“Svengoolie” presents his big premiere of “Curse of the Demon” (1957, a.k.a. “Night of the Demon”), This Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals will be dancing and jumping for joy for his upcoming big premiere of a classic mammoth Columbia Pictures horror/thriller masterpiece.

“Svengoolie” to present his big broadcast premiere of “Curse of the Demon” (1957, a.k.a. “Night of the Demon”)

Original 1957 Columbia Pictures theatrical release trailer for Jacques Tourneur‘s “Curse of the Demon” (1957, a.k.a. “Night of the Demon”) with Dana Andrews and Peggy Cummins.

“Terrifying!” “Scenes of Terror Never Before Imagined!” Original 1957/58 Columbia Pictures theatrical poster art for “Curse of the Demon.”

The legendary and iconic Berwyn/Chicago-based classic mammoth thriller/horror/monster feature film masterpiece host will present his big broadcast premiere of “Curse of the Demon” (1957, a.k.a. “Night of the Demon”) this Sat., June 17 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The classic mammoth 1957 Columbia horror-thriller-monster masterpiece production was directed by veteran feature film director Jacques Tourneur. The son of director Maurice Tourneur, the young Tourneur started out in the film industry by working with his father as an editor and a script clerk before starting out on directing short subjects in both his home country of France and the United States under the pseudonym of Jack Turner, according to IMDB.  The junior Tourneur was later hired as a second unit director for Jack Conway, Robert Z. Leonard and David O. Selznick‘s classic mammoth Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) drama masterpiece adaptation of Charles Dickens‘ “A Tale of Two Cities” (1935) with Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allan, Edna May Oliver, young Basil Rathbone, Reginald Owen, Henry B. Walthall (of 1936’s “The Devil-Doll” fame) and Walter Catlett.  While working at MGM for “A Tale of Two Cities,” Jacques Tourneur met author-turned-producer Val Lewton.

He later joined Lewton at rival studio RKO Radio Pictures when RKO management asked Lewton to set up a new horror/thriller feature film unit at the studio to compete with rival studio Universal Studios.

Some of Tourneur’s best-known productions with Lewton include his classic RKO mystery-thriller masterpiece production of “Cat People” (1942) with Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph (later of 1948’s “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” fame), Jack Holt and a pre-“Batman” Alan Napier. Alongside “Cat People,” Tourneur and Lewton’s two other notable classic mammoth RKO fantasy-horror masterpiece productions include “I Walked with a Zombie” (1943) with Frances Dee, Darby Jones, Tom Conway, Sir Lancelot, James Ellison, and Edith Barrett and “The Leopard Man” (1943) with Dennis O’Keefe, Margo, Jean Brooks and Isabel Jewell.  Tourneur also directed the classic mammoth RKO film noir-drama masterpiece production of “Out of the Past” (1947) with young Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, young Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming and Richard Webb.  Alongside his previous classic mammoth horror-thriller masterpiece productions and his classic mammoth Columbia thriller/creature masterpiece production of “Curse of the Demon” (1957); Tourneur also worked on numerous classic mammoth western feature film & TV masterpiece series.

The screenplay for Tourneur’s classic mammoth 1957 Columbia horror-thriller-monster masterpiece production was written by veteran screenwriters Charles Bennett and Cy Endfield and was adapted from Montague “M.R.” James‘ original short story, titled “Casting the Runes.”  Veteran producer Hal E. Chester supervised the production of “Curse of the Demon”/”Night of the Demon” under his Sabre Productions company with co-financing/co-production from Columbia Pictures.  Chester previously served as one of the producers of the classic mammoth Ray Harryhausen–Eugène “Gene” Lourié–Warner Bros. Dynamation creature masterpiece production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953) with Paula Raymond, Paul Christian/Hubschmid, young Merv Griffin, young Lee Van Cleef, Cecil Kellaway, William Woodson, Kenneth Tobey,  Alvin Greenman, Steve Brodie, Paula “Mary” Hill, Michael Fox, Donald Woods and Frank Ferguson.

Who was in “Curse of the Demon” (1957, a.k.a. “Night of he Demon”)?

The players who appeared in Jacques Tourneur’s classic mammoth Columbia Pictures thriller/horror/monster masterpiece production of “Curse of the Demon” (1957, a.k.a. “Night of the Demon”) were Dana Andrews (as John Holden), Peggy Cummins (as Joanna Harrington), Niall MacGinnis (as Dr. Julian Karswell), Liam Redmond (as Mark O’Brian), Brian Wilde (as Rand Hobart), Maurice Denham (as Prof. Harry Harrington), Ballard Berkeley (in an uncredited role as a first Reporter), Athene Seyler (as Mrs. Karswell), Reginald Beckwith (as Mr. Meek), Ewan Roberts (as Lloyd Williamson), Peter Elliott (as Kumar), Rosamund Greenwood (as Maggie Meek), Richard Leech (as Inspector Mottram), Lloyd Lamble (as Detective Simmons), Peter Hobbes (as a Superintendent), Charles Lloyd Pack (as a Chemist), John Salew (as a Librarian), Janet Barrow (as Mrs. Hobart), Percy Herbert (as a Farmer) and Lynn Tracy (as an Airline Attendant).

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955), plus “Sventoonie;” this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast of a classic mammoth Columbia Pictures sci-fi/creature/thriller masterpiece.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955) plus “Sventoonie;” this Sat. on Me-TV

Original 1955 Columbia Pictures theatrical release trailer for Edward L. Cahn‘s “Creature with the Atom Brain” with Richard Denning.

 

“He Comes From Beyond the Grave!” Original 1955 Columbia Pictures theatrical poster art for “Creature with the Atom Brain.”

The legendary Chicago/Berwyn-based classic sci-fi/creature feature masterpiece film host will present his big broadcast of “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955), this Sat.; Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1955 classic mammoth Columbia sci-fi/creature/thriller masterpiece production was directed by veteran editor-turned-director Edward L. Cahn.  Cahn produced numerous short subjects for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) from 1935-49.  He also directed the cult classic mammoth sci-fi creature masterpiece productions of “The She-Creature” (1956, with Marla English, Chester Morris and Tom Conway and “Invasion of the Saucer Men” (1957) with a pre-“Batman” Frank Gorshin, Gloria Castillo and Steven Terrell for Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson’s American-International Pictures.  Cahn also directed the classic mammoth United Artists/Vogue Productions sci-fi creature masterpiece entry with Ray “Crash” Corrigan, Shirley Patterson/Shawn Smith and Marshall Thompson, “It! The Terror From Beyond Space” (1958).    Two years after the production of “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955) was completed, Cahn also directed another classic mammoth sci-fi masterpiece production for Columbia Pictures, “Zombies of Mora Tau” (1957) with Gregg Palmer, Allison Hayes (of 1958’s “Attack of the 50 Foot Woman” fame), Morris Ankrum, Autumn Russell, Joel Ashley, Marjorie Eaton, Gene Roth, Leonard P. Geer and Ray “Crash” Corrigan. 

Cahn’s 1955 sci-fi/creature entry was produced by veteran Columbia Pictures producer and studio production official Sam Katzman under his Clover Productions moniker; according to Clive Hirschorn’s retrospective book on Columbia Pictures, “The Columbia Story.”  The screenplay and original story idea for “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955) was written by veteran screenwriter and science fiction author Curt Sidomak.  Sidomak also wrote the screenplay for George Waggner’s mammoth classic Universal monster masterpiece, “The Wolf Man” (1941) with Lon Chaney Jr., Evelyn Ankers, Claude Rains, Bela Lugosi, Maria Ouspenskaya, Warren William and Ralph Bellamy.

“Shock-Full of Thrills!” And of interest to fellow Super Tooners/Super SvenPals of Toony & Bill’s “Toon In With Me,” Plus ‘Technicolor’ Cartoon!” Original 1955 Columbia Pictures newspaper ad for the double-feature theatrical release presentation of “It Came From Beneath the Sea” and “Creature with the Atom Brain.”

“Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955) was originally released as a double-feature presentation from coast-to-coast by Columbia Pictures with the classic mammoth Ray Harryhausen–Charles H. Schneer–Robert Gordon-Sam Katzman-Columbia stop-motion  creature/monster/sci-fimasterpiece, “It Came From Beneath the Sea” (1955)with Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue and Donald Curtis); according toa June 1955 article in Film Bulletin.

This will mark Sven’s second big broadcast of Cahn’s classic mammoth 1955 Columbia sci-fi creature masterpiece production on the airlanes of Me-TV.  He previously showcased Cahn’s production of “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955) as a Sven/Me-TV big broadcast premiere back in Aug. 2020.

Who was in “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955)?

The players who appeared in  “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955) were Richard Denning (as Dr. Chet Walker), Angela Stevens (as Joyce Walker), S. John Launer (as Capt. Dave Harris), Michael Granger (as Frank Buchanan), Karl “the Killer” Davis (in an uncredited role as Willard Pierce), Linda Bennett (as Penny Walker), Gregory Gaye (as Dr. Wilhelm Steigg), , Tristram Coffin (as Dist. Atty. MacGraw), Harry Lauter (as the first reporter), Larry J. Blake (as the second reporter), Charles Evans (as Chief Camden) and Pierre Watkin (as Mayor Bremer).

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of William Castle’s “The Tingler” (1959) with Vincent Price, plus “Sventoonie” for Sven’s “Halloween ‘BOO’nanza;” this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast of a classic mammoth classic Columbia Pictures thriller masterpiece from one of cinema’s macabre masters.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of William Castle’s “The Tingler” (1959) with Vincent Price, plus “Sventoonie” for Sven’s “Halloween ‘BOO’nanza;” this Sat. on Me-TV

A snippet from William Castle‘s classic mammoth Columbia Pictures shock thriller masterpiece, “The Tingler” (1959) with Vincent Price.

“Do you have the ‘guts’ to sit in this ‘chair’?” Original 1959 Columbia Pictures theatrical poster art for William Castle’s “The Tingler” with the “Percepto” gimmick.

The legendary and iconic Berwyn/Chicago-based classic mammoth horror/thriller feature film masterpiece host will his big broadcast of “The Tingler” (1959), this Sat., Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

Sven’s upcoming big broadcasts of “The Tingler” (1959) & “Sventoonie” will be featured in the third installment in Sven’s Saturday October “Halloween ‘BOO’nanza” month-long festival on Me-TV!  

The classic mammoth 1959 Columbia thriller/shocker masterpiece production was directed and produced by veteran classic mammoth macabre feature film masterpiece director William Castle.   For the majority of his motion picture career, Castle produced and directed numerous feature films for Columbia Pictures; notably his classic mammoth “gimmick” macabre masterpiece productions alongside “The Tingler,” including  “13 Ghosts” (1960) with  Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner (of TV’s “Route 66” and “Adam-12” fame) Margaret Hamilton (of 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz” fame) and John Van Dreelen, “Homicidal” (1961) with Glenn Corbett, “Mr. Sardonicus” (1961) with Guy Rolfe, Audrey Dalton, Oskar Homolka, Erika Peters, Lorna Hanson and Ronald Lewis;  “Zotz!” (1962) with Tom Poston (later of TV’s “Newhart” fame), Julia Meade, Jim Backus, Margaret Dumont (who previously appeared in seven of The Marx Brothers’ classic mammoth feature film comedy masterpieces from 1929–41) and  Fred Clark, and “The Old, Dark House” (1963) with Poston and Janette Scott and “Strait-Jacket” (1964) with Joan Crawford, Diane Baker, Leif Erickson, young George Kennedy and young Lee Majors (later of TV’s “The Big Valley” and “The Six Million Dollar Man” fame).   Castle returned to Columbia Pictures to serve as an executive producer for the studio’s brief classic mammoth horror-thriller TV anthology masterpiece series, “Ghost Story/Circle of Fear” (1972-73), produced under Columbia’s Screen Gems TV unit for the NBC television network.

In addition to many of his classic mammoth macabre masterpiece productions at Columbia; he also worked on multiple feature film masterpiece genres at the studio, including serving as an associate producer for Orson Welles‘ classic mammoth Columbia film noir masterpiece production of “The Lady from Shanghai” (1947) with Rita Hayworth and Welles.  Castle’s other classic mammoth Columbia feature masterpiece productions included three films in Columbia’s “Crime Doctor” mystery series with Warner Baxter from 1945-47; Columbia’s first 3-D theatrical feature-length film production of “Fort Ti” (1953); which also had the distinction of being the first 3-D feature-length film production to be produced by a major Hollywood studio in Technicolor and the adventure-drama production of “Uranium Boom” (1956) with Dennis Morgan, Patricia Medina and William Talman (later known for his role of attorney Hamilton Burger in TV’s “Perry Mason” opposite Raymond Burr).

Alongside his classic mammoth Columbia feature film masterpiece productions, Castle’s other classic mammoth feature film masterpiece productions included “Macabre” (1958) with William Prince, Jim Backus (of “Mister Magoo” and later of TV’s “Gilligan’s Island” fame), Christine White and Jacqueline Scott; “House on Haunted Hill” (1959) (both for Allied Artists), “The Night Walker” (1964) with Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Taylor and Hayden Rorke (later of TV’s “I Dream of Jeannie” fame), “I Saw What You Did” (1965) with Joan Crawford, John Ireland, Leif Erickson, Sara Lane, Andi Garrett, Patricia Breslin and veteran Los Angeles TV classic cartoon masterpiece and classic feature film masterpiece host Tom Hatten (both for Universal Studios), “The Busy Body” (1967) with Sid Caesar, young Richard Pryor, Anne Baxter, Godfrey Cambridge, Dom DeLuise, Robert Ryan, Kay Medford, Ben Blue, Bill Dana and George Jessel; “Project X” (1968) with Christopher George, Greta Baldwin, Henry Jones, Monte Markham, Keye Luke, Joanna Miles Harold Gould and Phillip Pine and served as producer for Jeannot Szwarc‘s “Bug” (1975) with Bradford Dillman, Joanna Miles and Richard Gilliland (three for Paramount Pictures).

The screenplay for Castle’s classic mammoth Columbia thriller masterpiece production of “The Tingler” (1959) was written by veteran Castle feature film co-collaborator Robb White; who also co-wrote the screenplay for “House on Haunted Hill” (1959) with Castle.

This will mark Sven’s second big broadcast of “The Tingler” (1959) on the airlanes of Me-TV.  He previously showcased Castle’s classic mammoth Columbia macabre thriller masterpiece production as a coast-to-coast Me-TV big broadcast premiere back in November 2018.  In his home area of Berwyn/Chicago, Illinois; Sven previously aired William Castle’s classic mammoth Columbia Pictures macabre thriller masterpiece production of “The Tingler” (1959) on his hometown TV station; WCIU-TV back in Sept. 2008; according to IMDB.

Who was in William Castle’s classic mammoth Columbia Picture macabre thriller masterpiece production of “The Tingler” (1959)?

The players who appeared in William Castle’s classic mammoth Columbia macabre thriller masterpiece production of “The Tingler” (1959) were Vincent Price (as Dr. Warren Chapin), Judith Evelyn (as  Mrs. Martha Ryerson Higgins), Darryl Hickman (as David Morris), Patricia Cutts (as Isabel Stevens Chapin), Pamela Lincoln (as Lucy Stevens),  Philip Coolidge (as Oliver “Ollie” Higgins),  Leon Alton, Gertrude Astor. Gail Bonney, Pat Colby. Amy Fields, George DeNormand and Clarence Straight (as members of the movie theater audience), Bob Gunderson (as Ryerson, the screaming convict), Dal McKennon (as the projectionist) and source stock feature film footage of actors Richard Barthelmess and Ernest Torrence.  According to the American Film Institute, original 1959 Columbia Pictures theatrical release prints of “The Tingler” featured an on-screen cameo introduction by William Castle.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “Valley of the Dragons” (1961), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow super Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast of a classic Columbia Pictures creature/sci-fi/fantasy feature film masterpiece.

“Svengoolie” to present his big broadcast of “Valley of the Dragons” (1961)

Original 1961 Columbia Pictures theatrical trailer for Edward Bernds’ production of “Valley of the Dragons,” with added Italian subtitles for the title sequences for the YouTube upload.

“They go a million years back in time.. and land a million miles out in space!”  Original 1961 Columbia Pictures theatrical poster artwork for “Valley of the Dragons.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based sci-fi/creature feature film host will present his big broadcast of “Valley of the Dragons” (1961), this Sat.; Dec. 26 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1961 Columbia classic sci-fi/creature/fantasy production was directed by veteran director Edward Bernds.  Before going into directing, Bernds worked as a sound engineer for Columbia Pictures; notably on Frank Capra’s cirtically-acclaimed classic masterpiece productions of “It Happened One Night” (1934) with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” (1936) with Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939) with James Stewart, Arthur and Claude Rains.    Bernds also directed numerous Columbia comedy short subjects with “The Three Stooges” (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Jerry “Curly” Howard from 1945 until Curly suffered a stroke in 1947 and the Stooges’ 1947–1952 Columbia comedy short subjects with Shemp Howard).   Bernds also worked on two latter Columbia “Stooge” feature-length productions with “Curly Joe” DeRita, “The Three Stooges Meet Hercules” and “The Three Stooges in Orbit” (both produced and released in 1962; the two aforementioned feature-length Columbia “Stooge” comedies were co-produced by Norman Maurer’s Normandy Productions; Maurer was the son-in-law of Moe Howard).  Bernds’ non-Columbia feature productions include Allied Artists’ “Queen of Outer Space” (1958) with Zsa Zsa Gabor and the Twentieth Century Fox (Twentieth Century Studios) sequel to 1958’s “The Fly,” “Return of the Fly” (1959) with Vincent Price.

Bernds wrote the screenplay for his 1961 production, which was adapted from Donald Zimbalist’s story treatment.   Zimbalist was inspired by Jules Verne’s novel, “Career of a Comet” (a.k.a., “Off on a Comet” and “Hector Servadac”).  Veteran production executive Byron Roberts co-produced Bernds’ 1961 Columbia sci-fi/fantasy creature entry.  Roberts later served as a unit production manager for Michael Anderson’s Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer futuristic sci-fi thriller with Michael York, “Logan’s Run” (1976).  For the production of “Valley of the Dragons” (1961), Roberts co-produced the Columbia sci-fi/creature/fantasy production with veteran executive producer Al Zimbalist, the real-life father of Donald Zimbalist.   The senior Zimablist previously produced Eugene Frenke’s production of “Miss Robin Crusoe” (1954) with a pre-“Gunsmoke” Amanda Blake.   The 1961 production of “Valley of the Dragons” was produced under the “ZRB Productions” (Zimbalist, Roberts and Bernds) moniker for Columbia, according to details from the American Film Institute.

This will mark Sven’s third big broadcast of Bernds’ 1961 classic Columbia sci-fi/creature/fantasy feature film masterpiece production on Me-TV.  He previously showcased “Valley of the Dragons” (1961) as a big broadcast premiere back in April 2019 and as a Dec. 2019 big broadcast, which was presented as a tribute to Joan Staley, she died in Nov. 2019.

Who was in Bernds’ Columbia production of “Valley of the Dragons” (1961)?

The players who appeared in Edward Bernds’ Columbia production of “Valley of the Dragons” (1961) were Joan Staley (as Deena), Cesare Danova (as Hector Servadac), Danielle De Metz (as Nateeta), Sean McClory (as Michael Denning), Gregg Martell (as Od-Loo), Dolly Grey (as Mara), Gil Perkins (in the dual roles of Tarn and a Doctor), Mike Lane (as Anoka), I. Stanford Jolley (as Patoo), Jerry Sunshine (as LeClerc), Mark Dempsey (as Andrews) and Roger Til (as Vidal).

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast premiere of “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast premiere of a rare classic Columbia Pictures cult sci-fi/creature/thriller masterpiece.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast premiere of “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955)

Original 1955 Columbia Pictures theatrical trailer for “Creature with the Atom Brain.”

“Shock-full of thrills!” Original 1955 Columbia Pictures theatrical poster artwork for “Creature with the Atom Brain.”

The legendary Chicago/Berwyn-based sci-fi/creature film host will present his big broadcast premiere of “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955), this Sat.; Aug. 8 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1955 Columbia classic sci-fi/creature/thriller masterpiece was directed by veteran editor-turned-director Edward L. Cahn.  Cahn produced numerous short subjects for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1935-49.  He also directed “The She-Creature” (1956, with Marla English, Chester Morris and Tom Conway)  and “Invasion of the Saucer Men” (1957, with young Frank Gorshin, Gloria Castillo and Steven Terrell) for Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson’s American-International Pictures.  Cahn also directed the Vogue Productions/United Artists cult sci-fi creature entry with Shirley Patterson/Shawn Smith and Marshall Thompson, “It! The Terror From Beyond Space” (1958).

Cahn’s 1955 sci-fi/creature entry was produced by veteran producer/Columbia Pictures production official Sam Katzman under his Clover Productions moniker; according to Clive Hirschorn’s retrospective studio book, “The Columbia Story.”  The screenplay and original story idea for “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955) was written by veteran screenwriter and science fiction author Curt Sidomak.  Sidomak also wrote the screenplay for George Waggner’s mammoth classic Universal monster masterpiece, “The Wolf Man” (1941) with Lon Chaney Jr., Evelyn Ankers, Claude Rains, Bela Lugosi, Maria Ouspenskaya, Warren William and Ralph Bellamy.

Who was in “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955)?

The players who appeared in Edward L. Cahn’s Columbia classic creature/sci-fi masterpiece production of “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955) were Richard Denning (as Dr. Chet Walker), Angela Stevens (as Joyce Walker), S. John Launer (as Capt. Dave Harris), Michael Granger (as Frank Buchanan), Karl “the Killer” Davis (in an uncredited role as Willard Pierce), Gregory Gaye (as Dr. Wilhelm Stagg), Linda Bennett (as Penny Walker), Tristram Coffin (as Dist. Atty. MacGraw), Harry Lauter (as the first reporter), Larry J. Blake (as the second reporter), Charles Evans (as Chief Camden) and Pierre Watkin (as Mayor Bremer).

“Svengoolie” presents his big coast-to-coast broadcast premiere of “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast premiere of a classic Columbia Pictures stop-motion animated fantasy-adventure masterpiece.

“Svengoolie” presents his big coast-to-coast broadcast premiere of “The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958)

Original 1958 Columbia Pictures theatrical trailer for the Ray Harryhausen–Nathan H. Juran Dynamation production of “The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad,” introduced by Kathryn Grant.

“8th wonder of the screen!” Original 1958 Columbia Pictures theatrical poster artwork for the Ray Harryhausen–Nathan H. Juran Dynamation production of “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based classic creature/fantasy film host will present his big coast-to-coast broadcast premiere of “The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958), this Sat.; June 27 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1958 Columbia classic fantasy/adventure masterpiece was directed by veteran director Nathan Hertz Juran. Juran’s other fantasy masterpiece productions include “The Deadly Mantis” (1957), “Attack of the 50 Foot Woman” (1958) and “The Boy Who Cried Werewolf” (1973).  The stop-motion creature/visual effects were done by veteran pioneering stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen with his “Dynamation” stop-motion effects process.

Harryhausen’s other classic stop-motion visual effect feature masterpieces include “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953), “It Came From Beneath the Sea” (1955), “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” (1956), “20 Million Miles to Earth” (1957), “Jason and the Argonauts” (1963), “First Men in the Moon” (1964), “The Valley of Gwangi” (1969) and “Clash of the Titans” (1981).  Harryhausen co-wrote the screenplay with veteran film and TV screenwriter Kenneth Kolb.

“The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad” was produced by veteran producer Charles H. Schneer, who frequently collaborated with Harryhausen’s features.

In Sven’s home area of Berwyn/Chicago, he previously aired “The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958) as a Berwyn/Chicago big broadcast premiere on his hometown television station, WCIU-TV 26/”The U” back in March 2010, according to information from IMDB and in Jan. 2011 as a WCIU big broadcast; according to fellow super Svengoolie SvenPal David Fuentes’ official “Terror From Beyond the Dave” YouTube channel.

Who was in “The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958)?

The players who appeared in the Ray Harryhausen-Nathan H. Juran Columbia classic Dynamation masterpiece production of “The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958) were Kerwin Mathews (as Sinbad), Kathryn Grant (as Princess Parisa), Richard Eyer (as Baronni the Genie), Torin Thatcher (as Sokurah the Magician), Virgilio Teixeira (as Ali), Harold Kasket (as Sultan), Nana DeHerrera (as Sadi), Alec Mango (as Caliph), Luis Guedes (as a crewman), Nino Falanga (as a gaunt sailor), Alfred Brown (as Harufa) and Danny Green (as Karim).

“Svengoolie” to present his big broadcast of “Valley of the Dragons” (1961), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals from coast-to-coast will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast of a classic Columbia Pictures sci-fi creature adventure/fantasy masterpiece.

Original 1961 Columbia Pictures tinted lobby card for Edward Bernds‘ “Valley of the Dragons.”

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “Valley of the Dragons” (1961)

“They go a million years in time and land a million miles out in space!” Original 1961 Columbia Pictures theatrical poster artwork element for Edward Bernds‘ “Valley of the Dragons.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based sci-fi/creature feature host will present his big broadcast of “Valley of the Dragons” (1961), this Sat.; Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

“Valley of the Dragons” (1961) was directed by veteran studio director Edward Bernds.  Bernds also directed various Columbia short subject comedies with “The Three Stooges” (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Jerome “Curly” Howard from 1945 until Curly’s 1947 stroke and the Stooges’ 1947–1952 Columbia shorts with Shemp Howard). Bernds also worked on two latter Columbia “Stooge” feature-length productions with “Curly Joe” DeRita, “The Three Stooges Meet Hercules” and “The Three Stooges in Orbit” (both 1962). Bernds’ non-Columbia features include Allied Artists’ “Queen of Outer Space” (1958), with Zsa Zsa Gabor and the Twentieth Century Fox sequel to 1958’s “The Fly,” “Return of the Fly” (1959); with Vincent Price.

Before he went into the field of directing, Bernds started out as a Columbia Pictures sound engineer for Frank Capra’s acclaimed productions of “It Happened One Night” (1934) with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” (1936) with Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939), with James Stewart, Arthur and Claude Rains.

Screenwriter Donald Zimbalist wrote the screen treatment for “Valley of the Dragons” and was inspired by Jules Verne’s novel, “Career of a Comet” (a.k.a., “Off on a Comet” and “Hector Servadac”) and the Hal Roach–Hal Roach Jr. production of  “One Million B.C.” (1940, with Lon Chaney Jr., Victor Mature, Carole Landis and Conrad Nagel), according to Clive Hirschhorn’s passage on “Valley of the Dragons” in “The Columbia Story.”  Veteran production executive Byron Roberts co-produced Bernds’ 1961 Columbia sci-fi/fantasy creature entry with Donald Zimbalist’s real-life father, executive producer Al Zimbalist.

This will mark Sven’s second big broadcast of “Valley of the Dragons” (1961) on Me-TV.  He previously showcased Bernds’ 1961 Columbia production as a big broadcast premiere back in April 2019.

Who was in Bernds’ 1961 Columbia sci-fi/creature/fantasy feature?

The players who appeared in “Valley of the Dragons” (1961) were Joan Staley (as Deena; Staley later went on to greater fame for her role of Alma Parker in Alan Rafkin’s 1966 Universal ghost comedy with Don Knotts, “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken;” she also appeared as the villain “Annie Okie” alongside Cliff Robertson as the villain “Shame” in two episodes of the Adam West–Burt Ward “Batman” live action TV series in 1966, Staley later became a talent agent with her husband according to Mike Barnes’ tribute article on Joan Staley in The Hollywood Reporter), Cesare Danova (as Hector Servadac; apart from his various roles in film and TV, Danova went onto greater fame for his role of Mayor Carmine DePasto in John Landis’ 1978 Universal-National Lampoon mammoth campus comedy, “National Lampoon’s Animal House” with John Belushi, Karen Allen, Tim Matheson, Bruce McGill, Donald Sutherland, Martha Smith, Kevin Bacon and John Vernon), Sean McClory (as Michael Denning, McClory previously appeared in the role of Maj. Kibbee in Gordon Douglas’ 1954 Warner Bros. sci-fi creature thriller, “Them!” with Edmund Gwynn, James Whitmore, Fess Parker, James Arness and young Leonard Nimoy), Danielle De Metz (as Nateeta), Gil Perkins (in the dual roles of Tarn and a Doctor), Gregg Martell (as Od-Loo), Dolly Grey (as Mara), Mike Lane (as Anoka), Jerry Sunshine (as LeClerc), I. Stanford Jolley (as Patoo), Roger Til (as Vidal) and Mark Dempsey (as Andrews).

“Svengoolie” to present his big broadcast of “It Came from Beneath the Sea” (1955), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast of a classic Columbia Pictures stop-motion sci-fi creature masterpiece.

Original 1955 Columbia Pictures lobby card/tinted still for Ray Harryhausen‘s “It Came From Beneath the Sea,” featuring Harryhausen’s “Dynamation” octopus creature.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “It Came From Beneath the Sea” (1955)

“Primordial Monster Attacks the World!” Original 1955 Columbia Pictures concept poster artwork for Ray Harryhausen‘s “It Came From Beneath the Sea.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based creature/thriller film host will present his big broadcast of “It Came From Beneath the Sea” (1955), this Sat., Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1955 Columbia classic sci-fi creature masterpiece was directed by Robert Gordon and was produced by veteran studio producers Charles H. Schneer and Sam Katzman (Katzman served as executive producer on the feature).   Stop-motion animation and visual pioneer Ray Harryhausen created the Dynamation stop-motion creature effects for “It Came from Beneath the Sea.”  This marked the first collaboration between Harryhausen and Schneer, the two worked on numerous sci-fi and fantasy feature productions, including “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” (1956), “20 Million Miles to Earth” (1957), “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958), “Jason and the Argonauts” (1963),  “First Men in the Moon” (1964), “The Valley of Gwangi” (1969) and “Clash of the Titans” (1981).

“It Came from Beneath the Sea” (1955) was originally released by Columbia as a double-feature theatrical presentation with Edward L. Cahn‘s sci-fi creature thriller, “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955, with Richard Denning of the 1954 Jack Arnold–Universal monster production of “Creature From the Black Lagoon” and Angela Stevens); according to IMDB.  According to additional details from the American Film Institute, similar stock footage elements were utilized in both “It Came From Beneath the Sea” and “Creature with the Atom Brain.”

This will mark Sven’s second big coast-to-coast broadcast of the 1955 Harryhausen-Columbia Dynamation classic on Me-TV.  He previously showcased “It Came from Beneath the Sea” from coast-to-coast back in March 2019.  According to additional details from IMDB, Sven previously aired the 1955 Harryhausen-Columbia Dynamation sci-fi creature thriller on his hometown television station in Berwyn/Chicago, Illinois; WCIU-TV 26/”The U”* back in June 2010.

Who was in the 1955 Harryhausen-Schneer-Gordon-Katzman Columbia sci-fi “Dynamation” creature entry?

The players who appeared in the 1955 Harryhausen-Schneer-Gordon-Katzman-Columbia sci-fi “Dynamation” underwater sci-fi creature production were Kenneth Tobey (as Cmdr. Pete Matthews; Tobey previously appeared in previously appeared in Howard Hawks’ 1951 RKO sci-fi thriller with a pre-“Gunsmoke” James Arness, “The Thing from Another World” and in the 1953 Harryhausen-Eugène Lourié’-Warner Bros. sci-fi “Dynamation” creature thriller; “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms”), Faith Domergue (as Prof. Lesley Joyce; Domergue previously appeared in the 1955 Joseph Newman-Universal sci-fi thriller, “This Island Earth”), Charles H. Schneer (in an uncredted on-screen cameo appearance as an extra), Donald Curtis (as Dr. John Carter; Curtis also appeared in the 1956 Harryhausen-Schneer-Fred F. Sears-Columbia sci-fi Dynamation feature, “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers”), Dean Maddox Jr. (as Admiral Norman), Harry Lauter (as Dep. Bill Nash, Lauter also appeared in Sears’ 1956 Columbia monster-creature production with Steven Ritch; “The Werewolf”), Ian Keith (as Admiral Burns), Chuck Griffiths (as Naval Lt. Griff), and Richard W. Peterson (as Capt. Stacy) and William Woodson (in an uncredited role as the opening/introductory narrator, Woodson also provided the uncredited opening narration for “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers”).

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “The Giant Claw” (1957), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals from coast-to-coast will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast of a Columbia Pictures cult sci-fi creature feature classic.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “The Giant Claw” (1957)

“Big as a battleship!” “Flies four times the speed of sound!” “Atomic weapons can’t hurt it!” Original 1957 Columbia Pictures lobby card/concept artwork for “The Giant Claw.”

Original 1957 Columbia Pictures poster artwork element for “The Giant Claw.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based sci-fi/creature film host will present his big broadcast of “The Giant Claw” (1957), this Sat.; Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1957 Columbia sci-fi creature production was directed by veteran studio actor-turned-director Fred F. Sears and was produced by veteran studio production executive Sam Katzman.

Both Katzman and Sears were known for their Columbia productions throughout the 1950s, including “The Werewolf” (1956); with Steven Ritch, Joyce Holden and Don Megowan, “Rock Around the Clock” (1956); with The Platters, Bill Haley’s Comets and disc jockey Alan Freed, the Ray Harryhausen–Dynamation production of “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” (1956); with Joan Taylor and Hugh Marlowe, “Don’t Knock the Rock” (1956); with Little Richard, Alan Freed and Bill Haley’s Comets, “Calypso Heat Wave” (1957); with Maya Angelou, Joel Grey and Johnny Desmond and  “The Night the World Exploded” (1957); with Kathryn Grant and William Leslie.

“The Giant Claw” was originally released as a double-feature presentation in most theatrical venues with the additional 1957 Columbia sci-fi production from Katzman and Sears, “The Night the World Exploded;” according to the original 1957 Columbia Pictures exhibitors’ trade ad that was featured in BoxOffice Magazine.

This will mark Sven’s second big coast-to-coast broadcast of “The Giant Claw” (1957) on Me-TV.  He previously showcased the 1957 Sears-Katzman-Columbia sci-fi creature as a big coast-to-coast broadcast premiere back in Feb. 2019.

Who was in the 1957 Sears-Katzman-Columbia sci-fi creature feature classic?

The players who appeared in “The Giant Claw” (1957) were Jeff Morrow (as Mitch MacAfee; Morrow also appeared in two Universal Studios sci-fi/monster/creature productions, including 1955’s “This Island Earth” and 1957’s “The Creature Walks Among Us”), Mara Corday (as Sally Caldwell; Corday previously appeared in the 1955 Universal production of “Tarantula” and in the 1957 Warner Bros. production of “The Black Scorpion”), Morris Ankrum (as Lt. Gen. Edward Considine, Ankrum also appeared in the 1957 Harryhausen-Katzman-Sears-Columbia production of “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers”), Robert Shayne (as Gen. Van Buskirk), Clark Howat (as Maj. Bergen), Louis Merrill (as Pierre Broussard), Edgar Barrier (as Dr. Karol Noymann),  Frank Griffin (as Pete, the actor was credited under the pseudonym name of Ruell Shayne in the film)*,  Morgan Jones (as a lieutenant) George Cisar (in an uncredited role as an airplane passenger, Cisar previously appeared in the 1956 Katzman-Sears Columbia production of “The Werewolf”), an uncredited cameo vocal appearance by Fred F. Sears (as the narrator) and Robert B. Williams (in an uncredited role as a state trooper).

“Svengoolie” to present his big broadcast premiere of “Valley of the Dragons” (1961), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be excited for his big broadcast premiere of a classic Columbia Pictures sci-fi/fantasy creature feature.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast premiere of “Valley of the Dragons” (1961)

Original 1961 Columbia Pictures theatrical trailer for “Valley of the Dragons,” with added Italian subtitles.

Original 1961 Columbia Pictures poster artwork for “Valley of the Dragons.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based sci-fi/fantasy film host will present his big broadcast premiere of “Valley of the Dragons” (1961), this Sat., April 20 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1961 sci-fi/fantasy creature feature was directed by Columbia veteran Edward Bernds.  Bernds started out as a sound engineer for the studio, notably for his work on Frank Capra’s acclaimed Columbia features; including “It Happened One Night” (1934, with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert), “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” (1936, with Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur) and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939, with James Stewart, Arthur and Claude Rains).

Bernds later directed numerous Columbia short comedies featuring The Three Stooges (with Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Jerome “Curly” Howard from 1945 until Curly’s stroke in 1947 and the Stooges’ shorts with Shemp Howard from 1947–1952).  Bernds would later direct two feature-length Columbia “Stooge” productions with “Curly Joe” DeRita, “The Three Stooges Meet Hercules” and “The Three Stooges in Orbit” (both 1962).

Some of Bernds’ non-Columbia features that he directed were “Queen of Outer Space” (1958, for Allied Artists) with Zsa Zsa Gabor and the Twentieth Century Fox sequel to 1958’s “The Fly,” “Return of the Fly” (1959) with Vincent Price.

According to Clive Hirschorn’s retrospective book on Columbia Pictures, “The Columbia Story;” Bernds also wrote the screenplay for “Valley of the Dragons,” which was adapted from Donald Zimbalist ‘s story treatment.  Bernds and Zimbalist’s work was loosely inspired by Jules Verne’s novel, “Career of a Comet” (a.k.a., “Off on a Comet” and “Hector Servadac”).

Who was in “Valley of the Dragons” (1961)?

The players who appeared in Bernds’ 1961 Columbia sci-fi/fantasy creature feature were Cesare Danova (as Hector Servadac), Sean McClory (as Michael Denning), Joan Staley (as Deena), Danielle De Metz (as Nateeta), Gregg Martell (as Od-Loo), Gil Perkins (in the dual roles of Tarn and a Doctor), I. Stanford Jolley (as Patoo), Mike Lane (as Anoka), Roger Til (as Vidal), Mark Dempsey (as Andrews), Jerry Sunshine (as LeClerc) and Dolly Grey (as Mara).