GORILLA MY DREAMS by Dave Goode

Growing up in the Silver Age of Comic Books no doubt played some part in my becoming a fan of "ape-suit cinema". I even have a theory that all the intelligent gorillas that appeared in the comic books of the 50s and 60s were the results of those brain transplant experiments by mad scientists in the horror movies of the 30s and 40s. One of my favorites from the ape-suit genre was the fab 50s 3-D flick GORILLA AT LARGE.

I never considered it a horror flick. More like a murder mystery with the chief suspect a gorilla. A major reason I like this flick so much is that it features Anne Bancroft in what would be her sexiest role until she portrayed Mrs.Robinson in THE GRADUATE. In GORILLA AT LARGE she plays a nymphomaniacal aerialist who spends most of her time dressed in leotards. Another plus,for me at least,was that judo plays an integral part in the movie's plot. No there's no fight between the hero and Goliath,the eponymous gorilla at large.But the hero played by Cameron Mitchell is an ex-Marine with a working knowledge of judo. This makes him a prime suspect when characters start turning up with broken necks. You're left to guess who the real killer is...Goliath or someone in a gorilla costume?

Another favorite of mine is THE APE-MAN. Directed by the legendary William "One-Shot" Beaudine from a screenplay from Barney Sarecky this psychotronic movie isn't great art. But it's a heck of a lot of fun. It stars iconic horror movie star Bela Lugosi with Louise Currie  and Wallace Ford.And in a nod to equal opportunity it features Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison as a newspaper copy boy.Think about it. They could have cast any of the East Side Kids in the role. But they cast "Scruno". It's one of those movies where a scientist breaks the laws of the nature and pays a price for it.Emil Van Horn portrays Bela's pet gorilla. And as usual he's great. One of my favorite ape-suit actors Van Horn also worked in a few Gorilla & Girl nightclub acts.

Retro art by Vance Capley

I'm Ready For The Remake by Dave Goode

If you're a fan-boy then you know what I'm talking about when I say that I can easily imagine favorite movies adapted to the comic book medium as easily as I can imagine favorite comic book stories adapted to the silver screen. For instance can't you picture adaptations of the John Wayne movies BACK TO BATAAN,THE SANDS OF IWO JIMA or THE GREEN BERETS drawn by Russ Heath,John Severin or Joe Kubert? Most of the time I'm imagining adaptations of masked wrestler movies. After all that genre has so many similarities to super-hero comics. But another movie I think that would be great as a comic book is THE BLOODY PIT OF HORROR a.k.a THE CRIMSON EXECUTIONER.

THE BLOODY PIT OF HORROR was a flick that had it's roots in Euro-pulps and Italian horror flicks like BLACK SUNDAY,THE WHIP AND THE BODY and THE VAMPIRE AND THE BALLERINA. It's a story that could easily be reimagined as a story published by Myron Fass. THE BLOODY PIT OF HORROR in fact sounds like the title for one of his horror comic book anthologies.

 

The movie stars former Mr.Universe winner Mickey Hargitay. And if this wasn't his best role he was at least perfectly cast. He plays Travis Anderson a "muscleman who formerly starred in costume movies". Mickey did the same. Most famously he portrayed Hercules in the camp classic THE LOVES OF HERCULES opposite his wife 50s icon Jayne Mansfield.

As Anderson, Mickey imagines himself to be the reincarnation of the Crimson Executioner an exceptionally sadistic member of the Inquisition. So when a group of models and photographers show up at his castle-home to take photos for foto-novel you know they're going to get more than they bargained for. Especially after Mickey starts dressing like the Crimson Executioner and delivering lines like "Mankind is made up of inferior creatures,spiritually and physically deformed,who would have corrupted the harmony of my perfect body." I can't speak for anyone else. But I'm ready for a remake.

 retro art by Vance Capley

The World's Most Famous Movie Monster? by Dave Goode

 

My introduction to the classic Universal monsters (Dracula,
Frankenstein's monster and the Wolf Man)was in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein at a Halloween party when I was about five or six.It's one of my favorite all-time movies.It's both funny and terrifying.In some places it's both at the same time.Just check out the scene in the sub-basement in the "house of Dracula".Or the film's exciting climax.

 

 

 My first Frankenstein movie was I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN ( a follow-up to I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF). This variation of the familiar story has a descendant of the original Dr.Frankenstein, portrayed by the great Whit Bissell, following in his ancestor's footsteps. The twist has him assembling a creature from recently deceased high school athletes.

 The creature is portrayed by Gary Conway, an actor who began his career as a model in "physique magazines". I thought that this version of the monster with a fullback's legs and wrestler's upper body would have made a great adversary for a comic book hero without super-powers or for a Mexiluchahero.

 The theme was touched on in several masked wrestler movies with the heroes squaring off against variations of the Frankenstein monster. In some cases, the Frankenstein's monster itself as in Santo & Blue Demon vs. The Monsters. It's sort of like Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein without the laughs. It does have laughs....but they're mostly unintentional. 

WHO WAS THAT MASKED MAN ANYWAY? by Dave Goode

There aren't too many film genres as entertaining then the masked wrestler movie. Nothing epitomizes the similarities between pro wrestling and comic books quite like them. Muscled men in masks (say that 3 times fast) fighting the forces of evil using the same skills that made them champion grapplers to fight werewolves,vampires,mad scientists and their creations,alien invaders from space and sometimes organized crime.

 The majority of these movies come from Mexico. And so sometimes they are referred to as Mexiluchahero movies by fans of the genre. But in that alternate universe that runs through my head, I can see American comic book companies purchasing the rights to these flicks to produce 4-color adaptations of some of the best-known of these movies. And then continuing with a series of comics featuring the stars. An el Santo series  drawn by Steve Ditko. A Blue Demon series illustrated by the tag-team of Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson. A Tinieblas feature drawn by Jack "the King" Kirby and Gil Kane drawing a Mil Mascaras comic. Of course Mexico had their own masked wrestler comics starring Santo, Blue Demon and others. I just can't help but think of how great versions drawn by the premiere arts of the Silver Age of comics would have been. 

Enjoy the short adventure below featuring an American comic book fan turned masked wrestling hero.

Grab Judo Comics today! Click the pic:

America's Cheesiest Super-Hero by Dave Goode

America's Cheesiest Super-Hero 

by Dave Goode

One of the strangest things to come out of the era of Batmania (1966-1968) was the movie Rat Pfink a Boo Boo. This psychotronic classic is one of those ultra low-budget flick that seems like it was being written as they were going along. And that just may have been the case. It starts out as a rock & roll/juvenile delinquency flick hybrid and, about 40 minutes into the movie, it morphs into a parody of the Batman television show starring the great Adam West. It even has an obviously tacked on prologue to lead you to believe it was intended as a spoof to begin with. But I don't think anyone was ever fooled.

     Ron Haydock stars as Lonnie Lord, R&R star turned masked mystery man. And if anyone ever deserved his status as a cult star it was Haydock (1940-1977). Haydock was a recording artist, editor and writer for monster movie magazines and author of several pornographic novels under the name Vin Saxon. Oddly enough Haydock is billed as Vin Saxon in the credits for this movie.

Carolyn Brandt, a cult star in her own right, plays damsel in distress Cee Cee Beumont, and Titus Moody plays the hero's sidekick. The movie was directed by Ray Dennis  Steckler, who along with

Haydock,wrote the story. At the time Steckler and leading lady Brandt were man and wife. 

 

     

 I first learned about this flick from an article in Castle of Frankenstein. I instantly fell in love with the total cheesiness of the whole thing starting with the hero's costume. However, I didn't see the movie until I bought a VHS copy two decades later. I wasn't disappointed. But then again, my sites weren't set that high.

Good cheesy fun.

   And speaking of fun....Bob Burns as Kogar, the Swinging Ape was an added plus. It makes you wonder why none of the villains on the Batman TV series never had a "pet gorilla" to be unleashed on the Caped Crusader. Gorillas in comics were all the rage during this era.Of course in the alternate universe that runs through my head, there was a comic book adaptation of the movie and a series of comic books that ran for an additional 24 issues starring the ersatz Dynamic Duo.

Retro style comic art by Vance Capley