Monogram Week 2006

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Monogram Week 2006; Feb. 11-18
Topic Started: Feb 1 2006, 11:59 AM (1,178 Views)
Laughing Gravy	Feb 1 2006, 11:59 AM Post #1
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,070 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	In The Balcony is proud to present the 55th Annual Monogram Week, Feb. 11-18, 2006. Monogram Pictures Corporation may have been firmly ensconced on Poverty Row, but if you ask movie buffs to name some of their favorite studios, you won’t find it missing from any but the snootiest lists. They employed Charlie Chan, Bomba the Jungle Boy, the East Side Kids, and the Bowery Boys, and provided hundreds (and hundreds) of entertaining B-movies throughout the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s. Recently, Leo B. Gorcey, Jr. published a (highly recommended) limited-edition reprint of his father’s autobiography. Right smack dab in the middle of it was the picture you see here, trumpeting MONOGRAM WEEK, 1951: “A Monogram Subject on EVERY SCREEN in the nation!” (That's Leo "Slip Mahoney" Gorcey on the left, with his agent and producer, Jan Grippo, no doubt cackling over how much money they were making, churning out a new Bowery Boys picture every three months.) "Ah, HA!" we said, up here In the Balcony (no doubt disturbing the people who were trying to watch the movie). "So THAT'S where the grand tradition began of celebrating a full week in February as MONOGRAM WEEK!" Yes, Balconeer Boys and Girls, and here we are, five and a half decades later, carrying on the tradition as proud sponsors of the 55th Annual Monogram Week. As always, the fun kicks off the second Saturday in February and lasts until the following Saturday. We're going to be watching (and reviewing) a different Monogram picture every day that week, and posting other articles, too. We've encouraged our friends and film suppliers to offer special deals to their customers on Monogram titles (more news on that forthcoming) as well. Oh, and we'll be giving away beautiful rare Monogram lobby card replicas, suitable for framing! Not only that, but we're contacting all the other movie sites we know and asking them to join in the festivities. Monogram Week comes but once a year -- let's all join in the festivities and make this the best darned Monogram Week ever! Watch this space for further news, tell all your friends about it, stock up on those Monogram DVDs, and keep in touch through our Message Board!



mort bakaprevski	Feb 1 2006, 12:24 PM Post #2
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,431 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	Gravy: Back in 39 thru 41, Monogram produced a series of eight films pairing Frankie Darro & Mantan Moreland. Unfortunately, only two of these are available on DVD ("Irish Luck" & "Up in the Air", both from Alpha). I recently was fortunate enough to pick up the latter at Tower Records. Frankie & Mantan had a real natural chemistry together & it's a shame this series has been virtually forgotten!! Attached to this post: Monogram__Small_.jpg (56.58 KB)
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


Mantan	Feb 1 2006, 08:24 PM Post #3
Unregistered	mort bakaprevski Feb 1 2006, 12:24 PM Gravy: Back in 39 thru 41, Monogram produced a series of eight films pairing Frankie Darro & Mantan Moreland. Unfortunately, only two of these are available on DVD ("Irish Luck" & "Up in the Air", both from Alpha). I recently was fortunate enough to pick up the latter at Tower Records. Frankie & Mantan had a real natural chemistry together & it's a shame this series has been virtually forgotten!! Oddly enough I'm a big Mantan Moreland fan myself and I agree with you regarding the chemistry between Frankie & Mantan. As I wrote Gravy earlier, I'm after ALL of the Mantan Moreland movies...especially COSMO JONES and the series with Frankie Darro & Keye Luke you've cited. Alpha Video also has a dvd out of THE GANG'S ALL HERE with Frankie, Mantan, and Keye Luke. Nice image and the flick is just great stuff -the Poverty Row equivalent of 1957's HELL DRIVERS ...the Sean Connery/Patrick McGoohan/Stanley Baker Brit-produced truck driver opus.
Unregistered


Inspector Carr	Feb 2 2006, 09:44 AM Post #4
Charter Member Posts: 2,787 Group: Members Member #48 Joined: September 14, 2005	and when attending any of the mongram films at home screenings or your local grindhouse don't forget to pack this handy little reference guide http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?isbn=0-7864-0750-6
	"Reality is for people who can't handle alcohol"


Don Diego	Feb 2 2006, 03:13 PM Post #5
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 12,034 Group: Members Member #18 Joined: September 4, 2005	I too am a big fan of Mantan. His presence saved many a Monogram picture. He turned them from grade Z to an enjoyable B



Inspector Duff	Feb 2 2006, 07:34 PM Post #6
Charter Member Posts: 95 Group: Members Member #39 Joined: September 7, 2005	Mantan, you'll be happy to hear (and Gravy will cringe when he hears) that there are rumors that Warners will be releasing the latter day Monogram Charlie Chans at some point. Moreland saved most of those pictures even when some weren't worth saving.



Mantan	Feb 2 2006, 08:16 PM Post #7
Unregistered	Inspector Duff Feb 2 2006, 07:34 PM Mantan, you'll be happy to hear (and Gravy will cringe when he hears) that there are rumors that Warners will be releasing the latter day Monogram Charlie Chans at some point. Moreland saved most of those pictures even when some weren't worth saving. Great news! I assume by the latter day Monogram Chans you mean the ones with Roland Winters. Mantan was supposedly allowed to do entire bits from his old burlesque & vaudeville days in order to pad out the later Monograms. Apologies for veering off topic but it would be a cause for celebration if Fox would release all the Chans including the silent stuff, the Olands, & the Toler films. Who owns these things and why are they witholding them from fans? I'm not getting any younger faster everyday -I'd like to see some of my life long favorite films come out on dvd.
Unregistered


Laughing Gravy	Feb 2 2006, 08:32 PM Post #8
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,070 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	Oh, it takes more than THAT to make me cringe. Usually. Fox produced the films Warner Oland films (1931-1938); following Oland's death, Sidney Toler stepped in and carried on through 1942, when the series ended. Two years later, it was revived -- but not by Fox; the series was continued by Monogram, with Toler, and here comes Mantan as Birmingham Brown. Toler died in 1947 and was replaced by Roland Winters for the last six films in the series, which ended in 1949. All of the Monograms are owned by Warners, which has released the first six Monograms (1944-1945) on DVD and may be issuing more. I don't think the Winters are atop the list, though.



Laughing Gravy	Feb 2 2006, 08:35 PM Post #9
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,070 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	By the way, I've already heard back from two DVD suppliers who have promised special prices/deals on Monogram films for Monogram Week! Watch In The Balcony for further details! Lordy, this is fun.



greenhornet1	Feb 3 2006, 01:50 PM Post #10
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 46 Group: Members Member #53 Joined: September 16, 2005	Slightly off topic, but don't miss the incomparable Mantan Moreland in THE MYSTERY OF THE RIVERBOAT. This is admittedly not a great or even a particularly good serial, but Mantan actually plays the sidekick role and is genuinely heroic if in a comic manner. OK, we all know Monogram never made a serial, but if it had, this would be it, although Kane Richmond would be the hero and would do a much better job than Robert Lowery. But Mantan is superb, in a role unique in all of serialdom, not to be missed.



Inspector Duff	Feb 3 2006, 06:55 PM Post #11
Charter Member Posts: 95 Group: Members Member #39 Joined: September 7, 2005	Mantan Feb 2 2006, 08:16 PM Inspector Duff Feb 2 2006, 07:34 PM Mantan, you'll be happy to hear (and Gravy will cringe when he hears) that there are rumors that Warners will be releasing the latter day Monogram Charlie Chans at some point. Moreland saved most of those pictures even when some weren't worth saving. Great news! I assume by the latter day Monogram Chans you mean the ones with Roland Winters. Mantan was supposedly allowed to do entire bits from his old burlesque & vaudeville days in order to pad out the later Monograms. Apologies for veering off topic but it would be a cause for celebration if Fox would release all the Chans including the silent stuff, the Olands, & the Toler films. Who owns these things and why are they witholding them from fans? I'm not getting any younger faster everyday -I'd like to see some of my life long favorite films come out on dvd. Actually Warners owns the last 5 Tolers and all the Winters. MGM (not Warners) issued the Chanthology as they own the first 6. The date that's been floating about for these potential releases is 2007, possibly to tie into the Lucy Lui remake. The silent Chans are lost as are some of the early Oland films. Fox is going to be releasing the Olands/Tolers starting this summer. Going back on topic....how do Balconeers rank the East Side Kids vs the Bowery Boys? It's been awhile since I've seen a BB flick, but I remember them being unmitigated silliness. I got reacquainted with the ESK when TCM ran some of them a year or so ago and found myself really enjoying them. It'll probably never happen, but it would be nice if whoever had the original negatives would release a collection of uncut ESK movies in better quality than the Alphas I have. The TCM showings were all surprisingly good prints. Another Monogram question....how did so many get to be PD while others stay copyrighted by Allied Artists and then Warners?



Laughing Gravy	Feb 3 2006, 10:02 PM Post #12
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,070 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	Whoops, you're right on MGM releasing those Chans... I must've slept through the credits! L The East Side Kids are more drama than comedy, for the most part... oh, there's plenty of funny stuff, but most of 'em seem to be closer to the Dead End Kids type film than the Bowery Boys type film. All I can tell you about your last question is that all the East Side Kids' films through early 1944 seem to be in the public domain, and those afterwards are not.



Dave M	Feb 4 2006, 08:12 AM Post #13
Unregistered	Did Momogram only have one opening logo, the revolving gong within the circle of stars? It's the only one I can recall seeing and that was mostly because of some of the restoration work that was done by people like the Roan Group. Usually, most of those old PD pictures had their opening logos trimmed off. -Dave M-
Unregistered


mort bakaprevski	Feb 4 2006, 08:57 AM Post #14
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,431 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	I have a hazy memory of another (don't remember the time period). It was a futuristic city & the words "A Monogram Picture" (or something like that) would enter stage right as if they were on a freeway. Don't remember many productions with this device, however!!
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


Guest	Feb 4 2006, 03:44 PM Post #15
Unregistered	Quote: It was a futuristic city & the words "A Monogram Picture" (or something like that) would enter stage right as if they were on a freeway That seems awfully familiar to me, too, Mort. So it must be true.
Unregistered


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