DECEMBER 2003 OBITUARIES Albert Nozaki Academy Award-nominated art director, Albert Nozaki, best known to genre-film fans for his work on producer George Pal's classic "The War of the Worlds," has died following complications from pneumonia. He was 91. Nozaki's credits include "The Ten Commandments," "Appointment with Danger," "Pony Express," "The Big Clock," "Houdini" and "The Buccaneer," but, according to his friend, Oscar-winning effects artist Robert Skotak, Nozaki thought of the Pal-produced science-fiction film as "my masterpiece." Nozaki began his career in Paramount's set-design department in 1934. He shared his Academy Award-nomination with Hal Pereira and Walter H. Tyler for their work on director Cecil B. DeMille's lavish spectacle "The Ten Commandments." Born in Tokyo, Nozaki was three years old when his family came to the U.S. He earned a bachelor's degree in architecture and a master's degree in architectural engineering. A tour of the Paramount lot inspired him to apply for a job at the studio. Following the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Nozaki was dismissed by the studio. Along with thousands of Japanese residents, he and his wife, Lorna, were forcibly relocated to the Manzanar internment camp. In 1943, after signing pledges that they would defend the U.S., and agreeing to relocate to the midwest, they were released. Nozaki returned to Paramount following the war. He became an American citizen in 1954. In 1951, Nozaki worked on George Pal's sci-fi classic "When Worlds Collide." Pal conscripted Nozaki to create a contemporary visualization of H.G. Welles' turn-of-the-century novel "The War of the Worlds," which Pal planned to film. Nozaki storyboarded the entire film, designed the Martian warship and the Martians themselves. At an Art Directors Guild Film Society tribute to his work in 2000, Nozaki spoke of his innovative Martian spacecraft design, which departed from the three-legged mechanical machines described in the original script: "I took the initiative to make [them] another shape, and in July 1951 on a Sunday afternoon at home, the shape of a sea creature flashed across my mind. The mushroom-like Martian also was my design, and made life-size so a man could enter it and maneuver its extremities. The film looks as futuristic now as it did back then." In 1963, Nozaki was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. Within 10 years, he was completely blind. He remained at Paramount his entire career, retiring as the supervising art director for features in 1969. When asked about Nozaki's work on "The War of the Worlds," film historian and prop preservationist Bob Burns told the L.A. Times, "they did so many innovative tricks that had never been done in a film before. It was just a unique picture, and Al's contribution to that was enormous. The look of the whole film was all his." Julie Parrish Actress Julie Parrish, remembered for roles in such films as "The Nutty Professor," "The Doberman Gang" and the Elvis Presley vehicle "Paradise Hawaiian Style," has died at 62. She endured an ongoing battle with cancer, but died of natural causes in Los Angeles. Parrish also worked extensively in television, notably in the 1960s sitcom "Good Morning World" with Joby Baker, Billy DeWolfe, Ronnie Schell and Goldie Hawn. She guest starred on such programs as "Star Trek," "Gunsmoke," "Bonanza," "Gidget," "Mannix," "The Rockford Files" and many others. Born Ruby Joyce Wilbar, she was discovered after winning a modeling contest. One of the judges was Jerry Lewis and her prize was a role in the film "It's Only Money." Lewis then cast her in "The Nutty Professor." She also appeared in the teen features "Fireball 500" with Frankie Avalon and "Winter A-Go-Go" with James Stacy and William Wellman Jr. She was originally diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1993, but following surgery and chemotherapy she resumed her career. She experienced a relapse in 1999. She was outspoken on the issue of domestic violence, serving on the Board of Directors of the L.A. Commission on Assaults Against Women, and worked as a counselor at a shelter for battered women. Hal Clement Science fiction writer Hal Clement has died at his home in Milton, Mass. He was 81. Clement, who was born Harry Clement Stubbs, wrote for six decades, earning the title of Grand Master bestowed by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Among his best-known works were "Mission of Gravity," "Star Light," "Iceworld," "Cycle of Fire" and "Close to Critical." Clement was a retired teacher and World War II pilot who held a bachelor's degree in astronomy and master's degrees in education and chemistry from Harvard. His first published story appeared in "Astounding" magazine in 1942. Following a tour of duty in the Army Air Corps, he produced his first novel, "Needle," which was serialized in "Astounding" in 1949. THE B MOVIE MONTH IN REVIEW DEL-ARIE-IOUS TRIBUTE Remember that swinging beach band that popped up in director Del Tenney's cult classic "The Horror of Party Beach?" They were the Del-Aires, a Jersey-based combo that recorded for Coral Records before being approached by Rich Hilliard, acting as musical director for Tenney's production, which was filming under the working title "Invasion of the Zombies." The rest, as they say ... Their sole movie appearance so impressed Chad Plembeck, that he organized a tribute Website. "The feedback for the site has been tremendous," he says. Turns out the band had quite a fan base before they performed "The Zombie Stomp" in the schlock-film favorite. Plembeck even tracked down original band members Bobby Osborne and Ronnie Linares who are still gigging in Bonita Springs, Fla., but have lost touch with their ex-band mates. While Tenney told the B Monster that he believed a "Party Beach" soundtrack album existed (one was announced in the film's press kit), according to Plembeck, "after shooting was finished, the band allegedly recorded a soundtrack album but this cannot be collaborated because no trace of the album can be found." Chad goes on to say, "If anybody out there has more Del-Aires information, records or promotional material and would like to contribute it to the tribute page please e-mail me: deaded@hotmail.com. Plembeck's site features a history of the band, "Party Beach" anecdotes, interviews, a complete discography ("Treble Rock," "Drag," "The Crawl," "Just Wigglin'-n-Wobblin'"), Del-Aires fan mail and more. Check it out at: http://www.badmovieplanet.com/3btheater/stuff/del-aires.html Also, much to his credit, Plembeck maintains a Paul Blaisdell Tribute page. Chad says that he's cribbed "from several sources including Randy Palmer's biography of Blaisdell, Mark McGee's history of AIP, Arkoff and Corman's biographies and several magazine articles." It, too, is well worth investigating: http://www.badmovieplanet.com/3btheater/stuff/blaisdell.html Tell 'em, of course, the B Monster sent you! WHAT HAPPENED TO HALLOWEEN? So, the B Monster gets a press release promoting the iFilm.com "Halloween Spooktacular." I'm intrigued and I wonder if it will feature vintage film clips, innovative animation, perhaps a promising indie horror feature. I go to the site to view their "Halloween Showcase" -- maybe there's some spooky, spirited little netflick my kid and I can watch together -- and what do I find? Films about Ed Gein ("A chilling dramatization of his life and crimes"), Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer. Ah, that's the Halloween spirit; trick-or-treating, candy apples, witches on broomsticks and real-life, heinous serial killers who mutilated their victims and destroyed the lives of their families. By all means, let's link their repugnancy to the innocent thrills of Frankenstein, Casper and candy. Thanks, iFilm, for slipping a razor blade into an otherwise delectable tradition. COLONIAL CONFAB The annual Williamsburg Film Festival is shaping up nicely for 2004. "Honoring the Golden Age of Hollywood," the 2004 fest will take place March 11-13 at the Holiday Inn-Patriot Convention Center (handy to many historical, Colonial-era attractions), 3032 Richmond Road in Williamsburg, Va. There will be autograph and photo sessions, movie screenings, a dealer's room and a guest roster that, as of this writing, includes: John Alderson John Calvert Joe Canutt Alex Cord Tommy Farrell Robert Fuller Kay Linaker Steve Mitchell Betsy Palmer Ann Robinson Daniel Roebuck William Smith Plus, every year, "The Solar Guard" stages their annual reunion at the festival. Not familiar with the cadets of "The Solar Guard?" See our next item. For info on the Williamsburg fest, check out: http://wff5.tripod.com/wff/index.html GET SET, CADET! The dedicated fans behind the Solar Guard website hold a reunion at each Williamsburg Fest, welcoming all those who were, like them, entranced by the pioneering TV exploits of "Tom Corbett," "Rocky Jones," "Space Patrol" and their space-borne brothers-in-arms. The Solar Guard site is a fabulous celebration of television's infant fascination with space exploration and interplanetary adventure. "The call is out for any science fiction fan who shares an interest in early television space adventures," says Ed Pippin, known to fellow guardians as "Cadet Ed." "This site will attempt to preserve some of the early history of Science Fiction Television." There's a galaxy of links to space collectibles, salient articles, a "Space Forum," special tribute sites within the site dedicated to "Space Cadet" and "Space Patrol," a page for cadet news and more. Last year's get-together in Williamsburg featured space greats Jan Merlin, Ed Kemmer and Frankie Thomas, meeting fans, signing autographs, performing in live radio plays and generally having the time of their lives. For news of this year's event, keep checking: http://wff5.tripod.com/wff/id6.html The splendiferous Solar Guard site can be found at: http://www.solarguard.com/sghome.htm Tell 'em Cadet B Monster sent you! ONE RAY TICKET, PLEASE This December 7, legendary movie animator Ray Harryhausen will be appearing at the Pictureville Cinema in Bradford, U.K., greeting fans and autographing his autobiography "An Animated Life." The event is being staged under the aegis of The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television. Ray will be interviewed by the NMPFT's Head of Film Programming, Tony Earnshaw. The film that sparked young Ray's desire to animate, the original "King Kong," will be screened, as will one of Harryhausen's best-loved efforts, "Jason and the Argonauts." You can call the theater box office to reserve your ticket: 0870 70 10 200 CAREY ON THE TRADITION You say they don't make 'em like they used to? Don't tell that to Harry Carey Jr., who is mounting a production that "will be filmed in the tradition of John Ford." Carey, son of one of the screen's legendary cowboys and veteran of several Ford classics, will produce and star in "Comanche Stallion," based on the 1958 novel by Tom Millstead. Carey's co-stars include Rance Howard (father of Ron and Clint), Hechter Ubarry and James Arness. That's right, Big Jim, who worked with Carey in Ford's "Wagon Master" will be providing voiceover narration for the film. You can swap opinions and anecdotes with Harry and fans via the site's guest book/bulletin board: http://www.comanchestallion.com/pages/1/index.htm Sign in and tell 'em the B Monster sent you! "SOLD TO THE MAN WITH WAY TOO MUCH TIME ON HIS HANDS!" Proving that people will pay good money for just about anything, the hoity-toity auction house Sotheby's recently sold a "vampire slaying kit" for $12,000. The contents of the walnut box -- a crucifix, rosary, pistol with silver bullets and bottles of garlic powder and other elixirs (what, no stake?) -- could probably have been purchased at Wal-Mart for about 50 bucks. But according to Sotheby's, such kits were widely available in centuries past, carried by travelers throughout Eastern Europe. Some maintain they were introduced around the time Bram Stoker's "Dracula" was published in order to cash in on the sensation (wow, they did that back then, too?). The auctioneers maintain that this particular kit was fashioned in the early part of the 20th century. Historical importance aside, I'm intrigued by its relevance as an ancillary item. Was there a do-it-yourself "Frankenstein" kit produced in the early 1800s? How about a "wrap-your-own" mummy set to coincide with the King Tut discovery? THE SUPERCRITIC STRIKES AGAIN Screenwriter William Goldman has often charged that the "Supercritic" is so enamored of his own prose that the subject of his text becomes an afterthought. "Supercritics" are everywhere (and sadly, they're probably here to stay as their fellow journalists keep handing them prizes for pithy, punny writing). A recent egregious example is a piece in the Sunday New York Times written by a movie critic for Slate.com. The article was about director Joe Dante's battle with studio suits over the content of his new feature "Looney Tunes: Back In Action," wherein live actors (Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman) interact with classic Warner Brothers cartoon characters (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck). In describing Dante's work, the critic opines, "His direction of live action is sometimes droopy, his compositions two-dimensional, his stories mere vessels for riffs, cameos and quotations from other movies. But his curlicues are good enough to goose his films to life." What, in God's name, does that sentence mean? What the heck is a riff vessel? And how do you goose a film with curlicues? (The critic went on to cite the "junky science-fiction and horror pictures [Joe] consumed as a boy.") Does this guy like Joe's work or not? I like it, and you should see his new movie. A NEW DIMENSION IN UNORIGINALITY Producer Joel Silver has made demeaning classic films something of a Halloween tradition. Seems like every year around that time his Dark Castle production company releases another bad, gratuitous horror film based on an old shocker. These have included remakes of William Castle's "House on Haunted Hill" and "13 Ghosts." Now Silver plans to remake "House of Wax," which was, admittedly, a remake of "Mystery of the Wax Museum" (but let's keep in mind that, at the time "House" was filmed, "Mystery" was thought to be a "lost" film). While promoting his new film, "Gothika," Silver told the Sci Fi Channel, "I want to redo that. I think it would be fun." The original "House" starring Vincent Price was among the best films lensed in 3-D. "I want to do it 3-D," Silver said of the remake. "I think it might be fun. I mean, that's what I'm thinking about now. But that's my plan. I don't know. It depends." MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE U.K. IN MAY Consider this ample notice from our friends at the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television in Bradford, England: Their 2004 Fantastic Films Weekend starts May 22. Highlights this year will include a centenary tribute to Hammer director Terence Fisher featuring screenings of three of his films, showings of ALL THREE "Lord of the Rings" films (bring your sleeping bags), and selections from the museum's TV Heaven archive screened in their IMAX auditorium. In addition, the festival hopes to showcase at least 10 short films from up-and-coming filmmakers, and they are inviting submissions. Films must be of the fantasy genre. You can send submissions, marked "Fantastic Films Submissions" to Tony Earnshaw, Film Dept., National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, Bradford, BD1 1NQ. Keep an eye on the museum website for developments: http://www.nmsi.ac.uk IT'S ALL GEEK TO ME Did you know that the crazed crew behind the stomptokyo.com site also publishes a print 'zine? "'B-Movies Quarterly' is a print-only 'zine written by b-movie fans for b-movie fans," says the official website. The emphasis is on Asian cinema and slasher horror of more recent vintage, but these mirthful movie mavens embrace their geekdom unashamedly. The current issue boasts articles bearing such headlines as "Smells Like Geek Spirit" and "Coping With Your Inner Kenny" (a wry reference to the dubbed youngster who pops up in any number of Toho giant monster flicks). How geeky does it get? Check out "Versus: Horror Icon Matchups We'd Like To See," wherein the author pits Michael Myers against Pinhead and so forth. Other highlights include "Reel Science in the Real World" and a piece on "Cinematic Swordsmanship." There's even an advice column. Excerpts can be found at the site, hard copies can be purchased for three bucks. Pay 'em a visit at: http://b-movies.org/ Naturally, tell 'em the B Monster sent you! NEW ON DVD WEREWOLF IN A GIRL'S DORMITORY The B Monster once cited this film as among the worst werewolf movies ever made, having written that: "A truncated version of this oddball Euro-fright flick was once a late-night TV staple. A muddled Italian-Austrian co-production, it details the sobering story of a girl's school headmaster who is, in reality, the slobbering werewolf of the film's title. Of special note is the swingin' teen theme 'Ghoul in School.'" You know what? I've changed my mind, as is my prerogative. A number of subsequent, inadequate werewolf movies have been made since that assessment, and I've tempered my verdict accordingly. Which is not to say this a good movie. Its drawbacks include continuity gaffs (the story takes place over several nights, and EVERY night there's a full moon!), laughable dubbing, gaps in logic (the handicapped groundskeeper has a useless arm in some scenes, in others he's smothering girls and swinging from rafters), and unconvincing makeup that only tenuously resembles anything wolf-like. And, although the film is structured as a mystery, there's never any doubt who the killer is. But the plot offers a novel twist or two, and an ironic hitch at the climax that nearly redeems the many VERY talky stretches we're asked to endure. There are several engaging, shadowy scenes, but they're scenes of people merely walking into a room or climbing stairs. The money shots of the monster are, for the most part, wasted. The kooky makeup should have been kept in shadow. Curt Lowens, who stars as the headmaster of the girl's reformatory (the exteriors of which were actually a castle in Rome), provides the DVD's commentary track along with author David Del Valle. Lowen's chat is most entertaining. He's since appeared in dozens of films and television programs, but his memories of filming this horror cheapie, which came early in his career, are surprisingly vivid. Also featured in the cast are Carl Schell, brother of Maximillian, and the first Mrs. Roman Polanski, Barbara Lass. Fans of Euro-horror will recognize Luciano Pigozzi as the aforementioned caretaker. Pigozzi was known as the Peter Lorre of Italian cinema for reasons that are obvious the moment you see him. The B Monster is disappointed that "The Ghoul in School" is not included in this cut of the film. According to Retromedia, producers of this edition, the song itself is owned by Ted Turner, and the licensing rights simply aren't available. There is a disclaimer on the packaging mentioning the song's absence. http://www.image-entertainment.com THE ASTOUNDING SHE MONSTER/SHE DEMONS SET "The Astounding She Monster" is cheesy, it's cheap, it's preposterous and portions of it are untenably talky. Would you believe we're talking about one of our all-time favorite films? It's true. Director Ron Ashcroft's minor alien invasion opus is the very film from which we derive our name. What's not to like about this premise: Gangsters kidnap a Beverly Hills socialite, commandeering her Cadillac convertible and repairing to a remote mountain cabin occupied by Robert Clarke. Enter the eponymous She Monster, decked out in a bursting-at-the-seams spandex spacesuit. She's traveled the galaxy in her white light spaceship to bring mankind a message, yet the touch of this spangled starlet is radioactively deadly! According to Clarke, Ashcroft edited the film on the fly in his living room. Evil-eyed Shirley Kilpatrick as the She-Monster, snarling Kenne Duncan and pretty Marilyn Harvey co-star -- an altogether unbeatable history lesson in poverty-level, exploitation filmmaking. Nobody exploited the exploitable quite like director Richard Cunha. Many consider his twisted shocker "She Demons" to be his magnum opus. It's got everything necessary to keep a cult-film fan happy: A mad doctor, scantily clad native gals, Nazis hoping to resurrect the Reich, and, of course, references to race that must have seemed harmless at the time. Tod Griffin, who'd previously starred in TV's "Operation: Neptune," portrays a treasure hunter for hire, conscripted by a wealthy backer to explore an uncharted Pacific island. By the very slimmest of plot contrivances, the millionaire's shapely daughter, as played by 1950s pin-up queen Irish "Sheena" McCalla, decides to go along for the ride. Rounding out the intrepid team is Griffin's right-hand man, Sammy, played by Charlie Chan's ex-No. 2 son Victor Sen Yung, who was soon to find lasting employment as the Ponderosa's head chef on TV's "Bonanza." And let's not forget the Diana Nellis Dancers as the She Demons. Easily stealing the show, however, is actor Rudolph Anders who hams it up as the Mengele-like mad doctor. When a script called for a wild-eyed Aryan-type, Anders' name must have been near the top of every casting director's list. Nobody, with the possible exception of Martin "Flesh Eaters" Kosleck, did it better. Anders' poised dementia and convincing delivery make you forget, just for a moment, the cardboard sets and tin foil gadgets in the background. The film kicks off with newsreel footage of a devastating typhoon that's currently pounding the very area our heroes are flying into. (Didn't they check the forecast? Wasn't there a radio on board?) Ditching their plane, our bedraggled band soon find themselves washed ashore without provisions, and are forced to go foraging. (Somehow, they've managed to salvage Irish's comely sun dress.) It isn't long before they stumble upon the caged She Demons, native girls who were subject to Anders' misguided efforts to restore the beauty of his disfigured wife. Naturally, our friends are captured and, according to the unwritten movie law that states all villains must explain their motives to the victims as they'll never live to tell anyway, Anders describes how Der Furher himself sent him to the desolate isle during the war to conduct Third Reich research. Aided by, of all people, Herr Doctor's scarred wife, the trio escape in a rowboat that had been stashed elsewhere on the island just as the U.S. Air Force, on a test run, is commencing to bomb the atoll. All the doc's atomic-powered apparatus goes up in smoke, as Yung utter's the film's best line: "Let's blow this crazy fire trap!" We could debate whether the movie is a tongue-in-cheek exercise, or was simply the best they could produce with the budget they had. (Maybe both?) Who cares? It's all great, goofy, grotesque fun. http://www.image-entertainment.com THE BEACH GIRLS AND THE MONSTER/BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS SET "The Beach Girls and the Monster?" Kitsch-lovers alert! This one's got it all. Surfing, singing, surfing, a shaggy rubber monster, surfing, go-going teenyboppers, surfing, Jon Hall and, did we mention surfing? Not just interspersed with the action, but a 10-minute chunk of uninterrupted surfing footage accompanied by twanging, Dick Dalesque guitar riffs. Producer, director, star Jon Hall was a pretty big deal in the 1940s, very often paired with curvaceous bombshell, Maria Montez in exotic, Technicolor B-features. In the 1950s, he was Ramar of the Jungle (he was also the son of Felix Locher, whom you may recall from Frankenstein's Daughter). Hall hopped on the beach-movie bandwagon in 1964 with this fairly shoddy, immensely enjoyable pastiche featuring music by Frank Sinatra, Jr. (One noteworthy tune, "Monster in the Surf," is crooned by a puppet.) Hall committed suicide in 1979, but, contrary to rumor, it had nothing to do with his failings as a filmmaker (he was dying of cancer). As a kid, you may have caught it on the late, late show under its TV title, "Monster From the Surf." As an adult living in the miraculous era of DVD, it belongs in your collection. Over the years, even mainstream movie buffs have become familiar with "Brain From Planet Arous," owing to its outlandish menace, crude effects and what is possibly John Agar's most memorable performance. An evil brain from space named Gor bores into Bronson Canyon. It kills Robert Fuller and takes over John Agar's body, transforming the affable actor into a lustful mad scientist who can blow up planes with his laser gaze. Hot on Gor's trail is a good brain named Vol, who comes to earth to terminate the garrulous Gor. B-movie stalwart Thomas Browne Henry ("Earth vs. the Flying Saucers," "Blood of Dracula," "20 Million Miles to Earth") lends solid support as the father of Agar's bride-to-be, Joyce Meadows. Floating brains with bulging eyes, Bronson Canyon AND John Agar gone wild! Anyone with a brain will want this set on their shelf. http://www.image-entertainment.com MISSILE TO THE MOON/PROJECT MOON BASE SET At the suggestion of Astor Pictures, director Richard Cunha and producer Marc Frederic mounted this remake of Astor's notorious schlock space opera "Cat-Women of the Moon." The film that resulted may not be intrinsically better (it COULDN'T be worse), but it is every bit as fascinating. Cunha and company tossed every sci-fi, B-movie cliche into the pot — bulky rockets, giant spiders, leering juvenile delinquents, lumpy, shambling rock men, a subterranean city and a bevy of slinky beauties living on a manless satellite -- and came up with a corny, defiantly entertaining hodge-podge that never fails to make me smile. And what a cast -- Richard Travis, Cathy Downs, Tommy Cook, Nina Bara, Gary Clarke, Leslie Parrish. Anyone expecting plausibility will be sorely disappointed. Anyone looking for a good time will wear this DVD out. "Project Moon Base" is just about the silliest sci-fi film of the era. Laughably cheap and ludicrously acted, it was originally pitched as a TV series. I suppose its makers thought it was good enough to be a feature. It isn't. One could charitably overlook its shortcomings if it were one of the live, Saturday morning, "space age" children's' programs of the 1950s ("Space Patrol," "Rocky Jones," "Tom Corbett," "Captain Video"). But it aspires to be more and, alas, it fails. Set in the future (1970), its novel touches don't quite redeem its inadequacies, but are noteworthy. The commanding officer is a woman (Donna Martell), as is the president of the United States. These sociological breakthroughs are undermined, however, when General Hayden "I Dream of Jeannie" Rorke threatens to spank the female colonel for insubordination. The "action" consists of an astonishingly inept fight scene wherein two men roll around on the floor like puppies in slow motion, pawing each other's faces. These same hearty astronauts scream like little girls during blastoff as the G-force distorts their faces. Let's be charitable; the filmmakers had an idea. They tried, they blew it. It's a cute piece of pop history. http://www.image-entertainment.com VALLEY OF GWANGI Film historian and Dinoship Publishing CEO Bob Madison weighs in with the following assessment of an often-overlooked Ray Harryhausen classic: "Valley of Gwangi," long a neglected part of the Ray Harryhausen canon, has received deluxe treatment in its DVD release from Warner Home Video. "Gwangi" is a picture with everything: cowboys, dinosaurs, a circus -- even a dinosaur-elephant fight near the end. So, why has the picture never come into its own with genre fans? The reasons for that are many. "Gwangi" really is a fantasy western, and most genre fans are ambivalent about westerns, at best. Also, the film's pace is more leisurely than other Harryhausen vehicles, and, though fierce, Gwangi himself lacks the mythic resonance of the Ymir or Talos. The perception that Gwangi's flaws outweigh its virtues is a shame because -- heresy alert on! -- "Gwangi" really is one of Harryhausen's best films. The western aspects of the film play well, with a welcome focus on a traveling Wild West show, there are some fine performances, and it features some of Harryhausen's most stunning set pieces. In short -- when some Wild West show types get their hands on a mini prehistoric horse, they follow gypsies bent on returning the beast to a lost valley in the American badlands where dinosaurs still live. They rope a fierce allosaurus, Gwangi, and take it back to headline in the Wild West show. Needless to say, it escapes... In synopsis, Gwangi sounds like too much Buffalo Bill Meets King Kong, but the film is surprisingly effective. Gwangi may be Harryhausen's most convincingly animated creature -- it's an animal that never looks too fantastic to be unreal. The sequence where the cowboys rope Gwangi like a steer is beautifully done (and surpasses the similar scene in "Mighty Joe Young"), and the elephant battle is more convincing (and harrowing!) than the twin sequence in "20 Million Miles to Earth." The performances (usually a low point in Harryhausen films) are particularly good, with Franciscus in great form as the initially venal hero and Naismith as the scientist who would also exploit Gwangi. (Like the film itself, Franciscus never seems to have gotten his due from genre fans for this and his other major credit, "Beneath the Planet of the Apes." He's a good actor and one hell of a lot easier to take than Charlton Heston.) The DVD print is crisp and clear -- this is the first time I've seen this 1969 film in widescreen format and it's a treat. Also included are various Harryhausen trailers, and a short featurette, "Return to the Valley." While not bad, the featurette is in no way a "making of," which would have been much appreciated. Instead, we are treated to Harryhausen's reminiscences on his work in the film. Fun, but it could have been more. Make time to visit "The Valley of Gwangi." It's a trip you'll never forget. SPECIAL THANKS TO: Michael F. Blake, whose books are available through Vestal Press or at http://www.amazon.com ClassicSciFi.com http://www.classicscifi.com Harris Lentz III, whose books are available at http://www.mcfarlandpub.com Bob Madison, founder and CEO of Dinoship, Inc. http://www.dinoship.com Bryan Senn, whose books are available at http://www.mcfarlandpub.com and at http://www.midmar.com/books.html Tom Weaver, whose books are available at http://www.mcfarlandpub.com and at http://www.midmar.com/books.html PARTING BLURB "Diabolical murder monsters lusting for a death-duel!" -- Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man