Saturday, August 29, 2015

A Plethora Of Intriguing Film Factoids!

 

A Plethora Of Intriguing Film Factoids!

Posted: 08/19/2015 5:49 pm EDT Updated: 08/19/2015 5:59 pm EDT

 
There were no ghosts in "The Ghost Ship." The actor who handled the acton scenes in "The Masked Marvel" serial went uncredited! None of the stars of "Double Indemnity" originally wanted to be in the film!

-Misleading titles: In 1941's "Invisible Ghost," Bela Lugosi annually mourns the loss of his absent wife (portrayed by Betty Compson), presumed dead. But, she has been haunting his home, not as a specter, but as a flesh-and-blood human. In the end, he strangles her to death, but, disappointingly, she was neither invisible nor ghostly!

In 1943's "The Ghost Ship," produced by film noir legend Val Lewton, Richard Dix starred as a tyrannical ship's captain. But, on a downer, there were no ghosts aboard the vessel and it was not a Flying Dutchman. Indeed, the title was only referenced once, when Dix's beloved (played by actress Edith Barrett) spoke of his alienation from his men making him akin to the captain of "a ghost ship."

Ruehl Fact: Val Lewton did include the ghost of the original cat woman (essayed by Simone Simon) from 1942's "Cat People" in 1944's "The Curse of the Cat People," but, unfortunately, there was no curse in effect and the phantom was entirely friendly and protective! Darn!

-In the action-packed 1943 serial, "The Masked Marvel," 4 insurance investigators repeatedly attempt to foil the nefarious plans of the Japanese spy Mura Sakima (enacted by Caucasian actor Johnny Arthur). While 1 of those agents (ultimately revealed to be Rod Bacon) is supposed to be the Marvel, another actor, veteran serial stuntman Tom Steele, actually enacted all of the hero's scenes, yet was not given any screen credit! Thankfully, many film guides do list him as this was undoubtedly his finest hour!

Ruehl Fact: Serial and western stalwarts Tom Steele and Bob Steele were in no way related. Indeed, neither actor's real surname was Steele: Tom was born Tom Skeoch in Scotland in 1909 while Bob was born Robert Stansbury in Oregon in 1907.

-Surprisingly, none of the principals in the 1944 film noir classic, "Double Indemnity," initially wanted to be included in the cast! Fred MacMurray, who had starred in light comedies, felt it went against his type. Barbara Stanwyck objected to portraying a heartless murderess. And, Edward G. Robinson was reluctant to accept a secondary role after being the lead in a string of films. But, all eventually succumbed to writer/director Billy Wilder's persuasion, with all delivering Oscar-caliber performances (although only Stanwyck received a nomination for Best Actress, but lost out to Ingrid Bergman who won for her role in "Gaslight")

Ruehl Fact: The movie's original ending showed MacMurray being executed in the gas chamber, but was changed as preview audiences did not take to it. The finale opted for, with Robinson lighting a wounded MacMurray's cigarette, was nothing short of superb!

Commando Cody Used Tractor Beam Before Captain Kirk
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Friday, August 28, 2015

3 Intriguing Film Factoids(Huffington Post)

weird-news

Dr. Franklin Ruehl, Ph.D. Headshot
Host, 'Mysteries From Beyond the Other Dominion'

3 New Fascinating Film Factoids!

Posted: 08/06/2015 12:57 pm EDT Updated: 5 hours ago

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Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" was inspried by a real-life ornithological disaster! Surpising details about a popular "Twilight Zone" episode! Actress Elke Sommer's life was saved by a psychic!
-Intriguingly, the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcok's 1967 thriller, "The Birds," was a real-life incident that took place in Capitola, a small California coastal community approximately 50 miles south of San Francisco! Early Friday morning, August 18, 1961, when fog was thicker than pea soup, masses of frenzied sea birds, attracted by the town's lights, began slamming into buildings, autos, and even humans carrying flashlights.
When the fog had cleared, thousands of birds were found dead, dying, or in a state of shock. While no mortals were killed, 7 had to be hospitalized from the bird strikes. Coincidentally, Hitch had been vacationing in nearby Scotts Valley and heard the mind-boggling report which served as an impetus for his acclaimed production. Of course, unlike the feathered creatures in Capitola who inadvertently flew into people, his did so with malicious intent.
Ruehl Fact: In the1951 horror anthology TV series, "Lights Out," vengeful birds were depicted in the episode appropriately entitled," The Angry Birds," starring John Forsythe!
-A few years ago, readers of "The Twilight Zone Magazine" voted "The Private World of Darkness" their favorite TZ episode. Notably, a woman, enacted by actress Maxine Stuart in a tour de force Emmy-caliber performance, superbly enunciates her plight as a hideously ugly female whose face is swathed in bandages after having undergone her 11th plastic surgical procedure. The twist in the tale is unveiled when the bandages are removed, and we see a gorgeous blonde surrounded by grotesque doctors, nurses, and hospital staffers.
However, the actress seen is not Stuart, but rather Donna Douglas of "Beverly Hillbillies" fame who was considered more beautiful, and hence, more apropos for the end scene. As she races through the hospital until she encounters another "disfigured" human, she utters only a single brief line to minimize the chances that the audience would recognize a different voice. The credits at the end of the episode properly listed Stuart, first, Douglas, last.
Ruehl Fact: Many TZ fans mistakenly believe that the title of this episode is "The Eye Of The Beholder," which would have been quite appropriate as the relative nature of beauty was discussed. Apparently, that was the original plan as creator Rod Serling referred to this episode with that title in a preview announcing it as the next week's episode, but somewhere along the line it was changed..
-In 1972, glamorous actress Elke Sommer, star of such horror flicks as "Baron Blood"(1972) and "The Devil and the Dead"(1973), was slated to visit her mother's home near Nuremberg in her native Germany. However, she received a letter from psychic Rosa Bratter which warned that she would be the next victim of the so-called "Midday Killer." Wisely, she heeded the seeress' admonition and postponed her trip by one day. Authorities captured the killer soon thereafter...his diary outlined plans to kidnap Sommer and hold her for ransom!
She stated that the incident only served to cement her belief in the paranormal realm that lies beyond the everyday world.
Ruehl Fact: Sommer's given name was Elke Schletz!
Video:"Twilight Zone" Factoid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3l_b8oL1u4
Video: Another tale of angry birds in action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V0HFimZ1-Y
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