From Zombos' Closet

Quasimodo's Monster Magazine Vol. 2 Issue 8 Part One

Once again it's time to travel back to a time when pulpy paper printing and monstrous humor were all the rage. Today, let's enjoy issue 8 of Quasimodo's Monster Magazine, a magazine that gave you a big 100 pages, if not much else. In this first half of the magazine, we are treated to The Mummy Through the Ages, The Invisible Man (a sight for sore eyes), and funny comics related to the lead articles. More funny, now that we look back at them, are the advertisements: from the imported lock blade stilletto knife (moms loved that one), the Are You Having Trouble Reading This Ad? hawking eye exercises (funny, but now I could use those exercises), no-real-selling-needed order taking for metal social security plates, and automobile upholstering and customizing--yes! you too can do it! Hopefully we'll see some monsterkid related ads in the second half.

More Quasimodo in the Closet:

Quasimodo's Monster Magazine Issue 3

Quasimodo's Monster Magazine Issue 5

Monster World Issue 2

Happy Birthday to Me and the King

Thomas J. Wright Night Gallery Interview

Ghost (http://friendlyghost.typepad.com/) sent me a link to the Thomas J. Wright interview conducted by TV Time Machine in 2011. Trying to listen to it, I discovered it didn't play in contemporary browsers, as it needed an mplayer plugin. Or so each browser I tried indicated. Trying to retro fit the plugin, I had too many issues, so I gave up and captured an MP3 version instead.

So here it is. Right-click the link and "Save link as..."

Thomas J. Wright Night Gallery Interview

And perusing Wikipedia's entry on Mr. Wright, I found he was quite the all-rounder: "Wright has directed episodes of Smallville,One Tree Hill, Firefly, and many other programs. He also worked extensively on Chris Carter's Millennium, on which he was a producer as well as directing 26 of the show's 67 episodes. He also directed the 1989 Hulk Hogan film No Holds Barred." 

Monster World Issue 1 Part Two

Go to Monster World Issue 1: Part One

Here's the second half of Monster World Issue 1 magazine (aka Quasimodo's Monster Magazine). A few funny-photo-captions, a Find a Monster Puzzle, and  nods to screen vampires and Avco Embassy's television series, Nightmare Theater, fill this second half. Oh, and I shouldn't forget to mention the 70,000 Year Old Teenager, Korg, and the ad for Sun-Flower, the Chinese Handmaiden Doll every horror fan would want to own. At least this second half of the magazine has more ads suitable for monsterkids, like the Night Gallery and monster-sized Quasimodo posters, as well as the fine craft books on dress design and basic knitting. I wonder how many cosplayers started this way?

Monster World Issue 1 Part One

After reading Cranston Macmillan's Quasimodo's Monster Magazine chapter in the recently released 70s Monster Memories (yup, shameless plug here!), I dug out my first issue of Quasi's, which was called Monster World. At least for the first three issues, then it changed title to Quasimodo's Monster Magazine. It's a lot of pages if little else, but there's a charm to its simplicity (okay, poor layout and cheap printing). The covers were always to die for. In this first half of the magazine you'll read about Kolchak, The Night Stalker, The Monster Comics World of Jose Delbo, and Frankenstein, Through the Years. But nevermind that. What's really killer here are the advertising pages: you can drown your plants with love by giving them Water Stiks, stay healthy with Arco books on fitness, buy $20.00 sport action watches, plug in the miracle TV antenna (I can tell you from personal experience it sucked), and grab a fine collectible Chinese Doll (but that's in the second half of the magazine, which I'll post shortly). While other horror and monster mags had copious ads for fan-favorite merchandise, this first issue went for the wrong target audience. How terrifying!.

The Monster Times Issue 20 March 1973

Star Trek stays alive in issue 20 of The Monster Times.  An episode guide, coverage of the book adaptations by James Blish, a fan clubs yellow pages, and a smashing Keep on Trekkin' pullout centerfold make this an all warp speed issue.  Toss in Karloff's The Mask of Fu Manchu and a look at the stage play, Warp, with costumes designed by Neal Adams, and you've got your typical TMT smattering of 1970s pop culture nirvana. Warp began in 1971 at the Illinois Organic Theatre Company before moving to Broadway in 1973. A science-fantasy trilogy and space opera, it circulated before Star Wars hit the big screens in 1977.

Mexican Lobby Card: The Ship of Monsters (1960)

Women and monsters: What would horror and science fiction be without them? Here's the minimalist Mexican lobby card for La Nave De Los Monstruos.

Mexican Lobby Card: Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942)

My favorite Johnny Weismuller Tarzan movie: Tarzan's New York Adventure. This Mexican lobby card shows him enjoying the luxury of indoor plumbing. 

Mexican Lobby Card: Down Dakota Way (1949)

Here's a wholesome Mexican lobby card for Roy Roger's Down Dakota Way. Note how Trigger, his horse, gets top billing above Dale Evans and Pat Brady. I bet they worked for hay too. I was never a big fan of Rogers, mostly of Gene Autry (the Singing Cowboy). Don't forget it was Autry who gave us Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Of course, the rest is history.

Mexican Lobby Card: Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941)

I've probably seen every Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movie at least four times. They'd pop up every weekend on local television (Sunday, I recall), along with Abbott and Costello movies. In this one, the natives truly are restless, causing much mayhem for Jane and Boy. I hear a new reboot of the Tarzan storyline is coming from Hollywood. I'm sure they'll muck it up with the usual flair for petulant-scripting you get from writers unfamiliar with how to handle a particular genre. Like jungle movies. Back in the 1940s, there was an aura of mystery and danger you could play with. Today, if Tarzan's not carrying a cell phone and selfie-stick, I'd wonder what the hell was wrong with him.

Mexican Lobby Card: The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)

Caught this movie for the first time during a Famous Monsters Convention (I think it was an FM con) back in the 1970s. Hilarious movie. Photography and scenes are splendid. 

Mexican Lobby Card: Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl (1954)

It's the buccaneer's life for me in 2016. Swinging around the yardarm all day. Clinging tightly to platinum blond slave girls (with impeccable couture) while wielding my rapier with deft and deadly aim. And you get to wear awesome high boots and poofy shirts with floppy sleeves to work. Perfect.