Celluloid Days

Rondo Hatton was a reporter/sportswriter in Tampa, Florida but he had a problem. He suffered from the awful effects of acromegaly, which gave him unique facial features. He used his strange appearance to make a career in Hollywood. His films include The Pearl of Death, The Jungle Captive, The Spider Woman Strikes Back, House of Horrors, and The Brute Man.

Jack Hill wrote and directed the classic American black comedy horror film, Spider Baby. This movie stars Lon Chaney Jr., Jill Banner, Carol Ohmart, Quinn Redeker, Beverly Washburn, Sid Haig, Mary Mitchel, Karl Schanzer, and Mantan Moreland. Learn more than you ever wanted to know about this strange black-and-white film.

Yvette Vickers was born Yvette Iola Vedder on August 26, 1928. She was an American actress, pin-up model, and singer. Her two most famous films were Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) as Honey Parker, and Liz Walker in Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959). She was also photographed by Russ Meyer for Playboy's Playmate of the Month in the July 1959 issue. Yvette has an interesting life story and I hope I told it well. Here is a link to John O'Dowd website about Ms. Vickers REMEMBERING MY FRIEND, THE BEAUTIFUL YVETTE VICKERS

How about we talk about the science-fiction from 1971 in the film adaption of Michael Crichton's novel, The Andromeda Strain? It was directed by Robert Wise and stars Arthur Hill, James Olson, Kate Reid, David Wayne, and Paula Kelly. It is the story of a team of scientists who investigate a deadly organism of extraterrestrial origin.

Today I talk about John Hughes’s film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. This film was from 1986 and stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck, with supporting roles from Jennifer Grey, Jeffrey Jones, Cindy Pickett, Edie McClurg, and Lyman Ward. Learn a little about the history of this classic!

It’s my 80th episode so I thought I’d talk about one of my favorite films, Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. In this show, I will do a lot of rambling because there is so much to talk about. I could have made this show 10 times as long if I talked about everything I wanted to. I hope you enjoy it!

In this week’s show, I talk about The Psychotronic Man from 1979. This film was written, produced and starred Peter G. Spelson and was directed by Jack M. Sell, It is the story of a man who goes on a murder spree after getting psychotronic powers. It was filmed all in Chicago without permits. It was also features on Rifftrax!

In this episode, I talk about Madge Meredith, who, in the late 40s, was accused and convicted of kidnapping and assault and was sentenced to 5 to life in Tehachapi prison. Two and a half years later, the California State Assembly issued a report concluding: "The case of Miss Meredith, from beginning to end, is a mockery of investigation, of defense counseling, of trial procedure, and of justice itself."

This thrilling episode, Sam Peckinpah’s 1970 forgotten classic, The Ballad of Cable Hogue. Starring Jason Robards, Stella Stevens, and David Warner, this was a change of pace for Peckinpah. Find out all about it by listening!

In this episode, I talk about the 1987 film, Evil Dead 2, Dead by Dawn. Of course, I also talk about Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and more. Join us, won't you?

In this episode, I talk about the 1939 film Lucky Night, starring Robert Taylor and Myrna Loy and directed by Norman Taurog. It is the story of two people who meet in a park, win a lot of money, get drunk, get married, and try to make their life together work.

If I told you we were going to watch a film that stars John Huston, Mel Ferrer, Glenn Ford, Lance Henriksen, and Shelley Winters, would you be interested? I would, after all, they all made great films back in the day. But The Visitor was from 1979! It is a science fiction horror film directed by Giulio Paradisi (credited as Michael J. Paradise). This is one that must be seen to be believed!

Today I look at the fantastic 2004 zombie comedy film, Shaun of the Dead. Directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg, I am a big fan of this flick. Pegg stars as Shaun, a downtrodden salesman in London who is caught in a zombie apocalypse with his friend Ed (Nick Frost). The film also features Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy, and Penelope Wilton. It is the first installment in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy.

In this episode, I look at the 1966 Czechoslovakian surrealist comedy-drama film, Daisies! This masterpiece was written and directed by Věra Chytilová and stars Jitka Cerhová and Ivana Karbanová. It is regarded as a milestone of the Czechoslovak New Wave movement! Find out my thoughts on the bizarre little film! You can email me a daysofcelluloid@gmail.com

In this episode, I look at the bizarre film from 1971, the British dark comedy horror film, The Abominable Dr. Phibes. This film was directed by Robert Fuest and stars Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten, Peter Jeffrey, and Virginia North. It is the story of comic revenge! Find out more than you ever wanted to know about this fantastic film!

This week I look at the classic Larry Blamire film, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra from 2001. This delightful comedy is a parody of 1950s-style science fiction B films. Written and directed by Larry, it stars Fay Masterson, Andrew Parks, Susan McConnell, Brian Howe, and Jennifer Blaire. You don’t know the Lost Skeleton but you will! “This horrible mutilation has a whole lot of people on a whole lot of edges.”

In this episode, we look at another film based on a true story. This week, Hidden Figures from 2016. This is the story of Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), who worked at NASA during the Space Race. How much is real and how much is fiction? Find out!

In this episode, I do something a little different. I talk about the sad life of child actor, Scotty Beckett. You might know Scotty as Winky, the comic sidekick in the popular TV show Rocky Jones, Space Ranger. He had a very troubled life.

It’s time for me to watch a film I have not seen before, so today I watch the George Lucas directed Francis Ford Coppola produced 1971 American social science fiction film, THX 1138. This film started out as a student film called Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB and was the first film from American Zoetrope. It was a box office failure, but without that failure, we might not of had The Godfather or Star Wars!

It is time to talk about one of my favorite films. This time, the original Godzilla from 1954. Directed by Ishirō Honda and starring Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura. If you have never seen this film before, it is a lot better than you might think!