Tomorrow is October 1 and it’s time once again for the annual Countdown to Halloween! This year, my podcasting partner Jeff Owens of the Classic Horrors Club and I are joining forces to play a special Halloween version of the name game. How is it going to work? Check out this video for all creepy details!
Tune in tomorrow at the Classic Horrors Club for Day 1 of our Halloween Name Game to find out which film Jeff has chosen from…
Then, I’ll kick things off here on October 2. We’ll go back and forth throughout the month before ending up on Halloween, where we’ll wrap up the month by each posting on our respective blogs.
Of course, there’ll also be episode 73 of the Classic Horrors Club Podcast the second week of the month and a special video surprise coming up on Halloween! The greatest time of the year has finally arrived!
It’s incredibly hard to wrap my head around the fact that this blog, Monster Movie Kid, is now 10 years old! Well, the official anniversary date is October 2 but with that falling within the Countdown to Halloween 2022, I think it’s appropriate to celebrate today.
I launched this little blog a decade ago after writing two articles for the B-Movie Man website courtesy of Nic Brown from the B-Movie Cast podcast. I saw a few other people launching blogs and thought I’d give it a try. I started things off right with my first Countdown to Halloween as I posted every day for the month of October. The last decade has been full of life’s highs and lows. I lost my father and my beloved wife Geri in 2016. I also lost Vince Rotolo, the man who welcomed me into the B-Movie Cast family and really started this whole ball rolling. Some friends left my life but the door opened and welcomed new friends in. I met my brother from another mother Jeff Owens in the summer of 2016. We launched the Classic Horrors Club Podcast in January 2017 and finally attended Monster Bash together that same year. I launched another blog, Kansas City Cinephile, in 2017 and laid it to rest earlier this year. I was a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, published in a local monster magazine (The Basement Sublet of Horror), attended the local Freestate Comicon as a guest and I was invited to appear on several podcasts (B-Movie Cast, DieCast Movie Podcast, Monster Kid Radio, Nightmare Junkhead, House of Franklin-stein and Magazines and Monsters). I’ve also had a featured spot on two other podcasts (Dread Media and the Mihmiverse Monthly Audiocast). I’m probably missing something but I think you get the point. Monster Movie Kid has been busy since those humble beginnings a decade ago.
I’ve had some incredibly challenging and heartbreaking changes in the last 10 years and I wouldn’t have been able to survive them without all of you! I’ve always said that if even one person took the time to read a post, then this little blog was worth it and it truly has been one hell of a ride so far. Ten years later, I’ve welcomed a son-in-law into my life, a stepson who shares my love for Star Trek and models, and next year, I’m gaining a daughter-in-law. I’m also a grandpa now and absolutely loving it. And we have another grandchild arriving next year!
Most importantly, I need to recognize several people very close to my heart. My daughter Kayla was always my number one fan since day one. My son Joey and my late wife Geri would always brag about my accomplishments at just the right moments. For over six years now, Jeff has been my partner-in-crime and deserves all the credit for our podcast in which I joyfully participate. And I’ve been blessed for over five years now to have my wife Karla be a part of this journey. She’s a monster kid like me and healed my broken heart in ways I can’t even describe.
Thank you everyone for 10 amazing years and here’s to another 10…and more! Long live Monster Movie Kid!
I’ve always said that my dear friend Jeff Owens doesn’t promote himself enough. Yes, he has three blogs and, of course, he’s the mastermind behind the Classic Horrors Club Podcast. However, he’s also a published writer and he’s currently featured in two more books and now a magazine that’s ready to hit the racks. So, let’s check in to see what Jeff is currently up to.
The wonderful people at We Belong Dead magazine also publish books that are amazing collections of film reviews on highlighted topics. At over 400 pages, Spotlight on Science Fiction covers a plethora of classics and even some lesser known efforts with one of the coolest covers I’ve ever seen. This was released earlier this year but it’s still available and well worth adding to your personal library in either a soft cover or hardback edition. Jeff contributed chapters on Deluge (1933), I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958), A Fire in the Sky (1978), Back to the Future (1985) and Miracle Mile (1988).
In October, We Belong Dead will release their latest book, Chopped Meat – British Horror of the 1970s. It will be a film-by-film, year-by-year guide to the British horror movies of the sensational seventies. Once released, you’ll be able to read Jeff’s thoughts on seven classics, including The Bloody Judge (1970), Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), The Nightcomers (1971), The Creeping Flesh (1973), Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974), The Legacy (1978) and Saturn 3 (1980). It’s currently available for pre-order. in both soft cover and hardback editions.
Finally, the latest issue of Scary Monsters magazine is ready to hit the shelves and, if you’re like me, you may have already received it if you wisely subscribe for home delivery. If not, you can also order it online at their website. Issue 128 is all about horror hosts and Jeff shares his childhood memories on Count Gregore. He also offers up the details on a recent trip to California that coincided with the East Bay premiere of the new documentary Up Late with Bob Wilkins, another horror host legend.
Congratulations Jeff on these amazing accomplishments! The books and Scary Monsters all make for perfect Halloween season reading! Be sure to check them out and remember, tell ’em Monster Movie Kid sent ya!
This month, Jeff and I go on a vacation to the adult theme parks, Westworld and Futureworld. Learn a lot about the two movies of the same names from 1973 and 1976, respectively, as well as a little about the short lived TV series, Beyond Westworld, and the currently-running HBO series, Westworld. We offer you fantasy, sensuality and adventure, complete satisfaction guaranteed! Tune into episode 72 of the Classic Horrors Club podcast because boy, have we got a story for you!
Don’t forget to check out the video companion on our YouTube channel. Put images to the voices… if you dare!
Coming up next month, it’s the Halloween season and we’ll offer up a double dose of Poe’s The Raven. First, the 1935 version starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Then, the 1963 version with Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and, once again, Mr. Karloff!
As we conclude our Summer of Flash Gordon with the end of the original three chapter serials, you may find that you want to explore more adventures of Flash and his friends. So, here are a few options to keep you entertained as the days get shorter and the nights get cooler.
The 1954 television series
When Universal Pictures lost the production rights to Flash Gordon, former Universal executives Edward Gruskin and Matty Fox signed a new deal with King Features Syndicate to produce a new television series on the DuMont Television Network. It was filmed in West Berlin and Marseille as part of a joint German, French and United States production.
The story differs from the original comic strips as its set in the far future of 3203. Flash, Dale and Zarkov are agents of the Galactic Bureau of Investigation traveling space aboard their ship, the Sky Flash, and battling an assortment of villains with Ming the Merciless nowhere in sight. Steve Holland assumed the lead role of Flash with Irene Champlin as Dale and Joseph Nash as Zarkov. A total of 39 episodes were produced and aired from the fall of 1954 until the summer of 1955. While the show was popular at the time, most modern reviews find it disappointing due to the lack of Buster Crabbe and the now rather obvious poor production values. Fourteen episodes are currently available in the public domain to give you an example of what this series had to offer.
Flash Gordon’s Trip to the 80s
In 1980, producer Dino de Laurentis brought to life a rather polarizing new version of Flash Gordon. Sam J. Jones takes on the lead role and, to be fair, is not quite Buster Crabbe. However, despite his performance being almost ridiculed at the time, Sam has become a definite cult favorite as has the film. Sure, it’s campy and the special effects are questionable at times but so was the original. Max Von Sydow is truly great as Ming and Brian Blessed is so much fun as Prince Vultan. The rest of the cast does well in truly Saturday afternoon matinee fashion. And if don’t get excited when Queen’s theme song plays, I’m not sure this movie is for you. Go into it with a childlike fascination and immerse yourself in the moment and there’s no way you can’t have fun watching this cult classic.
Flash Conquers Animation
There have been several animated versions of Flash in the last four decades. The first was The New Adventures of Flash Gordon, which ran for 32 episodes on NBC television from 1979-1982. The first season would follow the more traditional storylines from the original comic strips in a serialized format. Unfortunately, changes were made in the second season with the inclusion of a pet dragon and more episodic stories. Robert Ridgley, better known for being the voice of Tarzan in the popular Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle series (1976-1980), played Flash with Alan Oppenheimer, the second Dr. Rudy Wells on The Six Million Dollar Man, playing both Dr. Zarkov and Ming the Merciless.
In 1982, Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All, was broadcast on NBC three years after being completed. It was originally made during the big Star Wars rush of copycat productions. However, it was never released as it was reworked into the NBC series. Various storylines were more adult in nature, including Ming providing weapons to Adolf Hitler, more revealing costumes and graphic creatures. Most critics view this as one of the more faithful adaptations.
In the fall of 1986, 65 episodes of Defenders of the Earth were produced for syndication. Flash teams up with other legendary heroes, such as The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, to battle Ming’s plans to conquer Earth after Mongo’s resources have been depleted. With the addition of the main characters children as sidekicks, this new adventure was well received at the time and is still fondly remembered.
Flash and the Terrors of Modern Television
In 1996, Alex aka “Flash” and Dale were seen as teenagers battling Ming in the short-lived syndicated series Flash Gordon. The more contemporary take didn’t quite go over well with long-time fans and the series was quickly forgotten, much like the somewhat similar modernized live action series that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel from August 2007 to February 2008. Eric Johnson starred as Steven aka “Flash” with Gina Holden as his ex-girlfriend Dale, now a TV reporter. This was an even more loosely adapted version and was not well-received at all. Most diehard Flash Gordon fans found it a disgrace, thus the reason is was so quickly cancelled.
Flash Faces the Future
There has been talk of a new feature film for years but nothing has ever truly reached even the pre-production phase. A 3D film announced in 2010 quickly dissolved and ever since 2014, numerous writers and directors have been mentioned as being interested in making a new movie but then quickly move on to new projects. Taika Waititi was writing and developing a new animated film as recently as 2019. As of July 2021, it appears it will now be a live-action film instead but beyond that, there has been nothing solidly announced.
For now, Flash Gordon appears to be in a dormant state without even a new comic book being produced. We all must anxiously wait for his return and enjoy the numerous radio, film and comic strips from the past. But Flash will return some day when the universe needs a hero or the evil Ming the Merciless rises from the ashes once again.
Monster Movie Kid 