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Halloweeners 2012
Topic Started: Nov 1 2012, 08:33 AM (529 Views)
Laughing Gravy
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So, last night, while I passed out treats to the adorable little trick or treaters, several of whom were bigger than I am, I decided to have a bit o' Halloween fun courtesy of my extensive DVD collection. So, for those of you who don't follow me on Twitter, here's a look at the evening.

First up was Betty Boop's Hallowe'en Party, 1933. Betty and her scarecrow have a party for all the wild animals, who sing and dance and bob their heads up and down when they talk. A gorilla crashes the party, but it works out in the end, thankfully. I love Betty.

After that, I watched the second Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoon, There's Good Boos Tonight, 1948. A cow saw Casper and got SO frightened she (get this) JUMPED OVER THE MOON! Nice job, Seymour Keitel. A little fox isn't a-scared of Casper, and becomes the ghost's pet, but - HOLY SHIT! Hounds KILL the fox. REALLY kill him. Dead! But then his GHOST comes out of his little grave and he and Casper become REAL pals. This is the most depressing cartoon EVER.

Next up, Laurel & Hardy in The Live Ghost, 1934! OOOH! Here's ANOTHER nice mess... If I could go back in time to make a film in the 1930s, I'd write a role for Arthur Housman first thing.

Stan: "I heard the ocean's infatuated with sharks." Ollie: "He means infuriated."

I'm sticking with Hal Roach's Lot of Fun. On to the Little Rascals (or Our Gang if you prefer) in Spooky Hooky, 1936! Man, do I love these kids. Funny stuff. "Otay, 'panky!"

After cartoons and short subjects, let's go to TVLand... and Halloween with the Addams Family! *snap snap* An hilarious Halloween episode with guest star Don Rickles. I forgot how funny this show is. Wednesday to Papa Gomez: "Nice knife! Can I play autopsy with it?"

Continuing Halloween Fest-O-Rama with The Munsters! I never really cared for this show, especially compared with the Addamses. But whatever. In this one, Herman's on a diet and goes berserk. I have to admit, Fred Gwynne would've made an acceptable Frankenstein Monster in a Universal film of the 1940s. But I didn't laugh once in the entire episode.

During this show, I got my first trick-or-treaters! A soldier, a princess, and a fairy. The fairy was roughly five foot 10. Then I went on to a first-season episode of Bewitched. Darren's client wants him to do a Halloween campaign to sell his candy by using ugly witches with long noses and big warts. Darren refuses, and Samantha and her sister witches (including Aunt Harriet from Batman and Reta Shaw from everything else) teach the guy a lesson. Funny stuff, and the guy is Shelley Berman, always funny.

Madge Blake: "We should TELL them we're witches. Then they'll see what nice people we really are." Reta Shaw suggests they'd better get fire insurance first. I giggle.

Another trick or treater, roughly 13 in no costume. "I couldn't afford a costume," she said. Uh-huh. She got 1 Dum Dum, and lucky to get it.

More trick or treaters! First, a group of three, including another full-grown adult with no costume. "I'm going as myself." Snot. I should've withheld her Dum Dum. Next year, I'm going to have ketchup packets for these "big kids". Then three ADORABLE little kids and ONE cuter than cute MOM! So there IS that.

The Monkees' episode, "Monstrous Monkees Mash!" as Halloween fun continues! This episode of The Monkees features a special guest appearance by the Lugosi Dracula Don Post Studios mask. Ah, such memories! Micky to werewolf: "You need to get a haircut! They won't let you in Disneyland!"

Okay, this is ridiculous. One of the last group of trick or treaters was, I swear, at least 20. She had her WORK ID still pinned to her! WTF

OOOH! The Monkees are singin' "Goin' Down'", one of my favorites!

Okay, into the FIFTH HOUR of our Halloween marathon! Bugs Bunny vs. Witch Hazel in Bewitched Bunny! Wicked witch on broom, to audience: "Notice how I ride side-saddle. That proves I'm a lady."

Time for a feature... How about the 1959 French horror classic Les Yeux sans Visage ("Eyes without a Face")?

I know this is a horror movie, but the cinematography is so beautiful I want to go live in it.It's a dark and stormy night here in Sacramento, and Eyes Without a Face is undeniably CREEPY and a SHOCKER! What happens at the end of this movie is EXACTLY what the mad doctor deserved, which makes it no less unpleasant. Yikes! A wonderful film.

Eyes Without a Face was released in the US as Horror Chamber of Dr Faustus in '62, paired with The Manster, the film I'm gonna watch now! Eyes Without a Face was macabre and beautiful and chilling; The Manster's lurid. Enjoying them both, though! The Manster is dark and stupid but a lot of fun. Two very good movies. A fine double-feature, and I'd never seen either of them before.

Thus endeth my 8-hour Halloweenies marathon of vintage cartoons, shorts, TV shows and movies. What great fun. Let's do it again next year!
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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MovieMan
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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I have the tradition of watching a Halloween film each Halloween. Seeing the original one on the TV years ago made me thnk to keep the tradition going. One year, I think the BBC forgot to screen one. Never mind though, I just reach for that case....

This year, I popped on the Halloween remake with Malcolm McDowell playing Loomis, and Valentine.
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CliffClaven
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I went with "Pearl of Death" and somehow drowsed off during "The Scarlet Claw" (I live in a nice neighborhood, but the kids to focus on the nicer enclave a few blocks over).

Toyed with finally checking out "Island of Lost Souls," but that seems like one where a knock on the door might be too rattling.
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Chandu
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Champeen of Justice and Seeker of Knowledge, but rascal at heart!
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I watched the TrailBlazers open their NBA season by whupping the Lakers on TV. I live rurally enough that I don't get any trick or treaters.
Not plane, nor bird, nor even frog. It's just little ol' me...
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Fantomas
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This seems fitting.

The Rules for Halloween
"For life is short, but death is long."
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panzer the great & terrible
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Mouth Breather
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Little three-year old came to the door in a bug costume her Mama made. She was silent, frozen with fear. "Can you say trick or treat?" I asked. "Yes," she answered. After a moment's thought, I said, "WILL you say trick or treat?" And she said "Yes." So I said, "NOW say trick or treat," and she whispered, "Twick aw Tweet." She got lots of candy.
Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious...
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