Video - Gerry Anderson's Zero-X: Planet of Bones Part 1

I'm a big fan of the various television adventure shows produced by Gerry Anderson in the 1960's and 70's. I'm still playing catch up with several series like StingRay, Fireball X-15 and Joe 90 but I'm fascinated by them all. This motion comic was just posted over at the official Gerry Anderson website and it is a blast. Until this video I was unaware of Zero-X spaceship and its connection to two of the classic TV shows. Of course, now I'm scrambling to find more of these stories in reprint form! 

Toys From My Youth!

I wonder what any of these would be worth now? 

THE LEECH WOMAN (1960)

It’s difficult to explain why I have real affection for THE LEECH WOMAN (1960). It is easily one of the weakest of Universal Internationals' sad late 50’s horror thrillers with a retread story and set-bound look. It’s silly, derivative and the details of the plot are so obvious that you can predict nearly every action minutes before they occur onscreen. So, what is it that has made me watch this movie half a dozen times over the years? The characters!

This movie accomplishes what I think was not possible in a film of this type until the late 1950’s. There is not a single likeable or even semi-likeable person in this story. Not one! Everyone either starts out as a despicable scumbag or is eventually revealed to be one as the story plays out. It’s incredible!

It was only in the 50’s that some science fiction and horror films were starting to be aimed at a more mature audience. The Hollywood horror product of the 1940’s war years was gauged for a younger crowd as escapist monster tales suitable for kids. But after this infantilizing of much of the genre the 1950’s had ushered in higher minded adult stories that could be better enjoyed by older audiences. Of course, not every production had a huge budget to swing around for creating nifty effects or believable creatures. Some had to rely on mature themes and, just as is true now, that meant melodrama and/or sex. This being the 1950’s melodrama was easier to add but if you were crafty sex could spice things up pretty well too.

Enter THE LEECH WOMAN (1960)! The central horror of this tale is the awful specter of old age. Well – old age for women. As the movie lays out very clearly, old age for men brings a distinguished wisdom along with the graying hair. But women become hideous monsters subject only for pity and derision! They are horrible harridans hobbling around making demands of the virile men in their lives who are simply attempting to accomplish great things and breed with younger, prettier women. At least, that’s the picture this film paints. Needless to say, I find this entirely entertaining. Rarely has a low budget horror film so perfectly captured the patronizing attitudes toward older women in service of a ridiculous story. Because not only the men but the women hold these backward beliefs! The film repeatedly demonstrates the disgust of everyone for elderly women and it is the bedrock of the entire plot. The main male character is striving to find a way to become rich by reversing the aging process; the central female character wishes to be young looking again to keep her slightly younger husband attracted to her; and the old lady that set things in motion needs money to return to her native African village so she can restore her youth for an end of life bacchanal. Good lord! Why don’t all these people kill themselves at the age of thirty to avoid the hell of middle age?

So, yes - THE LEECH WOMAN (1960) is a completely insane film. Although it integrates its jungle stock footage much better than most movies of the time it never fools anyone into thinking that everything we see isn't on a stage. And while I am impressed that the film actually treats the African characters with more respect than average even casting actual black people in the roles instead of black faced white dudes, they are still presented as ignorant savages. But the reason I am fascinated with the film is that it takes a standard societal attitude of the times and blows it out to create a story that either illustrates the idea perfectly or displays it for mockery. And I can’t decide which of these two choices the filmmakers were aiming for! Were they so immersed in the belief that old women are useless hags that it seemed like a natural jumping off point for a story or did they want to point out the horrors of such a view of life? I don’t know but I suspect I have put more thought into this than anyone involved in the film’s production. This is my curse.

My most recent time through the film (on Blu-Ray, no less!) I was paying attention to the characters again. I was sure that there had to be at least one person in this nasty tale that came off as likeable in some way. And I thought I had someone pegged as the one that was going to hold her head up and exit this sordid mess with dignity intact. The doctor’s secretary seemed like a perfectly nice young woman with no real personality flaws. And then she pulled a gun threatening another woman with death if she didn’t leave town and keep her hands off her fiancé! Insane! Everyone in this movie is one jealous or greedy moment away from violence or murder and that is why it fascinates me. It’s like watching a pit of trapped vipers fight each other. I’m entranced watching their sad struggle to come out on top and escape across the lip of that trap as they keep pulling each other back into hell. Probably not everyone’s idea of a fun night’s viewing.

Elric Paperback Cover Art

I'm back at my re-read of the Elric saga. I continue to be impressed by Moorcock's writing. 

    

The Bloody Pit #106 - THE KID BROTHER (1927)

The film under discussion in this episode is a silent movie and a comedy meaning that it represents two cinema topics that this show rarely touches on. In fact, this is the very first time that we’ve ever covered either of those types of movies on The Bloody Pit so, it’s long overdue! 

Usually when John Hudson guests on the show we discuss Antonio Margheriti films but after years of this we thought it would be a good idea to switch things up for a change of pace. Mr. Hudson suggested we look at one of his favorite funny movies THE KID BROTHER (1927) and since I knew nothing about it, I said yes. The film stars comedy genius Harold Lloyd who, by this time in his career, was one of the most popular filmmakers in the world and the highest paid film star of the 1920’s. He was in complete control of his movies usually generating the story ideas and co-directing them in a hands-on producer role.  His films are always energetic affairs filled with amusing chase scenes and daredevil action sequences as his central character struggles to overcome adversity and win the affections of his female co-stars. You might think it pretty standard stuff until you actually watch one of his movies and get caught up laughing and gasping in surprise at the inventiveness on display. Lloyd was an amazing performer and this film is a perfect example of his abilities. 

After Hudson and I catch up with each other’s recent viewing lists we dive into a discussion of THE KID BROTHER (1927) and do our best to find ways to remark on this crowd-pleasing tale when we can’t use sound clips to detail our points. John relates his history with Mr. Lloyd’s movies and his love of silent comedy in general. A good time is had by both of us and we hope that you enjoy listening to our discussion of this great film. 

Any comments or questions can be sent to thebloodypit@gmail.com or posted on the show’s FaceBook page. John and I will be returning to our usual subject matter the next time he visits but I suspect there will be more oddball choices for us down the road. Thanks for listening! 

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Dell Comics' Universal Monsters

HAUNTED HONEYMOON (1940) and Dorothy L. Sayers

I have to admit that I've never read one of Dorothy L. Sayers detective novels. She's one of those well-regarded mystery writers from the early 20th century that I've just not gotten around to yet. Every now and then I'm reminded that she's someone whose work I should examine more closely and then it slips away and I forget. But having now re-watched a film adaptation of one of her stories I have to say that I'm really going to have to bear down and find some of her work. 

There's a short film entitled THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF AGATHA CHRISTIE (2019) that popped up on the Flix network that I found incredibly amusing. It recounts the 1926 disappearance of Agatha Christie and recounts the details of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy Sayers becoming involved in the hunt to find the missing mystery novelist. It was quite amusing, painting the various men attempting to locate Miss Christie as oblivious dolts trying bizarre methods to solve the case. Dorothy Sayers comes off as the most level-headed investigator of the bunch and, indeed, is the one who manages to locate Miss Christie. This short has a touching scene between the two characters as Christie explains exactly why she would want to be missing and how they're going to fix the situation as it stands. I recommend checking this fun 24 minute film out if you can find it.

Having been reminded of Miss Sayer's work I decided it was time to re-watch HAUNTED HONEYMOON (1940) a film that I remembered enjoying quite a bit. The credits tell me that it's not only based on one of her novels but that she and a co-writer had actually turned this into a stage play (called Busman’s Holiday) at some point. The sharpness of the dialogue and the speed of the plot certainly give that credence as the entire movie plays like one of the best Thin Man movies never made. Robert Montgomery is smooth charm personified as Lord Peter Whimsy giving every line a just enough ‘english’ to have it bounce perfectly to his co-stars. Constance Cummings is excellent as his fiance/wife capable of more than holding her own in the verbal thrust and parry. I am informed that this film has little resemblance to the play as Miss Sayers wrote it and that, sadly, Mr. Montgomery never again played the character. That’s a shame.

I really much read some of these stories!