[profh0011]

I felt the same way. I missed it on its initial release, but managed to see it on a double-bill with YOG, MONSTER FROM SPACE.  11 Japanese monsters on a BIG screen!!!  And it really was one of their better stories, too.

After that the bottom dropped out, until TERROR..., where they at least managed to end the run on an "up" note (I always rememeber thinking it was played as "serious" as ULTRA MAN, which usually managed to be better than the feature films from the same studio.)

[profh0011]

Tonight's film...


Guy rides into town, in the first 10 minutes, he kills 3 men and rapes 1 woman!  (But they ASKED for it!!!)


Come on, you can name the film!

[paw broon]

Nope.  But then again, I'm not the world's biggest film buff.  Curious, though.
Some of you may be interested to know that Primeval, series 5, starts tomorrow night, here in U.K. on Watch.  This is a bit odd as Watch is a digital channel that loads of people either don't know about or can't get. Also, I was sure it was supposed to be on ITV, one of the terrestrial stations, which everyone can get.

[Geo (R.I.P.)]

I believe we only got to see a few of the first seasons shows here on the Sci-Fi Channel before they pulled it. It was different though.

Geo

[Captain Audio]

Tonight's film...


Guy rides into town, in the first 10 minutes, he kills 3 men and rapes 1 woman!  (But they ASKED for it!!!)


Come on, you can name the film!

"High Plains Drifter"
At the end he paints the town red and renames it Hell, then burns it to the ground.

[profh0011]

"I never did know your name."
"YES, you do."


(Mordecai has just finished inscribing the tombstone of the murdered marshall, Jim Duncan. The camera focses on this for a reason. As The Stranger rides off, he and his horse VANISH into thin air.)





Over at the IMDB, there are multiple discussions about who this guy really was...


1) Jim Duncan's brother
2) Jim Duncan's GHOST
3) THE DEVIL


"You can't mean the church!"
"I mean ESPECIALLY the church!"

[bowers]

Some of you may be interested to know that Primeval, series 5, starts tomorrow night, here in U.K. on Watch.  Great! Now if only BBC America or On Demand will pick it up, I can find out what happened to Connor. Excellent season finale for the Mentalist, but was it real?  The new Leverage season starts next month- should be good. Cheers, Bowers

[narfstar]

Mentalist was really good. And yes it has to be real not to ruin it. Chuck finally was great but so is every episode. My wife and I look forward to Leaverage together. BTW on a sad note one of my son and my favorite shows to watch together was No Ordinary Family which I thought was great every show got canned.

[bowers]

Narf, it does seem that more than a few good shows will be cancelled. Is this to make way for more cheapo "reality" programs (which are about as unscripted as professional wrestling), or is the industry in such a panic that they refuse to give shows a chance to build an audience? Cheers, Bowers

[josemas]

Well I finally watched an episode of the early CBS television program Suspense that I have been wanting to see since I first heard about it.  It was the September 29, 1949 episode entitled "The Comic Strip Murder".

The show starred Lili Palmer, Don Briggs and Eva Marie Saint. However what makes it really neat for us comics fans is the fact that Dick Ayers did the art for the detective comic strips shown in the episode and also Dick's hands "stunt doubled" for actor Don Briggs whenever they needed a closeup of the artist drawing his strip.

Quality of the surviving episode is just "okay" (as the process of making kineoscopes was still fairly new at the time) but it is watchable and likely as good as it is ever going to be.   I'm just glad it has survived as so many other live shows from past decades are lost either because they were never recorded in the first place or because the recordings were later discarded.

Anyway for anyone who wants to check it out it's available on the Suspense:The Lost Episodes: Collection 1 DVD set (or in the bigger box set that also includes collections 2 & 3).   Quite a few name actors make appearances in these early Suspense episodes including Leslie Neilsen, Boris Karloff, George Reeves, Ray Walston, Anne Francis, Kim Hunter, Barry Nelson, Paul Newman and many more.

Best

Joe

[profh0011]

"or is the industry in such a panic that they refuse to give shows a chance to build an audience?"


Ever since the late 70's, it's been getting worse and worse.


I knew things had really gone to hell when POLICE SQUAD! (in color) was only given the go-ahead for 6 episodes (not 13), and, they yanked it off the air after only 4.

[paw broon]

Sorry, forgo to say that we watched the 1st episode of the new series of Primeval this week and it was another behind the settee start.  Excellent, disgusting monster and more intrigue than you can shake a stick at. And Ben Miller is funny.

[profh0011]

This week:

THE ABC MURDERS

DESTROY ALL MONSTERS
GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER
GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND
GODZILLA VS. MEGALON

The last is not only aimed squarely at kids, it's also got the most deliberatly HILARIOUS monster fight ever filmed, at the end.  Godzilla is reduced to being a guest-star in his own film, but when he finally arrives at the scene where 2 of the screwiest-looking monsters ever are beating the C*** out of the robot, "Jet Jaguar", a genuine "WWF"-style pro wrestling tag team match begins-- only, with monsters!!! The only film in the series where I wound up laughing uncontrollably-- it's that funny.

[profh0011]

This weekend:

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS  (w/ Pierce Brosnan)

2nd time for me, 1st since it was 1st-run.  I tried to like this... but there must be THOUSANDS of reasons why the 1956 version is superior.  On every single count.  (Except maybe the "prologue" which should have been cut entirely.)  6 hours (including the commercials, must be 4-1/2 hours without them), and just SLOW. And DULL.  No "pep" like the other one, and the "political correctness" that cropped in when the American Indians atacked the train was appalling. Also, Peter Ustinov gives the worst acting performance in the entire film, and possibly of his entire career. Which really hurts, as he's one of the 4 main characters.



TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA

Wow.  What a DAMN GOOD film. The climax was a bit disappointing, somehow, but otherwise, this was the only "G" film of the 70's that took itself as serious as an episode of ULTRA MAN.


GODZILLA 1985

Oh-- WOW.  This was just a GREAT film!! Story, production, directing, acting, editing, camerawork, effects, music... They out a lot of money and WORK and CARE into this one.  I've heard the Japanese version is even better... but it'll still be a while before I see any of those.

Oh yeah, and this had the CUTEST actress I've seen in any of these films yet.

[BountyHunter]

On my viewing list for today:

Gorgo

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla

The episode "Crossover" from Season 2 of DS9.

Then I'll go down for a nap, as I have to work the night shift tonight.

Hey profh0011, I don't suppose you're over on the Toho Kingdom forums?

[profh0011]

No, but I've seen it.

While many IMDB reviewers these days are obsessed with a film being "accurate" to a novel to the total exclusion of all other considerations (never mind that, yes, as it happens, some BAD novels have become GREAT movies), in the giant monster category, the obsession right now seems to be, "the JAPANESE version is BETTER!"

While I have no doubt of this... the sad truth is, for decades, they were never available, and so far, I have not seen ANY of them (nor am I likely to ANYTIME SOON).

So, for example, I find myself of mixed feelings when I watched GODZILLA 1985 last night, and found it MAGNIFICENT... then, today, I read about the EXTENSIVE changes made from the original version, and I have to shake my head and wonder, "What's WRONG with these people???"  (The US companies that made so many damn changes to what had been a damn good movie in the first place)

In the case of G'85, the idea of adding Raymond Burr (because the film was a direct sequel to the '56 film and he was in the US version of that) was a good one.  the WAY they added him, though, makes you shake your head, as he's not integrated with the other characters (despite his being a journalist and the film's main character ALSO being a journalist!), and the characters he is seen with, mostly US Army types, are ALL written and played as COMPLETE IDIOTS!!!  (Rumor has it the US version was supposed to be a COMEDY! Hence, one line left in, "Quite an urban renewal program they've got going there." Shades of the purely-US "G" movie of 15 years later. Is it ironic that the Americans made the Americans look so stupid, while at the same time trying to make the Russians look EVIL?)  It was only played as straight as it was in the US version-- with Burr being VERY serious and sombre-- because BURR insisted on it!  Gotta love him for that.

Just found out this weekend that the oil crisis of the 70's was what led to the suspension of the Godzilla series in the mid-70's.  Never knew that!  Also, the '84/''85 film didn't do well at the box office, especially the '85 film (which was universally panned, probably by people who never even saw it, like one guy at work I remember who rudely dismissed it the instant I mentioned having seen it), and that resulted in Toho not even bothering to distribute ANY of the later sequels in the US... until GODZILLA 2000.  (Oddly enough, I keep running across opinions saying "2000" was better than any of the films that never made it here.  Maybe there's a connection?)



Today:

THE SAINT'S DOUBLE TROUBLE

George Sanders did 5 SAINT films (and 4 FALCON films).  Of the 5 where he played Simon Templar, 2 were TERRIFIC, 2 were "okay", and 1 SUCKED--BAD.  This was one of the "okay" films.

Sanders plays 2 parts, including the film's main baddie, and Bela Lugosi is his partner in crime. I didn't catch his name, but there's also a rather funny, likeable (and dumb) henchman in this.  Here's a favorite scene...


"Hey, boss.  Just saw an accident down at the pier.  Woman ran her car right inta the river!"
"Oh, suicide, hmm?"
"Yeah, she... hey-- YOU ain't the boss!"
"What makes you say that?"
"Y-- you ain't wearin' the same clothes you were last time I saw ya!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yer Saint Augustine!"
"Now, just keep your hands where I can see them..."

This is the only movie I know that mentions Camden, NJ in the script.

[Menticide]

I saw Godzilla 1985 at the cinema. It was a rundown crappy theater in Wilmington, DE. It may not even be there anymore, but I saw a number of oddball movies there, like that one, Warriors of the Wind (the highly edited English dubbed version of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind), and some really schlocky sword and sorcery movies. But, that's beside the point, the problem with my first viewing of Godzilla 85 was that for the first half of the movie their was no sound, for some reason the soundtrack wouldn't work, and when I complained, the employees merely said sorry, and nothing else. They didn't offer to refund my money, or to give me a pass to another film, or anything else. So, I sat there, and watched without any sound. Eventually the sound kicked in, but it was a little too late.

Later I watched the Japanese version, but without any subtitles. Their was quite a bit of footage that was not in the American version, it seemed a little more dramatic, and there was some sort of political allegory going on (it wasn't just anti-Russian, it was anti-American too, and mostly just anti-Cold War).

My biggest problem with the American version was not necessarily the atrocious actors that were placed around Burr. It was the ridiculous product placement. There was an ad campaign at the time for Dr. Pepper that featured Godzilla, because of that New World Pictures put Dr. Pepper soda cans, and machines all over the place. It was really blatant and annoying to me.

As far as the other sequels go, Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla was one of my favorites of all of them, and Godzilla vs. Destroyer was a really good end to the series.

[narfstar]

Small towns had small theaters before TV took over. We had a small town theater until the some time in the sixties. The two movies I remember watching there (I did not know they were second run or low budget I was just happy to see a theater movie) were King Kong vs Godzilla and Tarzan (The Fearless or Seven Challenges not sure which). I think that may be why I still love King Kong vs Godzilla it invokes fond memories.

[profh0011]

I remember the days of small theatres.  All the ones in Camden were gone by the time I was growing up (the shame is, my Dad's favorite, The Mercury, was 2 blocks from our house!). But from time to time, you used to be able to see 2nd-run (or much older) films for cheap. And then there was The Venus down in Houston, which back in '71 had 3 films on the weekend for a BUCK!

Among the films I recall seeing there...

KONGA
REPTILICUS
GODZILLA VS. THE THING
CORRUPTION
TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA
THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD
THE OBLONG BOX
THE CRIMSON CULT
HORROR HOUSE
THE CONQUEROR WORM   (uncut-- good God!!!!)

These days, the nearest equivalent is the Ritz chain, which specializes in obscure, limited interest, "art" foreign imports, and reissues of old classics films.  There's 2 in downtown Philly (both near the river) and one out in Voorhees NJ.  Among the films I've seen at these places...

CITIZEN KANE
TOUCH OF EVIL
VERTIGO
REAR WINDOW
GONE WITH THE WIND
BEST IN SHOW
THE THIRD MAN
THX-1138
MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATRE 3000: THE MOVIE

Along with the very cushy seats (well, at least in the 2 Philly theatres), they also have the most unusual variety of drinks & snacks, stuff you can't find in  any other theatres. (But I just stick to Coke...)

[josemas]

Well our VCR started acting up the last few weeks and I ended up missing the last few episodes of several of the current series I was following but did manage to catch all of the Fringe and Bones shows as well as stay current on the new Doctor Who episodes as they've been running.  Hope to have a new VCR before the Summer shows start.


Other films and shows watched recently.

Insidious-2011-  Got out to the theaters again, caught this low budget horror film and was pleasantly impressed.  The film-makers get their scares the old-fashioned way with good camerawork, musical score, acting, a decent script and very little reliance on CGI effects.  No big name stars but I did recognize Patrick (Watchman) Wilson and Barbara (Boxcar Bertha-a guilty pleasure from my youth) Hershey.

3 animated features that the Lil Missus and I viewed and enjoyed-

Megamind-2010-Dreamworks-  Most fans of superhero comics should get a kick out of this one.

Ice Age: The Meltdown-2006-20th Century Fox-  Sequel holds up well enough with a good number of humorous scenes.

How to Train Your Dragon-2010-Dreamworks-  Probably the best of the three.  Vikings and dragons, oh my!


At Movie NIght-

Graft-1931-  Bumbling reporter stumbles onto the murder of a DA and some crooked politics.  Regis Toomey , who spent most of his film career in supporting roles, has the lead here but I kept watching Boris Karloff when ever he was in a scene.  Apparently director James Whale was watching Karloff too while they were filming this and decided he had found the man to play the monster in his next movie- Frankenstein (1931).

The Dick Van Dyke Show-Season Four (1964-65)-  We've been working our way through this set for a while.  One of the best sitcoms of all time with a great cast and writing.

D.W. Griffith: Father of Film-1993-  Three part documentary series does a fine job of covering this pioneering film director.

The Spider Returns-1942-15 chapters-   Not as violent as the first Spider serial (and way tamer than the Spider of the pulps) but plenty of action and humor made this a winner with our crowd.

The Ernie Kovacs Show-1950s-  We actually watched quite a number of bits from the new Kovacs DVD set available from Shout factory.  Some notable skits included Kovacs spoof of the Adventures of Superman TV show-"Superclod", the complete Saturday night color special Kovacs did in 1957 and a piece from the Tonight Show (when Kovacs was filling as host in between Steve Allen's departure and Jack Parr's taking over) which takes us on a tour of Kovacs and wife Edie Adams' Manhatten flat.  Adams arrives part way through the live skit still wearing her Daisy Mae costume, which she was wearing just down the road on Broadway, where she was appearing in Lil' Abner (for which she was to win a Tony award). 

Making of a Shooter-c.1946-   Interesting (but incomplete) educational film in an old Cinecolor print.  Looks like it might have been made by the NRA but we couldn't say for sure as the credits were missing from the print we viewed.


Continuing my Paul Newman fest-

Our Town-2003-   Actually a filming, by Showtime, of the Broadway revival of the play.  A few other recognizable faces are also in the cast (Jane Curtin comes most immediately to mind).  Interestingly enough Newman had done a live version Of Our Town (playing a different part) on TV in the mid 1950s (with Frank Sinatra, among others, in the cast) which is apparently extant and which I'd be curious to see to compare the two.

The Hustler-1961-   I forgot how good this movie is.  Seems more like a 1950s noir film than a 1960s film.  Perhaps because it was so beautifully filmed in black and white.  Some great supporting roles- especially by Jackie Gleason and George C. Scott.  The 2 disc DVD set has a number of additional features (documentaries/commentaries) which give a ton of info about the film.

Inside the Actors Studio-"Paul Newman"-1994-/Inside the Actors Studio-"Robert Redford"-2005-  After viewing these two episodes I now know where author Shawn Levy got a number of his quotes and stories about Newman for his biography that I read recently.  Loved seeing the bit where Newman stops to tickle the ivories with a little boogie woogie as he finds a piano while ambling across the theater's lobby after his interview.

Odds and Ends

Green Acres- Season One (1965-66)-   One of the great wacky sitcoms of the 1960s.  Whenever I hear someone refer to this a a piece of corn pone (or some such remark) I know that they either just don't get it or have probably never even really watched it!

Jack Armstrong-1947-15 chapters-   Rather so-so serial with John Hart in the lead.  I always thought of Hart as the uncharismatic guy who subbed for Clayton Moore on a season of The Lone Ranger.  He's a little younger here in this serial but no more charismatic.  A neat space ship shown in each chapter opening is very under utilized in the chapter-play.

The Gauntlet-1977-  This is the Clint Eastwood film that many remember for its Frank Frazetta movie poster.   It's pretty much as bad as I remember it with the whole scene at the end where the gauntlet of police fire thousands of rounds into Clint's bus while standing directly across the street from each other (an action that in reality would have had them mowing each other down!) epitomizing its stupidness of plot.  This time though I enjoyed it for it's extensive shots of the Phoenix (where a good chunk of it was filmed)of my teenage years (if not for the story).

The X-Files-Season Five (1997-98)-   Lighter in tone for most of the season until the very end when they set things up for the feature film that came out between this and the 6th season.

Five-1951-   Interesting, low budget, sci-fi film about a small group, of survivors of an mass atomic bombing.  It's produced, directed and written by Arch Oboler who was most famous for his radio work (Lights Out) as so is a little talky at times but still manages to hold your interest throughout.

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and fall of Jack Johnson-2004-  Excellent two-part documentary on the famous boxer by Ken Burns and co. They managed to dig up a ton of stills and film of the legendary pugilist.  Recommended.)

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season One (2005)-   Edgy, but at times very funny, recent sitcom.  My only question is where's Danny Devito?  I was told he was in the show but didn't see him in any of the shows this (admittedly short-6 or 7 episode) season.

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T-1953-   Saw stills of this as kid and was intrigued espeically upon learning that it was written by Dr. Seuss and had Hans Conreid, of all people, in the lead.  Finally got to see it on TCM several years back and found it a flawed little gem.  When I ran across the DVD at Big Lots I snatched it up and ran it for the Lil Missus who was not impressed and who's only comment was "Well I'm glad you liked it."

Alias Season Three (2003-04)-  Still keeping to the simpler, less layered, storyline approach that they switched to part way through last season left me a little less satisfied with this season as a whole.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest-2009-  Swedish move winds up their adaptation Steig Larsson's popular trilogy.  While still a good deal condensed from the books I found this one and improvement over the previous  film. Noomi Rapace has really grown on me a Lizbeth Salander.

Religulous-2008-  Bill Maher asks some hard questions of various religious figures (in between his monologues).  Commentary track on the DVD gives you more insight into him and his approach.  Sure to offend some.

SSSSSSS-1973-  Strother Martin ("What we have here is failure to communicate") finally gets a lead role as mad scientist sort who turns his unwitting assistants (one of whom is here played by a young Dirk "Battlestar Galactica" Benedcit) into reptiles.   Fun!

Best

Joe

[profh0011]

OUR TOWN -- I saw the Hallmark Hall of Fame version (I think) with Hal Holbrook.  Somehow, that left me hating Holbrook for many years... until I saw him on EVENING SHADE, where he stole every scene he was in. Later on, strangely enough, he was the reason I got hooked on reruns of DESIGNING WOMEN-- before I realized he was only in a handful of episodes!

GREEN ACRES -- I'm suddenly reminded how my brother told me when he was in college, this was his Frat House's favorite show.  "Arnold says..."

THE GAUNTLET -- saw this in a theatre (twice I think), and, had the actual full-size theatre poster on my wall for awhile!  I spent much of my time in high school writing humorous excessively-violent crime comics, and when I saw this movie, my thought was, "Oh my God! Hollywood has caught up to me!" A year later, a scene in this film (where a cop is ambushed on the road by a hit squad who thinks Eastwood is driving the car) was parodied in REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER, the only good 70's Clouseau film.

SSSSSSS -- Oh, man! This sounds like MST3000 should have tackled it.  I've enjoyed Strother Martin ever since he turned up as a prospector in the 2nd-season opener of LOST IN SPACE (where he was responsible for BLOWING UP the entire planet they'd been stuck on for the previous season).

[narfstar]

Green Acres and Get Smart are the best examples of doing something right. This type of humor is seldom done right and then successful. Sledgehammer was another example but that series did not make it. The Naked Gun movies were far more successful than the series which spawned them.

[profh0011]

I'm plowing thru my GET SMART tapes again (sadly incomplete, I seem to be missing the end of season 4 and beginning of season 5 somehow).  I've seen these so often, it's fascinating to watch the show evolve, not just the love story between 86 & 99, but also the style & quality of the writing when they switch producers.

I think season 3 went thru 3 different production teams-- serious, idiotic, and in-between.  Then I notice what must have been a budget cut in season 4, because for half the season, all of a sudden, they have 4 guys writing all the episodes-- the producer, exec producer and the 2 story editors.  And during this "committee" writing period, both Max & 99 are played much dumber than usual. (Sort of how most of the characters on THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES got dumber the longer the show was on.)  It got better later on, as they began having fewer and different writers again.  Some really good stories came out of the 5th season, but I'd love to strangle whoever changed the opening credits sequence-- both the visuals, but especially the earlier theme song arrangement, which had lasted 4 seasons.  I find myself shutting the sound off every time the 2nd version of the theme song comes on.

It's also amazing how Larrabee became SO MUCH dumber in season 5.  I think it wound up making Max seem (heh) smarter than the previous season.  I prefer when Max is a klutz, but not an idiot.

One of my favorite 4th-season stories is the 2-part "Prisoner Of Zenda" tribute SEQUEL.  4 writers worked on that-- the producer & story editor (they cut from 2 to 1 of those) for part 1, a woman for the first half of part 2 and Don Adams for the 2nd half of part 2.  The change in comedy style is noticeable.  Part 1 is stadard GET SMART material (and not bad).  Part 2 focuses on Max & 99, and is unusually heart-warming.  Then the climax of the story dives headlong into lunacy, which includes an UNCREDITED cameo by Don Rickles (who James Caan, also uncredited, calls "dummy"), and a thug named "Otto" who tries to retrieve a gun from a vat of molten bronze ("I'LL get it!"), causing Caan to comment, "Good help is hard to find."

Although the show had its share of bad episodes, I think it's safe to say it never "got bad" in general.  Except for those 5th-season credits.

[profh0011]

THE AVENGERS:  BULLSEYE

Cathy Gale: Company Director   ******

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

    This is one of those talk-talk-talky episodes that was bit tough to get thru first time, but has continued to get better on subsequent viewings. To investigate possible irregularities at a weapons-manufacturing company (their product is somehow finding its way to African revolutionaries), Cathy (with behind-the-scenes help and prodding by Steed) finds herself first owning a large number of shares, then being voted to the firm's board of directors. Before you know it, board members begin dropping like flies, and the police wind up eyeing Cathy as a likely suspect!

    Among the cast are Ronald Radd, who I always remember from THE PRISONER episode "Checkmate" as the man Number Six convinced he could be trusted. I've seen him on a number of AVENGERS and SAINT stories over the years, and here he plays a high-rolling investor determined to buy out the company so he can re-sell it at a profit-- and he always gets what he goes after. It's fascinating to watch when Cathy, suspecting HE may be the murderer, poses as a journalist to pump him for info, but soon a mutual admiration begins to grow between the two.

    Far shadier is Bernard Kay, who I always remember from the overlong Jon Pertwee DOCTOR WHO story, "COLONY IN SPACE", where as one of the unscrupulous Mining Company officers, he proved to have more scruples than his C.O. Here, his character is quite surprised when he tries to tackle Cathy and meets physical resistance he obviously didn't expect from a woman.

    I'm guessing Patrick Macnee had most of the week off when they were doing this, as he only appears in a few scenes, giving Cathy info, then stealing her away from her new admirer at the end, warning her, "You've got to be careful, you never know WHERE you might end up with his type!" (At which point, she makes SURE to set a dinner date with the man. Take THAT, Steed!)

[josemas]

I managed to sang all five seasons of Get Smart on DVD last year for some ridiculously low price (about $50) but have not worked them into my watching schedule. 

Henry, your post has encouraged me to get going on that.

Best

Joe

Best