Edgar Wallace

Back in the late 60s & early 70s when I was growing up, I always was on the lookout for old horror and science fiction movies on TV. I'd watch the various "Creature Feature" packages that would run various films from the 50s & 60s on weekday and weekend afternoons and evenings. Then one day I came across one of the films made in (the then-existing) West Germany -I believe it was 1961's Dead Eyes of London , and I was hooked! I soon discovered these films (which included 1958's The Fellowship of the Frog and 1965's The Sinister Monk ) were based on the works of British mystery writer Edgar Wallace (1872-1932).

At the Movie Morlocks blog, Richard Harland Smith gives an excellent overview of Mr. Wallace's life & works, and of course the German krimi films made based on his books during 1958-1972. Mr. Smith also includes links of related interest as well. Here's the opening scene from one of the later Wallace adaptations. -Ed

From In2TV: The Original Man From U.N.C.L.E. Pilot: Solo

There's a great online source called In2TV where you can download episodes of old TV shows. Plus a few surprises like this color pilot film for The Man From U.N.C.L.E. entiled Solo from early 1964:

The pilot was very loosely based on an idea by James Bond creator Ian Fleming , who contributed the name of the "Napoleon Solo" character (played by Robert Vaughn) and was "fleshed out" by writer Sam Rolfe for producer Norman Felton . (it was Rolfe who came up with the whole multinational U.N.C.L.E. concept and the "Illya Kuryakin" character played by co-star David McCallum). After footage from it was used for a reedited black and white version to kick off the series in September, 1964, it was re-released in color two years later,with added scenes and characters, as the theatrical film To Trap A Spy . The latter version isn't on DVD domestically but the two earlier versions can be found on the recently released Time Life set.

I always get a kick seeing the evil THRUSH assassins invading U.N.C.L.E.'s New York's "futuristic" (well, for 1964, anyway) headquarters in the opening act and the cool Jerry Goldsmith musical score, as well as screenwriter Rolfe's attempts to stress characterzation. Guest star Fritz Weaver's "Vulcan" character may be a rotten opportunist and killer (and by today's standards, definitely what we'd now call a terrorist), but he's also a lonely, bitter guy who never got over losing his first love despite all his millions. The chemistry between stars Vaughn & McCallum, however brief their scenes together are in this first installment, are evident, and McCallum would get more opportunities to strut his stuff in subsequent episodes.

Anyway, enjoy! -Ed

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. DVD Set Reviewed - Every Single Episode and Disc (Plus Extras) Examined!

Here's the most comprehensive review I've found on the recently released Man From U.N.C.L.E. DVD set from Time Life. Boy, that must've been a fun job! -Ed

From Stamford, Connecticut (!!!): The Curse of the Living Corpse and The Horror of Party Beach!

I finally got around to watching the "double feature" DVD of The Horror of Party Beach and The Curse of the Living Corpse , two 1963 black and white horror films that were filmed in and around Stamford, CT (!) by producer/director Del Tenney for the teen-age Drive-In crowd. (What? You don't remember Drive-Ins?)


Living Corpse shows the influences of the then-current Eurohorror Gothic films styles seen in films like Mario Bava's Black Sunday (1960) and Riccardo Freda's The Horrible Dr. Hitchcock (1962), plus the series of Roger Corman-directed films based on Edgar Allan Poe's works, as well as apparently being an influence itself on the later Dark Shadows TV series (1966-71). The plot concerns a nobleman seemingly returning from the dead in 19th century New England to kill off members of his family one-by-one, but (as with all these types of films) Things Are Not What They Seem. The cast is mostly unknowns from local stage productions, but one member of the company, the recently deceased Roy Scheider (here billed as "Roy R. Scheider), went on to such successful films as The French Connection (1971), Jaws (1975) and All That Jazz(1979). Here's a nice online review of the film.




Then there's The Horror of Party Beach, which is set in the "present" and concerns a bunch of badly outfitted monsters attacking "teens" (who look 25 and older!) on and around Stamford. (I had fun recognizing High Ridge Road in a few scenes.) The picture came out at the same time American International Pictures' "Beach Party" movies were hitting theatres and it also seems to borrow cues from such 50s science fiction classics as 1954's The Creature From The Black Lagoon. Here, via YouTube, is the trailer for The Horror of Party Beach :



Despite their very low budgets and broad acting styles, both of Tenney's films are enjoyably entertaining and fun, and it's a shame Tenney "retired" from the film biz after doing these movies. (He returned, briefly, with 2003's Descendant , which I have not yet seen.) At least Dark Sky Films' DVD manages to present both films in pristine shape for future generations to view.

-Ed

From Wild East Productions: Two Italian Westerns on DVD For The First Time in The US!

(French poster for Kill Them All And Come Back Alive.)


Wild East, a great source to find DVDs of European exploitation films, just released, for (I believe) the first time in the US, two little known "Spaghetti Westerns" (or if you prefer, "Italian Westerns") on DVD: Kill Them All and Come Back Alone and the really obscure 3 Bullets For Ringo.


(The opening credits, in Italian, of 1966's 3 Bullets For Ringo.



The color picture quality of both films is pretty good & the sound is fine. Kill Them All... (1968; released in the US in 1970) has TV's Rifleman Chuck Connors (1921-1992) leading a group of Confederate spies (think a more bloodthirsty A-Team) to rob a Union outpost during the Civil War. (They also kill a lot of the Union troops. but the shootings & explosions are so out-there -think the action sequences in the James Bond movies with guys bouncing into the air as stuff blows up- that you can't take it too seriously.) Connors is told by his commander (Frank Wolff, formerly a member of Roger Corman's unofficial acting company & who found International fame in European films, before killing himself in 1971 after his wife took their kids & went back to the US) that as soon as he's gotten the Union's gold, he (Connors) is to kill everybody in his unit & come back with the gold alone (hence the title; spoken 14 minutes into the film). Of course, things don't go according to plan... Kill Them All... has a energenic Connors performance (he actually seems to be enjoying himself, esp. in the stunt scenes) and some great action sequences, but don't expect historical accuracy. (Conners & Wolff did their own dubbing BTW.)

3 Bullets For Ringo (1966; released directly to US television as Three Graves For a Winchester) has Mickey Hartigay (you-know-who's father; he's dubbed by somebody else, apparently to make him sound more American, as Hartigay had a strong Hungerian accent) as Ringo Carson, a sheriff who's blinded during the Civil War while saving a kid from a fire. While he's recovering, his former friend Frank (American muscleman actor Gordon Mitchell, who, like Hartigay, found movie success overseas; he & Hartigay were real-life pals & friendly weight lifting championship rivals) takes over the town, terrorizing everyone, then kills Ringo's mother & kidnaps Ringo's wife to keep his former buddy in line. It's a little more closer to a Hollywood western (yes, Ringo gets better & saves his family & the town), but the usual European "spaghetti western" elements such as over-the-top villians (Mitchell laughs a lot, esp. when he's shooting something) and action sequences, make this fun to watch. Hartigay occasionally mugs at the camera but is pretty good. Also, unlike Kill Them All, there are actually female characters in the film (and pretty good-looking ones too!).

Here's a short trailer for Kill Them All And Come Back Alone from 1970. The sound & picture isn't great but you'll get the general impression.



And if you want to know more about Italian Westerns, go back to Wild East and also to
John Nudge's site to get the pasta.., err, story. (Sorry...)
-Ed

Odds and Ends (Kirby, Etc.)

Jack Kirby , I could tell, even when I was a nine-year-old, had so much imagination that he could take the most mundane comic book -in this case, Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen - and turn it into the coolest magazine ever. When Jimmy Olsen #133 (October cover date) came out in August, 1970, I was floored! After years of stories revolving around Jimmy turning into a wolfman, a sea monster or Elastic Lad (don't ask), or variations of plots that had Jimmy try to (or unwittingly try to) discover his pal Superman's real identity, Kirby comes along (doing his first work for DC since leaving Marvel Comics earlier that year)and lays waste to what came before! And I dug it!



(A typical pre-Kirby issue of Jimmy Olsen.)


(The Newsboy Legion in the 1940s.)

The plot was actually more delirlous than any previous issue. Jimmy, on assignment from "The Daily Planet" (and backed by the suspicious new publisher of the Planet, Morgan Edge, who has ties to the underworld), goes with the young sons of a legendary "kid gang", the Newsboy Legion (a strip Kirby & Joe Simon did for DC in the 40s) has to investigate strange goings-on in a place just outside of Metropolis called "the Wild Area", run by a group of cycle-riding hippies called the "Outsiders". There, Jimmy & the kids discover (with the aid of their "Whiz Wagon" -don't laugh!), that another secret society further up in the "Mountain of Judgement" are doing strange things.



Meanwhile, after having survived an attempt on his life (as Clark Kent) that was set up by Morgan Edge(!) -Clark had been asking too many questions about Jimmy's assignment- Superman , drawn by Kirby (and "fixed" by another artist to look like DC's Superman, not Kirby's; even after 38 years, I still feel cheated) takes off to the Wild Area -and after being told off by Jimmy (!!!) gets knocked out by a kryptonite-powered stun gun that one of the Outsiders just happens to have! When Superman recovers, he tries to warn Jimmy and the Newsboys away from investigating the Mountain, but the kids ignore him, and with the assistance of the Outsiders (Jimmy now having been made leader after taking out the previous chief in a typical Kirby-drawn brawl) prepare to investigate. Continued Next Issue!!!


(Jimmy takes command of the Outsiders!)

If I had more time, I'd go on about how this issue led to more wild plots (including a tie-in with Kirby's other books for DC at the time: The Forever People, The New Gods and Mister Miracle), such as "The DNAliens" (Kirby predicting cloning in 1970 and teaching fourth-grade me all about DNA in general), the return of the original (now grown) Newsboy Legion , the resurrection of the 1940s super hero The Guardian, "The Four-Armed Terror", Metropolis about to be destroyed in a nuclear blast, Don Rickles (with the famous tag line on the cover he'd appear in: "Don't Ask! Just Buy It!") and so much more! But Kirby, fed up by editorial interference ("Superman can't do that, he can't do this..."), left the book after issue 148 (April, 1972) and I never got that excited about Superman's pal again. Sigh.



(And if I had even more time, I'd mention that, while Kirby wasn't crazy about the Superman character himself, the artist/writer did manage to make Superman appear both heroic and human, often showing "The Man of Steel" wondering if a being like him with his powers and abilities would ever be accepted for himself , or if he'd ever find others like himself. Pretty heady stuff for a nine-year-old. Wonder if famous Superman fan Jerry Seinfeld ever saw these issues?)



Other stuff: I neglected to mention in my last post (03/17/08) that the comic "shop" Kirby and Joe Simon ran in the 40s and 50s employed (and mentored) a LOT of writers and artists, including future political cartoonist Jerry Robinson, Mort Meskin , Wally Wood and future co-creator of The Amazing Spider-Man himself, Steve Ditko . I'll be doing an entry on Ditko's Blue Beetle sometime in the near future.



And I just got the latest issues of Doc Savage (#15) and The Shadow (#16) from Anthony Tollin's Nostalgia Ventures! I'll be talking about those (especially Doc) soon. You can find out about them here .

Finally, here's another take on Jimmy Olsen #133. Pretty funny. -Ed

Kirby: King of Comics

(Jack Kirby circa 1982.)

Last week I picked up a copy of Mark Evainer's long-awaited Kirby: King of Comics (Abrams; 2008) , a loving and heartfelt appreciation of the comic book work of Jack Kirby (1917-1994), the artist/storyteller who created or co-created such enduring characters as Captain America , The Boy Commandos , Fighting American , the Fantastic Four , The Incredible Hulk , The Silver Surfer , The New Gods , Mister Miracle , Kamandi ("The Last Boy on Earth"), The Eternals and Captain Victory , to name just a few. Evainer chronicles the life of Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg) as he made his way up and out of New York City's "Hell's Kitchen" , his attempts to break into the animation and newspaper comic strip fields (the latter including a brief stint on the original Blue Beetle in 1940)and his long association with writer/artist Joe Simon, which lasted from the late 30s to the mid 50s.



With Simon, Kirby ran a small "shop" that packaged original stories and art for various publishers in the fleding comic book field of the 1940s. They developed characters and books for Timely (later Marvel Comics Group), for whom they created Captain America (above); DC (Boy Commandos, revamped versions of Sandman and Manhunter) , Fawcett (the very first issue of Captain Marvel Adventures , seen below) and Harvey (The Boy Explorers; Stuntman, Captain 3-D; Boys' Ranch ) .






For other publishers, such as Prize, Crestwood and Charlton, Simon and Kirby (after returning home in 1945 from WWII), oversaw & created other books for other publishers such as Prize and Charlton, even helping to come up with the first Romance Comic, as well as horror and crime books.






Simon & Kirby even ran their own comic book company for awhile, publishing such books as Foxhole (Kirby's favorite of the period, as he had a lot of emotional issues regarding his service in Europe during World War II).

The advent of Congressional crackdowns on the comics publishers in the mid-50s (when comics were blamed for kids committing crimes and standing up against parental & social authority) resulted in many comic companies shutting down. Simon & Kirby, now without clients or employers,ended their professional partnership (although they stayed friends) and Kirby, a child of the Depression who had a wife & family to feed (and feared being unable to provide for them), sought out work elsewhere.



After briefly finding work at DC again (where he created Challengers of the Unknown and revamped Green Arrow), a horrible lawsuit over the "Sky Masters" comic strip with one of DC's editors led Kirby to be blackballed at the company in 1958. A brief reunion with Simon on Archie Comics' The Fly eventually led Kirby to Marvel Comics in the late 50s, where he toiled on the company's horror & western comics.

But in 1961, with writer/editor Stan Lee , Kirby began a new era in comics: the larger-than -life superheroes who, like the readers, had problems that weren't always solved overnight.



Beginning with the first issue of Fantastic Four (cover dated November, 1961), Lee & Kirby started a whole new line of characters (pictured below) that revolutionized the field. Comics suddently weren't for kids anymore, as readers young & old identified with the Marvel characters developed by Lee & Kirby. (The books became especially popular on college campuses.)












Though the books became popular, Kirby felt ignored and marginalized by Marvel's owners and left the company in 1970 to work at DC (which lifted their "no-hire" policy toward him; by this time Kirby also wasn't happy with Stan Lee getting all the creative credit for their work together.) As artist AND writer/editor, he developed the "Fourth World" series of interlocking titles (The Forever People ; The New Gods; Mister Miracle), tying them in with regular DC continunity (via Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen), but sales were low & the books were cancelled (except Olsen, which Kirby had already left).


(Jimmy Olsen as only Kirby could do him.)








Five years later Kirby returns to Marvel, only to be crushed and denigrated by younger colleagues as "Jack the Hack" (in part due to deteriorating eyesight, though Kirby didn't dare tell anyone about that at the time). Despite the hostile atmosphere, Kirby does exciting (if short-lived) work on Captain America, The Black Panther and a new creation, The Eternals. An eventual switch to Saturday Morning Animation in 1978 (where Kirby actually got Health Benefits for the first time in 40 years from an employer!) and freelance work for DC and smaller publishers rounded out his professional life until his death.


(The Eternals #1 from 1976. Now, over 30 years later, I finally appreciate the appeal of this series.)

Overall, despite reading how horrible Kirby was treated by his various employers (DC, at least, tried & succeeded in getting Kirby some merchandising profits from toys & cartoons based on his New Gods characters in the mid-80s), Kirby: King of Comics is a Kirby lover's treasure trove. There's so much here (yes, there are reproductions of covers & original penciled art) that one reading alone isn't enough. Recommended!



-Ed