May 7- The Ones that Got Away
I’ve mentioned that many of the Universal titles you’ll be seeing in the upcoming weeks will most likely be appearing your final chance to see them on our show. We were very fortunate that our fearless leader Neal Sabin worked very diligently over a long period of time to secure a bunch of the titles for us- as I’ve pointed out, many of which have not aired on free broadcast television for well over a decade!
However, though we’ve been able to see some classic delights that many of us hold dear- Universal had a bunch of memorable titles that they did NOT give to us. I know some of you have brought up these movies, asking when we would show them. Unfortunately, Universal did NOT give us free reign to use ANY of their movies- they gave us a selection of handpicked films, set in a specific schedule. So-what are a few of the films that I wish we’d gotten to show?
The one most mentioned by Sven fans has been “the Mole People!” It’s a 1956 classic, featuring, among others, our old pal John Agar, who battled “the Creature from the Black Lagoon”-and Hugh Beaumont- better known as the Beaver’s dad, Ward Cleaver, on “Leave It to Beaver!” We also get Alan Napier- recently seen here in “Invisible Man Returns” but seen constantly as Alfred the Butler to Adam West’s “Batman!” It’s a great flick, with intrepid explorers descending underground, to meet a pale race of subterranean dwellers, who burn at the slightest touch of sunlight- and their “slaves”-the hideous Mole People! I got to run this one back in my “Son of Svengoolie” days, and it always was a big favorite-you never forget the sight of an underground infidel charred to a crisp by Mr. Sunshine!
Another movie that I’d have loved to get my grubby little hands on- is “the Incredible Shrinking Man!” More fear of this new atomic age-after getting a dose of radiation-and a healthy spritz of insecticide- Grant Williams discovers that he’s shrinking! At first, he kind of becomes a “little person”-about the size of a hefty Munchkin- but, later shrinks down to about six inches tall- and finds himself terrorized by even the pet cat!
This 1957 flick may be hampered by some obvious contrived special effects, but works pretty well in creating tension as the little tiny guy has top deal with normal household stuff turned towering menaces!
There are a few more of those Universal library flicks that I wish we could have had checked out in the “Svengoolie” name- and I’ll trot out some more in tomorrow’s blog!
However, though we’ve been able to see some classic delights that many of us hold dear- Universal had a bunch of memorable titles that they did NOT give to us. I know some of you have brought up these movies, asking when we would show them. Unfortunately, Universal did NOT give us free reign to use ANY of their movies- they gave us a selection of handpicked films, set in a specific schedule. So-what are a few of the films that I wish we’d gotten to show?
The one most mentioned by Sven fans has been “the Mole People!” It’s a 1956 classic, featuring, among others, our old pal John Agar, who battled “the Creature from the Black Lagoon”-and Hugh Beaumont- better known as the Beaver’s dad, Ward Cleaver, on “Leave It to Beaver!” We also get Alan Napier- recently seen here in “Invisible Man Returns” but seen constantly as Alfred the Butler to Adam West’s “Batman!” It’s a great flick, with intrepid explorers descending underground, to meet a pale race of subterranean dwellers, who burn at the slightest touch of sunlight- and their “slaves”-the hideous Mole People! I got to run this one back in my “Son of Svengoolie” days, and it always was a big favorite-you never forget the sight of an underground infidel charred to a crisp by Mr. Sunshine!
Another movie that I’d have loved to get my grubby little hands on- is “the Incredible Shrinking Man!” More fear of this new atomic age-after getting a dose of radiation-and a healthy spritz of insecticide- Grant Williams discovers that he’s shrinking! At first, he kind of becomes a “little person”-about the size of a hefty Munchkin- but, later shrinks down to about six inches tall- and finds himself terrorized by even the pet cat!
This 1957 flick may be hampered by some obvious contrived special effects, but works pretty well in creating tension as the little tiny guy has top deal with normal household stuff turned towering menaces!
There are a few more of those Universal library flicks that I wish we could have had checked out in the “Svengoolie” name- and I’ll trot out some more in tomorrow’s blog!
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