clothing!
Oh, and for the curious: Why was the Frankenstein Monster green? In the early days of film, they wanted a color that would photograph nearly corpse-white onscreen, but pure white could not be used because it would have looked too clown-like. After some experimentation, it was found that a grayish-green greasepaint would work in black & white.
Great line: "No one can mend Ygor's neck. It's all right!" (See the film and you'll see what I'm talking about.)
Loved the film, ever since I was a kid. Wonder what little added tidbits Svengoolie has for us this time?
Signor V.
One of my favorites as well, after your comments and listed facts I cannot wait to se this again this weekend and see them all again with my favorite season coming in October.
Got a good one coming up tomorrow night: 1944's House of Frankenstein.
Here are some things to watch for and a few interesting tidbits, off the top of my pointy little head:
The film marks a return to the "Frankenstein" series for Boris Karloff, but not as the Monster. Here, he plays Dr. Niemann, Mad Scientist. The role of the Monster is now played for the first time by Glenn Strange, previously known as a baddie in B-Westerns and from the cheapie The Mad Monster. According to Strange, Karloff was immensely helpful to him in learning the Monster's "moves" - although the Monster really doesn't have a lot to do in this film until the end.
The first part of the film deals with Dracula, now played for the first time by John Carradine.
Here, we see, also for the first time, Dracula transforming into a bat (in a shadow silhouette) and also, in bat-form, biting a victim (also in shadow). However - since, traditionally, vampires cast no shadow, well... And watch during the coach chase and Dracula's death - Carradine loses half of his false moustache! Guess they were too cheap at Universal Pictures to do any retakes.
Speaking of bloopers, we see the Wolf Man transform while looking into a mirror in medium close-up. Fine so far. But, when the camera pulls back, we see that the Makeup Dept. forgot to give Lon Chaney the hairy werewolf gloves to complete the character's look. This too, was left in the finished film.
This was an early film for young actress Elena Verdugo, who played Ilonka the Gypsy girl. According to her, Chaney (who had a reputation as a hell-raiser and a bad drunk) was nothing but a gentleman to her during filming and was quite protective of her. (On the other hand, Evelyn Ankers, Chaney's co-star in 1941's The Wolf Man and a stalwart of Universal's early '40s horror films, definitely did not get along with Chaney.) Elena Verdugo went on to become well-known for playing "Consuelo" on the TV series Marcus Welby, M.D. from 1969-1976. She died in 2017 at age 92.
A number of familiar faces to look for: Lionel Atwill (post sex-scandal) as Inspector Arnz, George Zucco as Prof. Lampini, Sig Ruman (the heavy in several Marx Bros. films) as Hussman, Frank Reicher (Capt. Englehorn in the original King Kong and Son of Kong) as Ullman, Brandon Hurst (character actor who appeared in 1932's Murders in the Rue Morgue and the original 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame with Lon Chaney Sr.) as Dr. Geissler, and probably some others whose names escape me at the moment.
Ever wonder why, when Dracula is revived, even his clothing rematerializes? Guess it wouldn't do to have a newly-reanimated, butt-naked skinny vampire flapping around the sleepy hamlet of Riegelburg trying desperately to buy formal wear and a cape before the sun comes up!
Semi-Spoiler Alert: Though Count Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Frankenstein Monster all die in the film (what a surprise!), only the Monster is brought back in the next film (1945's House of Dracula) with a continuity link to this one. Drac and Wolfie just appear with no explanation given as to how they "survived" their fates in House of Frankenstein.
Anyway, don't take the film too seriously, sit back with a couple of beers (or more) and enjoy.
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
A couple of other bits of House of Frankenstein-related trivia:
Actress Anne Gwynne (1918 - 2003) was the grandmother of actor Chris Pine.
Yugoslav-born actor Peter Coe (1918 - 1993) gave his friend, infamous schlock writer/director Ed Wood and his wife Kathy a place to stay in 1978 after they were evicted from their apartment. Shortly afterward, Wood died of a heart attack while resting in Coe's bed.
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
Ah, The Return of the Vampire. Gee, I didn't know he'd been away!
A nice little film that I've enjoyed since childhood. Low budget, but atmospheric.
Interesting facts:
How to melt a vampire: The disintegration was achieved by a plaster face casting of Bela Lugosi that was duplicated in wax by makeup artist Clay Campbell. Campbell had previously worked in a wax museum before becoming a makeup artist and used the techniques he had previously employed in creating wax effigies - e.g., implanting hairs one at a time with a hot needle so the Lugosi head looked amazingly real in close-up. Unfortunately, the heating element built into the in the plaster skull understructure melted the wax far too slowly to be used in "real time" and the effect was drastically shortened in the finished film. (It worked better in Raiders of the Lost Ark, but they had to really speed up the film!) Copies of this Bela Lugosi life-mask can occasionally be found for sale on the Internet. Only two face casts were known to be taken of Lugosi; the one taken in 1955 for The Black Sleep is believed lost.
Well, this has been speeded up and "dissolved" together into one continuous shot. It sure didn't look like this in the film - though it's still pretty gruesome for its time, I'd say! (I like the way his ear falls off!)
Werewolf spawns lawsuit! Yep, Universal Pictures sued Columbia Pictures claiming that the design for Andreas the Werewolf was pilfered from The Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney Jr., filmed two years earlier. Columbia did not prevail, as the design was quite different - and besides, this wolf could talk and never bit anyone - although he did punch a cop during a brawl (or the stuntman did). Clearly a case of Universal barking up the wrong tree.
Reverse image. At some point while editing the film, it was discovered that the shot of Andreas's final transformation from werewolf to human did not match the shots of the actor immediately before and after, so the scene was simply printed in reverse rather than spend money reshooting the entire transformation with the special effects involved. Notice that his mole is on his other cheek and he holds the crucifix in his left hand for this shot only.
Next week's Svengoolie: Cry of the Werewolf from 1944, starring Nina Foch (who was Nikki in The Return of the Vampire).
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
My opinion: A somewhat unsung little gem from 1956. A B-movie, shot on a lot of real locations, it's a simple, straightforward story about when bad shit happens to an ordinary guy. Some nice makeup (Clay Campbell recycled his lycanthrope design from 1943's Return of the Vampire and doubled the hair), a couple of genuinely scary scenes and a very sympathetic performance by Steven Ritch as the title character. Also, IMHO, this was probably one of the best roles Don Megowan ever had - unless you've seen Creation of the Humanoids!.
If you've never seen this film, I'd say it's a good way to kill two hours. And Sven's commentaries are always informative.
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
My opinion: A somewhat unsung little gem from 1956. A B-movie, shot on a lot of real locations, it's a simple, straightforward story about when bad shit happens to an ordinary guy. Some nice makeup (Clay Campbell recycled his lycanthrope design from 1943's Return of the Vampire and doubled the hair), a couple of genuinely scary scenes and a very sympathetic performance by Steven Ritch as the title character. Also, IMHO, this was probably one of the best roles Don Megowan ever had - unless you've seen Creation of the Humanoids!.
If you've never seen this film, I'd say it's a good way to kill two hours. And Sven's commentaries are always informative.
Signor V.
Agree, , great flick... I love the way it was shot and the sets.... I also loved the Gypsys especially the old lady who ended up in many movies.
Tonight - The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Originally in 3-D, it's being shown "flat", though I understand the original version as been restored.
Some trivia: The Creature himself was played by two people. The swimming and underwater scenes were performed by Ricou Browning, an expert swimmer from Hawaii. On land, it was Ben Chapman. Chapman was quite a bit taller than Browning, so two Creature suits were needed.
As far as the creation of the monster itself, though Bud Westmore received screen credit, the design, sculpture and execution was more of a team effort by Westmore's crew. Here's an interesting article - it's a bit long, but parts of it deal with an unsung artist named Millicent Patrick:
Tonight - The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Originally in 3-D, it's being shown "flat", though I understand the original version as been restored.
Some trivia: The Creature himself was played by two people. The swimming and underwater scenes were performed by Ricou Browning, an expert swimmer from Hawaii. On land, it was Ben Chapman. Chapman was quite a bit taller than Browning, so two Creature suits were needed.
As far as the creation of the monster itself, though Bud Westmore received screen credit, the design, sculpture and execution was more of a team effort by Westmore's crew. Here's an interesting article - it's a bit long, but parts of it deal with an unsung artist named Millicent Patrick:
A 1964 kitsch classic from William Castle - Joan Crawford in...
Strait-Jacket
A little trivia here: Does anybody remember who played her cheating husband who gets whacked in the scene above? He went on to become quite famous as a TV actor just a few short years later. You might say he was a "major" star...
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
A 1964 kitsch classic from William Castle - Joan Crawford in...
Strait-Jacket
A little trivia here: Does anybody remember who played her cheating husband who gets whacked in the scene above? He went on to become quite famous as a TV actor just a few short years later. You might say he was a "major" star...
Signor V.
I’m only guessing.... Lee Majors ? From your Hint.
A 1964 kitsch classic from William Castle - Joan Crawford in...
Strait-Jacket
A little trivia here: Does anybody remember who played her cheating husband who gets whacked in the scene above? He went on to become quite famous as a TV actor just a few short years later. You might say he was a "major" star...
Signor V.
I’m only guessing.... Lee Majors ? From your Hint.
I’m gunna look it up.
MY Wife had a gues also ,, the guy from Major Dad.
I’m only guessing.... Lee Majors ? From your Hint.
We have a winner!
(I did sorta give it away, didn't I?)
Signor V.
Yes, good hint.... we enjoyed that. After making our guesses we googled it. We love Q&A.... We compete against each other in Jeopardy every night we can watch.
We paused the credits three times already, we both thought the youn girl looked familiar but as you said Lee Majors did not get a a credit neither did she.
We paused the credits three times already, we both thought the youn girl looked familiar but as you said Lee Majors did not get a a credit neither did she.
According to the Imdb, the uncredited actress was Patricia Crest (aka Patricia Krest). Very little about her on that site. Just a few credits and nothing after Strait-Jacket.
Not a familiar name or face to me.
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
We paused the credits three times already, we both thought the youn girl looked familiar but as you said Lee Majors did not get a a credit neither did she.
According to the Imdb, the uncredited actress was Patricia Crest (aka Patricia Krest). Very little about her on that site. Just a few credits and nothing after Strait-Jacket.
Not a familiar name or face to me.
Signor V.
That movie was the best Svengoolie ever had, we loved it.
That movie was the best Svengoolie ever had, we loved it.
Yep. It was definitely memorable. As decapitation movies go, it was a bit of a groundbreaker.
Of course it was not seen from this angle in the film - and the axe-wielding figure was only seen in shadow. Here, we can clearly see it's not Joan but Diane Baker in a mask, possibly ruining the whole climax of the film!
Seriously, you have to remember that back then (early 1960's) losing a head, hand, limb or anything similar on-camera was rare in mainstream US films. Nowadays we're used to seeing everything lopped off in loving, gory detail.
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
That movie was the best Svengoolie ever had, we loved it.
Yep. It was definitely memorable. As decapitation movies go, it was a bit of a groundbreaker.
Of course it was not seen from this angle in the film - and the axe-wielding figure was only seen in shadow. Here, we can clearly see it's not Joan but Diane Baker in a mask, possibly ruining the whole climax of the film!
Seriously, you have to remember that back then (early 1960's) losing a head, hand, limb or anything similar on-camera was rare in mainstream US films. Nowadays we're used to seeing everything lopped off in loving, gory detail.
Signor V.
True. The craziest thing back then was Giant Ants and a few Martians.
This was one of the first movies I ever saw in a theater. I was all of six years old and my sister (then 16) and my brother (then 14) took me on the bus to see it in Coney Island. It was a little too much for me and about all I really remember is the scene where the octupus threw one of his tentacles over The Golden Gate Bridge. Years later I saw a movie poster showing that scene and the memories came flooding back. It was a cheesy movie, but it was a GOOD cheesy movie. I love sci-flick from the '50s, especially those starring Kenneth Tobey who was known for his his '50s tv show, "WhirlyBirds" (about a helicopter pilot). His other monster movies from that period included, "The Thing" (a GREAT movie with fast-paced dialogue that is among the best ever) and "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms", whose sad ending was in my beloved Coney Island.
The wonder years of my summer life were spent in Coney Island late 60 - 70s. Parents took us to CYO beach club off Surf ave and we would enjoy the boardwalk and park as well for many years.
I agree, Great cheesy movies. I am going to look up the tv show ( Whirly Birds) - sounds familiar.
The wonder years of my summer life were spent in Coney Island late 60 - 70s. Parents took us to CYO beach club off Surf ave and we would enjoy the boardwalk and park as well for many years.
I agree, Great cheesy movies. I am going to look up the tv show ( Whirly Birds) - sounds familiar.
Surf Avenue had three big movie theaters back in the '50s. It was there I had a traumatic experience when I was a kid. I saw "Bambi" there when I was about six years old and it devastated me when Bambi's mother died. That stuck with me for years. But I digress. Years later my draft board was on Surf Avenue and I was really lucky that I came from that "poor" section that had lots of guys available for the draft. (I also had a high number, by birthday, in that first lottery (1969).
Anyway, if you've never seen "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" you should check it out. Great FX for the time (Ray Harryhausen) and the local tie-in (the monster comes from the North Pole down the Atlantic current into NYC and comes ashore in lower Manhattan and then eventually back to Manhattan Beach and Coney Island (although it was really filmed in California). Look for a very young Lee Van Cleef as the marksman who kills the monster with a uranium dart).
The '50s had tons of these Grade B sci-fi flicks and some of them were quite memorable. One of my favorites was "Them", a REALLY good movie. The FX were terrible (giant ants) BUT the buildup to the story was absolutely terrific. The first 30 minutes of the movie (especially the scenes in the desert) were hauntingly suspenseful and as good as any movie I've ever seen. Stars James Whitmore (the poor man's Spencer Tracy) and James Arness who played "The Thing" in 1951 and later became famous on tv as Marshall Dillon in "Gunsmoke". Even more cheesier as far as FX went was "The Crawling Eye" which basically looked like a skeevy egg omelet but it had a decent story and starred Forest Tucker, later of tv's "F Troop".
.
Re: Svengoolie
[Re: SC]
#965684 03/10/1902:32 AM03/10/1902:32 AM
"The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" arrives in NYC. He came ashore at the Fulton Fish Market piers, the same location that many of you younger people may remember from "Goodfellas" (where they found a frozen Frankie Carbone in the meat truck).
A 1964 kitsch classic from William Castle - Joan Crawford in...
Strait-Jacket
Signor V.
I remember that this movie was shown late at night, on one of the first nights that local TV transitioned into all night broadcasting, from when they used to sign off at midnight.
As a pre-teen watching this, I was hoping for a graphic "sex," and was not interested in the adult violence.
"The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" arrives in NYC. He came ashore at the Fulton Fish Market piers, the same location that many of you younger people may remember from "Goodfellas" (where they found a frozen Frankie Carbone in the meat truck).
When seeing this movie as a child on TV, I remember being upset and crying when the monster was killed.
Son of Dr. Jekyll is interesting, not because it's a particularly great film (it isn't), but because of the way the monster transformation (singular - there was only one) was achieved. Hayward (Jekyll) changes without any camera stopping, lap dissolves, etc. because the Hyde makeup is painted on in red greasepaint, then filtered lighting (or a filtered camera lens) works an effect only possible in black and white.
The technique had been around for many years in film. In the 1927 silent Ben-Hur, lepers were healed this way. Here is a clip from the 1932 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with Fredric March:
And from 1937's Sh! The Octopus:
Curious as to how it's all done? Check this out:
The red lighting cancels out the red makeup, and when the lighting changes, the blue light and the red makeup mix together and you get a blackish-purple instead of red. And remember, that all this would be seen in black & white, not color.
Fascinating stuff.
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
Cynthia Meyers....if u (all) ppl. don't know what I'm talking about....Google her..I know Dues is good 4 that...he's hip..LOL.she's in all the Valley movies of the 60s...
Cynthia Meyers....if u (all) ppl. don't know what I'm talking about....Google her..I know Dues is good 4 that...he's hip..LOL.she's in all the Valley movies of the 60s...
Ahhhh, Cynthia Myers. I'm old enough to remember the Playboy centerfold that first put her on the map, as it were. I believe it was in 1969, and that's how Russ Meyer cast her in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
Gone, but definitely not forgotten.
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
Cynthia Meyers....if u (all) ppl. don't know what I'm talking about....Google her..I know Dues is good 4 that...he's hip..LOL.she's in all the Valley movies of the 60s...
Ahhhh, Cynthia Myers. I'm old enough to remember the Playboy centerfold that first put her on the map, as it were. I believe it was in 1969, and that's how Russ Meyer cast her in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
Gone, but definitely not forgotten.
Signor V.
Very smart & well remembered Vitelli..I did not think anyone was on the same page (so 2 speak) as I..wonderful creature God has given us in those days huh?/
Speakin' of..Vitelli..did u know or remember that the actress Diane Lane's mother was an early Playboy Centerfold or Stella Stevens..way back in the day???
A true classic, at least by my definition. I liked it because none of the "monsters" played it for laughs; their roles were pretty much played "straight" (except for the Frankenstein Monster's reaction to Lou Costello in the House of Horrors). Special effects (or, the budget) now allowed for actually showing us - albeit with cell animation - Dracula's bat transformation:
But, here are a couple of tidbits regarding Bride:
The original ending, as shot, wasn't exactly a happy one - at least not for Dr. Frankenstein. Originally, he perished in the exploding laboratory and in a couple of the high-angle long shots of the debris falling, he is clearly seen standing against a wall next to the Bride. It was decided to give the film a happier ending, as well as to excise about 20 minutes from the film before release. A lot has to do with Karl (Dwight Frye) and how he murders his uncle and frames the Monster for the crime.
A small baby in a jar (Billy Barty) is visible in long shots of the miniature people on Pretorius' table, yet we never see him described. The scene was cut before the film's general release.
The character of Hans (father of the little girl drowned in the first film) is played by Reginald Barlowe, but in Frankenstein the character was played by Michael Mark. Hans's wife (who was not in the original film) is played by Mary Gordon, who played Mrs. Hudson the Sherlock Holmes film series starring Basil Rathbone.
Unintentional laugh: The all-too-obvious dummy thrown from the tower by the Monster. (Like they should have used a human being? )
Actor Ernest Thesiger (Dr. Pretorious) liked to do needlepoint. In fact, he had written a book on it several years earlier. He was known affectionately as The Stitching Bitch.
One of my favorite "creation of life" scenes - certainly outdoing the original Frankenstein with better camerawork and a magnificent score by Franz Waxman where music and action synchronize to an amazing crescendo. It must be experienced.
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
“ The Stitching Bitchâ€. Love that....already sharing that with my Wife, who happens to be the the Author of the most leading stitching guide in the Industry.
If, like me, you're a fan of Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, then you will find this behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the film quite fascinating. It's called "Abbott & Costello Meet the Monsters" and don't be misled by the "bloopers" - while there are some outtakes, it's really a very good documentary.
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
I haven't finished the documentary I linked to above, so I don't know if this behind-the-scenes story is mentioned or not - but I want to tell it before anyone watches Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.
Frankenstein actor Glenn Strange stood 6'6" and did not need a stunt double when he played the Monster. But an on-set injury changed that - he broke his ankle when he tripped over a large cable. The Monster's boots were basically made out of cork with solid soles and covered with material, so a boot was hollowed out to accommodate the ankle cast Strange now had to wear. But he was doubled in one physically strenuous scene by Lon Chaney Jr., marking the first time Chaney played the Monster since Ghost of Frankenstein in 1942.
The scene takes place in the laboratory near the end of the film. The Monster picks up Dr. Mornay (actually, Lenore Aubert's stunt double) and throws her through a large window. This is Chaney. It's quite noticeable if you look at the film frame by frame.
Just figured I'd put in the "spoiler" in case there's one person left in the world who still hasn't seen this film!
Signor V.
"For me, there's only my wife..."
"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"
"It was a grass harp... And we listened."
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
I watch Svengoolie sometimes. He plays some boring movies, but he's got a lot of real classics, too. He usually has some pretty funny commentary about the movies too.
I watch Svengoolie sometimes. He plays some boring movies, but he's got a lot of real classics, too. He usually has some pretty funny commentary about the movies too.
Yes. Love the commentary and when he runs through the actors and what other gig they had in their career