#poverty row classics

[schlock-luster-video]

On December 5, 1932, The Death Kiss premiered in San Bernardino, California.

Here's a new drawing of Bela Lugosi to celebrate!

[ilovedamsels1962]

The Devil Bat (1940)

[young-botanical-genius]

Dracula: 

has your muse ever felt tied to something, unable to get away? ( a person / relationship, a fate, a place, ect. )  how did they break that tie, or do they still feel tied to it?

Universal Classic Monster Headcanon Asks

Its no secret that Seymour felt trapped in Skid Row... and what reason would he have to believe that he wasn't trapped there? Everyone in the neighborhood always said that there was no way out, after all... not unless you got really lucky.

Still, Seymour dared to dream, although he had little faith that he would ever break free from the dreary city streets and the poverty that kept him there. For the sake of his own sanity, he always tried to hang onto what little hope he had, clinging to faint images of a life that was maybe just a little happier, a life that was a little more stable, and most importantly, a life outside of Skid Row.

Ironically, what seemed to have been his only chance to scrape up the means to finally escape the city soon proved itself to be a trap of its own. It was only after feeding Mushnik to Audrey II that Seymour began to fully realize just what he had gotten himself into. Despite all the money and opportunities that had come flooding in, the plant had (metaphorically) wrapped its vines around him, demanding more and more in exchange for the continuation of that success. Without the plant, there seemed to be no doubt that he would be trapped forever... but with the plant, being trapped was still a very real possibility, albeit in a much different way.

In the post-theatrical ending verse, Seymour took a stand and physically severed himself from Audrey II by blowing the plant (and the shop) to smithereens. Emotionally, however, the plant still very much has him ensnared in its grip; haunting him through terrible memories of the past and immense guilt over the horrible deeds he's done. He doesn't know if he'll ever break free of those feelings, but he's trying his hardest to work through them.

...At least he was able to leave Skid Row, right?

[popculturelib]

It's Crustacean Week at the BPCL, and we have another Crab Monster for you!

Roger Corman is a prolific director and producer known for his independent science fiction and horror films, among others. One of his earliest films was Attack of the Crab Monsters in 1957, which features a group of scientists who travel to an island in the Pacific to investigate why the previous scientists went missing. Turns out, they were killed by giant, telepathic crab monsters mutated by nuclear radiation. This two-page spread is from Roger Corman: King of the B Movie : Crab Monsters, Teenage Cavemen, and Candy Stripe Nurses (2013) by Chris Nashawaty and features a behind-the-scenes look at the film's production.

The Browne Popular Culture Library, founded in 1969, is the most comprehensive archive of its kind in the United States.  Our focus and mission is to acquire and preserve research materials on American Popular Culture (post 1876) for curricular and research use. Visit our website at https://www.bgsu.edu/library/pcl.html.

Transcription below the cut

Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

In 1957, Roger Corman directed nine movies. Shot on the cheap and usually cranked out in ten caffeinated days, Corman's output during that Eisenhower-era annus mirabilis included such drive-in diversions as Rock All Night, The Undead, and The Saga of the Viking Woman and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent. All of these films (well, most of them at least) have their merits. But there's one that stands out for its willingness to grapple with weightier questions than the fates of bobbysoxers and bargain-basement bogeymen -- the luridly titled Attack of the Crab Monsters. Distributed by Poverty Row studio Allied Artists, Crab Monsters was released on February 10, 1957, as part of a Corman sci-fi double bill alongside Not of This Earth. Taken together, these two cautionary tales form the backbone of Corman's early obsession with the apocalyptic power of the A-bomb and the hubris of well-meaning scientists who, a short decade earlier, had unleashed a new form of wrath on the world in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Written by Charles B. Griffith, who would go on to pen several other Corman classics line 1960's The Little Shop of Horrors and 1975's Death Race 2000, the $70,000 Crab Monsters kicks off with a crew of scientists arriving by seaplane on an unnamed deserted island in the South Pacific. They're there to find out what happened to a previous research team that went missing. Could it have something to do with the fact that the island is smack sab in the middle of a nuclear testing zone? Before they have a chance to find out, things go disastrously wrong: One of the seamen bringing them ashore by raft falls overboard, only to resurface missing his head. Then, as the seaplane lifts off to return to the mainland, it explodes in midair. The table is set.

The team of stranded brainiacs include Dale Drewer (Richard Garland in an ascot), Martha Hunter (Pamela Duncan wearing more makeup and tighter sweaters than one might expect in the jungle), and Hank Chapman (a pre-Gilligan's Island Russell Johnson). Soon, they discover a journal filled with ominous entries of distress and hear the mysterious disembodied voices of the dead summoning them to the island's caves, where they finally come face-to-face with...huge, radioactive, papier-mache crustaceans with claws operated by piano wire able to absorb the thoughts of any human brain they nosh on! At one point, a crab monster telepathically warns: "So, you have wounded me! I must grow a new claw, well and good! For I can do it in a day! But will you grow new legs when I have taken yours from you?"

As the victims of this atomic retribution start to pile up, Corman's chilling allegory of nuclear folly becomes a briskly paced meditation on our most destructive impulses. We've played God and now must pay for our sins. In more ways than one, Attack of the Crab Monsters is a B movie with a bite.

[image caption]

Above: Production shot from the set of Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957). Pamela Duncan practices running in terror, lest she become the next entrée in Corman's seafood smorgasbord.

[mymoviereviews]

The Boys in the Boat (2023)

Check out my review of THE BOYS IN THE BOAT (2023). Row, row, row your boat gently down the cliché stream.

The Boys in the Boat is a classic underdog story powered by the oars of a rowing team from Washington University during the Great Depression. They defy odds, poverty, and personal demons on their way to fight for Olympic gold in Hitler’s Berlin in 1936. George Clooney, as director, steers this true story with a very firm hand; however, while it does strike all the right thematic chords, it often…

[bm2ab]

Arrivals & Departures . 12 December 1893 – 26 January 1973 . Emanuel Goldenberg . Edward G. Robinson

Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg) was an American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays, and more than 100 films, during a 50-year career, and is best remembered for his tough-guy roles as gangsters in such films as Little Caesar and Key Largo. During his career, Robinson received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in House of Strangers.

During the 1930s and 1940s, Robinson was an outspoken public critic of fascism and Nazism, which were growing in strength in Europe in the years which led up to World War II. His activism included contributing over $250,000 to more than 850 organizations that were involved in war relief, along with contributions to cultural, educational, and religious groups. During the 1950s, he was called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee during the Red Scare, but he was cleared of any deliberate Communist involvement when he claimed that he was "duped" by several people whom he named (including screenwriter Dalton Trumbo), according to the official Congressional record, "Communist infiltration of the Hollywood motion-picture industry". As a result of being investigated, he found himself on Hollywood's graylist, people who were on the Hollywood blacklist maintained by the major studios, but could find work at minor film studios on what was called Poverty Row.

Robinson's roles included an insurance investigator in the film noir Double Indemnity, Dathan (the adversary of Moses) in The Ten Commandments, and his final performance in the science-fiction story Soylent Green. Robinson received an Academy Honorary Award for his work in the film industry, which was awarded two months after he died in 1973. He is ranked number 24 in the American Film Institute's list of the 25 greatest male stars of Classic American cinema. Multiple film critics and media outlets have cited him as one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.

[docrotten]

BLUEBEARD (1944) – Episode 179 – Decades Of Horror: The Classic Era

“I don’t smoke. But I always have matches with me. I find they frequently come in handy.” You never know when you or someone you’re with might want to signal someone by lighting a match. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff and Jeff Mohr with guests Michael Zatz and Gregory Crosby – as they discuss Bluebeard (1944), a film far exceeding its poverty-row origin.

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 179 – Bluebeard (1944)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

  In Paris, an artist hires portrait models, and after he finishes their portraits, he strangles them.

Directed by: Edgar G. Ulmer

Writing Credits: Pierre Gendron (screenplay); Arnold Lipp (as Arnold Phillips) and Werner H. Furst (story)

Produced by: Leon Fromkess (producer); Martin Mooney (associate producer) 

Music by: Leo Erdody (as Erdody)

Cinematography by: Eugen Schüfftan (uncredited); Jockey Arthur Feindel (camera operator) (director of photography) (as Jockey A. Feindel) (credit only)

Production Design: Edgar G. Ulmer (uncredited)

Selected Cast:

John Carradine as Gaston Morel

Jean Parker as Lucille Lutien

Nils Asther as Inspector Jacques Lefevre

Ludwig Stössel as Jean Lamarte (as Ludwig Stossel)

George Pembroke as Inspector Renard

Teala Loring as Francine Lutien

Sonia Sorel as Renee Claremont

Henry Kolker as Deschamps

Emmett Lynn as Le Soldat

Iris Adrian as Mimi Robert

Patti McCarty as Babette

Carrie Devan as Constance

Anne Sterling as Jeanette Le Beau

Harry Cording as Policeman (uncredited)

Frank Darien as Inquiry Judge (uncredited)

Bess Flowers as Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)

Mabel Forrest as Woman (uncredited) (unconfirmed)

Eddie Hall as Paul (uncredited)

John Maxwell Hayes as Man (uncredited) (unconfirmed)

George Irving as The Duke of Carineaux (uncredited)

Ethelreda Leopold as Laughing Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)

Jeff and Daphne are joined by guest hosts Gregory Crosby and Michael Zatz, for a John Carradine extravaganza. Director Edgar G. Ulmer, along with Carradine, an accomplished cast, and a ringer for a cinematographer spin an effective and atmospheric tale about the serial killer known as “Bluebeard” with style, class, and unexpected charm. While on the fringes of horror, Bluebeard should not be missed. Check out what the Grue-Crew has to say if you need more convincing.

At the time of this writing, Bluebeard is available to stream from the Classic Horror Movie Channel, Wicked Horror TV, Amazon Prime, MGM+, Screambox, Tubi, and PlutoTV. It is also available on physical media as the standard Blu-ray format 80th Anniversary Edition from Kino Lorber.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by Doc, is The Lost Continent (1968), the Hammer film that features blood beasts, torture pits, giant jaw-snapping mollusks, a floating death ship, crazed kelp monsters, and fiery destruction … at least, according to the poster. A couple of familiar faces will join the Classic Era Grue Crew: Bill Mulligan (Decades of Horror 1970s and 1980s) and Richard Klemensen, the publisher of The Little Shoppe of Horrors: The Journal of Classic British Horror Films and the voice you hear on the commentary for the Scream Factory Blu-ray of The Lost Continent.

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”

Check out this episode!

[screamscenepodcast]

74 years after his death, your deadicated hosts review Rondo Hatton's last film THE BRUTE MAN (1946)! It's the most famous of Hatton's Creeper films, co-starring Jane Adams, Tom Neal, and Jan Wiley, and directed by Jean Yarbrough.

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 23:53; Discussion 31:48; Ranking 55:00

[schlock-luster-video]

On April 20, 1946, The Catman of Paris debuted in the United States.

Here's some new art inspired by the horror classic!

[ilovedamsels1962]

1944

[chaptertwo-thepacnw]

[cladriteradio]

Here are 10 things you should know about Ann Savage, born 99 years ago today. Few Hollywood actors have been as closely associated with a single role as Savage is with her portrayal of Vera in DETOUR (1945).

[petersonreviews]

[queenofthelot]

Miss Joan Crawford as the gun-slinging Vienna in Repubic Studio’s Johnny Guitar (1954).

[danoneone]

My previous Batman rant was cringe, here's another one.

Thinking about Batman some more.

Gotham is a city of grime and misery. The air of suffering and crime hangs heavy above it, like a cloud blotting out the Sun. From Old Gotham, home of the wealthy and corrupt, to the Bowery, where violence and drug use run rampant. That is the worst one. Red stains the streets there.

Inside the Bowery, the worst is Park Row. Run-down buildings and boarded up businesses, a sort of luxury that used to be shines through the decay. I think it used to be nicer. Before it happened.

The Wayne family is an old and powerful one, with a history of philanthropy. They live in an estate outside the city, unmarred by its misery. They use their power for good, where so many would only make Gotham worse. In Batman Begins(2005) in the midst of devastating economic recession, they almost bankrrupted themselves to keep the city alive. Lot of good it did them.

They went to the theatre in Park Row to watch one of their son's favourite classic movies, The Mark Of Zorro(1940). Some say they went to watch some other movie, and that their son got scared halfway. Either way, they left the theatre eventually.

This is why Park Row is known as Crime Alley.

Their car is just beyond the alleyway. Gotham's main streets are dangerous at night anyway. Just one alleyway and they can get home and be safe from this penetrating, opressive misery. They do not make it home.

You can picture it: an unremarkable thug in a ski mask demanding their valuables. Martha's pearl necklace, Thomas' watch. The robber does this because poverty and desperation drove him to it, the fear that Gotham would swallow him whole. He probably doesn't even realize who he's mugging, and he gets impatient when they're not fast enough. Time slows down as he pulls the trigger. The remains of Martha's necklace rain down on the floor. Thomas lies dead on the pavement. The robber gets away. The darkness eats him whole.

Bruce Wayne was eight years old when he saw his parents die.

In the immediate aftermath, Gotham reels. The Waynes had been untouchable. The Waynes had been good. They had been symbols of hope and reform  for this city. Still the wheels keep turning. Every news outlet wanted the story of their murder. They point and crowd around him, they  talk and ask and they want something from this boy who has just lived through the worst day of his life. They want to eat him, too.

They don't understand.

They could never understand.

The wheels keep turning. The media dies down. Crime Alley is abandoned. You cannot stop the rot. It is an infection. It spreads.

Bruce is alone.

This city will not have him.

Gotham gets worse still.

Fine.

It has been years since his parents' death, yet the wound in him does not heal. He will not let it.

He will show them. They will all learn.

The criminals of Gotham will learn what it is to be scared of the dark.

Above all, he makes a solemn vow:

Never again.

[docrotten]

CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR (1968, THE CRIMSON CULT) – Episode 178 – Decades Of Horror: The Classic Era

“You both know the rules. No painting below the belt.” Is this a half-bodypainting party? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt and Jeff Mohr along with guest hosts Michael Zatz and Joseph Perry – as they discuss the horror icon-studded Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968) from Tigon.

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 178 – Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

When his brother Peter disappears, Robert Manning visits the remote country house from where his brother was last heard. While his host seems outwardly friendly and his niece more demonstrably so, Manning detects a feeling of menace in the air with the legend of Lavinia Morley, the Black Witch of Greymarsh, hanging over everything.

  Directed by: Vernon Sewell

Writing Credits: Mervyn Haisman & Henry Lincoln (screenplay); Jerry Sohl (story); Louis M. Heyward & Gerry Levy (uncredited); H.P. Lovecraft (story “The Dreams in the Witch House”) (uncredited)

Selected Cast:

Boris Karloff as Professor John Marsh

Christopher Lee as Morley

Mark Eden as Robert Manning

Barbara Steele as Lavinia Morley

Michael Gough as Elder

Virginia Wetherell as Eve Morley

Rosemarie Reede as Esther

Rupert Davies as The Vicarr

Derek Tansley as Judge

Michael Warren as Chauffeur

Ron Pember as Petrol Attendant

Denys Peek as Peter Manning

Nicholas Head as Blacksmith

Nita Lorraine as Woman with whip

Lita Scott as Girl with Cockerel

Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, and Barbara freakin’ Steele all in one groovy pic?! Sign us up! Join Jeff and Chad with returning co-host Joseph Perry and guest host Mikey Z for Curse of the Crimson Altar, aka The Crimson Cult. While horror fans and monster kids may enjoy seeing these great horror stars together, Christopher Lee, unfortunately, regarded the film as one of the worst in his entire career. Ouch. Say it isn’t so. Regardless, the Grue-Crew revisits this film, discussing the uncut UK version versus the US AIP cut version, the actors and crew… and – did we mention – Barbara Steele.

At the time of this writing, The Curse of the Crimson Altar is available to stream from the Classic Horror Movie Channel, Wicked Horror TV, Tubi, and several PPV options.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by Jeff, is Bluebeard (1944), a poverty row picture directed by Edgar G. Ulmer starring John Carradine in what might be his best role.

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”

Check out this episode!