I meant to say , I ,or the rural folklore , drove her OUT THE DOOR.

John Battles said:

THAT'S FUNNY. WAVY GRAVY WAS THE PEAK OF TRASH COMPS.....I , inadvertently , drove this very annoying woman who was giving my friend at the record store all kinds of Hell , as we were listening to one of those records , and when the immortal  strains of "I ****an old gal in the graveyard..." came on , she bolted right out the door. My friend thanked me.
 
dave said:

That's some baby-sitter! I had to wait on the radio ad 'til I heard it on Four Hairy Policemen...

John Battles said:

VERY nice.  I had a really cool babysitter who took my Brothers and I to see "Frogs" at the Drive-in when it came out.

dave said:

Well, I see, now , that's how you meant it....I love Gang pictures , generally , like The Wanderers , The Outsiders  , Warriors , etc. , but , they're all pretty rosey-eyed compared to what real Gang life is like (Not to say that I know from personal experience. )_....OF COURSE , SOMEWHAT RECENT PICS LIKE "COLORS" TOOK A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW. I found a commercial copy of "Scared Straight" the other day. Best dime I've spent all year.
 
dave said:

True. I was being a smart-ass. Humor doesn't always come across the Web.

John Battles said:

AS MUCH AS I ENJOY "THE WARRIORS" , AND HAVE SINCE IT WAS A MIDNIGHT MOVIE FIXTURE , CA. 1980 , ANYONE WHO HAD TO DEAL WITH THE GANGS IN NEW YORK WILL TELL YOU "THE WARRIORS " IS EXTREMELY INACCURATE. IN THE EXTRAS , TO THE DVD SET , IT'S EXPLAINED THAT THE REASON THE WARRIORS , AND SOME OTHER GANGS DEPICTED IN THE MOVIE , ARE RACIALLY MIXED, IS THAT , TO BE ACCURATE , EVEN A "GOOD GUY" GANG (SAVE FOR A BAD APPLE SEX OFFENDER) , HAD TO BE ALL BLACK OR ALL LATIN , AND HOLLYWOOD WAS'NT READY FOR THAT. IN CHICAGO , AND , PROBABLY IN NEW YORK AND EVEN LA , THERE WAS A TIME WHEN A GANG MEMBER COULD HELP HIS GRANDMA CROSS THE STREET , AND NOT BE MET WITH A HALE OF RIVAL GANG BULLETS , THAT JUST COULD'NT HELP BUT TAKE OUT OTHER INNOCENT BYSTANDERS , BESIDES GRANDMA , AS THEY, TOO ,  WERE IN THE WAY.
 
dave said:

Trippy. Not quite like The Warriors, eh? Documentaries seem to be the only kewl thing that comes out of America lately. Everything I've wanted to see has been a docu.

Greg Hanson said:

Last night caught an amazing and apparently super rare flick called 80 Blocks from Tiffany's about street gangs in the South Bronx in the 70s. It was pretty crazy, as a current NYer, seeing what real NYC life was like for some people back then. People living in bombed out buildings, crazy gang activity, but it all had a strange sense of humor to it because of its familiarity. Like there was a part where they interviewed two former gang bosses who very nonchalantly discussed all the crimes they committed. 

True. I was being a smart-ass. Humor doesn't always come across the Web.

John Battles said:

AS MUCH AS I ENJOY "THE WARRIORS" , AND HAVE SINCE IT WAS A MIDNIGHT MOVIE FIXTURE , CA. 1980 , ANYONE WHO HAD TO DEAL WITH THE GANGS IN NEW YORK WILL TELL YOU "THE WARRIORS " IS EXTREMELY INACCURATE. IN THE EXTRAS , TO THE DVD SET , IT'S EXPLAINED THAT THE REASON THE WARRIORS , AND SOME OTHER GANGS DEPICTED IN THE MOVIE , ARE RACIALLY MIXED, IS THAT , TO BE ACCURATE , EVEN A "GOOD GUY" GANG (SAVE FOR A BAD APPLE SEX OFFENDER) , HAD TO BE ALL BLACK OR ALL LATIN , AND HOLLYWOOD WAS'NT READY FOR THAT. IN CHICAGO , AND , PROBABLY IN NEW YORK AND EVEN LA , THERE WAS A TIME WHEN A GANG MEMBER COULD HELP HIS GRANDMA CROSS THE STREET , AND NOT BE MET WITH A HALE OF RIVAL GANG BULLETS , THAT JUST COULD'NT HELP BUT TAKE OUT OTHER INNOCENT BYSTANDERS , BESIDES GRANDMA , AS THEY, TOO ,  WERE IN THE WAY.
 
dave said:

Trippy. Not quite like The Warriors, eh? Documentaries seem to be the only kewl thing that comes out of America lately. Everything I've wanted to see has been a docu.

Greg Hanson said:

Last night caught an amazing and apparently super rare flick called 80 Blocks from Tiffany's about street gangs in the South Bronx in the 70s. It was pretty crazy, as a current NYer, seeing what real NYC life was like for some people back then. People living in bombed out buildings, crazy gang activity, but it all had a strange sense of humor to it because of its familiarity. Like there was a part where they interviewed two former gang bosses who very nonchalantly discussed all the crimes they committed. 

Oh , and that was my only direct exposure to Drive - In culture , in the early 70's. I know my Brothers and I saw some other great movies , there , too , but , I forget which . My Babysitter and her Boyfriend , sometimes , would take us to the Drive - In. He was a Saint to put up with our shit. I remember the classic trailer to "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde", which is also on "Wavy Gravy".
 
John Battles said:

THAT'S FUNNY. WAVY GRAVY WAS THE PEAK OF TRASH COMPS.....I , inadvertently , drove this very annoying woman who was giving my friend at the record store all kinds of Hell , as we were listening to one of those records , and when the immortal  strains of "I ****an old gal in the graveyard..." came on , she bolted right out the door. My friend thanked me.
 
dave said:

That's some baby-sitter! I had to wait on the radio ad 'til I heard it on Four Hairy Policemen...

John Battles said:

VERY nice.  I had a really cool babysitter who took my Brothers and I to see "Frogs" at the Drive-in when it came out.

dave said:

THAT'S FUNNY. WAVY GRAVY WAS THE PEAK OF TRASH COMPS.....I , inadvertently , drove this very annoying woman who was giving my friend at the record store all kinds of Hell , as we were listening to one of those records , and when the immortal  strains of "I ****an old gal in the graveyard..." came on , she bolted right out the door. My friend thanked me.
 
dave said:

That's some baby-sitter! I had to wait on the radio ad 'til I heard it on Four Hairy Policemen...

John Battles said:

VERY nice.  I had a really cool babysitter who took my Brothers and I to see "Frogs" at the Drive-in when it came out.

dave said:

Yeah , to be honest , I don't remember the last time I even watched Fox , so , I would'nt know that they're the enemy , but , I trust your opinion. In the early 90's , it was new , it had promise.....I forgot about The Residents or Coil having any connection to "Pee Wee's Playhouse" , but ,again , I'll take your word for it.....I just Remember Mothersbaugh , Todd Rundgren , surely Danny Elfman (Whose ego is neither "Pee Wee" nor Elfish.) , and Cyndi Lauper (The hilarious theme song.) as far as contributors to the soundtrack go....

Fishburne had a pretty big part on the show as the contrarily, hysterically funny Cowboy Curtis " PEEEE WEEEE !!!! MISS YVONNE JUST ASKED ME FOR A DATE !!!WHADDA I DOOOO?!!! AH AIN'T NEVER BEEN OUT WITH SUCH A FANCY LADY , BEFORE!!!!".

William Marshall , yes , aka "Blacula" (He was also in "Abby" the Black answer to "The Exorcist" . He was embarrassed at being typecast , as he started in Shakespearean Theatre .) was the second King of Cartoons (I forget the name of the first.).
 I only recently saw "Mystery Men". Did'nt hate it and did'nt love it. I did'nt think it was all that funny , tho' I think it could have been. A friend of mine has a clear plastic bowling ball with a skull inside , like Janeann Garofino (whatever.) had in the movie.
dave said:

And now Fox is the enemy! Even the Simpson's makes fun of its station!

PeeWee's Playhouse had to be the best show at that time, ya couldn't miss it! Music by Mark Mothersbaugh, The Residents, Coil, set design by Gary Panter, cameos by Larry Fishburne and Blackula, it was simply too good to pass it up.

Have you seen Mystery Men? It's really great but I passed it up 'til it came out on video.

John Battles said:

I DON'T THINK THERE'S EVEN A BOOTLEG COPY OF BELUSHI AS GODZILLA HOSTING "GODZILLA VS. MEGALON" GOING AROUND , WHICH IS TOO BAD. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE THINKING , BUT , I WAS GLAD THEY THOUGHT OF IT.

Pee Wee's Playhouse was the best show on TV at the time. bUT , IT WAS ON AT 9 AM on Saturday ! Did'nt matter. I could have been out til three the night before , and I'd still be up , spot on at nine , without setting the alarm clock.

I HAVE'NT WATCHED THE SIMPSONS IN EONS. IS IT STILL ON? I MEAN , I'VE WATCHED THE OLD EPISODES , AND THE MOVIE , RECENTLY , BUT , GOT OUT OF THE HABIT OF WATCHING THE NEWER ONES. NOT THAT THEY HAD'NT BEEN REMARKABLY CONSISTENT.

In the early 90's , FOX was REAL must - see TV on Sundays - Elvis : The Early Years , The Outsiders , The Simpsons , Married: With Children , In Living Color. They were on a ROLL.
 
dave said:

No doubt about it, television has given us some really trippy things, often w/o their knowledge! I get a kick out of it, and occasionally they do the right thing and put out something good, like PeeWee's Playhouse or the Simpsons.

And no, I missed Belushi in that role, dimmit.

John Battles said:

Well , I was determined to watch the whole thing. Never gave it much thought , until the revamped Famous Monsters magazine (They did a whole issue , given the illusion that it was still 1970 , a couple of years ago , which actually worked.) did a feature article and even gave it the cover. Then , recently , by chance , I met Arnold Stang's Granddaughter's Husband. I got some snacks , "Grew a pair" , and braced myself to watch"Hercules in New York". I found it funnier than Hell ,if for all teh wrong reasons.  It has a very unitentionally druggy vibe , like a less catatonic "Star Wars Xmas Special" , except , if Belushi had sat through THAT , he could have survived any kind of speedball. Does anybody remember John Belushi , dressed as Godzilla , hosting "Godzilla Vs. Megalon" on prime time? I'm not making this up.
 
dave said:

Whew, "Mister, you're a better man than I"! I just watched a minute or two on Youtube and it vas excruciating! Maybe when my kitsch module gets an upgrade!

John Battles said:

OK , I DID THE UNTHINKABLE. 

I WATCHED "HERCULES IN NEW YORK" , AND EVEN PAID (NOT FULL PRICE) FOR THE PRIVELEDGE. IT'S HILARIOUS ! NOT BECAUSE THE COMEDY WRITING OR SIGHT GAGS ARE ALWAYS , OR EVEN USUALLY , ON THE MARK , BUT , JUST BECAUSE THE PREMISE IS SO WEIRD , AND THE DIRECTION IS NOT SO MUCH FLUID , AS RUNNY. SOMEONE LEFT THE CAKE OUT IN THE RAIN , BABY. IT'S MORE FUNNY IN A "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?" SORT OF WAY.  HERCULES , SURROUNDED BY GODDESSES ON MT. OLYMPUS (AND PRIMED TO BE A SCOUNDREL LIKE HIS OLD MAN , ZEUS.), DECIDES HE'D LIKE TO COME DOWN TO EARTH AND BE AMONG THE COMMON FOLK (AS HE DID IN THE OLD GRECO - ROMAN MYTHS.). HIS WANDERLUST INFURIATES DAD , WHO STRIKES HIM WITH A THUNDERBOLT , SENDING HIM HURTLING INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.....HE HOPS A BOAT , KICKS MOST OF THE UNRULY CREW'S ASSES , AND TURNS UP IN MODERN NEW YORK . HERE , HE ENCOUNTERS THE REAL MAN - GOD , ARNOLD STANG , WHO BECOMES HIS BEST FRIEND (IT'S A LONG WAY FROM BEING BEST FRIENDS WITH SINATRA , BUT , HEY....) , FROM THERE , HE KICKS SOME MORE MORTAL ASS , PLUS A MAN IN A VERY BAD BEAR SUIT , AND RIDES A CHARIOT THRU BROADWAY ( I THINK THEY SPENT THE ENTIRE  BUDGET ON THE PERMITS TO DO THAT SHOT. ) , AND , HE BECOMES A FAMOUS WRESTLER , BUT , GETS MIXED UP WITH SOME GANGSTERS (IN 1970s NEW YORK ?! NEVER !), AND , WELL , I FORGET.......

THE COOLEST PART ABOUT THE DVD RELEASE IS , YOU CAN PLAY IT WITH SCHWARZENEGGER'S ACTUAL DIALOGUE (IN WHICH HE BUTCHERS THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE , PHONETICALLY. SUBTILES ARE PROVIDED.), OR THE VOICE - OVER  USED IN THE CHEAP EXPLOITATION DEVICE , WHEN THE MOVIE WAS RE- RELEASED AS "Hercules: the movie" in 1983 , after the success of "CONAN THE BARBARIAN". SCHWARZENEGGER NEVER REALLY AMOUNTED TO MUCH AS AN ACTOR , ANYWAY , BUT HE COULD DO COMEDY ("True Lies", "Look Who's Talking , Unintelligibly".) , SO , IF YOU WANT A GOOD LAUGH , YOU MIGHT FIND IT WITH THE GUBERNATOR'S DEBUT.  Hasta La Vini Vidi Vici , Baby.

AS MUCH AS I ENJOY "THE WARRIORS" , AND HAVE SINCE IT WAS A MIDNIGHT MOVIE FIXTURE , CA. 1980 , ANYONE WHO HAD TO DEAL WITH THE GANGS IN NEW YORK WILL TELL YOU "THE WARRIORS " IS EXTREMELY INACCURATE. IN THE EXTRAS , TO THE DVD SET , IT'S EXPLAINED THAT THE REASON THE WARRIORS , AND SOME OTHER GANGS DEPICTED IN THE MOVIE , ARE RACIALLY MIXED, IS THAT , TO BE ACCURATE , EVEN A "GOOD GUY" GANG (SAVE FOR A BAD APPLE SEX OFFENDER) , HAD TO BE ALL BLACK OR ALL LATIN , AND HOLLYWOOD WAS'NT READY FOR THAT. IN CHICAGO , AND , PROBABLY IN NEW YORK AND EVEN LA , THERE WAS A TIME WHEN A GANG MEMBER COULD HELP HIS GRANDMA CROSS THE STREET , AND NOT BE MET WITH A HALE OF RIVAL GANG BULLETS , THAT JUST COULD'NT HELP BUT TAKE OUT OTHER INNOCENT BYSTANDERS , BESIDES GRANDMA , AS THEY, TOO ,  WERE IN THE WAY.
 
dave said:

Trippy. Not quite like The Warriors, eh? Documentaries seem to be the only kewl thing that comes out of America lately. Everything I've wanted to see has been a docu.

Greg Hanson said:

Last night caught an amazing and apparently super rare flick called 80 Blocks from Tiffany's about street gangs in the South Bronx in the 70s. It was pretty crazy, as a current NYer, seeing what real NYC life was like for some people back then. People living in bombed out buildings, crazy gang activity, but it all had a strange sense of humor to it because of its familiarity. Like there was a part where they interviewed two former gang bosses who very nonchalantly discussed all the crimes they committed. 

Ah yeh, forgot about Beasts of the Southern Wild, but I'll have to look up those other titles. Tip o' the hat to ya...

Greg Hanson said:

It has been called the real life Warriors.

There's tons of great stuff coming out here, it's just not necessarily mainstream. Drive, Bellflower, The Master, Beasts of the Southern Wild, etc. come to mind. 

dave said:

Trippy. Not quite like The Warriors, eh? Documentaries seem to be the only kewl thing that comes out of America lately. Everything I've wanted to see has been a docu.

Greg Hanson said:

Last night caught an amazing and apparently super rare flick called 80 Blocks from Tiffany's about street gangs in the South Bronx in the 70s. It was pretty crazy, as a current NYer, seeing what real NYC life was like for some people back then. People living in bombed out buildings, crazy gang activity, but it all had a strange sense of humor to it because of its familiarity. Like there was a part where they interviewed two former gang bosses who very nonchalantly discussed all the crimes they committed. 

It has been called the real life Warriors.

There's tons of great stuff coming out here, it's just not necessarily mainstream. Drive, Bellflower, The Master, Beasts of the Southern Wild, etc. come to mind. 

dave said:

Trippy. Not quite like The Warriors, eh? Documentaries seem to be the only kewl thing that comes out of America lately. Everything I've wanted to see has been a docu.

Greg Hanson said:

Last night caught an amazing and apparently super rare flick called 80 Blocks from Tiffany's about street gangs in the South Bronx in the 70s. It was pretty crazy, as a current NYer, seeing what real NYC life was like for some people back then. People living in bombed out buildings, crazy gang activity, but it all had a strange sense of humor to it because of its familiarity. Like there was a part where they interviewed two former gang bosses who very nonchalantly discussed all the crimes they committed. 

Trippy. Not quite like The Warriors, eh? Documentaries seem to be the only kewl thing that comes out of America lately. Everything I've wanted to see has been a docu.

Greg Hanson said:

Last night caught an amazing and apparently super rare flick called 80 Blocks from Tiffany's about street gangs in the South Bronx in the 70s. It was pretty crazy, as a current NYer, seeing what real NYC life was like for some people back then. People living in bombed out buildings, crazy gang activity, but it all had a strange sense of humor to it because of its familiarity. Like there was a part where they interviewed two former gang bosses who very nonchalantly discussed all the crimes they committed. 

Last night caught an amazing and apparently super rare flick called 80 Blocks from Tiffany's about street gangs in the South Bronx in the 70s. It was pretty crazy, as a current NYer, seeing what real NYC life was like for some people back then. People living in bombed out buildings, crazy gang activity, but it all had a strange sense of humor to it because of its familiarity. Like there was a part where they interviewed two former gang bosses who very nonchalantly discussed all the crimes they committed. 

PeeWee sez 'Help'

dave said:

And now Fox is the enemy! Even the Simpson's makes fun of its station!

PeeWee's Playhouse had to be the best show at that time, ya couldn't miss it! Music by Mark Mothersbaugh, The Residents, Coil, set design by Gary Panter, cameos by Larry Fishburne and Blackula, it was simply too good to pass it up.

Have you seen Mystery Men? It's really great but I passed it up 'til it came out on video.

John Battles said:

I DON'T THINK THERE'S EVEN A BOOTLEG COPY OF BELUSHI AS GODZILLA HOSTING "GODZILLA VS. MEGALON" GOING AROUND , WHICH IS TOO BAD. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE THINKING , BUT , I WAS GLAD THEY THOUGHT OF IT.

Pee Wee's Playhouse was the best show on TV at the time. bUT , IT WAS ON AT 9 AM on Saturday ! Did'nt matter. I could have been out til three the night before , and I'd still be up , spot on at nine , without setting the alarm clock.

I HAVE'NT WATCHED THE SIMPSONS IN EONS. IS IT STILL ON? I MEAN , I'VE WATCHED THE OLD EPISODES , AND THE MOVIE , RECENTLY , BUT , GOT OUT OF THE HABIT OF WATCHING THE NEWER ONES. NOT THAT THEY HAD'NT BEEN REMARKABLY CONSISTENT.

In the early 90's , FOX was REAL must - see TV on Sundays - Elvis : The Early Years , The Outsiders , The Simpsons , Married: With Children , In Living Color. They were on a ROLL.
 
dave said:

No doubt about it, television has given us some really trippy things, often w/o their knowledge! I get a kick out of it, and occasionally they do the right thing and put out something good, like PeeWee's Playhouse or the Simpsons.

And no, I missed Belushi in that role, dimmit.

John Battles said:

Well , I was determined to watch the whole thing. Never gave it much thought , until the revamped Famous Monsters magazine (They did a whole issue , given the illusion that it was still 1970 , a couple of years ago , which actually worked.) did a feature article and even gave it the cover. Then , recently , by chance , I met Arnold Stang's Granddaughter's Husband. I got some snacks , "Grew a pair" , and braced myself to watch"Hercules in New York". I found it funnier than Hell ,if for all teh wrong reasons.  It has a very unitentionally druggy vibe , like a less catatonic "Star Wars Xmas Special" , except , if Belushi had sat through THAT , he could have survived any kind of speedball. Does anybody remember John Belushi , dressed as Godzilla , hosting "Godzilla Vs. Megalon" on prime time? I'm not making this up.
 
dave said:

Whew, "Mister, you're a better man than I"! I just watched a minute or two on Youtube and it vas excruciating! Maybe when my kitsch module gets an upgrade!

John Battles said:

OK , I DID THE UNTHINKABLE. 

I WATCHED "HERCULES IN NEW YORK" , AND EVEN PAID (NOT FULL PRICE) FOR THE PRIVELEDGE. IT'S HILARIOUS ! NOT BECAUSE THE COMEDY WRITING OR SIGHT GAGS ARE ALWAYS , OR EVEN USUALLY , ON THE MARK , BUT , JUST BECAUSE THE PREMISE IS SO WEIRD , AND THE DIRECTION IS NOT SO MUCH FLUID , AS RUNNY. SOMEONE LEFT THE CAKE OUT IN THE RAIN , BABY. IT'S MORE FUNNY IN A "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?" SORT OF WAY.  HERCULES , SURROUNDED BY GODDESSES ON MT. OLYMPUS (AND PRIMED TO BE A SCOUNDREL LIKE HIS OLD MAN , ZEUS.), DECIDES HE'D LIKE TO COME DOWN TO EARTH AND BE AMONG THE COMMON FOLK (AS HE DID IN THE OLD GRECO - ROMAN MYTHS.). HIS WANDERLUST INFURIATES DAD , WHO STRIKES HIM WITH A THUNDERBOLT , SENDING HIM HURTLING INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.....HE HOPS A BOAT , KICKS MOST OF THE UNRULY CREW'S ASSES , AND TURNS UP IN MODERN NEW YORK . HERE , HE ENCOUNTERS THE REAL MAN - GOD , ARNOLD STANG , WHO BECOMES HIS BEST FRIEND (IT'S A LONG WAY FROM BEING BEST FRIENDS WITH SINATRA , BUT , HEY....) , FROM THERE , HE KICKS SOME MORE MORTAL ASS , PLUS A MAN IN A VERY BAD BEAR SUIT , AND RIDES A CHARIOT THRU BROADWAY ( I THINK THEY SPENT THE ENTIRE  BUDGET ON THE PERMITS TO DO THAT SHOT. ) , AND , HE BECOMES A FAMOUS WRESTLER , BUT , GETS MIXED UP WITH SOME GANGSTERS (IN 1970s NEW YORK ?! NEVER !), AND , WELL , I FORGET.......

THE COOLEST PART ABOUT THE DVD RELEASE IS , YOU CAN PLAY IT WITH SCHWARZENEGGER'S ACTUAL DIALOGUE (IN WHICH HE BUTCHERS THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE , PHONETICALLY. SUBTILES ARE PROVIDED.), OR THE VOICE - OVER  USED IN THE CHEAP EXPLOITATION DEVICE , WHEN THE MOVIE WAS RE- RELEASED AS "Hercules: the movie" in 1983 , after the success of "CONAN THE BARBARIAN". SCHWARZENEGGER NEVER REALLY AMOUNTED TO MUCH AS AN ACTOR , ANYWAY , BUT HE COULD DO COMEDY ("True Lies", "Look Who's Talking , Unintelligibly".) , SO , IF YOU WANT A GOOD LAUGH , YOU MIGHT FIND IT WITH THE GUBERNATOR'S DEBUT.  Hasta La Vini Vidi Vici , Baby.

That's some baby-sitter! I had to wait on the radio ad 'til I heard it on Four Hairy Policemen...

John Battles said:

VERY nice.  I had a really cool babysitter who took my Brothers and I to see "Frogs" at the Drive-in when it came out.

dave said:

And now Fox is the enemy! Even the Simpson's makes fun of its station!

PeeWee's Playhouse had to be the best show at that time, ya couldn't miss it! Music by Mark Mothersbaugh, The Residents, Coil, set design by Gary Panter, cameos by Larry Fishburne and Blackula, it was simply too good to pass it up.

Have you seen Mystery Men? It's really great but I passed it up 'til it came out on video.

John Battles said:

I DON'T THINK THERE'S EVEN A BOOTLEG COPY OF BELUSHI AS GODZILLA HOSTING "GODZILLA VS. MEGALON" GOING AROUND , WHICH IS TOO BAD. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE THINKING , BUT , I WAS GLAD THEY THOUGHT OF IT.

Pee Wee's Playhouse was the best show on TV at the time. bUT , IT WAS ON AT 9 AM on Saturday ! Did'nt matter. I could have been out til three the night before , and I'd still be up , spot on at nine , without setting the alarm clock.

I HAVE'NT WATCHED THE SIMPSONS IN EONS. IS IT STILL ON? I MEAN , I'VE WATCHED THE OLD EPISODES , AND THE MOVIE , RECENTLY , BUT , GOT OUT OF THE HABIT OF WATCHING THE NEWER ONES. NOT THAT THEY HAD'NT BEEN REMARKABLY CONSISTENT.

In the early 90's , FOX was REAL must - see TV on Sundays - Elvis : The Early Years , The Outsiders , The Simpsons , Married: With Children , In Living Color. They were on a ROLL.
 
dave said:

No doubt about it, television has given us some really trippy things, often w/o their knowledge! I get a kick out of it, and occasionally they do the right thing and put out something good, like PeeWee's Playhouse or the Simpsons.

And no, I missed Belushi in that role, dimmit.

John Battles said:

Well , I was determined to watch the whole thing. Never gave it much thought , until the revamped Famous Monsters magazine (They did a whole issue , given the illusion that it was still 1970 , a couple of years ago , which actually worked.) did a feature article and even gave it the cover. Then , recently , by chance , I met Arnold Stang's Granddaughter's Husband. I got some snacks , "Grew a pair" , and braced myself to watch"Hercules in New York". I found it funnier than Hell ,if for all teh wrong reasons.  It has a very unitentionally druggy vibe , like a less catatonic "Star Wars Xmas Special" , except , if Belushi had sat through THAT , he could have survived any kind of speedball. Does anybody remember John Belushi , dressed as Godzilla , hosting "Godzilla Vs. Megalon" on prime time? I'm not making this up.
 
dave said:

Whew, "Mister, you're a better man than I"! I just watched a minute or two on Youtube and it vas excruciating! Maybe when my kitsch module gets an upgrade!

John Battles said:

OK , I DID THE UNTHINKABLE. 

I WATCHED "HERCULES IN NEW YORK" , AND EVEN PAID (NOT FULL PRICE) FOR THE PRIVELEDGE. IT'S HILARIOUS ! NOT BECAUSE THE COMEDY WRITING OR SIGHT GAGS ARE ALWAYS , OR EVEN USUALLY , ON THE MARK , BUT , JUST BECAUSE THE PREMISE IS SO WEIRD , AND THE DIRECTION IS NOT SO MUCH FLUID , AS RUNNY. SOMEONE LEFT THE CAKE OUT IN THE RAIN , BABY. IT'S MORE FUNNY IN A "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?" SORT OF WAY.  HERCULES , SURROUNDED BY GODDESSES ON MT. OLYMPUS (AND PRIMED TO BE A SCOUNDREL LIKE HIS OLD MAN , ZEUS.), DECIDES HE'D LIKE TO COME DOWN TO EARTH AND BE AMONG THE COMMON FOLK (AS HE DID IN THE OLD GRECO - ROMAN MYTHS.). HIS WANDERLUST INFURIATES DAD , WHO STRIKES HIM WITH A THUNDERBOLT , SENDING HIM HURTLING INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.....HE HOPS A BOAT , KICKS MOST OF THE UNRULY CREW'S ASSES , AND TURNS UP IN MODERN NEW YORK . HERE , HE ENCOUNTERS THE REAL MAN - GOD , ARNOLD STANG , WHO BECOMES HIS BEST FRIEND (IT'S A LONG WAY FROM BEING BEST FRIENDS WITH SINATRA , BUT , HEY....) , FROM THERE , HE KICKS SOME MORE MORTAL ASS , PLUS A MAN IN A VERY BAD BEAR SUIT , AND RIDES A CHARIOT THRU BROADWAY ( I THINK THEY SPENT THE ENTIRE  BUDGET ON THE PERMITS TO DO THAT SHOT. ) , AND , HE BECOMES A FAMOUS WRESTLER , BUT , GETS MIXED UP WITH SOME GANGSTERS (IN 1970s NEW YORK ?! NEVER !), AND , WELL , I FORGET.......

THE COOLEST PART ABOUT THE DVD RELEASE IS , YOU CAN PLAY IT WITH SCHWARZENEGGER'S ACTUAL DIALOGUE (IN WHICH HE BUTCHERS THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE , PHONETICALLY. SUBTILES ARE PROVIDED.), OR THE VOICE - OVER  USED IN THE CHEAP EXPLOITATION DEVICE , WHEN THE MOVIE WAS RE- RELEASED AS "Hercules: the movie" in 1983 , after the success of "CONAN THE BARBARIAN". SCHWARZENEGGER NEVER REALLY AMOUNTED TO MUCH AS AN ACTOR , ANYWAY , BUT HE COULD DO COMEDY ("True Lies", "Look Who's Talking , Unintelligibly".) , SO , IF YOU WANT A GOOD LAUGH , YOU MIGHT FIND IT WITH THE GUBERNATOR'S DEBUT.  Hasta La Vini Vidi Vici , Baby.

I DON'T THINK THERE'S EVEN A BOOTLEG COPY OF BELUSHI AS GODZILLA HOSTING "GODZILLA VS. MEGALON" GOING AROUND , WHICH IS TOO BAD. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE THINKING , BUT , I WAS GLAD THEY THOUGHT OF IT.

Pee Wee's Playhouse was the best show on TV at the time. bUT , IT WAS ON AT 9 AM on Saturday ! Did'nt matter. I could have been out til three the night before , and I'd still be up , spot on at nine , without setting the alarm clock.

I HAVE'NT WATCHED THE SIMPSONS IN EONS. IS IT STILL ON? I MEAN , I'VE WATCHED THE OLD EPISODES , AND THE MOVIE , RECENTLY , BUT , GOT OUT OF THE HABIT OF WATCHING THE NEWER ONES. NOT THAT THEY HAD'NT BEEN REMARKABLY CONSISTENT.

In the early 90's , FOX was REAL must - see TV on Sundays - Elvis : The Early Years , The Outsiders , The Simpsons , Married: With Children , In Living Color. They were on a ROLL.
 
dave said:

No doubt about it, television has given us some really trippy things, often w/o their knowledge! I get a kick out of it, and occasionally they do the right thing and put out something good, like PeeWee's Playhouse or the Simpsons.

And no, I missed Belushi in that role, dimmit.

John Battles said:

Well , I was determined to watch the whole thing. Never gave it much thought , until the revamped Famous Monsters magazine (They did a whole issue , given the illusion that it was still 1970 , a couple of years ago , which actually worked.) did a feature article and even gave it the cover. Then , recently , by chance , I met Arnold Stang's Granddaughter's Husband. I got some snacks , "Grew a pair" , and braced myself to watch"Hercules in New York". I found it funnier than Hell ,if for all teh wrong reasons.  It has a very unitentionally druggy vibe , like a less catatonic "Star Wars Xmas Special" , except , if Belushi had sat through THAT , he could have survived any kind of speedball. Does anybody remember John Belushi , dressed as Godzilla , hosting "Godzilla Vs. Megalon" on prime time? I'm not making this up.
 
dave said:

Whew, "Mister, you're a better man than I"! I just watched a minute or two on Youtube and it vas excruciating! Maybe when my kitsch module gets an upgrade!

John Battles said:

OK , I DID THE UNTHINKABLE. 

I WATCHED "HERCULES IN NEW YORK" , AND EVEN PAID (NOT FULL PRICE) FOR THE PRIVELEDGE. IT'S HILARIOUS ! NOT BECAUSE THE COMEDY WRITING OR SIGHT GAGS ARE ALWAYS , OR EVEN USUALLY , ON THE MARK , BUT , JUST BECAUSE THE PREMISE IS SO WEIRD , AND THE DIRECTION IS NOT SO MUCH FLUID , AS RUNNY. SOMEONE LEFT THE CAKE OUT IN THE RAIN , BABY. IT'S MORE FUNNY IN A "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?" SORT OF WAY.  HERCULES , SURROUNDED BY GODDESSES ON MT. OLYMPUS (AND PRIMED TO BE A SCOUNDREL LIKE HIS OLD MAN , ZEUS.), DECIDES HE'D LIKE TO COME DOWN TO EARTH AND BE AMONG THE COMMON FOLK (AS HE DID IN THE OLD GRECO - ROMAN MYTHS.). HIS WANDERLUST INFURIATES DAD , WHO STRIKES HIM WITH A THUNDERBOLT , SENDING HIM HURTLING INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.....HE HOPS A BOAT , KICKS MOST OF THE UNRULY CREW'S ASSES , AND TURNS UP IN MODERN NEW YORK . HERE , HE ENCOUNTERS THE REAL MAN - GOD , ARNOLD STANG , WHO BECOMES HIS BEST FRIEND (IT'S A LONG WAY FROM BEING BEST FRIENDS WITH SINATRA , BUT , HEY....) , FROM THERE , HE KICKS SOME MORE MORTAL ASS , PLUS A MAN IN A VERY BAD BEAR SUIT , AND RIDES A CHARIOT THRU BROADWAY ( I THINK THEY SPENT THE ENTIRE  BUDGET ON THE PERMITS TO DO THAT SHOT. ) , AND , HE BECOMES A FAMOUS WRESTLER , BUT , GETS MIXED UP WITH SOME GANGSTERS (IN 1970s NEW YORK ?! NEVER !), AND , WELL , I FORGET.......

THE COOLEST PART ABOUT THE DVD RELEASE IS , YOU CAN PLAY IT WITH SCHWARZENEGGER'S ACTUAL DIALOGUE (IN WHICH HE BUTCHERS THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE , PHONETICALLY. SUBTILES ARE PROVIDED.), OR THE VOICE - OVER  USED IN THE CHEAP EXPLOITATION DEVICE , WHEN THE MOVIE WAS RE- RELEASED AS "Hercules: the movie" in 1983 , after the success of "CONAN THE BARBARIAN". SCHWARZENEGGER NEVER REALLY AMOUNTED TO MUCH AS AN ACTOR , ANYWAY , BUT HE COULD DO COMEDY ("True Lies", "Look Who's Talking , Unintelligibly".) , SO , IF YOU WANT A GOOD LAUGH , YOU MIGHT FIND IT WITH THE GUBERNATOR'S DEBUT.  Hasta La Vini Vidi Vici , Baby.

VERY nice.  I had a really cool babysitter who took my Brothers and I to see "Frogs" at the Drive-in when it came out.

dave said:

Yeah , I have that book , too....Have'nt looked at it in a while . I Forgot The Pakistani Dracula AND "The Living Corpse " were one and the same. That movie appeared with another Eastern Horror pic on a DVD , and I thought the other movie WAS "The Living Corpse" .....

I'm thoroughly commited to Turkish Sci - Fi /Horror/ Superhero genre pics , for which I should be thoroughly commited.  Who was that guy ? He was a huge star in Turkey , he played Tarkan and Lionman (Which was distributed in the UK and the states , dubbed in English , but , being as how the man's first name was "Kunt" , they had to change it to....what else ?   Steve.
 

I think I yammered about this earlier, but , you have'nt lived until you've seen:

"Three Mighty Men"- Captain America and Santo meet in Istanbul to do war with the evil druglord , SPIDERMAN. Soundtrack lifted from Wes Montgomery and John Barry's "Goldfinger"  soundtrack albums (You can hear the surface noise on  the records.).

" Killink "- Ripped off...I mean , inspired by the Italian Super-Villain , Kriminal ( aka Killing , but  , I think that was his Son.) , who wears a great skeleton costume. This was actually presented in serial form, and in Black and white , and is chock full of action. There's a subplot involving a young man who swears to avenge his parent's deaths at the hands of Killink. Naturally , the ghost of a centuries - old wizard appears , named , are you ready? Shazam , who turns the guy into a Captain Marvel - like Superhero , alternately called Flying Man and Superhero. The soundtrack was lifted from the excellent "Comic Book Heroes" record on Mainstream.

Then there's the Turkish Star Trek (More of a comedy , obviously filmed in the Turkish desert , which is suppposed to be the ruins of a distant planet.).

The Turkish Exorcist "Setan" *, Which follows the original pretty much scene by scene , at a fraction of the budget.   * Nothing to do with practical meat substitutes.

The Turkish "Wizard of Oz" which plays around with the original story , but , I've only seen it once , don't remember too much  about it........

And , would you believe the Turkish "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein"

I'VE BEEN TOLD THIS MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN MADE IN TURKEY. It appears to have been made in the 50's , and follows the script from the original , pretty closely. There's a comical , but cool - looking Dracula , Frankenstein and Wolf Man.

Turkey also made a serious version of "Dracula" in 1953 , I believe. It's actually very good. It was the only adaptation on Stoker's "Dracula" to film, from anywhere in the world , between  Universal's ''Dracula " with Bela Lugosi and Hammer's "Horror of Dracula" with Christopher Lee. The Turkish Dracula wears a cape and tuxedo like Lugosi did , but has a bald head and fangs liek Max Schrek in "Nosferatu".

Greg Hanson said:

There's a great book called Mondo Macabro - a beautiful coffee table book with lots of great pictures - that is dedicated to strange cinema around the world. It's put out by the people who run a distributor of the same name (whose releases are killer) and puts out a lot of these gems, including Pakistani Dracula (aka The Living Corpse).

They have a bunch of Bollywood horror films, Indonesian fantasy (lots of floating heads and lasers), Turkish cheese, Italian weirdness, etc.

If you think Bollywood is crazy, check out the heyday of Turkish fantastic cinema. The Man Who Saved the World (aka Turkish Star Wars) is pretty great and totally incoherent but a real hoot. Tarkan Vs. The Vikings is cheese-tacular in the best ways. Kilink in Istanbul is trashy and pretty glorious. Lots of great stuff from Turkey in the 50s-70s. 

Only Indonesian films come close to that kind of weirdness. The Devil's Sword, Queen of Black Magic, and Virgins from Hell are all pretty clutch. Lots of floating heads, lasers, voodoo and other suck malarky. 

Yeah, I hope more people will rent it, these small films tend to get buried by the years unless folks trumptet their virtues.

John Battles said:

That's the one where the guy is having an affair, on his way to meet his very - near - future wife , right? I liked that. It was pretty funny.

That's the one where the guy is having an affair, on his way to meet his very - near - future wife , right? I liked that. It was pretty funny.

I'll put this in 'cause it's pushing 10 years old.

Sideways, a film about wine geeks who take a road-trip to a series of vineyards.

It's another dark comedy, but you don't have to be a wine snob to appreciate it. Just insert whatever you obsess over, and it will click. sideways- I'm not drinking Merlot

Too many films, too little time. 

dave said:

You guys are killin' me, heah! There's no way I'll be able to see alla these cheezoid films! But I'll certainly try!

Greg Hanson said:

There's a great book called Mondo Macabro - a beautiful coffee table book with lots of great pictures - that is dedicated to strange cinema around the world. It's put out by the people who run a distributor of the same name (whose releases are killer) and puts out a lot of these gems, including Pakistani Dracula (aka The Living Corpse).

They have a bunch of Bollywood horror films, Indonesian fantasy (lots of floating heads and lasers), Turkish cheese, Italian weirdness, etc.

If you think Bollywood is crazy, check out the heyday of Turkish fantastic cinema. The Man Who Saved the World (aka Turkish Star Wars) is pretty great and totally incoherent but a real hoot. Tarkan Vs. The Vikings is cheese-tacular in the best ways. Kilink in Istanbul is trashy and pretty glorious. Lots of great stuff from Turkey in the 50s-70s. 

Only Indonesian films come close to that kind of weirdness. The Devil's Sword, Queen of Black Magic, and Virgins from Hell are all pretty clutch. Lots of floating heads, lasers, voodoo and other suck malarky. 

I was looking for Dark Comedies (not alla these seem to fit the bill, but...) and the first comment mentioned an Indian movie, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro.

I think you can watch the whole thing here.  It's dubbed.

Man, when an American idea is strained through the culture of another people (or two), genius results!

John Battles said:

I HAVE'NT WATCHED A LOT OF BOLLYWOOD FILMS , BECAUSE THEY'RE USUALLY THREE HOURS LONG , OR LONGER , AND CHOCK FULL
OF MUSICAL/ ROMANCE ROUTINES.....THE "ACTION" MOVIES MAY BE AN EXCEPTION, I DON'T KNOW.  I did find a copy of the South Indian  Superman film (There's another, also unauthorized , better known , Indian "Superman" , but I've only seen bits of it on You Tube.). SAVE FOR BEING 3 1/2 HOURS IN LENGTH AND CONTAINING TOO MANY MUSICAL/ROMANTIC SEQUENCES , PARTS OF IT ARE SO BAD , THEY'RE HILARIOUS.

"SUPERMAN" LOOKS LIKE TONY CLIFTON ,  OVERWEIGHT , ROUGHLY MIDDLE - AGED , WITH A HUGE BLACK POMPADOUR AND A SKINNY MOUSTACHUE. SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF CAN ONLY GO SO FAR , EVEN IN A FANTASY FILM.

What's interesting is , like Bruce Wayne , the future "Superman" vows to fight crime after his parents are murdered by bandits in a home invasion. HOW he acquires his super - powers is'nt readily explained (Unless you speak teh language , I guess.). One minute , he's a child , the next , he looks like he's subbing for Eugene in The Rezillos (Actually , Eugene looks much better , today , than this guy did , then.).......

But , if coherency is more your bag , may I suggest : "The Pakistani Dracula" , which is actually quite good , and does two thing no Dracula movie (To my knowledge) has ever done. First , it tells the ORIGIN of Dracula. A brilliant scientist tries to find a serum that will make eternal life a reality....But , he's not so brilliant , as a chemical flub turns him into a vampire , instead. Well , he got eternal life. I'd read , previously , that Dracula was once a mortal man who made a deal with The Devil , and got screwed , for eternal life. But , I think Uncle Forry said that......

The other think I've NEVER heard of happening in a Dracula picture , was the notorious scene in the novel where Dracula's brides try to get a bit(e) from Jonathan Harker , and the Count gives them a baby to share , as a compromise , so that Dracula can carry out his evil scheme with Harker. Heinous as this sounds , the baby is represented by a dummy wrapped in bandages with no discernible human characteristics , except in shape. Still , it was heavy shit. In the 50's , yet.....
dave said:

Yeh, definitely sounds like a great time w/ friends and a case of beer!

We have a theater here that does 'Bollywood at the Hollywood' and shows what sounds like really fun Indian action flicks. Need to make that show sometime...

Greg Hanson said:

I have had that on the list for a while but I haven't had a chance to check it out.

Just watched The Stabilizer, a super cheesy Indonesian actioner by Arizal (who needs more than one name?) who is also responsible for schlock like American Hunter. It's pretty stock action cheese setup of a bad guy looking for a secret formula from a doctor and one man (who looks a lot like Brian May from Queen) has to stop him. 

Lots of good, unnecessary explosions and some really funny one-liners. Not 100% necessary viewing but definitely a good one to hoot and holler at on a drunken Thursday night.

dave said:

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T  (1953) is a musical fantasy film, the only feature film ever written by Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), who was responsible for the story, screenplay and lyrics.

Whole Movie Here!

You guys are killin' me, heah! There's no way I'll be able to see alla these cheezoid films! But I'll certainly try!

Greg Hanson said:

There's a great book called Mondo Macabro - a beautiful coffee table book with lots of great pictures - that is dedicated to strange cinema around the world. It's put out by the people who run a distributor of the same name (whose releases are killer) and puts out a lot of these gems, including Pakistani Dracula (aka The Living Corpse).

They have a bunch of Bollywood horror films, Indonesian fantasy (lots of floating heads and lasers), Turkish cheese, Italian weirdness, etc.

If you think Bollywood is crazy, check out the heyday of Turkish fantastic cinema. The Man Who Saved the World (aka Turkish Star Wars) is pretty great and totally incoherent but a real hoot. Tarkan Vs. The Vikings is cheese-tacular in the best ways. Kilink in Istanbul is trashy and pretty glorious. Lots of great stuff from Turkey in the 50s-70s. 

Only Indonesian films come close to that kind of weirdness. The Devil's Sword, Queen of Black Magic, and Virgins from Hell are all pretty clutch. Lots of floating heads, lasers, voodoo and other suck malarky.