Happy Halloween All

The very under-rated GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942). Here Bela Lugosi (As Igor) points to the cranium of Lon Chaney Jr. as the Frankenstein Monster. It seems that Bela wants his Brain put into the Monsters head! Why? watch this fun film and find out.

Fires in Good Ol San Diego............

Yes, it is happening again. Four short years ago, it seemed like the entire state of california was ablaze. Now for those who just cannot get enough soot on their car, in their house and best of all in their eyes...IT'S BACKKKKKKKKKKKKKK. I sit here with all of the windows shut and my miraculous Oreck Air Cleaner cranking away. I have no interest in the Oreck company other then to post that I'm a happy owner. Me and Bela are smoke smelling free!
The fires got me to thinking. If I really knew that the end of my home was upon me, what music would I like playing as the last ember finally burned out? And kiddies, this is it! http://www.hostropolis.com/april/mp3/lsd.mp3

Bela and Me

Few things in the World warms the cockles of a film collector's heart then finding what he/she considers a Holy Grail of 16mm Film Collectables. I found and won a mint, 16mm print of a t.v. show called YOU ASKED FOR IT. This one happens to have a segment with my second favorite horror icon, Bela Lugosi! Nearing the Sunset of his life, Bela made this rare t.v. appearence. He looks great and even performs a magic act. The same one he performed in a Las Vegas act. He talks about projects that were not to be. This show has never been avaialble in it's entirety. Here it is in all of it's Kinescope Beauty. Even has the delightful Skippy Peanut Butter commercials intact! When you view something like this, It's like looking thru a time machine. I will restore and put this out on DVD somewhere down the road.

Memories of a Giant Claw or If I had known what the Monster Looked like......

I had the great honor of becoming a friend of, and convention guest planner for Robert Shayne. If that name does not ring a bell, He was one of the finest actor's to come off of the Broadway Stage. Most people today remember him as Superman's Contact on the Metropolis Police Department Inspector William J. Henderson in the now Immortal ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN t.v. series starring George "There is only one" Reeves. Bob was fortunate enough to start his movie career at Warner Bros. in 1946. After several successful movie roles with that studio, he decided to seek greener cinematic

Pasteur's. As he told me back in 1988 "Sometimes actors do not make the best decisions for themselves". Ha landed at P.R.C. in a little gem (!?) called FACE OF MARBLE. Bob told me that at end of a screening

of this opus in a second run movie house, he was in the lobby when a very sweet little woman walked up to him and stated: "Mr. Shayne, I have seen all of your movies. After seeing this one, you should be ashamed of yourself"!

He said that that was the low point in his career. Until.......1957. Bob signed on with Columbia Pictures to make something called THE GIANT CLAW. "I knew it was another Science Fiction film and had a Giant Bird of some kind". The Columbia artists proudly showed me sketches of a truly impressive Bird Monster, kind of Dinosaur Looking". At the screening of G.C. at a Westwood Theatre, Bob gathered with co-stars Mara (yum yum) Corday and Jeff Morrow. The audience was in great anticipation of the first look at the bird creature. "I had never heard such laughter!" Bob related. "The entire place was howling"! "I remember Jeff Morrow saying "I'm out of here, will you join me in a stiff drink Bob?". Mara and I joined him. "If I had known what the "Creature" was going to look like, I would have played my role much less seriously!".

I miss Bob "Pop" Shayne and think of his wonderful company and his terrific laugh. You dear reader, have the chance to buy this great flick on DVD along with 3 other greats in the SAM KATZMAN collection. I give this DVD set 5 Claws, I mean stars. Amazon.com has the beast, I mean best deal on it.

Lindsay Lohan is out of rehab!!!!!

And if you care and think that this is in any way newsworthy, GET A LIFE!....she sure is cute thou.

Answering the question: What is a Rock & Roller to Eat at Breakfast?

Hey Groovy Guys & Gals! Here is a screen capture from a commercial that was performed LIVE during the show "Stump the Stars" from 1956. Recognize the jump suited hip shaker? It is Arte Johnson. 12 years before he premiered as the Dirty Old Man, the "Very Interesting" German and many other characters on Rowan and Martin's LAUGH IN. An example of why collecting and preserving 16mm film is so enjoyable.

Imagine!

You are 10 years old. You see an ad in the paper. You bug your parents to drive you to the Airport to meet......SUPERMAN! The fact that I was not even a glimmer in my Parents eyes when these pics were taken, makes me wish that I could have changed places in the pecking order of my family tree! Not to sound too dissapointed thou. I did befriend and arrange Convention Apperances for Robert (Inspector Henderson) Shayne. And are truly blessed to have joined the list of "Close friends of Noel (Lois Lane) Neill!>>>see photographic evidence above!<<<

Because, If you haven't seen it before, It's New!

I was prompted by my friend Ken (Artist Supreme) Mitchroney to create a blog. My purpose in doing so, is to vent (I love venting) but mostly share my love of Old Movies and T.V. series. I admit that I'm a DvD addict. I collect anything entertainment-wise from my childhood, because what passes for entertainment today makes me long for the past. So drop by, read short DvD reviews, see classic posters and stills acquired from many sources, and enjoy a time that will all too soon disappear from the landscape of our minds.