A gang of criminals, which includes a piano player and an imposing former convict known as 'Gruesome', has found out about a scientist's secret formula for a gas that temporarily paralyzes anyone who breathes it. When Gruesome accidentally inhales some of the gas and passes out, the police think he is dead and take him to the morgue, where he later revives and escapes. This puzzling incident attracts the interest of Dick Tracy, and when the criminals later use the gas to rob a bank, Tracy realizes that he must devote his entire attention to stopping them. Starring Boris Karloff, Ralph Byrd, and Anne Gwynne. Karloff is great as Gruesome. The comic strip come to life!
On a scientific expedition to Siam young Billy Batson is given the ability to change himself into the super-powered Captain Marvel by the wizard Shazam, who tells him his powers will last only as long as the Golden Scorpion idol is threatened. Finding the idol, the scientists realize it could be the most powerful weapon in the world and remove the lenses that energize it, distributing them among themselves so that no one would be able to use the idol by himself. Back in the US, Billy Batson, as Captain Marvel, wages a battle against an evil, hooded figure, the Scorpion, who hopes to accumulate all five lenses, thereby gaining control of the super-powerful weapon. Captain Marvel's is granted his powers by 6 patron deities, whose name spells his catch-phrase “Shazam.” The deities are Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury. With Tom Tyler as Captain Marvel, Frank Coghlan Jr. as Billy Batson, plus William 'Billy' Benedict, Louise Currie, and Robert Strange.
Young David Worth and Joan Lawrence are children with a group of explorers that are seeking African radium deposits. They are playing in the basket of the party’s air balloon when the bag takes off with Joan aboard, last seen sailing over the back-lot jungle. A flash forward of about 18 years finds that the now-adult David Worth has returned to Africa to search for his long-lost childhood friend. Unknown to David, she was discovered by an African tribe and became their queen. He hits the trail and is quickly captured by jungle tribesmen. Starring Mary Kornman, Marilyn Spinner, and Reed Howes. A lost retro-jungle girl serial from the 30s!
Mesa of Lost Women-1953. A mad scientist named Arana is creating giant spiders and dwarfs in his lab on Zarpa Mesa in Mexico. He wants to create a master race of superwomen by injecting his female subjects with spider venom. Starring Jackie Coogan, Allan Nixon, and Richard Travis. One of those “so bad, its good” Mexican monster movies. Stay away from this mesa!
The new science teacher Dr. Julian Olcott, with a mysterious past, arrives in an institutional boarding school for female troublemakers. That night intern Mary Smith, who is blackmailing another teacher —Sir Alfred Whiteman—with some love letters, is slaughtered. The detective in charge of the investigation attributes the crime to a animal, while her mate Priscilla believes she was killed by Sir Alfred. Over the next few days, other deaths happen at the school, reducing the list of suspects. Starring Barbara Lass, Carl Schell, and Curt Lowens. This is every teacher’s nightmare! A campy monster movie from the early 60s!
Kane Richmond plays Alan Armstrong—a masked super-hero. He just happens to have an identical twin brother, Jack, who THINKS Alan was killed in a plane crash. However, it turns out the crash was staged--in order to allow Spy Smasher to work undercover to destroy the Axis menace--and Nazi spies in particular. This film finds Alan investigating a Nazi counterfeiting ring run by “The Mask.'” Starring Kane Richmond, Marguerite Chapman, and Sam Flint. The film version of the 1942 serial!
Atomic scientist/pilot Doug Martin is missing after his plane crashes on an reconnaissance mission after a nuclear test. Miraculously appearing unhurt at the base later, he is given a truth serum, but authorities are skeptical of his story that he was captured by aliens determined to conquer the Earth with giant monsters and insects. Martin vows to use existing technology to destroy them. Starring Peter Graves, James Seay, and Steve Pendleton. The classic flying saucer movie of the 50s with the star of Mission Impossible!
Charles Kessler (Bela Lugosi) is plagued by homicidal urges. His wife (Betty Compson), who had left him for another man, gets into a car accident that leaves her brain damaged and is kept in a cellar in secret, by Kessler's gardener. When an innocent man is executed for a murder Kessler committed in the house, his twin brother visits and tries to unravel the mystery. He discovers that Kessler is the killer and doesn't know it. His brother subdues him and contacts the police, who arrest Kessler.
On the day of Alice Wentworth's wedding, mad scientist Dr. Lorenz sends the young bride an unusual orchid, the scent of which places the young woman in a state of suspended animation resembling death. He then spirits her body away to the basement laboratory of his isolated mansion and extracts glandular fluid from behind her ears to inject into his vain and aged wife in order to renew her youth and beauty. This is only the latest in a series of brides who appear to die at the altar and whose corpses subsequently vanish en route to the hospital or mortuary, and the police are thoroughly baffled. Starring Bela Lugosi, Luana Walters and Tristram Coffin.
Dr. Carruthers feels bitter at being betrayed by his employers, Heath and Morton, when they became rich as a result of a product he devised. He gains revenge by electrically enlarging bats and sending them out to kill his employers' family members by instilling in the bats a hatred for a particular perfume he has discovered, which he gets his victims to apply before going outdoors. Starring Bela Lugosi, Suzanne Kaaren, and Dave O'Brien. Maybe the Devil Bat is really a Chupacabra!
Kindly soup kitchen operator and professor of criminology Karl Wagner uses his soup kitchen as a front for a criminal gang who commit a series of daring robberies and murders. When things get out of hand, Wagner kills his henchmen, who wind up as zombies in the cellar of the soup kitchen. Starring Bela Lugosi, John Archer, and Wanda McKay. A strange retro-zombie-thriller!
Entertainers Mitchell and Petrillo (Martin & Lewis clones) parachute into the jungles of the Pacific island of Cola-Cola, where they meet primitive tribesmen, the chief's sarong-clad daughter Nona, and a mad scientist named Dr. Zabor who is conducting experiments in evolution. Seeing Duke as a threat, a jealous Dr. Zabor plans to literally make a monkey out of Duke, for he too loves Nona. Sammy tries to help his pal, with unexpected results. Starring Bela Lugosi, Duke Mitchell, Sammy Petrillo and Charlita. A goofy gorilla-bigfoot movie from the 50s!
The mad scientist Dr. Cameron has succeeded in his experiments with a serum that will turn a man into a wolf-like monster, and is ready to avenge himself on the men who caused his professional failure. He uses it on his gardener Petro and one after the other is killed by his creation. His daughter, Lenora, grows suspicious and confides with newspaper reporter Tom Gregory. Starring Johnny Downs, George Zucco, and Anne Nagel. Is it a man-made bigfoot? A great retro-horror movie from the 40s!
Animal tracker Ivan Marx opens by mentioning the film is the culmination of 10 years of research. He says that the Eskimos called the creature "bushman," the Colville Indians "Sasquatch," and the Hoopa "Om-mah," but is most commonly known as Bigfoot. A notorious movie on Bigfoot from the 70s that has to be seen to be believed!
A military intelligence officer and a pretty reporter try to find a mad scientist (Bela Lugosi) whose inventions can destroy the world. First use of a crazed robot used in the movies. Yow!
During World War II a secret society of American industrialists, all fifth-columnists intent on sabotaging the war effort, are methodically murdered by the malevolent Monsieur Colomb (Bela Lugosi). It is only until detective Dick Martin is assigned to the case that everyone's true motives and identities are revealed. When occult societies battled for the control of the world, the Green Dragon Society, of which the Nazi occultist Karl Haushofer was a member, was said to represent secret societies in the Far East including China and Japan. One of few movies about secret societies, such as the SS and the Green Dragon Society in World War Two.
Agent Mala, an intelligence operative, investigates sabotage on remote Clipper Island in the South Pacific. A gang of spies causes the eruption of a volcano, for which Mala is blamed. He convinces the native Princess Melani of his innocence and helps her ward off a takeover by rival High Priest and spy collaborator Porotu and discover the identity of spy ringleader H.K. A great retro-serial set on a mysterious island in the South Pacific. Starring Ray Mala as Mala, operative of the United States Intelligence Department undercover as a Pacific Dirigible Airlines radio operator. Also starring Rex the Wonder Horse and Buck the Dog.
THE UNDERSEA KINGDOM: THE MOVIE. This great 1936 serial, now an edited and digitally enhanced movie, is the story of Ray “Crash” Corrigan, Athlete and Navy Lieutenant, who joins Professor Norton in a Rocket Submarine to inspect an enigmatic location beneath the Atlantic Ocean. Following a suspicious earthquake, and detecting a series of signals, Professor Norton leads an expedition, including Crash and reporter Diana Compton, three sailors (Briny Deep, Salty, Joe) and their pet parrot Sinbad. Unknown to the expedition until it is underway and in trouble, Billy has stowed away on the Rocket Sub as well. Finding a lost kingdom they become embroiled in an Atlantean civil war between Sharad (with his White Robes) and the usurper Unga Khan (with his Black Robes) who wishes to conquer Atlantis and then destroy the upper world with earthquakes generated by his Disintegrator. Thus he will rule the world—unless he can be stopped in time! Great 30s Tesla death rays and other weird Atlantean technology. The original movie about Atlantis! Plus period trailers.
The Shadow vs International Crime (1937) stars Rod LaRoque as The Shadow., a man with mysterious powers that he acquired in Tibet. In the radio drama, which debuted in 1937, The Shadow was an invisible avenger who had learned, while "traveling through the Orient," "the mysterious power to cloud men's minds, so they could not see him." This feature of the character was born out of necessity: time constraints of 1930s radio made it difficult to explain to listeners where The Shadow was hiding and how he was remaining concealed. Thus, the character was given the power to escape human sight. Voice effects were added to suggest The Shadow's seeming omnipresence. To explain this power, The Shadow was described as a master of hypnotism, as explicitly stated in several radio episodes.
The Shadow Strikes (1937) stars Rod LaRoque as The Shadow., a man with mysterious powers that he acquired in Tibet. In the radio drama, which debuted in 1937, The Shadow was an invisible avenger who had learned, while "traveling through the Orient," "the mysterious power to cloud men's minds, so they could not see him." This feature of the character was born out of necessity: time constraints of 1930s radio made it difficult to explain to listeners where The Shadow was hiding and how he was remaining concealed. Thus, the character was given the power to escape human sight. Voice effects were added to suggest The Shadow's seeming omnipresence. To explain this power, The Shadow was described as a master of hypnotism, as explicitly stated in several radio episodes.
