Wednesday, November 24, 2010

LA RAGAZZA DAL PIGIAMA GIALLO - Riz Ortolani/Amanda Lear - "Yellow Pajamas" (1977)

Well, you know what they say in Italy, "There's always room for Giallo," so here we go again under the new midweek flagship title of Weird & Wacky Wednesday, with "La Ragazza Dal Pigiama Giallo", or as they say in English, "The Pyjama Girl Case" or "The Girl In The Yellow Pajamas!" I don't know who came up with "Pyjama" because as far as I know, that's not a word in the English language, last time I checked, but let's not get picky!

Yeah, you guessed it, this is an arty movie, and there's a charred and disfigured woman's body in one of those cars! The music is composed by Mr. Riz Ortalani, who you can read a lot a more about by searching his name on our search deal over there on the side! The sultry and sensuous voice you hear in the sound clip is that of Eurodisco Queen Amanda Lear, who is a whole story unto herself that I just don't have time to detail right now! You can look her up on Wikipedia, but here's just a couple of highlights of her public life.

Amanda Lear was literally Salvador Dali's Muse, model, and traveling companion for 15 years or so, she seriously dated Brian Jones, Bryan Ferry, and had an affair with David Bowie, and has had a killer music, modeling, and more career! She also composed the songs she sings in this film, and was the model for this Roxy Music album cover which has nothing to do with this movie, but fits right in!

The main reason I wanted to see this film was because another Dungeon Hero, Ray Milland is in it! Our motto is: "If Ray's in it, we're watchin' it, and that's that!"

As a retired police inspector, Ray's daily routine is still not quite too normal!

I like this shot where Ray is pleading with the police to let him work on the case, as the two rocket surgeons assigned to the case mill around in the background with the body!

It's not official, but Ray gets the go ahead to do his own investigation! What a mug!!

Some of "La Ragazza Dal Pigiama Giallo" was shot in Italy, but the bulk of the movie was shot in Sydney, Australia! The story is based on a true murder mystery that happened in the 1930's!

So you've got this murder case going on, and then also there is another story happening here about this beautiful woman, Dalila Di Lazzaro as Glenda Blythe, and her crazy, mixed-up life! Dalila was also the female monster in "Andy Warhol's Frankenstein" among many other things!

Glenda's life is very complicated for some reason, she has a female lover, Vanessa Vitale as Evelina, just for starters!

Here's Giacomo Assandri as Quint, the perv who lives on the beach near where the body was found, being questioned by Ray!

Upon departing, Ray takes a moment to reflect on some of Quint's erotic art collection, that he displays on his walls so proudly!

Another one of Glenda's lovers is Howard Ross as Roy! Howard's real name is Renato Rossini! I'm not sure what she sees in him! He's a jerk!

Just so you don't forget that this movie was filmed in Sydney!

They put the body on exhibition, in hopes of identifying it, and it comes across like a surreal classical painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres!!

There is no shortage of eccentric characters in "La Ragazza Dal Pigiama Giallo," and you can take that to the bank!

"La Ragazza Dal Pigiama Giallo" was directed by Flavio Mogherini, and the very fine cinematography was by Raúl Artigot and Carlo Carlini!!

Ray has a very good part as Inspector Thompson, and although he does figure out who the murderer is, he doesn't make it to the end of the film!

Michele Placido is Glenda's annoying husband, I don't see what she sees in him either!! He's a pendejo!

Mel Ferrer is Glenda's sugar daddy, but he can't show up because he's too busy when she really needs him!! He turns out to be just another loser!

So after everything breaks down in all her relationships, Glenda stoops way down low to take on this slimey sleazebag and his two friends, in a sweaty scene I could have done without!!

I think I'd be pretty worried about global warming if I lived near a graveyard by the ocean!

In a fitting and final scene, one of the big losers is hit by a bus full of majorettes!! Wow, what a movie!!

Monday, November 22, 2010

CAPTAIN Z-RO / Roy Steffens - 1955

Hello everbloody, and welcome to Moldie Oldie Monday, here at The Dungeon! Tonight we have a rarity from the airwaves of 1955. This program was the brainchild of writer/actor, Roy Steffens. Alive today, this was the only project Roy was ever part of!.. Weird!

Usually, Captain Z-RO used his time machine to go back in time to assure that history is not not changed by historical characters through the years. It seems that without his influence throughout history (26 episodes), the world would be a much different place!! And, now that I think about it, I'd bet the idea for Mr. Peabody came from this series!!

Even Tabonga in Hell has no idea who composed the music, and since it's moldie, who cares?!.. So, we might as well bring in our lil' Dungeon Pal, Rufus The Gnat, what's gonna be pushing that there big red 'GO' button, and start our Eariffic Earclip, here's... CAPTAIN Z-RO!

Our episode tonight is "Meteor" - seconds to death in the ZX99.

This is Captain Z-RO and Jet in a remote laboratory, somewhere on Earth!.. Hey, cool rocket!!

No, you look sillier!!

Nice shot of the remote lab and their rocket, the ZX99!

5... 4... 3... 2... 1.. Z-RO!!!

Looks like the Capt. is sitting in a big bucket!

Coffee in space, probably not a good idea! You listenin' Starbucks?! Especially them triple shots!

Here's a shot looking out the ZX99's Video Plate, and that's what the Earth looked like from space in the fifties!

And the winner is...... Beetle-Bomb!!

Beetlebomb hit the ZX99... Wait, no, the meteor hits the ZX99 and The Captain has to go out and evaluate the damage...

Boy, it's lucky the ship didn't start spinning around!..

Aw, crap!

I can't work like this! Notice that even upside down, it still reads.. 'Z'

UH... HELP, MR. WIZARD!!!...

Jet's not buying the old fart's patriotic idea about 'Going out in a blaze of glory!'

Then, out of nowhere, Captain Z-RO jumps into the scene!

Then, there's a teriffic explosion as the meteor zeroes in on them!

Everything's cool and back to normal, all because The Captain was able to jump into the scene before there was that explosion!.. That's how simple things were, back in the fifties!

Ghoulnight Everbloody!!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

LES CAUCHEMARS NAISSENT LA NUIT - Bruno Nicolai - "Nightmares Come At Night" (1970)

The title of tonight's outing is "Les Cauchemars Naissent La Nuit" , and in my humble and most respectful opinion, this is not Jess Franco's best effort! I mean, "Nightmares Come At Night" sounds kinda scary, but it's really just soft-core art sleaze! You would need to be very stoned to be able to get into this movie, and I don't know if it's possible to get that high, and not fall asleep or die!! My French ain't that great, so I thought the title had something to do with giant cockroaches from Mars, not seemingly endless and actually quite boring sex scenes leading up to a big crescendo of a nothing ending that you could care less about by the time you get there!

Diana Lorys as Anna de Istria was also in "The Awful Dr. Orlac," "Fangs Of The Living Dead," "Night Of The Blood monster," and "House Of Psychotic Women," which are all a Heck of a better watch than "Les Cauchemars Naissent La Nuit!"

Coming off of a real nice run of three terrific flicks, "Sax Rohmer's The Castle of Fu Manchu," "Küß Mich, Monster," and "Venus In Furs," it seemed like Jess Franco couldn't do anything wrong, but this "Erotic Nightmare" is just exactly what it claims to be! Jesus Franco has directed 192 films, so it would be asking a lot for each and every one to be good, even if he is one of THE best directors of all time!

"Les Cauchemars Naissent La Nuit" is one of those kinds of movies, where pretty much the only saving grace is that, it has a lot of pretty cool and sleazy music, brought to you by the Maestro Bruno Nicolai, the man who was conductor and musical director in the Clint Eastwood classics, "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly," and "For A Few Dollars More" and also composed the music for another 96 films like "Spy Pit," "Island Of Despair," and "Eugenie - The Story Of Her Journey Into Perversion!"

Paul Muller as Dr. Paul Lucas does manage to get in a few choice lines! Paul has been in the movies since 1948, in titles like "Goliath and The Sins Of Babylon," the Jerry Cotton feature "Murderers Club Of Brooklyn," and "Nightmare Castle" just to name a couple of his 241 achievements!

Soledad Miranda was also in "Les Cauchemars Naissent La Nuit" along with Maria Rohm, but both are used minimally, to the point that this shot of this airplance ride is a lot more interesting! Howard Vernon is also in this film lurking around somewhere!

"Les Cauchemars Naissent La Nuit" makes major stinker of a film "Manos: The Hands Of Time" look like a Spielberg flick! This would be a good movie to watch if you were having a swinger's party in a big castle with different movies showing in each room, and you only had time to glance up at the screen once in a while!

Normally boring and sex are not words that should even be used in the same sentence, so I think you get the idea, it's either overly arty, or Jesus needed some quick cash! This club scene seemed to go on forever, and then some!

Colette Giacobine as Cynthia Robins has a very familiar look, but she was only ever in a total of seven films. In this movie she was credited as Colette Jack!

If you don't believe me or if this is your favorite genre of film, then by all means, check it out yourself, I think I'm going to find the soundtrack myself. Just like with a lot of music videos, sometimes your ears and imagination would have been plenty good enough!

Monster Music

Monster Music
AAARRGGHHH!!!! Ya'll Come On Back Now, Y'Hear??