Famous Monsters #64 - DESTROY ALL MONSTERS article (1970)

Here is a very fun article about DESTROY ALL MONSTERS from Famous Monsters #64 (April 1970), which I've scanned for your enjoyment.

Godzilla Lobby Cards (part four) and More!

I'm continuing my adventures through lots of cool magazines, but before we look at a few classic Godzilla articles from Famous Monsters, here are three amazing vintage lobby cards I recently acquired, and a couple of other oddities:

Godzilla meets Angilas for the first time (as enemies!) in my second lobby card from GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER (the U.S. version of GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN)

I was lucky enough to get a lobby card for FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD featuring monster action, but somebody colored poor Baragon rather greenish here!

It's not a Toho classic, but the American film THE LAND UNKNOWN still offers some great dinosaur action just the same.

Two different models of speakers from vintage (and now long-gone) drive-in theaters! These are going straight into The Sphinx's Museum of Antiquated Technology (M.A.T.)! Well, it's actually my garage.

As we segue back into cool items from vintage magazines, here is an ad from a very different time: 1980! Let the sad irony wash over you for a moment.

Vintage Cool Items - Continued

More assorted coolness from piles of old awesome media I recently inherited:

Original newpaper clipping for GODZILLA 1985

The cover to FANTASTIC FILMS #24 (June 1981) announcing the debut of the famous STAR WARS Radio Drama

Here's something interesting I hadn't run into before:  Bill Stout artwork, and the caption says it was to be used as the cover for the forthcoming EMPIRE STRIKES BACK soundtrack LP, which certainly didn't happen, at least not in the United States.  From the layout, it looks more like gatefold artwork, but who knows. (from FANTASTIC FILMS #18, September 1980)

Page 1 of two-page spread advertising vintage Kenner Star Wars figures, with very entertaining descriptions (from FAMOUS MONSTERS #166, August 1980)

Page 2 of the same!

Cool Items From Vintage Magazines!

You can tell I've been going through old magazines lately.  I picked up a load of vintage STARLOG, FAMOUS MONSTERS, and things I'd never heard of (like one called FUTURE LIFE), and I've been enjoying finding random treasures.  Here are a couple:

This is sweeeeet! An announcement for one of my favorite things that ever happened, BATTLE OF THE PLANETS! I used to race home from the second grade to see it, and we made paper bracelets to use at recess, where we pretended to TRANSMUTE and combat evil! This article is from STARLOG #19, February 1979, which is the infamous STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL issue!

Full-page glossy EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ad, from the back cover of FUTURE LIFE, the August 1980 issue, which also had a cover story about the making of ESB!

Aw, heck.  The front cover is such a good picture, I had to include it here too!

Some of My Personal FAILs.... (part five: vacation)

While The Sphinx was closed, I was in the great state of Alaska.  The only thing about that--for our purposes here--that's important are a few of the bizarrities that I encountered there (coined a word, there).  This has nothing to do with the state of Alaska, mind you, but are still pretty entertaining:

I'm not a scientist, but I think this level of humidity means you are far underwater.

This sign directs you to your 13th floating cheeseburger. (Great, now I have "19th Nervous Breakdown" stuck in my head.)

A package of fish jerky (which is quite disgusting, by the way).  First ingredient: WILD SALMON,  so is it really necessary to have a CONTAINS FISH label???

At one point, I found myself in a single-engine plane made in the 1950's.  As if I wasn't worried enough, this card was on the wall of the plane.  It really IS true what they say about putting your head between your legs and kissing your [preferred anatomical term] goodbye....as if you aren't going to be dead ENOUGH anyway, they want to be sure.

At one point, this, um, person was right outside my hotel window.  Let's take inventory:  dress shoes, dress socks, running shorts, T-shirt rolled up above the belly, and...rubber gloves? Wait, what are the rubber gloves for? Nevermind, I don't want to know...

This one is going straight to the "People of Wal-Mart" website. It speaks for itself.

Hilarious 1980 Ad

Scanned from the back cover of FAMOUS MONSTERS #165....notice at no point are the words "Battlestar" and "Galactica" mentioned.  Now granted, in 1980, I would've worn the crap out of this.  Just not to "the disco."

Godzilla vs. Megalon DVD...it really exists!

The Sphinx is open, once again....well, it was never closed, but I'm back from vacation, which is another story entirely, and doesn't suit our purposes here....but what does, though (to continue an impressive run-on sentence), is that my GODZILLA vs. MEGALON disc arrived in the mail yesterday, one day after its official release.  I haven't even broken the shrink-wrap yet, but rest assured I'll be viewing it at least once this weekend.

So why did it take months and months (and months) to finally appear? Well, I've read several stories that Toho was very upset about the recent DESTROY ALL MONSTERS Blu-Ray/DVD release, and that a few still photos in the bonus features were used without approval.  Whatever. This made the release of MEGALON delayed for eons, and there still isn't going to be a Blu-Ray release.  In fact, if Toho ever approves the content for the "Special Features" section of the disc, they said it can just be re-released as a "Special Edition." Really? They think we will all just buy it again? Well, I will, of course, but curse you George Lucas! See what you have started?!!

original Japanese movie poster (the basis of the DVD cover)

Another irony in this release is on the back cover, where it says that "the most elusive Godzilla film in North America" is finally getting released.  Um, I beg to differ.  I could give you scans of probably 20 (that's twenty; two-zero) different VHS releases over the years of this movie.  Now, granted, these were Public Domain, unauthorized editions from fly-by-night, car-trunk-sale companies, and the film looked like it had been rubbed down with sandpaper and left in the sun to fade, but it's been out there.  The film played in American theaters (with actually a bigger promotional campaign than most Godzilla films), and was shown on NBC television with John Belushi hosting.  It's been treated to an amazing Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode, which was even released on DVD for about 4 minutes and thirty seconds.  And that wasn't the only DVD outing--there have been a handful of PD releases, from the same companies described above, and in the same quality.

So, what they are saying is, the film has been impossible to see in GOOD QUALITY in the United States, right? Nope; the now-dead Sci-Fi channel even showed a LETTERBOXED, crisper print off and on for quite a while.

"Aww, crap. You're calling his mom this time!"

So, as you can see, it's been probably the EASIEST Godzilla film to see in America for quite a while! But at the end of the day, we now have an official release, which promises to be the best quality yet, and I'm glad for it.  It now makes 26 out of 28 Godzilla movies released on DVD in the United States, and 100% of the classic series running from 1954 to 1975.  In my opinion, the remaining two (GODZILLA 1985 and GODZILLA vs. BIOLLANTE) would make an excellent 2-disc set, if the rights issues can ever get worked out!

By the way, I unabashedly and unashamedly love this movie.  It gets a bad rap from time to time, but if you compare it to 99.5% of anything that Hollywood has ground out in recent years, you may agree with me.

The beautiful painting for the American movie poster utilized the World Trade Center, when the film didn't even take place on the same continent! My thought is that it had something to do with the King Kong remake.

ADDENDUM: After viewing the DVD this weekend, you won't be surprised to hear me say it's a must-buy, but that was never in dispute.  Picture quality is the best this film has ever looked, and you can choose from Japanese with English subtitles, as well as a 2.0 track of the much-ridiculed English dub (which is actually Toho's International dub, so don't blame the U.S. for that one).  My only complaint was the quality of the audio on the English dub wasn't perfect, but I'm sure there wasn't much to work with other than mangled old prints.  There are no special features, as previously discussed. It's nice to be able to toss TWO of my previous DVD-R copies of this film, and replace it with one. Thanks, Tokyo Shock!

Tom Lehrer - Voices of VISTA #33 (c. 1966)

Final post before vacation, but it's a good one. A mega-rare good one!

It's a bit tricky to explain, and I will refer you to the Wikipedia article on VISTA (without sending you to a Microsoft article accidentally), but basically VISTA, which stood for Volunteers in Service To America, was sort of like the Peace Corp, but in this case, the volunteers did their work domestically, rather than overseas.  It was founded by LBJ's office in 1965, and sort of doesn't exist anymore, and sort of does.  Like I said, it's tricky. Also, there's the Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture, but that's something else altogether and a horse of another color.

But for our purposes here, you just need to know that there was a weekly radio show, which went out on 12" LP's, and featured whoever would donate their time, energy, and material to support the cause... and that Tom Lehrer was featured on side one of LP #33.

I love to debut first-time-ever-on-the-Internets items here at The Sphinx.  Rather than sit on this gem and try to slowly build up a Tom Lehrer Rarities Volume 6, which may or may not ever even happen, I'm debuting it now, for your enjoyment.

I will say, though, that while it contains a great interview, there are, sadly, no original performances.  Instead, three cuts from THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS are played (with the treble jacked up to the high heavens for some reason):  "Pollution," "New Math," and "MLF Lullaby." 

A note on the date:  Reading the Wikipedia article, VISTA was begun in 1965, and I seriously doubt that this particular program could have been put together before 1966, especially if it was actually the 33rd one.  Mr. Lehrer refers to the TV show ("That Was The Week That Was") folding, and my guess is this interview was recorded in 1966.  Or maybe veeeeerrrrrrryyyyy late 1965, but I'm going with '66 personally.

Please enjoy this rare-as-hen's-eye-teeth rarity! When I get back from vacation, I need to share the contents of a second letter I received from the great man himself, where he was kind enough to answer a few questions for me about the remaining rarities out there that exist!

LINK:  Voices of Vista

NOTE:  Please see elsewhere on this very blog for many other Tom Lehrer rarities!!

Duke Stern - ABRACADABRA Is My Game (Incubus, no date)

 I am spamming my own blog, I know, but The Sphinx is about to be closed for vacation (don't worry; I'll leave the front door unlocked) and I have lots of new stuff to include before I go.  Here is a pristine copy of a pretty rare LP that I found.  It didn't even seem to have been played before, and needed no de-clicking whatsoever.

You probably know how it is...you go months without really finding anything interesting, and then suddenly, in the space of a couple of weeks, there's more than you can get posted.  ("Life's like that." --Vivian Stanshall.) This one is so fresh, I haven't even listened to it yet myself.  

There isn't much information on Duke Stern on the Internets, and no Wikipedia article about him.  What I did find was that he was well-loved in the magician's communities, and very respected among his peers.  Oddly, this record has no date, but seems to come from circa 1972 or 1973, when Sterns passed away.  The back cover does promise more LP's to come, which apparently never happened.

This excellent copy also included a two-sided cardstock insert, detailing instructions and diagrams for the eleven magic tricks described on this album.  Since I haven't even heard this yet, we will let the label on the back cover speak for itself:

The Return of the Rock-afire Explosion!

I was pretty amazed to uncover this 45 in a pile of trashed Guy Lombardo, Melanie, and Strawberry Shortcake Read-Along discs last week.  It was pretty fried (well-loved), but I was able to restore it to its original greatness. This is the third single available by the much-missed Showbiz Pizza band, and oddly enough, there isn't the slightest hint at a writing credit for the Beatles cover (or even acknowledgement of any licensing, for that matter)! This is actually the more valuable 1983 reprint, according to the official website, but since it had no artwork present anyway, it doesn't matter.  

I got to see the excellent documentary last year, and it made me miss these guys even more...but it did give me a real appreciation of all the hard work that existed behind them, that us wide-eyed kids never knew about! Enjoy, and go beg your dad for a roll of tokens!

By the way, here's the original 1981 sleeve artwork, and also the 1983 reprint:

Creepy Clown Pictures Cavalcade!

Let me just say, I love thrift stores.  I spend as much of my time as possible in thrift stores and various places of such repute.  I will dig through the scummiest crates or shelves in the lousiest of flea markets, looking for treasures.  Once, in a dingy hole in a bad part of town, I thrust my hand under a pile of stuff and stabbed something (I will never know) so far under my fingernail, I ended up having to get a tetanus shot. I have dragged Children and loved ones regularly through garage sales, estate sales, and auctions, but my favorite prime slices of Americana are thrift stores.  

That said, I have noticed of late that there is a disturbing amount of Creepy Clown Paintings that are appearing in the places I frequent.  At first, I stopped to photograph one in particular, because it is the scariest thing I have ever laid eyes on.  But yesterday, I had to take some more pictures, because the sheer amount of these things showing up lately may be a sign of the collapse of civilization.

I bet I've seen fifteen of these things lately. In different places......so where are they coming from? And why? Did Red Skelton's private vault explode? I will probably never know, but I'm determined to document this phenomenon from now on.  

I hope you are ready for the most terrifying thing I have seen in years.....you have been warned.  Look at this. Batten down the hatches.  Hide the children.

This is so wrong on so many levels......I'm a little queasy at the moment, and I think I have to stop typing.

"Actual Wild Turkeys Recording" (WE Record, circa 1961)

I'm going to let this record speak for itself....there's not much I can really say that won't make me look like I need to be in a padded room somewhere for buying this...

What I can tell you, though, is what the PURPOSE of this record was. Apparently, there was a thing called a "Call of the Wild Record Player," made by Wightman Electronics in 1961.  This was a portable children's record player in a steel case, and only took 12 or so D batteries.  You can imagine how heavy it must've been.  The idea was, a young, intrepid explorer would haul the thing into the woods, plug in a speaker, hang it in a tree or something, and use the recordings of real animals to...well, that's where my story breaks down.  What WAS he supposed to do? Call herds of wild turkeys in to attack him? Shoot them with his Red Ryder BB gun? Train them as his own personal army and attack the schoolhouse? You've got me.  I did find some photos of the actual record player in various places, and here's what it looked like:

You have to marvel a bit.  This was the era of wood-burning kits and lawn darts....but then again...today we have toys designed to make children sound like "T-Pain."

Godzilla Movie Poster Collection (part four)

So what do you do when you only want one-half of a Double Feature framed? Just fold it the way you want, and it looks like this:

I was about out of wall-space, anyway!