FOR THE FUN OF IT

 

SALLY THE ZOMBIE CHEERLEADER'S SCHOOL OF HORROR: THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE

For her Halloween 2026 School of Horror, Sally the Zombie Cheerleader resurrects an all-time, Grand Guignol favorite: The Brain That Wouldn't Die, on Friday, October 30th at 9 pm. 

The 1959/1962, low-budget classic was directed by Joseph Green who cowrote with producer Rex Carlton. The result is a bold, gory achievement, featuring an attractive, severed head, "Jan in the Pan," kept alive by Frankenstein-like technology, in a story that brims of sex, violence and medical philosophy.

The movie stars Jason Evers as Bill Cortner, a desperate and unscrupulous surgeon, and Virginia Leith as his expressive spouse, the aforementioned head, which was lopped off in a car crash. Leslie Daniel (aka Anthony Penna) costars as Cortner's guilt-ridden assistant, Kurt, and Eddie Carmel manifests as the hideous specimen the men hide in a closet. To spice things up, Playmate Marilyn (Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster/In Like Flint) Hanold supplies a curvaceous cameo. 

Sally serves a generous helping of sweet details on this cult classic, sprinkled, as they are, with flavorful, brain-food humor. (For example, the movie was originally called The Black Door. Bet you didn't know that!) To elevate the educational content, the presentation is underscored by insightful,  pop-up, liner notes, and Sally's demonic dolls, along with her dear ol' Skelekat, interject more than a few sarcastic side notes, making this Halloween lesson one to relish and recall.🎃👻

The lurid proceedings can be studied at 

https://www.youtube.com/user/thezombiecheerleader

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

SO LONG, MICHAEL GRAY

When I was a lad, you were the live-action Billy Batson, Captain Marvel's gracious host, on Filmation's Saturday morning hit, Shazam!

Even when you weren't turning into Jackson Bostwick or John Davey, you held a superlative command as a young man who (along with Les Tremayne's Mentor and, on those special, crossover occasions, JoAnna Cameron's Isis) fixed problems and stomped wrongs. In other words, you were an excellent role model. 

Shazam! wasn't your only claim to fame. You were seen on Brian Keith's The Little People (for twenty-four episodes), The Brady Bunch, Room 222, The Flying Nun, Marcus Welby M.D., Comic Book Men and Archer, plus The Davy Jones Special (where you got to sing); and in the movies, Run, Simon, Run (led by Burt Reynolds & Inger Stevens), Myra Breckinridge (headlined by Raquel Welch), the Russ Meyers/Roger Ebert satire, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (where you encounter Zachary Levi's marvelous Captain), in addition to having made an indelible impression on the 1970s, teen-mag scene.  

You became a part of our lives, a part of our hearts, Mr. Gray: a spiritual brother with a staunch, pervading code. I, for one, remain in your debt for that. Thanks for showing me--for showing us all--how to get through the everyday grind, for as you demonstrated time and again, kindness and respect possess the power to overcome any doubt, any woe, any fear. 🗱

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS & THE WEREWOLF

 

FAREWELL, TOM SKERRITT

Some are heralded as creme de la creme, but you, Mr. Skerritt, were without question the personification of it. 

To a generation of sci-fi/horror fans, your portrayal of Captain Dallas in Ridley Scott's Alien made you cinematic royalty, but you were in the Hollywood spotlight well before and well after that groundbreaking, creature yarn. 

For example, you dominated the excellent, vigilante endeavor, Fighting Back, in addition to starring in the heartfelt, character study, Lucky (helmed by  your Alien costar, Harry Dean Stanton), as well as the original adaptations of M*A*S*H and The Dead Zone. You also entered Stephen King's Desperation, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2008), The Devil's Rain, Poltergeist III, Contact, Mammoth, Ted, Savage Harvest, Knight Moves, Red King White Knight, Aftershock: Earthquake in New York, Category 7: The End of the World, Poison Ivy (1991), Top Gun, High Noon (2000, as Will Kane), The Trojan Horse, A River Runs Through it, Rivers of a Lost Coast, Field of Lost Shoes, Run Run Joe!, Maid to Order, Ice Castles; Up in Smoke, Smoke Signals, Poker Alice, At Middleton, War Hunt, Path to War, Wings: Skyforce Heroes, Wild Rovers, Fuzz, The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer, Harold and Maude, The Velveteen Rabbit, The Birdmen, The Grid, One Man's Way, The Calloways, The Parent Trap II, The Rookie, Plot of Fear, Sexycop, The Turning Point, An American Daughter, The Last Day, A Dangerous Summer, Silence of the North, Singles, Texas Rangers, The China Lake Murders, Whiteout, Two for Texas, Child in the Night, East of the Mountains, She'll Take Romance, For Sale by Owner, Beer for My Horses, Tears of the Sun, Redwood Highway, Redemption Road, A Hologram for a King, Broke, Day of Days, A Valentine's Date, Journey Back to Christmas, Your Love Never Fails, Catch the Bullet, What the Deaf Man Heard and Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue.

Your television career was a whopper, too, with the lead role of Sheriff Jimmy Brock on the cherished Picket Fences, and appearances on Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wagon Train, The Virginian, Laramie, Death Valley Days, Cimarron Strip, Nichols, Sara, The Fugitive, Run for Your Life, The Outsider, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Twilight Zone (1986), The Hitchhiker, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Combat!, 12 O'Clock High, My Favorite Martian, My Three Sons, The Real McCoys, Cheers, Roseanne, Will & Grace, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Felony Squad, The F.B.I., Mannix, Baretta, Barnaby Jones, SWAT, Hawaii Five-O, Medical Center, Danger Bay, Storefront Lawyers, The West Wing, Madame Secretary, Leverage, White Collar, Going Home, The Good Wife, The Manhunter, Homeland Security, The Closer, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. 

Indeed, your resume bursts at the seams, and in every respect, you stood out, whether the role was big, small, lingering or fleeting. That's because you were a master of your craft, Mr. Skerritt, an artist who knew the human soul, enough to make us watch, feel and care: the defining distinction of an accomplished actor. 

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: MORNINGSIDE THEATRE SPECTACULAR