The Old Dark House is definitely a horror, of the old dark house genre. There are many of them, usually grade B with George Zucco, or someone like that, but The Old Dark House has all the trappings: demented characters, a dark and stormy night, religious fanatics, terrified, stranded people, the shadows and imagery, etc. All the usual tropes.EP Millstone wrote: ↑April 8th, 2023, 8:22 pmI guess The Old Dark House is considered a horror film because it was produced by Universal Pictures (which arguably created the American Horror Film genre) and because Boris Karloff is in it. His character, Morgan, is not a monster and not even monstrous looking. But he's played by "Frankenstein" and moves like Frankenstein, ergo, he's the story's "monster."
This week on SVENGOOLIE...
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I love the Old Dark House and was so glad to see a beautiful, clear version of it!
I had furiously worked to get work/excersize done in time so I could enjoy watching Saturday night TV...then fell asleep for the entire movie and only was awake until the 2nd commercial.
I did get to see all the Three Stooges shorts aired beforehand. Every single one of them was a dud, a misfire, unfunny.
Guess I understand now why some people don't care for them - I didn't realize they weren't consistent. The best one shown last night was the one with Joe Besser!
I had furiously worked to get work/excersize done in time so I could enjoy watching Saturday night TV...then fell asleep for the entire movie and only was awake until the 2nd commercial.
I did get to see all the Three Stooges shorts aired beforehand. Every single one of them was a dud, a misfire, unfunny.
Guess I understand now why some people don't care for them - I didn't realize they weren't consistent. The best one shown last night was the one with Joe Besser!
- EP Millstone
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Yo, TikiSoo! You're alla time falling asleep during Svengoolie! You have a VCR, right? Perhaps even a DVR? Why don't you just record the show since you're prone to conking out during its broadcast?TikiSoo wrote: ↑April 9th, 2023, 5:58 am I love the Old Dark House and was so glad to see a beautiful, clear version of it!
I had furiously worked to get work/excersize done in time so I could enjoy watching Saturday night TV...then fell asleep for the entire movie and only was awake until the 2nd commercial.
"Start every day off with a smile and get it over with." -- W.C. Fields
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LOL.EP Millstone wrote: ↑April 9th, 2023, 3:49 pm Yo, TikiSoo! You're alla time falling asleep during Svengoolie! Why don't you just record the show since you're prone to conking out during its broadcast?
See? That's why I'm one of those people who LIKES re-runs.
I have The Old Dark House on DVD recorded off TCM & wouldn't like a recording with all those goolie interruptions, even if it was a nicer quality print.
- Detective Jim McLeod
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I saw this on Saturday, the best print I have ever seen of The Old Dark House. I like some of Sven's sequences since he allows the film to be seen in it's entirety, however I was a little annoyed at one point. In the scene where Lillian Bond is speaking to Melvyn Douglas in the garage, she says of the Charles Laughton character, "he fancies himself to be so GAY!" There was laugh dubbed in at that part, I don't think that was needed.
Sven had some good trivia on the cast though I mostly knew all of it. The last sequence where there was a costume contest at some event was pretty good.
I decided to watch my DVD of the film with Gloria Stuart's commentary turned on. I had heard it before but couldn't remember much. She talks mostly about her own career and doesn't go into much about the other members of the cast. Since most of them were British they would have tea breaks and Stuart and fellow American Douglas were not invited. One interesting tidbit was when she talks about the scene with old Roderick Femm. Director James Whale did not tell her and Raymond Massey that the part was played by a woman. He had her remove her wig at the end of the scene, to the surprise and delight of the cast.
Sven had some good trivia on the cast though I mostly knew all of it. The last sequence where there was a costume contest at some event was pretty good.
I decided to watch my DVD of the film with Gloria Stuart's commentary turned on. I had heard it before but couldn't remember much. She talks mostly about her own career and doesn't go into much about the other members of the cast. Since most of them were British they would have tea breaks and Stuart and fellow American Douglas were not invited. One interesting tidbit was when she talks about the scene with old Roderick Femm. Director James Whale did not tell her and Raymond Massey that the part was played by a woman. He had her remove her wig at the end of the scene, to the surprise and delight of the cast.
- EP Millstone
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LiamCasey wrote: ↑April 1st, 2023, 10:41 am This month on Svengoolie...
4/1: Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) w/ Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Plus Marie Windsor, Michael Ansara, Dan Seymour and Richard Deacon. And directed by Charles Lamont.
4/8: The Old Dark House (1932) w/ Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart, Lilian Bond, Ernest Thesiger, Eva Moore, Raymond Massey, Elspeth Dudgeon and Brember Wills. And directed by James Whale.
4/15: This Island Earth (1955) w/ Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue and Rex Reason. Plus Russell Johnson and Richard Deacon.
4/22: The Mole People (1956) w/ John Agar, Cynthia Patrick, Hugh Beaumont, Alan Napier and Nestor Paiva.
4/29: Destroy All Monsters (1969) w/ Akira Kubo, Jun Tazaki, Yukiko Kobayashi and Yoshio Tsuchiya. And, needless to say, Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah and other kaiju. And directed by Ishirō Honda.
"Start every day off with a smile and get it over with." -- W.C. Fields
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Thanks! I love The Mole People! And it has John Agar! This Island Earth is pretty good too.
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And This Island Earth has Faith Domergue in a non-cobra role! (And Russell Johnson, in a pre-Professor role).
- EP Millstone
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A cherished artifact from my youth is the Coral Records LP (long-playing record for you youngsters out there) Themes from Horror Movies orchestrated by Dick Jacobs -- ordered from Captain Company via Famous Monsters of Filmland.
Two tracks on the album were the themes to This Island Earth and The Mole People.
Two tracks on the album were the themes to This Island Earth and The Mole People.
"Start every day off with a smile and get it over with." -- W.C. Fields
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Don't miss THE MOLE PEOPLE this Saturday. JOHN AGAR plus Hugh Beaumont! (from Leave It to Beaver)
- jamesjazzguitar
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This Island Earth is a well made Sci Fi film. As noted, Faith Domergue is in the film, made the same year (1955) as Cult of the Cobra.
- jamesjazzguitar
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Alan Napier has the best role as Elinu, the High Priest. Alfred gets to go wild!
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LOL. He needed some color.jamesjazzguitar wrote: ↑April 21st, 2023, 10:04 amAlan Napier has the best role as Elinu, the High Priest. Alfred gets to go wild!