Countdown to Halloween - Week 4!

Here we go, saving some of the best for last! By the way, having a Halloween party and need even MORE last-minute supplies? We got you covered:

FRIGHT NIGHT (Gemstone, 1999)

This sound-effects disc actually has no front cover art!

FRIGHTMARE HALLOWEEN PARTY HITS (TUTM)

HALLOWEEN PARTY MUSIC (Drew's)

A STORY OF DRACULA THE WOLFMAN AND FRANKENSTEIN (Power Records, 1975)

Oh MAN oh MAN oh MAAAAN! What a gem this one is...firstly, all Power Records stuff is amazing, and usually super-fun, but this one is a psychotronic insane nightmare you won't believe! It's not three stories, but one long one which weaves in everything promised on the cover...well, sort of! All that AND Neal Adams art! If anyone ever asks you what made 70's kids great and shaped our lives, it's because we were given stuff like this, and nobody thought twice about it!

Happy Halloween!

LINK: Countdown to Halloween Week 4!

Countdown to Halloween - Week 3!

 It won't be long now--here is our next to last bundle of goodness for this season:

KIDS' HALLOWEEN PARTY (Twin Sisters)

MONSTER ROCK'N ROLL SHOW (DCC)

This one is amazing, and even more amazingly, I found my excellent copy several years ago in a Goodwill of all things. Who would get rid of this? It has the freaking GREEN SLIME theme on it, for goodness' sake!

THRILLER/CHILLER SOUND EFFECTS (Fun World)

Woah! This is one of those cassette tapes that used to come on a cardboard backing--with no case--in drug stores. Very rare, and....the same on both sides.

LINK: Countdown to Halloween 2023, Week 3!

GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS Vintage Newspaper Ads (1956)

 

Here are two local newspaper ads for KING OF THE MONSTERS, both from the same city.  This first one is important because it gives us the date:  September 26, 1956 (and the ad tells us it's the very end of the run for this film).  Below that, an orphaned snippet of an article where you can tell that a guy got in trouble for owning and using a police siren.  You mean going around sounding off and pretending to be a police car is frowned upon?

Next, it's "American Legion Party Night" that teases: 

?A BIG CHANGE?

But the smart people that night were at the Sky Vue (which was a DRIVE-IN, how cool is that?), seeing this movie.  There's good news and bad:  first, the good--two color cartoons are guaranteed!  Takes the edge offa the death and destruction a bit.  Now, the bad--it's a double feature! It's another abominable snowman movie, but.....it's just a Jerry Warren film.  Too bad.

Now, the smaller of the two ads, from the MALCO theatre.  You'll note the snow on the theatre logo; this denoted the theatre was equipped with AIR CONDITIONING, which was used as a draw to pull people away from their television sets.  Good grief though, who would've wanted to miss KING OF THE MONSTERS? I'd have been there a few times a week.

And now to the real head-scratcher.  Take a look at the text added to this piece.  It's a dumpster fire of elbow typing.  We've looked at lots of ad slicks that were already available for this movie, and yet somebody decided to hand type this mess.  It's just baffling!  "A monstrous seat beast" is my favorite part.  

I'd of course watch that movie, too.

Countdown to Halloween - Week 2!

 Week 2 already? Actually, we are running late, but it will all work out.  Here's what is in store today:

Kenyon Hopkins - Nightmare! (1962)

This is a hard record to find, but it was worth the long search, because it's full of delightful dark humor, which then was maybe only found in the early EC Comics and MAD. Don't write it off as merely bachelor pad stuff with a great cover, because it's much more than that!

    Halloween Hits (Rhino) 

Fun, yet short, compilation!

Sounds of Halloween (PC Treasures)

And finally, here's this week's sound effects.  These things are found literally everywhere.  It's amazing how many there must be.

Enjoy, and don't forget that previous weeks' bounties are still available too (until the day that I finally run out of storage space)! 

LINK:   Spooky Month Countdown, Week 2!

Countdown To Halloween - Week 1 !

Somehow, we haven't run out of stuff yet, and still have enough to do another entire year of weekly packs of Halloween fun! Here is what's included in our first week for 2023:

57 Haunts of Halloween

Famous Ghost Stories! (This is our vintage offering for this lot!)

The Haunted House CD

Enjoy and stay tuned, and the month slowly gets spookier.  Also, previous years packs are still available, so search the previous posts for crap-tons more of Halloween fun!

LINK:  Spooky Month (Week 1)

Mini Monster Play Case (Remco, 1980)

 

Let's wrap up our look at the Remco Universal Mini Monsters line with the playset that they made, of which the full title is: "Universal City Studio's Mini Monster Play Case" with the subtitle of "No. 879."

You've probably noticed that throughout this line, it's spelled out fully that the monsters belong to "Universal City Studio," as it was then known, rather than just "Universal." If you went there that year and took the famous Studio Tour, you would have had the opportunity to attend a stage show called "Castle Dracula" (this post has a mug from the attraction, which we looked at years ago).  This stage show portrayed all of the monsters hanging out together in Dracula's castle, in an attempt to bring several of the classic monsters together...sort of like what Universal was trying to do with HOUSE OF DRACULA, right as the Golden Age of Horror movies unfortunately came to an end. 

Page from Universal Studio Tour souvenir book

This playset depicts a "monster mansion" instead of Dracula's castle, but the idea was still there that birds of a feather would flock together.

Also, let's expose the dirty secret of this item right here and now:  this is a terrible carrying case, but a super-cool playset.  

With that in mind, here are the features of the playset (by the way, the "Glow-In-The-Dark Features" mentioned on the front are merely a few small stickers that can be added by the owner):

1) Opening door (this feature isn't as cool as you'd think, because it compromises the "carrying case" ability further, as things can fall out.  Also, it really doesn't add much play value...perhaps if it was a better made, plastic door that shut properly.  Also, its weird position created the need for a literal bridge that is included in the punch-out cardstock accessories.

2) Cage (for the Creature From The Black Lagoon).  This is a cardstock grill that encloses a pit in the body of the playset.  Like your dog, the Creature has to get into his crate every night to sleep.

3) Laboratory Table - This is another cardstock item that rotates, with a plastic straw for an axle.  When flipped over, it reveals that it's actually the table for Frankenstein's Monster! Unfortunately, this is accomplished with a rubber band (which over time, deteriorates, no matter what you do).

4) Sarcophagus for The Mummy - Like the Creature's cage, this covers a recessed area  where the Mummy sleeps.

So where do the other three figures go, for transporting? A glaring omission, of course, is a coffin for Dracula, but this still leaves two others.  There is a weird-shaped channel in the floor, which allows necessary room for figures stand (and sit), and you can try to cram them there, but it really doesn't work.

All in all, though, this playset is awesome. It has vintage charm and style in its design, and makes a great display piece.  The materials used are a bit on the cheap side, the argument there being that it was made to be played with, and not saved for decades as a collectible...which is true, of course, but the collector has to be sure of what they are getting, as the plastic-covered cardboard tends to shrink and warp over time, and of course the black molded plastic is rather thin and prone to damage.  And then there are the cardstock accessories. By the way, here are the cards they are punched out of:

The Universal Mini Monsters Line (Remco, 1980)

 

1980 was the center of the Golden Age for four-inch (excuse me; 3 & 3/4") action figures, and in the following three years it would expand even more.  Star Wars dominated (and that word is an  incredible understatement--the sales wrap circles around any feeble, modern numbers) the market, but that year, a tiny action figure line was added by a smaller company with very little fanfare.  It can be argued what the exact title of this line really was:  the figure backing cards call them "Universal Film Monsters" as well as "Universal's Famous Mini Monsters Collection" on the same card.  Their sole playset is labeled as belonging to "Universal City Studio's Mini Monster(s)."  Whatever you call them, you can see that their manufacturer, Remco, was pretty insistent to get the "Mini" into the name.  This was because they had launched another line the year before called "Official Universal Movie Monsters," which were 9-inch figures very similar to what Mego produced (we looked at these in depth earlier this year, which you can read and see here). So why not produce Universal monsters the size of Adventure People or Star Wars figures? As it turns out, it was a great idea!

Here is a look at all six action figures (using their titles as they are presented on the back of the backing cards):

1) Count Dracula - Right away, you can see the Star Wars influence from the vinyl cape.  HOWEVER, this cape is a different color on the inside (Remco also worked in some textures to their capes), so eat that, Kenner!  There's a lot of Lugosi here without being full-on Lugosi (I don't think that was worked out yet), and the open palms were a very interesting and unusual touch for an action figure.  He has some great details on the torso.  Like Kenner's Imperial Dignitary, this figure commonly suffers from nose dings (it's all that neck-biting that does it). 

2) The Wolfman - Clap for the Wolfman! [Say, isn't Wolfman supposed to be two words (hint: it is on the movie title)? Maybe this is supposed to be Marv Wolfman.]  Anyway, this is one of the most unique figures in the group--at first he's just brown-on-brown, but when you pick him up and really look at him closely, he's awesome.  It was a brave decision to depict him as toe-walking (in fact, if you look closely at the back view, it meant they had to accommodate the figure's peg-holes, giving him a bit of a high-heel look).  I want somebody to tell me that they put this figure in their Cantina playset, because I know somebody did.

3) The Mummy - Another stellar, extraordinary figure, because it's not just a guy in a coat and pants, but sculpted all the way around! This figure has lots of menace, and is just asking for his arms to be outstretched, as he shuffles along towards his victim.  Another cool feature was that Karloff was depicted on the front of the card!

4) The Frankenstein Monster - And speaking of Karloff...Sure, Remco should know enough to not just call him "Frankenstein." (The front of the card cleverly says FRANKENSTEIN in a huge font, and "Monster" in fine print.) There are no duds in this line, but I find this figure completely mediocre.  He's servicable, he's passable, but just doesn't have the oomph, the character in the sculpt that the others have had that we've seen.  He's crucial to the collection, of course, just not my personal favorite.  I think what would've elevated this figure was a possible Bride, or even mad doctor, if a second series had happened.  

5) The Phantom Of The Opera - Most kids' least favorite figure in the line (in the aforementioned 9-inch line, this character was a late add, and was unpopular there too--because of this, he's quite expensive today, so think about the outcomes of your choices, kids!).  It doesn't help this figure any that his arms AND legs are cribbed from the Dracula figure. Like Frankenstein's Monster, he's not terrible (his face is actually quite accurate).  At least Lon Chaney is shown on the backing card.  These are Universal Monsters after all, and not "Ernie's Discount Monsters."

6) The Creature From The Black Lagoon - [see Dave Edmunds song of the same title, which is now playing in my head]  My goodness, this figure is AMAZING! The sculpting is detailed, and completely captures the real thing (yes, I said real thing; we do that here).  In the chronology of Universal Monsters, he's a late-comer, a whippersnapper from the 1950's, but his memorable design earned him a spot in the Monster Hall of Fame.  I would've put him in my Cantina, too.

I mentioned peg-holes above, and it's another design cue that these figures took from Kenner.  However, the Remco ones are actually quite a bit smaller, and you may have some trouble with most stands (unless you sand them down that is).

I don't know how successful the Mini Monsters were for Remco, overall.  Instead of issuing a second series (I would've loved the Bride of Frankenstein, Igor and Victor Frankenstein/Generic Mad Doctor, or even other 50's delights like the Mole People or the Metaluna Mutant [come to think of it, Super7 has made some of these...]).  The following year the entire line was remade as GLOW-IN-THE-DARK figures, which is a very cool feature, but meant that most of the figures look paler in their paint jobs, and just not as good as this first go around. (In fact, they even made a 3.75-inch scale version of The Monsterizer to power up the glow figures!)

But, this has run long, and we haven't even looked at the line's one playset yet! We will get caught up next time!