Clint Eastwood was already 30 years old when he landed his breakout role in the CBS Western "Rawhide." The actor had spent much of the 1950s getting by on bit parts in B movies (most notably the Jack Arnold monster duo of "Revenge of the Creature" and "Tarantula"), and guest roles on TV series like "Maverick" and "Death Valley Days," so you'd think he would've been thrilled. But Eastwood was displeased with his character Rowdy Yates, who, early on in the series' run, was a wet-behind-the-ears ramrod. At his age, he was eager to play a grown, capable man with enough years behind him to allow for a bit of mystery.
Eastwood's restlessness coincided with a shift in filmmakers' approach to the Western genre. Though maestros like John Ford, Howard Hawks, Anthony Mann, and Budd Boetticher had allowed for moral ambiguity in their movies, the vast majority of Westerns were white...
Eastwood's restlessness coincided with a shift in filmmakers' approach to the Western genre. Though maestros like John Ford, Howard Hawks, Anthony Mann, and Budd Boetticher had allowed for moral ambiguity in their movies, the vast majority of Westerns were white...
- 4/28/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Henry Willson’s behavior was protected by other powerful players in the entertainment industry who depended on him for a steady stream of fresh, young talent.
In episode 3 of “Variety Confidential,” host Tracy Pattin and co-host Matt Donnelly, Variety’s senior entertainment and media writer, unearth the story of Willson, an aggressive, midcentury Hollywood talent agent and manager who succeeded in both spotting and taking advantage of young actors within whom he saw potential for fame.
Willson, a closeted gay man, would lure dozens of handsome young men, or “beefcakes” as they would come to be known, to his Los Angeles home after wining and dining them and promising fame. “He seems to have insinuated himself into their lives,” Pattin explains. “He became their friend, the parent, the protector, and in many cases, their lover.”
Willson prioritized on-screen sex appeal over acting ability, which was key to landing roles for...
In episode 3 of “Variety Confidential,” host Tracy Pattin and co-host Matt Donnelly, Variety’s senior entertainment and media writer, unearth the story of Willson, an aggressive, midcentury Hollywood talent agent and manager who succeeded in both spotting and taking advantage of young actors within whom he saw potential for fame.
Willson, a closeted gay man, would lure dozens of handsome young men, or “beefcakes” as they would come to be known, to his Los Angeles home after wining and dining them and promising fame. “He seems to have insinuated himself into their lives,” Pattin explains. “He became their friend, the parent, the protector, and in many cases, their lover.”
Willson prioritized on-screen sex appeal over acting ability, which was key to landing roles for...
- 1/3/2024
- by Lauren Ames
- Variety Film + TV
Piper Laurie, the actor known for portraying Carrie’s unstable, evangelical mother and Packard Sawmill head Catherine Martell in Twin Peaks, has died at age 91. Her manager confirmed the news to CNN, but did not provide a cause of death.
Born Rosetta Jacobs on January 22nd, 1932, the young actor changed her name to Piper Laurie after signing to Universal Studios at age 17. She experienced early success in the Golden Age of Hollywood: she portrayed Ronald Reagan’s daughter in Louisa (and even engaged in a brief romance with the soon-to-be president), and worked alongside Donald O’Connor, Tony Curtis, and Rory Calhoun in Francis Goes to the Races, Son of Ali Baba, and Ain’t Misbehavin’, respectively.
Though she could count those names on her resume, Laurie felt unfulfilled by the roles she was given. She bristled at Hollywood’s one-dimensional depictions of women. “Every role I played was the same girl,...
Born Rosetta Jacobs on January 22nd, 1932, the young actor changed her name to Piper Laurie after signing to Universal Studios at age 17. She experienced early success in the Golden Age of Hollywood: she portrayed Ronald Reagan’s daughter in Louisa (and even engaged in a brief romance with the soon-to-be president), and worked alongside Donald O’Connor, Tony Curtis, and Rory Calhoun in Francis Goes to the Races, Son of Ali Baba, and Ain’t Misbehavin’, respectively.
Though she could count those names on her resume, Laurie felt unfulfilled by the roles she was given. She bristled at Hollywood’s one-dimensional depictions of women. “Every role I played was the same girl,...
- 10/15/2023
- by Carys Anderson
- Consequence - Film News
The episode of The Test of Time covering Motel Hell was Written by Andrew Hatfield, Narrated by Niki Minter, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by John Fallon and Tyler Nichols, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
Copycat movies have been a thing forever. You can look at the broader scope and consider that most slasher movies became copycat in one way or another. A supernatural killer, excessive gore and nudity, and even the high body counts. That style of horror movies could become a dime a dozen. Twin films are similar, but they are made at roughly the same time and actually trying to release first to beat the other to market so as to not be seen as an attempted clone of the other studios idea. Boiling it down even further, some copycats go beyond just the themes and even try to take direct elements from the previous movie that made money.
Copycat movies have been a thing forever. You can look at the broader scope and consider that most slasher movies became copycat in one way or another. A supernatural killer, excessive gore and nudity, and even the high body counts. That style of horror movies could become a dime a dozen. Twin films are similar, but they are made at roughly the same time and actually trying to release first to beat the other to market so as to not be seen as an attempted clone of the other studios idea. Boiling it down even further, some copycats go beyond just the themes and even try to take direct elements from the previous movie that made money.
- 9/28/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
This article contains spoilers
Alfred Hitchcock almost blew it. For most of Psycho’s runtime, the master of suspense lived up to his name, turning Robert Bloch’s pulpy novel into a thrilling mystery with shocking twists. But then, after the revelation of Norman Bates emulating his mother, now a rotting corpse, the movie stops for a psychiatrist to lecture the audience on Freudian theory. Were it not for the chilling closing voiceover by Virginia Gregg as Norma Bates, and Anthony Perkins’ proto-Kubrickian stare at the camera, Psycho may have gone out with a whisper.
As ill-advised as the lecture scene surely is, it did help establish a key element of the slasher genre that followed. Slashers aren’t just about serial killers who pick off victims one by one. They also need to have deeply weird storylines, dealing not only with the killer’s personal hang ups, but also...
Alfred Hitchcock almost blew it. For most of Psycho’s runtime, the master of suspense lived up to his name, turning Robert Bloch’s pulpy novel into a thrilling mystery with shocking twists. But then, after the revelation of Norman Bates emulating his mother, now a rotting corpse, the movie stops for a psychiatrist to lecture the audience on Freudian theory. Were it not for the chilling closing voiceover by Virginia Gregg as Norma Bates, and Anthony Perkins’ proto-Kubrickian stare at the camera, Psycho may have gone out with a whisper.
As ill-advised as the lecture scene surely is, it did help establish a key element of the slasher genre that followed. Slashers aren’t just about serial killers who pick off victims one by one. They also need to have deeply weird storylines, dealing not only with the killer’s personal hang ups, but also...
- 6/16/2023
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
Scream Factory sure loves director Kevin Connor’s 1980 oddball horror classic Motel Hell (which you can watch Here). They gave the film a special edition Blu-ray release from back in 2014, then a steelbook release with a 4K transfer back in 2020. Now they have announced that they’ll be giving Motel Hell a 4K Uhd release on June 27th – and copies are available for pre-order at This Link! While supplies last, fans who order the 4K Uhd release through the Scream Factory site will also receive an exclusive 18″ X 24″ rolled poster featuring the original theatrical artwork.
Written by Robert Jaffe and Steven-Charles Jaffe, Motel Hell stars Rory Calhoun, Paul Linke, Nancy Parsons, Nina Axelrod, Wolfman Jack, Elaine Joyce, and John Ratzenberger. The synopsis: It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent’s fritters! You really are what you eat with Farmer Vincent’s smoked meat in this creepy horror...
Written by Robert Jaffe and Steven-Charles Jaffe, Motel Hell stars Rory Calhoun, Paul Linke, Nancy Parsons, Nina Axelrod, Wolfman Jack, Elaine Joyce, and John Ratzenberger. The synopsis: It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent’s fritters! You really are what you eat with Farmer Vincent’s smoked meat in this creepy horror...
- 4/11/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
It's odd to think that there was a time when Clint Eastwood was just a jobbing actor and not the Hollywood legend we know him to be. As an actor and a director, the man has had a career that anyone looking for success in the film industry would envy, being able to make whatever he wanted to make consistently for decades.
Though he's tackled crime stories, romantic melodramas, biopics, and just about everything else you could in the business, we all know Clint Eastwood's bread and butter is the Western, the genre that rocketed him to stardom in the 1960s with the release of Sergio Leone's classic Spaghetti Western "Dollars" trilogy, all three of which hit American movie screens in 1967.
Prior to heading over to Italy to take on the Man with No Name character, Eastwood was the co-star of the television series "Rawhide" for eight years, and...
Though he's tackled crime stories, romantic melodramas, biopics, and just about everything else you could in the business, we all know Clint Eastwood's bread and butter is the Western, the genre that rocketed him to stardom in the 1960s with the release of Sergio Leone's classic Spaghetti Western "Dollars" trilogy, all three of which hit American movie screens in 1967.
Prior to heading over to Italy to take on the Man with No Name character, Eastwood was the co-star of the television series "Rawhide" for eight years, and...
- 4/8/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
You can’t argue with disc collectors eager to rediscover movies they loved at age 10, in terrific kiddie matinees. Cowboy star Rory Calhoun makes a perfectly fine Italian vagabond ladies’ man for this very un-serious ‘oriental’ adventure, and Yôko Tani is the requisite princess who needs kissing lessons. Tim Lucas’s welcome, info-packed commentary satisfies our curiosity about the long-unavailable title — it’s different than the A.I.P. release we (barely) remember.
Marco Polo
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1962 / Color/ 2:35 widescreen / 104, 95 min. / Street Date , 2023 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Rory Calhoun, Yôko Tani, Camillo Pilotto, Pierre Cressoy, Michael Chow, Thien-Huong, Franco Ressel.
Cinematography: Riccardo Pallottini
Production Designer: Zoran Zorcic
Art Directors: Aurelio Crugnola, Franco Fumagalli, Miodrag Miric, Jovan Radic
Film Editor: Ornella Micheli
Costume design: Mario Giorsi
Original Music: Angelo Francesco Lavagnino / Les Baxter
Written by Oreste Biancoli, Ennio De Concini, Eliana De Sabata, Antoinette Pellevant, Piero Pierotti, Duccio Tessari
Produced by Luigi Carpentieri,...
Marco Polo
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1962 / Color/ 2:35 widescreen / 104, 95 min. / Street Date , 2023 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Rory Calhoun, Yôko Tani, Camillo Pilotto, Pierre Cressoy, Michael Chow, Thien-Huong, Franco Ressel.
Cinematography: Riccardo Pallottini
Production Designer: Zoran Zorcic
Art Directors: Aurelio Crugnola, Franco Fumagalli, Miodrag Miric, Jovan Radic
Film Editor: Ornella Micheli
Costume design: Mario Giorsi
Original Music: Angelo Francesco Lavagnino / Les Baxter
Written by Oreste Biancoli, Ennio De Concini, Eliana De Sabata, Antoinette Pellevant, Piero Pierotti, Duccio Tessari
Produced by Luigi Carpentieri,...
- 1/31/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Pepla! Pepla! Rah Rah Rah! These two remastered Italo muscleman pix could be the start of something big. A pair of relatively early Maciste epics became Samson vehicles in American-International’s Hollywood-ized revisions. Mark Forest & ex-Tarzan Gordon Scott overthrow tyrants in Egypt and Cathay, while hurling boulders and kissing exotic damsels like Chelo Alonso, Yôko Tani and Hélène Chanel. Separate releases from Kino Lorber.
Samson Double Bill
Son of Samson + Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World
Blu-ray Separate Purchases
Kl Studio Classics
1960 + 1961 / Color / 2:35 widescreen /
Starring: Mark Forest, Chelo Alonso; Gordon Scott, Yôko Tani, Hélène Chanel, Valéry Inkijinoff.
Cinematography: Riccardo Pallottini
Original Music: Carlo Innocenzi
Produced by Luigi Carpentieri, Ermanno Donati
Directed by Carlo Campogalliani, Riccardo Freda
Is it true? Will the neglected Italian costume pictures known as ‘sword ‘n’ sandals, Pepla & muscleman epics finally be released on disc in editions of worthwhile quality? We ‘fifties kids were raised...
Samson Double Bill
Son of Samson + Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World
Blu-ray Separate Purchases
Kl Studio Classics
1960 + 1961 / Color / 2:35 widescreen /
Starring: Mark Forest, Chelo Alonso; Gordon Scott, Yôko Tani, Hélène Chanel, Valéry Inkijinoff.
Cinematography: Riccardo Pallottini
Original Music: Carlo Innocenzi
Produced by Luigi Carpentieri, Ermanno Donati
Directed by Carlo Campogalliani, Riccardo Freda
Is it true? Will the neglected Italian costume pictures known as ‘sword ‘n’ sandals, Pepla & muscleman epics finally be released on disc in editions of worthwhile quality? We ‘fifties kids were raised...
- 8/20/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Powerhouse Indicator moves forward to their fourth fancy box of noirs from the studio of Harry Cohn, six pictures stretching from the postwar boom to the end of the original classic noir era. This time around we have some notable directors, and a nice selection of stars — Dennis O’Keefe, George Murphy, Fred MacMurray, Kim Novak, Jean Simmons, Rory Calhoun and Richard Conte. Kim Novak makes her starring debut as a femme fatale; noir icon Richard Conte shines in a movie that marks a turn into a new kind of existential, paranoid thriller. And speaking of paranoid, we again get to lighten up with another selection of theme-appropriate Three Stooges shorts.
Columbia Noir #4
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1948-1957 / B&w + Color / 1:85 widescreen, 1:37 Academy / Street Date September 27, 2021 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / 49.99
Starring: Louis Hayward, Dennis O’Keefe; George Murphy; Fred MacMurray, Kim Novak; Jean Simmons, Rory Calhoun; Dennis O’Keefe,...
Columbia Noir #4
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1948-1957 / B&w + Color / 1:85 widescreen, 1:37 Academy / Street Date September 27, 2021 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / 49.99
Starring: Louis Hayward, Dennis O’Keefe; George Murphy; Fred MacMurray, Kim Novak; Jean Simmons, Rory Calhoun; Dennis O’Keefe,...
- 9/14/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“Attention! Attention! Ladies and gentlemen, attention! There is a herd of killer rabbits headed this way and we desperately need your help!”
The Arkadin Cinema, a local independent theater scheduled to open soon, is hosting an outdoor film series that takes place in the back lot at The Heavy Anchor (5226 Gravois Ave in St. Louis). Janet Leigh in Night Of The Lepus (1972) plays Saturday April 3rd. Showtime is 8:00. Enter through the front of The Heavy Anchor. Admission is $9 and advance tickets can be purchased Here. Bring your own chair. First come, first served. Seating is limited. Food and drinks and available there at The Heavy Anchor. This is a 21+ event, so leave the kids home. Masks are required for entry and must be worn when not eating or drinking.
Help Arkadin Cinema and Bar get in the Easter spirit with this notorious camp classic! Watch as a cast of...
The Arkadin Cinema, a local independent theater scheduled to open soon, is hosting an outdoor film series that takes place in the back lot at The Heavy Anchor (5226 Gravois Ave in St. Louis). Janet Leigh in Night Of The Lepus (1972) plays Saturday April 3rd. Showtime is 8:00. Enter through the front of The Heavy Anchor. Admission is $9 and advance tickets can be purchased Here. Bring your own chair. First come, first served. Seating is limited. Food and drinks and available there at The Heavy Anchor. This is a 21+ event, so leave the kids home. Masks are required for entry and must be worn when not eating or drinking.
Help Arkadin Cinema and Bar get in the Easter spirit with this notorious camp classic! Watch as a cast of...
- 3/30/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Welcome back, dear readers! We here at Daily Dead have been doing our best to honor the 40th anniversary of all the great horror and science fiction films that were released throughout the year 1980 over the last several weeks. Today we wrap up our celebration with several more voices from the realm of genre entertainment.
So, for our final Class of 1980 celebration, we will be featuring the likes of Barbara Crampton, Mike Flanagan, Travis Stevens, Kyle Gallner, André Gower, Phil “Cm Punk” Brooks, Rebekah McKendry, PhD, Meagan Navarro, and Marc Gottlieb all discussing a variety of notable horror and sci-fi movies from 1980, including The Shining, Inferno, The Watcher in the Woods, Anthropophagus, Dressed to Kill, The Changeling, Motel Hell, The Empire Strikes Back, Alligator, and The Fog.
We do hope that you’ve enjoyed our ongoing Class of 1980 series this month and that is has inspired you to revisit many...
So, for our final Class of 1980 celebration, we will be featuring the likes of Barbara Crampton, Mike Flanagan, Travis Stevens, Kyle Gallner, André Gower, Phil “Cm Punk” Brooks, Rebekah McKendry, PhD, Meagan Navarro, and Marc Gottlieb all discussing a variety of notable horror and sci-fi movies from 1980, including The Shining, Inferno, The Watcher in the Woods, Anthropophagus, Dressed to Kill, The Changeling, Motel Hell, The Empire Strikes Back, Alligator, and The Fog.
We do hope that you’ve enjoyed our ongoing Class of 1980 series this month and that is has inspired you to revisit many...
- 7/21/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Welcome to this review of Slammiversary 2020, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have the big night where “our world changes”, or something like that. This could be a real hit, or just more disappointment from the little engine that just won’t stop (even for pedestrians). Well, my son Henry Jr. just shot these nice Nazi’s, so let’s just walk over these bodies and enjoy Slammiversary 202… Junior! Look at what you did! You shot those men! Slammiversary begins…Now!
Match #1: Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) def. Rascalz (Dez & Wentz) The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:
Shelley holds Dez on the floor while Sabin delivers a running kick from the apron. The Machine Guns wear down Wentz, showing off their unique double team offense. Sabin cranks the neck of Wentz, followed by a strong forearm from Shelley. Wentz turns the...
Match #1: Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) def. Rascalz (Dez & Wentz) The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:
Shelley holds Dez on the floor while Sabin delivers a running kick from the apron. The Machine Guns wear down Wentz, showing off their unique double team offense. Sabin cranks the neck of Wentz, followed by a strong forearm from Shelley. Wentz turns the...
- 7/20/2020
- by Nathan Favel
- Nerdly
I am sure that we have all been affected in one way, or in a lot of ways, because of the current global pandemic. So, with that, I would like to say to anyone reading this that I hope you are safe and healthy. One of the ways that I was affected by the lockdowns came in like a wrecking ball that I could not have anticipated—I lost a connection to not only myself, but my dreams—which included my passion for horror. When it came time to watch Motel Hell (1980) for our Class of 1980 retrospective, I panicked, as I couldn't get out of bed let alone watch a movie and write coherent thoughts on it. That was until about two and a half weeks ago when I decided to face problems again and give it one more try, and it was the best decision that I could have made.
- 7/12/2020
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Hello, dear readers! For the last several years, we here at Daily Dead spend a few weeks celebrating the anniversaries of a batch of films from a particular year, and for 2020, we’ve decided to head back to the year 1980 to commemorate the 40th birthday for all the great horror and sci-fi movies that were released back then.
For those of you who may be looking to get into the spirit, I’ve gone ahead and put together this list of films from 1980 that are currently streaming on a variety of platforms, both free and ones that require a subscription. You’ll definitely see upcoming features and discussions of many of these titles, so hopefully this list will help you catch up on the movies you haven’t seen yet (or maybe haven’t seen in a while).
Be sure to check back starting next Monday for all of our Class of 1980 coverage,...
For those of you who may be looking to get into the spirit, I’ve gone ahead and put together this list of films from 1980 that are currently streaming on a variety of platforms, both free and ones that require a subscription. You’ll definitely see upcoming features and discussions of many of these titles, so hopefully this list will help you catch up on the movies you haven’t seen yet (or maybe haven’t seen in a while).
Be sure to check back starting next Monday for all of our Class of 1980 coverage,...
- 7/2/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
From today’s perspective, United Artists’ 1963 release of “Dr. No” looks like pure sabotage. After screening the first James Bond film for three weeks across 450 theaters in the Midwest, it finally debuted in New York and Los Angeles on the week of Memorial Day 1963. And yet, this modest acorn of a British movie produced not one but two business models that reshaped the industry: It led to the creation of the franchise film, and the blockbuster release strategy.
To be fair, while “Dr. No” wasn’t viewed as an A+ title, this distribution approach wasn’t meant to scorn. Top films usually opened as exclusive runs in larger cities with staggered dates; lesser titles sought a quick return via multiple theaters in the same metropolitan area. However, its status as a British hit didn’t carry much weight; it starred an unknown, Sean Connery, and it was overshadowed by “Hud...
To be fair, while “Dr. No” wasn’t viewed as an A+ title, this distribution approach wasn’t meant to scorn. Top films usually opened as exclusive runs in larger cities with staggered dates; lesser titles sought a quick return via multiple theaters in the same metropolitan area. However, its status as a British hit didn’t carry much weight; it starred an unknown, Sean Connery, and it was overshadowed by “Hud...
- 6/1/2020
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
We’ve got a ton of great titles on the docket for this final week of home media releases in August. Michael Dougherty’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters is hitting various formats on Tuesday, and if you’re looking for some oddball entertainment, The Banana Splits Movie should undoubtedly do the trick. For all you sci-fi fans out there, the classic V miniseries is finally making its way to Blu, and Scream Factory is also giving both The Leech Woman and Fear in the Night the HD treatment as well.
Vinegar Syndrome is showing some love to Hell Comes to Frogtown this week, and the Warner Archive Collection is bringing home several of their films on DVD, including Wolfen, Of Unknown Origin, The Hand, and Dracula Has Risen From the Grave. Also, one of the more disturbing psychological thrillers I’ve seen in some time, Ladyworld, is being released on DVD on August 27th,...
Vinegar Syndrome is showing some love to Hell Comes to Frogtown this week, and the Warner Archive Collection is bringing home several of their films on DVD, including Wolfen, Of Unknown Origin, The Hand, and Dracula Has Risen From the Grave. Also, one of the more disturbing psychological thrillers I’ve seen in some time, Ladyworld, is being released on DVD on August 27th,...
- 8/27/2019
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
1981: Another World's Zachary confessed to murder.
1984: All My Children's Ross told Palmer about his father.
1989: Guiding Light's Josh and Reva finally tied the knot.
2003: One Life to Live's Natalie and Christian dreamed about getting married"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1939: CBS Radio soap opera Woman of Courage premiered. Selena Royle starred as Martha Jackson, whose small-town life allegedly proved that "if ye have faith, nothing shall be impossible." The series, written by Carl Buss, ran until July 10, 1942.
1946: On syndicated radio soap opera Hearts in Harmony,...
1984: All My Children's Ross told Palmer about his father.
1989: Guiding Light's Josh and Reva finally tied the knot.
2003: One Life to Live's Natalie and Christian dreamed about getting married"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1939: CBS Radio soap opera Woman of Courage premiered. Selena Royle starred as Martha Jackson, whose small-town life allegedly proved that "if ye have faith, nothing shall be impossible." The series, written by Carl Buss, ran until July 10, 1942.
1946: On syndicated radio soap opera Hearts in Harmony,...
- 7/17/2019
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1947: On Lora Lawton, Lora (Jan Miner) continued to worry about Peter. The Frank and Anne Hummert radio soap opera ran from 1943 to 1950 on NBC.
1954: On Portia Faces Life, Portia (Frances Reid) was busy taking non-stop phone calls.
1966: On Dark Shadows, Bill Malloy (Frank Schofield), manager of the Collins Fishing Fleet, warned Elizabeth (Joan Bennett) that Burke wanted to take everything the Collins family owned.
1971: On Another World, when Alice (Jacqueline Courtney) returned to Bay City, Steve (George Reinholt) was...
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1947: On Lora Lawton, Lora (Jan Miner) continued to worry about Peter. The Frank and Anne Hummert radio soap opera ran from 1943 to 1950 on NBC.
1954: On Portia Faces Life, Portia (Frances Reid) was busy taking non-stop phone calls.
1966: On Dark Shadows, Bill Malloy (Frank Schofield), manager of the Collins Fishing Fleet, warned Elizabeth (Joan Bennett) that Burke wanted to take everything the Collins family owned.
1971: On Another World, when Alice (Jacqueline Courtney) returned to Bay City, Steve (George Reinholt) was...
- 7/8/2019
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
By Fred Blosser
I saw many, many Italian-made sword-and-toga movies as a kid in the early 1960s at the Kayton, my neighborhood movie house, where they usually played on mismatched double-bills with B-Westerns, British “Carry On” comedies, low-budget noir dramas, and fourth-run Elvis movies. Many of these Italian epics were simplistic and formulaic, as if the producers figured that people had come to see spectacle, sex, and sword-fights, and never mind anything else. Regardless, more ambitious productions occasionally surfaced with slightly more dramatic substance and marginally higher production values. One such entry was “The Colossus of Rhodes” (1961), Sergio Leone’s first acknowledged directorial credit preceding his breakthrough success with “A Fistful of Dollars” in 1964. The Warner Archive Collection has released the 1961 movie on Blu-ray with audio commentary by Sir Christopher Frayling, Leone’s biographer and longtime critical champion.
The script co-written by Leone has plenty of plot -- almost too much,...
I saw many, many Italian-made sword-and-toga movies as a kid in the early 1960s at the Kayton, my neighborhood movie house, where they usually played on mismatched double-bills with B-Westerns, British “Carry On” comedies, low-budget noir dramas, and fourth-run Elvis movies. Many of these Italian epics were simplistic and formulaic, as if the producers figured that people had come to see spectacle, sex, and sword-fights, and never mind anything else. Regardless, more ambitious productions occasionally surfaced with slightly more dramatic substance and marginally higher production values. One such entry was “The Colossus of Rhodes” (1961), Sergio Leone’s first acknowledged directorial credit preceding his breakthrough success with “A Fistful of Dollars” in 1964. The Warner Archive Collection has released the 1961 movie on Blu-ray with audio commentary by Sir Christopher Frayling, Leone’s biographer and longtime critical champion.
The script co-written by Leone has plenty of plot -- almost too much,...
- 5/7/2019
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
1962: Search for Tomorrow's Marge was upset when adoption
plans fell through. 1982: Sft made its NBC debut.
1982: The first daytime episode of Capitol aired on CBS.
2004: All My Children's Kendall told Bianca her baby was dead."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1962: On Search for Tomorrow, Marge Bergman (Melba Rae) reeled from Monica's (Barbara Baxley) decision to not give Jimmy up for adoption. She later went to friends Joanne (Mary Stuart) and Arthur Tate (Terry O'Sullivan) for solace.
1962: On As the World Turns,...
plans fell through. 1982: Sft made its NBC debut.
1982: The first daytime episode of Capitol aired on CBS.
2004: All My Children's Kendall told Bianca her baby was dead."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1962: On Search for Tomorrow, Marge Bergman (Melba Rae) reeled from Monica's (Barbara Baxley) decision to not give Jimmy up for adoption. She later went to friends Joanne (Mary Stuart) and Arthur Tate (Terry O'Sullivan) for solace.
1962: On As the World Turns,...
- 4/1/2019
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
1986: Capitol's Clarissa found a voodoo doll in her bed.
1994: Gh's Bobbie & Tony mourned Bj on her birthday.
2010: The "Train Crash" episode of Emmerdale.
2011: One Life to Live's Cord & Tina revisited the past."The best prophet of the future is the past."
― Lord Byron
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1966: On Dark Shadows, Burke Devlin (Mitchell Ryan) told Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) that Roger Collins (Louis Edmonds) may have kept the expensive fountain pen for himself on the night Bill Malloy died.
1970: On Another World, Rachel (Robin Strasser) cried to Steve (George Reinholt) that their sick little boy, Jamie, would die as punishment for her sins.
1994: Gh's Bobbie & Tony mourned Bj on her birthday.
2010: The "Train Crash" episode of Emmerdale.
2011: One Life to Live's Cord & Tina revisited the past."The best prophet of the future is the past."
― Lord Byron
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1966: On Dark Shadows, Burke Devlin (Mitchell Ryan) told Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) that Roger Collins (Louis Edmonds) may have kept the expensive fountain pen for himself on the night Bill Malloy died.
1970: On Another World, Rachel (Robin Strasser) cried to Steve (George Reinholt) that their sick little boy, Jamie, would die as punishment for her sins.
- 10/10/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
Over the decades creatures both great, small, and in between have been given the horror treatment; from disease ridden rodents to gargantuan lizards (and the occasional chicken), no critter has been pushed aside in the pursuit of onscreen terror. And I mean none. Because in the ‘70s everything was fair game, which is how you end up with Night of the Lepus (1972), a wrongheaded Animals Attack flick that is a lot of fun despite its ludicrous premise. Beware the…rabbits?
Released by MGM in October, Lepus pulled in nearly $4 million against a $900,000 budget, making it a success with crowds while leaving critics foaming at the mouth. Reviews were unkind, to say the least: in fact, the film has the reputation in certain circles as being one of the worst of all time; which is subjective of course, but since it’s my column, I’ll just call that a big ol’ stack of bunny biscuits.
Released by MGM in October, Lepus pulled in nearly $4 million against a $900,000 budget, making it a success with crowds while leaving critics foaming at the mouth. Reviews were unkind, to say the least: in fact, the film has the reputation in certain circles as being one of the worst of all time; which is subjective of course, but since it’s my column, I’ll just call that a big ol’ stack of bunny biscuits.
- 9/8/2018
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
1981: Another World's Zachary confessed to murder.
1984: All My Children's Ross told Palmer about his father.
1989: Guiding Light's Josh and Reva tied the knot.
2003: Oltl's Natalie and Christian dreamed about getting married"All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1939: CBS Radio soap opera Woman of Courage premiered. Selena Royle starred as Martha Jackson, whose small-town life allegedly proved that "if ye have faith, nothing shall be impossible.
1984: All My Children's Ross told Palmer about his father.
1989: Guiding Light's Josh and Reva tied the knot.
2003: Oltl's Natalie and Christian dreamed about getting married"All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1939: CBS Radio soap opera Woman of Courage premiered. Selena Royle starred as Martha Jackson, whose small-town life allegedly proved that "if ye have faith, nothing shall be impossible.
- 7/17/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
1975: Ryan's Hope premiered on ABC."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1947: On Lora Lawton, Lora (Jan Miner) continued to worry about Peter. The Frank and Anne Hummert radio soap opera ran from 1943 to 1950 on NBC.
1954: On Portia Faces Life, Portia (Frances Reid) was busy taking non-stop phone calls.
1966: On Dark Shadows, Bill Malloy (Frank Schofield), manager of the Collins Fishing Fleet, warned Elizabeth (Joan Bennett...
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1947: On Lora Lawton, Lora (Jan Miner) continued to worry about Peter. The Frank and Anne Hummert radio soap opera ran from 1943 to 1950 on NBC.
1954: On Portia Faces Life, Portia (Frances Reid) was busy taking non-stop phone calls.
1966: On Dark Shadows, Bill Malloy (Frank Schofield), manager of the Collins Fishing Fleet, warned Elizabeth (Joan Bennett...
- 7/9/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
Massive breeding rabbits run rampant in Scream Factory's new Night of the Lepus Blu-ray, and to celebrate the new home media release of the cute creature feature, we've been provided with three high-def copies to give away to lucky Daily Dead readers!
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Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of Night of the Lepus.
How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:
1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:
https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/
2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Night of the Lepus Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on June 26th. This contest is only open to those who...
---------
Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of Night of the Lepus.
How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:
1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:
https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/
2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Night of the Lepus Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on June 26th. This contest is only open to those who...
- 6/19/2018
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
There may not be a ton of genre-related home media releases coming out this week, but the films that are coming to Blu-ray are an impressive bunch all the same. Universal has both Unsane and Pacific Rim Uprising on tap in a variety of formats, including 4K Ultra HD, and Scream Factory has a double dose of classic terror coming your way this Tuesday with Night of the Lepus and Alien Predators. And rounding out this week’s Blu-ray and DVD offerings is the indie thriller The Hollow Child, which comes home courtesy of Lionsgate.
Alien Predators
When Nasa’s Skylab fell to Earth the threat was over ... but five years later the horror is just beginning.
Three American teens on a European holiday are about to experience their worst nightmare. They are about to be trapped in a quaint Spanish town infested with a parasitic alien virus that drives...
Alien Predators
When Nasa’s Skylab fell to Earth the threat was over ... but five years later the horror is just beginning.
Three American teens on a European holiday are about to experience their worst nightmare. They are about to be trapped in a quaint Spanish town infested with a parasitic alien virus that drives...
- 6/19/2018
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
The Colossus of Rhodes
Blu ray
Warner Archive
1961 / 2:35 / Street Date June 26, 2018
Starring Rory Calhoun, Lea Massari, Georges Marchal
Cinematography by Antonio Ballesteros
Directed by Sergio Leone
Fred Astaire once said of an undulating Cyd Charisse, “She came at me in sections.” So does the star of Sergio Leone’s The Colossus of Rhodes, a 300 foot titan whose sky-scraping vertical stance is at extreme odds with Leone’s widescreen frame. Save for some long shots, one of The Seven Wonders of the World is reduced to a slide show of disconnected body parts. Such are the giant-sized headaches of epic movie-making.
Even before an earthquake would wreak havoc on the community and topple the Colossus in 226 BC, Rhodes was a city in turmoil. Darios, a Brylcreemed military hero and would-be romeo has just dropped anchor but in lieu of a warrior’s welcome, he’s immediately ensnared in a two-pronged...
Blu ray
Warner Archive
1961 / 2:35 / Street Date June 26, 2018
Starring Rory Calhoun, Lea Massari, Georges Marchal
Cinematography by Antonio Ballesteros
Directed by Sergio Leone
Fred Astaire once said of an undulating Cyd Charisse, “She came at me in sections.” So does the star of Sergio Leone’s The Colossus of Rhodes, a 300 foot titan whose sky-scraping vertical stance is at extreme odds with Leone’s widescreen frame. Save for some long shots, one of The Seven Wonders of the World is reduced to a slide show of disconnected body parts. Such are the giant-sized headaches of epic movie-making.
Even before an earthquake would wreak havoc on the community and topple the Colossus in 226 BC, Rhodes was a city in turmoil. Darios, a Brylcreemed military hero and would-be romeo has just dropped anchor but in lieu of a warrior’s welcome, he’s immediately ensnared in a two-pronged...
- 6/16/2018
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Scream Factory details the June 19th Blu-ray release of Night Of The Lepus, which includes new audio commentary and a 2k scan of the original film elements:
Press Release: Los Angeles, CA – How many eyes does horror have? How many times will terror strike? Giant mutant rabbits are on the loose in the campy 70’s cult classic Night Of The Lepus for the first time on Blu-ray on June 19, 2018 from Scream Factory. This release features a new 2K scan of the original film elements and comes complete with new audio commentaries. There was no limit to the horror ... no end to the Night Of The Lepus! A hormone intended to alter the breeding cycle of rabbits overrunning Arizona ranchlands ends up turning them into flesh-eating, 150-pound monsters in Night of the Lepus. Stuart Whitman (Eaten Alive), Janet Leigh (Psycho), Rory Calhoun (Motel Hell) and DeForest Kelley (Star Trek) are among...
Press Release: Los Angeles, CA – How many eyes does horror have? How many times will terror strike? Giant mutant rabbits are on the loose in the campy 70’s cult classic Night Of The Lepus for the first time on Blu-ray on June 19, 2018 from Scream Factory. This release features a new 2K scan of the original film elements and comes complete with new audio commentaries. There was no limit to the horror ... no end to the Night Of The Lepus! A hormone intended to alter the breeding cycle of rabbits overrunning Arizona ranchlands ends up turning them into flesh-eating, 150-pound monsters in Night of the Lepus. Stuart Whitman (Eaten Alive), Janet Leigh (Psycho), Rory Calhoun (Motel Hell) and DeForest Kelley (Star Trek) are among...
- 5/8/2018
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
1978: Delia started talking to her dead mother on Ryan's Hope.
1981: Another World's Rachel chose to be with Mitch.
1986: Santa Barbara's Minx shot Cc when he tried to evict her family.
1994: One Life to Live's Joey returned to Llanview."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1967: Erik Howell debuted as Johnny Fletcher on The Guiding Light, replacing Don Scardino in the role.
1967: On Dark Shadows,...
1981: Another World's Rachel chose to be with Mitch.
1986: Santa Barbara's Minx shot Cc when he tried to evict her family.
1994: One Life to Live's Joey returned to Llanview."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1967: Erik Howell debuted as Johnny Fletcher on The Guiding Light, replacing Don Scardino in the role.
1967: On Dark Shadows,...
- 4/29/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
1962: Search for Tomorrow's Marge was upset when adoption
plans fell through. 1982: Sft made its NBC debut.
1982: The first daytime episode of Capitol aired on CBS.
2004: All My Children's Kendall told Bianca her baby was dead."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1962: On Search for Tomorrow, Marge Bergman (Melba Rae) reeled from Monica's (Barbara Baxley) decision to not give Jimmy up for adoption. She...
plans fell through. 1982: Sft made its NBC debut.
1982: The first daytime episode of Capitol aired on CBS.
2004: All My Children's Kendall told Bianca her baby was dead."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1962: On Search for Tomorrow, Marge Bergman (Melba Rae) reeled from Monica's (Barbara Baxley) decision to not give Jimmy up for adoption. She...
- 3/29/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
One of the many great things about Scream Factory's Blu-ray releases is that they often align with the movies of the past that we love to celebrate and discuss on Daily Dead, and their latest batch of Blu-ray announcements are no exception, including two films highlighted in our special features columns: The Curse of the Cat People (featured in Perry Ruhland's Crypt of Curiosities) and Night of the Lepus (spotlighted in Bryan Christopher's Catalog From the Beyond).
Alien Predators Blu-ray: "We are now taking pre-orders for our upcoming release of the 1985 sci-fi /horror film Alien Predators (also known as The Falling), which makes its Blu-ray format debut in the U.S. & Canada on June 19th!
Three American teens on a European holiday are about to experience their worst nightmare. They are about to be trapped in a quaint Spanish town infested with a parasitic alien virus that drives the...
Alien Predators Blu-ray: "We are now taking pre-orders for our upcoming release of the 1985 sci-fi /horror film Alien Predators (also known as The Falling), which makes its Blu-ray format debut in the U.S. & Canada on June 19th!
Three American teens on a European holiday are about to experience their worst nightmare. They are about to be trapped in a quaint Spanish town infested with a parasitic alien virus that drives the...
- 3/7/2018
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
In a femme fatale performance as Marion Crane, Janet Leigh is such a compelling leading lady in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, that it’s that much more shocking when you find out in bloody fashion that she, in fact, isn’t the leading lady. So, you can imagine my excitement when I realized that one of the other movies on Leigh’s résumé features killer rabbits. With Easter Sunday coming up, I figured what better way to celebrate Jesus coming back from the dead as a giant bunny (I’m assuming that’s what happened) than by checking out a flick about massive rabbits terrorizing the Southwest?
I’m a sucker for “nature’s revenge” movies, and the sillier the premise, the better. George McCowan’s Frogs, for example, is a nutty exploitation masterpiece that layers insightful social commentary in between sheets of bonkers set pieces where various amphibians and reptiles attack the local aristocracy.
I’m a sucker for “nature’s revenge” movies, and the sillier the premise, the better. George McCowan’s Frogs, for example, is a nutty exploitation masterpiece that layers insightful social commentary in between sheets of bonkers set pieces where various amphibians and reptiles attack the local aristocracy.
- 4/12/2017
- by Bryan Christopher
- DailyDead
Stars: Roddy Piper, Sandahl Bergman, Brian Frank, Rory Calhoun, William Smith, Lee Garlington, Cliff Bemis | Written by Randall Frakes | Directed by Donald G. Jackson, R.J. Kizer
Arrow Video are well known for their line of cult favourites from horror and science fiction films of the past and here we see them go to the vault and come out with a big pile of stinking cheese in the form of Hell Comes to Frogtown.
Directed by the late Donald G. Jackson and R.J Kizer, Hell Comes to Frogtown follows the character of Sam Hell, played by professional wrestler and part-time actor, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (They Live), who is taken prisoner by a female government who have taken over the United States after a nuclear war. Sam Hell must rescue a group of fertile women who are being held captive by a mutant tyrant. Oh, and the mutants in question, well…...
Arrow Video are well known for their line of cult favourites from horror and science fiction films of the past and here we see them go to the vault and come out with a big pile of stinking cheese in the form of Hell Comes to Frogtown.
Directed by the late Donald G. Jackson and R.J Kizer, Hell Comes to Frogtown follows the character of Sam Hell, played by professional wrestler and part-time actor, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (They Live), who is taken prisoner by a female government who have taken over the United States after a nuclear war. Sam Hell must rescue a group of fertile women who are being held captive by a mutant tyrant. Oh, and the mutants in question, well…...
- 12/14/2016
- by Chris Cummings
- Nerdly
“Wealthy men are never old!”
How To Marry A Millionaire screens Saturday morning, November 21st, at 10:30am at The Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave, St. Louis). This is a fundraiser for The Cottey College Scholarship Fund and admission is $10.
How To Marry A Millionaire is a 1953 romantic comedy based on the plays The Greeks Had a Word for It by Zoe Akins and Loco by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert. The film stars Marilyn Monroe, St. Louis’ own Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall as three gold diggers along with William Powell, David Wayne, Rory Calhoun, Cameron Mitchell, Alex D’Arcy, and Fred Clark.It was directed by Jean Negulesco and produced and written by Nunnally Johnson.
In order to meet wealthy husbands, three beautiful women take an apartment in one of Manhattan’s most affluent areas, on the corner of East 55th St. and Sutton Place. Naive moocher Betty Grable...
How To Marry A Millionaire screens Saturday morning, November 21st, at 10:30am at The Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave, St. Louis). This is a fundraiser for The Cottey College Scholarship Fund and admission is $10.
How To Marry A Millionaire is a 1953 romantic comedy based on the plays The Greeks Had a Word for It by Zoe Akins and Loco by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert. The film stars Marilyn Monroe, St. Louis’ own Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall as three gold diggers along with William Powell, David Wayne, Rory Calhoun, Cameron Mitchell, Alex D’Arcy, and Fred Clark.It was directed by Jean Negulesco and produced and written by Nunnally Johnson.
In order to meet wealthy husbands, three beautiful women take an apartment in one of Manhattan’s most affluent areas, on the corner of East 55th St. and Sutton Place. Naive moocher Betty Grable...
- 11/18/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“Meat’s meat and a man’s gotta eat!” Heed the battle cry of Farmer Vincent Smith, maker of the finest smoked meats around. People would come from far and wide to purchase his delectable fritters, unaware that his special ‘ingredient’ was plain folk, like you and me. 35 years ago, Vincent and his Motel Hell cut off a slice of Americana and served it up in theaters, with a heaping help of humor for good measure. Cannibalism was never this down home friendly.
My initial memories of Motel Hell formulated around two images: The front cover of Issue #9 (November 1980) of Fangoria magazine, the new horror monthly that specialized in the kind of gruesome images that it’s gentler forefather, Famous Monsters of Filmland, wasn’t comfortable delving in to. Upon the cover was a picture of a man in bib overalls, wearing a pig’s head and brandishing a blood...
My initial memories of Motel Hell formulated around two images: The front cover of Issue #9 (November 1980) of Fangoria magazine, the new horror monthly that specialized in the kind of gruesome images that it’s gentler forefather, Famous Monsters of Filmland, wasn’t comfortable delving in to. Upon the cover was a picture of a man in bib overalls, wearing a pig’s head and brandishing a blood...
- 10/19/2015
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Coleen Gray actress ca. 1950. Coleen Gray: Actress in early Stanley Kubrick film noir, destroyer of men in cult horror 'classic' Actress Coleen Gray, best known as the leading lady in Stanley Kubrick's film noir The Killing and – as far as B horror movie aficionados are concerned – for playing the title role in The Leech Woman, died at age 92 in Aug. 2015. This two-part article, which focuses on Gray's film career, is a revised and expanded version of the original post published at the time of her death. Born Doris Bernice Jensen on Oct. 23, 1922, in Staplehurst, Nebraska, at a young age she moved with her parents, strict Lutheran Danish farmers, to Minnesota. After getting a degree from St. Paul's Hamline University, she relocated to Southern California to be with her then fiancé, an army private. At first, she eked out a living as a waitress at a La Jolla hotel...
- 10/14/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Coleen Gray actress ca. 1950. Coleen Gray: Actress in early Stanley Kubrick film noir, destroyer of men in cult horror 'classic' Actress Coleen Gray, best known as the leading lady in Stanley Kubrick's film noir The Killing and – as far as B horror movie aficionados are concerned – for playing the title role in The Leech Woman, died at age 92 in Aug. 2015. This two-part article, which focuses on Gray's film career, is a revised and expanded version of the original post published at the time of her death. Born Doris Bernice Jensen on Oct. 23, 1922, in Staplehurst, Nebraska, at a young age she moved with her parents, strict Lutheran Danish farmers, to Minnesota. After getting a degree from St. Paul's Hamline University, she relocated to Southern California to be with her then fiancé, an army private. At first, she eked out a living as a waitress at a La Jolla hotel...
- 10/14/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Shaggy maniac Neville Brand was born on the bayou. He lives by his high morals and so just can't resist feeding random visitors to his gargantuan crocodile. If they resist that idea, he uses a giant scythe for a persuader. Tobe Hooper's sopho-gore feature boasts several name stars, plus, in this new edition, a brightly colored, picture-perfect transfer. Eaten Alive Blu-ray + DVD Arrow Video (U.S.) 1976 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 87 min. / Death Trap, Starlight Slaughter, Horror Hotel / Street Date September 22, 2015 / 39.95 Starring Neville Brand, Mel Ferrer, Carolyn Jones, Marilyn Burns, William Finley, Stuart Whitman, Roberta Collins, Kyle Richards, Robert Englund, Crystin Sinclaire, Janus Blythe, Betty Cole. Cinematography Robert Caramico Special Effects Robert A. Mattey Makeup Effects Frank Gluck Confirmed Original Music Wayne Bell, Tobe Hooper Written by Alvin Fast, Mardi Rustam, Kim Henkel Produced by Mardi Rustam Directed by Tobe Hooper
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Tobe Hooper is an odd duck...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Tobe Hooper is an odd duck...
- 9/15/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Reviewed by Kevin Scott, MoreHorror.com
Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987)
Written by: Donald G. Jackson, Randall Frakes
Directed by: Donald G. Jackson
Cast: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (Sam Hell), Sandahl Bergman (Spangle), William Smith (Captain Devlin), Cec Verrell (Centinella), Kristi Somers (Arabella), Rory Calhoun (Looney Tunes), Cliff Bemis (Leroy).
I don’t really know what to make of the name “Hell Comes to Frogtown”. I think it has served a dual purpose in being clever, and keeping me from seeing this film. The play on words is the clever part. Our hero’s name is Sam Hell, and guess what-he’s headed to Frogtown. Then again, it would be quite logical to assume that this could be a low budget Jim Henson film wannabe, and I guess it is. However, after I watched it, I’ve come to realize that it’s way more subversive than that. The two lead actors...
Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987)
Written by: Donald G. Jackson, Randall Frakes
Directed by: Donald G. Jackson
Cast: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (Sam Hell), Sandahl Bergman (Spangle), William Smith (Captain Devlin), Cec Verrell (Centinella), Kristi Somers (Arabella), Rory Calhoun (Looney Tunes), Cliff Bemis (Leroy).
I don’t really know what to make of the name “Hell Comes to Frogtown”. I think it has served a dual purpose in being clever, and keeping me from seeing this film. The play on words is the clever part. Our hero’s name is Sam Hell, and guess what-he’s headed to Frogtown. Then again, it would be quite logical to assume that this could be a low budget Jim Henson film wannabe, and I guess it is. However, after I watched it, I’ve come to realize that it’s way more subversive than that. The two lead actors...
- 7/15/2015
- by admin
- MoreHorror
Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece Vertigo, restored and presented in 70mm, will be shown at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland on July 17, 18, and 19. I’ll be there, because this film has a special place in my heart. In 1959 we lived in the small English village of Odiham in Hampshire. 3000 people, 7 pubs, one picture palace—The Regal. I was 13 years old, and for the first time I was allowed to go to the movies on a winter’s night by myself. (My mother was a little over-protective, hence my later flirtation with stunts.) To get to the Regal on the outskirts of town, I had to walk through the cemetery of the Norman-era church. Dark shadows. Wisps of fog. Knowing I was going to see a film crafted by a director dubbed the Master of Suspense made the graveyard all the spookier. Vertigo was on its re-release, making its way through the...
- 7/15/2015
- by Brian Trenchard-Smith
- Trailers from Hell
Don Kaye Apr 22, 2019
For Earth Day, we look at what happens when Mother Nature gets her revenge. Here are 20 films about animals running amok.
We should always have a healthy fear and respect for nature, and especially for all the creatures great and small that inhabit this planet alongside us. But with all the abuse we heap on both them and the Earth, it would hardly be a surprise if they collectively decided one day that they had had enough of us. It’s no wonder that many sci-fi and horror films revolve around the idea of animals attacking humans -- some of them corrupted by man-made poisons like radiation, some seeking revenge, and some, perhaps the most frightening, hunting us simply because we’re there.
There’s no better example of the latter than Steven Spielberg’s masterful Jaws, but we decided to look back at 20 movies -- from...
For Earth Day, we look at what happens when Mother Nature gets her revenge. Here are 20 films about animals running amok.
We should always have a healthy fear and respect for nature, and especially for all the creatures great and small that inhabit this planet alongside us. But with all the abuse we heap on both them and the Earth, it would hardly be a surprise if they collectively decided one day that they had had enough of us. It’s no wonder that many sci-fi and horror films revolve around the idea of animals attacking humans -- some of them corrupted by man-made poisons like radiation, some seeking revenge, and some, perhaps the most frightening, hunting us simply because we’re there.
There’s no better example of the latter than Steven Spielberg’s masterful Jaws, but we decided to look back at 20 movies -- from...
- 6/15/2015
- Den of Geek
From anime to pitch-black thrillers, here's our pick of the underappreciated movies of 1987...
Sometimes, the challenge with these lists isn't just what to put in, but what to leave out. We loved Princess Bride, but with a decent showing at the box office and a huge cult following, isn't it a bit too popular to be described as underappreciated? Likewise Joe Dante's Innerspace, a fabulously geeky, comic reworking of the 60s sci-fi flick, Fantastic Voyage.
What we've gone for instead is a mix of genre fare, dramas and animated films that may have garnered a cult following since, but didn't do well either critically or financially at the time of release. Some of the movies on our list just about made their money back, but none made anything close to the sort of returns enjoyed by the likes of 1987's biggest films - Three Men And A Baby, Fatal Attraction...
Sometimes, the challenge with these lists isn't just what to put in, but what to leave out. We loved Princess Bride, but with a decent showing at the box office and a huge cult following, isn't it a bit too popular to be described as underappreciated? Likewise Joe Dante's Innerspace, a fabulously geeky, comic reworking of the 60s sci-fi flick, Fantastic Voyage.
What we've gone for instead is a mix of genre fare, dramas and animated films that may have garnered a cult following since, but didn't do well either critically or financially at the time of release. Some of the movies on our list just about made their money back, but none made anything close to the sort of returns enjoyed by the likes of 1987's biggest films - Three Men And A Baby, Fatal Attraction...
- 5/13/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Oscar 2015 winners (photo: Chris Pratt during Oscar 2015 rehearsals) The complete list of Oscar 2015 winners and nominees can be found below. See also: Oscar 2015 presenters and performers. Now, a little Oscar 2015 trivia. If you know a bit about the history of the Academy Awards, you'll have noticed several little curiosities about this year's nominations. For instance, there are quite a few first-time nominees in the acting and directing categories. In fact, nine of the nominated actors and three of the nominated directors are Oscar newcomers. Here's the list in the acting categories: Eddie Redmayne. Michael Keaton. Steve Carell. Benedict Cumberbatch. Felicity Jones. Rosamund Pike. J.K. Simmons. Emma Stone. Patricia Arquette. The three directors are: Morten Tyldum. Richard Linklater. Wes Anderson. Oscar 2015 comebacks Oscar 2015 also marks the Academy Awards' "comeback" of several performers and directors last nominated years ago. Marion Cotillard and Reese Witherspoon won Best Actress Oscars for, respectively, Olivier Dahan...
- 2/22/2015
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Welcome back my ghoulish fiends! This week we are going to be addin’ a few special treats to our crazy cornucopia of dastardly delights; namely, I will be turning my evil eye upon a short film, a CD, and of course our usual nightmare nonsense of full-length films and interviews!
Silent Horror – Self Titled (Audio CD)
As you can probably surmise, your ol’ pal Daniel Xiii is a rather large aficionado of that wicked sub-genre of maniacal music known as horror-punk! Graveyard ghouls crooning pestulant platitudes to all manner of monsters and madmen has been infinitely entertaining to yours cruelly since the days when Glenn Danzig and his Misfits crawled from the pizza scented streets of loverly Lodi New Jersey.
Now, there’s been a ton of bands influenced by Glenny D’s Evil Elvis swagger, and as you can guess, some are much better than others; but every once...
Silent Horror – Self Titled (Audio CD)
As you can probably surmise, your ol’ pal Daniel Xiii is a rather large aficionado of that wicked sub-genre of maniacal music known as horror-punk! Graveyard ghouls crooning pestulant platitudes to all manner of monsters and madmen has been infinitely entertaining to yours cruelly since the days when Glenn Danzig and his Misfits crawled from the pizza scented streets of loverly Lodi New Jersey.
Now, there’s been a ton of bands influenced by Glenny D’s Evil Elvis swagger, and as you can guess, some are much better than others; but every once...
- 9/5/2014
- by DanielXIII
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Rory Calhoun has the sort of weathered visage and paternally comforting voice that suggests that in another tv life, he might have been the mayor of Mayberry. His charisma on screen is such that he seems capable of grounding nearly any action in the realm of compassion and sanity; it’s almost a shame when he shoves a pig’s head over his own and begins chasing his victims with a chain saw. Almost. Everyone else in Motel Hell goes for a broad, comedic vibe that frequently works to hilarious effect, but it wouldn’t work half as well as it does if he didn’t so effortlessly recall the rural America that up until recently been so mythologized.
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- 9/2/2014
- by Anders Nelson
- JustPressPlay.net
For any horror fan who has longed to experience Kevin Connor’s darkly comedic tale of Farmer Vincent and his tasty fritters in high definition, adding Scream Factory’s recent Blu-ray release of Motel Hell to your collection is pretty much a no-brainer. And for the uninitiated, you may be surprised by how well this zany backwoods tale of murder and cannibalistic mayhem holds up almost 35 years since the film was first released.
Motel Hell transports us back to a simpler time when roadside motels were commonplace, young girls on vacation could go missing and no one would ever notice. Unsuspecting travelers would come from near and far to get their hands on some of Farmer Vincent’s (Rory Calhoun) delicious meat products, made from his own special (and quite sinister) blend of ingredients that he and his sister Ida (Nancy Parsons) create fresh each and every day for all their loyal customers.
Motel Hell transports us back to a simpler time when roadside motels were commonplace, young girls on vacation could go missing and no one would ever notice. Unsuspecting travelers would come from near and far to get their hands on some of Farmer Vincent’s (Rory Calhoun) delicious meat products, made from his own special (and quite sinister) blend of ingredients that he and his sister Ida (Nancy Parsons) create fresh each and every day for all their loyal customers.
- 8/20/2014
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
In the opening credits of 1953’s How to Marry a Millionaire, the onscreen billing order ran Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, and then Lauren Bacall—though it was advertised with Monroe billed first (the success of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes earlier that year put her well on her way to swooning super-stardom). Either way, Bacall came last.
But that didn’t stop the late actress from stealing the movie.
Before getting any further, it’s important to establish that this is the kind of movie where somebody wins. How to Marry a Millionaire is about three models who conspire to marry rich.
But that didn’t stop the late actress from stealing the movie.
Before getting any further, it’s important to establish that this is the kind of movie where somebody wins. How to Marry a Millionaire is about three models who conspire to marry rich.
- 8/13/2014
- by Jackson McHenry
- EW.com - PopWatch
Motel Hell is available now on Blu-ray. That information alone should be enough to send horror fans shrieking into the streets to party until the wee hours of the morning. And we here all want to get into the festivities as well.
To celebrate the release of Motel Hell on Blu-ray, we've compiled our Top 9 Chilling Chainsaw Kills. Of course this is in reference to the iconic chainsaw scene in the climax of the film. There was something simply unforgettable about Rory Calhoun wielding a ridiculously long chainsaw while wearing a pig head like a Halloween mask. Classic!
But before we get to our top horrific movie chainsaw kills, we have some honorable mentions to share with you. We've got to go way back to find some of the earliest on-screen chainsaw kills. We came up with Dark of the Sun (1968) and The Wizard of Gore (1970) for two of the first buzzsaw butcherings.
To celebrate the release of Motel Hell on Blu-ray, we've compiled our Top 9 Chilling Chainsaw Kills. Of course this is in reference to the iconic chainsaw scene in the climax of the film. There was something simply unforgettable about Rory Calhoun wielding a ridiculously long chainsaw while wearing a pig head like a Halloween mask. Classic!
But before we get to our top horrific movie chainsaw kills, we have some honorable mentions to share with you. We've got to go way back to find some of the earliest on-screen chainsaw kills. We came up with Dark of the Sun (1968) and The Wizard of Gore (1970) for two of the first buzzsaw butcherings.
- 8/12/2014
- by Scott Hallam
- DreadCentral.com
Motel Hell is an odd film. It’s packaged as a horror-comedy hybrid, but in reality, it takes itself far more seriously than most movies within the same category. Though the film does have an oddball quality, it steers clear of satire, and never reduces itself to slapstick. Motel Hell was produced during a time where all studio horror output was expected to be dead-teen slasher flicks, and while the film has a slasher quality to it, it has a lot more going on for it than that. Another thing Motel Hell is good for, is forcing you to create a lot of the violence in your own mind, as much of the gorier death scenes happen off-screen in a clever sort of way. Much like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, you walk away from Motel Hell feeling like you just watched a gorier film than you actually did. What...
- 8/12/2014
- by Shawn Savage
- The Liberal Dead
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