Spirit Halloween 2018
As the new year starts, thoughts for many turn to Halloween 2019. Okay, maybe for just me, then. But here's a whisper of Autumn breeze for you, before the summer heat starts percolating and the politics start prickling again.
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I, Monster (1971)
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I, Monster was planned as a 3D movie using the Pulfrich Effect. Yeah, I'm not familiar with it either, but you can find out more about this interesting camera movement technique on Wikipedia. Brian McFadden in his Amicus Horrors, Tales from the Filmmaker's Crypt, notes that Christopher Lee wasn't keen on I, Monster, his last Amicus film, because of the constant camera movement the Pulfrich Effect required, which made editing the movie difficult. I can imagine the challenges with the setups for the camera were pretty vexing too and time-consuming.
The Cool Ones (1967) Movie Herald
Here's a hippy hippy shake for the new year, the movie herald for The Cool Ones. The artwork looks familiar. Jack Davis?
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Buck Rogers (1939) Pressbook
The Buck Rogers serial launched a million imaginations, along with Flash Gordon. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe) and his sidekick Buddy (Jackie Moran) awake 500 years in the future. They soon find the world of the future is not a happy place and jump into action fighting Killer Kane (Anthony Warde). All this will be familiar to fans of the 1979 television series starring Gil Gerard (well, except for Buddy, who was replaced by Twiki (Felix Silla), the diminutive robot). But Buster Crabbe, who played Flash Gordon, was the first Buck, and this serial is a lot of retro fun.
Comic reader version: Download Buck Rogers Pressbook
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Sing, Cowboy, Sing (1937) Pressbook
I'm not sure how singing and cowboys became a thing for movie fans, but here's Tex Ritter's Sing, Cowboy, Sing. Also, it was always important for a cowboy to have a special horse, and here it's White Flash. Of course, Gene Autry's Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer topped the charts in 1949, so there's something to singing cowboys for sure.
Comic reader version: Download Sing Cowboy Sing Pressbook
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Dr. Cyclops (1940)
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Fantastic special effects and fast pace keep this horror science fiction movie still enjoyable to watch. Wikipedia mentions it's the first American horror movie to use the three-strip technicolor process. Albert Dekker is especially sinister and dangerous as a scientist with no moral center. The colorful poster art uses Dr. Cyclops and Doctor Cyclops in its titles.
Silver City Bonanza (1951) Pressbook
A lost silver mine, a cowgirl in need, and a gang of ruthless outlaws. Buddy Ebsen provides the comic relief. Saddle up pardner and let's getting riding!
Comic reader version: Download Silver City Bonanza Pressbook
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Capulina Contra Los Monstruos (1974)
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Abbott and Costello weren't the only comedians to romp around with monsters.
Rock River Renegades (1942) Pressbook
Another Monogram Pictures distribution, Rock River Renegades stars Ray Corrigan, who performed many ape costume roles through the 1930s and 1940s. He also played the creature stowaway in It! The Terror from Beyond Space.
Comic reader version: Download Rock River Renegades Pressbook
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The Ghost That Walks Alone (1944) Pressbook
Here's another ghost-inspired crime comedy (cromedy?) from Columbia Pictures. Some pages are out of order but this 8 page pressbook is complete. The 1940s saw a lot of movies using a ghostly theme in storyline or title or both. This one seems to use it mainly in the title, sadly.
Comic reader version: Download The Ghost that Walks Alone Pressbook
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The Monster That Challenged the World (1957)
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Okay, giant mollusk monsters doesn't sound very scary, but the gooey stuff they spewed out was pretty disgusting. So there's that. One of my favorite 1950s monster movies. Of course, the men do all the heavy lifting and the women scream a lot. That speargun looks oddly placed, doesn't it?
The Living Ghost (1942) Pressbook
Another 1940s crime story with little to do with ghosts, courtesy of Monogram Pictures. Joan Woodbury played the Queen in Bride of Frankenstein.
Comic reader version: Download The Living Ghost
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