Tag Archives: 1974

The Killer Snakes (1974)

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At some point in the 70s, movies about people having an unusual affinity for animals, despite being unable to connect with other people, were big. There’s Willard and Stanley, for example. Or The Killer Snakes, a movie that — because it’s made in Hong Kong — goes harder on the idea.

Gwan Fu-Cheng (Chow Gat) has one of those restaurants that could never exist in the U.S., a place where snakes are kept and used for their different body parts to benefit people, like Hu Bao-Chun (Richard Chen Chun), who wants the gall bladder of a cobra in a drink to make his date swoon. She does not seem very impressed.

The snake is kept alive until another customer has a use for another body part, as many snakes are clinging to life. But the cobra escapes through his prison inside a wall to find Chen Chih-Hung (Kam Kwok-Leung), a young man who has been disturbed by a childhood filled with abuse by both of his parents. Chen Chih-Hung has no fear of this snake with a giant hole in its body and its innards exposed, as he picks it up bare-handed and stitches it up, naming it Lu Pao and giving it a home.

Chen Chih-Hung gets some good fortune, as he gets a new job and starts romancing Xiao Chuan (Maggie Li Lin-Lin). And oh yeah — he and Lu Pao help the rest of the snakes in Gwan Fu-Cheng’s business escape through the wall.

If all seems good, it can’t last. Our protagonist is mugged and ruins one of his delivery jobs, then Xiao Chuan’s father gets sick. She misses their standing date and he responds by trashing her booth in the shopping area. Again, all he has is Lu Pao.

Giving up on true love, he visits sex worker Zhang Jin-Yang (Helen Ko Ti-Han) and she decides to get more money out of him by sending the same men who beat him up before — they end up being her security — and they’re all surprised by the fact that Chen Chih-Hung walks around with a cobra. And that’s when our protagonist goes to an antagonist, as he kidnaps Zhang Jin-Yang. Now tied up in his snake lair, he plans on using her for the pleasure of himself and several of his snake friends. At the same time, Gwan Fu-Cheng figures out where his snakes have gone — to Chen Chih-Hung’s secret room — and he has to be killed as well. Chen Chih-Hung leaves the body of the sex worker and shopkeeper together and it seems like that’ll keep the cops off him.

As if things can’t get any worse, Xiao Chuan’s father dies and she can’t pay for anywhere to live. Her friend Fang Fang (Terry Lau Wei-Yue) works at a hostess bar where she turns tricks, so she gets her a job, but poor Xiao Chuan is a virginal innocent, which is what the man who drank Lu Pao’s gall bladder, Hu Bao-Chun, is ready to pay to destroy. You can only imagine how our snake loving murdering rapist feels about his one true love working in the sex industry.

“First he taught one snake, then hundreds more…then he trained them all the kill!” While major labels like Arrow Video and Shout! Factory release Shaw Brothers box sets, there are several of the movies that the studio put out that may never see the legitimate light of those big budget releases. This would be one of them.

Directed by Chih-Hung Kuei (Corpse Mania, Curse of Evil, The Boxer’s Omen) and written by Kuang Ni, this is a sleazy, filth-infested and often disgusting affair. Would you be surprised that I liked it?

CBS LATE MOVIE MONTH: Killdozer (1974)

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Killdozer was on the CBS Late Movie on January 13, 1976; March 17, 1977 and January 19, 1978.

Originally airing on February 2, 1974, on ABC, this Theodore Spurgeon adaptation presents a unique premise that answers the question we’ve all been asking: “Who would win in a fight to the death—a man or a bulldozer?” Sure, a mysterious meteorite is behind it all, but this one is all about machine-on-man violence.

 

This one boasts a stellar cast including Clint Walker (The Phynx, as well as TV movies like Snowbeast and Scream of the Wolf), James Wainwright (TV’s Beyond Westworld), Carl Betz (Donna Reed’s TV husband), Neville Brand (Eyes of the Night and Without Warning), James A. Watson Jr. and Vega$ star Robert Urich. They all face off against an alien aura-possessed Caterpillar D9 bulldozer that takes them out individually.

The story and movie were so popular that Marvel Comics published an adaptation in Worlds Unknown #6, which was released the same year as the film.

Thanks to Conan O’Brien, this film has become a punchline and the name of a somewhat famous band. But beyond these pop culture references, Killdozer is a product of its time—a 1970s TV movie on a low budget—that has managed to entertain and intrigue audiences, earning it a place in the pantheon of cult classics.

UPDATE: This cult classic is now available on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber, offering a new generation of viewers the chance to experience it in high definition.

CBS LATE MOVIE MONTH: Kolchak: The Night Stalker: Horror in the Heights (1974)

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker was on the CBS Late Movie on July 6, 1979; July 24, 1981; November 6, 1987 and March 4, 1988.

In a Jewish senior citizens center in Roosevelt Heights — a section of Chicago that could charitably be called lower income — numerous people have died, stripped of their skin by rodents. Harry Starman (Phil Silvers), a resident, believes that the owner of a local Indian Restaurant is a war criminal that has escaped from Germany and is the person painting swastika graffiti all over the Heights.

The restaurant owner shares with Kolchak how to destroy the demon — steel bolts fired from a crossbow. However, he warns Kolchak that the demon can come in the form of someone he knows, a twist that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.

Directed by Michael Caffey (who directed everything from The Dukes of Hazzard and Trapper John M.D. to The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.) and written by Jimmy Sangster (The Curse of Frankenstein, Jack the Ripper; Scream, Pretty Peggy), this is an episode in which Kolchak reminds us that the demon could be anyone, even advice columnist Miss Emily.

If you’ve ever battled a Rakshasa in a game of Dungeons & Dragons, this episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker is the reason why. The episode inspired e. Gary Gygax to add the demon to the Monster Manual, a significant moment in the history of the game that connects fans to a shared cultural experience.

Source

John Kenneth Muir’s Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: 08/2018. https://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/2018/08/

CBS LATE MOVIE MONTH: UFO: Target Earth (1974)

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EDITOR’S NOTE: UFO: Target Earth was on the CBS Late Movie on January 9, 1976. You can find another review of the movie here.

I kind of love that this movie starts with accurate eyewitnesses before telling the tale of Alan Grimes (Nick Plakias), an electronics expert who is trying to figure out where strange signals are coming from, along with a psychic named Vivian (Cynthia Cline) and two experts from the college named Dan Rivers (Tom Arcuragi) and Dr. Mansfield (LaVerne Light). There’s been a formless alien waiting inside a lake for a thousand years, afraid of assuming the shapes that humans force it into. He claims that only three other humans have embraced alien nature and ascended, which Alan embraces, getting rapidly aged and walking into a lake. Oh man, the sheer smell of dank 70s grass is all over this movie, which ends with a quote from Revelations and ties in UFOs to New Age religion and old-fashioned Biblical prophecy.

Despite being shot in Atlanta with minimal resources, director and writer Alessandro De Gaetano managed to create a series of films, including Haunted, Scoring, Bloodbath In Psycho Town, Project: Metalbeast, and Butch Camp, which featured Judy Tenuda.

The end of this movie is filled with words, ideas, video effects and, quite literally, lo-fi magic. It’s the most BS of all non-Hollywood UFO cash-in mania, and I loved it. It reminded me of the days when I’d eat those UFO candies that had info from Project Blue Book inside them, as well as watch Battlestar Galactica with its wild square-up reel at the end about how aliens might be real and then stay awake all night, hoping that tonight would finally be the one where I got abducted.

You can watch this on Tubi.

CBS LATE MOVIE MONTH: Kolchak: The Night Stalker: The Energy Eater (1974)

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker didn’t air on the CBS Late Movie. It wasn’t offered to CBS because ABC made a TV movie from it and “Firefall” and titled it Crackle of Death. As a completist, I’m covering the episode this week.

The new, modern Lakefront Hospital is supposed to save lives. But why don’t its machines work correctly? How are there cracks in the foundation and walls already? And why have so many people died from horrifying deaths in a place of wellness?

These are the kinds of questions that Carl Kolchak would like the answers to.

He gets his answers from one of the foremen who left the construction before it was finished, Jim Elkhorn (William Smith!), who explains that he and the rest of his Native American crew didn’t want to anger Matchemonedo, an invisible bear spirit that Kolchak must send back into hibernation.

Joyce Jilson (Superchick) and Elaine Giftos (Angel) also appear in the cast. Beyond being in danger, they’re two conquests for Elkhorn, who seemingly is as interested in lying down with lovely women as he is in erecting buildings.

The episode’s highlight is when Karl takes two of his paper’s most expensive cameras to get a photo of the monster. Vincenzo stops him and wants to know what’s happening.

Vincenzo: What are you doing with two of our best cameras?

Kolchak: I’m gonna hock ’em, what do you think? You ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer.

As Elkhorn is helping Karl do research, he translates some French. Smith could do that, as he was fluent in Russian, French, German and Serbo-Croatian, languages he learned while serving as an Intelligence Specialist for the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.

This episode was directed by Alexander Grasshoff and written by Arthur Rowe, who wrote thirteen episodes of Fantasy Island and nineteen episodes of The Bionic Woman and served as a producer on those shows. It also has scripting by Rudolph Borchert, who wrote five Kolchak episodes.

While not the best episode, this does have Kolchak trying to freeze the basement floors and foundation, which is pretty impressive as he’s just one man against a Native American spirit that has been murdering humans since we first showed up on this planet.

CBS LATE MOVIE MONTH: Kolchak: The Night Stalker: The Spanish Moss Murders (1974)

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker was on the CBS Late Movie on June 29 and October 26, 1979; July 17, 1981; October 30, 1987 and February 26, 1988.

Chicago is filled with supernatural murders. This time, the only thing linking the killings of a sleep research center assistant (Elisabeth Brooks from The Howling!) and the chef of Chez Voltaire is that their chests were crushed, and their bodies were covered with Spanish Moss. Somehow, Kolchak learns that the crimes come from the Cajun myth of Pere Malfait, the Bad Father. Only a spear made of gumwood from the bayou can stop the monster, which Kolchak also finds, and then goes into the sewers to again battle the supernatural.

The monster has come to life thanks to the sleep studies of Dr. Aaron Pollack (Severn Darden), and as one of his patients (Don Mantooth) dreams of the boogeyman, the tactics to help him sleep unleash it in the real world. Kolchak comes up against another Chicago cop who wants none of his monkey business, this time Captain Joe “Mad Dog” Siska, played by Keenan Wynn.

The Spanish Moss Monster is played by Richard Kiel, the same bad guy two episodes in a row. The creature is based on a legend of a soldier who kidnaps, rapes and beheads and hangs a Native American princess from a tree. Her spirit becomes one with the tree, and she hunts down the soldier, killing him with the tree’s roots, which have become one with his hair. There’s also a Florida Moss Man legend of a “large man-like beast with a rank odor and covered with swamp grass” that was seen often in the late 1800s.

This was directed by Gordon Hessler, who also directed Scream, Pretty Peggy, Cry of the Banshee and Scream and Scream Again. It was written by Alvin R. Friedman and David Chase.

CBS LATE MOVIE MONTH: Kolchak: The Night Stalker: Bad Medicine (1974)

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker was on the CBS Late Movie on September 21, 1979; July 10, 1981 and October 23, 1987.

“F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote, ‘The rich are different than you and me.’ They sure are. They got more money. But there wasn’t enough money in the world to save some of Chicago’s upper crust members from a fiendish force so dark, it can only be called diabolic.” This quote sets the tone for the episode, hinting at the episode’s focus on the wealthy and their encounter with a sinister force.

With those words, Carl Kolchak embarks on a new episode, delving into the mysterious deaths of two Chicago socialites who killed themselves the same night and lost their precious gems. This leads him to the intriguing Native American legend of the Diablero, a sorcerer amassing a fortune in gems to break its eternal curse.

The highlight of this episode is when Karl goes to battle the legend at the Champion Towers, a luxurious high-rise in Chicago, bringing along a small mirror as seeing its reflection is the only way to stop this monster. Of course, Karl gets spooked and drops the mirror, shattering it and is alone, afraid and up against pure terror.

Despite facing a force that can hypnotize people into doing its bidding, Kolchak finds a mirror in the bathroom, transforms it into a skeleton, and then dusts. In a surprising turn of events, Canadian actor Victor Jory plays Charles Rolling Thunder, a role that might raise some eyebrows. And to top it off, the tribe in this episode, the Yoshone, is a fictional creation.

This episode was directed by Alexander Grasshoff (The Last Dinosaur) and was written by L. Ford Neale and John Huff, both of whom wrote the Burt Reynolds movie The Hunter’s Moon.

The makers of Kolchak must have really liked Kiel, as he would return the next episode to play the Paramafait in the next episode, “The Spanish Moss Murders.”

CBS LATE MOVIE MONTH: Kolchak: The Night Stalker: The Devil’s Platform (1974)

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker aired on the CBS Late Movie on September 14, 1979; July 3, 1981 and February 5, 1988.

Carl Kolchak starts this episode with these sage words: “The old cliche that politics makes strange bedfellows is only too true. At one time or another, various and sundry politicians have found themselves, when it proved expedient, of course, sharing a blanket with the military, organized crime, disgruntled, gun-toting dairy farmers, the church, famous athletes, the comedians – the list is endless. But there was a senatorial race not so long ago right here in Illinois where the strangest bedfellow of all was found under the sheets. The strangest… and certainly the most terrifying.”

Our intrepid reporter, Kolchak, is on a mission to interview the enigmatic Senatorial candidate, Robert Palmer (Tom Skerritt). Palmer, a man seemingly always a step ahead of his opponents, who mysteriously meet their end, is shrouded in scandal. As Kolchak delves deeper, the suspense thickens, and the truth becomes more elusive.

At every one of these deaths, a large dog has been seen. Well, you don’t have to have the investigative skills of Kolchak to figure out that Palmer has sold his soul to Satan for power on Earth, a contract that his wife Lorraine (Ellen Weston) wants him to escape.

Palmer, in an attempt to divert Kolchak’s attention, offers him a contract. But Kolchak’s motivations are not driven by money or escape. He seeks a larger audience and a semblance of respectability. Yet, he is acutely aware that without his investigative work, these aspirations are meaningless. And now, the looming threat of the large dog adds to his moral dilemma.

“The Devil’s Platform,” one of four episodes directed by Allen Baron, is a testament to the mature storytelling of the series. Penned by TV-writing veterans Donn Mullally and Tim Maschler, this episode elevates the narrative to a level where even the Watergate scandal pales in comparison to the entry of Lucifer into the world of politics.

There’s an IMDB fact that Devil Dog: Hound of Hell was originally a sequel to this. That sounds like the kind of BS that lives in the IMDB trivia pages, but it would be nice if it were true.

Sources

Let’s Get Out Of Here!: 31 Days of Monsters!. https://craiglgooh.blogspot.com/2010/10/31-days-of-monsters.html

CBS LATE MOVIE MONTH: The Bat People (1974)

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Bat People was on the CBS Late Movie on February 7, 1975.

The Bat People, also known as It Lives By Night and It’s Alive, is a unique blend of horror and romance. Directed by Jerry Jameson (Starflight One, Terror on the 40th Floor) and written by Lou Shaw, this film has been described as having a leisurely pace. Some say it has a leisurely pace. Others say nothing ever seems to happen. Your enjoyment of this movie will depend on how much you enjoy a movie that likes to chill and let things roll.

Dr. John Beck (Stewart Moss, Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls) takes his new bride Cathy (Marianne McAndrew, Hello, Dolly!) deep into the Carlsbad Caverns. Ironically, Dr. Beck is a bat expert — a bat person, if you will — and gets bit by a fruit bat that turns him into a vampire. And just like me trying to fix something wrong in my house, everything he does worsens things instead of just calling in an expert. The plot takes a surprising turn that will keep you engaged and curious.

Dr. Kipling (Paul Kerr) thinks it might be all in his mind while Sgt. Ward (Michael Pataki) is probably going to kill him. He decides to become a bat and live in the caves forever, but true love wins out because his wife makes sweet love to him and becomes a bat person herself. Ah man, it brings a tear to the eye.

Actually, it really is love, because Miss and McAndrew were married in real life.

Sure, it made plod a bit, but where else can you see Stan Winston’s first work and a moment where Pataki’s car gets swarmed by bats?

Here’s a drink to go with this.

It Drinks By Night

  • 1.5 oz. rum
  • 1 oz. Kaluha
  • 1 oz. milk
  • 3 oz. cola
  1. Add all ingredients to a glass filled with ice, and cola last.
  2. Stir and fly away to join your people.

CBS LATE MOVIE MONTH: Kolchak: The Night Stalker: Firefall (1974)

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker didn’t air on the CBS Late Movie. It wasn’t offered to CBS as ABC made a TV movie from this episode, “The Energy Eater,” and titled it Crackle of Death. As I’m a completist, I’m covering the episode this week.

A doppelgänger, a spirit with a sinister agenda, is at the heart of this episode. It’s targeting musical conductor Ryder Bond (Fred Beir), who has been spotted at crime scenes where victims died from spontaneous combustion. These victims, all colleagues and friends of Bond, draw Carl Kolchak into the mystery.

Carl, after getting to know Bond, decides to assist him. However, he’s in grave danger. If Bond falls asleep, his doppelgänger could emerge and kill, with Carl potentially being the next victim.  Carl uncovers that an organized crime figure named Markoff, who dreams of being a conductor, is the malevolent force behind this. Markoff’s restless spirit is now targeting Bond to take over his life.

Carl must team up with fortune teller Marie (Madlyn Rhue) to combat this evil. Together, they devise a plan to stop the malevolent ghost. This involves a daring act of grave-robbing, using footage recycled from the “The Zombie” episode, and a fiery showdown at the arcade where Markoff died. It’s a risky plan, but their determination is unwavering.

This is one of four series episodes that Don Weis would direct. It was written by Bill S. Ballinger, who also wrote “The Ghost of Potter’s Field” episode of Circle of Fear and the movie The Strangler.

It ends with Carl finally being able to sleep, except it’s in the back of a police car, and he’s hauled off to jail. He closes the story by saying, “Well, I won’t have to worry about the doppelganger any longer. He’s back in his own body and will probably be cremated, which is rather sweet poetic justice for Frankie Markoff. My only worry now is to find Tony Vincenzo to try to raise bail. They’ve got me hooked on some stupid arson charge. But it’s Tony’s night to play cards, and I don’t know where he is. So I think I’ll spend a nice good night’s sleep in the slammer.”