Halloween Collegeville Skeleton Costume
Who doesn't want to dress up as a skeleton for Halloween? I wonder if the Collegeville skeleton mask glows under blacklight?
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Hallucination Generation (1966) Pressbook
Need to see some exploitation cinema? Here you go, you counterculture Sicknik. LSD scenes are in color. Wow. (Comic reader version: Download Hallucination Generation Pressbook.)
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Halloween Hairy and Scary Witch Costume 1970s
Here's a Ben Cooper Hairy and Scary Witch for you, posted by seller skyler4us on eBay.
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Weeny Witch Halloween Party Book
Another cool Halloween collectible I saw on eBay. Here's another Weeny Witch Halloween party book.
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The Shadow Collegeville Halloween Costume
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows! and maybe Lurch1125, who posted this vintage Collegeville costume on eBay. What this needed was a more exciting box to come in, but the costume looks pretty nifty, don't you think? I forget which Phil Seuling comic convention it was back in the 1970s, but there was this scrawny, nerdy, guy who had this weird, slowly building in pitch, laugh he'd do in imitation of the Shadow's trademark sardonic and mocking laughter. For the real deal you need to listen to the old Shadow radio shows with Orson Welles.
1960s Eveready Monster Flashlight Faces
Pesdudewelch on eBay had these Eveready Flashlight Monster Faces listed on eBay. Nice incentive to buy a magnet flashlight, especially for monsterkids. My favorite is the skull. Just another sign of how strong the monster craze was in the 1960s.
Vintage Halloween Collegeville Hobo Costume
Mikestaxidermy listed this Collegeville Halloween Hobo costume on eBay. I see a lot of political correctness and social sensitivity statements and didactics on the Internet regarding the use of a "homeless" person personification for holiday dress up to panhandle candy and party with, but that's part of today's sensibilities and how we perceive things. I tried to find information on the historical background to understand why the Hobo costume has been around for generations. So far I have only found a lot of opinion and repetition of opinion.
From old photographs, one can see it was in the repertoire of self-made costumers at the very beginning of Halloween's celebration. Perhaps panhandling has something to do with it: hobos would ride the train rails and go from town to town, living a life unfettered by convenient conventions and questionable propriety, and maybe ask for a hand-out now and then. But what do you think? Are hobo costumes still relevant today and acceptable?
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Terrors on Horseback (1946) Pressbook
I love westerns, grew up with them on television and in the movies. Grew up with Buster Crabbe, too. He portrayed Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, in those serials that inspired Indiana Jones and breathtaking cinema. So…here you go, pardner.
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The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) Pressbook
You may call it a B movie, but any film starring Boris Karloff is aces with me. The Man They Could Not Hang was one of 20 titles included in the Son of Shock movie package for television broadcast in 1958.
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Halloween 1946 Ad for Dessart Brothers
Mask Makers
Here's an evocative Halloween 1946 paper advert for Dessart Brothers. Note the quaint spelling of "Hallowe'en." Note also this ad is from the March 1946 issue of Playthings, the trade magazine. I repeat, March. So…some may complain Halloween shows up too early in the stores now, but maybe not early enough? Playthings magazine is still published.
Noel Neill Remembered
By Professor Kinema
She was petite, she was pretty, she was sweet and, oh yes, she was fan-friendly. Noel Neill will always be the Lois Lane I will remember from my youth.
Her association with Superman started in the first two Superman serials: Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs Superman (1950). The man of steel in these two serials was Kirk Alyn (who died in 1999). Jimmy Olsen was played by Tommy Bond (who died in 2005) – a grown up Butch from the little rascals.
When the TV series The Adventures of Superman began its 6 year run in 1952, she wasn't able to repeat her earlier screen role for the show's first season or its unforgettable pilot: Superman and the Mole-Men (1951). She did appear in Invasion USA (1952) along with Phyllis Coates, who did play Lois Lane for the first 26 episodes of the series, although they shared no scenes together in Invasion. When the second season was ready to be filmed, Coates had already committed to another series, allowing Noel Neill to return as Lois.
Watching the reruns over and over, one could glimpse Phyllis Coates' Lois as more plucky, but for the most part, Noel Neill was and is Lois Lane to fans. When the TV series abruptly ended in 1958 because of the death of star George Reeves, she felt another actor should have been cast and the series continued. That was not to be. John Hamilton as Perry White, who often said "Great Caesar's Ghost!" and "Don't call me Chief!" when flummoxed by Jimmy Olsen, also died that year. Jack Larson, another fan favorite as Jimmy Olsen, who often said "Yes, Chief!" and "Golly Mr Kent!"), died in 2015. For a while, Noel Neill lived in a real town in Illinois named Metropolis (the "official home of Superman"). There is a statue of Lois Lane there in her likeness.
After the television series ended she didn't appear on screen for the next 20 years. In 1978, Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill made uncredited cameo appearances in Superman starring Christopher Reeves. She also appeared in the 1980s Superboy television series, and in the 1990s in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. She did a credited appearance in 2006's Superman Returns, starring Brandon Routh.
My only encounter with her was about 8 years ago at a Chiller Convention. She was petite, pretty, sweet, and very fan-friendly.
Zombos Note: I was at that Chiller Convention also, and was about to walk into the room where Noel Neill was signing, but something else came up and I missed my chance. I probably would have bumped into Professor Kinema, though we didn't know each other at the time.
The Maze (1953) Pressbook
With its mystery and suspense building, The Maze can be seen as a transitional movie between the supernatural horror of the 1940s to the scientific and alien horrors of the 1950s. The shock makeup is not quite up to par, not even by 1950s standards. But a little gem of horror it remains. I know YouTube had a 3D copy for view, but you need a big screen to appreciate the depth. This and Night Monster would make an excellent double bill viewing for a midnight show (your home or in the theater 😉 Here's the comic reader version: Download The Maze Pressbook
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