Monogram Double Feature by Dave Goode

 

To most fans of cinema psychotronica the movies that Bela Lugosi starred in at Monogram during the 1940s for producer Sam Katzman are referred to as the Katzman 9. They were previously referred to as the Monogram 9 until someone pointed out that Lugosi made The Mysterious Mr.Wong for Monogram in 1934. And that mystery flick in which Bela plays a Fu Manchu type criminal mastermind wasn't produced by Katzman. Of the Katzman 9 two of my favorites were the East Side Kids comedies Spooks Run Wild (1941) and Ghosts On The Loose (1943). Both featuring Lugosi.

 

If you ever wondered what an East Side Kids movie made by Ed Wood would like check out Spooks Run Wild. I say that as a good thing. A lot of Wood's movies were entertaining with good stories. It's in their execution that they fall short. This flick falls into the haunted house movie genre with the Kids bringing their own brand of slapstick humor to the proceedings. There are some pretty good visual gags in it. And overall it's a good lampoon of the horror film genre.

My favorite East Side Kids movie was Let's Get Tough (1942) in which the gang take on a group of Japanese spies. In Ghosts On The Loose they take on Nazi spies led by Lugosi. Not quite as much fun as Spooks Run Wild this one is also a haunted house mystery. But it's most famous for featuring Ava Gardner as the ingenue and a scene between Bela Lugosi and "Sunshine" Sammy Morrison in which Bela ad-libs a four letter word that director William "One-Shot" Beaudine saw no need to re-shoot.

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THE GORILLA AND THE GIRL by Dave Goode

When I was a kid I couldn't get enough of movies with gorillas in them. Or should I say movies with "ape-suit actors" in them.Be it a mad scientist movie , sinew & sandal flick , jungle adventure , comedy or horror/mystery programmer. If there was an ape in the movie said movie became that much better in my eyes. Remember I grew up in the Silver Age of Comics. One of my favorite actors from the ape-suit cinema was Emil Van Horn.

Not as large a man as some other ape-suit actors. For instance B-Western star Ray " Crash " Corrigan stood over 6' 4" tall. But Van Horn in his gorilla suit was no less frightening when threatening a serial heroine or other damsel in distress. And besides real gorillas were rarely taller than 5' 9". I'm also a big fan of his costume's elongated arms. Built no doubt to replicate a gorilla's arm length. If nothing else it gave him a unique look.

Aside from appearing in movies like KEEP 'EM FLYING with Abbott & Costello and THE APE MAN with Bela Lugosi Van Horn worked burlesque revues and night clubs performing gorilla and girl acts. These acts were variations of the damsel in distress being threatened by a monster theme found in B-Movies with some adagio dance moves added to the mix.

 When I came up with the Phantom Gorilla idea that Vance Capley and myself used in Judo Comics we gave the judoka who had his brain surgically implanted in the body of a gorilla a secret identity as an ape-suit actor in a gorilla and girl act. We also had the Mr.Incognito character face off against a gorilla on a couple of occasions. Largely because there were too few Mexilucha movies that featured the hero going up an enraged ape. Then watch us answer questions and have lots of fun. Finally, go to lulu.com and buy JUDO COMICS by Dave Goode and Vance Capley...you'll be glad you did.