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[paw broon]

Re. The Falcon, I always preferred, Tom Conway - laugh as you wish.
Nostalgia bites now with me talking about those American shows.  I loved Boots and Saddles; Range Rider;Highway Patrol; Whirlybirds; 77 Sunset Strip, Sea Hunt.  Fortunately, I've managed to find copies of many of them and they still thrill.

[bowers]

"Boots and Saddles", "Grey Ghost" and McKenzie's Raiders" were all pretty good westerns dealing with the cavalry. Would love to find episodes of any or all. Also "77 Sunset Strip"- the first of Warner's long and successful line of detective programs. We are lucky to still get "Highway Patrol" and "Sea Hunt", but at 3 in the morning! Cheers, Bowers

[profh0011]

I've never seen RANGE RIDER, but I'd love to, based purely on liking Jock Mahoney. He's one of my favorite TARZANs, and funny enough, he played a couple of the nastiest TARZAN villains ever seen, as well!  (He was also one of Julie Newmar's henchmen in her 1st Catwoman story.)

I haven't seen SEA HUNT with Lloyd Bridges since the 60's.  But I do have a whole season of SEA HUNT on tape with Ron Ely!  (His daughter, played by Kimber Sissons, was REALLY cute.)

[paw broon]

I don't have Sea Hunt on disc but I've been watching episodes on youtube, here:-
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sea+hunt+&oq=sea+hunt+&gs_l=youtube.12...12681.12681.0.13796.1.1.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1ac.

[josemas]

YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN LEAVE IT TO BEAVER? I still love this TV show. It is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES. My wife's also. It is hard to explain why some shows hold up so much better than others. Yes this is 1950's morality plays but so darn good. It is similar to "Father Knows Best" or "Donna Reed" or "My Three Sons." But it is the better of the shows.
Be sure to start with the early episodes when Beaver was the youngest and work your way up.

LITB is also one of my all-time favs.  I've currently been alternating watching DVD episodes of it with Dennis the Menace on Tuesday mornings.

Best

Joe

[josemas]

I've never seen RANGE RIDER, but I'd love to, based purely on liking Jock Mahoney. He's one of my favorite TARZANs, and funny enough, he played a couple of the nastiest TARZAN villains ever seen, as well!  (He was also one of Julie Newmar's henchmen in her 1st Catwoman story.)

I haven't seen SEA HUNT with Lloyd Bridges since the 60's.  But I do have a whole season of SEA HUNT on tape with Ron Ely!  (His daughter, played by Kimber Sissons, was REALLY cute.)

A number of episodes of Range Rider have popped up on DVD because they were allowed to go PD.  A complete DVD set of Mahoney's other Western series, Yancy Derringer is due out this Fall.

I never saw the Ron Ely version of Sea Hunt.  It must not have played in my area as I likely would have checked it out if it did.

Best

Joe

[profh0011]

I'll be honest and say that there isn't much to the SEA HUNT revival.  Except for the gorgeous, stunning underwater photography, Ron Ely (one of my favorite actors) and Kimber Sissons (who is just so damn cute it almost hurts me to look at her). It's a very 'low key" "laid back" show with some advrnture or crime plots here and there... but sometimes, that's good enough. It's also one of the only half hour dramas I know of that was made after the 70's.


The last few days:

MARLOWE (1969) -- I've come to the conclusion that this film is TOTALLY incoherent. After watching it carefully 6 TIMES, I finally had to go to Wikipedia to read the plot of the novel, before I FINALLY understood who did what and why. GEEZ. You can't blame the director for that. (Can you?) It really should have been called 'THE LITTLE SISTER".

THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD (1970) -- still my favorite horror anthology film

LITTLE CAESAR (1931) -- barely, barely this side of a silent film. Edward G. Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and George E. Stone ("The Runt" from BOSTON BLACKIE) are all so young in this sometimes you can hardly recognize them. Well, except for Robinson, of course.  "YEAH!!!" It makes me shake my head to think how he brings about his own downfall, almost the same way Paul Muni did in SCARFACE-- by trying to kill his best friend!  He's not only an animal, he's an idiot, too.  (But don't call him "Yella", SEE?)

[narfstar]

Was the Sea Hunt revival the same time as the Get Smart revival. During a writers strike old scripts were re-shot as new episodes. Get Smart used Don Adam's son

[profh0011]

I remember the writers strike was when MISSION: iMPOSSIBLE was revived (1987?). Personally, I'm sick of people dismissing that show for that reason, as I loved the characters, most of the stories, and ONLY A FEW of the scripts were recycled. The rest were new.

As I recall (sure I could look this up-- but so you anyone else-- hint hint) SEA HUNT was a bit later, and GET SMART quite a few years later.  The 2nd movie, GET SMART AGAIN (in my view, the ONLY really good revival) was around 1988 or so.  The series with Andy Dick (the one really amjor mistake on their part) was at least 3 years later, maybe 5 or so. Seems that way in my memory.

Mike Nelson, as I recall, was a "lone wolf" type on the original show. But he was a widower with a gorgeous daughter in the sequel. They had a running joke that she couldn't cook (causing repeated disasters in the kitchen). That wouldn't have bothered me, I'd do the cooking myself.

[josemas]

I remember the writers strike was when MISSION: iMPOSSIBLE was revived (1987?). Personally, I'm sick of people dismissing that show for that reason, as I loved the characters, most of the stories, and ONLY A FEW of the scripts were recycled. The rest were new.

As I recall (sure I could look this up-- but so you anyone else-- hint hint) SEA HUNT was a bit later, and GET SMART quite a few years later.

The Mission Impossible revival ran from 1988-90, the Sea Hunt revival from 1986-87 and the Get Smart revival ran for a few weeks in early 1995.

Of course recycling old scripts was nothing new.  The 1974 Planet of the Apes series recycled old Rawhide scripts, for example.

Best

Joe

[profh0011]

Like I said, I could have looked it up...  I had a feeling SEA HUNT was on when I was still working at this one particular job I was at from 1980-88. I remembered telling someone there about Mike Nelson's daughter... who turned up in Philly making an appearance on a radio talk-show to promote the TV series.

I also remember John DeLanci turning up as a baddie in the 1st episode of STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION, a year later in the 1st episode of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (He was reponsible for murdering Jim Phelps' protoge, inspiring Phelps to come out of retirement), and then, as a minor baddie in the movie GET SMART AGAIN! You couldn't get away from that S.O.B.

Phelps broke his tradition of leaving the baddies wondering when he stood there in plain sight as the cops hauled away his friend's murderer, just to let the guy know, without words, "Yeah-- I'M the one who brought you down."  It was personal, see.  (A dozen episodes later, when his new team member Casey was murdered in the pre-credit sequence, he did the same thing. Phelps got meaner when he got older!  At least, to the bad guys.)

I always picture Jim Phelps sitting in some penthouse suite, watching the 1st M:I feature on a large-screen TV, and shaking his head, knowing that the events in that movie were NOT anything he or his people were ever involved with.

He probably then planned a sting operation to rip off a ton of money from the movie studio that was trying to ruin his reputation. And they'd never know he was the one who did it.

[profh0011]

 Watched TALES FROM THE CRYPT last night, watching THE VAULT OF HORROR tonight.


Legend has it Max Gaines LOVED the first film, but HATED the 2nd film, and pulled back the rights so a 3rd film never happened.


Now, the 1st one was directed by Freddie Francis (reknowned for his art directing), while the 2nd was directed by Roy Ward Baker (who's made some terrific flicks, and some turkeys). The 1st has STYLE, the 2nd... not so much. The 1st has a FANTASTIC cast, the 2nd... not so much. But I'd say, if I had to nail it down to ONE thing, it's the choice of stories.  The 1st has 5 terrific stories.  The 2nd one... well, 3 of the stories I really DON'T care for. Only the 5th one is an out-and-out classic, and, DAMN, that one's got both Denholm Elliot AND Tom Baker in it!!!


If there's one thing EC horror comics have as a common thing, it's ROTTEN characters who come to HORRIBLE ends.


I don't think all horror stories have to go that way. But a lot sure do.


It occured to me, while watching this... if someone ever got it into their mind to do a CHAMBER OF DARKNESS movie, they need look no further than COD #5 to have at least 2 FANTASTIC stories right off the top.  One was written by H.P.Lovecraft ("The Music Of Erich Zahn") and had art by Johnny Craig of all people (!!!). The other was by JACK KIRBY. Neither story has gruesome violence in it, either.  Can you imagine someone taking Craig's & Kirby's pages and using them as STORYBOARDS, basing the production design and the camera angles EXACTLY on what they did???


The only question I'd have would be... I';m sure they'd have to license the rights FROM MARVEL. But what about the Lovecraft story? Would that one require 2 DIFFERENT licenses-- one for the story, the other for the adaptation and art, to be able to do it as it was in the comic?


Any thoughts?  (And what OTHER stories would fit such a film?)

[narfstar]

I'll have to check some books and see what I think

[Kevin Yong]

It occured to me, while watching this... if someone ever got it into their mind to do a CHAMBER OF DARKNESS movie, they need look no further than COD #5 to have at least 2 FANTASTIC stories right off the top.  One was written by H.P.Lovecraft ("The Music Of Erich Zahn") and had art by Johnny Craig of all people (!!!). The other was by JACK KIRBY. Neither story has gruesome violence in it, either.  Can you imagine someone taking Craig's & Kirby's pages and using them as STORYBOARDS, basing the production design and the camera angles EXACTLY on what they did???

The only question I'd have would be... I';m sure they'd have to license the rights FROM MARVEL. But what about the Lovecraft story? Would that one require 2 DIFFERENT licenses-- one for the story, the other for the adaptation and art, to be able to do it as it was in the comic?

Filmmakers would have to get a license to visually adapt the comic book if it's still under copyright, but Lovecraft's original story itself is in the public domain ("The Music of Erich Zann" was published in 1922) and could be freely adapted without further permissions.

[Captain Audio]

I'd like to see the Conan story "Queen of the Black Coast" done as a film using the comic book adaptation as the story board. That was probably the most memorable of the Conan illustrated stories, a real work of art.

[paw broon]

At the coo's tail as usual.  Last wed. STV's late news show (this is Scotland's main commercial chanel) had an interview with Frank Quitely and "comics guru" John McShane. (I think he invented that title for himself.  He's the guy who ran aka the fanzine, issues of which you can find on CB+)  They were discussing Scotland's contribution to comics.  I can't give you a link to the show 'cos it isn't available outside the UK.  Sorry.

[profh0011]

The last week or so...

THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD
TALES FROM THE CRYPT
THE VAULT OF HORROR
ASYLUM
FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE
THE MONSTER CLUB

...as well as...

MALIBU EXPRESS
HARD TICKET TO HAWAII
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
FIVE DAYS ONE SUMMER
WRONG IS RIGHT
LAURA

[profh0011]

HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS
NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS

...as well as...

GUNN  (1967)
PETER GUNN  (1989)

[paw broon]

Suddenly we've got a few days of good weather and sunshine so we're trying to eat in the garden, tidy up the garden and go for walks, so, little time for telly.  But as this wont last any time at all, all the shows we missed we'll try to catch up on watch again.

[profh0011]

Oh yeah, and this morning...

LOST HORIZON  (1937)

My copy is 116 minutes. Figure that one out.

[profh0011]

Just watched something that might appeal to Hitchcock fans:  PRAYING MANTIS (1982), a 3-part suspense thriller that ran on MYSTERY! It features Jonathan Pryce (SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES) and Cherie Lungie (EXCALIBUR, THE SIGN OF FOUR), and a small cameo by Douglas Wilmer.  (No other actors I was familiar with.)  It starts out with marital infidelity, but then takes a nasty turn into a murder conspiracy, blackmail, suicide...  It's one of the sickest things I've seen in ages, story-wise.  One review I read suggested it "should have been made in the 40's".

[Menticide]

Doctor Who: the Five Doctors, just picked up a handful of classics DWs, should be preoccupied with things to watch for a while. I also recently bought the first two seasons of Sherlock on bluray. All of that should keep me busy until the new season of DW starts...

[profh0011]

I've now seen LOST HORIZON 3 times.  Now this is very strange... I first saw it (I think) on commercial TV in the late 60's.  It had such a powerful impact on me, at some point (late 60's? early 70's?) I had a VERY vivid dream about one particular scene in the film, which stuck in my head so strongly, that I was reminded, decades later, of the dream.

In the 80's (sometime) I taped the film off of PBS (or was it AMC?).  "Uncut", uninterrupted, but dodgy film quality, which got better or worse in different scenes.  But I didn't watch when I taped it, and never actually played the tape back...

About 5 years ago (or more) I finally saw it for a 2nd time, on TCM, in its currently "restored" edition. A lot of the film is STILL in terrible shape (quality-wise) but they put back in a lot that was cut over the years, including 7 minutes where they had sound but no picture, so (like the 1984 METROPOLIS restoration), they filled the gap with still photos.  I neglected to record this version of the film, however.

So 2 days ago, I finally watched my tape from the early 80's. It seems to me it's exactly what I saw on commercial TV in the late 60's, except without any breaks. Afterwards, I did a lot of reading about it online, and learned how long the thing was before it got severely cut by the studio (which was before it got further cut on reissues, etc.) I also read about the differences between the novel and film, and the 3 main changes, it seems to me, were all HUGE improvements.  1)adding a "comic" character (Edward Everett Horton).  2)adding a love interest (Jane Wyatt -- later known for FATHER KNOWS BEST and later still as Spock's mother!)  3)the main character DOES make it back to the valley at the end.

But now we delve into perhaps faulty memory stuff... because, I could have SWORN that when I saw this on TCM some years ago, that Ronald Colman actually DID make it back to ENGLAND... and then realized he had no place there, and was compelled to try to return to Tibet. Yet I could find NO mention of this anywhere online.  Is it possible I mis-remembered, or can I possibly be thinking of some other movie??? In the film, he develops amnesia, but then is rescued, but then, on the boat back to England, his memory returns, and he jumps ship.

It's amazing it took me so long to decide to watch this again, as I've talked about this film quite a lot in recent years.  Ever since I realized that Ronald Colman & Sam Jaffee were the part of the inspirations for Dr. Strange & The Ancient One.

[Menticide]

I just bought some samurai and ninja instructional videos. I know, that sounds like an odd purchase, but I'm using them as research material for a ninja comic that I've been trying to develop for a long time now. I was telling Boox the other night that if I could actually draw I'd have an entire universe of material out by now...

[narfstar]

We have several artists in our mix. Perhaps you can collaborate