MUMMY DEAREST by Dave Goode

One of the things I wonder about is why Kharis, the Mummy wasn't featured in ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. If nothing else as an exhibit in McDougal's House of Horrors. Probably because I love THE MUMMY'S HAND (1940), It's my all - time favorite mummy movie. Even without the presence of a masked wrestler. The film is a great little time killer at slightly over an hour in length. Produced by Ben Pivar and directed by Christy Cabanne this was the first in a series of Universal horror films from the 1940s featuring the undead menace of Kharis, the Mummy. The other movies in the series are THE MUMMY'S TOMB (1942), THE MUMMY'S GHOST (1944), and THE MUMMY'S CURSE (1944). Kharis is played in the first film by veteran B-Western and serial star Tom Tyler. And by Lon Chaney Jr. in the sequels. The movie also borrows footage from Universal's THE MUMMY (1932) starring Boris Karloff which gives Imhotep, the character played by Karloff and Kharis the same backstory. And is the reason a lot of people think THE MUMMY as part of the Kharis series.

The story in THE MUMMY'S HAND, written by Griffin Jay and Maxwell Shane, finds American archaeologist Steve Banning portrayed by Dick Foran and his partner Babe Jenson played by Wallace Ford in Cairo, Egypt. Banning purchases a vase in a bazaar that he believes could lead to the tomb of the Princess Anaka.

 What Banning doesn't know is that his Egyptian colleague Professor Andoheb,
played by George Zucco, is the new high priest of Karnak and the master of Kharis, the living mummy who guards Anaka's tomb.

Receiving funds for an expedition from stage magician the Great Solvani and his daughter Marta played by Cecil Kellaway and Peggy Moran respectively. The quartet of adventurers set out to find Princess Anaka's tomb and encounter every mummy movie cliche there ever was. Actually this movie created most of those cliches.


It should be noted heroine Peggy Moran was the daughter of celebrated pin-up illustrator Earl Moran. And  several publicity stills from the movie almost look like cheesecake poses.

In a number of Mexiluchahero movies you can find several South of the Border superheroes going up against Aztec mummies. Including el Santo,Blue Demon, and Mil Mascaras.

 
In the second movie in the Aztec Mummy series, THE CURSE OF THE AZTEC MUMMY (1957), there's an el Santo wannabe called the Angel who just may be the worst superhero in cinema history. He loses every fight he's in and then is contemptuously unmasked by the villain. I'd like to believe American luchador Dr.Judo could do a better job.

DR. JUDO CREATED AND WRITTEN BY DAVE GOODE ILLUSTRATION BY VANCE CAPLEY

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ONE MAN'S NOSTALGIA MAY BE ANOTHER MAN'S.... by Dave Goode

The other night I had this really strange dream involving Bill Ward and Russ Meyer, the Titans of TIT-illation. I had discovered comic book artist/illustrator Ward about age twelve when a buddy gave me a copy of Cartoon Parade, a magazine that was published by Martin Goodman the same guy that published Marvel Comics. The mag was a collection of pin-up pics (no nudity) of actresses, models and burlesque queens. Plus risque cartoons by the likes of Dan De Carlo, Bill Wenzel, and Bill Ward. I always found Ward's glamour girl illustrations to be more titillating than the pin-up photos. I discovered Russ Meyer about a year later when I traded three comic books for a copy of Playboy that featured a pictorial on the Meyer directed movie BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970).

The dream involved my working on a project with Meyer and Ward. A movie version of the Captain Bondage comic book. What? You never heard of Captain Bondage? You're not alone. Back in the 1980s I met Bill Ward and worked with him on a couple of strips featuring burlesque queens Stella Starlet and Sugar Caine for Weird Smut comics published by John A. Mozzer. Captain Bondage was another character created by myself and illustrated by Ward. The burlesque of comic book superheroes made it's only appearance in Screw magazine published by Al Goldstein. Here are a few of the tamer pages from the story.

 

 

In any case in my dream the movie starred three of my favorite Russ Meyer's stars Alaina Capri, Lorna Maitland, and Tura Satana. The flick also featured ape - suit actor George Barrows. Indeed the "stuff that dreams are made of". Below there's a new cartoon by Vance Capley and myself featuring our retro burlesque cartoon creation Miss Ginger Snaps.

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HERCULES IN TIMES SQUARE by Dave Goode

If you're of a certain age then the first place you may have seen Arnold Schwarzenegger was in a Joe Weider bodybuilding advertisement found in a comic book. The one where Arnold's flexing his right bicep while holding Joe's beautiful wife Betty aloft with his left arm. In my mind it was Betty Weider appearing in these ads and the covers of her husband's magazines in a bathing suit with various musclemen that really inspired teen-aged boys to take up bodybuilding. In any case Arnold is billed in this ad as not only a Mr.Universe winner. But as a movie and television star as well. Even though the only movie he had starred in up to  this point was HERCULES IN NEW YORK (1969). I remember going with a couple of buddies to a Saturday matinee to catch this flick.

And truthfully I wasn't disappointed in this low - budget comedy that had the Central Park Gardens standing in for Mount Olympus. At least I thought it was a comedy. Something like THE 3 STOOGES MEET HERCULES (1962). But at twelve I doubt I was going to be too disappointed. Produced by Aubrey Wisberg who also wrote the story and directed by Arthur Alan Seidelman the story sort of plays like a Silver Age Marvel comic book. Hercules is exiled to Earth from Olympus by his father Zeus. The story also features a plot twist that should be familiar to readers of the Mighty Thor. Zeus takes away his son's strength at a most inopportune time. Something similar happens to Dan Vadis in THE TRIUMPH OF HERCULES (1964). There's another story line in this flick that's pretty funny. But also made total sense to me. Needing to make cash Herc signs a contract to become a pro wrestler.

The movie is fun. But aside from the budget the weakest thing about this flick is Schwarzenegger, billed here as Arnold Strong, as Hercules. Of course he has great physical presence. But at this point in his career he's no actor. Too be fair it is his first movie. He will get better.

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The Oft Told Story by Dave Goode

I was in junior high school when I first read Richard Donnell's short story THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (first published in Colliers- January 19, 1924). Also known as THE HOUNDS OF ZAROFF, the story blew me away. I knew there was a movie adaptation starring Joel McRae, Fay Wray, and Leslie Banks. But I wouldn't see it until a couple of years later.

I knew Spider-Man's foe Kraven the Hunter who first appeared in Spider-Man No.15 (Aug. 1964) was inspired by General Zaroff, the villain of Donnell's tale. So was the "Hunter" who appeared in Adventure Comics No. 358 (July 1967). The story was even parodied in a humorous homage on an episode of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND featuring Rory Calhoun and Harold Sakata.

 

 

 

When I first saw the movie THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (1932) in a high school film class I was just as impressed with it as I was with Donnell's 48 page short story. Of course there were some changes made in the transition from page to screen. There were some characters added. Most notably Eve and Martin Towbridge played by Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong who would later appear in the adventure classic KING KONG (1933).

You're probably already familiar with the plot. After being shipwrecked famous big game hunter Robert Rainsford (Joel McRae) is lodged by Count Zaroff (in Donnell's story he's a retired general) played by an over the top Leslie Banks in his castle on a remote island. It turns out the Count is a hunter himself. The Count had grown bored with the hunt until he discovered what he considered the "most dangerous game "... man himself. He ends up hunting Rainsford and Eve after hunting and killing Martin. But has the Count met his match in Rainsford ?

The story is so strong that it has been adapted to the screen several times. There was A GAME OF DEATH (1945), BLOODLUST (1961) and even a sci-fi sexploitation flick SLAVE GIRLS BEYOND INFINITY (1987) among others.

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