The End of Halloween 2011

With these photos, we'll call an end to Halloween movie photo month, such as it turned out. Three from "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) may be familiar to many of you. Unfortunately, the remake with Keanu Reeves was not impressive, and the digitalized Gort (the robot) looked like a fugitive from a cartoon junkyard. The fourth pic is allegedly from "Battle in Outer Space," a movie probably as bad as the photo indicates. I KNOW I've seen this film, probably on some commercial TV station which obtained it almost free of charge, but I can't really remember the details. Nor do I wish to. Likely something out of Japan way back, and if so I can only add, thank heavens for Godzilla, tested and true.

More Pics for Halloween 2011

"The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" (1958) was shot in color and enjoyed the stop-action animation expertise of Ray Harryhausen, as he brought its menacing creatures (such as the Cyclops) to life. "Konga" (1961) starred the recently deceased character actor Michael Gough, whose ability to project reserved creepiness -- even as the perfect gentleman -- in many a horror and suspense movie kept him in demand. No matter his other accomplishments, I expect most will remember him for his "Batman" motion picture affiliation as Alfred the butler.

Additional Halloween Photos, 2011

King Kong. The original from 1933 -- remember, in 1933 the stop-action maneuvers performed would make this almost equivalent to a manned flight to the moon among the thrilled theater audience, which had never seen anything quite like this before.

Thank You Robbie Graham & Silver Screen Saucers

I wish to thank Robbie Graham, host of the excellent Web site, Silver Screen Saucers, for inviting me to write an article for him based upon some memories special to me regarding UFOs, science fiction movies and other things that influenced my interest in real UFO reports. Please click on the Silver Screen Saucers links below, and in the future consult the link list on the right -- and please do stay in touch with his site because he's always far ahead on upcoming movies about "saucers," extraterrestrials and the like.

Here's the intro:

http://silverscreensaucers.blogspot.com/2011/10/guest-blogger-exclusive-9.html

And here's my article:

http://silverscreensaucers.blogspot.com/2011/10/guest-blogger-robert-barrow.html

Halloween 2011 Continued

I don't "do" ghosts on this blog, but digging up movie spirits of an era gone by works for Halloween month. Today:

An obvious pose from the original "Invaders From Mars" (1953) makes the aliens look like pajama-clad lifeguards. From the 1950s TV series "Superman," George Reeves is either fighting or dancing with a gorilla-like creature.

"This Island Earth" (1955) was "2 1/2 years in the making," according to its famous publicity campaign. Shown are Faith Domergue, Rex Reason and Jeff Morrow with a "mutant" worker. It took me years to realize that Rex and Rhodes Reason (brothers) were two different people, as they seem so much alike. Jeff Morrow was a great actor and came to my little town one day to perform in a play about Abraham Lincoln.

1940 brought us the film, "Dr. Cyclops" starring Albert Dekker. Dekker gained even more fame in later years when he was discovered dead, hanging from a shower curtain and clad in women's undergarments. The circumstances were said to be mysterious. Hmm. Some of you will probably ask me, and I don't know, if young actor Thomas Dekker (of TV's "The Secret Circle" and "Terminator") is related to Albert. But I'll say this much -- if I were Thomas Dekker's agent, I'd invent a family relationship as soon as possible. You can't buy publicity like this for a career enhancement! It never hurts to have a "funny uncle" in the family tree, and since Thomas Dekker has already written, directed and starred in a movie entitled "Whore" and played Lance Loud in a production about the famous Loud family, whose lives were tracked and filmed for 1970s TV, he could only benefit from such additional publicity. Now I ask you, how would you know these things if I didn't use Halloween month to impart important thoughts of this nature?