“Spook Louder” (1943) Starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Spook Louder (1943)

Director:  Dell Lord

Screenplay:  Clyde Bruckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Lew Kelly, Stanley Blystone  Theodore Lorch, Charles Middleton and Shirley Patterson

Tagline:  None.

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Professor J.O. Dunkfeather (Kelly) tells the story of how spies trying to steal a death ray from an inventor were thwarted and how a mysterious pie thrower was involved.  Larry, Curly and Moe are door-to-door salesmen who get hired to housesit for a scientist who is going to Washington, DC, to test his death ray.  The boys are on edge since the scientist lives in a spooky mansion and they’re jumping at every sound.  However when criminals dressed in Halloween costumes show up to steal the death ray, things are taken to a whole new level.  Will the criminals get what they’re looking for?  Will the Stooges survive?  And WHO is throwing those pies?

Curly gets a lot of mileage out of a balloon with a face painted on it that gets attached to his backside!

Spook Louder earns 4 of 5 stars.

RIP: Ted White

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Alex Bayouth who was known professionally as Ted White, stuntman and actor, died yesterday at the age of 96.  Mr. Bayouth enlisted in the marines when he was 17 and served at Iwo Jima!  He played football at the University of Oklahoma and was also a Golden Gloves boxer.  Because of his size and athletic ability, Mr. Bayouth decided to pursue a career as a stuntman/actor.

Mr. Bayouth was known professionally as Ted White.  As an actor/stuntman, Mr. White amassed over 150 credits performing on television and in feature films.  Clark Gable, John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Richard Boone and Fess Parker are just five of the stars for who Ted White served as a stunt double.

Some of  Ted White’s television appearances include: Maverick (actor); Cimarron City (actor/stunts); Perry Mason (actor); Wagon Train (actor); The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (actor/stunts); The Andy Griffith Show (actor); Bonanza (actor); Mannix (actor); Mission: Impossible (actor); Daniel Boone (actor/stunts 15 episodes); Marcus Welby (actor); Kojak (actor/stunts);  Kung Fu (actor); Kolchak: The Night Stalker (actor); The Streets of San Francisco (stunts); The Six Million Dollar Man (actor); Police Story (actor); The Rockford Files (actor); Matt Houston (actor/stunts); Spenser for Hire (stunts);  The Fall Guy (actor); Magnum PI (actor) and The X-Files (actor).

Some of  Ted White’s feature films include: Sands of Iwo Jima (actor); Creature from the Black Lagoon (stunts); Giant (stunts); The Naked and the Dead (stunts); Rio Bravo (actor/stunts); The Horse Soldiers (stunts); The Alamo (actor/stunts); The Misfits (stunts); Cat Ballou (stunts); The Cincinnati Kid (stunts); Point Blank (actor/stunts); Will Penny (stunts); Planet of the Apes (stunts); They Call Me Mister Tibbs (stunts); Prime Cut (stunts); Soylent Green (stunts); Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (actor/stunts); Rollerball (stunts); King Kong (stunts); Tron (actor); 1941 (stunts); Bronco Billy (stunts); Used Cars (stunts); Escape from New York (stunts); Against All Odds (actor); Romancing the Stone (actor); Ruthless People (stunts); Death Wish 4 (stunts); Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (actor); Road House (stunts); Starman (actor); Silverado (actor); 2 Fast 2 Furious (stunts) and Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift (stunts).

What an amazing career Ted White had.  As I compiled the list of some of his television and movie credits, I was truly shocked at how many of my favorite tv shows and movies he appeared in.  Although Ted White is most famous for playing Jason in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, it was not one of his favorite roles.  In fact, he turned down the change to return in the sequels.  Interestingly enough, many fans feel that Ted White was the best at playing Jason.

The role that first came to mind for me was when he played an escaped convict who returned to Mayberry to get even with the law officer that put him away — Barney Fife.  It’s one of my favorite Andy Griffith Show episodes. Ted White was a legitimate tough guy — a marine, a college football player, a boxer and a stunt man.  Coupled with his talent for acting, he put together a career to make any actor proud.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ted White’s family, friends and fans.

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“War of the Dead” aka “Stone’s War” (2011) / Z-View

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War of the Dead aka Stone’s War (2011)

Director:  Marko Mäkilaakso

Screenplay:  Marko Mäkilaakso, Barr B. Potter

Stars: Andrew Tiernan

Tagline:  None.

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

In 1941, during World War II, US Captain Martin Stone (Tiernan) is leading a squad of American and Finnish soldiers when they are attacked by the living dead.

I love a good zombie movie.  World War II and Nazi zombies provides a lot of potential.  Unfortunately War of the Dead just wasn’t for me.  Little character development, bad/shaky camera-work and poor special effects wore me down.  I made it about 30 minutes before tapping out.

War of the Dead earns 1 of 5 stars.

“We Want Our Mummy” (1939) Starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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We Want Our Mummy (1939)

Director:  Dell Lord

Screenplay:  Searle Kramer, Elwood Ullman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Theodore Lorch and Robert B. Williams

Tagline:  Found – in a storm of laughs!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Larry, Curly and Moe are hired to go to Egypt to find the mummy of the famous King Rootin-Tootin.  A quick cab ride to Cario and the boys end up alone in the desert.  While Curly is swimming in a mirage, he accidentally discovers a series of tunnels that may lead to Rootin-Tootin’s mummy.  Although they think they’re alone some criminals are also looking for the mummy and the riches he left behind.  Soon enough it’s the Stooges vs the criminals as mayhem takes center stage.

This was the first Stooges short to use Three Blind Mice as the theme song.  Curly has the best lines:  “I can’t be a mummy, I’m a daddy…” “I got an uncle in Cairo, he’s a chiropractor…” are just two.

We Want Our Mummy earns 4 of 5 stars.

“On the Line” Starring Mel Gibson – The Poster and Trailer Are Here!

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The poster and trailer for On the Line starring Mel Gibson is here!  I’m in.

An anonymous caller threatens to kill a talk radio host’s entire family while he is on the air. To save his loved ones, the host has to play a survival game over the course of one night… and the only way to win is to find out the identity of the criminal.

CAST: Mel Gibson, William Moseley, Kevin Dillon, Nadia Farès, John Robinson, Yoli Fuller, Enrique Arce, Carole Weyers

DIRECTOR: Romuald Boulanger

“Lost Bullet 2” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Lost Bullet 2 has me on board!  Netflix makes watching a no-brainer!

Lino is a car savant-turned-police officer with a need for speed. And he’ll stop at nothing to get justice — even if it means breaking all the rules. Lost Bullet 2 is the hotly anticipated sequel to the 2020 French action thriller that “wastes nothing in its quest to deliver the goods,” according to the New York Times.

“The English” Starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Now we’re cooking.  We get a cool poster and trailer for the new series The English starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer.  Deal me in.

An epic chase Western, The English takes the core themes of identity and revenge to tell a uniquely compelling parable on race, power, and love. An aristocratic Englishwoman, Lady Cornelia Locke, and a Pawnee ex-cavalry scout, Eli Whipp, come together in 1890 middle America to cross a violent landscape built on dreams and blood. Both of them have a clear sense of their destiny, but neither is aware that it is rooted in a shared past. They must face increasingly terrifying obstacles that will test them to their limits, physically and psychologically. But as each obstacle is overcome, it draws them closer to their ultimate destination—the new town of Hoxem, Wyoming. It is here, after an investigation by the local sheriff Robert Marshall and young widow Martha Myers into a series of bizarre and macabre unsolved murders, that the full extent of their intertwined history will be truly understood, and they will come face-to-face with the future they must live.

“The 13th Warrior” (1999) directed by John McTiernan & Michael Crichton, starring Antonio Banderas / Z-View

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The 13th Warrior (1999)

Director:  John McTiernan, Michael Crichton (reshoots)

Screenplay:  William Wisher, Jr., Warren Lewis based on Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton

Stars: Antonio Banderas, Diane Venora, Dennis Storhøi, Vladimir Kulich, Omar Sharif, Tony Curran, Clive Russell and Erick Avari

Tagline: Fear reigns.

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan is a poet accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle until his affair with a rich man’s wife brings him unfavorable attention from the sultan.  Sent as ambassador to the Northland, Fahdlan encounters a band of Vikings.  During the evening celebration, a message arrives requesting the Vikings’ aide at a Northern Kingdom.  Inhuman beings are attacking and killing even their best warriors.  The things come at night with the mist and appear to be bear-men.

The Vikings ask their shawman to read the bones.  She says the Vikings will be successful if they send 13 warriors… but one must not be a Norseman!  Fahdlan is reluctantly recruited.

When the 13 warriors arrive, they discover that there are truly bear-men creatures coming with the mist. They kill and eat the men and women of the Kingdom.  As the village prepares for an attack, Fahdlan says to one of the Vikings, “But I am not a warrior.”  The Viking’s response: “Very soon you will be.”

Thoughts…

Michael Crichton, the author of the source novel, was the uncredited director of film reshoots.

John McTiernan was the director when the movie was originally titled Eaters of the Dead. Graeme Revell composed a complete original score for the film. Test screenings reviews were terrible.  Michael Crichton was brought in to reshape and shoot additional scenes. Revell’s  score was discarded. Jerry Goldsmith was brought in to create a new score for the film now titled The 13th Warrior.

I absolutely love The 13th Warrior.  It has a great blend of action/horror with just the right amount of comedic moments.

Banderas is perfect as the lover/poet who finds himself among Viking barbarians.  His disgust for them matches their disdain for him.  Yet, as they get to know each other a mutual respect forms.

The bear-men are terrifying.  There are so many great scenes in this film.  The tension mounts as Vikings die and the bear-men seem unbeatable.  And don’t get me started on how creepy their Queen is.

I’ve watched The 13th Warrior many times and look forward to more viewings.

One of the Viking ships used in The 13th Warrior is now part of a playground in the Norwegian pavilion at the  EPCOT in Orlando, Florida.,

The 13th Warrior earns 5 of 5 stars.

RIP: Michael Callan

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Michael Callan died on Monday. October 10, 2022, from pneumonia complications.  He was 86.  Michael Callan began his career as a singer/dancer.  In 1954, he performed in The Boy Friend.  In 1955, he was cast in Catch a Star.  Michael Callan’s big break came when he was cast as Riff in West Side Story.  This brought him to the attention of Hollywood.

In 1959, Michael Callan earned a role in They Came to Cordura and he never looked back.  For the rest of his career, which spanned nearly 50 years, Michael Callan alternated between feature films and television roles.

Some of Michael Callan’s television appearances include: Dr. Kildare; Hazel; 12 O’Clock High; Occasional Wife (30 episodes); That Girl; The Name of the Game; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Ironside; Marcus Welby, MD; The FBI (4 episodes); Love American Style (8 episodes); McMillan & Wife; Police Story (4 episodes); Barnaby Jones; Medical Center; SWAT: Quincy; The Bionic Woman; The Love Boat; Vegas; Charlie’s Angels; Simon & Simon; Fantasy Island (5 episodes); The Fall Guy; E/R; TJ Hooker; One Life to Live; Knight Rider; Superboy (6 episodes) and Murder She Wrote (5 epiodes).

Some of Michael Callan’s feature films include: They Came to Cordura; Gidget Goes Hawaiian; Mysterious Island; The Interns; The New Interns; Cat Ballou; The Magnificent Seven Ride!; Chained Heat and Swamp Thing.

I first saw Michael Callan in Mysterious Island when I was a kid.  I loved that movie. (Still do!)  It was cool to see Michael Callan pop up on almost every popular television show in the 70s and 80s.  What’s impressive is to see the number of series where he was asked back multiple times.  That’s definitely a sign of a talented professional.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Callan’s family, friends and fans.

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RIP: Angela Lansbury

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Angela Lansbury, star of stage and screen died on October 11, 2022.  She was 96.  Angela Lansbury was born in London.  Her father was a politician (who died when Angela was nine) and her mother was an actress.

Angela Lansbury became interested in performing while in high school.  Upon graduation she attended  the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art.  When Germany began bombing England in World War II, her family moved to the United States.  Ms. Lansbury continued her education at the Feagin School of Dramatic Art in New York City.

When her mother got a part in a theater group, the family moved to Canada. That’s where Angela Lansbury got her first professional performing job.  She was just 16 years old when she began performing professionally as a nightclub singer at the Samovar Club in Montreal.  She lied about her age to get the job.  When Angela’s mother decided to try to get into American motion pictures, the family moved to Hollywood.  It was there, through her mother that Angela met John Van Druten who had just completed a script called Gaslight.  Van Druten thought Angela would be perfect as the opportunistic maid.  He helped get Angela the role.  This led to a seven year contract with MGM.  Angela Lansbury was just 17.

Angela Lansbury would go on to have a career that spanned over 70 years.  She would appear on stage, television and feature films.   Her accolades include six Tony Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award. eighteen Primetime Emmy Awards, the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences Honorary Award, six Golden Globe Awards, three Academy Awards, and a Grammy Award.

Some of Angela Lansbury’s television appearances include:  Four Star Playhouse; Celebrity Playhouse; Studio 57; Climax; Playhouse 90; The Man from UNCLE; Magnum PI; Newhart; Murder She Wrote (264 episodes); Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest (TV Movie); Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For (TV Movie); Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man (TV Movie); Murder, She Wrote: The Celtic Riddle (TV Movie); Law & Order: Trial by Jury; Law & and Order: Special Victims Unit.

Feature film appearances include: Gaslight; National Velvet; The Three Musketeers, Samson and Delilah, The Court Jester; The Long Hot Summer; Blue Hawaii; The Manchurian Candidate; The Greatest Story Ever Told; Bedknobs and Broomsticks; Death on the Nile and Mary Poppins Returns,

I first took notice of Angela Lansbury when I saw The Court Jester as a kid.  Another favorite role was when she Lawrence Harvey’s mother in The Manchurian Candidate.  She was just three years older than him!  Angela Lansbury’s talent knew know bounds.  She could sing as well as act in a career that lasted longer than most people live!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Angela Lansburry’s family, friends and fans.

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Fantastic Four: Full Circle by Alex Ross!

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I don’t think I’ve read an issue of the Fantastic Four since John Byrne left the title in 1986.  Alex Ross has written and illustrated Fantastic Four: Full Circle, a graphic novel that has me interested in the team again.  Here’s the 411…

It’s a rainy night in Manhattan and not a creature is stirring except for . . . Ben Grimm. When an intruder suddenly appears inside the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four—Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards), the Invisible Woman (Susan Storm Richards), the Human Torch (Johnny Storm), and the Thing (Ben Grimm)—find themselves surrounded by a swarm of invading parasites. These carrion creatures composed of Negative Energy come to Earth using a human host as a delivery system. But for what purpose? And who is behind this untimely invasion?

The Fantastic Four have no choice but to journey into the Negative Zone, an alien universe composed entirely of anti-matter, risking not just their own lives but the fate of the cosmos!

Fantastic Four: Full Circleis the first longform work written and illustrated by acclaimed artist Alex Ross, who revisits a classic Stan Lee–Jack Kirby story from the 1960s and introduces the storyline for a new generation of readers. With bold, vivid colors and his trademark visual storytelling, Ross takes Marvel’s first team of super heroes to places only he can illustrate. The book also features a special poster jacket, with the front flap unfolding to reveal an all-new fully painted origin story of the Fantastic Four.

Welcome to the Negative Zone and MarvelArts—a new collaborative line of books between Marvel Comics and Abrams ComicArts—where nothing is impossible and anything can happen!

Fantastic Four: Full Circle by Alex Ross is available now.