The High Society Mystery

In 1957, The Motion Picture Academy infamously nominated a Bowery Boys flick called HIGH SOCIETY for an Oscar for Best Original Story when what they supposedly meant to nominate was, of course, the Crosby/Kelly/Sinatra musical of the same name. According to the legend as it has passed down, Edward Bernds and Elwood Ullman, the two credited screenwriters on the Leo Gorcey movie, withdraw their nominations. Okay. All well and good. But here's a contemporary piece that sheds some weird light on the subject, not the least of which is leaving Bernds and Ullman out entirely.

Free Bubble Gum!-1947

3-D--In the Beginning

The now-classic Vincent Price horror film HOUSE OF WAX was the first major release in the new 3-Dimenional process back in 1953. How successful was it? Well, within weeks, Warner Brothers was going by "3DWB" and had announced production on 22 new 3-D films! Every Warners trade ad touted 3-D and Warners was over the moon with the sweet smell of success.

Every company seemed to jump on the bandwagon and soon 3-D movies were playing everywhere and even the use of the 3-D red and blue (or green) glasses was being regulated by law!  It was obvious that this innovation was here to stay!

Only it wasn't. In fact, the novelty wore off fairly quickly, replaced by the advent of Cinemascope, the wide curved screen process that gave motion pictures of all sorts a grandeur that couldn't be had on television...and all without the need of goofy spectacles.

In the early sixties, there was a very minor attempt to revive the 3-D craze, mainly with comic books and foreign kiddie matinee fodder.

 

And now it's back again and everyone is convinced it will last this time.

History records, as I say, HOUSE OF WAX as the first major studio 3-D release. As it happens, though, the film below actually beat it for two days.

 

Lost For 40 Years

Back in the mid-seventies, one of the shows I most looked forward to was always the Saturday Morning show, LAND OF THE LOST. I was 15 when it premiered and I was thinking myself too old to be watching Saturday morning kiddie fare anymore...until LAND OF THE LOST. Backed by a whole bunch of STAR TREK and A-list science-fiction writers, this low-budget show was an absolute highlight of sci-fi on TV in that pre-STAR WARS time.  

I was talking with star Kathy Coleman on the phone the other day. In fact, I speak with her fairly often these days, sometimes--surreally enough--on Saturday mornings. In 1974, I wrote in my Geek's Journal--see other blog--about watching the series and, in fact, watching Kathy on that year's Macy's Parade telecast. These days, I'm helping her put the finishing touches on her autobiography. Watch for it later in the LAND OF THE LOST's 40th anniversary season!

Gerald McBoing-Boing Trade Ad

More Vintage Archie Ads

 

Max Fleischer Trade Ads-1930s