Richard Crane sees Beverly Garland after his full accidental transformation.
Ugghhh…
Hello, Children. You’ll have to pardon me. Your old Granny is feeling the after-effects of an over–indulgence of candy, pies, desserts of all kinds, eggnog and food, food, and more food that I have had since the holidays started back in late October. All this yummy stuff was too good to pass up! I’m sure there are a lot of you out there suffering from Holiday Hangover. But, it was all worth it! It’ll just take a few more days to recover.
I just love the holiday season. Cool weather means Halloween, then Thanksgiving and Christmas. And then the anticipation of a new year and all the good things to come. There is just something magical about this time of year and I look forward to it with eager anticipation. It’s just a time for family, friends, sharing, and good times.
And speaking of good times, this past Halloween’s Monster Bash was a hit. We all are still talking about it. An added treat for me was when “Me and My Mummy” from the album Monster Mash was playing and The Radio Reaper approached me and asked if I could follow him back to his crypt. I did, and it was then he handed me a dusty old record of radio spots he had found buried at the bottom of his reliquary. I looked at it and commented that I had forgotten about these two features from the ‘50s that were released together as a double bill. I thanked him for the record and we hurried back to the party. I was anxious to hear the spots and present them to you. So, enjoy the spots for Return of the Fly and The Alligator People. …
Granny Creech with Uncle Edgar’s brain: Wanna touch it?
Greetings, lovers of all things Halloween!
Have you all recovered? Mercy, it has been a week to remember! Everyone here in Squirrel Hollow is still talking about how much fun Halloween was this year and how successful our Monster Bash was.
Let me tell you all about it. It first started with the annual Trick or Treat time in town. All the houses were decorated so lovingly with jack o’lanterns, ghosts, spiders, skeletons and assorted creepy scenes eerily lit to add to the scary mood. At my house I had my usual CD playing various screams, moans and haunted house sound effects to entice the little monsters to my door…if they so dared, and they came in droves.
Once there, I welcomed them with the sad news that Uncle Edgar had died earlier in the week, but that we had his brain preserved and floating in a large jar of formaldehyde. They could touch it if they wanted, and many did. Others said, “No!” (Hee hee). After that my trusted assistant, Creepy, offered them some rubber bugs and worms, and edible treats. Lastly, I offered the female monsters a mouse that I had caught in the basement earlier in the day. Again, many accepted the creepy, wriggling little critters while others shrieked and ran away. It was all fun and exciting.
Uncle Oscar, caretaker of the Witchwood Cemetery.
At midnight, everyone gathered at the Witchwood Cemetery for the Monster Bash. What a time! All the residents turned out for the party, and it was a blast. We had food of all kinds…eyeballs (grapes), veins and arteries (spaghetti), fresh cadaver meat (hamburgers) and finger sandwiches (!), as well as all the Witch’s Brew you wanted. Great Granddaughter Grizelda brought her old cassette player and the 1962 “Monster Mash” album supplied the dance music.
After a while, we had the best costume awards, and then Uncle Oscar, caretaker for the cemetery, entertained everyone with stories of the origin of the cemetery and of its first residents. He concluded with a few short ghost stories and then… it was time for the finale…the best scream contest.
We had thirteen contestants and the winner was Sophronia Hauntshade who let loose with a blood-curdling, mournful wail that seemed to last forever. It was loud enough to wake the dead…if they hadn’t already been awake and partying with us, and it echoed through the countryside. (It was later reported in the newspaper that residents of the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs heard it wafting through the Ozarks ‘way over there and wondered who had been murdered).
Winner of the Scream Contest: Sophronia Hauntshade.
After everyone’s ears had stopped ringing, she was awarded the Scream Award Urn for her efforts.
Morning was approaching and everyone bid each other goodbye, the residents of Witchwood returned to their assigned places and we all went home, tired but exhilarated from the day’s events. It was a night to be remembered and talked about for weeks to come.
And, dear children, that is how my Halloween went. It was a night of fun, spooky imaginings, candy, treats, and make believe. I hope yours was equally memorable.
Next week…radio spots for a monstrous double-feature from 1959!
Creepy welcomes visitors to the treat table.
Winners of the various costume contests at the Monster Bash. Photos taken by Big Abner Creech with his vintage Kodak camera.
We are finalizing plans! Me, Hester Grimple, Vespera Howler and Winifred Hawthorne enjoy a cup of my brew while discussing the decorations and activities for the Monster Bash. It’s going to be a scream!
Greetings, My Children!
Old Granny Creech here just bursting with excitement! Why? Because it’s Halloween week! Things have been very busy in Squirrel Hollow because we’ve all been getting ready for our annual Monster Bash at the Witchwood Cemetery late Halloween night. It promises to be the best ever as we have a lot of new residents eagerly waiting to join the festivities.
For this installment of radio spots, I’ve decided to feature 15 odds-and-ends that capture the wide spectrum of spooks and apparitions that will surely make an appearance at your house this Halloween evening to terrorize and torment you. I hope you appease them with some delectable treat of some sort, dead or…alive (hee hee). These spots are from my collection and that of the old cadaver himself, The Radio Reaper.
I’ll be back next week to see how you all survived and to give a report on the ghastly goings-on at the Bash. Oh…and by the way…you are invited if you dare to come and join in the fun after you’ve finished appeasing the little monsters that come to your door. The party starts at midnight. Just wear your favorite disguise or, if you are scary enough, just come as you are. We all will be there. There will be lots to do and goodies to eat. Plus, lots of my Witch’s Brew to go around!
I hope to see you there! Bring a date, if you can dig one up. And, remember: “Don’t spook until you’re spooken too!” Beware!
Happy Halloween!!
4D Man, Circus of Horrors, The Blob and Dinosaurus Radio Spots
The Creeping Flesh, The Green Slime, The Haunted Strangler, The Thing From Another World, Thirteen Ghosts (Lobby Spot) Radio Spots
Dynarama at work! The fight with Kali. Ray likes animating multiple appendages in sword fights!
Wow! I didn’t know last week’s article would have such a reaction!
The gang and I went to Witchwood Cemetery to plan our layout for the upcoming Monster Bash on Halloween and I was besieged by countless apparitions, spooks, cadavers and assorted goblins all wanting to tell me what their favorite Harryhausen film is. They also wanted to share their favorite scenes and why they liked them and how great the effects were. The responses were as varied as the ghouls themselves. We all set around on various tombstones sharing recollections and stories about these films. They truly have had an impact on monsterkids past and present.
After a few hours of sharing, the gals and I did eventually get to plan for The Bash as most of the ghoulish beings had made their way back to their assigned places of repose. I was exhausted from all the talking and moderating the discussions. They liked my radio spots and were excited to see what this week’s entry would bring.
Sadly, I just have two remaining titles to feature, and the movies are some of Ray’s best: The Valley of Gwangi and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.
The awe-inspiring roping scene in The Valley of Gwangi. Ray at his best!
What can I say about The Valley of Gwangi? The visual effects are near perfect, especially the roping scene between the cowboys and Gwangi. I am still amazed by that sequence and can appreciate the time that went into filming it. Matching the miniature model ropes to the live action plate ropes is something to see! I just wonder how many trips Ray made from the camera’s viewfinder to the model stage and back to ensure the perfect lineup? He had more patience than I ever did! I’m also sure that sequence brought back bittersweet memories of working with his mentor Willis O’Brien on a similar set-up for Mighty Joe Young. Obie would have been proud of the Gwangi one.
In addition, the battle between Gwangi and the elephant surely caused him to harken back to his days working on 20 Million Miles to Earth. This time, though, the sequence is more brutal, as it is plain Gwangi is out for blood and not merely defending himself as the Ymir was. Also the initial appearance of Gwangi is well done and comes as a surprise. Imagine chasing a little critter only to run into a full-grown Allosaurus. Whoops! Better turn around quick!
Ray at the animation stand in front of his large rear-projection screen.
I watched Sinbad the other day just to refresh my memory of it and was surprised how really good it is. The locations and set pieces were some of his best. It has a grittier look about it compared to 1958’s The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. Characterizations are good and John Phillip Law does an admirable job as Sinbad. And don’t forget Caroline Munro: She was one of the highlights of the film for most male monsterkids.
The spots for The Valley of Gwangi are effective, although they don’t tell the whole story. My only gripe with them is Gwangi’s roar: Did Rodan fill in for him? The spots for The Golden Voyage of Sinbad are somewhat different from what we are used to. It was the ‘70s after all.
So, I present them here as the end of my two-week tribute to Ray Harryhausen, the man who had an effect on many monsterkids through the years. He was a pioneer and an inspiration to us all. He will live on through his movies, and his movies will still make us wonder, ”How did he do that?”
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad Radio Spots (including those done by Stan Lee)
Valley of Gwangi Radio Spots
Lobby card showing the battle between the griffin and the one-eyed centaur.
Do you have any movie radio spots you would like to share? Contact Gary at [email protected].
Ray Harryhausen with Medusa from Clash of the Titans (1981), Photo: Andy Johnson
Ahhhh, Fall is in the air!
Temperatures are falling, the air is crisp and pumpkins are everywhere! And, we all know what that means: Halloween is just around the corner!
I had several of my ghoul-friends over for some witch’s brew and a planning party the other night. We are planning on having our annual Monster Bash at the Witchwood Cemetery at midnight on Halloween, and we were discussing the activities. We have it at midnight so we all can be home earlier in the evening to hand out goodies to all the little monsters that come around our homes here in our community. We have such fun tormenting the little creatures who come our way. I don’t know who has more fun…us or them! Anyway, we were all sitting around on my front porch when the conversation turned to movies. …
I was working in the crypt the other day when I heard a banging from the old iron door knocker . Opening the door I found Uncle Thaddeus standing there, a sly grin on his old withered face. He held a plastic bag in his hand.
Granny,” he said, “I have found something I know you will like. I was over at the old Squirrel Hollow Antique Mall to see what was new, and I found this.”
He handed me the bag and I opened it. A big smile crossed my face.
“You found it!,” I exclaimed. “I’ve been searching high and low and hither and thither for this.”
“I know,” said Uncle Thaddeus. “It’s a shame it has come a few weeks too late.”
“I’ll make it work,” I said. “Better late than never.”
The Mexican beaded lizard in its starring role as The Giant Gila Monster.
He left with a couple jars of brew in payment, and I examined the treasure carefully. …
Don Megowan gives a sympathetic portrayal of The Creature in his new land- dwelling form.
“The Creature is back! He needs a doctor! A plastic surgeon. He’s been touched to the quick…slowly. It’s a sad tale, the creature who walks among us sings. He is the last of the strolling troubadours…the very end. Listen as he sings, ‘Who is the fairest one of all?’”
Most monsterkids will recognize that little intro from the album Themes From Horror Movies by Dick Jacobs and his Orchestra. The intro, written by Mort Goode and narrated by Bob McFadden, sets the scene for the theme “Stalking the Creature” from Universal’s 1956 entry The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). I was listening to this worn-out album this past week, reliving in my old mind the scenes these themes accompanied. What visuals they conjure up!
I had an idea: I went over to the Witchwood Cemetery to visit my old friend, The Radio Reaper. I found him in his tomb, doing some much-needed housekeeping.
“Reaper,” I said, “I’m looking for some old spots to a certain movie. Do you have The Creature Walks Among Us?”
A gleam lit up his old sunken eyes and a smile came across his withered lips.
“I believe I do. Let’s see.” he said.
He grabbed his old reliquary and blew off the dust. He opened it, thumbed through some things, and pulled out a red, 12” record.
“Here you go,” he said and handed it to me.
“Wow!” I exclaimed. “Only four spots?”
“Yep,” he replied. “I guess they figured the public knew who the Creature was and what they could expect.”
I thanked him and went on my way.
Stuntman Al Wyatt on the boat receiving two drugged spear gun shots before being set on fire. The fire was optically enhanced in post-production and a dummy was used for the fall into the water. This sequence was shot in Universal’s shallow tank. Notice the rear projection process screen in the background.
The movie is the third installment of the Creature franchise, the first two being Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) and Revenge of the Creature (1955). This time around scientists, led by Jeff Morrow and Rex Reason, attempt to capture the Gill-man again, this time in the Florida Everglades, in an effort to study him up close. After they examine a sample of his blood, Morrow goes off the deep end and decides to try and develop a new species through blood and genetic manipulation. While hunting the creature, they soon become the hunted, and the creature jumps into their small boat, gets shot by two spears containing the anesthetic rotonone, and accidently douses himself with gasoline. Gregg Palmer’s character throws a gasoline lamp at him which ignites him. Falling into the water, they soon rescue him, his body now covered in third-degree burns and having trouble breathing. They take him back to their science yacht where they discover that his scales and gills have been burned away but that he possesses human-type skin underneath and a rudimentary set of lungs. His eyes mutate into human-like eyes and his body shape changes, due to his inflated lungs (and to match the drawing we see of him early in the movie showing a much bulkier creature than we have previously known). The creature is provided clothing to cover his sensitive skin and is eventually locked in an electrified enclosure where he observes man’s inhumanity to man – and woman. Out of fear he escapes, and the last we see of him he is staring remorsefully at the ocean before slowly making his way to it.
Maurice Manson and Jeff Morrow examine a drawing comparing the Gill-man to a normal human. This drawing presents a much bulkier Creature than what we have been used to in previous films, either to prove a point or to prepare the viewer for the creature’s later over-sized appearance.
Don Megowan gives a heartfelt, emotional portrayal of the creature, mostly through eye movement and body language. We feel sorry for him as he tries to adjust to a new land environment and to learn the good and evil ways of his captors. The movie uses a lot of underwater footage from the two previous movies and some new underwater scenes with Ricou Browning, this time in the old suit and in the new suit.
Here now are the four spots as Creature fans heard them in 1956. So, dive in…and enjoy.
Director Jack Arnold goes over a scene with Grant Williams. The oversized props are especially well done.
Hello, My Children,
Your old Granny is back after attending to my ailing mother. She is better and is now able to function on her own, bless her heart.
Many thanks go out to my nephew, Crazy Gary, for keeping The Crypt functioning in my absence. I hear he did a pretty good job, and the spots he highlighted were well received. He’s a good nephew, even though he is crazy at times. I will forgive him for snooping on my computer because last week’s installment was pretty good. I had never heard many of those spots and they were pretty good! He did good….and yes, after much screaming, pleading, begging and stomping around, I promised him he could do more columns in the near future.
I had a lot of free time while Mother napped and recovered, so I was able to catch up on my reading and movie watching. The Late, Late, Late, Early Show on Channel 13 featured some oldies I hadn’t seen for awhile and one in particular stood out. When I got back to my humble abode I searched through The Crypt and, again, thanks to The Radio Reaper, I found the spots to that movie. So, this week I’m featuring the original radio spots to Universal’s The Incredible Shrinking Man.
Based on Richard Matheson’s story idea/novel The Shrinking Man, it is considered one of Universal’s best, and is a special effects bonanza and a treat to watch. Clifford Stein and crew used every trick in the book for this one including forced perspective shots, high and low camera angles, rear projection process shots, split screens, sets with oversized props, and traveling mattes. Rotoscope artist Millie Winebrenner had her hands full combining split screen and forced perspective shots and having Grant Williams walk from one into the other, and having the shrinking man fight and eventually walk behind the dead spider. I’m sure fans back then wondered, “How did they do that?” many times. The special effects team put in an admirable effort with much pre-planning involved to make sure eye line-ups matched and that when the traveling mattes of Scott stepped up to a higher plane they matched the live action plate.
The matte line goes down the drapes on the left side and around the furniture. Shots like this required a lot of preplanning so that the actors wouldn’t cross the matte line and that their eye sight lines matched.
Even though I love spiders…I have two tarantulas, Charlotte and Arachne, I must say I was more on the edge of my seat during the cat scene. It was very well done, and Butch the cat (performed by Orangey) put in a great performance. His trainer put him through his actions and Grant Williams’ reactions were filmed later to match.
This is the one movie that didn’t have a happy ending as such. At the end, The Incredible Shrinking Man resigns himself to his fate and realizes that, in the great scheme of things, to God, there is no zero and that he still matters. The great Orson Welles narrates the radio spots. They are good, although different than what we are used to hearing. Give a listen and, if you can, catch this movie. It is a feast for the eyes.
Here are the various radio spots for The Incredible Shrinking Man.
Butch on the attack! A traveling matte shot with a later-inserted Grant Williams. The only criticism effects-wise in the movie is that whenever the miniature Scott is combined into the live action plates he doesn’t have a shadow. To do that would have required additional processing steps, more time and more money.The Incredible Shrinking Man Title Lobby Card
Old Crazy Gary here again…Granny is still taking care of her ailing mother but she hopes to be back here soon.
I was just sitting around the other night reading my newest book when I decided to take a break and snoop through Granny’s computer to see what she has in store for the coming weeks. Wow! What a line-up! Anyways, I saw a folder titled The Radio Reaper and I decided to take a peek inside. I know he has been supplying Granny with a bunch of neat stuff, but I wanted to see what all else was in there. Oh boy! I spent the rest of the night going through over 2000 spots of all kinds from all genres. I had a ball.
I heard spots from horror and science fiction movies I was familiar with and some I was not. I wrote down the names of the ones I thought were especially good and thought you should hear them. These are crazy good and have received the “Five Thumbs-up Crazy Gary Approval Rating”.
Granny would more than likely never feature these because they are not from the 1950-63 time frame she specializes in but they are too good to pass up. They will make you shudder; they will make you scream; they will make you want to see them; they are that good.
So listen, if you dare, to these tidbits from The Radio Reaper’s Reliquary. They will haunt you forever!
13 Terror Radio Spots for Alligator, Crocodile, Midnight, The Bat People, The Black Belly of the Tarantula, The Legend of Spider Forest, The Projected Man, and The Twilight People.
Crazy Gary here with part two of our Sword and Sandal extravaganza…(see part one).
Summer, 1959, was a turning point for a lot of monsterkids. A movie opened which fired our imaginations and introduced us to a new type of movie. I’m talking about the movie Hercules which got a lot of us interested in weight training and classical literature, especially Greek mythology.
Starring an unknown –at least to us–actor named Steve Reeves, the movie was complete with heroes, beautiful scantily-clad women, fighting, adventures at sea, ape men, a dinosaur that roared like Godzilla, and many feats of strength. The music was awe-inspiring. And Steve Reeves…wow, was he built. Every guy wanted to look like him. Turns out he was a former Mr. America, Mr. World, and Mr. Universe.
I was only nine when I first saw it, and by the time it had finished its run in the second-run theaters, I had seen it twelve times. I even received the Hercules soundtrack record for Christmas that year.
In the summer of 1960, Hercules Unchained was released and I saw it many times, too. By then, Steve Reeves was a worldwide star and both movies were box office hits. Articles on Steve Reeves and his training methods regularly appeared in the muscle magazines of the time.
Reeves went on to star in several more “Sword and Sandal” type films and his last one, A Long Ride From Hell, was a western. By the end of his career, the term “sword and sandal” referred to any movie set in antiquity, primarily Rome or Greece. Within that genre there were two types of movies: one where the hero possessed great strength and went about righting wrongs. He could be Hercules, Samson, Ursus, Maciste, Goliath (see last week’s article about the two “Goliath” movies), or one of the Sons of Hercules. The other type was where the hero was a regular guy, often a great warrior or Roman soldier, but possessing no exceptional strength. Two of Reeves’ movies stand out in the latter category: Duel of the Titans, with Gordon Scott, and The Slave. …
Steve Reeves flexes his mighty arms and wins the “Test of Truth” against two horses.
Myths, muscles and movies.
That’s what I call ‘em. Others call them Sword and Sandal movies and some just call them “Peplum” movies – Italian-made spectacles dubbed into English and given new names. Whatever you call them, I venture to say that you know what I am talking about and have probably seen your fair share of them.
Crazy Gary, here, and Granny wanted me to be sure to feature these spots because she knows how much these movies mean to me. Every monsterkid worth his or her salt grew up watching these movies either at the movie theater, the drive-in, or later on TV. And why not? It featured a muscular hero, gorgeous women and, usually, one or more monsters or beasts. The guys identified with the hero, and the women swooned over his body and wished they could be the damsel in distress that he rescues.
Although filmed in Italy and surrounding picturesque locations, the heroes were generally American bodybuilders or physique models, and just reading their names on the posters and seeing the spectacular artwork promised a grand adventure. Most popular were Gordon Scott, Brad Harris, Mark Forest, Ed Fury, Gordon Mitchell, Reg Lewis, Dan Vadis, and the all time favorite, Steve Reeves. Also included were Englishman Reg Park, and Italians Sergio Ciani (Alan Steel) and Adriano Bellini (Kirk Morris). The movies were colorful, epic, and full of feats of strength.
The radio spots were colorful too, promising the viewer sights never before seen. Surprisingly, despite Granny’s best collecting efforts and those of The Radio Reaper, few are available. Even so, what we do have will be broken down into two parts.
The two movies I want to highlight this week represent the best, in my opinion, of capturing the spirit of the genre, and are two of my personal favorites, both released by American International.
First up is Steve Reeves’ fourth movie, Goliath and the Barbarians, released in late 1959. The most memorable scene in the movie is when Emiliano (called “Goliath” because of his strength) is tied between two horses going in opposite directions in an attempt to pull him apart. No such success, however, as Emiliano exerts his strength in an impressive double-biceps shot. He passes this “Test of Truth” and is released, only to later return and lead a revolt against the barbarians. Chelo Alonzo is the barbarian beauty he falls for and who complicates things with his people. Les Baxter added a new music score and his “Goliath March” added a sense of grandeur and spectacle.
The second, and my personal favorite of all the sword and sandal movies, is Goliath and the Vampires (1961) starring Gordon Scott. It has everything: feats of strength , an evil vampire creature, giant bugs, atmospheric scenery, creepy sound effects, blue men, faceless humanoids and the inspiring “Goliath March” music theme. It also features an awesome battle between Goliath and Kobrak the vampire who has assumed Goliath’s form. Muscular stuntman Giovanni Cianfriglia doubles Gordon Scott as he fights himself. Thanks to The Radio Reaper for furnishing these four classic spots.
These movies inspired many young moviegoers to take up the weights and embrace the fitness lifestyle, myself included. Today, they are still fun to watch.
So, sit back and enjoy these spots which reflect back to a time when men were men and women were glad of it. See you next time with Part Two…
Goliath and the Barbarians Radio Spots
Goliath and the Vampires Radio Spots
Gordon Scott as Goliath unmasks Kobrak who has disguised himself to look like Goliath in the climactic battle. Giovanni Cianfriglia portrays Kobrak here, and he went on to become Steve Reeves’ stunt double in many later features including Morgan the Pirate, The Trojan Horse, and The Slave.
“How do you do, ladies and gentlemen. Once again this is the ghost of Alfred Hitchcock welcoming you back to Granny Creech’s Radio Spot Crypt and Part Two of The Birds. I was thinking that Granny’s nephew, Crazy Gary, would be here to help me introduce these radio spots, but he is over in the corner, cowering in fear after listening to last week’s spots and the ones you are about to hear. He keeps mumbling incoherently and is just a pile of mush at the moment.
“As promised last week, we are now going to feature the radio spots for The Birds that aired on local radio stations prior to and up to the arrival of the movie at the theater. The lobby spots from last week whetted the appetites of theater goers who heard them while they stood in line at the theater. Now, The Birds was here to be seen.
“I hope you enjoy them and that they don’t cause you too much mental anguish. From now on, when you see these little feathered friends of ours flitting past you in the parks or in the streets, just keep telling yourself, ‘It was only a movie, it was only a movie.’ It may help.
“And so, until we meet again, may all your nightmares be pleasant. With that, I bid you adieu.”
Alfred Hitchcock prepares the cast for shooting the finale of the movie.
Do you have any radio spots you would like to share? Contact Gary (Granny’s nephew) at [email protected].
