From Zombos' Closet

The Halloween That Almost Wasn't

Halloween 2021 is looking a little pale. Yes, it is only early September, but that is the point. Shelves, normally stuffed with decorative tricks and treats, have been slow to fill. Candy, of course, always the true king of Halloween, is popping up, but even it seems reluctant to do so.

My recent trip to Walgreens showed a lot less candy and much less spirited shelves for Halloweeny fun. Much of the action has been online as people buy up the cool ghoulie items from Target and Michael's, carefully avoiding any pandemic woes; and with distribution of merchandise at a crawl (where did all the truck drivers go?), I do not expect much in the way of wow and pizzaz for Halloween in the stores. But time will tell.

I did see the usually large and groovy gruesome at Home Depot, although Lowe's seemed anemic with their showing, so far, in comparison. Michaels had a pallbearer's worth of items, but certainly nothing compared to last year at this time. And there was no signature Lemax Spooky Town display set up, though I vainly looked for it. I had to purchase the Web of Terror ferris wheel from their online website. Certainly not the ghost of Michael's past when it comes to Halloween that I have come to expect.

Perhaps this year will be the Halloween that almost wasn't or perhaps I am being too worrisome. With limited supply and high demand, I still expect little creatures to crawl through the streets come Halloween day, but how many will dare to scare remains to be seen. The suspense is killing me. Here is some of this year's Halloween cheer to scream the year for you.

Home Depot always kills with the large lawn decorations and creepy smaller children of the night to deaden any party. Of note is the gondola with Charon. I'd take a ride in that myself; just not one way.

Johnny Weissmuller in Jungle Moon Men (1955) Pressbook

The Jungle Jim pressbooks were usually a six-page foldout. I scanned the pages in the order you would see them when initially opening the pressbook. The JJ series had a long run of B (perhaps more C) movies to fill theater screens when patrons would spend hours at the theater; unlike today, where you pay a lot of money to see one movie. I'm sure lots of parents would "dump" their kids at the theater for a few hours so they could experience some freedom from parental duties. William Castle took very good advantage of that with his horror movies and their gimmicks. I pity the poor theater crew that had to clean up the mess after Emergo, after kids used the skeleton for target practice with anything at hand they could toss. Oddly enough, due to copyright issues, Johnny Weismuller's name replaced the Jungle Jim handle. Hence the reason the pressbook says Johnny Weissmuller in Jungle Moon Men. He played himself in the movie. This entry leans toward the fantastical, with an immortal Moon Goddess, pygmies that worshipped her (the Moon Men), and a hidden treasure. Wikipedia notes that plot elements were taken from She: A History of Adventure by H. Rider Haggard.

ComicRack reader version: Download Jungle Moon Men Pressbook

Jungle Jim in Savage Mutiny (1953) Pressbook

Johnny Weismuller (who played Tarzan) did 16 Jungle Jim movies. While his acting style lacked much (though it made him perfect for Tarzan), the usual jungle mischief would provide the action. In this one, the locals need to relocate so an atom bomb test can go off and destroy their homes and livelihood. And I'd think much of the jungle animals too, for that matter. Those 1950s were tough.

ComicRack reader version: Download Savage Mutiny Pressbook

See more savage (and nice) pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.

Murder on the Roof (1930) Pressbook

An all-talking production! Boy, that must have been quite a thrill to theater audiences when talking pictures replaced the silents. Earlier pressbooks used newsprint, which didn't hold up well over the years; but this one for Murder on the Roof has lots of promotion, with newspaper ads, a book tie-in, and fashions to highlight. 

ComicRack reader version: Download Murder on the Roof Pressbook

You don't have to go up to the roof to see more pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.

Wild, Wild Planet (1966) Pressbook

Subpar miniatures, bad acting, and clumsy wire-work for space scenes renders the wild, wild plot more harebrained than wild. Still, the low budget 1960s space vibe, campy and unintentionally funny, is interesting.

ComicRack reader version: Download Wild Wild Planet Pressbook

Orgy of the Dead (1965) Pressbook

I caught Orgy of the Dead many, many years ago, late one night. For the life of me I can't remember where, but it may have been a late-night showing on some UHF channel. I was naughty, even then, and UHF had lax standards. After Criswell introduces this magnum opus "I am Criswell. For years, I have told the almost unbelievable, related the unreal and showed it to be more than a fact. Now I tell a tale of the threshold people, so astounding that some of you may faint. This is a story of those in the twilight time. Once human, now monsters, in a void between the living and the dead. Monsters to be pitied, monsters to be despised. A night with the ghouls, the ghouls reborn from the innermost depths of the world," it goes on and on with topless burlesque dancers and a few monsters standing around a lot. My threshold for amusement dropped out after about 20 minutes. The pressbook for this odd entry into the nudie cutie sub-genre is rather small but also filled with topless women.

I've gone all prude and whited out the naughty bits for the sake of not offending anyone with this alluring image, but you can see all the naughty bits in the unexpurgated pressbook.

ComicRack reader version: Download Orgy of the Dead Pressbook

See more, but less naughty (sorry), pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.

Junior G-Men (1940) Pressbook

One of my guilty pleasures is watching the antics of the East Side Kids (aka Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, The Bowery Boys) troupe's antics. Here they join with the FBI to foil terrorists. A surprising number of movies were made with various iterations of the boys, all starting from a serious play that moved onto the big screen, then an ongoing series of more light-hearted movies.

ComicRack reader version: Download Junior G-Men Pressbook

You don't need to be a junior G-Man to enjoy more pressbooks From Zombos Closet.

This Gun For Hire (1942) Pressbook

Veronica Lake is wonderful as a singing magician and Alan Ladd is a block of dangerous ice as Philip Raven, a killer for hire. Their chemistry, the great Laird Cregar as a cunning but squeamish villain, and Robert Preston as the dogged lawman hot on their trail, makes for a solid and classic noir.

ComicRack reader version: Download This Gun For Hire Pressbook

Take aim at more cunning pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.

Cole Bros. Circus Program (1938)

For circus buffs, here's the Cole Bros. Circus program for 1938. After moving to Long Island (New York) some years ago, I discovered Cole Bros. one hot summer day. They would put down stakes for their big top a few times before I ventured into the magic of that bygone era. I had seen Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus a few times at Madison Square Garden, and here on the Island at the Nassau Coliseum, but being in the big tent, up close to the caged lions (I kept running through exit scenarios in case of trouble as I watched), there's been nothing like it ever since. I know that animal treatment was a problem, but there was still something special, nostalgic, and sad about it all. When I was way to young to worry about names and social politics, my dad took me to Madison Square Garden to see Ringling Bros. for the first time. I went looking for the freak show, in high hopes of finally seeing up close what I had only seen through television shows and movies. You can't imagine how crestfallen I was when I found out there was none. To me, the freaks, the sideshow acts, they were the real performers of the circus. Of note to Western movie fans, cowboy star Ken Maynard toured with the Circus and has a write-up.

ComicRack reader version: Download Cole Brothers Circus Program

Tight Spot (1955) Pressbook

Like a little ginger cheesecake with your film noir? Here's Ginger Rogers in Tight Spot, a movie with some kick as she's manhandled by the cops and the criminals. Brian Keith plays the big lug who falls for her tight legs and snippy personality. Edward G. Robinson looks short in every scene but acts big as usual. The cast is gold, the dialog a bit too sappy, but this one's a keeper even without the dancing.

ComicRack reader version: Download Tight Spot Pressbook

No tight spots with finding more pressbooks From Zombos' Closet!

Green Magic (1953) Pressbook

An Italian documentary capturing yet another excursion into the jungle, which seemed very big (think travelogue with exploitation tossed in) up until the 1960s. Now with the Internet and cable channel shows, the big screen isn't needed anymore to show us the wild and exotic. Of course, there's straight to DVD for that now, too. I'd love to have one of those kid mask giveaways. That's another thing about today's movies, no fun giveaways to promote a showing at the local theater. Bummer. 

ComicRack reader version: Download Green Magic Pressbook

Find more magic with pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.

The Range Busters (1940) Pressbook

Ray "Crash" Corrigan was a stuntman, western B movie star, and noted for putting on a mean gorilla costume now and then. I'm not sure if the "Crash" part of his name came from his stunt work or his appearance in the Undersea Kingdom (1936) serial. Some sources relate it to his being in the serial, since Flash Gordon, with Larry "Buster" Crabbe, came out around the same time and Republic's publicity wanted a hero to buzz off of the "Flash" name. We tend to forget how often stunt people fill in for the actors or in critical roles where life and limb are at a premium. During the serial and western cinema days, many actors were stunt people too. It certainly saved money for the studios.

ComicRack reader version: Download Range Busters Pressbook

Bust out some more pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.