Nov 7, 2011
Previews of Coming Attractions!: Check out this El Fabuloso trailer for Monster From Green Hell (1958), narrated by the wonderful Paul (Boris Badenov) Frees. Character actor Vladimir Sokoloff (from Moscow originally) adds a bit of gravitas to the proceedings. The film is great drive-in fun. Also stars Jim Davis (not the Garfield creator), Barbara Turner and Robert Griffin (as if you know who they are!).
Nov 2, 2011
Food of the New Frontier: Aunt Jemima’s apple pancakes, circa late 1950s. Mmm mmm. Those do look tasty! (Looks like wimpy vegans - like Yours Truly - need not apply, especially with sausage links thrown in!)
Oct 17, 2011
And Now a Word From Our Sponsors!: Kool-Aid. It’s pure and good. It has the Parent’s Magazine seal! And it’s oh, so thrifty… Just add water, sugar and stir. (But if you happen to be in Jonestown, Guyana, circa November 1978, politely decline it.)
Oct 15, 2011
From the Lugosi on Stage File: Wouldn’t you love to hop in a time machine and go back to the year 1951 to see the master, Bela Lugosi, in a horror “revue” at the Capitol Theatre in Trenton, N.J., which featured 13 horror vignettes? I would! At a price of $1.00 for admission, you can’t go wrong!
Oct 15, 2011
Schlitzie’s Jukebox: Curtis Gordon’s krazee-kool song “Sitting On Top” (Mercury label, 1957). Forgotten rockabilly at its best!
Oct 15, 2011
Schlitzie’s Jukebox: The Rocketts perform “Moonlight Rock” from 1959. What a gas! The song is pure delight and catchy as all get out. Alas, though, it’s difficult to find out much information about this band on websites. The Rocketts recorded this song for the Dotson Brothers label in Kentucky, but - alas - it’s damn near impossible to piece together the history of the band or the label using Google. Might have to go a bit deeper for more info. If I find out anything, you’ll be the first to know, Blog Pals.
Oct 8, 2011
Schlitzie’s Jukebox: Joe Bennett & the Sparkletones perform their huge 1957 hit “Black Slacks.” The band members were quite young - only teenagers (ranging in age from 14 to 17 at the time “Black Slacks” became a hit). They were tremendously talented and deserve more attention than they get as pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll.
Oct 5, 2011
Schlitzie’s Jukebox: Sonny Fisher performers his 1955 version of “Rockin’ Daddy,” a superb early rockabilly hit. Eddie Bond would later sing a version that proved to be somewhat more famous, but not necessarily better. Plus, Fisher was just such a badass!
Oct 3, 2011
Oct 1, 2011
Schlitzie’s Jukebox: Spade Cooley and His Orchestra perform “Swingin’ The Devil’s Dream,” on Decca 45 RPM, recorded 1952. Part swing, part symphony, part twangy country music song, the piece showcases Cooley’s extraordinary talent. Incidentally, in 1961, Cooley was accused of murdering his wife Ella Mae. He insisted he was innocent. He was sent to prison and, while out on furlough to perform a concert in 1969, died of a heart attack.
Oct 1, 2011
From the Lee Marvin File: During the height of the fantastic cop show M Squad, Lee Marvin appeared on Pall Mall cigarette commercials. In this 1958 spot, Lee is taking a break from his workout to enjoy a Pall Mall. He is the epitome of cool - the king of badasses - even on an ad for ciggies. Just watched Lee last night in John Boorman’s masterpiece Point Blank (1967). Cool as ice, man. Coooooooool as ice!
Sep 28, 2011
Movie Poster of the Day: Godzilla Raids Again (1955) was released in the United States in 1959 as Gigantis: The Fire Monster, then the film disappeared from sight. The first sequel to the original Godzilla (Gojira, 1954), Godzilla Raids Again pits the legendary giant atomic monster against Anguirus, a towering cross between an alligator and an ankylosaurus.The film bombed in Japan and the Untied States and was removed from circulation. Godzilla’s next screen appearance came in 1962, when he fought King Kong (or I should say Toho’s moth-eaten version of King Kong). That’s too bad, because Godzilla Raids Again is one of the better (more watchable) Toho films. It has the flavor of the original ‘54 version. The subplots are kept to a minimum, Godzilla isn’t the clear-cut “good guy” he would later become, and the fights between him and Anguirus kick ass. In the fall of 2006, Classic Media released the film on DVD in North America (up till that time, the only copy was a hard-to-find VHS version released by Video Treasures in the 1980s). Godzilla Raids Again is a very entertaining Godzilla film.
Sep 27, 2011
From the Grapefruits of Wrath File: Hard to say what, exactly, is happening in this photograph from the 1950s. The old man and the young babe seem to be comparing grapefruits. “Mine is bigger than yours,” he says. “Yeah, but mine is firmer,” she counters. “Mmmmm,” he concedes. “Yes, firmer. Much, much, much firmer. And it squirts juice in my eye. Mmmmm.” (Brought to you by the Florida Grapefruit Growers Association, Boca Raton, FLA).
