Poster Art for THE MUMMY (1932)

 

Video - DICK TRACY'S G-MEN (1939)

Having enjoyed the first Dick Tracy serial I have moved on to the second! So far I'm liking the story for this one a little better even if the villainous menace of Charles (Ming the Merciless) Middleton is missed. 

Video - DICK TRACY (1937) Serial

I watched this decades ago from a friend's VHS but I have very little memory of the details. I do remember enjoying the usual thrills present in a Republic serial and my recent rewatch of the feature films about Tracy made in the 1940's has made me itch to see how this version plays in 2026. There were some odd choices made in transplanting the character from comic strip to screen for the first time. Here he is an FBI agent stationed in San Francisco rather than a police detective in a nameless midwestern city. They also dropped Tess Trueheart and Dick's cop partner Pat Patton adding substitute characters for reasons that defy all explanation. Dammit! It's Dick Tracy - keep the supporting characters that add value to the mythology of the story. Still, I'm looking forward to doing a slow watch of this 15 chapter serial for dozens of reasons and if you're curious you can do the same. 

FLASH GORDON (1936) Lobby Cards and Poster Art

 

THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) Poster Art and Lobby Cards

For many this film was a regular part of their annual holiday viewing but I have never associated it with this time of year. That being stated, I haven't watched it in years and it might be time to visit the yellow brink road again.

 

KING KONG (1933) Poster Art

 

Trailers From Hell - DOCTOR X (1932)

"Michael Curtiz’ perversely entertaining pre-code thriller would have been a perfect fit for Weird Tales Magazine. Lee Tracy plays a pushy reporter tracking down the so-called “Moon Killer”, Fay Wray is the soon-to-be damsel in distress and Lionel Atwill plays her father, the titular Doctor Xavier. The eleventh hour unveiling of the killer, bathed in eerie two-strip Technicolor, is the stuff of nightmares." 

Let inveterate jokester Michael Schlesinger tell you all about it! 

Trailers From Hell - SH! THE OCTOPUS (1937)

In this video Michael Schlesinger reveals the long shadow of a true cinematic classic. Or is he joking? Yeah, he's joking. But the movie is a must see for fans of silly 1930's cult movies that barely make sense. 

Mr. Schlesinger recently passed away and I have been thinking about him lately. I was able to meet him several years ago and took the opportunity to thank him for his efforts in getting a number of beloved B-movies released on DVD and eventually Blu-Ray. He was a champion of a lot of often overlooked films that have had the chance to be seen and reevaluated at least partially because of his work behind the scenes. I have occasionally used his Trailers From Hell appearances to give myself a little of the fun of being in the same room with him. If you never got to meet Michael you missed a funny fellow with a big heart. His love of movies and sense of humor were a glorious combination and I only wish I'd been able to talk him more often. 

MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (1935) Poster Art and Publicity Photos

Rewatched this very entertaining film the other night and was reminded of all its fine elements and why so many are frustrated by it. On my first viewing years ago I was peeved by the ending too but I've come to an appreciation of it that makes it a great addition to my annual October horror film watching.