The Bloody Pit

The Bloody Pit #15 - The Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films!

Tarzan is one of the best known characters in all of English language fiction. Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs more than one hundred years ago the jungle lord descended from British aristocracy has become one of the most easily recognizable figures in world literature. Along with Dracula and Sherlock Holmes he forms a kind of trinity of classic fiction that is constantly ripe for rediscovery and reimagining. With the huge level of success reached by the ape man novels many, many imitations have been created over the years and even the number of official adaptations are too many to take in easily. There were many attempts to film the story of Tarzan in the silent era but it wasn't until MGM Studio obtained the rights in the early 1930's that a profitable series of movies was produced. Indeed, the MGM series was so successful for so long that there has yet to be a longer, uninterrupted film run for Tarzan onscreen or for a single actor in the title role. Of course, at a certain point RKO Studio took over production of the movies but that doesn't really matter- unless you were concerned about budgets!  

The dozen Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films are the way the character was burned into the world's popular consciousness and I honestly doubt that Tarzan would be as famous and well known if not for this hugely popular film series with him as the star. Perhaps the character endures because the black & white images from these films were absorbed into the brains of a generation or two of children hungry for adventure in the trees? Maybe one of the biggest reasons the original 24 Tarzan novels never go out of print is that young boys were inspired to seek out more of the jungle man’s thrilling tales than the films can provide? Regardless, these movies are a large amount of fun for the adventure fan hungry for jungle action.

Joining me to discuss (briefly) all twelve of Weissmuller's run is my buddy Chris Herzog. Chris is a freelance writer and all around nice guy - it was he who proposed the idea of doing this episode of the podcast. In fact, it was all his idea and I wash my hands of it! No, no. Chris was able to convince me this was a good idea pretty easily even though I knew I would have to finally finish watching the series and then refresh my memories of the early entries. That took time but it was great fun. I hope that he and I will be able to collaborate on more shows in the future even if it might only be once a year.

If you have any comments or suggestions please write to us at thebloodypit@gmail.com and we just might incorporate your ideas into a later show. I apologize for the near constant background buzz in the audio but it was either have that noise in the show or fry in the oppressive May heat- we opted for the buzz. Sorry! The show ends with a song from the late, lamented Boston band The Cavedogs called Tarzan and his Arrowheads- the lyrics always struck me as quite ERB inspired. Enjoy! 

The Bloody Pit #14 - STREETS OF FIRE (1984)

STREETS OF FIRE is both the perfect distillation of the action films director Walter Hill had made up to 1984 and a stylish box office disaster. In my opinion it is also a masterpiece of pure cinema combining elements of film noir, musicals, crime stories, romance and tough guy humor into a something not seen on film before. This may not be Hill's best film but it is the best representation of his talent completely unfettered within the Hollywood movie making machine.

I recently rewatched this movie on cable (where I always seem to have seen it) and posted about it on Facebook wondering if I was alone in my love for SOF. I was not! Dozens of people came out of the closet as fans and when Ted Haycraft mentioned that we needed to talk about it I suggested we record our conversation for a show. A few minutes later I asked filmmaker and comic book writer Robert Tinnell if he would join us and he enthusiastically agreed. We had a great time talking about this under seen and under discussed piece of 80's action cinema and we hope you will enjoy hearing us babble.

If you have any comments or if you are a secret fan of STREETS OF FIRE drop us a note at thebloodypit@gmail.com and let us know. Maybe Walter Hill fans should develop a secret handshake or just address each other as Tom Cody! Thanks for downloading and listening. 

The Bloody Pit #13 - Jamesian Radio!

With the thirteenth episode it is just me flying solo again. As this podcast features a random assortment of things that interest and/or entertain me I have no fear of zigging around and sometimes talking about things most folks know nothing about. In that vein, this time out I'm bringing you a fun piece of Horror Radio that requires a little explanation. Os, in this short show, I first explain who author M. R. James was; then I point you toward the wonderful literary podcast about his ghost fiction and finally I present one of the odder audio adaptations of his work - all in a day's work for a media magpie such as I am! 

The Bloody Pit #12 - Christmas Movies

Its December, so it is time once again for The Bloody Pit Christmas Movie episode! Just like last year, this two and a half hour podcast showcases my buddy John Davis and I talking about some of our most beloved Holiday themed films, TV shows and other bits of media. The surprise for 2013 is that this time we are joined by my NaschyCast co-host Troy Guinn! He wanted to include his thoughts on this subject and as his favorite film of all time turns out to be SCROOGE (1970) it only seems right that he should. Troy has a long history with the film and its pretty funny. 

The discussion jumps around quite a lot with a number of movies under the microscope but we also take the time to touch on a few short stories and comic book Christmas tales for which we have fond memories. Of course, this being a show hosted by three horror movie buffs you can expect a few of these items to veer into the dark, scary places we love so much - you have been warned! A brief listing of the major programs we talk about -

1. SCROOGE (1970)

2. ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE (1947) 

3. A CAROL FOR ANOTHER CHRISTMAS (1964) 

4. Twilight Zone - "Night of the Meek"

5. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) 

6. Peace On Earth (1939) 

7. EBBIE (1995) 

8. All Through the House 

9. CHRISTMAS EVIL (1980) 

10. COMFORT AND JOY (1984) 

So join us for a conversation among three old friends as we relate why we love these pieces of Holiday entertainment and what they mean to us. If you want to let us know what your favorite Christmas movies are please drop us a note at thebloodypit@gmail.com and we'll see if we talk about them next year - or maybe sooner! Thank you for downloading and listening. 

The Bloody Pit #11- Kolchak: The Night Stalker

Hard on the heels of the last episode of The Bloody Pit comes a second October show! In this one I once again team up with John Hudson to talk about one of our favorite television shows of all time- Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Never given much respect in its original run in 1974-75 it now stands as one of the most influential and entertaining horror series it set the template for many things that came after it. Having a stellar cast and a smart group of creators the show should have been one of the great successes of its time but its 'monster of the week format' was seen as silly and the disdain came even from the talent involved. Nevertheless, for those that caught this one season wonder at the time or in its countless reruns, Kolchak became one of the great icons of the genre.

 

We hope to spread the love for this amazing, creepy and highly entertaining 70's TV classic so its great to note that the entire twenty episode run is available for streaming through NetFlix as well has in a pretty inexpensive DVD set. We also talk a little about the books, comics and short story collections that have been published over the last several years so expect some extra geeky about those subjects. If you have any comments or thoughts on this show or any previous ones please drop us a note at thebloodypit@gmail.com and we'll discuss it on a future episode. The show can be downloaded at the link below or from iTunes. Thanks! 

 

The Bloody Pit #10- Horror Radio!

As Fall weather creeps into Tennessee and October winds begin to blow leaves around the neighborhood my thoughts turn to all things scary and spooky.  Halloween is my favorite holiday and as much as I love watching horror and monster films or reading creepy stories I also enjoy listening to old radio horror shows. I usually listen to several each month during the rest of the year but in October I check out three or four a week on the old iPod! 

I love sharing these very well written and well produced pieces of 'Theater of the Mind' an so with this episode of The Bloody Pit I have picked out two of my favorites for you to hear. Both are adaptations of classic horror tales - one from H. P. Lovecraft and the other from M. R. James- and both are fantastic! Casting the Runes was done in 1947 for the Escape program and The Dunwich Horror was recorded for Suspense in 1945 and you won't find finer radio shows no matter how long you search. So, settle in and listen to a couple of creepy tales of terror well calculated to keep you in...... suspense! 

Please feel free to write to the podcast at thebloodypit@gmail.com to let me know you thoughts. The show can be downloaded below or gotten from iTunes. Thanks for listening! 

The Bloody Pit #9 - THE BEASTMASTER TRILOGY

THE BEASTMASTER is one of the most beloved Guilty Pleasure films of the 1980s. Countless screenings of it on cable in the late 80's and early 90's cemented its place in the hearts of film fans all over North America. Its easy to understand this movie's place in the memories of wide-eyed young men - if you were looking for a fun adventure tale on a rainy afternoon you could do much worse. The film sports lots of small scale action, pretty women, real animals doing odd things and a sword wielding hero running through the whole thing kicking villainous ass at every turn- what is there not to love! 

Not all of us came to the BEASTMASTER party early but luckily co-host Jeff Nelson is a longtime fan of the film and is willing to defend it from --- those who might sneer. But will Mr. Nelson's fandom hold up as he and I examine all three movies in this series. That's right- there are three Beastmaster movies and we are gonna cover all of them! So set back, relax, keep an eye out for theiving ferrets and join us as we discuss the madness of THE BEASTMASTER TRILOGY. We even touch on the television series as best we can considering we've never seen a single episode. 

If you would like to comment on the show or fill in any of the gaps in our knowledge please drop us a line at thebloodypit@gmail.com and we'll be happy to respond. Maybe next time out we'll talk about the ATOR trilogy. 

The Bloody Pit #8- William Stout interview

Sometimes I am lucky enough to meet very accomplished people whose work I admire. Often these are authors I seek out for the chance to discuss their books or research subjects but in the past decade or so I have been able to meet several people who work in the film industry at one level or another. This has been fascinating as most of them have been very willing to talk about their work and also relate anecdotes about the pitfalls of filmmaking. To my good fortune, one of these people has been William Stout. Mr. Stout is an acclaimed illustrator, creature designer, storyboard artist, production designer and the writer of a few screenplays. This last bit of his resume was a surprise to me when his name turned up as the co-scripter of the Roger Corman produced barbarian epic THE WARRIOR AND THE SORCERESS (1984). I had decided one uneventful night to revisit this little film now that it was available on DVD from Shout Factory and my surprise at this credit was total. As soon as I verified that it was indeed the same William Stout I knew I just had to ask him about it.

I first met Mr. Stout a few years ago when we struck up a friendship over shared music interests and since then its been a highlight of the Wonderfest convention each Spring to talk to him informally about his work. He is a charming, funny man with enough great stories to fill more than one book and I have always felt lucky to be able to hear him tell his tales. I was thrilled when he immediately agreed to sit down and talk with me about THE WARRIOR AND THE SORCERESS for the podcast. If you've never met Mr. Stout I think you'll enjoy this conversation as a way to get an idea of what a nice gentleman he is and if you have any interest in the behind the scenes shenanigans that can happen, you will be laughing along with me. Although we start talking about Roger Corman and the barbarian films of the 1980s the discussion ranges across several other movies too. I often forget just how many of my favorite movies William Stout worked on!

If you wish to contact the me about the podcast, the blog or anything else you can drop me a note at thebloodypit@gmail.com and I'll be happy to respond. I keep meaning to read out emails on the podcast but the show's schedule is so erratic I always forget! This episode can be grabbed as an MP3 at the link below or through iTunes. If you get the podcast through iTunes please consider rating and/or reviewing it. It would really help get the word out about what is going on here. Thanks!

The Bloody Pit #7- THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (1959)- commentary

This time out I'm using the podcast format to represent the commentary track I made for the fine 1959 monster film THE GIANT BEHEMOTH. I love this movie and was unhappy with the track provided on the otherwise excellent DVD so I took it upon myself to record an alternate. You can synch the track up with the film or just listen to me prattle on as if it were a normal podcast. Of course, the more familiar you are with the movie the more sense certain things will make as I comment on scene specific events. In any case, I hope you will think I did a good job. This track has some faults –  verbal sloppiness & stammering and occasional stutters- but I hope I got across the information well enough to be enjoyed by fans. I think I've become much better at this kind of thing since I started podcasting three years ago but I'm not too embarrassed by my work on this six year old recording. I’d like to clearly acknowledge the sources for the information in the track. -Two interviews conducted by Tom Weaver were most helpful- one with director Eugene Lourie and the other with leading man Gene Evans. -Mark Berry’s fine book The Dinosaur Filmography was an invaluable resource. -The wonderful article from SPFX magazine #26 by Paul Mandell was fantastic and helped me form up my own thoughts about the film. -And last was Mark Berry’s great interview with Desmond Davis about his career. I’ve tried to get my hands on a documentary about the life and career of composer Edwin Astley but that has proven harder than I thought. Produced in 2001 it’s never been released on video but I hope to catch up with it one day. Oh- and one last thing. I must apologize for my most glaring verbal mistake. Near the very end of the track I seem to think the current year is 1978. I meant to say something else but obviously my mind and mouth were not linked at that moment. Of course, these films often make me feel like I’m 10 years old so maybe my slip was a Freudian one. Please drop me an email at thebloodypit@gmail.com to let me know what you think

The Bloody Pit #6- Sgt. Preston of the Yukon

With the end of Winter fast approaching you might think my thoughts would turn to Spring and the fun outdoor activities just around the corner. No- not me. I'm still trying to enjoy the indoor activities that the colder months bring like hunkering down in front of the TV and watching television shows from the 1950s or listening to old radio shows from even earlier decades. That is the subject of this spontaneous episode of The Bloody Pit. I fell in love with the old Challenge of the Yukon radio show years back and when the snow flies (or when it ought to be flying) I relish settling in and enjoying some of these adventure shows. Sgt. Preston and Yukon King tales are very much a relic of their times but that is one of the things I find appealing about them. I like the TV show but I love the radio episodes so I've folded one of them into this short podcast. I hope you enjoy this look at a mostly forgotten piece of entertainment history.

You can drop me a message at thebloodypit@gmail.com any time. Thank you for listening.