GOODBYE, TERI GARR

You were a veritable beauty and phenomenal comedian, varied in your roles and beyond splendid in them all.

Fans of sci-fi appreciated your appearances in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Mom and Dad Save the World and that classic Star Trek episode, "Assignment: Earth" (a pilot for a spin-off series that, alas, never came to be). However, horror buffs savor you most as sexy Inga in the outlandish spoof, Young Frankenstein.

You were remarkable, as well, in The Conversation; One from the Heart; The After Hours; Let It Ride; Short Time; A Simple Wish; Out Cold; Casper Meets Wendy; Witches' Brew; Tootsie; Two in a Tangle; Dumb and Dumber; Unaccompanied Minors; Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood; Waiting for the Light; A Quiet Little Neighborhood, a Perfect Little Murder; Firstborn; Stranger in the Family; The Black Stallion; The Black Stallion Returns; The Player; Intimate Strangers; Night Scream; Miracles; The Moonshine War; McCloud: The Solid Gold Swingers; Full Moon in Blue Water; The Escape Artist; The Sting II; Head (with the Monkees); M*A*S*H (in a guest spot for "Sniper"); Women of the House (as a regular); Good Advice (again, as a regular); and that amusing, holier-than-thou duo, Michael and Oh, God!. In addition, you earned a pleasing, uncredited role in the Batman '66 episode, "Instant Freeze," and later voiced Mary McGinnis for Batman Beyond and even co-starred with Batman icon, Michael Keaton in the delightful Mr. Mom. (You also hold the envious distinction of dancing in nine, Elvis Presley movies. Hubba Hubba!)

You fought hard these past few years, Ms. Garr, but kept your cheer throughout it all. May you now be at peace, an unbound beacon among the stars.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2024

Collection Recommendation: Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia Presents The Frozen Dead

Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia, as helmed by feline, executive producer, the Mighty Huey, presents the 1966, British (Seven Arts) chiller, The Frozen Dead, in high-tech Cat-o-Vision. 

Written and directed by Herbert J. Leder (who also wrote and directed the Roddy McDowall, golem gem, It!, in addition to scripting the nightmarish Fiend Without a Face), The Frozen Dead plays rather like The Brain That Wouldn't Die, if only filtered through Hammer Studios. It also holds traces of The Head and They Saved Hitler's Brain and foreshadows such "misunderstood," war-torn nail-biters as Shock Waves, Dead Snow, Outpost, Overlord and Frankenstein's Army. 

Hollywood icon Dana (Curse/Night of the Demon) Andrews leads The Frozen Dead, portraying scientist Dr. Norberg, who works undercover in London, hoping to impress fellow, on-the-lam Nazis as he thaws frozen, Third Reich soldiers to attain world dominance. However, when the revived behave like witless zombies, he requests a live brain to study, so that he may perfect his morbid ambition. 

This results in the decapitation of a young woman named Elsa (Kathleen Breck), her head kept alive and her brain observable through a steel-fastened dome. As with The Brain That Wouldn't Die's Jan in the Pan, the petulant Elsa acquires the telepathic means to control Norberg's collection of body parts and seize her revenge.

For the episode's thematic thread, Mr. Lobo injects brain-oriented references with adorable, kitty segments, including appearances from the cantankerous Countess Blood Sugar; sassy Sally the Zombie Cheerleader; the browbeating Alan N. Smithee; Roxanne Guarino's headstrong, neo Jan; the litigious Rad Abrams, Skateboard Attorney; and last but not least, famed, feline behaviorist, Lincoln Nebula.

Order Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia Presents the Frozen Dead Blu-ray at

https://osi74.square.site/product/blu-ray-backer-pre-order-cinema-insomnia-frozen-dead-/180?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=true

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

MAIN ENTERPRISES' TALES FROM GREEK MYTHOLOGY: LEGENDS RETURN

Main Enterprises has just published a periodical entitled Tales From Greek Mythology (Because the Gods Demanded It!) that overflows with material inspired by the tall tales of antiquity.

Inside one will find a stunning layout by Jim Main and Robert Sodaro, with artwork (and related material) by Steve Shipley, Rusty Gilligan, Marc Haines, John Lambert, Jay Mooers, Kevin Duncan, Brad Foster, Floydman Sumner, Troy David Boyle, Jim Ordolis, Rick McCollum, George Lane III, Cliff Kurowski, Doc Boucher, Mike Maloney, Tony Lorenz and Eric N. Boyd, celebrating such legendary characters as Pan, Pandora, Atlas, Zeus, Athena, Chronos, Morpheus, Hermes, Hades, Charon, Heracles, Agea, Alpos, Apollo, Medusa, Keto, Iris, Odysseus, and even the fearsome Hydra. There's also a friendly "Lo! The Publisher Speaks" intro; a Medusa story by Michael Housel, with artwork from Keith Newsome; and the illustrious entry, "Set Sail," written and illustrated by Verl Holt Bond (with finishes by Tom Ahearn), which initiates a sensational, new sojourn for the ever intrepid Jason and the Argonauts!

The edition will bring any Greek Mythology connoisseur hours of enjoyment, and it also acts as a great tool to teach youngsters about the classics, which hold valuable morals and insightful lessons that impact everyday life. 

To order a PDF of this satisfying, scholarly submission, send $2.00 via Paypal to Jim Main at jmain44@aol.com. (Also, please share your email when doing so, to ensure you receive your copy.)   

The Gods appreciate your patronage!

WISE WORDS:

I saw Venom III

Sony/Tristar's Venom: The Last Dance, written and directed by Kelly Marcel, based on a story she conceived with Tom Hardy, is the third (maybe final, solo-titled) chapter in the popular saga, with Hardy reprising his roles of investigative reporter Eddie Brock and the eponymous, hyper specimen that dwells within him.

For this submission, a multilegged, crab-like Symbiote is sent to Earth to locate an organic key that will set Knull, God of the Symbiotes, free. It just so happens that Brock and Venom possess the key. The crab-like thing stays on their heels, but it doesn't help, either, that the tenacious military is also on their backs. (For the record, Knull is played by expressive, character actor and director of Part II, Andy Serkis, but his screen time is limited, insinuating a setup for his resurgence in the Marvel Multiverse somewhere down the line.) 

As part of Brock and Venom's Kimble-ish plight, they encounter an interesting cast of characters: a friendly, hippy family, led by Rhys (The Amazing Spider-man) Ifans' Martin Moon (accompanied by the likable trio of Alanna Ubach, Hala Finley and Dash McCloud); Peggy (Kung Pow) Lu's irascible Mrs. Chen, Chiewetal (Doctor Strange) Ejiofor's Venom-tracking Rex Strickland; Juno (The Dark Knight Rises) Temple's alien-specialist Dr. Teddy Payne; Clark (No Running) Backo's sentimental Dr. Sadie Christmas; and back for more anguished symbiosis, Stephen Graham's Detective Patrick Mulligan, aka Toxin. (Alas, Michelle Williams' Anne Weying and Reid Scott's Dan Lewis aren't around, nor is a by-chance Woody Harrelson's Carnage, but I suppose one can't have everything when it comes sequels that are already overpacked with substantial interaction.) 

Though the plot holds a fair sum of extraterrestrial mythology, it mainly focuses on Brock and Venom sliding from situation to situation, as the Symbiote's pursuit progresses. This, in turn, prompts a lot of Venom popping out of the fleshy woodwork to guide (and prod) his human host, all in perfect step with Dan Deacon's vibrational score. 

One of the best scenes is found in the trailers, where Venom transforms a horse into his inky semblance, with Brock being dragged along for the ride. (It's energetic and funny, even if its outlandishness might be a bit much for some.) Another spiffy scene occurs when Venom dances with a dolled-up Mrs. Chen in a metaphoric, Las Vegas segue. (Yeah, it's kind of out there, but if one enjoys the glitzy interludes of Joker: Foile a Deux, it works.) The most endearing scene, however, is when Venom accompanies the Moon family in a sing-a-long of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." (The song is melodious by nature, but all the more bittersweet coming from the family's "tin can" minivan.) 

Right now, some are calling Venom: The Last Dance the best of the trilogy, with a derisive smattering reluctant to give it much love, but let's be honest, the previous movies were far from snob-proof. The Venom, cinematic universe must be taken for what it is, with an overabundance of goofy and chaotic push and shove. (In my estimation, that makes the Venom movies slimy equivalents to Deadpool's.) All the same, if the Venom scene isn't one's cup of Marvel tea, well, then it's best to skip this third chapter altogether or at least wait until it's available for rental. On the other hand, for those who dig Venom's hijinks, this chapter should suffice as an apt, monsterized entry for Halloween. 

(Oh, I wanted to mention that, contrary to all the hype, the end-credits segment isn't the Spidey-trio gathering that was hoped for, which is kind of a bummer since Sony/Tristar has made no effort to dispel this ubiquitous dangler.)

NATIONAL FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY 2024 (10/25)

FAREWELL, RON ELY

You became a hero to many, appearing on Friday and (later) Sunday nights in the 1960s, television Tarzan. 

Your strapping physique was ideal for the role, as it was for Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze. You were also an excellent, older Kal-El on the Gerard Christopher Superboy, a heartless hunter on the Wolf Larson Tarzan, and a swell, renewed Mike Nelson for the 1990s Sea Hunt. 

On the accompanying movie front, you gave a virile thrust to South Pacific; Cry of the Black Wolves; 100 Fists and a Prayer; The Fiend Who Walked the West; The Night of the Grizzly; The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker; Expecting Amish; Slavers, The Seal; and McGit. 

Beyond Tarzan, you played regular, Mike Madison on the exciting Aquanauts and hosted Face the Music, with hearty guest spots on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp; Hawkeye (1994); Wonder Woman; Sheena (2001); Wonder Woman; Steve Canyon; Thriller; The Millionaire; How to Marry a Millionaire; Renegade; Ironside; Marcus Welby; Matt Houston; Fantasy Island (with several appearances through the original run); The Love Boat; L.A. Law; Hotel; Playhouse 90; The Courtship of Eddie's Father; Father Knows Best; and The Many Loves of Doby Gillis.  

You went through blissful times and hard times, Mr. Ely, but you also stood above the pack. Your ability to persevere should stand as a lesson to us all, and it will, for your legend (like those of the characters you portrayed) has no choice but to live on.