This week on SVENGOOLIE...

[RedRiver]

So we've completed the Creature trilogy. Right? There were three of them? I like these movies. Even a little more than I thought I did. They have a...sociological content. Science, environment, choice and consequence. THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US may be the weakest of the three. Then again, it's also the saddest. All this poor guy wants to do is swim in peace. Instead, he becomes the subject of the most inhumane experiments.

Blackie Lagoon's treatment is the most cruel of all the classic movie monsters. He's shot, set on fire (in a horribly disturbing scene), and has his gills surgically removed. In the end (if you really care, this a SPOILER!!!!!) he chooses death. Walks into the sea, knowing he can no longer breathe under water. It's a poetic moment as we imagine The Creature thinking, "Well, I can't live in the water anymore. And I damn sure can't live on land. May as well go back where I belong and let nature take its course."

These "Oh, so 50's" movies have almost no budget, laughable production quality. But they're not stupid movies. They make you think on your way home from the drive-in! And they're exactly why we root for the monster!

[moira finnie]

All this poor guy wants to do is swim in peace...These "Oh, so 50's" movies have almost no budget, laughable production quality. But they're not stupid movies. They make you think on your way from the drive-in! And they're exactly why we root for the monster!

Your vivid description of the trials of the creature in THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US makes me kick myself for missing this entry in the horror film series. I am glad that I missed his being shot, the immolation, the excision of his gills and his sad decision to give up and literally go with the flow. I often find that these cheap little movies have a haunting pathos that isn't easy to shake off. The effect of watching them can feel like seeing a dead animal by the side of the road. You don't want to look, but you do, often trying to figure out what happened to the poor thing, and so glad that you weren't the one who hurt it--though being a member of society at large, are we really blameless? Aaargh! I guess that is one of the cathartic functions of monster movies: to release us from a paralyzing sense of responsibility by fictionalizing the pain inflicted on an innocent, dumb creature and keeping such things at a distance and in perspective (or trying to, at least).

Next week's sojourn into ersatz Egyptian mythology with The Mummy sounds like a cake walk by comparison.

[RedRiver]

It's no surprise that one of the Creature films was directed by the talented Jack Arnold, a filmmaker who, at his best, produced fantasy with a spiritual quality.

[RedRiver]

Not much to say about MUMMY Dearest. Good movie. Love Boris. Fell asleep! This movie is much, much, MUCH better than the one with Brendan Fraser. That was one of the first movies I felt was ABOUT special effects. Look! Sand is swirling all over, shaping into something. Bugs are coming from everywhere, crawling around. Yeah. And? It was if that was the story.

I'll fall asleep on Boris anytime. (I should rephrase that!)

[moira finnie]

I forgot it was on!! I thought that some of The Mummy (1999) was funny (Brendan Fraser is cute, but somehow I don't think that would affect your critical judgement of the film). There were far too many bugs in the recent versions for me to actually enjoy it, however. I also like John Hannah, but that and the ickiness as the story went on were not enough to keep me engaged in the action.

But all is not lost. The Mummy (1932) is going to make two other appearances soon on TCM:

Sunday, September 30 @ 08:00 PM (ET)
Wednesday, October 31 @ 12:30 AM (ET)

[RedRiver]

After I wrote that comment on the more recent Mummy film, I actually hoped someone would contradict me. I even saw a post on another thread that affords the movie some credit. I will concede that the first half, as they assemble a crew and set sail for adventure, is high-spirited and whimsical. It's when technology takes over that my sensibilities are offended. It's like a play that has a first act and...a set!

I'll unwrap Boris anytime. (I should rephrase that!)

[moira finnie]

The high-spirits of The Mummy (1999) was why I stuck with it. They did try to convey a certain amount of Indiana Jones' fun until the CGI took over.

I like your new signature line!

I'll unwrap Boris anytime. (I should rephrase that!)

[Western Guy]

If I may offer a comment on The Creature Walks Among Us. As a kid I found it to be the weakest of the Gillman trio, but watching it today I find it my favorite and the one in the series I watch most often. The subplot is far more interesting than that provided in the earlier entries, and Jeff Morrow (a wonderful, underrated actor) plays his unbalanced role for all it's worth. As Rex Reason's character observes: "He's brilliant but disturbed." You can sense the rage simmering inside of Morrow through most of the film and when he finally erupts in a murderous frenzy, it's a shocking, unexpected moment. It was rare for the top-billed star of sci-fi films in this era to turn out to be the baddie. After all, we were used to the proper heroics of Richard Carlson, John Agar, Grant Williams, etc.

[RedRiver]

Hi! This is Bob "who turned out the lights" Hope, inviting you to join me and Paulette Goddard, Charlie's wife, as we spend the night together...in a haunted house, that is! THE GHOST BREAKERS is a cute, if dated comedy, with all the squeaks and moans you expect from the genre. There are some clever one-liners, if I do say so. Crosby isn't in this one, so the only wailing you'll hear will come from the ghost!

[moira finnie]

I actually set this to record, Red. I like Bob "he was funny in the forties" Hope movies. This one is fun and silly. Thanks for the reminder.

[MikeBSG]

"Sounds like Basil Rathbone's throwing a party..."

I always remember that line from "The Ghost Breakers." (It's a reference to 1939's "Son of Frankenstein.") Also, there is one sequence in "Ghost Breakers" (about an organ built into the wall and you have to play music to get out) that was copied for an episode of "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" (In fact, I think that whole Hanna-Barbera series probably wouldn't exist if it weren't for "The Ghost Breakers."

[RedRiver]

Not bad. James Whale has nothing to worry about. But a fun little show. Some of the jokes are funny. Some are beyond my comprehension. Probably references known to audiences of the time; not to me. No less than three remarks about ghosts walking. OK. And...

I wonder if Svengoolie has access to SCARED STIFF, the more or less remake of this story with Martin and Lewis. As a fan of that manic duo, I kind of prefer that one. Last night's show is more sophisticated (Yes. More refined than the young Jerry Lewis!). But, like all the best efforts of Dean and Jerry, their movie features bits from their night club act. Funny stuff.

I don't know what's on next week. Finding that schedule is like plotting an armored car robbery!

[moira finnie]

I haven't had a chance to see Ghost Breakers just yet but, according to the Me-TV site, the following are on the schedule for the first two weeks of September:

9/1/12
The Phantom of the Opera (1943-Arthur Lubin): Claude Rains & Susanna Foster
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Claude is a sympathetic Phantom in Technicolor, bringing his romantic, revengeful and looney qualities to bear, but I did not think he was as scary as either Lon Chaney or Herbert Lom. Did anyone find Rains really frightening...ever? Nelson Eddy (Wendy alert!) is on hand, along with a dream cast of supporting players bringing the operatic background to life. The actors include Hume Cronyn, Fritz Feld, Steven Geray, Leo Carillo, J. Edward Bromberg, and Fritz Leiber (as Franz Liszt!). The ultimate fate of the leading lady, Susanna Foster, is very sad, as you can see in her 2009 obit here, though her vocal talent was clearly fine, she was very pretty and might have had a much longer career.

You can see the whole movie beginning here if you'd like.

9/8/12
The Invisible Woman (1940-A. Edward Sutherland): John Barrymore, Virginia Bruce
It's kind of pathetic to see John Barrymore in this occasionally funny movie as a mad doctor with a wild leer and a streak of misogyny, but it is generally a romp through every possible cliche about invisibility and its possibilities. (What would you do if you could not be seen?). Virginia Bruce manages to be impertinent and likable as the adventurous woman who responds to the doctor's ad for a volunteer to experiment on with his discovery. Once again this film is enhanced by a deep back field of terrific character actors, featuring Charlie Ruggles, Oskar Homolka, Margaret Hamilton, Shemp Howard and Charles Lane, among others.
[youtube][/youtube]

[RedRiver]

Now I know the schedule is repeating. I remember what I was doing when I missed INVISIBLE WOMAN a few months ago. I was with somebody who had never heard of Drew Barrymore's grandfather! Claude Rains was the first phantom I saw. Not one of my favorite movies. Later, the Herbert Lom project crossed my path. It wasn't until video that I was exposed to THE Phantom of the Opera.

[RedRiver]

Looks like Svengoolie has some competition in my region. The PBS channel is running a Saturday night classic at the same time. This weekend's feature will be DARK PASSAGE. For a crime drama that's not one of the best, that's pretty darn good! I don't know why this stuff excites me. You can watch the video anytime. It's just so nice that "the real world" hasn't completely forgotten these wonderful staples of our youth.