1987 Advertisement for a New Batmobile - Metro!

Wow! I never saw this until today but I completely love it! Well done and quite fun. 

Thunderbirds Artwork!

The Bloody Pit #170 - STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)

Mark Maddox joins me to discuss one of his favorite films of all time - STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979). Does Mark need medication or is he able to back up his opinion of this film that has served as an easy punchline for decades? And what do I think of the film? Will there be an argument? You might already know the answer. Thank goodness for Mark Clark’s fine Start Trek FAQ books that serve to keep us on track. Mostly. 

We discuss the years long genesis of the film touching on the planned ‘Phase II’ concept that was supposed to bring Star Trek back to television. Mark talks about seeing the film theatrically in 1979 and his reaction to the big screen sight of the Enterprise. He then relates his love of the wormhole sequence and we examine its function within the story. Jerry Goldsmith’s magnificent score is heaped with praise by both of us while Mark laments the use of the theme for The Next Generation television show. The production problems the film encountered get some attention with the foolish choice to lock in a premiere date before the film was even started coming under scrutiny. And the decision to begin shooting without a finished script can’t go unremarked either! It’s a miracle a coherent movie came out of this process in the end. Or course, it took a couple of decades for the thing to be really completed by the director but now we can see the film in the best light, flaws and all. 

If you have any thoughts on the first Trek movie thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We hope to cover more the series in the near future so thoughts on those are welcome as well. Thank you for listening! 

 

The Bloody Pit #167 - PUFNSTUF (1970)

 

For this very special episode five people have gathered to discuss an influential part of their childhood – H. R. Pufnstuf!  In particular we examine the movie that grew out of the children television show’s immense popularity – PUFNSTUF (1970). So, grab your magic flute and come to Living Island for an adventure you’ll never forget – no matter how hard you try. Wild, man!

I am joined by Beth, Troy Guinn, John Hudson and Steph to talk about the biggest hit of Sid & Marty Krofft’s many Saturday morning TV programs. Each of us relate our history with the various shows and what we thought of them as kids before diving into the specifics of the big screen version. We dig into the Krofft brothers’ background as puppet performers, their early successes on the stage and the genesis of Pufnstuf as a character. We take note of a fun Universal Horror related song from their early 1960’s adult puppet show and then turn things toward the amazing songs created for the film. We talk about the cast with Jack Wild’s place in the hearts of young girls becoming a subject of some amusement while Billie Hayes’ immortal Witchiepoo is lauded as the best reason to watch either the film or the television show. Favorite lines of dialog are quoted and we wonder aloud if some of the best bits were adlibbed by Miss Hayes or not. We also talk about Mama Cass Elliot’s excellent performance as Witch Hazel and single out her song as a highlight. This really is a delightful movie!

If you want to share your own memories of the old Sid & Marty Krofft shows thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We hope you enjoy this slightly chaotic trip into Saturday mornings past. Thank you for listening! 

PUFNSTUF (1970) Original Sound Track Album

What started as research for an upcoming podcast has become pure love. This album has turned into one of my favorite things to listen to every day for nearly a week! 

 

Classic Thunderbirds Movie Poster Art

On this day in 1965 the first episode of Thunderbirds premiered. We only got 32 episodes and two movies but the show's influence lives on. FAB!

 

Vintage Captain Scarlet Ads

 

What I Watched in June 2022

I didn’t get out to a theater last month which was not my plan, really. I wanted to go see the Bob’s Burgers movie but the timing was off and then I was out of town for five days to attend Monster Bash so some things fell by the wayside. So, I thought I’d let you folks know about the odd home viewing that has become the norm at Casa Bloody Pit of Rod.

  

Sprinkled in among the various movies is a steady stream of television both old and new. The older stuff is currently mostly from the 1960’s with me using various DVD sets to catch up on and revisit classic series of interest. There is no real plan for this viewing. I also add an old serial to the mix to have something shorter and (often) stranger to keep the evenings slightly off balance. The most recent of those was the 15-chapter Batman & Robin serial from 1949 which proved to be mad fun. Strange to know that it was the first Batman chapter play in 1943 that introduced the concept of the Bat Cave to the hero’s universe. Any way…

The various 60’s shows we’re going through include (in no particular order) -

  

1. The Wild Wild West

2. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

3. Star Trek

4. Get Smart 

5. Doctor Who

6. Fireball XL5

7. Thunderbirds

8. Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles

I need to pull out the 1966 Batman show and start a full watch of The Twilight Zone too. I’m hoping to add in some 1970’s stuff soon as well to change up the feeling a bit but The Time Tunnel will also be making an appearance soon as well. I wonder if I can make my way through the Logan’s Run TV series again soon. We’ll see. 

The List

GHOST TOWN RENEGADES (1947) – 5 (Lash LaRue B-western)

REVOLVER (1973) – 8 (rewatch)

AGONIZANDO EN EL CRIMEN (1968) – 4 (early Naschy role)

THE PANTHER WOMEN (1967) – 6 (fun, silly Mexican masked wrestler film)

CHALLENGE THE DEVIL (1963) – 3 (dull, silly mess with Christopher Lee)

MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1971) – 6 (rewatch)

LOVE SLAVES OF THE AMAZONS (1957) – 4 (sub-par jungle adventure)

GUNS. GIRLS AND GANGSTERS (1959) – 7 (sharp heist tale with a young Lee Van Cleef)

THE NIGHT OF THE EXECUTIONER (1992) – 6 (rewatch)

SANTO IN THE BORDER OF TERROR (1969) - 4

It's Captain Scarlet Day!

Yes! July 10th has a special significance for my favorite Gerry Anderson show and for a very strange reason. You can find out why this date is singled out in the brief article LINKED TO HERE and it is amusing. And in the meantime, if you are not familiar with joys of Captain Scarlet, you can watch the very first episode of the series below. I've also included a link to the Primer on the Anderson website that acts as an explainer for those coming to things cold. Enjoy!

Star Trek Artwork

SuperCar Comic Book Covers

The Prisoner and Quatermass Podcasts!

I often go hunting for new podcasts that look at favorite movies and television. Recently I found a couple of excellent examples and thought I should share. Both originate in Britain and both focus on content from that country that is pretty obscure today.   

First up is Free For All, a show that digs deeply into Patrick McGoohan's 'The Prisoner'. Each week screenwriter Cai Ross and media lecturer Chris Bainbridge delve into an episode of The Prisoner interpreting them in their own unique way. They have been lucky enough to get some great guest interviews including several original cast members! Free For All is a wonderfully funny, bitingly critical and sometimes academically analytical exploration of McGoohan's television epic. I highly recommend it as it seems to only get better and better as they go along. Upcoming shows have even more guests! Follow the imbedded links above to find the show.

Second we have the BERGcast and I would be surprised if you knew immediately what BERG is all about! BERG stands for British Experimental Rocket Group and the podcast is devoted to exploring the creator of that fictional government agency Nigel Kneale. The show is an examination of Quatermass and every other thing that Kneale ever produced during his long and impressive career. I’m slowly working my way through the backlog of episodes and loving every minute of the journey! If you have a love for the amazing creative mind of Nigel Kneale, I can recommend this show unreservedly. 

Fantastic Voyage Comic Book Covers

The 1968 cartoon television series of Fantastic Voyage spawned a comic book series from Gold Key that - sadly - only lasted two issues. It's possible to get one of the two pretty cheaply online so I might eventually have to check them out.

A Peanuts Halloween Gallery

It's time for the annual viewing!

 

Songs from THE MAN CALLED FLINTSTONE (1966)

Although I have never been a fan of The Flintstones TV series I was curious about the feature film Hanna-Barbera produced at the height of the show's popularity. In 1966 I'm sure a cartoon spy spoof seemed like a sure-fire hit and it seems to have been well received upon release. Strange how it's become so little discussed or seen these days. 

For me the biggest surprise was the six or seven songs that pepper the soundtrack turning this fun little adventure into a bit of a musical. And the songs are quite fun, too! 

Lost In Space Comic Book Covers

If the show was one quarter as exciting as these amazing covers it would have been the greatest thing to ever appear on television! 

Wow!