From Zombos' Closet

Halloween 2023 Spotted at Target

They are almost done stocking the shelves with Halloween coolness, but I grabbed these shots of some of the offerings at my local Target. This year they are putting stuff out sooner than last year. Usually the return to school shelves are still packed, but maybe Target got some sense into their collective business noggins realizing that Lowe's already has their Christmas decorations out. So the selling cycle is getting earlier and shorter for sure. I can remember a time when I went to stores the day after Halloween to try and snag some bargains. Now, if you wait until October starts, you're a goner.  And damn you, Lowe's, what the hell? The candy isn't cold yet and you put out the ho ho ho, tidings of cheer merchandise? Don't snow on my parade, man!

I did pick up the skeleton bike rider, and will be going back for more (depending on how well I can sneak anything into the house before my wife catches me). Target always stocks fun items: some animated, some Day of the Dead, lots of skeletons, and a very neat crystal plasma skull this time around (okay, clear plastic, but the effect is still great) should be enticing to everyone (or maybe it's just me, already enticed and all).

Terror Tales Vol. 9 Issue 4 (1978)

More gore in store for you in Terror Tales Vol. 9, issue 4. Lots of pages to spread the black bloody around too. It's funny but I'm not a fan of gore onscreen: I like my horror suspenseful and atmospheric, and with special effects or gore that fits into the storyline for a reason. But with horror comics, the fun is seeing how creatively the illustrator can render the terror, whether through gory scenes or beautifully horrible inky shadows filled with monsters and body parts. Of course, women victims seem to get the sharp edge wearing the least amount of clothing, whenever possible. Tells you something about illustrators for this stuff: like they're mostly men with some developmental issues. But their developmental issues are our gain, so yay all those troubling issues! Art therapy is good for the soul, right?

In this issue, a superb inside cover splash page starts things off (though I bet the full illustration is even more naughty), and The Headless Ones have an itch they can't scratch, which is a par for the course in Heads of Terror. And if the terror is not taking place on an island or a dungeon or a sinister house, there's always a cave to light a fire in and warm up the monsters, as in The Cave Monsters, with kinetic artwork by Ruben Marchionne. Only to be followed by another stunner by Alberto Macagno in River of Blood.

ComicRack and YakReader version: Download Terror Tales Vol 9 Issue 4

The Corpse Vanishes (1942) Pressbook

The Corpse Vanishes is often described as a weird movie. Probably, given to the Monogram budget, made weirder due to the lowest common denominator production values. Yes, a cheapie done quickly; yes, a slow burner; yes, the editing needed a bit more oomph (okay, more than a bit; and that's at a running time of 63 minutes). Bela Lugosi, however, delivered his usually interesting mad-scientist performance and the staging is other worldly due to dialog and blocking that's either undercooked or overdone. But there's something about Bela Lugosi that is always watchable and, especially with the stern, sinister, face of Elizabeth Russell (Cat People, Return of the Cat People, The Seventh Victim) adding to the glum proceedings, the hour goes by with limited eye-rolls (for me, anyway). There's something to be said for Monogram's poverty row horrors, which range from say what? to what did I just watch? that captures the 1940s like no other movie from that period does. With Angelo Rossito (all 34 inches of him) tossed into the mix (well, maybe 'tossed' is the wrong word to use around small persons, but you know what I mean), and Minerva Urecal adding the criminal element that she brings so well, I recommend you catch the blu ray for this movie or the MST3K laugh-fest version. I also point you to reading Poverty Row Horrors! by Tom Weaver, which covers the Monogram, PRC, and Republic horrors of the 1940s for more information on this notable category of horror cinema. While I don't always agree with Weaver's critical assessments, he does provide a lot of background information of interest.

I Was a Teenage Frankenstein Belgian Poster

Here is a 14.25 x 21.5 inches Belgian poster for I Was a Teenage Frankenstein. The room left at the top allowed local theaters to add their promotional information. Not particularly rare, but a great illustration nonetheless.  Below it is a bit of fun with a scene from the movie.

Terror Tales Vol.4 Issue 1 (1972)

Some terrifically gruesome stories in this one for you to sink your teeth into and warp your mind. No holds barred artwork delivers the goods, which in this issue are body parts, monstrous hungry sea witches, and bodies long dead but still moving to feed the crocodile god. Lots of hungry creatures in this issue. Those bulging eyes in The Demon's Night will keep you wide awake and The Bloody Statues will remind you of a Roger Corman movie. You've been warned. Don't blame me if you have nightmares.

ComicRack and YakReader version: Download Terror Tales V4-1

Charlie Chan, City In Darkness (1939)

The Chinese fictional detective, Charlie Chan, was played, almost entirely, by non-Asian men. Warner Oland was the first to don the proverbs for Fox and became very popular with his self-effacing and always-at-ease demeanor. Later actors would give Chan a more acerbic bite, but  Oland will always be my favorite. He went sleuthing through sixteen Chan movies for Fox before being replaced by Sidney Tolar. With Oland, his No. 1 son was played by Keye Luke. Luke joined Mr. Moto's Gamble (Moto was played by Peter Lorre) when  Oland died before completing his last Chan film. Luke stayed around mostly to use already shot footage and do some audience-bridging to the Moto series opener.  Wikipedia notes the Asian actors who have played Chan, in two early movies as a non-leading character (1926 and 1929), and five Shanghai and Hong Kong movies during the 1930s and 40s (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chan#Films). Given today's climate with China, I doubt a new series would be successful. But you can enjoy the original one with Warner Oland and Keye Luke. For Bela Lugosi fans (me, me!), see Charlie Chan's The Black Camel (1931), shot on location in Honolulu. An excellent book on the series is Charlie Chan at the Movies by Ken Hanke.

ComicRack and YakReader version: Download Charlie Chan City in Darkness

 

The Gay Falcon (1941) Pressbook

Nothing like a suave gay detective for women to fawn over and criminals to spar with. The 'gay' in the title, however, refers to the leading character, Gay Laurence, alias The Falcon. RKO used The Falcon (a staggering sixteen movies in all) to replace their The Saint series after falling out with Leslie Charteris; which, ironically, came about because Charteris blamed copyright infringement by RKO with The Falcon as a knock-off of The Saint. I tended to like George Sanders more than Tom Conway, who later took over for him around the fifth entry in the series. Both men looked alike since Tom Conway was Sanders' brother, but Sanders had that velvet-cake voice that was so sinister or disarming depending on the situation. He also played The Saint. The man kept busy for sure.

ComicRack and YakReader version: Download The Gay Falcon

Terror Tales Vol. 6 Issue 2 (1974)

Here's some more terror for you, wrapped in a truly hideous cover. More monsters, more doom for hapless mortals, and more engrossing art to put a spell on you. After you've read a few of these stories you'll notice that a lot of evil and horror erupts between unhappy couples, the dead play mischief, and skeletons abound. And women get tied up and traumatized and faint a lot.  

ComicRack and YakReader version: Download Terror Tales Vol6 Issue 2

Don't get all choked up, there are more magazines to see From Zombos' Closet.

Tarzan and the Huntress (1947) Pressbook

Reading this pressbook I learned something I hadn't really thought about: Tarzan is a vegetarian. I bet you didn't know that either.  I like the tagline, "Cheta makes with antics when the animal kingdom revolts." It is also reassuring that, even in a jungle, a family can thrive (with a lot of help from the studio crafts department). While many Tarzans that followed could speak, rather eloquently, I prefer my Tarzan with his grunts, umgawas, and hand gestures. The strength of Johnny Weismuller's characterization comes from the simplicity of an uneducated, uncivilized man who shows just how civilized and educated he can be through his actions. Now, if they could have lessened the "white beauties" angles and chose a more realistic approach, this series would be much better than it is, but having grown up with it, I still think it's pretty good, even with its faults. You can read more about the movie on ERBzine.

ComicRack and YakReader version: Download Tarzan and the Huntress pressbook

You don't need to hunt for more pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.

Terror Tales Vol.5 Issue 4 (1973)

The later issues of Terror Tales, and all other Eerie comics publications, rehashed stories and elements from earlier covers to save money. In this issue, Pool of Horror is reprinted, though I forget from which issue, but hey, enjoy the wonderful black and white art and the usual tropes of political incorrectness (ah, the 1970s), and revel at monsters not caring a wit about it, of course. One story, The Day Man Died, is par for the course of 1960s and 1970s angst about the future, where robots would do all the work. leaving man to idle away his time in endless fun stuff. Seems the writers of these stories forgot the most important thing: You need to buy a robot first, and lord knows how much that will cost. So maybe the story title should have been The Day Those Who Could Afford the Luxury of a Robot Died. 

ComicRack and YakReader version: Download Terror Tales Vol5-4

Bruce Gentry -- Daredevil of the Skies (1949) Pressbook

In the first chapter of Bruce Gentry -- Daredevil of the Skies serial, the mysterious villain, Recorder, sends a flying saucer (disc) to crash into Bruce's plane. It happens within the first few minutes and the saucer is animated. The following year, The Flying Saucer (1950), had Soviet and American agents fighting over possession of a flying saucer. The term "flying saucer" was coined by a United Press newspaper man in 1947, after an amateur pilot saw nine objects in the sky giving off bright flashes of light. Of course, the U.S. Airforce now prefers the term UFO (unidentified flying object), but "flying saucer" has a cooler, vintage ring to it. The flying discs that Recorder controls remotely, acting more like drones, leads Bruce to investigate them to see if they can be repurposed for commercial use. I'm not sure if drones, which first saw action in 1917 during the First World War, were thought to have commercial potential in the 1940s, aside from their military uses. In 1935, the British began using the term "drone" to refer to their pilotless aircraft. And because drone is too simple a word, the term used today is UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle). That doesn't quite roll off the tongue like drone. Long story short: the first appearance of a flying saucer in cinema may be credited to this serial. Although a bit wonky in the animation department (clearly basement budget), that's still important to note.

ComicRack and YakReader version: Download Bruce Gentry Daredevil of the Skies

No expensive tickets or plane trips needed to see more pressbooks from Zombos' Closet.

 

Boy Slaves (1939) Pressbook

Recurring themes in some movies of the 1930s and 1940s centered around boys, streetwise or collegiate, boy gangs, and boys in trouble, either with the law or through exploitation. In Boy Slaves, the trouble stems from exploitation. It's fascinating how much history we don't learn in school. In this instance, it's corrupt business through forced labor in a  Turpentine Camp. Products derived from turpentine were big money during the 19th century. In the 1870s, camps of laborers to tap into pine trees sprung up in northwest Florida. By the 1930s, corruption and abuse took over, forcing prisoners, and those falsely accused of a crime to make them prisoners, into slave labor for these camps. Many black workers were also snared by putting them in debt so that they could never repay what they owed. Instead of cash, tokens or scrip (any substitute for legal money) were used instead. That song, Sixteen Tons, by Merle Travis, may have been about a coal mine company store, but the turpentine camp company store did the same thing to keep workers unable to pay off their debt. Luckily, times changed when other replacement chemicals and the uses for turpentine started drying up. 

ComicRack and YakReader version: Download Boy Slaves Pressbook