The Bloody Pit

177 - STAR TREK II THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982)

Mark Maddox and I return to the Star Trek feature films! This time we tackle the big one – the one that kept the franchise alive – STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982). It’s an important film for Trek fans and also an important part of the astonishing list of genre releases from that year. We briefly discuss the other films from 1982 to demonstrate the pivotal nature of the cinema of that time and its long-term effect on the genre. For this episode we assume you have some knowledge of the film and spoilers are in every corner of every deck. You have been warned.

 
We each relate our personal history with the film starting with theatrical viewings and then we dig into the details that make this one a classic. The selection of Nicholas Meyer as director is pointed to as the choice that probably guaranteed the project’s success with his melding of the various script ideas into a cohesive whole. The cast is discussed with Shatner, Nimoy, Kelley and Montalban singled out for praise for their excellent performances. Mark recounts his discouraging encounter with an odd form of homophobia when seeing the film for the first time and we compare the first film’s special effects to the smaller budgeted sequel. The story’s commentary on aging comes under scrutiny as both of us think about the changes in ourselves since this film came out. We ain’t getting any younger, that’s for sure!

 
If you have any comments about Star Trek thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We’ll be back in a few weeks to continue this journey with Kirk and the gang and we hope you’ll join us. 

176 - KING OF KONG ISLAND (1968)

Bob Sargent joins Troy and I to discuss KING OF KONG ISLAND (1968). Or is it just KONG ISLAND? And what connection to King Kong does this movie actually have? Spoiler alert – none!

Because Mr. Sargent has a soft spot in his heart (and head) for this bizarre Italian production we examine it for signs of sanity. None were found, but along the way we learned a little about ourselves. Sort of. And for some reason we also talked about 70’s rock group StoneGround. I can’t understand why.

For the curious, KING OF KONG ISLAND (1968) is a movie of many parts. It is roughly 20% jungle mercenary movie; 20% mad scientist tale; 20% revenge story; 20% jungle girl adventure and 20% family melodrama. It is also 100% nuts! While much of the advertising for the film centers around the jungle girl sections of the story we come to the conclusion that Eva (or the Scared Monkey as she is referred to most often) could be removed from the film with little detriment to the story. Of course, this would have eliminated the film’s nudity so I don’t think anyone involved would have agreed to do this. But the film has so much going on that it is difficult to stop watching as the madness unfolds. We see stuntman turned actor Brad Harris beefcake up the place with his exciting dance moves and flinty abs. We see veteran Hollywood tough guy Marc Lawrence play a mad scientist/Bond villain using surgically altered gorillas to control a jungle cave. We witness plenty of animal stock footage. It all adds up to a featue length movie. Really.

Even if you haven’t seen this cinematic epic there are things in the episode to entertain you. Troy’s alternate title suggestions are inventive and arguably better than any of the ones actually used. Bob’s attempts to explain his lifelong fascination with this whacky film lead us from a sweaty apartment in the 1980’s to modern 21^st century life – pity his poor wife! And bonus points to the listeners that can pinpoint the moment when I gave up on presenting a plot synopsis. Eventually you have to accept that things have gotten away from you.

If you have seen KING OF KONG ISLAND and have something to add to our discussion thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send your thoughts. Thank you for listening!

175 - Buggy Emails!

This episode allows Troy and I answer a few emails and dart down a couple of rabbit holes that they bring to mind. We talk about giant bug movies, Brian Trenchard-Smith’s career and post apocalyptic movies. A past guest on the show writes in to point out a missed opportunity to discuss MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME! I take the chance to offer a mea culpa about not discussing an important connection between two of the cast members of THE SPIDER WOMAN. I was aware the pair’s previous work together but I skipped that part of my notes during our recording session. My only excuse is that I’m a major fan of the film in question and if you think the conversation in this episode ranges far and wide – whew. Talking about one of the greatest adventure films of all time just in passing would have been very difficult! 

Thank you for listening and we’ll be back on track with a normal episode soon. If you want to contribute to the email-bag thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to write. 

174 - THE SPIDER WOMAN (1944)

We rejoin the Universal Sherlock Holmes series with the fifth entry, THE SPIDER WOMAN (1944). Long considered one of the best of the run Beth, Troy and I relate our opinions in this episode’s rambling discussion. Be aware that spoilers abound! Do we think it is one of the best of the Rathbone Holmes films? Maybe…..

We dig into this one pointing out our likes, loves and various concerns about the story. We point out the numerous elements taken from several of the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories and revel in the reference to the giant rat of Sumatra! We discuss the logic behind Holmes faking his own death and the inherent cruelty of that move. Of course, THE SPIDER WOMAN is the first of the series to feature a female villain and the casting could not have been better. Gale Sondergaard is brilliant in the title role with her sly smile and her expert delivery of the sharp dialog putting her well above other baddies that have faced Holmes.  Fully half the fun of the movie is watching her glide her way through her evil schemes. The other actors get fine moments too with Nigel Bruce and Dennis Hoey especially given scenes that show their characters under emotional strain. This is a tight, well-made film but we do find some things in it that don’t work as well as we might wish. 

If you have any comments on this film or any other we’ve covered thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon. 

173 - STUNT ROCK (1978)

I’m joined by Bobby Hazzard and John Hudson for our long-delayed discussion of STUNT ROCK (1978). Is it a movie with an actual narrative or is it an episodic mockumentary about stunts and rock & roll? And why is there a stage magic act happening at the same time? We go from the ‘shower thoughts’ genesis of the film all the way through a listing of our favorite moments. Since the film’s director has called it the worst film he ever made, we briefly talk about his other work for contrast and lament his inability to ever secure a big budget Hollywood project. But we also discover that he directed an almost completely hidden third sequel to a very popular 80’s teen comedy that none of us were aware existed. Some things might be better left unexplored. 

STUNT ROCK can be called many things but it can’t be called boring. It feels like two different movies clumsily mashed together forcing each viewer to decide which half they prefer. Is it the hard rocking magic stage show of Los Angeles band Sorcery or watching Australian stuntman Grant Page defy death in about two dozen different ways? I know which way I lean but this movie is a bit of a Rorschach test so you end up seeing what your expectations lead you to see. And that is more philosophy than I ever thought I would attribute to STUNT ROCK. It has to be a mistake. But you should check it out for yourself. 

If you have any comments or suggestions thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon. 

172 - THE MAD GHOUL (1943)

Troy Guinn joins me to discuss another Universal horror film of the 1940’s!

Although it is a mad scientist film THE MAD GHOUL (1943) stands out from the other films of its type in many ways. It’s literate, mature script weaves interesting adult relationships into its fantastical narrative of college student zombification and graveyard surgery. Troy makes the claim that the film would be worth seeing even if the titular Ghoul was not part of the story but I think we all know why people were buying tickets – cardiectomies! Still, the more adult nature of the romantic complications in the story are interesting and the script gives the great George Zucco many chances to utter dialog that is a cut above the usual level of horror tales of the period. Often his delivery of a line is what makes a scene both believable and entertaining. 

We discuss the cast and crew with an eye toward what the actors thought of the process and each other. We revel in the nasty details of the story and talk about the surprisingly dark stuff the film gets away with. Robert Armstrong as the comic reporter character gets some time in the spotlight as we fight the urge to call him by his KING KONG character name. And we express disappointment that although Evelyn Ankers gets a lot more to do in this movie than in SON OF DRACULA we still don’t get the chance to hear her sing. 

If you enjoy THE MAD GHOUL or even if you don’t thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send your opinions, comments or suggestions. We’d be glad to her from you. Thank you for listening! 

171 - Big Bug Movies of the 1950’s!

Author Mark Clark returns to the show for a discussion of the giant bug movies of the 1950’s!

 

I have always lumped the giant bug movies in with the other giant monster films of the decade but that is a sloppy way to think about these films. The big surprise is that when you separate out the films with various kinds of bugs it turns out there were only eight. Eight! The always ambitious Mark suggested doing a single show about all of them, and I thought it was a great idea. So, even though we might have bitten off more than we can comfortably chew, that is what we did. For those playing along at home here is the list –

 

Them! (1954)

Tarantula (1955)

The Deadly Mantis (1957)

The Black Scorpion (1957)

Beginning of the End (1957)

Monster from Green Hell (1957)

Cosmic Monsters (1958)

Earth vs the Spider (1958)

 

As you can see, we spend a lot of time in 1957 but rest assured that we talk about all eight films in some detail. We dig into the things about each that we enjoy and the places where they fall down with Mark using some interesting classic rock comparisons along the way. He’s a little odd. Along the way we decided to rank them from least to most favorite and we were shocked to see that there isn’t much difference in our opinions. What is the world coming to?

 

If you want to rank the Big Bug movies of the 1950’s thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send your list. We’d be glad to hear from you. Thanks for listening!

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! 

169 - Marc McCloud and Emails!

This is a bit of a hybrid episode of the show. We welcome as a guest the owner and ‘head man in charge’ of Orbit DVD of Ashville, NC – Mr. Marc McCloud! Troy and I have known Marc for decades and were surprised when he got in touch about his childhood trip to the Sid & Marty Krofft amusement part. He joins us to relate his recollections of that 1976 adventure and his subsequent fascination with lesser-known parks of the same kind. It makes for a lively stroll down memory lane and adds some detail to our Pufnstuf conversation from episode #167.

The show is bookended by email reactions to our PUFNSTUF show with regular correspondent Kurt’s Burning Man tale being a must-hear trip into unreality. Those Krofft creations are still able to conjure the most interesting flashbacks to a 1970’s childhood! Other emails include a list of favorite sword & sandal movies from one writer and a question about the level of detail we can now find in UHD and Blu-Ray discs. Is it always a good thing? We discuss that at length along with a few extra topics that branch off naturally. As you might realize, the show goes on much longer than I expected!

If you would like to add your voice to the next email show thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send your comments. Thank you for listening!

168 - SON OF DRACULA (1943)

Lon Chaney Jr. gets little respect for his performance in this Universal Monster classic but Troy and I have a few things to say about that. In fact, we have a few things to say about a number of things in this fun chiller that we think is one of the best horror films of the decade. Indeed, we’re so excited to talk about this one that we almost forgot to use a synopsis of the story for reference but we do eventually wind our way through the plot. Spoilers abound, so you have been warned!

We talk about the production including the reason this long delayed sequel finally went before the cameras. The behind the scenes wrangling that saw one Siodmak brother exit the film as another one entered is a topic along with a detailed look at the very ‘film noir’ filter that the story places over its horror tale. We discuss just how ‘Deep South’ the setting really is and ruminate on the oddly vague midwestern feel of the movie. Just where is that swamp? Troy asks many questions about the film that I cannot answer including a long list of possible first time appearances of several vampiric cinema ideas that we all simple accept these days. I need to do more homework!

 

We hope you enjoy our discussion which concludes with a relevant email from a loyal listener. If you want to be a part of our next Email Show thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send your thoughts. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back ASAP.