‘The Fever’ air date Jan.29, 1960 Written by Rod Serling, Directed by the great Robert Florey and starring Everett Sloane as the angry, feverish and ‘moralizing’ Franklin Gibson…it’s man vs machine…or is it…a monster! And money is the root of all evils…
“The nightmare terror of the slithering eye that unleashed agonizing horror on a screaming world!”
A mysterious radioactive cloud hides giant eyeball monsters with tentacles leaving a trail of bodies with no heads and a town in mortal peril… The Crawling Eye (1958) was penned by Jimmy Sangster and stars Forrest Tucker, Laurence Payne, and Jennifer Jayne.
A LOVECRAFTIAN NIGHTMARE…..!!!!!!!!!
THE SLEAK AND SEXY STEVE McQUEEN a misunderstood youth!
Karloff stars as Professor Henry Morlant a fanatical Egyptologist who rises from his tomb to seek revenge!
Also co-starring Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger, and Ralph Richardson. Directed by T. Hayes Hunter.
Happy Bump in the Night-Yours Truly…MonsterGirl
A Woman and a Tattered Dress…that exposed a town’s hidden evil!
The Tattered Dress is a story actually utilizing the Noir canon of misdirection. The film appears like a melodramatic pulp fiction courtroom drama, yet its muted focus on the object as Charleen Reston and the ensuing crime is a ruse. The film wrings out the real underlying quality of its psychological thrust which winds up telling a very different story in the end.
This is a soft sleepy noir court drama that takes place in a wealthy Nevada desert town and might be considered quite the departure for Jack Arnold who is beloved for his memorable contributions to some of THE best 50s sci-fi cautionary tales. The imposing gigantism in Tarantula (1955) The vast shots of sand and open expanses left me wondering if the large ghastly spider would come creeping out yet again from behind a bolder in The Tattered Dress. Arnold is actually very well known for his contributions to the Western (No Name On The Bullet 1959) as well as several vintage television series such as Peter Gunn, Rawhide, Perry Mason, Mod Squad, and It Takes a Thief.
I particularly love Arnold’s transcendental masterpiece The Incredible Shrinking Man. (1957) And his colonial-inspired science fact/fiction, study of the savage jungle reaches with The Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954).
To his sympathetic alien castaways in It Came From Outer Space. (1953) But consider that Arnold is also responsible for High School Confidential, (1958) The Glass Web (1953), Girls In The Night (1953), Man In The Shadow (1957), and The Mouse That Roared (1959), you see that he is a very versatile filmmaker with a vision toward social commentary.
JACK ARNOLD
The story is written by George Zuckerman and faithful Hollywood makeup artist Bud Westmore is on the crew for the makeup. Produced by Albert Zugsmith.
The film’s music is sensational. The overall vibe that swings between pulp melodrama orchestra and burlesque jazz is invigorating to the script. The score utilizes a Blues style Burlesque/ Show Tune Jazz using bassoon, oboe, horns, clarinet, piano timpani bass and viola, and a brass section.
Frank Skinner does the music and it’s supervised by Joseph Gershenson. With an uncredited musical contribution by Henry Mancini. (Charade 1963) Mancini was a genius known for countless film scores and musical direction for television. He died in 1994
It stars Jeff Chandler (Broken Arrow 1950 Merrill’s Marauders 1960 and Return To Peyton Place 1961) as the egocentric top criminal attorney James Gordon Blane, Jeanne Crain (State Fair 1945, A Letter To Three Wives 1949, Leave Her To Heaven 1945 and Pinky 1949) as his wife Diane, Jack Carson (Arsenic and Old Lace 1944 Mildred Pierce 1945 & Cat On A Hot Tin Roof 1958) as Sheriff Nick Hoak, Elaine Stewart as Charleen Reston, Phillip Reed as Michael Reston, Gail Russell (Night Has A Thousand Eyes 1948 and Angel and The Badman 1947) as Carol Morrow, Edward Platt (the Chief on Get Smart) as Journalist Ralph Adams, George Tobias (American theater, film, and television character actor well known for his role as Mr. Kravitz on Bewitched) as Billy Giles, Roger Corman regular Paul Birch as Prosecutor Frank Mitchell, and the familiar, omni present television and film character actor Edward Andrews as Lester Rawlings a seedy, pompous defense attorney.
Jeff Chandler is stone-like, in fact, his features are rather chiseled in a way that makes his looks unreal, more like a marble statue spouting lines. Yet there’s something in his face that is equally compelling at times. It’s hard for me to divine it. Having done plenty of war and western films, I’m not as familiar with his work such as Cochise in Broken Arrow 1950 or Away All Boats 1956. I’d like to acquaint myself with his work more as I don’t want to stop on The Tattered Dress and assume Chandler doesn’t possess a range to his acting. He was the leading man opposite Joan Crawford in the melodrama Female on the Beach in 1955.
Back to The Tattered Dress!
Of course MST3K is the best way to watch this precious episode.Â
Enjoy! MonsterGirl
Original Air Date"”16 December 1973
Robert Culp plays Dr. Bart Keppel an opportunistic “motivational research specialist guru” who uses subliminal cuts to commit murder. But Lt. Columbo is onto him right from the beginning as usual!
Starring Peter Falk as the inimitable & tenacious, underestimated and hyper perceptive Detective Columbo who always comes prepared with thoughtful anecdotes about his family and his ever present cigar. He’s shabby “like an unmade bed” but always lovable. The episodes are rooted in class conflict as Lt Columbo often inhabits the role of David up against the entitlement ridden criminal who thinks they’re a Goliath yet are no match for such a subtle and agile minded wit.
Just a quick note about Peter Falk, one of my favorite actors who created one of the most memorable characters of all time.
On June 4 2009 wife Shera Danese released a press statement asking for Falk’s privacy after a very public battle over conservatorship by his daughter. He has since retired from the business, due to illness and Alzheimers. I write this blog quote in honor of my admiration for his past work over the years, and wish the man peace and contentment on his journey.
MonsterGirl
Based on the novel by Jean Shepherd ” In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash.”
Here’s the magnificent blue eyed kid, Peter Billingsley as the self absorbed and opportunistic Ralphie.
Ralphie: “Yeah”
Ralphie: “Yeah”
I like that kid’s bomber hat and goggles!
MonsterGirl ( jogabriel )
Here is my song Wash Away from Hunting Down The Ceremony Volume II. Featuring The Cricket Chance in his first vocal performance. ( he sneaked inside the vocal room with me while I was laying down the track for Wash Away. I left him in there, because it seemed relevant and the right thing to do, since he sang in key!)
MonsterGirl (jogabriel)
THE CANTERVILLE GHOST 1947
One of my favorite film makers, Jules Dassin’s 1944 whimsical romp starring the always wonderful Charles Laughton as the cowardly, lovable and brooding, Sir Simon de Canterville. Also starring pixie Margaret O’Brien and Robert Young. Based on Oscar Wilde’s story of the 17th century cowardly Sir Simon who runs from a duel, only to be sealed into a room by his father who is ashamed of his son. Doomed to roam the castle until his American kin Cuffy can break the curse and set him free.
THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES 1946
Directed by Charles Barton this haunted history lesson stars the iconic comedy duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello with Marjorie Reynolds. Lou plays Horatio Prim. Bud Abbott plays a dual role as Dr Ralph Greenway the ancestor of Cuthbert Greenway. The beautiful Marjorie plays Melody Allen. Horatio and Melody have been condemned as traitors during the Revolutionary War, and now must try and track down a letter from George Washington proving their innocence. There is a hilarious scene with a pair of women’s under things running down the stairs scaring the bejesus out of Gale Sondergaard.
THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR 1947
Directed by another favorite of mine Joseph L Mankiewicz and starring again, one of my all time favorite screen beauties, Gene Tierney as Mrs. Lucy Muir who moves into an old sea captain’s cottage only to find it inhabited by Captain Daniel Cregg played by the marvelously droll and often irascible Rex Harrison. This is such a poignantly well told story of a gruff and hearty love that reaches from beyond the grave.
TOPPER 1937
Cary Grant and Constance Bennett (Marion and George Kerby) drive way too reckless. After realizing that they have died, they decide to have some fun with their uptight friend Cosmo Topper played by Roland Young. Directed by Norman McLeod
PORTRAIT OF JENNIE 1948
Another beautifully poetic haunted romance directed by yet again, a favored director of mine William Dieterle. Starring the effervescent Jennifer Jones and everyman actor Joseph Cotten. Jones plays Jennie Appleton and Cotten is Eben Adams the struggling painter she inspires. Great performances by Ethel Barrymore,Lillian Gish and Cecil Kellaway. Is Jennie real or merely a dream?
AND OF COURSE THIS CUTE LITTLE GUY!
