Granny Creech’s Radio Spot Crypt

Granny Creech digs deep to uncover memorable radio spots for Roger Corman movies…

I was invited over to my daughter Drusilla’s house this past Sunday to celebrate Mother’s Day. Her husband, Winslow, was there, as was my son, Arthur, and his wife Letitia (Letty), along with a whole bunch of little monsterkids-in-training. My grandson, Big Abner –Arthur’s and Letty’s son – couldn’t make it because he had some out-of-town business to finish up. He hoped to be there later.

After a fine meal we all retired to the rocking chairs and swing on the front porch and lazily sipped our glasses of sassafras tea. The topic of conversation turned to scary movies and we each took turns naming our favorites. The titles were as varied as the personalities on the porch: the men liked the old Universal movies, the women liked the Universal classics of the ‘50s, and I liked them all, especially the lower budget movies of the 1950s.

It was at this point that Big Abner came running up the sidewalk, panting, and between gasps said, “Roger Corman has died!”

A silence fell over the group. We had lost a great one. …

Roger Corman Movies:
Radio Spots to RememberRead More »

My great-granddaughter Grizelda came over the other night for a sleepover. We had fun making sugar cookies and then icing them to look like pumpkins, skeletons, witches and scarecrows. Afterwards, we entertained each other by telling ghost stories while roasting marshmallows in front of the fireplace.

“Granny,” she said, “That last story you told gave me the willies. It scared me so badly that I could feel my whole body tensing up. It felt like my spine was about to break!”

“Ah, child,” I said. “What you felt was the Tingler grabbing hold of you. All you had to do was scream!”

She looked at me oddly, so I began to tell her all about The Tingler. She giggled gleefully and asked, “Can we watch it?” I whipped out the old DVD and hit ‘play’. We screamed and screamed and had a great time. …

The Tingler (1959) Radio Spots!Read More »

Granny strikes again…

An interesting thing happened the other night. I decided to invite some of my girlfiends over for a get-together, to enjoy some of my turnip, brussel sprouts and onion soup, and to just let my hair down and have some riotous frivolity. Several showed up. There were sister Elviney, cousin Agatha, and neighbors Hester Grimple, Elspeth Darkmoor, Vespera Howler, Winifred Hawthorne and Esmeree Grimshaw.

After supper we retired to the parlor, glasses of witch’s brew in hand, and had a great time, sitting around the crackling fireplace and reminiscing, telling stories of when we were kids, talking about our favorite scary movies, and telling jokes. We laughed and laughed until our sides hurt.

It was a little after midnight when the party wound down and my guests headed to the door. As they were leaving, Esmeree turned to me and said, “Granny, that was more fun than being in a graveyard on a cold wet night!” Everyone laughed, said their goodbyes, and disappeared into the night.

As I was cleaning up the kitchen I kept thinking about what Esmeree had said and how it sounded so familiar. Where had I heard that before? It wasn’t until I was all snug in my bed that it dawned on me. Of course! Famed Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons had said one of the movies she reviewed was, “More frightening than a graveyard on a cold wet night.” The movie? House On Haunted Hill. …

House on Haunted Hill Radio Spots!Read More »

Granny goes seaside this week! (or seasick, either one)

I was sitting on my bed the other night reading my old copy of Film Fantasy Scrapbook when I heard a tapping at my bedroom window. Looking over I saw a ghastly face peering in at me. At first I was startled, but then I realized what, or who, it was. Getting out of bed, I went over and opened the window.

“Reaper,” I said. “What are you doing out here at this late hour?”

“I have another set of spots for you,” he said.

I took the vinyl record from his cold, clammy hands and looked it over.

“Oh, ho, ho,” I said. “This is a good one!”

He smiled and shuffled away into the darkness. I took the record back to bed with me and examined it closely. To think, the spots on this record hadn’t been heard for almost seventy years and here I was holding them in my hand. I could only imagine what the listeners back then thought when they heard the spots, and how they reacted when they saw the film on the big screen with its magnificent special effects. And the title…..who could resist seeing a movie called It Came From Beneath The Sea?

Released in 1955, the Columbia Pictures movie starred Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, and Donald Curtis. But, the real star was the giant radioactive octopus so skillfully brought to life by Ray Harryhausen. Using his unique split-screen “sandwich” technique he was able to create many exciting visuals, incorporating his animated model with live action plates in a most convincing way.

The spots capture the mystery and excitement of the movie and prepare the listener for the wonders they would see on the screen. I hope they grab you as well as they do me.

A wave of the tentacle goes to The Radio Reaper (ZC Note: OMG, there’s two of them now!) for providing this exciting look back at one of the greats of the 1950s. So, beware… and enjoy! Here are seven cool radio spots including 15, 30, and 60 second variations.

Do you have any radio spots you would like to share? Contact Granny (Gary Fox) at [email protected].

From Granny C…

My cousin Agatha recently sent me a bat-mail, telling me how much she is enjoying my series of radio spots on giant monsters. She told me she knew of one more giant monster from one of her favorite science fiction movies and wondered if I might consider including it.  I asked her which one and she said, “That giant colossus of metal, that energy-sucking ravager of planets…Kronos!”

Well, I suppose one could categorize Kronos as a giant monster of sorts, although not of skin and bones. But, it did cause a high level of terror among the populace, and a lot of anguish for the scientists tasked to find a way to destroy it. The theme was familiar, only this time the “monster” was a one hundred feet tall – and growing – giant made of metal. This was before Mogera of The Mysterians, Mechani-Kong of King Kong Escapes or Mechagodzilla.

Released in 1957, Kronos is acclaimed by fans as being a pretty good sci-fi thriller, with interesting visual effects. Most fans get a kick out of seeing Kronos stomping its way through the countryside with that creepy squeaking sound effect of its movement. Jeff Morrow, George O’Hanlon (the future voice of George Jetson), and Barbara Lawrence headline the cast with familiars John Emery and Morris Ankrum. It is interesting to see the wall-sized, tape-driven computer named S.U.S.I.E. How far we’ve come in 67 years!

The spots featured here are part of a double feature with She Devil, starring Mari Blanchard, Jack Kelly and Albert Dekker. It’s a quaint little story about a scientist (Kelly) who creates a serum based on the recuperative abilities of a fruit fly and uses it to cure injured animals. When he and his partner (Dekker) try it on a dying woman, she makes a miraculous recovery. As to be expected, serious side-effects occur, transforming her into a diabolical she-devil who will stop at nothing to fulfill her desires. She is able to regenerate any wound and even change the color of her hair at will. It is up to the two scientists to figure out a way to stop her.

Of the two, Kronos was the better movie, with top visuals blending a model Kronos with cartoon animation of its onslaught, trampling everything beneath its pounding feet. She Devil uses the old red make-up/red-blue filter effect to accomplish some nifty transformation scenes.

So, from 1957, for cousin Agatha and you, here’s Kronos…..and She Devil to assail you with 20, 30, and 60 second radio spots.

Do you have any radio spots you would like to share? Contact Granny (Gary Fox) at [email protected].

Cough… cough…wow…the air quality is especially bad today.  If only something could be done…

That’s exactly what the producers were considering when they were looking for their next Godzilla project. Pollution was bad everywhere in Japan as various factories continued to spew their by-products into bodies of water and into the atmosphere. People were getting sick on a grand scale.

In the original Gojira (1954), Godzilla represented the dangers of atomic experimentation. Now, seventeen years later, Toho decided that Godzilla should tackle a new threat to humanity: world-wide pollution.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah was produced in 1971, and introduced a new menace: an alien which arrived on earth on a comet and fed on pollution, growing larger the more he ate. He could change shape, from a sea creature, to a land animal, to a flying stingray-looking thing. As a land animal, he could spew out acidic sludge and shoot a red laser from his eye, and as a flying creature, he could emit toxic exhaust.

The producers wanted a “darker” Godzilla movie in keeping with the dangers of pollution. Visuals were often graphic as victims of the “smog monster” were left sick, disfigured or dissolved.  Unlike before, dead bodies were often seen scattered about the landscape.

When Godzilla met Hedorah in the final battle, he seemed to have met his match. Blinded in one eye by the acidic sludge, it was only with the help of massive electrical discharge machines designed by the movie’s scientist that he was able to help dehydrate the monster and the world was saved. Or was it? …

Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster
Radio Spots!Read More »

The mayhem continues, courtesy of Granny…

After the success of Frankenstein Conquers the World, Toho began a sequel.  Hailed as one of the best kaiju movies, War of the Gargantuas (1966) sought to continue the Frankenstein storyline, developed to involve not one but two Frankensteins in combat with each other. The movie played on the good vs. evil theme, and was especially emotional since the brother giants were at odds with each other due to their opposing natures and thus drew sympathy from audiences despite their horrific appearance.

In the original Japanese movie, Sanda, the brown gargantua, was believed to be the Frankenstein from Frankenstein Conquers the World, although in flashbacks this young Frankenstein bore little resemblance to the feral boy found in the original movie. The green gargantua, Gaira, was believed to be Sanda’s cell offshoot. They were both referred to as “Frankenstein”  until given their names. When the movie was dubbed for American audiences, all references to Frankenstein were removed and the giants simply called gargantuas. The movie was well received by fans. The special effects are top notch and the miniatures well constructed. The final battle of the two gargantuas in Tokyo and around Tokyo Bay is especially awe inspiring.

The two radio spots featured here showcase the battle of these giants as well as the awesome spectacle of the twin feature, Invasion of Astro Monster (1965), released in America as Monster Zero (1970). Developed as a sequel to Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster, Monster Zero depicts Godzilla and Rodan teaming up to fight King Ghidorah, known as Monster Zero, at the request of aliens from Planet X who seek Earth’s help to fight him off. As might be expected, the aliens turn out to be deceivers who want to take over the earth by mind controlling the three monsters. Their plot fails, they are defeated, and Godzilla and Rodan must team up to protect Earth from King Ghidorah.

The miniatures, the split-screen shots and the fight scenes are impressive. Altogether, this was a double feature not to be missed! So, sit back and listen as these two double-feature radio spots showcase all the action these movies brought to the big screen in 1970!

Do you have any radio spots you would like to share? Contact Granny (Gary Fox) at [email protected].