Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals will be jumping for joy from coast-to-coast for his big broadcast return of a cult comedic sci-fi/fantasy classic.
“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “Village of the Giants” (1965)
“Teen-agers zoom to supersize!” Original 1965 Embassy Pictures twinfold exhibitors’ ad for “Village of the Giants.”
Embassy (ca. mid-1980s) Betamax cover art for “Village of the Giants” (originally priced at $59.95, resembling the original 1965 poster art).
The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based sci-fi/fantasy film host will present his big broadcast showcase of “Village of the Giants” (1965), this Sat., July 20 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.
The 1965 feature was directed by veteran cult film director Bert I. Gordon, who was known for “King Dinosaur” (1955), “Beginning of the End” (1957), “The Amazing Colossal Man” (1957), “Attack of the Puppet People” (1958), “War of the Colossal Beast” (the 1958 sequel to “The Amazing Colossal Man”), “The Magic Sword” (1962) and “Empire of the Ants” (1977). Gordon was inspired by H.G. Wells’ novel, “The Food of the Gods.” Gordon’s “Village of the Giants” was released theatrically by veteran film distributor Joseph E. Levine and his Embassy Pictures organization (according to the American Film Institute).
This will mark Sven’s second coast-to-coast big broadcast of Gordon’s 1965 Embassy sci-fi feature on Me-TV. He previously showcased “Village of the Giants” back in Jan. 2019. In his hometown of Berwyn/Chicago, Sven previously aired Gordon’s 1965 entry on WCIU-TV 26/”The U” in Sept. 2008 (according to IMDB).
Who was in Gordon’s 1965 Embassy sci-fi/comedy entry?
Original 1965 Embassy Pictures theatrical release trailer for “Village of the Giants.”
The players who appeared in “Village of the Giants” (1965) were Ron “Ronny” Howard (as Genius, Howard’s best-known acting roles include his characters of Opie Taylor on “The Andy Griffith Show” from 1960-68 and Richie Cunningham on “Happy Days” from 1972-80, with guest cameos in 1983 and in the finale in 1984; he later became a successful film director), Beau Bridges (as Fred, Bridges later appeared in 1971’s “The Last Picture Show,” 1979’s “Norma Rae” with Sally Field and the remainder of “Stargate: SG-1” from 2005-07), Johnny Crawford (as Horsey, Crawford previously played the role of Mark McCain in the 1958-63 Chuck Connors western series; “The Rifleman”), Tommy Kirk (as Mike, Kirk appeared in numerous live-action Disney and American-International films throughout his career), Joy Harmon (as Merrie), Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon (as himself, Cannon’s portfolio of hit songs include 1959’s “Tallahassee Lassie,” “Way Down Yonder In New Orleans,” 1962’s “Palisades Park” 1965’s “Action” and his 2016 smash hit song with Svengoolie, “The Svengoolie Stomp”), Toni Basil (as Red, the future dancer-choreographer-singer was later known for her 1981 hit; “Mickey”), The Beau Brummels (as themselves, their portfolio of hit songs include 1964’s “Laugh, Laugh” and 1965’s “Just a Little” ), Rance Howard (as a deputy, he was the father of Ron Howard), Tim Rooney (as Pete, the junior Rooney was the son of actor Mickey Rooney), Charla Doherty (as Nancy), Robert “Bob” Random (as Rick), Gail Gilmore (as Elsa), Tisha Sterling (as Jean), Joe Turkel (as a sheriff), feline film personality Orangey (in an uncredited role as a giant cat, Orangey previously appeared 1951’s “Rhubarb” and 1955’s “This Island Earth”) and Hank Jones (as Chuck).
Silver Screen Reflections 